A community magazine serving the residents of Montclair and Upper Montclair MontclairNeighbors JANUARY 2018 The Heimans Living La Dolce Vita PHOTOGRAPH BY NEIL GRABOWSKY I’m fighting cancer, but I’m not fighting alone. With world-class care in your corner, the odds are stacked in your favor. The Cancer Center at Clara Maass Medical Center, part of RWJBarnabas Health, is a leader in cancer treatment. Together with the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, we’re bringing the fight to cancer with endless resolve - right alongside you and your family, right in your backyard. Learn more at rwjbh.org/beatcancer Let’s beat cancer together. 2 RWJ-39MONTCLAIR Cancer NEIGHBORSPrint_CMMC_ShortSystemCopy_7.5x10.indd 1 12/4/17 7:06 PM FROM THE PUBLISHER PUBLICATION TEAM PUBLISHER Michael Stefanelli CONTENT COORDINATOR Candice Horowitz DESIGNER Marti Golon PHOTOGRAPHY Neil Grabowsky / Through The Lens Studios ADVERTISING Contact: Michael Stefanelli Email: [email protected] Phone: 973-277-7301 FEEDBACK • IDEAS • SUBMISSIONS Happy New Year Have feedback, ideas or submissions? We are always happy to hear from you! Deadlines for submissions are the Montclair Neighbors! 1st of each month. Go to www.bestversionmedia.com and click “Submit Content.” You may also email your thoughts, HE HOLIDAYS at the end of December, as ideas and photos to: [email protected]. the turn of the calendar approaches, are one of my favorite parts of the year. It’s often the CONTENT SUBMISSION DEADLINES Content Due/Edition Month: Tperfect occasion to reflect on and appreci- ate all the good things the past year has given us and all January 25 ........................................................................March the good things that are yet to come. February 25.........................................................................April I cannot be more excited as we begin our second full March 25 ................................................................................May year of Montclair Neighbors magazine. What a pleasure April 25 ................................................................................. June it is to work on each issue! Thank you to our residents for May 25 ....................................................................................July sharing your stories and your ideas for the magazine. We June 25 ............................................................................ August appreciate your sincere and positive feedback through all July 25 .....................................................................September of your comments and letters. This is your magazine and August 25 ....................................................................October we encourage you to keep participating in it. Please do September 25 ....................................................... November not hesitate to contact us with any ideas or suggestions October 25 ............................................................. December November 25 ..............................................................January for future issues. We love receiving your feedback so we can continue to make Montclair December 20 ........................................................... February Neighbors a better version of itself as each month passes. The thing I love the most about bringing this publication to life each month is the people I meet along the way. I have gotten to know many more wonderful people in this com- Any content, resident submissions, guest columns, munity over the past year. And it’s very easy to realize why Montclair is truly a unique and advertisements and advertorials are not necessarily endorsed special place to be, as folks come from all over the world to make Montclair their home. by or represent the views of Best Version Media (BVM) or any municipality, homeowners associations, businesses That’s very special, and in these pages each month, we love to bring out the spirit of what or organizations that this publication serves. BVM is not makes this community so great. Over the next year I look forward to meeting more of our responsible for the reliability, suitability or timeliness of any neighbors, learning about your stories and why you love Montclair. I would like to reflect content submitted. All content submitted is done so at the sole discretion of the submitting party. here on all of the new partnerships I have formed and existing partnerships we have © 2018 Best Version Media. All rights reserved. developed in the business community. I am truly grateful for their support in making it possible for our residents to receive this publication for free each month. These are some of the finest businesses in the area. Please consider them for the services they provide and acknowledge them for sponsoring our magazine. Thank you to Candice Horowitz, our outstanding writer and content coordinator for capturing our Montclair neighbors’ stories each month in such a compelling way. Thank you Marti Golon for reaching out to me last winter and sharing your vision. Your hard work and dedication to this publication comes out each and every issue with your ultra professional designs and layouts. Neil Grabowsky, your photos are stunning. You truly make our magazine stand out from the rest. A fresh New Year is once again upon us. It’s the time to be thank- ful for the wonderful moments and blessings of the past year and to recognize all of our achievements. At the same time, 2018 is a brand new year to begin again, to start strong, and another chance to do everything we want to do this year. I want to personally wish our Montclair neighbors a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. From my family to yours – Cheers! Michael Stefanelli, Publisher JANUARY 2018 3 To learn more about becoming an expert contributor, contact BVM at EXPERT CONTRIBUTORS [email protected] or phone 973-277-7301. ACCOUNTING & TAX PREPARATION FINANCIAL PLANNING Lawrence R. Pappas, CPA, CFP® James M. Kelly, CFP® Lawrence R. Pappas, CPA, P.C., CFP®, based in Edward Jones Financial Services Bloomfield, provides a full range of accounting, Experienced certified financial planner (CFP) bookkeeping, consulting, financial and estate helping individuals achieve serious, long- planning, outsourcing, payroll and business services, term financial goals by understanding needs either in your facility or at our location. Whether it’s an individual and implementing tailored solutions. Areas of focus include tax return, business and tax advice to help a small business retirement and estate planning, tax planning strategies, maximize its profits, or a complete set of financial statements for a insurance and investments. large corporation, everyone gets our professional best. www.edwardjones.com/james-kelly2 • 973-655-0167 www.lpappascpa.com • 973-893-8077 FUNERAL SERVICES CYCLING AND OUTDOOR FITNESS Halpin-Bitecola Brookdale Funeral Home Montclair Bikery Halpin-Bitecola Brookdale Funeral & Cremation Montclair Bikery, based in the heart of Montclair, Service has been serving the Montclair supports all cyclists from the beginner to the community with care and compassion since enthusiast. Owner, Dave Adornato is passionate 1963. Their service is proven by winning about cycling and racing. He gets a thrill from national honors, for Pursuit of Excellence, seeing people of all ages enjoy cycling in all its’ different forms. from the National Funeral Directors Association. Family owned And his passion is backed by the most cutting edge, deeply and operated, this establishment strives to carry out their legacy stocked inventory and over 35 years of cycling knowledge and of service to community, and incorporates their mission statement fitting expertise. As experts in customer enthusiasm with the finest “Making a Difference Through Family and Community” in everything products, specialists and services, it’s our mission to create the they do. www.brookdalefh.com • 973-338-5900 bike of your dreams. www.montclairbikery.com • 973-744-7252 ELDER LAW AND ESTATES HOME HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING WanderPolo & Siegel Air Group Since 2003, WanderPolo & Siegel has served clients Air Group has become NJ’s premier full-service heating, air in Montclair and Essex County in the areas of estate conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) company, providing planning, elder law and special needs law. The firm is personalized solutions, both residential and commercial, for every at the forefront of the new interdisciplinary practice heating, air conditioning and indoor air quality application. Your model of life care planning, which combines traditional estate comfort is an important responsibility — one the company has planning and asset protection with care coordination and planning. taken seriously for more than 50 years. The firm is led by Montclair resident Shana Siegel, a certified elder www.airgroupllc.com • 800-545-1020 law attorney who serves the values and needs of aging clients and their families. www.wpselderlaw.com • 973-744-5710 INTEROR DESIGN Sally Ross Designs ELECTRICAL KB Electric Inc. ne-of-a-kind bespoke projects that consider the KB Electric was started in 1992 by founder and O SM architectural style of a home and needs of the owner Keith Ballentine. Keith is a Montclair family living in it. In space and expense, the studio’s native with decades of experience in the goal is “just right” versus “overdoing it”. electrical industry. To this day, KB Electric strives to