Local Hudson County Restauants and Wine Suppliers participate in Fundraising Event for Weehawken Free Public Library

By Sally Deering

 Book lovers, Kindle and Nook lovers and those who just adore the Weehawken Public Library for the stellar services it provides are invited to step out on Tuesday, April 26^th for an evening of delicious food and wine at “A Taste of Weehawken” at the Lincoln Harbor Food Court (next door to Houlihan’s) on the Weehawken Waterfront. All proceeds from this fundraising event go to the library’s special programming.

 This marks the 11^th year for “A Taste of Weehawken” and Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner visited the library on a rainy Tuesday morning to announce the upcoming event with members of the library’s board of directors, librarians and restaurateurs who will be donating their time, culinary specialties and services at Tuesday night’s fundraiser.

 “We raise $20,000 and it goes to all the odds and ends that we can’t provide in the budget,” Mayor Turner said. “The $20,000 goal really makes a difference in the services the library provides.”

Leona Nersesian, who has been president of the library’s Board of Trustees for the past five years and a member for 28 years, says this year’s event promises to be bigger and better. There are more restaurants participating and wine tastings will be set up throughout the food court. There’s also a raffle of prizes like dinners for two and tickets to shows worth way more than the price of the raffle. It takes a lot of work to pull the event together, but to Nersesian it’s a labor of love for a childhood retreat.

 “This library is like home to me,” Nersesian says. “I’ve been coming here 45 years. Our director started here as a teenager. The librarians and the staff here are all great people and we have programs for everyone from 18-months to seniors.”

 “A Taste of Weehawken” typically attracts 400-450 visitors and last year, the money raised paid for new computers and programs like “Books for Bingo” and computer classes for seniors; Circle Time and Story Time for the little ones and a math tutoring programs for kids of all ages. In the past, “A Taste of Weehawken” helped underwrite library activities like the NJ Aquarium program, poetry, music, author readings and signings and Family Passes to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

 Participants in this year’s “A Taste of Weehawken” include Allied Beverage Group, Amanda’s, Antonia’s by the Park, Ben & Jerry’s, Bertolotti Desserts, Carlo’s Bakery, Charrito’s, Chart House, The Clinton Social, Flaming Burrito, G.P.’s, Houlihan’s on the Waterfront, Lepore’s Home Made Chocolates, Lorraine’s Table, the Madison Bar & Grill, Paula’s Restaurant, Porto Leggero, Rita’s Italian Ice-Hoboken, Robongi on the Water, Rosa de Saron Florist, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Son Cubano Restaurant and Bar, Starbucks, Tomaso’s, Touch of Spice, and the Weehawken High School Culinary arts Program. The evening will feature a special wine tasting by Giannone Wine and Liquor Company.

 And best of all, guests are invited to meet and talk with the chefs preparing the dishes – an exciting plus for “foodies” who can’t get enough of cooking shows like “Top Chef” and Hoboken’s own “Cake Boss.”

G.P.’s, an Italian restaurant located on Boulevard East in Weehawken from 1968-1976 was founded by George Politis, who was born and raised in Weehawken. At the event his son, also named George Politis will be serving the restaurant’s home-style meatballs in gravy and Greek salads. The restaurant has been a part of “A Taste of Weehawken” since it began 11 years ago and even though G.P.’s is now in Guttenberg, the Politis family continues their commitment to George Politis’ hometown.

 “As a participant, ‘A Taste of Weehawken’ is a fantastic event,” Politis says. “You get to eat wonderful food at a low price. If I wasn’t participating, I would still come.”

 Tues, April 26^th, 6:30-9:30 pm

A Taste of Weehawken

Food Court at Lincoln Harbor

1200 Harbor Boulevard

Weehawken, NJ

$55 per person (6:30-9:30 pm)

$30 per person (7:30-9:30 pm)

For information/tickets call the library at 201-863-7823

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Read how you can help keep them open.

  JERSEY CITY, NJ  April 8, 2010 – With a postcard geared to the NJ State Assembly, residents and library supporters in Jersey City can make their voices heard regarding the Draconian cuts proposed for the New Jersey State Library, and learn how local funding for all public libraries may be eliminated forever. Postcards are available now at the Main Library, 10 branches and the Bookmobile. The postcard reads: The Governor’s proposed budget cuts library funding by 74%.  This cut: ELIMINATES Internet access and electronic journals in hundreds of libraries ELIMINATES the delivery of materials from other libraries to you – more than 3 million items in 2009  ELIMINATES 50% of State Aid to public libraries  Loss of these programs will put more pressure on local property taxes. Proposed legislation A2555 will ELIMINATE minimum funding for libraries and will result in fewer books, fewer hours and fewer services and will cause some libraries to close.  More than 170,000 people in NJ use libraries every day.  I’m one of them.  Restore $10.4 million in library funding and oppose A2555.         

