Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake
T H E 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 30 ISSUE 25
AUGUST 31, 2026
Citizens HIGHS, LOWS, THEN BROOKLYN of the Year PARK RIDGE
A CHAMPIONSHIP
Westwood 12U rallies to KRL summer crown
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
BY JOHN SNYDER EDITOR@THEPRESSGROUP.NET
SCOUTS Families delight as USAR Black Hawk makes big entrance at Memorial Field BY JOHN SNYDER EDITOR@THEPRESSGROUP.NET
On a gorgeous summer Saturday morning, Memorial Field swarmed with families. Scouts clustered with friends. Parents readied their phones. Veterans, first responders, and community leaders scanned the sky. Soon, the Black Hawk announced itself: a distant thumpa-thumpa-thumpa gathering force beyond the treeline. Then came a shout: “Here they come!”
See SCOUTS on page 94
MAKES HER MARK ON WORLD STAGE Ten-year-old golfer builds on early Drive, Chip & Putt success with international top-20 finish
The Greater Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its 52nd Citizens of the Year Awards dinner Oct. 20. Tickets and sponsorships are available. PAGE 24
CHEER FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES
BEHRENS
T
WESTWOOD 12U WINS ON THE ROAD: The championship roster included Sofia Nilo, Alyana Meisten, Brianna Struss, Mikayla Mazza, Emily Frohlich, Natalie Fredeman, Sara Aguado, Sofia Clason, Kelsey Wegman, Aurelia Avanesian, Layla Lowndes, Elena Gerstmayr, Kendall Falk, Maeve Fitzpatrick and Emeline Malatino. The coaching staff included Victoria Fitzpatrick, David Aguado, Chad Wegman, Brian Clason and Fran Meisten. Team photo. WESTWOOD 12U softball team closed out its summer with a Kinderkamack Road League championship, defeating River Edge 8-7 after a postseason run marked by late-night drama and strong support from the townʼs softball community. Westwood finished the regular season 7-3, then faced a demanding playoff stretch that included a quarterfinal-semifinal doubleheader. The semifinal against Emerson became the defining HE
game of the run. Westwood fell behind by seven runs, then rallied all the way back to earn a place in the championship game. The comeback stretched late into the night, with the game finishing at about 11 p.m. In the final, Westwood edged River Edge, 8-7, at Roosevelt North. Westwood collected 13 hits and stole nine bases in the championship game. Emily Frohlich drove in three runs, Emeline Malatino had three hits, and Maeve Fitzpatrick hit an
inside-the-park home run. Just as notable was the crowd along the sideline. Head coach Victoria Fitzpatrick, who also serves as vice president of the Westwood Softball Association, said more than 50 Westwood softball players came out to watch the championship game and support the 12U team. Their presence, she said, gave the players a lift in a game that remained close until the end.
Continued on page 8
Three years after emerging as a local Drive, Chip & Putt standout, 10-year-old Brooklyn Behrens of Park Ridge is making her mark on the international junior golf circuit. Behrens recently finished among the top 20 players overall—and among the top 10 from the United States—at the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, North Carolina, according to her father and longtime coach, Tom Behrens. The field included leading junior players from 48 states and more than 50 countries. Brooklyn played the front nine of her opening round at 4 under par and stood among the top 10 players worldwide and the leading U.S. competitors after the first day. She lost some
See BEHRENS on page 124
CARS FOR A CAUSE
B ck in time...
Now in its 12th year, the Joey’s Fund Charity Car Show will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Closter Plaza, 19 Vervalen St. in Closter. It’s great fun and a serious mission. PAGE 29
A timely look at one of our favorite photos from the Pascack Historical Society’s archive: Dated to 1887–1890, this was the student body of the Park Ridge schoolhouse. PAGE 4