I took some time out from my walk to run an event for the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library which is located in Lodi, NJ. I started to get involved in the Friends group last September and that has lead to many interesting visits from celebrities and athletes. Our latest guest helped us welcome in the first day of Spring (which ironically came after a snow storm the day before in which the heat melted all the snow before the event). His name was ‘Lodi Larry, the Rabbit’ and his home is the Bergen County Zoo.
The event was in response to our version of ‘Groundhog’s Day’, when we could not find a groundhog anywhere in Bergen County, NJ. Not one zoo or natural center had one. So when I approached a friend of mine who works at the zoo about one and she could not find one, she suggested the rabbit that they use for children’s events. With that in mind and not wanting to get caught in a snow storm for the event, we moved the event to the first day of Spring with the theme “Lodi Larry comes to the Library”.
Members of the Lodi community on the “First Day of Spring Event”
I was supposed to have only 25 children and their parents but word got out and we ended up with almost 40 children and almost 50 parents and grandparents. This was the first of the three events that I ran for the library since I joined that was a complete sell-out and then some. It was nice to see kids of all ages out to hear the program and participate in the question and answer session.
The only big problem we had was one of the volunteers from the zoo. The program was called “Lodi Larry comes to the Library on the First Day of Spring”. She got up and said, “I don’t know about the rabbit being from Lodi, but this rabbit’s name is Roger, not Larry.” Then she proceeded on with the event. If ever there was a time that someone screwed up, it was then. I was lucky that no one really noticed and the kids and parents had such a good time for the two programs that it was forgotten. I pulled her aside later and explained everything in detail about the program.
The Bergen County Zoo staff with the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library 2016
Outside that little mishap, the programs went off without a hitch. Our first event was a program called ‘Wild & Crafty Animal Tales’, where the kids listened to the story “Make room for the Bunny” and then did a bunny craft. After that the kids got in line to meet the rabbit. That was a big deal for all the small kids. The rabbit seemed very happy with the kids and did not make a fuss. All the kids seemed to enjoy petting the rabbit.
Then our second program “In My Backyard”, took place right after the first program. The theme was that the zoo is a great place to see exotic animals but children can see wild animals every day right in their own backyards. The program induced children to identifying and safely observing New Jersey’s wildlife. Here the kids got to see a real turtle, something that has become very rare in the wilds of New Jersey. I was amazed on how children were so excited on seeing a turtle.
After both programs were over, we had a question and answer time with the staff from the zoo. Some of the questions these kids had were so observant and interesting. So much for the theory that kids today are obsessed with their cellphones. Put a turtle or a rabbit in front of them and they are no different then we were in the 70’s and 80’s.
When the question and answers were over, we had a really nice reception that was catered by our local ShopRite supermarket. Everyone was really impressed with the food. We had a six foot Italian sub that was cut into pieces for us, five pounds of Italian cookies, five pounds of cut fruit, bags of salty snacks and assorted water and juices. I have never seen such a reaction to food before. The site of a colorful buffet of refreshments really brought out the excitement of people. They formed two lines and when I am saying there was not a crumb left of food, there was nothing left. The platters were stripped clean. I was happy that there were no leftovers.
Special Events Chair Justin Watrel of “The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library”
People left and they were all saying that they had a good time. The kids loved their little crafts and clean up was so easy because they brought everything home. Its nice to see a crowd of happy faces leaving the library and hopefully this starts a trend of very successful programming.
I wanted to send a big ‘thank you’ to Mayor Emil Carafa and the entire Lodi Borough Council for their support, Superintendent of School’s Frank Quatrone for all his help getting the word out to the schools, the Lodi Boys & Girls Club, the Lodi Senior Club, Library Director Siobhan Koch and her staff for the filming of the program, picture taking and for helping with the reservations. A big ‘thank you’ to the Lodi Memorial Library’s Library Board and a another big ‘thank you’ to Friends President Judy Schroeder, Treasurer Edith Witte and Board Member Marilyn De Molli for all of their assistance on the event plus all the support from the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library.
Now back to the ‘Walk in Manhattan’.
Enjoy this three part video of the event at the Lodi Memorial Library. It would have been one solid video but one the volunteers made a serious boo-boo during the event:
Articles on The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library:
I was working on a new project for the Lodi Memorial Library to have a Groundhog’s Day celebration but try to find a groundhog in New Jersey. No zoo or natural group had one so we revamped the event for the first day of Spring and will have a rabbit (See Lodi Larry comes to the Library Day: Day Forty MywalkinManhattan). When the event fell through and all this talk of Groundhog’s Day I decided to go to the source and off I went to celebrate Groundhog’s Day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.
