Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake
PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
VOLUME 27 ISSUE 35
Bazaar’s bounty
NOVEMBER 13, 2023
‘I APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU...’
Park Ridge 2023 Community Service Awards
Unofficial 2023 election results. INSIDE
MONTVALE
BOROUGH AS MEDICAL HUB? Nowʼs the time to act on growing trend, business leaders say at first healthcare industry meet
In its second year, the Brookside Bazaar sees a strong, steady turnout in Westwood. PAGE 26
HILLSDALE
125TH GALA TICKETS GOING FAST
Celebration Nov. 30; committee also selling commemorative bricks, which will grace the borough for generations
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
In the run-up to the 125th Anniversary Gala on Nov. 30, the boroughʼs anniversary committee co-chair urges last-minute celebrants make haste to buy tickets that are going fast—and to stock up on anniversary merchandise, at up to a 30% discount. The committee (hillsdale125thanniversary.com) also is selling 125th Anniversary bricks, which will be laid to connect the Centennial Pathway and a Hillsdale 125th Anniversary Pathway to the main walkway in Veterans Park. Bricks are $40 each and
See 125TH on page 54
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
T
Mayor Keith Misciagna and councilman John Ferguson on Oct. 24 present the 2023 Community Service Awards to 20 local folks who get things done in town.
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN OF PASCACK PRESS
honored 20 fine folks for, in Mayor Keith Misciagnaʼs words, “whatʼs best about Park Ridge, our volunteerism.” Misciagna presented awards during a 30-minute ceremony at the Oct. 24 council meeting. He said the tradition of honoring volunteers started years ago and continues among those who give of themselves to the success of HE BOROUGH HAS
local schools, food pantries, the Shade Tree Committee, the planning and zoning boards, recreational and religious organizations, and more. “It was probably a former mayor who realized getting things done is the hardest part of governing. Getting people to do work, to come out and help one another, is very difficult in most towns,” Misciagna told a full council chambers. In contrast, he said, “Itʼs really not that difficult here and I
appreciate that more than you know because thereʼs things that need to be done that canʼt be done by everyone on this dais and even everybody thatʼs employed by the Borough of Park Ridge.” He said, “More importantly than even that, itʼs what happens when you look back at your time on Earth, and in this town, and you start realizing how important being part of a community is. And I appreciate that and I appreciate all of you.”
Continued on page 24
Montvale wants to become a healthcare hub, or central locale for fulfilling all medical needs of a growing Pascack Valley population, officials said at a Nov. 2 forum at the municipal complex. More than a dozen medicalrelated businesses convened for the first Healthcare Industry Forum Nov. 2 and shared information about needs and why they chose Montvale for their business, and heard from local and county officials about ways to work together to enhance local business. “Thereʼs a lot of excitement for Montvale becoming a medical hub. Clearly itʼs been sought after by a lot of businesses. We heard that from the landlords, that theyʼre
See BOROUGH on page 64
PANTRY PUSH
B ck in time...
CrossCountry Mortgage Montvale Team and the Montvale Chamber of Commerce help stock the Tri-Boro Food Pantry just in time for Thanksgiving. PAGE 22
Eighty years ago, in November 1943, thousands of Hillsdale residents gathered for a jubilant patriotic celebration—the biggest the town had ever seen. A hero was coming home. PAGE 4