Due to its success and popularity, and thanks to additional support from Washington Street restaurants and Bloomfield Township,  Dinner under the Stars  will be continuing into September! Every Friday, come to Bloomfield Center to enjoy live entertainment and al fresco dining served up by participating restaurants.  Visit the BCA website for details and updates!

 

Bloomfield Center Food Tour   ( Saturday, October 5 from 2:00-5:00pm .) Purchase tickets here .

 

Harvest Fest  ( Saturday, October 12 11:00am – 7:00pm ; Rain Date Sunday, October 13) Event link.

Public Safety News

Coffee with a Cop brings residents together with members of Bloomfield's Community Policing Division. To sign up, email Lt. Zepeda or Officer Aponte .

Want to get involved in the Bloomfield Neighborhood Watch Program?  Learn from Bloomfield’s Finest.

For most students, the last fire safety training they received was in grade school. College and independence can be a big transition for young adults, and their families. Be aware of FEMA's Campus Fire Safety, and learn how to protect yourself in the event of a dorm or campus fire.

Call 973-680-4153 if you would like the Bloomfield Fire Department to come to your home or business and do a safety inspection. We will schedule a time convenient for you and go over fire safety procedures and help identify any potential risks.

Community and Council Meetings

 

The Bloomfield Council will meet twice this month:

Conference Meeting Monday, September 9 at 7:00pm in the Mayor’s Conference Room of the Law Enforcement Building

Regular Meeting Monday, September 23 at 7:00pm in the newly renovated Township Council Chambers

 

Tuesday, October 15 is the last day to register to vote or transfer registration (and the Clerk’s Office will remain open 8:30am-9:00pm this day.)

Tuesday, October 29 is the last day to request a “Vote by Mail Ballot.”

Tuesday, November 5 is Election Day. Polls open 6:00am-8:00pm.

 

Please renew your dog or cats license before September 6 – a late fee of $45.00 per pet will be assessed beginning Monday, September 9. Also, all cats (both indoor and outdoor) that reside in the Township must be licensed pursuant to the Township Code.

For questions, call the Clerk’s office at 973-680-4015 or email [email protected]

 

To address the Township’s ongoing efforts to replace water mains and lead service lines throughout town, and the City of Newark’s ongoing water treatments to lower lead levels, the Township held a forum on Monday, August 19 in the Civic Center. This was livestreamed on Facebook . The Township has actively been giving away PUR water filters, and offering free lead test kits to all residents. Over 700 lead test kits were provided to residents in August. 

Remember, with our updated website, residents can submit events for the community calendar on our new municipal website . Report an issue, such as potholes or streetlight outage, here .

Exercise and Trips for Seniors

The Senior Club is a non-profit 55+ group that meets on the third Friday of each month (this month is September 20) at 12:00pm (except for January, April and August) in the Civic Center, Senior Lunch Room, 84 Broad Street, Bloomfield. Gatherings sometimes include, music, guest speakers, discussions, lunches and refreshments. There is a yearly fee of $20 to join. Contact Dana Morton for more info [email protected]

The club's next outing will be a Bus Trip to Sands Casino on Monday, October 14. Bus leaves promptly at 9:30am. The Civic Center building will be open at 8:45am for morning refreshments.

$25 | Includes transportation, morning refreshments, $20 back in Slot Play from Sands Casino and a $5 food voucher from the casino.

Come out and join your fellow seniors in an exercise class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. $20 each for (non – members) & $18 each (for members.) The class is geared towards seniors and you work out at your own pace. You will work with weights, large elastic bands and small nerf-like balls. Tuesdays and Thursday from 10:00-11:00am from September 17 – November 21. 

Zumba Gold - $20 each (non – members) & $18 each (members) – for 1 class $30 each (non – members) & $28 each (members) – for both class Wednesdays & Fridays 10:00-11:00am.

Specialty trips

Tuesday, September 10 ~ Felicity Towers /Troy Towers/ Heritage Village Trip to Walmart - Felicity Pick Up – 9:45am, Troy Pick Up – 9:50am, Heritage Village Pick up 9:55am. Return trip 12:00pm.