‘Lodi Larry’ the rabbit
My blog on “Lodi Larry Comes to the Library” at the Lodi Memorial Library:
Punxsutawney is about five hours from my house so it was not the quickest trip but it is all straight highway down Route 80 until you get to Route 219 and then a turn off onto Route 119 South where you twist and turn until you get to Punxsutawney, a sleepy little former coal mining and coke town.
I will let all readers know that Punxsutawney is not the town in the movie, ‘Groundhog’s Day’. That movie was shot on location in Woodstock, IL. Punxsutawney in real life is somewhat rundown and in need of a much refurbishing in the downtown area. Several buildings in the downtown area have burned down over the years and have not been replaced by the nicest buildings. A lot of storefronts are empty and many of the buildings could use a paint job.
The real Downtown Punxsutawney, PA.
On the positive note, there are a lot of good restaurants, try Punxsy Pizza at 115 N. Findley Street and Frank’s 115 West Mahoney Street at downtown, and a nice green square park in the middle of town and a wonderful historical society.
The Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogical Society at 401 Mahoning Street
The history of Groundhog’s Day Punxsutawney was founded in the traditions of the Romans, who carried the myth to the Germans during the Roman invasions many centuries ago. The story was also based on a Scottish couplet:
‘If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.’
Candlemas Day is celebrated on February 2nd. It was determined that if any animal came forth from its underground hibernation on that day and the sun were out, there would be six more weeks of winter. Thus, was born the tradition of the ‘two winters’ or the ‘second winter’.
Gobblers Knob historical signs.
What began as a tale from ancient times was translated into action in the early 1880’s when a few Pennsylvania residents living in Punxsutawney decided to celebrate Candlemas Day each year by taking themselves into the woods in search of a groundhog.
By 1886, the group had the volunteer efforts of a local newspaper making their forest foray more official and the “Punxsutawney Groundhog Club” was formed with the express purpose of making sure that their groundhog was the official weather forecaster.
For many years, the actual location where the groundhog was observed always known as “Gobblers Knob” was kept a secret. About 20 years ago it was agreed that keeping it a secret had no further purpose and reports of the Punxsutawney Groundhog known as Phil, were spread far and wide.
The crowds at Gobblers Knob in 2023.
In 1907, the hill for the weather works was referred to as “Groundhog Knob” in printed news accounts in Punxsutawney of Groundhog Day. A few years later a news story began referring to it as ‘Gobbler’s Knob’ “the woodchuck saw his shadow…with the sun striking a tangent with the lighting rod on Miller Stoops’ barn…the shadow shone with remarkable distinctness against the snow-clad side of Gobbler’s Knob.”
In the summer of 1966, with the inauguration of the first Punxsutawney Groundhog Festival, the town’s famous groundhog settled into a permanent home at a site near what was then the Sportsmen’s Club Park.
Gobbler’s Knob has been transformed from a place of imagination, from a pile of stones to a stage area raised high to provide better viewing for the crowds who arrive for the ceremony. Following the release of the film “Groundhog’s Day” with Bill Murray in 1993, there was a record crowd of 30,000 people who attended the Groundhog Day ceremony on the weekend of 1997.
The ceremony in Gobblers Knob in 2023.
Today, Phil lives in more sedate quarters. He is no longer forced to hibernate in the wilds of his hometown. Today in a normal habitat for his lifestyle, he lives in a specially created environment in the Punxsutawney Library.
While Phil is living the ‘good life’, his presence has made life good for other including humans-those other animals. Human interest in Phil has resulted in a continuous supply of groundhog souvenirs such as cookbooks and t-shirts. While groundhogs abound in other parts of the world and are known also as woodchucks and marmots, it is felt at least in Punxsutawney, PA that their ‘Phil’ is the only true prophet of the weather.
(By the Punxsutawney Are Historical and Genealogical Society)
It took me about five hours to get to Punxsutawney from home and I was exhausted by the time I got there at 4:00pm. I had stopped by Punxsy Phil’s Famous Restaurant at 116 Indiana Street on the way to the hotel at the recommendation of reviews on TripAdvisor (see restaurant reviews on TripAdvisor).
Punxsy Phil’s Family Restaurant at 116 Indiana Street
I thought the food was good, lots of breakfast items and entrees with thick gravies. I had a chicken fried steak with a sausage gravy and mashed potatoes. Very homey and filling and the service is very good. The food was homey and filling .
The Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes and broccoli was delicious.
The Apple Pie a la mode hit the spot for dessert.
In 2016, I stayed at the Cobblestone Hotel at 188 Alliance Drive, just outside of town which was nice because I was away from all the hubbub of the event, and it was very quiet. The hotel is really nice, brand new only about a year old and the rooms are roomy and clean. (Note that the hotel closes down breakfast at 9:00am). The hotel was over-priced for the first night because it was the night before Groundhogs Day and then went down for Wednesday night.
