RAINDATE AUGUST 21ST

RATATOUILE APRIL 21ST COLUMBUS PARK HOBOKEN

RAINDATE AUGUST 28

Hudson County’s Movies in the Park is a highly anticipated annual event that brings the magic of cinema to the great outdoors. Set against the backdrop of the county’s picturesque parks, this unique film series offers residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of movies in a relaxed and family-friendly environment. With its captivating ambiance, community spirit, and diverse film selection, Movies in the Park has become a beloved tradition for cinephiles and families alike.

Movies in the Park is a collaborative effort between Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, the Board of County Commissioners and Hudson County’s Parks Department, and local businesses and organizations. The event aims to bring communities together, foster a sense of belonging, and provide accessible entertainment for all. The organizers carefully curate a selection of films that appeal to a broad audience, ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy.

The post Hudson County Movies in the Park Last 2 Shows in August for the Season first appeared on River View Observer.

Hudson County, NJ – Free movies and popcorn on Wednesday and Friday nights this July and August at six different Hudson County parks. Bring your blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy an evening in the park! Movies start at sundown each evening with rain dates, if needed, happening the following Monday and Tuesday. All movies are subtitled in Spanish and all events are wheelchair accessible.

Kicking off their third year with the support of Hudson County, the Movies in the Parks series brings family friendly films to 6 beautiful Hudson County parks, as produced by the Washington Park Association of Hudson County, Inc. (WPA).

The Movies In The Parks series for 2015 is brought to you by the Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise and the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Movies In The Parks was originally a community initiative, until the WPAâ€s partnership with the County of Hudson in 2013, which expanded the program countywide.

The parks and communities included are: Stephen R. Gregg Park in Bayonne, West Hudson Park in Kearny, Washington Park in Union City, Columbus Park in Hoboken, Lincoln Park in Jersey City, and JJ Braddock Park in North Bergen. Movies in the Parks are a great way to see a free family-friendly film in your local community under the stars. The series is also an incredible opportunity to experience all of the amazing parks in Hudson County that may be less visited by those who are not residents. Free popcorn will also be available at all screenings. Bring your family, friends, or just come to meet your neighbors at all 12 screenings throughout July and August this summer.

Washington Park Association of Hudson County, Inc. (WPA) is an independent, community based, volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing services and benefits to more than 6,000 community residents. Founded by residents of Jersey City and Union City, who were motivated to create positive change in the area, WPA works with the community to revitalize, maintain, and protect Washington Park, a 100-year-old, 22-acre park County park and promote its use through programs and activities that enhance the quality of life of park users and local residents. WPA members believe that engaging residents in activities that improve their neighborhoods, helps increase civic pride and care, which leads to healthier, wealthier, and more progressive communities.

WPA has some great volunteer opportunities available throughout the summer for those 16 and older. Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community, meet new people, and be involved in this fantastic series. Plus, all volunteers get a free WPA t-shirt and can earn community service hours for school.

For more info on how to volunteer for the Movies in the Parks series, please email Pat Byrne at: emailpatbyrne@gmail.com

For maps showing the exact movie locations and weather cancelations, “like” Washington Park Association of Hudson County on Facebook, follow @WPAHudsonCounty on Twitter or Instagram, or visit: www.wpanj.org.

Program and Details: Movies in the Parks 2015

July 2015 Wednesday, July 8, 2015 (Rain date: Monday July, 13th)- Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) Stephen R. Gregg Park, Bayonne

Friday, July 10, 2015 – (Rain date: Tuesday July, 14th) The Goonies West Hudson Park, Kearny

Wednesday, July 15, 2015 – (Rain date: Monday July, 20th) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Washington Park, Jersey City / Union City Border (*this date will feature a live Latin band as part of the Jersey City and NJCU Summer Concert Series)

Friday, July 17, 2015 – (Rain date: Tuesday July, 21st) Annie (2014) Columbus Park, Hoboken Wednesday, July 22, 2015 – (Rain date: Monday July, 27th) The Boxtrolls Lincoln Park, Jersey City Friday, July 24, 2015 – (Rain date: Tuesday July, 28th) Planes, Fire and Rescue

(*This date will have a fire truck on site for tours and photo ops) JJ Braddock Park, North Bergen August 2015 Wednesday, August 5, 2015 – (Rain date: Monday August, 10th) Hook Stephen R. Gregg Park, Bayonne

Friday, August 7, 2015 – (Rain date: Tuesday August, 11th) Stuart Little West Hudson Park, Kearny

Wednesday, August 12, 2015 – (Rain date: Monday August, 17th) Paddington Washington Park, Jersey City / Union City Border

Friday, August 14, 2015 – (Rain date: Tuesday August, 18th) 101 Dalmatians (1996) Columbus Park, Hoboken

Wednesday, August 19, 2015 – (Rain date: Monday August, 24th) Muppets Most Wanted Lincoln Park, Jersey City

(*this date will feature live jazz) Friday, August 21, 2015 – (Rain date: Tuesday August, 25th) Back To The Future JJ Braddock Park, North Bergen

All are invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy the movies and popcorn at no cost. Movies will begin at sundown— (approximately 8:30PM in July and 8:00PM in August)

PARKING:

Residential street parking or lot parking is available near or in each park.

