Despite the rain, Project Main Street volunteers were out early Thursday morning last week hanging baskets of flowers along Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell. This is the third consecutive year that the all-volunteer nonprofit organization has raised the money for, purchased and will maintain the flower baskets throughout the season. This community service project is part of the group's ongoing commitment to downtown beautification and revitalization. The flowers have been growing for two months in local greenhouses. Volunteers Rick Ventola of R. Ventola Landscaping and James Haas of The James …
The Caldwell Public Library holds a monthly LEGO club in the children's room. This month, participants were asked to build something they would see in Caldwell or West Caldwell. Children immediately went to work creating everything from parks and pools to a gas station and their own homes out of the colorful bricks. After their models were built, students practiced their presentation skills by describing what they made with the group. One child, who put together a scene complete with horses, three-headed dragons and Darth Vader, admitted his creation was "fake." The LEGO club projects will…
The annual fishing derby at Essex County Grover Cleveland Park is co-sponsored by Essex County and the Roseland Recreation Department. This year's event took place on Saturday, May 5, with awards presented to children for catching the first fish and the most fish in their age categories. Upcoming fishing derbies will be held on Thursday, May 17 in Essex County Verona Park, Saturday, May 19 in Essex County Weequahic Park, Saturday, June 9 in Essex County Monte Irvin Orange Park and Saturday, June 16 in Essex County Irvington Park. For information, call the Essex County Department of Parks, …
West Essex First Aid Squad volunteers held a mock extrication on a recent Friday night with members of Pack 6 Cub Scouts watching in awe. The First Aid Squad drill involved taking apart an SUV in order to safely remove mock victims trapped inside. The drill was performed in the WEFAS parking lot off Bloomfield Avenue in West Caldwell. First, they used a hydraulic powered Jaws of Life to spread open the vehicle doors. The hydraulic powered Cutter was then used to cut the front vehicle posts while a special saw was used to manually cut the windshield glass. This allowed for the removal of the …
The Fifth Annual Taste of the Caldwells was a night of winners—from the restaurants and caterers voted the "best" of the evening to the many students who will benefit from proceeds raised by the Caldwell-West Caldwell Education Foundation. Nearly 300 people packed a gymnasium in the Caldwell College Student Center Sunday to sample a variety of food and drink. Attendees had the chance to vote for their favorites, selecting ShopRite Sunrise Kitchens in West Caldwell for Best Entree (Chili Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa), Caldwell Seafood in Caldwell for Best Appetizer (Crab Cakes), Edible …
Trees aren't the only things budding around the Caldwells this spring. From storefronts announcing a business is "Coming Soon" to the sites of upcoming development projects, this photo gallery has fun with the concept of "new beginnings." Five Guys Burgers and Fries is coming to West Caldwell in the old home of Book World. Caldwell-West Caldwell Schools will have a new superintendent, James Heinegg, come July 1. The Villas at West Caldwell, a rental community for 55 and up, is scheduled to break ground this spring at the former property of Carter's Nursery. See photo gallery for more of what…
Once a year, the children at the Wednesday afternoon Youth Club program at First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell put their hands to labor. In this case, it's a labor of community service and Christian giving. The children, with the help of adult volunteers, spend the afternoon bagging lunches that will be donated to the clients of St. John's Soup Kitchen in Newark. This year, they made over 400 bologna sandwiches, packed 400 apples, 400 bags of cookies, and added 400 individual juice boxes. To make the lunches a little brighter, the children also added a handful of candy to each one. As the …
What do Brownies and cupcakes have in common? Both can put a smile on your face. Brownie Troop 21229 from Lincoln School in Caldwell recently worked with local bakery Edlyn Sweets to create a cupcake recipe, which was appropriately dubbed "The Brownie Smile." A batch of the chocolate cupcakes with light blue buttercream icing and brownie bits on top was featured at the shop last week, according to Laura Halen, who owns the bake shop with her mom, Pam Zablow. Meanwhile, over at West Essex High School, students in Jill Schneck's Culinary 1 classes competed in their own version of Cupcake Wars, …
From the orchestra to the percussion ensemble to choral groups, the students of James Caldwell High School showed off their talent at this year's Music 5K. The program, which took place for five hours on Saturday, is a fundraiser for the Music and More Booster Club at the high school. Money raised is used for scholarships for students. But for the audience, which included people of all ages, it was an afternoon of entertainment. From classical music to humorous songs, the students showcased the performing arts programs at the high school and received round after round of applause. The musical…
The Grover Cleveland Senior Center served up lunch and love for Valentine's Day Tuesday. About 68 seniors sat in round tables of eight in the gymnasium which was decorated for the holiday. They each received a Valentine from one of four local Girl Scout Troops, which also made the centerpieces. A Trinity catechism class provided lollipops. The main course of pot roast was made possible with meat provided by Vila Meats in Caldwell. The meal cost $3.50 and included dessert, coffee, chocolates and party favors.