My first night there I did not get much sleep. I got into the room around 5:00pm and took an hour nap. Then it was off to activities in town. By the time I arrived in town most everything was over for the day with the exception of the open house at the Punxsutawney Area Historical and Genealogical Society at 400-401 West Mahoney Street. They had tours of the Society both in 2016 and in 2024.
The Lattimer Mansion at 401 West Mahoning Street that houses some of the collection.
That was interesting as I toured the Bennis and Lattimer Houses, which are right across the street from one another. The museum gave an interesting history of both the families and the town. The Bennis Mansion was part of Millionaires Row back when Punxsutawney was a Coke manufacturer (not the drug) of the area. You could tell by the homes on the street that there was serious money in town from about the Civil War until the Depression. The docents were really interesting and explained the history of the families that lived here.
I got to tour the houses and see all the artifacts that are stored in both homes. There is an interesting display of artifacts from the Native American tribes to the Coal Mining industry and Victorian family life in the area at the turn of the last century.
The Coal Mining display case at the Society.
The Native American display at the museum.
There was even a nice display of items from the film “Groundhogs Day” including an autographed copy of the script and posters from the film. That movie will forever be ingrained into this community.
The “Groundhogs Day” movie display at the Punxsutawney Historical Society.
After the house tours were over, I went back downtown to Punxsy Pizza at 115 North Findley Avenue, which I highly recommend when visiting Punxsutawney. Their sauce is really good and very flavorful, and I had one of their 13″ Calzones (see the review on TripAdvisor). It was more than a meal and the service were really good plus they were open late but even with the ceremony that morning, it was not that full.
The Calzones at Punxsy Pizza are amazing and are so big!
You have to order it with ham, pepperoni and sausage. It is delicious!
When I returned in 2024, I went back to Punxsy Pizza again for dinner and lunch the next day. After eight years, their pizza is still amazing and the calzones still could feed two people. The food is wonderful and the service very friendly. The family that runs the pizzeria is very nice.
I liked the food so much that I ate there twice in 2024. I had to have the calzone again because it is that good. I just wanted a snack the first night I arrived in 2024 and ordered an individual pizza with sausage because they do not sell pizza by the slice. It was freshly made for me and was delicious.
The personal pizza meal makes a good snack before the movies.
The pizza here is excellent.
Then off to the Civic Center two blocks away for the 11:00pm showing of “Groundhog’s Day” with Bill Murray. I have seen this movie about 100 times and saw it when it first came out in 1993 but I still enjoy watching it. It was when I was watching the film that I realized that the film was not shot in Punxsutawney. It was shot in Woodstock, Illinois.
The Punxsutawney Community Center at 209 North Jefferson Street
What was nice about seeing the film at the Community Center is that it is free and they have a really nice concession stand where they freshly popped popcorn with loads of butter and have things like pizza slices, candy and snacks at very reasonable prices. All of the proceeds got the Community Center and I thought that was very fair.
Phil as the Statue of Liberty in the downtown.
I never knew that the film was not shot here. I just assumed from the film that it was shot there but when I looked at the downtown where the scenes were shot, that was a much more vibrant and nicer downtown. I could see the difference. I could see that they were really trying to bring the downtown back but it would take some time. With a new hotel opening in 2025 and a extension of the IUP Culinary School taking up a block, there should be some changes when I return in the future.
The movie “Groundhog’s Day”:
I did not recognize any of the buildings and I walked the downtown five times. Also, you will notice in the film that Gobbler’s Knob is located in the downtown square and in real life Gobbler’s Knob is about a mile and a half outside the city.
Groundhog’s Day Trailer
In 2016, I went back to the room at the hotel for about two hours to relax and take a nap. I began to think the people who were spending the night at the Civic Center had a better idea. For $8.00, you can bring your sleeping bag and a pillow and spend the night there sleeping on the floor.
Frankly, with the amount of time that I spend in the room the first night and that it cost $375.00 for the room the first night versus $65.00 the second night, I would have preferred to spend the night at the Civic Center. They looked like they were having fun.
When I came in 2024, that is exactly what so did. I brought my pillow and blanket and spent $10.00 to stay the night(doors open at 10:00pm) and then you can watch the film ‘Groundhogs Day’ at the 11:00pm showing and than head to bed after the showing is over at 1:00am.
If I can offer any advice to anyone reading this blog and planning a trip to Punxsutawney for the holiday, stay at the Community Center the night before Groundhogs Day morning. You will save money, you will never be in that expensive room because you will want to be in Gobblers Knob by 4:00am and you will never see the inside of that room. I had a lot of fun meeting people at the Community Center and all the places they traveled from to come to the event. We ate snacks from the concession stand, had fun watching the late night film and then crashed until three in the morning until we got the bus to Gobblers Knob. It is more fun this way.
