Julie Castillo

Union County

Jamie Gatlin

New York City Metropolitan Area

Cranford

New Jersey

Alexis Tarrazi

Westfield

Clark-Garwood

Springfield

New Providence-Berkeley Heights

Scotch Plains-Fanwood

Summit

Essex County

Maplewood

Millburn-Short Hills

South Orange

Middlesex County

Carly Baldwin

Woodbridge

Rahway River Park

WE NEED YOUR HELP! JOIN&nbsp;OUR&nbsp;AUTUMN PARK CLEAN-UP!&nbsp;Saturday, October 24 at 11 AM- 2 PM, for our Autumn Park Cleanup at Rahway River Park!&nbsp; (Rain Date: Sunday, October 25, same time, same place!)Let’s come together to give our beloved park a little autumn refresh! We’ll be cleaning around the pond and riverbank areas to help keep our community green, clean, and beautiful for all to enjoy.Supplies provided! Bags, grabbers, and gloves will be available thanks to Union County’s Adopt-A-Park program. Please wear long sleeves and sturdy shoes, weather appropriate gear, and don’t forget your fall spirit!Meet us at the Lakeside Picnic Area (on the right, past the main parking lot) and look for the Friends of Rahway River Parkway tent to check in. Underage particpants must be accompanied by an adult. We’ll have light refreshments and info on how you can get involved year-round! Bring your friends, family, and neighbors; every helping hand makes a difference.&nbsp;

Local Event: Join our Autum Park Clean Up! 

Rahway

Join our Autum Park Clean Up! 

WE NEED YOUR HELP! JOIN OUR AUTUMN PARK CLEAN-UP! Saturday, October 24 at 11 AM- 2 PM, for our Autumn Park Cleanup at Rahway...

Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC)

Catholic Charities Annual Benefit Concert features That Motown Band at UCPAC; 100% of ticket sales support men, women, and children in need regardless of race, religion, or creed. &nbsp;
Put on your dancing shoes and bring your heart to help our fellow neighbors in need! Catholic Charities of the Newark Archdiocese and Carol and Bobby Williams present the 9th Annual Benefit Concert for the Homeless featuring That Motown Band. &nbsp;The show is Saturday, October 24th at 8 pm at UCPAC, located at 1601 Irving Street in Rahway. &nbsp;
If you love&nbsp;My Girl, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Baby Love, Heat Wave, and Ain't Too Proud to Beg, this is YOUR night!&nbsp; That Motown Band brings the sound of The Temptations, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson and more to life with a full lineup of powerhouse vocalists and musicians — including soul veteran Garfield Fleming, a longtime member of the Delfonics. &nbsp;
This is more than a concert! It is a night out of fun – singing and dancing! &nbsp;Your ticket turns into shelter nights, food, and help for our NJ neighbors in need. &nbsp;100% of ticket sales support our homeless men, women, and children at our shelters and homes in Jersey City and Newark.
Come for the Motown! &nbsp;Stay because it matters. &nbsp;Invite your friends, make a night of it in downtown Rahway, and help keep the lights on and food on the table for families who have nowhere else to turn. &nbsp; Together we can provide help and hope! &nbsp;
Visit <a target="_blank" href="https://ccanconcert26.givesmart.com/" rel="nofollow noopener">ccanconcert26.givesmart.com</a> for ticket information or call 732-499-8226. &nbsp;For all other questions, call Peter Ruccione, director of development, Catholic Charities Newark Archdiocese, at <a href="tel:973-818-4060">973-818-4060</a>.

Local Event: Motown comes to Rahway Oct. 24 to Help Our Homeless in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties.

Motown comes to Rahway Oct. 24 to Help Our...

Catholic Charities Annual Benefit Concert features That Motown Band at UCPAC; 100% of ticket sales support men, women, and...

Motown comes to Rahway Oct. 24 to Help Our Homeless in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties.

Fairview Cemetery & Arboretum

Back by popular demand, Fairview Cemetery will host a special lecture exploring the remarkable Historic Tree Grove at Union College in Cranford. The program is being presented in honor of the nation's 250th anniversary.
The grove serves as a living testament to significant events and figures in American history. Approximately 75 historic trees have been planted there, representing a timeline that stretches from George Washington to the events of September 11, 2001. Most were grown from historically significant seeds or propagated as clones over the past 30 years.
Dr. Tom Ombrello, senior professor of biology at Union College and project manager of the Historic Tree Grove, will lead the illustrated presentation. He will explain how the trees were selected, cultivated and incorporated into the college campus, with several noteworthy specimens examined in greater detail.
The lecture will take place Sunday, October 25, at 2 p.m. in the Fairview Cemetery conference room, located at 1100 East Broad Street in Westfield.

Local Event: Historic Tree Lecture

Historic Tree Lecture

Back by popular demand, Fairview Cemetery will host a special lecture exploring the remarkable Historic Tree Grove at Union...

