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The post Village Neighborhood Association in Downtown Jersey City Needs Your Help first appeared on River View Observer.

FERC APPROVES Spectra Pipeline! Pipeline Update Presentation & Panel at City Hall

The post The Downtown Coalition of Neighborhood Associtations and NO Gas Pipline request your presence At Jersey City -City Hall first appeared on River View Observer.

 Louis Calamito, a decorated World War II veteran and a longtime resident of Monmouth Street in downtown Jersey City who died in 2005 will be honored In Memoriam when the City of Jersey City re-names the corner of 5^th and Monmouth Street “Louis Calamito Way.”

Through the efforts of Jersey City Council President Peter Brennan, Councilman Steve Fulup, the Village Neighborhood Association and Louis Calamito’s son, Vincent, the Resolution to rename the street corner received a unanimous “yes” vote by the City Council on January 26^th.  The official unveiling of the street sign will take place March 5^th with Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, Council President Brennan, downtown’s Ward “E” Councilman Fulop attending along with members of the Calamito family.

At Wednesday night’s Council meeting, each council member made a brief statement about Louis Calamito’s war service and his love for the Village section of Jersey City. Council President Brennan acknowledged that his dad and Louis Calamito grew up together in the same neighborhood and Jim Ayres, representing the Village Neighborhood Association described the dedication as a genuine and meaningful way to recognize Louis Calamito for his contribution in the military and to the City of Jersey City.

The Calamito family has made the Downtown Village section of Jersey City its home for more than 90 years and Louis Calamito, who was affectionately known as the “Official Mayor of Monmouth Street”  lived there all his life.  He owned his own business, served as a committeeman and throughout his retirement could be seen relaxing on his porch on Monmouth Street greeting new faces and old time Village residents and often offering his guidance and friendship to his neighbors.

A  WWII war hero, Louis Calamito earned several medals for bravery including The Bronze Star given to him for saving another soldier’s life during battle. He was married to Mary Calamito for 47 years and the couple raised four children: Joseph, Vincent, Michael and Lois Ann.

“My father was a great man,” Vincent Calamito says. “And on behalf of my family, I’m honored that the City of Jersey City is going to recognize him for his dedication to his country and the city he loved.”

The post Jersey City to Rename Street for WWII Hero and Longtime Resident Louis Calamito first appeared on River View Observer.

River View Observer Photographer Captures the Event on Camera

On Saturday, May 15th The Village Neighborhood Association, with the support of 4th Street Arts,  hosted The 2nd Annual Village Art & Flea Market. A few thousand people came out to shop and mingle…

Taking place at the crossroads of 4th Street, Newark Avenue and Brunswick Street, the event featured an array of local artists†works, the finest up-and-coming bands New Jersey has to offer, and delicious food from local vendors.

See more photos of the day…

The post The 2nd Annual Village Art & Flea Market Held on Saturday May 15th Brings Out Huge Crowd first appeared on River View Observer.

Twelve hours of creativity and fun—October 3, 2009, 10 am-10 pm
On Saturday, October 3, 2009, 4th Street Arts, in cooperation with The Village Neighborhood Association and in tandem with the Jersey City Artists†Studio Tour, will yet again throw the ultimate celebration for creativity—the 4th Street Art & Music Festival.