Watching the last showing of the movie “Groundhogs Day” is more enjoyable. There are also many reasonable snacks like a large popcorn for $4.00 with lots of extra butter, slices of pizza for $2.00 and candy at $2.00. They do not gouge you on this and the food is really good. By 10:00pm, they are collecting money from the crowd who are going to stay and we just dropped our sleeping bags, pillows and blankets on the floor and watched the film. Pajama party!
Then you sleep. Most people woke up at 3:00 am to enjoy the festivities. The first time I went, I was there by there by 3:00am. The second time, I wisened up and got there by 4:30pm. I had froze the last time at 3:00am and figured I had seen the acts before. I would come for the fireworks and the Opening Ceremony.
You catch the bus at the Green in downtown starting at 3:00am-6:00am. DO NOT miss the last bus at 6:00am or you have to walk up two miles.
In 2016, I left for the ‘Knob’ at 3:30am and you would be surprised how many people were already there. The VIP area was already filled. There was entertainment the whole night. Our two hosts were two of Phil’s handlers and they did their best to keep us entertained all morning. There were bands, disco music and singing to keep us pepped up. The time flew by.
Getting to Gobblers Knob at 4:00am for the entertainment.
By 6:00am, the place started to fill up more and there was more excitement in the air. My advice to people who want to come is if you want the full experience, then come at 3:00am when the event starts. If you want to just see the fireworks and see Phil, come at 5:00am. Don’t miss the fireworks display, that was a nice display.
The Governor of Pennsylvania was there that morning
By 7:30am, the handlers arrived in their formal wear and top hats and started the ceremony. Trust me, those of us who had been there all morning just wanted to know the report and get out of there. The handlers kept dragging it on and most of us feet were frozen by this point.
The Groundhog Club usually arrives by daybreak.
In 2016, the handlers got there by 7:00am but dragged the ceremony on for over an hour. I realized later that could have been due to the tv stations. It was like they never wanted Phil to come out. Even though it was about 20 degrees, it was not windy and did not seem cold. Still, we were all tired and wanted the ceremony to be over.
In 2024, the handlers did not waste any time. By daybreak, they were there in their formal wear again and got right to the ceremony, made the prediction that “Phil had not seen his shadow (it had been a cloudy morning) and Spring was on its way.” There was one more song and people raced to the busses back to town. Much quicker than eight years ago.
Seeing Phil is the highlight of the day at the start of the ceremony.
In 2016, Phil did not see his shadow and they said it will be an early Spring (it did not make much sense as it snowed as soon as I came home). By the time the event was over it started to head up to the 30’s. By the afternoon it went to 52 degrees and was sunny and bright.
Groundhog’s Day 2016
In 2024, the ceremony went by much quicker and the fireworks show was really good and lasted about a half hour. That was some show. Then the handlers came with the Governor and many other elected officials. Being a MAJOR election year in 2024, I could see that everyone wanted to be there for the exposure. They made sure to make themselves known that day.
They really had the place organized as there were about 15 buses waiting to pick everyone up. We got back to downtown Punxsutawney in about a half hour. This is when the event got strange. There were over 7000 people in the Knob that morning and while about 4000 went back home or back to work, there were a lot of people milling around downtown looking for something to eat and something to do after the ceremony.
In 2016, I went to the Elks Club for a buffet breakfast fundraiser, and it was mobbed! There must have been about 100 people ahead of me and about another 75 people behind me. The kitchen looked overwhelmed and could not keep up with the food. For $9.50 it was really nice. You had scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, potatoes, biscuits and gravy and coffee/tea and orange juice. Everyone was moving as fast as they could especially the woman collecting money who looked very happy.
In 2024, I wisened up and went to the McDonalds in the downtown for a quick Sausage McMuffin meal before I left. The restaurant was smart in staying open for 24 hours that night. It was packed before people left for Gobbler’s Knob.
The perfect meal at 4:30am at McDonalds.
When I returned town after the ceremony, they were serving hot chocolate and cookies complimentary at the Baptist Church inside by the bus drop off and that was very nice. I still needed a second breakfast.
In 2024, I stopped by the Elks again and they teamed up with the fire department and had a buffet breakfast for $10.00. I wanted to support my fellow brothers and ate there. There were eggs, sausage, waffles and hash browns and you could go back as much as you wanted. By 10:00am, they were gearing down but left the buffet open past the time and people were still walking in.
Visiting the Elks Club again to support the Punxsutawney Fire Department breakfast.
