On December 7, 2010 the Hoboken, Edward A. Dalton Boys & Girls Club will host their 13^th Annual fundraiser, “An Evening with Two Guys from Hoboken,” honoring the efforts of the neighborhood’s own Joe Pantoliano and Rich Pèpe. In collaboration with Hoboken’s oldest restaurant, event sponsor “Leo’s Grandesvous,” the duo will cook a family style Italian dinner for guests using Pèpe & Pants Pasta Sauce.   Also another neighborhood famous business, Carlos Bakery known for the home of the CAKE BOSS will be donating their famous cake for the evening’s event.   This family style event will raise funds to support the community’s youth development programs, as well as Pantoliano’s No Kidding, Me Too! NKM2 is Pantoliano’s own non-profit organization is dedicated to removing the stigma associated with mental illness. All of the profits from Pèpe & Pants Pasta sauce is donated to NKM2.

The Mayor of Hoboken will present duo neighborhood friends, businessman and celebrity, Pantoliano and Pèpe with Keys to the City, in honor of their respective family’s contributions and in commemoration of their Italian heritage which now spans 3 generations. Spoken on behalf of the pair, Pèpe muses their start, “As you may know, our families emigrated from Italy through Ellis Island over a hundred years ago, settling in Hoboken, New Jersey. It was there that Joey and I learned the importance of close family ties, strong work ethic, and where we each developed a sense of community”.  Joey Pants echoes “  NEED A QUOTE”

Information for event is below:

 

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

5:30 PM Dinner & Award Ceremony

Hoboken Boys & Girls Club
123 Jefferson Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030

 

To buy individual tickets or a premiere sponsorship table for the event, contact:

Gary Greenberg / ggreenberg@bgchc.org / 201.333.4100 ext. 302

 

For more information on Pepe & Pants please visit http://pepeandpants.com/ and to read more about Joey Pantoliano go to www.joeypants.com.

 Joey founded No Kidding, Me Too! a non-profit organization dedicated to removing the stigma associated with mental illness

• Joey will make his directorial debut with his informative and moving documentary of the same name – No Kidding, Me Too! opens on April 24^th and can be seen starting May 24^th on WNET 13/PBS

 

• Joey is the co-founder of Pèpe & Pants Pasta sauce, which donates 100% of its profits to NKM2
• Joey is currently working on his upcoming book The Great Depression
• Joey was recently awarded a key to Hoboken, NJ in honor of his family’s contributions to the community and in commemoration of his Italian heritage which now spans 3 generations

 

The post BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS HONOR JOE PANTOLIANO WITH THE HELP OF THE CAKE BOSS AT “AN EVENING WITH TWO GUYS FROM HOBOKEN” first appeared on River View Observer.

Wed. Oct. 13 –Doors open at 7pm
Music Legends Live on Film-Rare Performances from the Shelley Archives

An exciting evening of rare early performances by The Rolling Stones,
including their first appearances on television in the USA & Europe, promo films, concerts & newsreels by film and music archivist BILL SHELLEY. 1964-75 was undoubtedly one of The Stones’ peak artistic periods; the band was as wildly popular and influential as The Beatles.
There will be a Q & A with archivist Bill Shelley following each presentation as well as a performance by ACE – the Alternative Controller Ensemble, comprised of students in Stevens Institute’s Music & Technology Program.

take place at DeBaun Auditorium
5th St. bet. Hudson St. & River Terrace (on the campus of Steven’s Institute of Technology)

Tickets are $12 in advance; $15 at the door night of the show
Stevens’ students $8 (must present Stevens ID)
Proceeds will go to support Hoboken’s Movies Under the Stars series for 2011 Tickets can be purchased in advanced online at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/131624
or by calling 201-217-4077

The City of Hoboken, Projected Images of Hudson County and
Stevens Institute of Technology Division of Technology and the Arts,
in the College of Arts and Letters proudly present Music Legends Live on Film Rare Performances from the Shelley Archives
These are Exclusive New Jersey Premiere presentations.

take place at DeBaun Auditorium
5th St. bet. Hudson St. & River Terrace (on the campus of Steven’s Institute of Technology)

Doors open at 7pm

• Tickets are $12 in advance; $15 at the door night

of the show Stevens’ students $8 (must present Stevens ID)
Proceeds will go to support Hoboken’s Movies Under the Stars series for 2011 Tickets can be purchased in advanced online at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/131624
or by calling 201-217-4077

There will be a Q & A with archivist Bill Shelley following each presentation as well as a performance by ACE – the Alternative Controller Ensemble, comprised of students in Stevens Institute’s Music & Technology Program.