If the budget for the State Library is decreased by nearly three-quarters, then the Jersey City Free Public Library, along with all others in New Jersey, would lose the following free services on July 1^st

(FY 2011): online databases (EBSCO host & RefUSA), group contracts (which bring down other electronic resources costs),

interlibrary loan and delivery of other library materials (provided by the Eastern NJ regional library cooperative INFOLINK). With this major funding loss, all four regional library cooperatives – Central Jersey, South Jersey, Highlands & INFOLINK -  would cease to exist.

            The bill, A-2555, calls for the elimination of the 1/3 mill, which has served as public library baseline funding since free public libraries have been legislated in New Jersey over 100 years ago. One-third mill is the equalized valuation times .000333333.

            “It’s hard to believe that members of the NJ Legislature can’t support their local public libraries with minimum funding equal to a third of penny, when more people than ever rely on their local libraries in times of job search, free or low-cost entertainment, and in guiding children as productive citizens,” said Library Director Priscilla Gardner, who stands by the ALA National Library Week theme of “Communities Thrive @ your Library.”

            There are other ways to show support for New Jersey’s libraries, as well: 1) Join the Facebook Group, Save NJ Libraries! 2) Become a NJ Library Champion, http://www.ILoveNJLibraries.org, and 3) Checking out the website, http://www.SaveMyNJLibrary.org. The Save My NJ Library website, created by the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA), gives all current information on the fight to save NJ libraries, and tips on library issues advocacy.

            This information is also conveniently available on the website of the Jersey City Free Public Library: http://www.jclibrary.org/libinfo/ilovelibraries.php.

            All signed postcards will be delivered to the NJ Assembly through the NJLA, so supporters signing at the Jersey City Free Public Library won’t have to individually mail them.

 

 

The post For National Library Week (April 11-17):Jersey City Free Public Library Conducts Postcard Campaign to Save NJ Libraries! first appeared on River View Observer.

“Tin-Can” Curt Degerman, a well-know aluminum can scavenger in the Swedish town of SkellefteÃ¥, was apparently a multi-millionaire when he died last year. He was apparently very thrift and also a shrewd investor. From Sweden’s The Local:
The relatives of a man who spent the last three decades collecting empty cans on the streets of a town in northern Sweden were surprised to learn he was worth millions when he died.

boing-boing

At the time of his death last autumn, 60-year-old Curt Degerman, known to the residents of SkellefteÃ¥ as “Burk-Curt” (‘Tin-Can Curtâ€), had amassed a fortune worth more than 12 million kronor ($1.4 million), the Expressen newspaper reports.

Relatives attribute Tin-Can Curtâ€s previously-unknown riches to a mix of frugality and a penchant for playing the stock market.

He was always seen cycling around the streets of SkellefteÃ¥ in the same worn blue jacket and ragged pants, but punctuated his rounds of the cityâ€s rubbish bins with visits to the local public library.

“He went to the library every day because he didnâ€t buy newspapers. There he read [Swedish business daily] Dagens Industri,” a cousin to Expressen.

“He knew stocks inside and out.”

And Tin-Can Curt used that investing know-how to turn the modest deposits he collected from returning empty cans into mutual funds worth more than 8 million kronor.

In addition, he had purchased 124 gold bars currently valued at 2.6 million kronor and had nearly 47,000 kronor in the bank.

Tin-Can Curt also owned his own home, which was found to have 3,000 kronor in loose change, bringing the total value of his estate to 12,005,877 kronor.

The closet millionaire died of a heart attack in his sleep last autumn and left his estate to his cousin, who visited him several times a week up until he died.

“Curt didnâ€t begrudge anything to anyone and never bought anything. But he had a really good head on his shoulders and was smarter than most,” said the cousin.
David Landes (david.landes@thelocal.se/+46 8 656 6518)

The post Site Seeing- River View Observer-You Can’t Judge a Book by its Cover first appeared on River View Observer.