You can’t compete with a Firemen’s breakfast in the morning.
After breakfast, there was a bunch of vendors on the Green who also got over-whelmed with customers and there was a historical hayride that the Historical Society sponsored that I swear people where fighting to get tickets for the ride. It was really nice as they took you around town and told you the history of the area. There was another showing of the movie and then that was it by noon. Everything shut down.
In 2024, the Green was more active with multiple vendors, about a dozen food trucks, bands playing on stage and all sorts of activities for the families. Since the holiday fell on a Friday, this continued through the weekend. Somebody was thinking eight years later.
The Town Green had lots of food trucks and entertainment in 2023.
In 2016, all the souvenir shops were hopping, and I asked one of the ladies how they were doing, and she said they had a great day, better than expected. I don’t think the town expected so many people on a Tuesday morning and for the weather to be 52 degrees and sunny this late into winter. People were looking for things to do and places to eat. Even the McDonald’s was over-whelmed for breakfast and lunch. I heard the next day that many places ran out of food.
This is where the town failed the tourists. There was not enough to keep everyone occupied and by noon everything was closing on the Green and even the Historical Society had to run an extra hayride for the people that wanted to go on it. People just left town after lunch. Maybe the town wanted it that way, but I think they really lost an opportunity to make more money for the town had they kept the activities until into the early evening. Bad marketing!
Things changed for the better in 2024. I liked this big welcome!
Phi is all over Downtown Punxsutawney, PA.
In 2024 though there was lots more to do, more food venues and activities and more people stayed in town for the weekend. This will be smart business to build on for the next two years as the holiday will fall on the weekend. I think the town realized that more people want to stay and enjoy what Punxsutawney has to offer. The stores, restaurants and the downtown was hopping with people. They ended up staying through the weekend (some had to as the hotels and B & B’s asked for a two night minimum).
In 2016, I went back to my room for the rest of the day and relaxed. By the time I went out for gas and something to eat by 8:15pm, the place was dead and back to being the sleepy little town it had been before. I went to McDonald’s for a snack because that was all that was open by 9:00pm. Even the next morning when I left, it was a really sleepy town. Since Groundhog’s Day fell on a Tuesday, people went back to work the next day.
In 2024, Groundhog’s Day fell on a Friday and more people including myself for the weekend. I stayed the night again down at the Quality Inn in Indiana, PA and then came back up to take pictures. I took time in the morning to explore downtown Indiana and explore their historical society (watch the parking in downtown Indiana. It is not free on the weekends like New Jersey and they ticket before 7:00pm. I know as I got a $12.00 ticket that morning).
Downtown Indiana, PA with the Jimmy Stewart Museum and the Indiana Historical Society. Watch your parking meter! I miscalculated.
When I returned to Punxsutawney, the town was buzzing with activity this time around, maybe because it was the weekend. Though not the thousands the day before but a few hundred had stayed in town to explore and enjoy the town. The downtown was alive with bands, food and activities that kept families busy. The restaurants were all busy and they showed a 2:00pm filming of “Groundhog’s Day” at the Community Center.
Overall, Groundhog’s Day here was an interesting event, and you should experience it once. It is more exciting than the movie even though Punxsutawney could use some sprucing up. Still, it is a classic American event where TV does not capture the fun of it.
One of my favorite scenes of the film:
I have not had much of a chance to return to Punxsutawney, PA since 2016 but in 2019 and 2020 I went to the Staten Island Zoo to see Staten Island Chuck, the other famous Groundhog and their festival and then it was “Edwina of Essex” at the Turtle Back Zoo in 2022 and 2023. Groundhog’s Day was canceled in 2021 due to COVID but I’m back in 2024.
Here are my blogs on Groundhog’s Day:
Day One Hundred and Thirty-One: Visiting Staten Island Chuck at the Staten Island Zoo:
One of the projects that I was working on as the Junior Friends Chair of another Friends group two years ago was the holiday event, “Teens, Tots & Toys: the Holiday Festival” an all day event that was filled with movies, craft making and celebrity visits all to raise funds and collect toys for the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation of Midland Park, NJ. It had all been planned and then got cancelled. It was an omen too as it snowed the entire day that year and all holiday events had to be cancelled.
It was time to put the event into motion. As my holiday activities were in full swing, we had just finished Christmas tree sales selling 240 trees through our Men’s Association, Christmas Decorating judging with the Mayor’s Celebration Committee, visits to help out in the Soup Kitchen, the fire department’s Annual ‘Santa Around Town’ and volunteering for the Sinterklaas parade, ‘Teens, Tots & Toys’ was the last big event on my list of holiday events.