Wednesday Oct. 13th

The Rolling Stones 1964-1975
The Brian Jones & Mick Taylor Years

An exciting evening of rare early performances, including their first
appearances on television in the USA & Europe, promo films, concerts &
newsreels. Film and music archivist BILL SHELLEY will personally
present unseen-for-years footage of the Stones performing such
classics as “Under My Thumb,” “Time Is on My Side,” “Honky Tonk
Woman,” and more!  1964-75 was undoubtedly one of The Stones’ peak artistic periods; the band was as wildly popular and influential as
The Beatles. BRIAN JONES, the original leader & rhythm guitarist, was always pushing the group to experiment.  His bluesy, instrumental
style sparked the writing skills of MICK JAGGER and KEITH RICHARD to
help create such classic songs as “Satisfaction,” “Play With Fire,”
“Paint It Black,” “Lady Jane,” and “Get Off of My Cloud,” all of which
are included in this program. After Jones’ death in 1969, MICK TAYLOR
joined the band and helped create such celebrated albums as It’s Only
Rock and Roll, Sticky Fingers and the legendary Exile on Main Street.
Recently, Taylor re-joined with the Stones to re-master Main Street
and complete 10 previously unfinished tracks from the period. Approx.
100 min.

Thursday Nov. 17th
Pink Floyd (1966-1980)
From their early work with the legendary but doomed Syd Barrett to
later iconic albums like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, Pink
Floyd have created a body of work that ranks among the greats of rock and roll. Pink Floyd exploded on Swinging London’s music scene during the mid 1960s with their strange, trippy, spaced out, psychedelic sound. After hit songs like See Emily Play and Arnold Lane, the group’s genius songwriter/singer/bass player Syd Barrett had a mental breakdown and could no longer perform. Replaced by David Gilmour, it took time for the band to find a new voice, but when they did the result was landmark works like Dark Side of the Moon, Animals, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall. Shelley Archives has looked deep into their vault and discovered extraordinary rare color and black & white footage of Pink Floyd from their earliest days playing on television, concerts, promotional films, newsreels, out takes, home movies and more! This evening of amazing performances will present a full retrospective of Pink Floyd’s entire career from the 1960s to their
groundbreaking concerts from all around the world during the 1970s. No
fan of this brilliant band will want to miss this evening of classic
footage of Pink Floyd! Approx. 90 min.

Sat. Dec. 11th
Celebrating Frank Sinatra’s 95th Birthday
The Legend & Legacy of Frank Sinatra A treat for all ages, Frank Sinatra – The Chairman of the Board –
returns front and center in this special one-night-only celebration of
his musical legacy, featuring rare television, concert, and motion
picture performances that span his unrivaled career.
Performances featured in this retrospective include Young at Heart,
Strangers in the Night, My Way, New York, New York, It Was a Very Good Year, That’s Life, High Hopes, Lady Is a Tramp, and many more. Also featured are excerpts of musical performances from his favorite
Hollywood films including High Society, Young at Heart, On the Town,
Robin and the 7 Hoods, and Pal Joey.
These rare clips present Frank Sinatra in solo performances and with
some of his favorite singing partners, including Dean Martin, Sammy
Davis, Jr., Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly, Count Basie,
Louis Armstrong, and even Elvis!

These are exclusive New Jersey Premiere presentations. These
collections are unavailable anywhere else and are part of the personal
and private collection of the Shelley Archives. Each film pieces
together footage from rare concerts, television show performances
(from Europe & USA), promos, interviews, out-takes, rehearsal footage, home movies and more from a wide-ranging variety of musical subjects.