Patricia M Kuran Cultural Arts Center

To celebrate Halloween, nonprofit Jersey Central Theatre Company will be performing a staged reading of a new play, featuring some New Jersey lore, on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25th, 3:00 PM, at the Patricia M. Kuran Cultural Arts Center (The Carriage House) next to Fanwood Borough Hall.
“JANE, JOSEPH, AND THE JERSEY DEVIL” by Connor McKenna. Deep in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey reportedly lives a beast so horrible, so monstrous, its very name strikes fear into the hearts of those who have seen or heard of it. In 1820, “Piney” Jane is desperate to unravel the mysteries of the Jersey Devil. Who joins her search but the exiled king of Spain (and older brother to Napoleon), Joseph Bonaparte. Will they find the beast? Will they survive?
The cast will feature members of Actors’ Equity Association, the professional actors’ union.
Connor McKenna is a playwright, dramaturg, and musical book writer. He is a graduate of NYU Tisch with a BFA in dramatic writing and double major in linguistics. He has written six full-length plays and several shorter one-acts. His work has been performed with the Young Americans Theatre Company, Imaginarium NY, and Little &amp; Fierce Theatre Company.
Doors will open at 2:30 PM. Suggested cash contribution is $10.00 per person. No reservations; limited open seating.
The Patricia M. Kuran Cultural Arts Center is located next to Borough Hall at 135 Watson Rd. (off Martine Ave.), Fanwood, NJ, just one block north of the historic Fanwood Train Station on NJ Transit’s Raritan Valley Line.
In partnership with the Fanwood Cultural Arts Commission. For further information, or to be added to their email list, visit Jersey Central Theatre Company at <a href="https://www.jerseycentraltheatre.com." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">jerseycentraltheatre.com.</a>
This program is made possible in part by a 2026 HEART (History, Education, Arts Reaching Thousands) Grant from the Union County Board of County Commissioners.

Local Event: A New Play Celebrating Halloween (Jersey-style)

A New Play Celebrating Halloween (Jersey-style)

To celebrate Halloween, nonprofit Jersey Central Theatre Company will be performing a staged reading of a new play, featuring...

Join &nbsp;us for an amazing night on October 29th to celebrate Halloween! bring friends and family and be ready to dance your night away with us here at Fred Astaire Dance Studio Summit. No experience needed.&nbsp;

Local Event:  Fred Astaire Dance Studio Halloween Party 

 Fred Astaire Dance Studio Halloween Party 

Join  us for an amazing night on October 29th to celebrate Halloween! bring friends and family and be ready to dance your night...

An Essex County home inspector has built a free website that lets anyone look up the public records behind a New Jersey property &mdash; building permits, flood zones, fire history, property taxes, and more &mdash; by typing in an address.
The site, <a href="https://oprasearch.app/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Permit &amp; Parcel</a>, covers all 564 New Jersey municipalities and brings together records from official sources, including state and county databases, FEMA flood maps, and the towns&rsquo; own municipal codes. No account or email is required, and there&rsquo;s no cost.
&ldquo;I kept watching buyers fall in love with a house before anyone checked the paper trail &mdash; the open permits, the flood zone, what the town actually requires when a home changes hands,&rdquo; said Leo Betancor, a Certified Master Inspector based in Cedar Grove and the founder of the site. &ldquo;All of that is public record. It just wasn&rsquo;t in one place anyone could actually use.&rdquo;
Alongside the main lookup, the site includes free single-purpose tools: a <a href="https://oprasearch.app/tools/lead-safe/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">lead-safe inspection lookup</a> showing which of the two state-required inspection methods each town uses under New Jersey&rsquo;s lead paint law, a searchable <a href="https://oprasearch.app/lead-contractors/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">directory of DCA-certified lead evaluation and abatement contractors</a> sorted by distance, a <a href="https://oprasearch.app/tools/fire/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">fire-incident map</a> built from more than 40 years of state fire records, and a <a href="https://oprasearch.app/tools/radon/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">radon map</a> covering every municipality.
Homeowners can also <a href="https://oprasearch.app/tools/tax/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">look up property taxes and assessments</a>, <a href="https://oprasearch.app/tools/hvac-age/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">check the age of a furnace, air conditioner or water heater</a> using its serial number, and <a href="https://oprasearch.app/tools/co/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">find their town&rsquo;s certificate-of-occupancy requirements</a> before selling or renting a home.
A companion site, <a href="https://njflood.zone/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">njflood.zone</a>, gives instant FEMA flood-zone answers for any New Jersey address &mdash; built after the federal government shutdown left FEMA&rsquo;s own map site unreliable &mdash; running on the site&rsquo;s own servers with the complete flood map data for the state loaded locally.
As an added benefit for homebuyers, Permit &amp; Parcel users can receive $100 off a qualifying home inspection with Smart Choice Inspections, Betancor&rsquo;s North Jersey home inspection company.
The project was recently featured in <a href="https://www.tapinto.net/towns/east-hanover-slash-florham-park/columns/at-home-with-holly/articles/deep-dive-conversations-what-the-house-won-t-tell-you" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">TAPinto.</a>&nbsp;Both sites are FREE at <a href="https://oprasearch.app/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">oprasearch.app</a> and <a href="https://njflood.zone/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">njflood.zone</a>.

Eric Kiefer

Montclair

Cedar Grove Home Inspector Builds Free Property...

An Essex County home inspector has built a free website that lets anyone look up the public records behind a New Jersey property — building permits...

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Julie Castillo, Neighbor

Posting Activity

Join our Autum Park Clean Up!

Motown comes to Rahway Oct. 24 to Help Our Homeless in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties.

Historic Tree Lecture

A New Play Celebrating Halloween (Jersey-style)

Fred Astaire Dance Studio Halloween Party

Cedar Grove Home Inspector Builds Free Property-Records Lookup for Every NJ Town