Romance is in the air as Valentine’s Day draws near. Many will celebrate over the weekend, while others will attempt to avoid the pressures of couplehood altogether. Whichever camp you are in, this weekend offers a varied assortment of entertainments to interest everyone. Read on for the Top 10 Patch Picks for our area. Line Dancing & Game Night Laugh, dance, eat and play all evening at Newark Symphony Hall! Learn to line dance, with Kenny showing you how to do the Cha Cha, the Electric Slide, Steppin’ and more! Dinners will be available for purchase, and raffles will be sold. Play games …

From a noisemaker craft for kids at the library to ballroom dancing with champagne at midnight, this weekend offers a New Year’s Eve Celebration for everyone. There is a murder mystery dinner in Bloomfield, a dinner dance in Caldwell, First Night in Montclair, and a party in Livingston. Read on to find the perfect celebration for you! New Year's Eve Noisemaker Craft Where/When: Caldwell Public Library, 268 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell; Friday starting at 9 a.m. Why Go? Happy New Year from the Caldwell Library! Children of all ages are invited to drop in at any time during library hours to make a…

December has been described as “the most wonderful time of the year”, with good cause! As the holidays approach, exciting events occur all over town, including pageants and concerts, Hanukkah events, shows and classes. Patch has highlighted several opportunities for seasonal fun below that are happening right in the Caldwells area. Read on for details, and feel free to make your own suggestions for weekend fun in the Comments section. Enjoy! Orchestra of St. Peter by-the-Sea Christmas Concert Where/When: Notre Dame Roman Catholic Church, 359 Central Ave., North Caldwell; Sunday at 7:30 p.m. …

Local houses of worship are delivering entertainment this weekend, including a concert and magic show at Calvary Church, comedians at Congregation Agudath Israel, a Christmas Cantata at Caldwell United Methodist Church, and a cookie walk and concert at First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell. Trinity Academy is hosting a Reindeer Run, and Caldwell College will show off their Children’s Choir.  The Roseland Library is presenting tenor Salvatore Chiarelli and soprano Elga Johannes, while West Caldwell Library hosts a Miniature Snowman Contest. Read on for all the details, and feel free to offer …

With community tree lightings, The Nutcracker ballet, holiday concerts and the annual gingerbread house contest at the Environmental Center all happening around our area, it is obvious that the holidays are upon us! Patch has highlighted a few events below that you will not want to miss this weekend. Get out and watch the tree lighting in your town, then catch the Roseland PAC’s Nutcracker at West Essex High School. On Sunday, tour homes and historic sites on the Christmas Walk, and enjoy the Rutgers Chorus performing their holiday concert. Read on for the details of these events and others, …

The turkey has all been eaten, the shopping is in the bag—now what? If you are wondering what to do with the remainder of your long weekend, Patch has suggestions for exciting and interesting things-to-do locally. Toast marshmallows around a campfire at the Environmental Center, run the Turkey Trot for Progeria research, and meet Santa in Caldwell. Local churches kick off the Advent season with craft events and music, and the zoo is lighting up for the holidays. Read on for the details of these events and others, and feel free to add your own suggestions for weekend fun to the comments …

Football playoffs, fundraisers, high school theater and a holiday vendor show are awaiting you this weekend. Cheer on the Chiefs as they face Summit in a semi-final game; raise funds for a sick child, a memorial scholarship or an injured local man; or catch the play Noises Off at West Essex High School. Read on for the details of these events and others, and feel free to add your own suggestions for weekend activities in the Comments section. Chiefs Varsity Football vs Summit: Semi-final Playoff Game Where/When: Tatlock Park 26 Butler Parkway Summit; Saturday at 1 p.m. Why Go? Our boys have …

Friday is Veterans Day, and each of the Caldwells will host a morning ceremony led by the American Legion, honoring our nation’s veterans. Also happening this weekend is the West Caldwell Library’s Craft Fair, free makeovers at D’Lites, a beer tasting to benefit the animal shelter, and a Jewish film festival. Read on for the details of these events and others, and feel free to add your own suggestions in the Comments section. Veterans Day Ceremonies Where/When: North Caldwell: Borough of North Caldwell, around the flagpole, 141 Gould Ave., North Caldwell; Friday at 8 a.m. West Caldwell: Crane…

From a canine costume parade to a Japanese drum concert, and Teen Night at the Community Center to the JCC’s Creative Maturity Expo, this weekend offers something for everyone. The West Caldwell Library is offering a free college planning lecture, Caldwell College is presenting music with a healing theme, and the Halloween 5K has been resheduled for this Saturday. Read on for the details of these events and others, and feel free to add your own suggestions for the weekend to the Comments section. Japanese Taiko Drumming Concert Where/When: Congregation Beth Ahm of West Essex, 56 Grove Ave., …

Verona Park will be wagging with costumed canines Sunday afternoon at the October Tails Halloween fundraiser for St. Barnabas. The Luna Stage will be alight with the adventures of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla, while Kip’s Castle will creep you out for Friday Fright Night. Read on for details of these events and several others Patch has highlighted for your entertainment. Feel free to add your own suggestions for fun happenings in the Comments section, and enjoy! October Tails Halloween Dog Walk Where/When: Verona Park, Bloomfield and Lakeside avenues, Verona, Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Why Go? “…