The post The Rolling Stones Live on Film : 1964-1975 Exclusive New Jersey Premiere Presentations first appeared on River View Observer.

 By David Block

 Canoeing, fishing, swimming, splashing the grown ups, receiving holiday and birthday presents – these are normal joys that most children experience. Unfortunately, for many children who enter Youth Counseling Services (YCS) for the first time, these things are anything but normal.

 For them, normal means, being abused: sexually, physically, mentally and verbally. For some, normal means spending time in jail, just like Mom and Dad. Normal means selling drugs, just like Mom and Dad. Normal means, stealing, just like Mom and Dad. Normal means being neglected and abandoned, year after year, time after time.

 




 
 According to the 25 plus year YCS staffer, Owen Broomes, Assistant Vice President of YCS’s program, Situational Response (SRT) and to the 12-year YCS staffer, Andrew Beckford, Director of SRT’s North Region, the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) is a primary referral source that sends children to be in YCS’s care. This results from the parents losing their rights to parent their children. In other cases, the children become too difficult for their parents to handle.

 YCS is a private, non-profit, provider of behavioral health, education and social services for New Jersey children, from birth to age 25. It heavily relies on private funding to achieve its goals, one being to send about 150 kids to camp for two weeks during the summer.

 The History of YCS

 YCS’s beginnings stemmed from there being a need to take care of the widows and children of fallen American soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War.

In New Jersey, the severity of this problem became so out of hand, that in 1918, the Episcopal Diocese of Newark established “The Church Mission of Help” to aid the abandoned widows and children.

 Fourteen years later, the program shifted its objective to assist troubled children. In 1939, “The Church Mission of Help” changed its name to Youth Counseling Services (YCS).

From that time forward, YCS developed a number of programs, which now total 90. The services that some of these programs provide include an infant foster home program, a therapeutic residence for children ages 5-12, and a learning center for Autistic children.

 Through love and kindness, all the YCS programs share a goal of building a happy and healthy life for the children in their care.

Love and Kindness

 Broomes and Beckford emphasized that kindness and love frequently turns the kids’ lives around.

 Broomes said: “When you treat any kid with kindness, it will eventually break them to the point where they’re going to respect you, regardless of the situation.  When you understand, this kid is on medication, he (or she) has serious issues, and you deal with it from a compassionate point of view, you get positive results.”

 Broomes and Beckford said proudly that YCS never turned away a child.

 “We believe there’s no kid that we can’t reach,” said Broomes.  “We have an upbeat positive attitude toward all our children…We would have any type of staff or support that would deal with any behavior.”

 One example of the love and kindness that Broomes, Beckford and other YCS staff show is sometimes reminding the children that if they don’t turn their lives around, they could face a terrible alternative.

 “One time I saw a kid come in wearing a jump suit and shackles that were bigger than him,” said Broomes. “We sometimes have to tell the kids, ‘the judge sent you here, and if you can’t get rehabilitated here, you’ll go some place else for a long time (prison).  That’s our equalizer. Once they hear that, they cooperate.”

 Beckford added: “Some of the kids who we worked with in the past who end up getting incarcerated, they call us from prison; they say, ‘the things you told us, we should have listened. The action that we took, put us in this situation. When we get out, we’ll try to do differently.'”

 Abandoned at Christmas Time

 Broomes remembered how a nine-year-old girl came to YCS a few days before Christmas: “The child had a very, very difficult time. … She’d constantly run to the door to go back to leave. She was told that she was just going to take a visit here, she didn’t expect to stay.  That girl was giving everyone hell, so I called her over and asked: ‘Tell me, what can I do for you?’

She looked at me and said, ‘I don’t know.’

 ‘Do you have a coat? Where’s your coat?’

‘I have no coat.’

‘Do you really want a coat?’ I asked her.

She said, ‘Oh yeah. I want a coat.’

We came to the office and I picked out three new coats for her. She never saw three new coats in her life. It totally changed her behavior. I then gave her a couple of toys to play with. Things like that come up on a day to day basis.”  