We invited US Champion, World Champion and Olympian Elaine Zayak to join us for a book reading, Q & A and then an autograph session to be followed by two movies and then lastly gingerbread house making. I knew it was going to be a long day. It had taken six weeks to plan.
Even though the crowds were low (I never understand the patrons of this library that don’t appreciate a really great free event), the event went off nicely. Elaine showed up with her son, Jack and could not have been friendlier. She had just come back from teaching at the Hackensack Ice House and was dressed in her US Figure Skating jacket. She was a true professional.
Elaine Zayak in 1994 when she came back at the United States National Champions
I felt embarrassed by the turnout but Elaine was like don’t worry about it. She had been through this before at book signings. She had been at ones where there were five people and some where there were fifty. She told me she wanted to have something where she and Jack could spend the day with each other and she could involved him. The afternoon was perfect for that.
We started the afternoon with a warm welcome to the crowd that was there and wished everyone a Happy Holiday season. Then I went on to talk about the Legend of ‘Tinker Street’, the magical elf, who the event was honoring and then I introduced Elaine.
‘Tinker Street, the Elf’
A lot of the audience did not know of the contributions to figure skating that Elaine had done. She had introduced so many triple jumps into her skating program when she was starting out that the famous ‘Zayak Rule’ had been created to limit the amount of jumps that you could have in a program. She also brought a sense of athleticism to the sport by encouraging skaters to not just use a sense of style but a sense power to the sport. This gave it a strong point after the ‘figures’ went away in the judging.
Elaine read along with her son, Jack, from the book the “Skating Shoes’ by Noel Streatfeild. This book was made famous by the movie, “You got Mail” when Meg Ryan mentions the book to a bookstore patron. It was a very uplifting book about two friends and fellow skaters who were starting to compete against each other. The two of them took time to read from the book.
Elaine Zayak and her son, Jack
During the Q & A, there were some interesting questions that many of the Friends members had such as her competitions, what it was like to be in the Olympics, many of the famous skaters that she competed with and against, the Tonya/Nancy affair that was taking place at the same time at Nationals in 1994 and what she was doing today. She took a lot of pride in what she was doing with her teaching and encouraging young skaters.
Teens, Tots & Toys
Ms. Zayak with the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library
We filmed the entire event and unfortunately the Mayor had been a little late because of a mix up in the time so we were able to refilm this segment of the program. We as the Friends, lead by our President Judy Schroeder, presented Elaine with an honorarium making her a member of the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library, the Library Director Siobhan Koch presented Elaine with her own copy of the book, “The Skating Shoes” and then the Mayor made his presentation.
Lodi, NJ Mayor Emil Carafa with Ms. Zayak
Lodi Borough Mayor Emil Carafa presented Elaine Zayak with an official medal from the Borough of Lodi, New Jersey and then placed the medal on her and read a proclamation from the Borough of Lodi honoring her many accomplishments. It was very touching to both her and the audience. Another nice thing about it is that the Mayor remembered when she was still skating as a teen and helping raise money for her to compete. Elaine also donated her fee to her two favorite charities, which we thought was very nice of her.
Mayor Carafa with Ms. Zayak
Everyone then joined us for a reception in honor of her visit. We had a beautiful spread of food donated by Inserra Shoprite of Lodi, New Jersey. The reception included a six foot Italian hoagie, a platter of fresh cut fruit, three trays of assorted cookies, assorted chips and assorted juices, bottled waters and sodas that the patrons could enjoy. Elaine’s son, Jack, really seemed to enjoy himself, first helping his mom with the book reading and then enjoying the good food.
The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library presenting Ms. Zayak with a membership to ‘The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library’
After Elaine and Jack left for the afternoon, we showed the film ‘Arthur Christmas’, the story about one of Santa’s two sons who helps save Christmas for one little girl whose gift was left behind in the North Pole. It is a very uplifting movie about the true meaning of the holiday and the spirit of giving.
After the movie, about fifteen families with about thirty children participated in the first annual making of Gingerbread houses, in which everyone looked like they had a lot of fun. You should have seen some of the creations that came out of that afternoon, made of icing and candies.
Although we did not have the crowd that we thought we would, everyone who came had a very nice time with the event. There is still a lot we have to learn about running these events, the patrons who came had a nice time meeting Elaine Zayak and her son, watching the film and creating the gingerbread houses.
This is what I read from the Legend of Tinker Street, the Magical Elf:
‘The Legend of Tinker Street’
Teens, Tots & Toys Mascot, the holiday elf, Tinker Street, is a lovable little prankster, who lives in the valley of the Catskills Mountains in which the downtown Main Street of Woodstock, NY is named after.
Tinker Street is a gregarious, generous elf who represents the happiness, generosity and thoughtful charity during the holiday season. Tinker Street does not represent one holiday but all holidays celebrated where love, family and get-togetherness are found.