Tuesday, September 17 ~ Kinder Towers Trip to Walmart - Pick Up – 9:45am. Return trip will be 12:00pm.

Sign up for our new Home Delivery Service. Any resident who is unable to come to the library because of limited mobility, illness or handicap (permanent or temporary) may sign up. For more info, please call the library at 973-566-6200 and ask for Jessica.

Check the BPL website often for full schedule and new events as they get added!

Some of our regular programs are:

Genealogy – Wednesday nights (email [email protected] if interested)

Monday & Thursday movies - 12:15pm Book Clubs –  Call for topics and dates.

Finance Club Workshops – Tuesdays @ 6:00pm

Bridge Club – Fridays at 12:00pm

Knitting Club – First & Third Thursdays at 12:00pm.

Select programs:

9/14 @ 1:00pm - - open to the first 20 participants. Registration in person only starting August 26

9/21 @ 1:00pm - Cookbook Club- select a recipe from "America" by Gabrielle Langholtz

9/10 4:00-6:00pm: Pathway to Success event (education resources, resumes, FAFSA, etc)

9/21 @1:00pm Concert: Joy of Hispanic Music with Manny Montanez

9/28 @ 11:00am: Short Story Club

Bloomfield Environmentalism

Greener Bloomfield invites you to come see the native wildflowers surrounding the gazebo at Brookside Park. The planting is in its third summer and getting very full with many kinds of flowering perennials. Most of them attract butterflies and birds, particularly the milkweed plants that are hosts to the endangered Monarch butterfly.  

 

From time to time, the Third River, which flows through the park, overflows its banks, sometimes inundating the entire park. Our planting has to withstand the force of that water and being drowned once in a while. It has survived remarkably well. In coming months we hope to post a sign giving the names of the different plants.  

 

Greener Bloomfield would like to thank the Bloomfield Recreation Department, especially Michael Sceurman, who initially invited us to do this planting and supported us with funds for the purchase of the small plants that are now fully grown. Since they are perennials, they die back in winter and come back each spring growing fuller and fuller.

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Join The Bloomfield Environmental Commission , which meets meets at 7:00pm on the third Wednesday of every month in the Mayor’s Conference Room in the Law Enforcement Building, 1 Municipal Plaza. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Commission members are residents appointed by the Mayor and Council to advise them and township agencies on a wide variety of environmental matters, including reducing the use of plastic bags and promoting a safe environment for wildlife. For more information, contact Township Council Liaison Nicholas Joanow at [email protected].

There are still garden plots available in Milbank Park for rent, $50 per plot (fee waived for Veterans.) Contact [email protected] for more information.

Bloomfield Health

View the September Nursing Calendar , including the Osteoporosis Screening on September 24 from 10:00am-12:00pm at the Bloomfield Public Health Nursing; 1 Municipal Plaza- Lower Level ($12 screenings). For information on this and all other screenings, call 973-680-4058 , and follow @BloomfieldHDNJ

@BloomfieldHDNJ.

The department also has a representative at town hall who can provide residents information and screenings for food stamps (SNAP) benefits. Please contact the Bloomfield Division of Human Services at 973-680-4017 to make an appointment. Also, if you are behind in your rent, utilities or mortgage and getting help will prevent you from becoming homeless, you may qualify for financial assistance.

Health Beat, the Bloomfield Department of Health and Human Services’ radio show, recently began its 3rd season. The show airs on the last Monday of every month 3:00pm on Bloomfield College’s internet-based station, WBCR Radio. It is hosted by assistant health officer Maya Lordo and health educator Lindsay DeStefano. Listen live or access the archive episodes online at http://www.wbmatv.com/media-center . Last week’s episode can be viewed here.

 

Our Veggie Trucks are Back!

The veggie truck is back, every other Tuesday at Bloomfield Public Library, 90 Broad St. from 4:30- 6:00pm. This month the truck will be there September 10 and 24 .

 

Contact the Bloomfield Division of Human Services at 973-680-4017 to learn more about the program, or food stamps assistance.