 Both Parents Incarcerated

 Beckford remembered one of the YCS boys whose parents were incarcerated: “His mother was locked up in jail. His father was locked up in jail. He was arrested selling drugs, fighting, doing everything that he’s not supposed to be doing.  He said: ‘This is what I know. I don’t have a future. This is what it is.'”

Beckford said that the YCS staff taught the boy that there were alternatives to following in his parents’ footsteps, such as going to college and playing sports.

“It turned out that he was a very good athlete,” said Beckford. “He was a very good writer. You wouldn’t have expected that from him because of where he’s coming from.  After he transitioned out of YCS, he turned his life around.”

From YCS Client to YCS Staffer

 Broomes said that some of the kids who were in YCS ended up working there when they became adults.  One example Broomes gave was when a boy first entered the YCS program. “He was shy, withdrawn and depressed.” Unlike some of the other YCS kids, this boy did not have psychological problems. “He was just looking for a mom, looking for a father.” Broomes remembered that at first the boy clung to him. Moreover, he was afraid to speak out-loud. Instead, he’d whisper to Broomes.

 “One day, I was walking with him and a few of the other kids to the store and I heard them laughing. They asked him, ”why are you holding his hand like he’s your father?’ So I said to all of them, ‘I’m your father and your mother. From 3PM to 11PM, every time I’m here, I’m your father, I’m your mother.'”

Eventually, the boy felt comfortable enough to interact with the other staff and YCS kids. Broomes said that the YCS staff hired him because he had a lot of knowledge from being in the program and he got his life together.

   Camp

 One of Broomes’s and Beckford’s favorite times of year is summer when nearly 150 YCS kids go to camp in the mountains for two weeks.

 “It’s when these kids get to be kids,” said Broomes. “When I hear them splashing in the water and having a great time, that’s music to my ears.”

 Beckford shared how a 13-year-old YCS boy, who used a wheelchair, truly loved camp.

 “For the first time in his life,” said Beckford, “he got to ride in the canoe, go swimming, he never experienced that before. He was the happiest kid in camp.  He didn’t want to leave. The saddest day for him was the last day of camp.” He added that the last day of camp was the saddest day for all the kids and the staff. Broomes and Beckford said that camp was the one time of year when they’d see sincere joy on the kids’ faces. However, sending the kids to camp for two weeks costs YCS nearly $200,000.00 per year. Expenses include moving the entire YCS agency to camp and paying to use property and facilities, while covering the expenses of of nearly 150 children.

 The Friends of YCS

 Nearly five years ago, Fort Lee, NJ resident Guy Prandstatter, formed The Friends of YCS.

The Friends of YCS raised nearly $500,000 of their $2 million dollar goal to create a camp that YCS can use year round to provide recreational, educational and social opportunities for the children in YCS’s care.

 “I thought, if they had their own camp, they wouldn’t have to spend all that money every year just to send kids for two weeks,” said Prandstatter. “They could have it available all year round.  We’re bringing something special to these children. It’s a very special project that will impact the lives of thousands of children, and thousands more in the years to come, so the effect will be tremendous.” 

 Prandstatter’s passion for the project stems from painful childhood memories:  “I grew up with the feeling like I was not worthy of love because the people who were supposed to love and care for me were the ones who hurt and abandoned me. As a man, that manifested into character flaws and self-loathing to the point of self-destruction.  I was blessed to be saved from a life of addiction and suffering. As a result, I just want to give the possibility of a second chance at life that I was given back and these kids are among the most needy, certainly the most like myself.”

 This October 10th, the Friends of YCS will host their fifth annual Walk for YCS from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Walkers will gather outside of Outback Steak House in Edgewater to register and then walk along a 1.5 mile scenic path beside the Hudson River. Cosponsoring the Walk for YCS is Men’s Division International, an organization committed to helping men achieve their goals.

 The money raised will be used for establishing the year-round camp. 