Coming out of his home only on December 1st of each year, you can never truly see Tinker Street. You can only feel him when good thoughts pass through you, when a good deed is done and when helping another person is done with great kindness.
Tinker Street is an elf of great kindness and tolerance and where you find him is in the understanding that no two holidays are alike so respect for them is very important. The true meaning from a visit from Tinker Street is the generosity to charity, the thoughtfulness of a distant family member or friend and looking back to the kindness and remembrance of someone who is gone but not forgotten.
When we receive a visit from Tinker Street, we see only the best in ourselves and others around us. When you see a big smile on someone’s face or happy laughter in a gathering, you know Tinker Street has been there.
So to be part of the very first celebration of “Teens, Tots & Toys”, we wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season and experience the magic in the days ahead.’
This event also raised the awareness of the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation of Midland Park, New Jersey and the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library donated the next week around fifty toys and forty children’s books from the library that were donated to the charity, which helps families with children with cancer. It was a big plus to the Foundation of our donation and it helped so many children in a tough holiday season.
For all you patrons who attended the event or donated toys to help, thank you all from the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library for making such a big difference in a strangers life. You all show the true meaning of the holidays by giving of yourselves and commitment to charity.
Merry Christmas to you all!
Please enjoy this two part video of Elaine Zayak’s visit to the Lodi Memorial Library and her ‘key to the city’ presentation by the Mayor of Lodi, Emil Cafara!
Elaine Zayak’s Reading at the Lodi Memorial Library’s “First Annual Teens, Tots & Toys”
Elaine Zayak being presented Honorariums from The Lodi Memorial Library and the Mayor of Lodi, NJ presenting her the medal from the Borough of Lodi, NJ.
Elaine Zayak receiving a “Key to the City” medal to Lodi, NJ
Elaine Zayak at the U.S. Nationals
Elaine Zayak in the 1994 National Championships
Articles on the event for the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library:
Our full page coverage in The Community News December 2015
I took time out from my walk in Manhattan to run a second special event for the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library. We celebrated this Friday the 13th with a special retrospect of showing the original uncut version of the 1980 classic film, “Friday the 13th” starring Betsy Palmer and Adrienne King. This was the second special event I ran since joining the Friends in September.
The famous Moravian cemetery sign in Hope, NJ
We opened the retrospect with a talk on the film, followed by the uncut original film. In today’s terms, this film is rather tame in comparison to some PG-13 films and video games which I think are much more graphic. In its day though, this was a real eye-opener in film making and introduced the 80’s to the genre along with the movie ‘Halloween’ to the slasher film.
The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library at the “Friday the 13th” retrospect
We set up a complete concession stand with movie candy, various snacks and chips and beverages to the audience. It was a special treat to many who had never seen the film and managed to jump at the right times.
We ended the retrospect with an interview with Don Stein, a local Lodi resident who was a Scout Master at Camp No Be Bo Ca (North Bergen Boy Scout Camp) thirty five years ago. He told our YouTube audience about his time with helping prepare the camp for the filming and assisting the producers with the sets. What was interesting about the interview is how he described how the storm scenes were done with the Blairstown Fire Department shooting water all over the set and rocking the vehicles to make them look like they were going through the storm. You can see the whole interview on YouTube.
The movie “Friday the 13th”
We had tried to get an actor who was in the film to come out and talk to the crowd about their time on the film but Melissa Merindino (Betsy Palmer’s daughter), Marc Nelson and Peter Brouwer all turned us down. It seemed to be the consensus of the actors that they did not want to have an association to the film anymore. Some like Adrienne King embrace the film and promote it. I respected their thoughts and feelings toward the film even though we would have loved to host any or all of them.
Justin Watrel giving the introduction to the film
We were able to interview that evening local Lodi residents, Donald and Marie Stein after the filming. Don Stein, the President of the Lodi Senior group, was a Boy Scout Master the summer of the filming of the movie and talked with us about his time helping the film crew on the set. He and others Scout leaders helped the Boonton Fire Department with some of the scenes. Although he did not meet any of the actors personally, he talked about how the film was made and his time on the set. Please see the the YouTube video ‘An interview with Don Stein at the 35th Anniversary of the film “Friday the 13th” at the Lodi Memorial Library’ on the Lodi Memorial Library Video Library.
Overall it was a big success to those who attended and I hope you access the video on YouTube “Friday the 13th” at the Lodi Memorial Library and my interview with Lodi resident Donald Stein, who worked on the film helping the Blairstown Fire Department when he was a scout master at Camp NoBeBoCo (North Bergen Boy Scout Camp) in 1979.