The Caldwell Public Library held its first LEGO Club Monday in the Children's Room. LEGO fans of all ages were welcomed and given the theme of "Dragons" to work with in honor of the Chinese Year of the Dragon celebrated this week. Little hands got to work right away on their fire-breathing creations. Some chose to expand on the theme and create castles and vehicles to help escape a dragon's reach. The results are currently on display at the entrance to the children's room. Upcoming LEGO Club dates and times are: Wednesday, Feb. 22, 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Monday, March 12, 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. …
Monday was sunny with high temperatures in the mid-40s. But a year ago on the day after Christmas ... Essex County residents braced for a storm that would dump more than two feet of snow on the region. A state of emergency was declared in New Jersey where many holiday travelers were stranded. Public transportation was suspended and the county reported abandoned cars on roadways. The heavy snow combined with strong gusts of wind left giant mounds up to six-feet tall in some areas with other spots showing just a dusting of snow. Virtually everything shut down. Government offices closed. The …
Beth Rogers' Friday Friends pre-K class from the First Presbyterian Church Weekday Nursery School shared their favorite holiday books with a group of seniors from the Grover Cleveland Senior Center Friday morning.
Hundreds of runners and walkers participated in Trinity Academy’s 5K Reindeer Run/Walk on Saturday morning. Proceeds from the 5K went to the K through 8 Catholic school in Caldwell. The 3.1-mile sanctioned course started on Hatfield Avenue in Caldwell and traveled through West Caldwell and North Caldwell before making its way back to the school, which is located on Bloomfield Avenue. The top overall male and female runners, Amy Van Alsatine, 24, of Midland Park (17:19.06), and Christopher Dugan, 15, of Hopatcong (18:23.23), received $150 gift certificates to a sports store. For full race …
Santa Claus paraded up Bloomfield Avenue escorted by the Caldwell Fire Department to the Caldwell Green on Saturday for the annual tree lighting. Children and their families anxiously awaited Santa's arrival and the big countdown to switch on the lights. After the tree lighting, revelers made their way over to the Caldwell Firehouse for free photo-ops and refreshments. The firehouse is also the site of an annual tricky tray raffle to raise money for the CFD's Children's Education Fund. Among the many prizes were items donated by local merchants and businesses, gift certficates to local …
Just about everywhere you look in the Caldwells the last couple of days there's been a box for a food collection, a bin for a coat drive or a sign about some other effort to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Share what you have been doing to help make Thanksgiving brighter for others and add your own photos here. Plus, let us know what you are thankful for this Thanksgiving in the comments below.
Ghosts, ghouls and goblins. Fall colors and fun. Everywhere you look along Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell is another eye-catching storefront and window display as merchants and restaurants get ready for Halloween. On Monday, Oct. 31, many businesses will be offering safe trick-or-treating from 1 to 5 p.m. So "carve" a little time into your schedule to bring your kids to town and check out the spooktacular decorations. Feel free to add more photos to our sampling and tell us about your favorites in the comments.
The New York Red Bulls held its Fan Appreciation Night as it pulled out a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union, clinching a playoff berth for Major League Soccer. Among the 25,000-plus fans at the sold-out game Thursday night were soccer teams from Essex and Union Counties, including players from the Caldwell-West Caldwell Soccer Club. Wearing their trademark blue and white shirts and sweatshirts, and sporting Red Bulls scarves, the boys and girls cheered and waved, arriving 1 1/2-hours early to watch the team warm-up on the field before the game. Though the players were too busy warming up to…
The James Caldwell High School football team evened its record for the season at 3-3 Saturday after defeating Barringer 31-6 at home. The homecoming game was attended by graduates of the Class of 1961 as part of their 50th reunion. The high school also announced its first homecoming court ever, including a king and queen elected by the senior class.