For information about registering for the walk or for donating or becoming a Friend of YCS, log onto

www.www.walkforycs.org

 

For more information about YCS: http://www.ycs.org/   

 

A Few YCS Services:

 YCS established the Holley Child Care in Hackensack to serve as a therapeutic residence for children ages 5-12

• In Montclair, YCS created the Sawtelle Learning Center for Autistic children
• YCS’s Intensive In-Community Service Program in Fairfield, offers individual, group and family counseling and other mental health related services to children and families in their home
• Working in Partnership with the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities (Trenton)
• Two YCS therapeutic nurseries open in Secaucus and East Orange to address the emotional, psychological, cognitive and social challenges of young children ages 3-5 and their families

The post Hi-Lighting the Positives of Youth Counseling Services first appeared on River View Observer.

New York, NY – On Sunday, October 17, 2010 the first annual Green City Challenge will take place in Lower Manhattan.  Contestants will race from one green business to another on bicycles and complete challenges that demonstrate their knowledge of how to live, work and eat green.  They will earn giant jigsaw puzzle pieces and solve clues in their quest to reach the finish line. This event is designed to be fun and educational for New Yorkers who are already green as well as for those who are curious and want to learn more about ways to live a sustainable lifestyle.

 

This unique event begins promptly at 12 pm at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden on Avenue C and East 9th Street in the East Village.   It concludes at Solar One on East 23rd Street at the East River at about 4 pm where the winners will be announced and prizes will be presented.  An Eco Fair featuring green products and services will also take place at Solar One from 3 – 5 pm that is free and open to the public. 

Green City Challenge is a non-profit organization with the mission of inspiring New Yorkers to live green, work green, and eat green.  FJC: A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds is the fiscal sponsor for Green City Challenge.  For more information please visit www.greencitychallenge.org.

www.greencitychallenge.org

The post Happenings:On the Other Side of the Hudson River first appeared on River View Observer.

by Sally Deering

 

Dave  and his sister Anne Marie carved a niche on Grove Street with their handsome little restaurant, The Merchant, where the bar is cozy, the drinks are yummy and the food is All-American delish! It’s a great place to go for a business luncheon, watch a game or hang out with your friends and talk about life.

 Dave and Anne Marie decided to try something a little more upscale and 2-1/2 years ago they opened The Embankment, a beautiful fine-dining restaurant nestled in the heart of 10^th Street in the Hamilton Park neighborhood, where friendly neighbors drop by for brunch, dinner and drinks with friends.

 

 

A truly beautiful restaurant, The Embankment is a jewel in Jersey City’s crown with a warm and inviting dining room that seats 80-100. It’s a wonderful place for private parties, wedding receptions, christenings and corporate functions where corporate heads want to show their employees some class. There’s a sexy upstairs lounge, too, with low-lighting and cozy seating for 40. It’s best to get a reservation, Dave O’Brian says, because on Friday and Saturday nights the upstairs lounge is always booked.

 

The Embankment’s elegance is reflected in the menu – American-style dishes with added flavors that are a little bit French, a little bit Italian and a touch of Mediterranean. For entrees, how about Fried Catfish with Cajun Fries or a Rib-Eye Steak with mashed potatoes and mushrooms? For pasta lovers, you might try the homemade fettuccini primavera – that’s right, they make their own pasta! (Appetizers range from $6-$12; entrees from $18- $26.)

 

For an assortment of different flavors, you might like the Tapas – mini servings of flavorful dishes like marinated artichokes, mushrooms and olives. The Embankment offers 12-15 Tapas to choose from. For light eaters, a cheese plate with five different types of cheeses will definitely satisfy the palate and go beautifully with their vast array of wines from affordable to high-end. The O’Brian siblings also serve a large assortment of beer including cold draft beers – including Guinness, of course!

 

And then, of course, there are the burgers!  In 2009, “New” magazine cited The Embankment’s burger as No. 1 in Jersey City. The secret?

 

“We use high-quality ground beef, well-seasoned and cooked to perfection,” O’Brian says. “It’s simple, but it’s the best.”

