By Jennifer Ersalesi
Photo Credits: Maggie McGill, Maggie McGill Photography
The holiday season has officially begun in the Borough of Rutherford. On Saturday, November 30th the Rutherford Chamber of Commerce invited the community to join them for the West End Festivities before the Parade. Chamber businesses set up tables along Union Ave. The Little Play Cafe served free hot cocoa, Ferazzoli's Italian Kitchen served $1 pizza slices and free ice cream, and the Black Belt Academy held live demonstrations. Parked outside of The Little Play Cafe, families could check out the Ghostbusters car and get some photos. Code Wiz, Kiddie Academy, Metropolitan Medical Corporation, Harmonic Egg, and A.W. VanWinkle were table sponsors and had tables set out with promotional materials. The Trackless Train from Cliffhanger Productions brought children of all ages for a fun holiday ride.
At 4 pm, the Rutherford Chamber of Commerce kicked off the parade on Union Avenue. The parade traveled from Union Avenue to Chestnut Street to Ames Ave and then Park Ave to the Rutherford Public Library where the Tree Lighting took place.
This year's Grand Marshals were the Rutherford Public Library, the Rutherford Public Library Foundation, and the Friends of the Library. The Rutherford Public Library will celebrate its 130th Anniversary this year. There are so many reasons why the Library and these organizations were honored this year, including all of the valuable resources, programs, and educational opportunities they provide for our Borough's residents. To learn more about the Grand Marshal, click here.
Organizations, such as Relay for Life of Rutherford & Clifton, Rutherford Lions Club, Scouts, Daisy Troops, Grace Episcopal Church, Rutherford Congregational Church, and many others joined the parade this year. Businesses, such as Mikayla's Thriftique, Code Wiz, All Health Medical, Williams Center, Blue Foundry Bank, Michele's Station Square, Kiddie Academy, and Rutherford Eye Care were Holiday Parade Sponsors. The music throughout the parade was provided by the Luke & the Troublemakers, the Rutherford Rocks bands, the School of Rock bands, and the RHS Marching Band.
Various sports teams, including Nereid Boat Club, Rutherford FC Soccer, Rutherford Junior Football, and the RHS Football teams also marched in the parade.
Also to kick off the holiday season, the Chamber of Commerce promoted and supported Small Business Saturday. The Chamber introduced the Holiday Bag of Cheer Drive this year to encourage residents to shop at local Rutherford businesses. Special bags can still be picked up at various locations, such as Erie Bakery, The Little Play Cafe, 64 Park Boutique, Rutherford Coffee, Country Whimsey, etc (see flyer below for more details). The bags can then be filled with items purchased from local businesses on the West End and Park Avenue. Once the bags are filled they can be dropped off at one of the participating businesses by December 16th.
The Rutherford Chamber of Commerce's Parade Committee thanks the Rutherford Police Department, Mayor and Council, Communications Director, and the Rutherford DPW for their assistance before, during, and after the parade.
Photo credit note:
Maggie McGill, a lifelong Rutherford resident, has been a professional photographer for twenty-five years. She currently has a studio at 76 Ames Ave in Rutherford. She specializes in business executive portraits, modern magazine-style headshots, acting and modeling promotional images, and personal branding portraits. Please see her website for more information. Follow her on Facebook @Maggie McGill Photography and Instagram @Maggie McGill Photography.