‘TANKQUE’ TO HEROES
Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake VOLUME 24 ISSUE 7
PA S C AC K VA L L E Y ’ S BEST H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R
MAY 4, 2020
PARK RIDGE
EASY ON THE EARS
Constantly wearing a mask can be physically tough on healthcare workers. Learn what an Emerson family did to help. SEE PAGE 25
‘YES, WE ARE OPEN!’ Pascack Valley businesses finding ways to cope with closures
BY HILLARY VIDERS SPECIAL TO PASCACK PRESS
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many businesses throughout New Jersey to shut down, there are many restaurants and service providers in the Pascack Valley area that are still open and welcoming customers. Featured in this article are a few that will give you great food and a great bang for your buck.
See OPEN on page 64
Over 1,700 fed at drive-up BBQ for first responders
The Steve Rich Group and a large group of volunteers and sponsors staffed, donated supplies and provided funding for the “Tankque to the Unsung Heroes” drive-up barbecue event on Saturday, April 25 in the parking lot of the Park Ridge Pool on Colony Avenue. The community-supported event was a way to say “thank you” to the healthcare workers, police officers, firefighters and EMTs who are working hard to keep northern New Jersey safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. For those wondering what “Tankque” means, the contraption is a one-of-a-kind cooking trailer built by Steve Rich & Associates and designed for charity and fundraising events. Old oil tanks were repurposed to make a custom-designed trailer that includes a wood burning pizza oven, wood-fired rotisserie with three spits, a smoker, three BBQs, and two indirect chambers for slow cooking. It can produce up to 50 pizzas an hour and has an amazing 50 square feet of barbecue cooking space for Organizers Steve Rich and Glenn Laga at the “Tankque to the Unsung Heroes” event April 25. The famous Tankque, visible behind them, helped feed 1,700 first responders and burgers and hot dogs. Organizer and local resident healthcare workers that day. Steve Rich explained, “My com- text their order to a phone number Tankque and team of volunteers ny Steve Rich & Associates, pany built a multi-purpose wood- upon arrival at the pool parking were able to feed over 1,700 along with Glenn Laga, longtime fired and portable cooking lot. From there they could drive frontline workers by cooking 450 Park Ridge resident and presimachine from recycled oil tanks up and receive their meal, which pizzas and 1,000 pounds of meat.” dent of Guardian Data DestrucRich, born and raised in Park tion, coordinated the logistics of that is available to nonprofits at no had been packaged by volunteers. The original goal of feeding 1,000 Ridge, currently a Montvale resi- the event and their staff also volcharge (see tankque.com).” dent, and president of environ- unteered to work the event. That afternoon between 2 and was far surpassed. In fact, mental con“As long-time Park Ridge 8 p.m., healthcare workers and tracting compafirst responders were invited to Rich said, “The See Tankque page 18
MAYDAY MISSIONS
A charity that helps first responders has partnered with an Emerson deli to ʻFeed the Front Line.ʼ
SEE PAGE 17
B ck in time... Did you know Woodcliff Lake has the oldest schoolhouse still in use in Bergen County?
SEE PAGE 4