 

The Embankment

234 10^th Street

Jersey City

201-222-6115

www.theembankmentnj.com

 

The post Dining Out – The Embankment Restaurant in Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.

Happy to be home and out of the house Big Brother finalist from season 12 -Enzo Palumbo and his family and friends enjoyed a night of partying at Bayonne, New Jersey’s Ten East Restaurant on Friday October, 1st.

The River View Observer was there.

All photo’s by Steveamack.com

 

see more photo’s

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Finalist Enzo Palumbo of Big Brother Season 12 Gets Home Coming Party at Bayonne’s Ten East Restaurant first appeared on River View Observer.

Sun. Oct. 3rd 11am to 6pm Washington St. -Observer Highway to 7th St.

There was over 300 Artists, Crafters, Photographers, Local Businesses, Restaurants, Food Vendors & more
With 3 Stages of live music Special features include Fine artists are located between 2nd & 3rd St., so if you are an art collector, this is the place to be. Oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, sculpture, mixed media, etc. 

See more photos

Special features include
Fine artists are located between 2nd & 3rd St., so if you are an art collector, this is the place to be. Oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, sculpture, mixed media, etc.
Childrenâ€s area on 3rd street with rides, games, creative activities, puppet show, face painting,
clowns, balloons, live performances and much, much more:
Crafters display / sell handmade: pottery, metalwork, wood items, furniture, blown & fused glass, quilts, household items made from recycled materials, cementware, batik clothing, hand painted furniture, candles, jewelry, dried florals, soaps & lotions and much more
Food: Lots of great food throughout the fair. Hoboken restaurants will set up street cafes offering an eclectic variety of international foods such as: Thai, Indian, Greek, French, Mexican, Cajun and Italian
Sponsors
PATH, Port Authority of NY & NJ;
The Hoboken Reporter & The Hudson Current
and Stevens Institute of Technology

Located just 3 blocks from all public transportation:
PATH, NJ Transit Trains & buses, NY Waterway Ferries & the Hudson Bergen Lightrail

The post Events -Hoboken Art and Music Festival October 3rd, 2010 first appeared on River View Observer.

By Evelyn Bonilla

“Natural and memorable”, is the best way to describe the photography of Hudson County photographer Rebecca Ferrier. Well-known for preserving the history of things that are slowly disappearing from the past; through her images she is able to awaken what once was.

In her newest exhibit “Motels”, she travels from the north to the south of New Jersey to capture the true essence of what motels once were. Once a prime place to stay, motels are slowly vanishing in the wake of large hotels. Ferrier explains, “With my photography, I like to document objects that are slowly disappearing. Some motels are changing and being renovated, while others are just fading away. Through my images, I hope to document its true meaning.”

 

 

 

 

 

A wedding photographer for several years, Ferrier has always specialized in “documentation photography”. Drawn to all things, “Americana”, through her lens she is able to preserve these images for all to see. When asked what inspires her she explained, “My grandfather was a photographer, so I saw many images, but true inspiration came when I was traveling in South Asia, there is where I realized that I liked to photograph. I became interested in the culture, the people and what was happening around me and I realized that through my camera I would be able to document what I was seeing”

Ferrierâ€s motivation is drawn from seeing the final product of her work and sharing it with others. Her future goal is to continue to document images of New Jersey, a state which she loves. She hopes to continue to travel the world documenting people, places and objects and to one day consolidate all of her images into a book.

Documenting and capturing the moment is something this talented photographer is truly good at, but the true essence of Ferrier is the ability to bring these images to life and thatâ€s what makes this Hudson County photographer truly unique.

Interested in viewing the images of Rebecca Ferrier” her exhibit “Motels” will open on Saturday, October 2nd at “The Merchant” www.themerchantnj.com  located at 279 Grove Street in downtown, Jersey City. The exhibit will open at 12:00 pm.

Interested in learning more about Rebecca Ferrier you can email her at rebeccaferrier@mac.com

 

 

The post Photography- Hudson County Photographer Rebecca Ferrier Opens Exhibit “Motels in Jersey City” on October 2nd first appeared on River View Observer.