 

Bloomfield Health Department staff have been canvassing neighborhoods in town to educate residents about how they can prevent situations that attract unwanted rodents and pests .  

Bloomfield Historical and Community Celebrations

 

The Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center is presenting its annual Tricky Tray fundraising event on Friday, October 4 . The doors will open at 6:00pm. Attendees can bid on dozens of valuable prizes, including gift certificates from area stores and restaurants, home goods, services from local merchants, and quality items in many other categories. $25 admission includes coffee and pastries.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call 973-429-0960 . Tickets may be purchased online via the Oakeside web site – www.oakeside.org .

The Historical Society of Bloomfield (HSOB) has updated and expanded its website to include a Video Archive of many of its presentations and programs throughout the years. They were video-recorded by WBMA-TV and are available on demand online at www.HSOB.org . 

The HSOB is hosting a free event, Vintage Baseball on Saturday, September 28 at 1:30pm at Wrights Field (180 Weaver Ave.) This game will be played like it’s 1864! Visit www.hsob.org, email [email protected] or call 973-743-8844 for more information.

Bloomfield Federation of Music

The Bloomfield Chorale is seeking new members in all voices - Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass. Drop in at a rehearsal to meet and learn about the group. Enjoy singing with us, expanding your musical knowledge and practicing in an informal atmosphere. While previous Chorale experience and the ability to read music are an advantage, they are not required. A good ear and pitch that we can cultivate are most welcome.

Weekly rehearsals for the Fall/Winter Season resume on September 17 . We rehearse from 7:30 to 9:30pm at the Bloomfield Civic Center, 84 Broad Street, Bloomfield. For more information visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/bloomfieldchorale , email [email protected] , or call Fran Gardella at 848-448-4335 .

The Bloomfield Mandolin Orchestra, through the Montclair Public Library, will be offering group beginning level mandolin classes starting the week of September 16. Weekly - Thu 7:00 - 8:15pm; 5 sessions; starting October 24. $89. Bring your own mandolin to class. Rentals available for approximately $25. Call the Montclair Adult School at 973-744-0500 x2224 for more information or to register now!

 

Mandolin Orchestra rehearsals will resume every Tuesday evening, beginning September 3, from 7:30 to 9:30pm in the Music Room of Bloomfield Middle School, 60 Huck Road. For more information contact [email protected] . Enrico Granafei, conductor: 862-703-0627.

Read about the Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra at: www.bloomfieldsymphony.org; and the Youth Band at www.bloomfieldyouthband.org.

Fall Recreation!

The Bloomfield Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is located at 84 Broad Street, and open 8:30am-4:30pm Monday-Friday, and Wednesday 6:00-8:30pm. Call 973-743-9074 or visit http://www.bloomfieldrecreation.org.

Please remember that Bloomfield parks are 100% smoke-free. Please read through our park rules and hours. To request the use of an athletic facility or park area, please click here for the request form and fee structure.

9/11 Memorial Service Bloomfield’s September 11th Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, September 11 at 6:30pm on the Town Green. Please join Township officials, friends, family and residents to remember and honor all those who were lost that day. 

The Bloomfield Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Department is happy to announce that One More Once will perform Big Band Music at Brookside Park on Monday, September 9 at 7:00pm . In case of inclement weather the concert will be moved into the Bloomfield High School Auditorium, 160 Broad St. 

 

8th Annual Movie Night and Family Camp-Out

Pixar’s COCO at Pulaski Park, 24 Mt Vernon Ave. Friday, September 13

(Rain Date Saturday, September 14)

Pre-Registration will begin on Tuesday, September 3 over the phone or in person at the Civic Center. There are 55 sites and it will be first come first serve so don’t miss out on this unique opportunity.  

5th Annual Drive-In Movie Night

Raiders of the Lost Ark at Demarest Elementary School, 465 Broughton Ave. Friday, September 20th at 7:45pm

(Rain Date Saturday, September 21)

All cars must pre-register by calling 973-743-9074 or emailing [email protected] . Pre-registered cars allowed in between 6:30-7:10pm.