Located at the crossroads of 4th Street, Newark Avenue and Brunswick Street, the Festival will feature an array of local visual artists†works (from sculpture to paintings to photography); live, interactive pieces; exciting childrenâ€s activities; the finest up-and-coming bands New Jersey has to offer; as well as delicious food and refreshing drinks. This year, the Festival is likely to draw more than 1,000 residents, truly bringing the community together while providing unprecedented exposure for businesses and artists alike.
ART
The 4th Street Art & Music Festival will showcase art in all its various formats and in a wide breadth of media.
Highlights include:
• Theme—Festival designer Thomas John Carlson will bring the concept of “growth” to life via painted wall decoration and vibrant displays using vegetation throughout. In an effort to illustrate the organic control of
space, Carlson will weed the Festival area and replace the unruly plants with real and painted flowers emphasizing the “gathering” of community, growth of retailers, food we eat (and those who provide it), and expansion of culture through music and art.
• Art for sale—artisans and visual artists will have pieces for sale, ranging from jewelry to photographs to soft goods to paintings. See next page for list of participants.
• Interactive & performance art—Called 2 X Four, this portion of the Festival will consist of two interactive art pieces and two performance art pieces. The interactive portions will feature separate showcases by Kevin
Darmanie and Nyugen E. Smith who will satire to reflect on how historical lineage, personal, and social issues impacts identity. Simultaneously Angela KaRIOTis will deliver a work offering insight about our collective
histories, greatest ideas, and thinking in new contexts. Another piece will feature an ensemble of musicians from multiple disciplines interpreting the energy generated by the environment through transfer of sound.
• Live art—Opening the artistâ€s studio for the public eye, artists ranging from various areas of expertise—from fine to street—will each paint a wood panel in their own unique style. In December, the works will be exhibited
and sold in the rotunda of City Hall. See next page for list of participating artists.
• Childrenâ€s corner—Run by Cara Campoli, this special area dedicated to kids will allow them to let their art
skills go wild with chalk, paint, and more. In addition, there will be face painting from 1-5. In addition, Michael Napolitano will perform music. Napolitano teaches at The Blue School in NYC, Music for Aardvarks and runs his own program Preschool of Rock. An advocate of early relationships with music he believes music, song and
rhyme aid in literacy development years before formal schooling.
MUSIC
Starting at noon, attendees will get down to groovy tunes, from folk to rock, played from two Festival stages. Line-up includes (subject to change):
THE VILLAGE STAGE
• Any Day Parade
• Frozen Gentlemen
• In Musth
• Bongo Surf
In between acts (and throughout the Festival), comedy troupe trip-and-fall will entertain the crowd with finely tuned comedic performances, including; live sketch comedy, street art, and just hanging out being funny. Based out of Jersey City, trip-and-fall is made up of best friends, compatriots, and all-around silly duo Sarah Roxanne Shields and Alissa Ahlberg. To learn more about this riot act, visit tripandfallproductions.wordpress.com.
CHARITY
4th Street Arts is pleased to partner with Mission:Remission, a not for profit organization dedicated to cancer research and awareness. Presently they have three pillars supporting cancer related groups: “Support” benefits Gilda Club, helping those living with cancer, as well as their friends and families; “Awareness” benefits Maureen Fund, committed to ovarian cancer awareness and education; and “Research” benefitting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund dedicated to finding better ways to detect and treat ovarian cancer. Mission:Remission will be hosting a silent auction, featuring artwork and services including a photo series by Steph Caldwell titled “Portrait Of A Lady” (proceeds from this item will benefit the Susan G Komen Foundation, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month), during the duration of the Festival. For more information, contact Jesse Caldwell at mission.remission@gmail.com.

Contacts: Mike McNamara | 516.782.6584
Marc Caterina | 732.742.2153
Email: 4thstreetfest@gmail.com URL: 4thstreetart.com
THE WHITE EAGLE STAGE
• Fairmont
• Miss Ohio
• Beacon
• Una Pong
• Andrew Sullivan
• 2 X Four Orchestra
• Angela KaRIOTis
• Natty Adams
• Manouche Bag
• Knotworking
• One Foot In
• Thomas Francis Takes His Chances
• Land of the Look Behind
• Dancing Tonyâ€s DJ Consortium
• Special guests

SPONSORSHIPS
4th Street Arts would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support: Sabrett, Stephen Roth/Prudential, Lucky 7 Tavern, 327 5th Street Corp., Metropolis Music, Another Manâ€s Treasure, Christopher Larsen, JC Tattoo Company, Grove Street Bicycles, LITM, The Little Gym, Eyesore Apparel,The Jersey City Independent, Skinners Loft, Edwards Steakhouse, Made With Love, Hudson County Art Supply, York Street Tavern, Carmen Rosa Bakery, FJB  Comics and Games, Brennanâ€s Florist, Madame Claudeâ€s Café, 2nd Street Bakery, Abbeyâ€s, Pecarraros, and Carmines.

