Read The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore and join us as we explore the fascinating days at the turn of the century when Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla battled to bring electricity to the world. Copies are available at the Library. Sign up for events on the Library Online Calendar. Register today!
The Woman’s Club is proud to so-sponsor the inaugural One Book One Borough Program wth the Upper Saddle River Library! A month-long series of events are plannned around the book The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore. Come join us as we explore the time at the turn of the Century when Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla fought to bring electricity to America. The Kickoff for the program will be on Sunday, October 3rd at 2pm at the Library. There will be a Fashion Show of historical clothing of the period from the Goetschius House Museum collection, and further information and signups for the events and book discussions planned. Copies of the book are available to borrow at the Library.
Events: Sign Up on the Library Online Calendar––www.uppersaddleriverlibrary.org
Thursday, October 7th 7pm Thomas Edison Bright Ideas Presentation (Virtual)
Friday, October 15th 5-7pm Dinner at The Saddle River Cafe (Space Limited––reserve by October 9th. For payment info contact KMMenten@gmail.com)
Saturday, October 16th 2pm Trip to Edison Menlo Park Museum (Space Limited––reserve by October 6th. For payment info contact nona.maher@gmail.com)
Friday, October 22nd 6pm Golden Age of Cocktails Mixology Class (Virtual)
Sunday, October 24th 2pm One Book One Borough Finale at The Library
October Book Discussion Opportunities––All are welcome! Sign Up on the Library Online Calendar––www.uppersaddleriverlibrary.org
Wednesday, October 13th Novels at Night 7:30pm
Thursday October 14th Coffee Talk at 10 am
Tuesday, October 19th Woman’s Club Book Group 7:30pm (Virtual)
Thursday October 21st GetLit(erary) 7pm.
Download Map and Location List On Townwide Garage Sale Page on Blue Banner Above––or View Here:
On Saturday, March 20th, our club manned tables at Borough Hall to collect non-perishable items for The Center For Food Action. This was our second food drive of this club year, and town residents as well as members drove by and donated. Thanks to their generosity, we were able to fill many boxes and bags with much needed food for those in need. Thanks also, to the members who donated their time to work shifts from 8am until Noon, to the Northern Highlands Student Volunteers, and to the DPW who loaded up a truck for us. Together we made a difference for those whom The Center For Food Action serves!
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A chance to win big makes a great stocking stuffer or gift for the holidays! Send in your order today and we’ll get your lucky tickets to you ASAP!
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Our spring of 2020 was hijacked by the Coronavirus Pandemic. In early March—right after our ceremony at Borough Hall to award the winners of our 34th annual Poetry and Essay Contest, the entire state of New Jersey and much of the country shut down. Our club’s planned Derby Day fundraiser for the USR Ambulance Corps was canceled–as was the Kentucky Derby itself. Our annual Baby Shower for the Shelter and Children’s Aid and Family Services was canceled, as was our State Convention. When our USR Library closed, all club meetings there were canceled indefinitely.
We were to stay at home and self-quarantine. Social distancing, masks, and gloves became our out-of-the-house-wear when we ventured out to get essential supplies like food and medicine. When we went to the grocery store, we waited on lines to be admitted due to reduced capacity of shoppers allowed inside, followed arrows on the now one-way aisles, and we yearned to be able to purchase things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Pajamas, sweats, and workout clothes became daily wear, and hair grew long and wild. School was closed and most students and teachers moved to online learning at home. Places of Worship, restaurants, and businesses closed, flights were canceled, and travel severely restricted. The economy ground to a halt.
Families sheltered together and parents did their best to home school with some online help from their children’s teachers. Board games, reading, walks in the neighborhood, cooking, TV, and, for some, online gaming helped time to pass. “Virtual” became the new normal. Zoom joined phones and FaceTime as the way to communicate.
Graduations, weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries were all affected. Our USR Fire Department began drive-by birthday celebrations with engines, horns and a police car siren for children who couldn’t have a birthday party. Others had drive-by birthday parade celebrations organized by friends and family in decorated cars. No one could visit a family member in assisted living or a nursing home because the elderly were most at risk.
Days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months—three of them.
Now, at the end of June, there is some loosening of the restrictions in hopes of getting the economy and the population back to a semblance of normal. The numbers of new cases of the virus are lower, and the hospitals are not on overload with corona virus patients. Hospitals can now resume elective surgeries and preventative care. Masks are still required in public, and we tread lightly for fear of a new spike in cases that would shut us down again. To date, over 100,000 people have died from the virus in the U.S.
Throughout it all, on the front lines, doctors, nurses, hospital and healthcare personnel worked unselfishly and tirelessly around the clock to cope with the hospitalizations and deaths. The number of those who succumbed to the virus mounted day by day. These essential workers, along with mail and package delivery, garbage removal, and transportation personnel, have never been more appreciated. Across the hard hit tri-state area, candles were lit in their honor, pots banged, and applause rang out of windows every evening in gratitude.
Our members did what they could to help locally—donating money for Feeding America and other organizations to help those in need, ordering lunches, dinners and making sandwiches and cookies for hospital and service personnel, writing notes and having Crocs delivered to Valley and Hackensack Hospitals, donating food for food pantries and the homeless, making cloth masks for friends and hospital workers, and supporting our police, ambulance and fire department volunteers. Most importantly, we stayed home to protect ourselves, our families, and others.
We hope that a vaccine will be developed soon to combat this world-wide pandemic. We look forward to meeting together again in the Fall, and beginning a new club year with our 4th Annual Garage Sale which is planned for September 12th.
Stay safe and stay well this summer!
The Woman’s Club of Upper Saddle River proudly sponsors a special fundraiser on Kentucky Derby Day–May 2nd, 2020–at the Brick House in Wyckoff from 5-9pm. Come and celebrate the excitement of the race with us! Have fun and help us raise funds for the purchase of an automatic CPR machine needed by our Ambulance Corps.
Tickets are $125 pp and $25 of your ticket price is a tax deductible contribution.
Details are on the flyer below. Please reserve your spot ASAP by sending your check (made out to the Woman’s Club of USR) to our P.O.Box 645 in Saddle River. Tickets are limited and going fast!
Thursday evening, March 5th marked the Awards Ceremony for our 34th annual Poetry and Essay contest. Because this year’s topic commemorated the 125th anniversary of the incorporation of Upper Saddle River as a Borough, our Mayor and Council graciously allowed us to award the children at their March Council meeting.
Winners read their winning entries, and Mayor Minichetti presented the awards. The topic concerned what might be placed in a time capsule to show future residents what is special about our town in 2020.
Club President, Nona Maher, surprised the students with the news that there would actually be a time capsule! It will contain the winning entries, photos of the places and things the students mentioned in their writing, a letter from the Woman’s Club, logos of the organizations in town and the historical and current maps of the town. The time capsule will be stored at the Hopper-Goetschius House Museum on the corner of Lake Street and East Saddle River Road for opening in the year 2145.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Woman’s Club members celebrated the upcoming holidays on Saturday evening at the Upper Montclair Country Club. It was festive night, and everyone enjoyed the camaraderie, food, music, and dancing. Many thanks to Kathie Durante who organized this special evening and her co-chairs, Christine Ferrarie and Robyn Ditkoff.
THE WOMAN'S CLUB OF UPPER SADDLE RIVER 