These awesome events are on the horizon, too:

Haunted Trail Saturday, October 12 (Rain Date Sunday, October 13) 6:30 to 10:00pm Morris Canal Greenway starting behind Demarest School (465 Broughton Ave) $3 per person. Brace yourself for zombies, ghosts, goblins, ghouls and the funk of 40,000 years! 

October Edition Halloween Spooktacular will take place Saturday, October 19 (Rain Date: October 26) at the Town Green and Civic Center. Be sure to bring the kids, in costume for a fun family event on.

Fall Recreation Opens soon

New for Fall 2019: Modern Hip Hop Fusion, Outer Space & Physics Fun, and Barre Pilates. Fall Registration begins on Wednesday, September 4, when registration will open online .

2019 Girls Volleyball League TRY-OUT DATES: Monday, September 16 & Tuesday, September 17 - 7:00 - 8:30pm Bloomfield High School Main Gym - 160 Broad Street Registration Fee = $25. All 7th and 8th grade girls are encouraged to try out for the Bloomfield Suburban Volleyball League! Pre-registration is required!

Dream Mats Project 

The Bloomfield Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs Dept. has partnered with the Bloomfield Public Library and the Recycling Dept. on a dream mats community service project aimed at providing persons experiencing homelessness with portable sleeping mats. 

A free yarn and crochet class will be held in October teaching volunteer how to make mats. Additionally, the library will be lending out crochet hooks from October to December. On January 20, 2020, Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, the mats will be donated to those in need. They will be presented by Councilwoman Wartyna David and members of the MLK Day of Service Committee. 

Join the Bloomfield Art League! 

A $25 membership includes so many perks including discounts on classes, Jerry's Art supplies and open studio access is on Wednesdays from 12:45 to 3:45pm and 7:00 to 9:00pm. 

Upcoming Demos and Events

September -- Joy of Painting , Sunday September 15 from 1:30-5:30pm at Bloomfield Civic Center. FREE for Art League Members. $40 for non-members. Register online or by calling 973-743-9074 .  

October -- Pottery demo and Using Color--Oil Paint Demonstration Sunday, October 6 from 2:00-5:00pm, also at the Civic Center. Same Registration information applies, but $10 for non-members.

November-- Oakside Art Exhibition 

All local artists are welcome to participate! 

To enter, please email or mail a photo of up to three pieces of art to Gabriela Guida at [email protected] from August 1 to October 11. Entry is free. 

The top 20 entries will be hung at Oakside Manor from November 2 until November 29. There will be cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. A special showing will be held on November 2. 

For Info on the art league or events, contact: Gabriela Guida [email protected].

Parents: Enjoy your Friday nights, and allow the Recreation staff to care for your kids. The next Friday fun night is September 27 6:00pm - 9:00pm .

$20 for kids grades 1-6. Register in advance, as this is capped at 25 children. Children will be teamed up and go head to head in a fun game of capture the flag. Pizza will be provided.

Special Needs Programming

The CARE Station is an after-school program for Bloomfield students ages 7 to 16 years old. It is conducted at Carteret Elementary School from 3:30 until 6:00pm. The program follows the Bloomfield Public School calendar and will be held when school is in session. 

Friday Night Canteen is a program that meets on Friday nights beginning in October and focuses on seasonal trips in alignment with specific times of the year. Past trips have included Apple Picking, UNICO Holiday Party, Medieval Times, Casino Pier and Adventure Aquarium. It is a fun program that allows many of our participants to experience new activities for the first time and simultaneously promote social skill development. The program is open to Bloomfield special needs students ages 7 to 17.

The Horizons Program is the big brother to Friday Night Canteen. It is open to Bloomfield special needs residents ages 18 and older. It meets on Friday nights and as with most of our programs follows the Bloomfield Public School calendar. This program is considered an “out-and-about program” meaning it has weekly activities that expose the participants to community businesses and activities. There is a monthly calendar that is distributed listing the activities for the month. This program begins in October and lasts through May. 

Any questions regarding any of Bloomfield Recreation’s special needs offerings, please contact John Baltz at 973-725-4485 .