Justin Watrel’s introduction to the ‘Friday the 13th” 30 Anniversary Retrospect:
After the movie was over, we had the discussion with Donald Stein but the movie is what people came for. This is the introduction to the film. It is still scary after all these years.
Part One of the Movie “Friday the 13th”
The Making of “Friday the 13th”
I hope you enjoy our retrospect. It was a lot of fun.
Articles on the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library:
The Executive Board of the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library honoring Miss New Jersey, Lindsey Giannini with an Honorary Membership to the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library.
You have probably wondered why I have not been as active on my walking project. I joined the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library back in early September and immediately started a project (on top of many others) an event called “Celebrating Books: 150th Anniversary of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Below is the press release from the event. Check out our pictures and videos on YouTube shortly. It was a great event that many people including many of us ‘big kids’ enjoyed:
Miss New Jersey 2015 Lindsey Giannini visits Lodi Memorial Library
On October 22, 2015 Miss New Jersey 2015 Miss Lindsey Giannini visited the Lodi Memorial Library in Lodi, New Jersey. Miss Giannini was invited by the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library and the Lodi Memorial Library as part of the special event “Celebrating Books: 150th Anniversary of “Alice in Wonderland” in honoring this classic novel.
Miss Giannini read an excerpt from the first chapter of the novel as Alice discovers the white rabbit and chases him down the rabbit hole. This was followed by a Question & Answer discussion on the novel by Lewis Carroll with the audience made up of many elementary and junior high students from Lodi. Miss Giannini discussed her love of the novel as a child and the influence it had on her growing up. She then engaged the crowd on how she became Miss New Jersey and her path to the Miss America competition this summer. The audience was fascinated on what it took in pageant competition to become Miss New Jersey.
After the Q & A, Miss Giannini asked for participation from the audience on a series of magic tricks (Miss Giannini is an amateur magician) and had the children and the adults performing magic tricks for the audience. She even had one parent participate on the time it takes to get distracted while driving and texting. Even the parents understood after the program how difficult it is to do two things at once.
The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library with Miss New Jersey Lindsay Giannini
Miss Giannini’s platform for the competition is “The Dangers of Distractive Driving” and her participation in advocating in the hearings as part of People Against Distracted Driving became “Nikki’s Law” and was signed by the Governor in 2013. “Nikki’s Law” requires signage and variable message signs to warn against distractive driving. These signs are available in 17 states and 3 countries. Miss Giannini is a Junior at Rowan University with a 3.9 GPA in Broadcast Journalism and has received the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Scholarship, the Rowen University Trustee Scholarship and the President’s Education Award for Academic Excellence. In 2014, she was recognized by the Miss America Organization with a National Community Award. In 2015, she was named “Children’s Miracle Maker” by the Miss New Jersey Organization for being the contestant who raised the most money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, one of her passions.
After the Q & A and the magic tricks, Miss Giannini joined the crowd in picture taking with none other than Alice herself joining in with the fun. One of the Lodi teachers joined in the fun by dressing up as Alice to entertain and take photos with the audience. Miss New Jersey was presented with a proclamation from the Borough of Lodi by Deputy Mayor Patricia Ann Licata and an Honorary Membership to the Friends of the Library by President Judy Schroeder. An autograph session followed as the Friends of the Lodi Library sold copies of “Alice in Wonderland: to raise money for the library. Even the Lodi Women’s Tennis Team took a break from their match with Hawthorne High School to join in the fun. After that, everyone joined in a special “Tea Party” with foods from the book including cookies, fresh fruit tarts, freshly sliced fruits (lots of pineapple), fruit juice and water.
Miss New Jersey Lindsay Giannini with local Lodi children
Refreshments were continued upstairs as the crowd settled in to watch a double feature of the 1903 Silent version of “Alice in Wonderland”, the original film that was set to music. Most of the patrons had never seen a silent film so it was a treat and the second film was Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” starring Katherine Beaumont. It was a wonderland afternoon for those who were there of great food, engaging conversation, enjoyable movie watching and the excitement to meet Miss New Jersey 2015 Lindsey Giannini, who set by example the true meaning of community spirit through service. The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library and the Lodi Memorial Library want to thank everyone who attended.
Enjoy this two part video of Lindsey’s visit to the Lodi Memorial Library!
Part Two of Lindsey Giannini’s visit to the Lodi Memorial Library.
After Lindsey’s visit, we showed the original 1903 version of “Alice in Wonderland” followed by the Disney version of “Alice in Wonderland”.
The Disney version of “Alice in Wonderland”
The original 1903 silent version of “Alice in Wonderland”
One of the most beautiful songs from a version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, “Can You Hear Us, Alice”
We got recognition from Web Junction in 2015 for the event through Facebook:
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