COOKOUT CONFIDENTIAL
Maybe Memorial Day’s the traditional start of barbecue season, but when the weather’s right, who waits? Consider taking your next outdoor party to the next level with these ideas: • Brew local. Good, cold beer is essential to any outdoor gettogether, and nothing will elevate your spread like adding some brews from local craft breweries. Try Five Dimes Brewery (247 Westwood Ave., Westwood; fivedimesbrewery. com) for impressive IPAs, blond ales and sours; Hackensack Brewing Company (78 Johnson Ave., Hackensack; hackensackbrewing. com) for lagers, cream ales and IPAs; or Gearblock Brewing Company (140 Franklin Tpke. #2, Waldwick; gearblockbrewing.com) for dark lagers and stouts. • Don’t skimp on sides. You can’t go wrong with classics like potato salad or grilled corn, but there are other options too. Riff off the familiar and put together a baked-potato bar with a wide array of toppings for people to choose. Or go daring and add grilled watermelon to the menu (brush it down with a mixture of honey and lime and then serve sprinkled with cilantro). Or add a high-end twist and grill thin slices of zucchini topped with pesto.
• Choose a theme. They’re not just for kids. Choosing a theme for any gathering can add a touch of whimsy or serve as an icebreaker if you’re gathering people who don’t know each other well. It can be as simple as asking people to wear a favorite sports jersey or a Hawaiian shirt—or designing your menu to match a popular movie or international cuisine. • Embrace game day. Odds are that you have a Kan Jam (a lawn game played with Frisbees) set tucked somewhere in your garage. If you want more options for great lawn games, look for ladder ball, played by tossing a bola (two weighted balls connected by a thin cord) onto a ladder, or show off the skills you picked up playing pickleball with PaddleSmash, which requires that you spike small wiffle balls against a trampoline to the other player. Catering to a younger crowd? Giant games of Connect Four are always a hit.
PUPPY LOVE KUDOS TO…
…Devin DeCambre, Dustin DeCambre, Jayden Desouza and Seven Garcia, juniors at Hackensack High School, who won bronze in the 4x400-meter relay at the Nike Indoor Nationals in March. The relay team clocked a time of 3:19:68. Each of the student-athletes has Olympic aspirations for 2028. (The Nike Indoor Nationals bills itself as “the road to the Los Angeles Olympics.”) …New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) Bergen Hub, a state Department of Children and Families program based in Fair Lawn, which organized a Winter Coat Drive at the Fairview Public Library. More than 160 residents gathered at the event, donating and exchanging winter coats. NJ4S Bergen Hub also provided educational materials about local mental health and wellness resources available in the area. …Eli Neibart, an eighth grader from New Milford, who won the 90th annual North Jersey Spelling Bee held at Bergen County Community College. He correctly spelled “xenopus,” the name of a type of frog from sub-Saharan Africa, to secure the win. Neibart will compete in the 100th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., at the end of May. BERGENMAG.COM
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Dog: Penny, 2-year-old Sheepadoodle Owners: Eileen and Dan McLaughlin of Hillsdale Wanting to bring a rescue dog into their lives, Eileen and Dan found Penny through the Closter Animal Welfare Society (CLAWS). Today the couple is overjoyed to give Penny her forever home. Penny is a dog of the people. She “works” at Ramsey Hardware & Paint on Ramsey’s Main Street every Friday, delighting customers with her sweet disposition. You also can find her down the road at Brady’s at the Station, where she loves to dine al fresco (and where the staff always greets her with smiles!). She also enjoys family adventures, such as journeying to nearby Piermont, N.Y., once a week to visit friends. Eileen and Dan say they “love their girl” and wouldn’t give her up for anything. Want to see your pet in an upcoming issue? Email a brief description and photo of your pet to Editor Rita Guarna at rita.guarna@wainscotmedia.com.
MAY 2025
4/16/25 3:18 PM