ESSEX COUNTY PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS YOUR GUIDE TO EVENTS, ACTIVITIES AND FACILITIES OF THE ESSEX COUNTY PARKS SYSTEM Autumn / Winter 2015 Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. Essex County Executive and the Board of Chosen Freeholders www.EssexCountyNJ.org Essex County Parks, Recreation And Cultural Affairs PUTTING ESSEX COUNTY FIRST ESSEX COUNTY PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS A MESSAGE FROM THE CONTENTS COUNTY PARKS DIRECTOR Upcoming Events 4 The historic Essex County Parks System proudly offers programs and events throughout the year. Embrace autumn by visiting the Essex County th South Mountain Environmental Center, which is celebrating its 10 anniversary. Among the myriad of programs offered there are canoeing on the Passaic River Recreation Complex 6 on Labor Day and welcoming the arrival of the fall season at the 11th Annual Fall Family Celebration. Greet the winter and the holiday season Golf 11 by making a Thanksgiving centerpiece or participating in the 11th Annual Sustainable Homes and Habitats Gingerbread Contest and Exhibit. Environmental Center 14 The Strut Your Mutt costume parade in Brookdale and South Mountain Cultural Affairs 16 Dog Parks has become a seasonal favorite. New this year at Turtle Back Zoo is “Night of the Living Zoo,” an event for visitors ages 21 and over Essex County Gardens 18 where they can learn about nighttime animal adaptations. The Spooky Zoo and safe Howl-O-Ween, coupled with the increasingly popular Directory of Gardens Aglow event at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, continue to Park Conservancies 19 be enjoyable family outings. After an interior renovation, Kip’s Castle will reopen its doors and be one Parks Map 20 of 13 homes participating in the Historic Holiday House Tour. The Holiday Lights Spectacular at the zoo are a must see. Visitors can stroll under the sparkling lights of over 50 winter and animal characters illuminated The activities included in this catalog take place at facilities of the Essex County Parks System. throughout Essex County Turtle Back Zoo. In the beginning of the year, look for Essex Ed, our devoted groundhog, who is bound to make an appearance and start us on our way to the next cycle of Essex County recreational activities. We encourage visitors to any of Essex County Parks to assist us in maintaining a clean environment throughout the year and invite them to join any one of our volunteer conservancies. The directory of organizations is at the back of this guide along with information on how you can get involved. Daniel Salvante Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Board of Chosen Freeholders Department of Parks, Britnee N. Timberlake Rolando Bobadilla Recreation and Cultural Affairs Freeholder President Rufus I. Johnson 115 Clifton Avenue Brendan W. Gill Lebby C. Jones Newark, NJ 07104 Freeholder Vice President Leonard M. Luciano 973-268-3500 Wayne L. Richardson Patricia Sebold Cynthia D. Toro PUTTING ESSEX COUNTY FIRST ESSEX COUNTY PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS MEMORIES GROW HERE! A MESSAGE FROM THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE The brisk breezes, changing colors of the leaves and the morning frost signal the arrival of autumn. For our Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, it means the entire family can enjoy a new lineup of events and activities to experience the outdoors and celebrate the season. Climb a rock wall, pick Jersey Fresh vegetables, paddle on the Passaic River and interact with a variety of environmentally-conscience vendors at our Annual Fall Family Celebration at the Essex County Environmental Cen- ter. View the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in a whole different kind of light – by the candlelit gleaming from the artistically carved pumpkins at Gardens Aglow. And celebrate the Halloween holiday all season long at Turtle Back Zoo with a variety of special events, including Octo-BEAR-fest, Night of the Living Zoo and Safe Halloween. Fall is also a great time to get out into our parks and discover the beautiful vistas, meadows and trails, as well as admire the changing fall foliage. When the colder weather and winter arrives, be ready for the Annual Holiday Lights Spectacular, which will return to Turtle Back Zoo for its 8th year! Enjoy free admission and stroll our Zoo pathways to see animal and winter figures illuminated by over 100,000 bulbs, with special themed activities every weekend. We look forward to seeing you in our parks. Together we will continue Putting Essex County First. Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. Essex County Executive 3 ESSEX COUNTY UPCOMING EVENTS ESSEX REMEMBERS FRIDAY, 9/11 — 8AM Essex County Eagle Rock Reservation 9/11 Memorial Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange Free Join with community members for a solemn ceremony com- memorating the 14th Anniversary of the 9/11 Tragedy. The ceremony begins promptly at 8am. Essex County Eagle Rock Reservation will forever have special meaning for the thousands who made their way to this hilltop to watch the shocking events unfolding at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. On Sunday, October 20, 2002, the hard work of many volunteers, contractors, union members, corporate leaders and family members came to fruition when the Essex County Eagle Rock September 11th Memorial was dedicated during a moving unveiling ceremony. The memorial was expanded in 2009 to include the Flight Crew Memorial, a tribute to heroic pilots and flight attendants aboard the four airplanes that crashed that day. In 2011, on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, a 7,400-pound steel and concrete piece of the World Trade Center foundation was installed along with a bronze plaque recognizing the bravery of Emergency Medical Technicians who responded at Ground Zero and across the Hudson River. STRUT YOUR MUTT: COSTUME PARADE SATURDAY, 10/24 Rain date: Sunday, October 25; 973.268.3500 Essex County Brookdale Dog Park Bloomfield/Montclair 9:15am Registration; 10am Parade Essex County South Mountain Dog Park, Maplewood/Millburn 1:15pm Registration; 2pm Parade The Essex County canine costume parades have grown into a favorite Halloween celebration for the community to enjoy. Bring your pet or just come to see the creative costumes on display. Same day registration. This is a free event. Prizes! ESSEX COUNTY HISTORIC HOLIDAY HOUSE TOUR SATURDAY, 12/5 AND SUNDAY, 12/6 Historic homes throughout Essex will open their doors in unison for one spectacular weekend. Each will be decorated for the holiday season while offering entertainment, refreshments, or educational information. Fees and times vary by location. For a final list of participating houses, check www.essexcountynj. org after November 15th or call 973.239.2465. 4 THE CELEBRATION STARTS HERE! WHAT’S NEW? Essex County West Side Park The Essex County West Side Park Community Center reopened on May 6th after receiving a complete renovation. The facility is the focal point in the neighborhood for recreation and enrichment programs, and the upgrades will enable the building to continue to meet the needs of people of all ages in the community. The comprehensive facelift included upgrades in all areas of the building. Damaged sections of the gym floor were replaced and the entire floor was sanded and refinished. Flooring and drop ceilings in the vestibule, lobby, administration offices, restrooms and locker rooms were replaced; the building’s electrical and plumbing systems were upgraded; the restrooms and locker rooms received new fixtures; all interior and exterior doors were replaced; and the interior and exterior of the facility were painted. Work outside of the building included the installation of park benches and trash receptacles; improvements to the parking lot, sidewalks and curbing; and landscaping. The 16,000-square-foot facility was originally constructed in 1987 and the last renovation occurred in 2006 when the gymnasium was upgraded with a new wooden floor, basketball equipment and painting. The center is heavily used by people of all ages and another facelift was necessary because the building’s high usage and water damage to the gymnasium floor caused by a leak in the roof. Randi and Marc E. Berson Learning Center at Essex County Turtle Back Zoo Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. August 2014. The modern building provides a safe and more organized entrance dedicated the Randi & Marc E. Berson Learning Center for school groups arriving by bus and a second entrance for the general public at Essex County Turtle Back Zoo on Wednesday, June 3rd. that alleviates overcrowding at the original entrance. This summer, almost 600 Naming the classroom area on the first floor of the new children are enrolled in the Zoo’s summer camp program, which is the first full Education Center recognizes the long-term commitment summer that it is being offered in the new facility. made by the Berson family to support educational programming at Turtle Back and to help it fulfill its mission of raising awareness about animals and preparing future generations of environmental stewards. The Berson family made a generous contribution to Turtle Back Zoo in 2013 to support public workshops, summer camps, outreach programs, special events and other activities at Turtle Back Zoo. For their commitment, Mr. Berson was one of the honorees at the Turtle Back Zoo 50th Anniversary Gala in 2013. Support from the Berson family has been instrumental in helping Zoo staff develop and implement educational programs and camping opportunities at the new 12,000-square-foot Education Building, which opened in 5 ESSEX COUNTY SOUTH MOUNTAIN RECREATION COMPLEX Essex County Codey Arena Learn to Skate Lessons 560 Northfield Avenue The Learn to Skate program introduces skaters to the basic skills of West Orange, NJ ice skating. Classes are offered during all seasons for six, seven or eight weeks. For registration and schedule information, please call www.essexcountyparks.org/south-mountain/codey-arena 973.731.3828, Ext.