Photos and interviews available on request:

Contact: Pat Byrne (862)-202-6059 (cell), emailpatbyrne@gmail.com

Please promote using #MITP2015

For additional info visit www.wpanj.org

Twitter & Instagram: @WPAHudsonCounty

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WashingtonParkAssociationofHudsonCountyInc

The post MOVIES IN THE PARK SERIES COMES TO SIX HUDSON COUNTY PARKS first appeared on River View Observer.

By Tom Dwyer

With a population of over 600,000, open space in Hudson County is essential for the well-being of its residents. Open spaces like parks, and having waterfront access, help provide a ‘quality of life†for a community; an oasis of calm in an urban environment.

Presently, the Hudson County park system is comprised of eight county parks: Stephen R. Gregg Park and Mercer Park in Bayonne, Columbus Park in Hoboken, Lincoln Park and Lincoln Park West in Jersey City, James Braddock Park in North Bergen, Washington Park in Union City and Northern Jersey City, West Hudson Park in Harrison   and Laurel Hill Park in Secaucus. The largest and oldest park is Lincoln Park in Jersey City, created in 1905 with 277 acres.   Most of these parks have been in use for decades providing open space for special events, sports, parties, and being one with nature.

Tom McCann, the Director of Parks for Hudson County, knows better than anyone the day-to-day operation in keeping the parks up and running. “If you just take Lincoln  Park where on a good day we see two thousand people, and multiply that by 365 days, youâ€re looking at a million visitors to just that park alone. So that gives you an idea how popular our parks are.”

With one hundred and twenty-five employees, McCann runs a small army of trades people, his own forestry, mechanics, and over four-hundred pieces of equipment to keep the parks operating.  Over the past few years, Hudson County has invested close to fifteen million dollars on upgrading the tennis facilities in the Hudson County park system.  “Most people donâ€t know that we have the best public tennis system around in our parks. People come from all over to use our courts. And, we donâ€t charge,” McCann said.  They have also invested in new ball fields and track facilities. “With over fifty organizations including Hudson County schools using the park facilities for their sports†events, more open space in Hudson County is a priority,” McCann stated.

Over the past few years there has been a concerted effort by the county and the municipalities in Hudson County to insure more open space to keep up with the rate of development.   Three years ago, the voters of Hudson County voted for the Hudson County Open Space Trust to be created—a fund, created through taxes, to insure more open space in Hudson County.  The referendum was put on the ballot by County Executive Tom DeGise with the support of the Board of Chosen Freeholders and leading environmentalists, including New York/ New Jersey Baykeeper and the Hackensack Riverkeeper and was overwhelmingly approved by the voters.  In 2007 it raised approximately $5.8 million of which 50 percent is spent on open space acquisition, and the rest, by law, is spent on park improvements and historic preservation. Towns and non-governmental organizations with the support of their local municipalities are eligible to apply for funding through the Trust. The Trust is funded by a one cent per hundred dollars of assessed value levy on County property owners. It averages out to approximately $25 per property owner per year.

Hudson County Executive, Tom DeGise, has always been a big believer in the importance of open space and has made it one of the cornerstones of his county administration.  “As we all know, development is all over the place in Hudson County now—and I like the development—but with new people moving into Hudson County there needs to be a balance. In a very cramp place like Hudson County, we have a need, more so than many, to make sure we are balancing what we are doing and that there is ample room for all of us to recreate,” DeGise said.

When the open space initiative was approved by the voters, the county promised the people to try to double the size of open space in the county, and DeGise has done his best to keep that promise. “What I like most is to partner with a city or a town and put in a new ball field or parks. Thatâ€s really a good way for us to work together, and is what I like my administration to be about.”

On the drawing board are a number of projects that have received money for the development of new open space: a 3.2 million dollar acquisition grant for land in Jersey City. The money will be used to help develop the 13.6 acre Berry Lane Municipal Park off of Garfield Avenue. Another project is the $3, 150 million allocation for the acquisition of waterfront property in Secaucus to be used as open space and the development of a gazebo for the Childrenâ€s Reading Garden at Secaucus Library.

There was a time in the 1990â€s DeGise remembers, when many people were moving into Hudson County as a temporary stop.   But DeGise believes that has changed.

“If you travel down Washington Boulevard in Jersey City, or take a walk in Hoboken more people are raising families here, and sending their kids to the local schools. I believe that open space is vital to creating good neighborhoods where people want to raise families.”

Every few years there are rumors of a public golf course being built in Hudson County; which is the only county in New Jersey without a public golf course. But, hold the presses, itâ€s really about to happen! “I play golf myself,” DeGise said. “And itâ€s time for us to have a course here in Hudson County. We have enough county land near Lincoln Park West, where we can build a nine-hole golf course.” DeGise is now talking with the Department of Environmental Protection concerning regulations, and in a few weeks, should be able to finalize the blueprint of the future public course. DeGise is excited about the public golf course and believes the time is right. “Itâ€s great that the two  private courses have been built in the county and that Tiger Woods will be coming here to do  a tournament in a few years—but—it doesnâ€t fulfill the need of providing residents a place to play and also there are generations of kids who have never learned how to play the game.  We can run clinics and teach kids how to play the game—a game that can be played for a lifetime.”

 For more information on open space and county parks go to www.hudsoncountynj.org

The post Hudson County Open Space first appeared on River View Observer.