Fifty years ago, the Class of 1961 became the first class to graduate from James Caldwell High School. At Saturday’s Homecoming Football Game, the ’61 alumni will be recognised from their reserved seats at Bonnel Field, while the Chiefs take on Barringer High School. Other events this weekend include Cub Scout Pack 9’s Pancake Breakfast and a pasta dinner to benefit a local wounded veteran. Read on for details of all these events, and more, and feel free to add other events of interest in the Comments section. Chiefs Homecoming Varsity Football Game Where/When: James Caldwell High School, 265…

Break out your beer stein and head to Our Lady of the Lake for Oktoberfest! Enjoy all things German—food, music, wine and beer, plus an enormous 50/50 raffle. If you prefer a more family-oriented festival, try Kinderfest, an Octoberfest for children and families, also at Our Lady of the Lake. Other events in our area this weekend include a one-woman play about Louisa May Alcott at the West Caldwell Library, a ballroom dance social in Caldwell, and the Annual Pumpkin/Apple Sale at the Cedar Grove Historical Society. Read on for details of these events and others. Our Lady of the Lake to Host …

Some of the best things about autumn include cooler temperatures, falling leaves, Halloween, and fall festivals. This weekend marks the beginning of many of these things, including the Essex County Annual Octoberfest, and Regal Bank’s Howling Pawrade, featuring a doggy costume contest. As we prepare for the change of seasons, many of us will clean out the basement or garage, and can take advantage of the County’s Hazardous Waste collection, happening on Saturday in Cedar Grove. Other events in our area include Teen Night at the Caldwell Community Center where tweens and teens can party for …

The Caldwells will be hopping with art and culture this weekend. Not to mention bald heads. In addition to musical performances of opera, cabaret, rock and roll, and Sinatra, St Baldrick’s will be shaving heads for charity, and a new treetop adventure course is opening. Sky Fitness is cutting the ribbon on their new gym. Read on for the details of these events and others, and please feel free to add other events of interest to the Comments section.   Voices of Italy Where/When: Caldwell College, 120 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell, Sunday at 3 p.m. Why Go? Spend an afternoon enjoying a concert of …

Northern New Jersey is the place to be this weekend. From music festivals to car shows, there are events for everyone. The 9th Annual Jazz Festival and South Orange International Blues Festival are both happening nearby, and Newsies is opening at the Paper Mill Playhouse.  One final Sept. 11 commemoration will take place at Liberty State Park when the Bagpipe and Drum Exhibition gathers 20 bands from around the state to pay tribute to fallen heroes. Right here in town, James Caldwell High School is hosting its traditional Soccer Saturday, newly re-named Col. John McHugh Memorial Soccer …

School is back in session and schedules are returning to normal this week. For many of us, this causes a big sigh of relief, while others are going, kicking and screaming, in protest of the end of summer.  Fortunately for both camps, the weekend can still provide a little slice of summer, sandwiched between our busily scheduled weeks. The great outdoors can still be enjoyed at events such as the North Caldwell Town Picnic, and the Boob-E-Que, a breast cancer fundraiser.  The Chiefs are hosting the Knights at Bonnel Field on Saturday, and  there will be a Community 5K Run to remember victims …

It has been quite a summer: heat waves, record rainfall, an earthquake and a hurricane complete with flooding and power outages. This weekend, Labor Day (already!) marks the traditional, unofficial end of the summer, and we are supposed to kick back and enjoy the last of sun and fun for a final three days.  While it is generally a very quiet weekend, there are a few events in the area to entertain you. Town pools are open through Monday for your splashing pleasure. DanceSport4You is hosting a ballroom dancing social at the old Caldwell Women’s Club, and the Environmental Center is conducting …

The Caldwells are hopping with things to do this weekend! Several events are outdoors, such as the Birding Hike through Hatfield Swamp, and the West Caldwell Library’s Family Fun in the Park—so keep an eye on the forecast. (UPDATE—Event has been cancelled.) Others take place indoors, and will be unaffected by the weather, like the movie Soul Surfer being offered by Life Source Church, and the basketball tournament benefitting My Heart 4 Haiti. Read on for information about these events and others. 4th Annual Family Fun in the Park—CANCELLED Where/When: Crane Park, 30 Clinton Road, West …

Get ready for an active weekend!  Many local events coming up in the next few days will keep you active, either biking, skating, dancing, or just grooving to live music.  The Hilltop Grasshopper is a bike race for kids to ride, while the adults handle the cheering.  The Livingston Skate Park will be the site of the Skate Night and Music Festival. There is also a creative movement workshop for kids and teens that benefits moe-tion dance theater.  Verona Fit Club is conducting free workouts in Verona, and Arthur Murray Dance Center is holding an open house.  If swaying is more your speed, check…

Some big talent is headed our way this weekend. Author Emily Rosenbaum will introduce her cookbook at the Caldwell Farmers' Market, world-renowned cantor Alberto Mizrahi will headline a gala of traditional and contemporary Jewish music, and the 2011 crop of American Idols will perform at the Prudential Center! Looking for a laugh? Tierney’s is hosting "Fab, Funny Females," a comedy show by top female talent. There’s also Yoga in the Park, a new dream analysis group, and a coffeehouse for high school students. Read on for all the details, and enjoy your weekend! Meet author Emily Rosenbaum at …