Ridgewood Pedestrian Mall Won't Open July 4 Weekend

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Ridgewood's weekend pedestrian mall, which has been utilizing downtown streets for outdoor dining, will not open over the July 4 weekend.

In an email from Welcome Back to Ridgewood, a group promoting the gradual reopening of the village, it was announced that the pedestrian mall would not open this weekend, but would reopen the next.

"Due to security concerns and newly enacted COVID restrictions, Ridgewood’s Pedestrian Mall will be closed on Saturday, July 4, and Sunday, July 5," said Chief of Police Jacqueline Luthcke, in a statement from the group.

The mall will reopen on Saturday, July 11 at 10 a.m. According to the group, the mall will remain open throughout the rest of the summer weekends.

Since June 20, a section of the downtown has been closed off to cars and parking on weekends, replaced by tables from area restaurants in a move that Mayor Ramon Hache said will help replace what the establishments will lose in retail space due to state social distancing measures.

Restaurants were originally supposed to get some of that space back this week, but Gov. Phil Murphy delayed the beginning of indoor dining service, citing spikes in other states, as well as irresponsible scenes at bars and restaurants from across New Jersey.

"Overcrowding. A complete disregard for social distancing. Very few, if any, face coverings. The scenes we see in our newspapers and on social media cannot continue," Murphy said on Twitter.

The temporary move to close the pedestrian mall seems directly related to the July 4 weekend, and according to an email from the group, patrons can expect dining, shopping and live music to continue in the pedestrian mall next week.

As for the July 4 weekend, restaurants and retail establishments will still be open, if they so choose, but will be serving and selling as they do during the weekdays.

Ridgewood's annual 4th of July events have been canceled for the most part, sparing only the annual flag raising, which is still scheduled for 9 a.m. in Wilsey Square.

Read more: Ridgewood's, Glen Rock's 4th Of July Fireworks 2020 Canceled