Information about The Little Gym: A recreational gymnastics and dance center for children from 4 months to 12 years old. Classes include parent/child motor development, preschool gymnastics, dance, sports skills development, and grade school gymnastics for beginners, intermediate and advanced students. For more information, visit thelittlegym.com.
ARTISTS & ARTISANS (list may not be complete)
Lau Gallico Klohe, Sue Gerner, Tunde Cseke, Luca Cusolito (Lollibomb Beauty), Veronica Rosas, Christina Cruz, Sharon Harvey, Teri Sanders, Edmund Derrick, Shanon Dejong, Allison Garguilo (Minor Treat Bakery), Christina Entcheva, Corey Fleming, Kayt Hester, Matt Caputo, Norman Kirby, Mark Megara, Andrea Morin, Debbie Manville, David Reynolds, Paul Kiesche, Kevin Mccarthy, Joe Russo, Ron Erickson, Lynn Presley, Christine Kimmel, Christina Allesi, Debbie Mendel, Grayson Bagwell, Frank Palaia, Joe Chirchirillo, Mike McNamara, Thomas John Carlson, Christopher Silk, Doug Mitchell, Jesse A. Caldwell, The Agitators, Nyugen E. Smith, Mike Mandracchia, Rebecca Feranec, Yvonne Raley Designs , Johanna Wood, Emily August (Go Go Distro), Megan Gulick, Katherine Ramos (Sweet Ruination), Stefanie Flodmand (Howdy Sailor)

Some artisans featured are members of The Jersey City Craft Mafia, the newest addition to the Craft Mafia family—an international organization aimed at promoting artists and alterna-crafters on a local level. Members currently include fine artists and photographers, jewelry and accessory designers, a glass artist, and a beauty goods producer.
LIVE ART PARTICIPANTS (list may not be complete)
Joe Russo, Joe Iurato, Mark Finne, Nathan Lee Pickett, Ellis Gallagher, Cern, Matt Caputo & Norm Kirby, Damon Ginandes, Robots Will Kill, Steve Lew,
Gocha Tzisade, Nicholas Forker, Elmer Quiroz, Ken Bastard, Nico Kwan Phillips, Sean Lugo, Darren Defield, David Cooper, Matthew Okpych
BANDS
• Frozen Gentlemen: Frozen Gentlemen likens themselves to the “good” Bee Gees on amphetamines. They mix dance with rock in a way that gets the
crowd involved physically and emotionally.
• In Musth: This is how In Musth describes themselves—“Riffs that old people canâ€t hear. Not keen on repeating ourselves. Ever striving to resolve thin lizzy to ghetto boys, complex machinery to meat ‘n potatoes. We button the top button, tighten our tie and play by the rules in technicolor. Also, for the patient listener, there’s the fifth amendment. Aftertaste of extra-dimensional consciousness and the fanning tail display of male peacocks.”
• Knotworking: An ever-changing cast of musicians who support the voice and songwriting of Edward Gorch, whoâ€s literate songs come from homes in the margins of society. The fall 2009 band line-up features a back-to-basics two guitar, electric bass and drums approach.
• Thomas Francis Takes His Chances: TFTHC is a son, a brother. a friend. a lover, a husband, a grandfather. a cousin, a peeper, a doubter, a little engine that could, a scientist, an inventor, a cat, a gun, a half of a drum, an English muffin, a president, a principle, a saint, a martyr, a human, an animal, an orator, a listener, an aquarium drinker, an inspiration, a hero, but above all the rest “Our Father,” AMEN.
FOOD
The 4th Street Arts & Music Festival will host a collection of delectable food vendors. Among them Glenn Gilliar will provide his gourmet tasties. About
participating in this yearâ€s Festival, he says “I grew up with many food allergies and had to learn to cook more for necessity than pleasure. I’m a daring eater and will try almost anything presented to me I haven’t eaten before (as long as I’m not allergic). I love to experiment when cooking but I’ll be featuring my tried and true selections for the festival. All of the selections will be meat or seafood based. My booth will be more focused on quality rather than quantity.”
SPECIAL NOTE
To support this yearâ€s Festival, 4th Street Arts hosted a Mac & Cheese Bake Off on September 13. Twelve chefs participated, including restaurants and home cooks, and more than 250 locals came out as testers. This yearâ€s winners included: Judgeâ€s Restaurant Choice Lamp Post Bar and Grill, Judgeâ€s Individual Choice Judy Nunez, Peopleâ€s Choice Restaurant Iron Monkey, Peopleâ€s Individual Choice Rob Castillo, all of whom will enjoy free food and drink at the Festival, compliments of 4th Street Arts. Special thanks to Star Ledger contributor Pete Genovese, Councilman Steve Fulop, and Tony Susco who judged; and Sam Adams for providing beer and White Star Bar for their support.

The post 4th Street Arts Hosts the 6th Annual 4th Street Art & Music Festival in Jersey City, NJ first appeared on River View Observer.