Tag Archives: Exploring Blairstown NJ

Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Three Visiting Blairstown, NJ and Hope, NJ for ‘Friday the 13th’ -A Local Journey October 13th , 2023 (again December 13th, 2024 and June 13th, 2025)

I have to admit I am a huge fan of the original film “Friday the 13th” and have been since I saw the film in the theaters in 1980 when I was in high school. Those were the days when all a parent had to do is just tell the person at the ticket counter that they were allowing us to go see an “R” rated film and we got in. That seemed to change when I was a senior in high school but that is another story.

The Opening scene of the film:

Annie comes in town

I had to plan this trip like D-Day with three major projects in graduate school, three quizzes and two major projects in my own college and house and yard work to do. On the Thursday before Friday the 13th, I did three loads of laundry, changed the sheets, did the ironing, cut and weeded the lawn, aired out all the linens and then vacuumed and dusted the house on top of working on my college projects that night. All that and I had to teach that night. All to go to a small town in the middle of no where in New Jersey to where the original opening scenes of the film were shot.

Welcome to Blairstown, NJ during Friday the 13th on October 13th, 2023.

Sounds crazy huh? Not to all of the other fans of the film who were running around both Blairstown and Hope NJ that afternoon. They were doing the same things I was doing, taking pictures around the town where the movie was shot and going on tours. It was busy that afternoon. It would get very busy in both towns that day.

Downtown Blairstown, NJ and the former Blairstown Museum in the background. This is where the opening scenes took place forty-three years ago.

The character of Annie (Actress Robbi Morgan) walked down the street in the opening scene of the film. I got to Blairstown early so I was able to get a good parking spot and take pictures downtown. It was only near the Water Building that I had problems. Myself and two other people were trying to get the same shot under the arch. We had to all negotiate time to take pictures with each other.

The opening scenes in Blairstown, NJ and Hope, NJ

The movie moves from Camp NoBeBoSoCa (North Bergen Boy Scout Camp) to downtown Blairstown, NJ and then cuts to Downtown Hope, NJ. You have to look at the camera angles to see how they show the opening scenes of the film. It utilizes both towns that make it seem like one town.

The opening scenes where Annie walks in town.

Actress Robbi Morgan, who played the role of Annie, walked a strange path in Downtown Blairstown, NJ. She walked from the east side of the downtown, then down the west side next to the theater and then down the hill past the now real estate office. The camera took on different angles as one vlogger said. It was to make it look like she was visiting several towns. Those scenes were shot at this location in Downtown Blairstown and then when she entered the restaurant, she was in Downtown Hope NJ.

The Bridge on Main Street.

The Waterfall in Blairstown Park on Main Street.

Where the famous scene was shot.

The Water Works Building

The Water Works Historical marker

The Water Works arch

The famous walkway.

The sidewalk down the hill back into downtown.

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/3023

Where Annie was walking down the hill (where the prep school is located)

Downtown Boonton where Annie walks down the hill.

The town has not changed much since the film was shot over forty years ago. It has improved a lot since COVID as new people have moved in and are renovating the homes and many of the stores downtown. I have noticed more gift shops and galleries open over the last two years.

The famous downtown with the former Blairstown Museum to the right.

Roy’s Hall where Friday the 13th shows during the evenings.

Roy’s Hall was showing two time slots for the film that was sold out in record time and had waiting lists to get into see. I think that they could have had four showings starting in the morning and they would have sold out.

The walkway down the sidewalk where Annie walked past.

The sad part was that both the Blairstown Museum and the Friday the 13th Museum both permanently closed for business. One of the merchants told me the couple who was running the museum’s were separating and the collections were being split up. That was really disappointing since they were great museums. I was wondering why the museums were not open on Friday January 13th of 2023. People had been banging on the doors of both museums that month.

Me in front of the Friday the 13th Museum on January 13th, 2023. The Friday the 13th Museum is now closed.

The Blairstown Museum is also now closed.

With the museums being closed, I like everyone else was snapping pictures around the town where all the scenes took place. I was amazed that these people knew the movie better than I did and knew every angle that the director shot from. People were discussing this in front of me and I thought I knew the movie really well. Some of the locals said to me there are diehard fans who knew every second of the film.

The scenes where they were leaving Hope, NJ.

I was a beautiful warm, sunny afternoon and I was able to walk the entire downtown several times, looking at the old buildings and admiring how many of the old houses in town had been renovated and looked just beautiful. With the number of rainbow flags in town in front of the homes, I can see that the gay community has really embraced both Blairstown and Hope. With the exclusive Blair Academy eight behind the downtown, I can see where a lot of people are working. It has brought the town back to life in a very positive way.

The houses on both sides of town were being renovated.

The community is starting to fill with artists and creative types as are most of these small towns in New Jersey, New York State and Connecticut.

Before I left for Hope which is about six miles up the highway, I walked around the town to see what was going on.

The Blairstown Diner at 53 NJ Route 94

https://www.blairstowndiner.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46308-d848990-Reviews-Blairstown_Diner-Blairstown_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The crowds at The Blairstown Diner that morning.

Don’t miss the burgers at the Blairstown Diner. They are delicious (if you can into the restaurant that day)

The Blairstown Diner, where I ate the last time I was in town (see my review on TripAdvisor), was about twenty deep with people trying to eat both breakfast and lunch. I did not want to wait in line, I looked around for another place to eat. Right across the street from the diner is Dale’s Market, which is a local grocery with a wonderful hot food and prepared food section.

Dale’s Market in Blairstown, NJ

https://dalesmarket.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/12274169?m=19905

The selection of sandwiches and hot foods are extensive

The Prepared foods for a picnic.

Their Fried Chicken is well known in the area especially chicken fingers with ranch dressing.

I ordered “The Deputy” breakfast sandwich, which was three scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, cheese on a chewy bun. They also had a nice hot food prepared section with nice looking fried chicken with different flavors.

“The Deputy” breakfast sandwich

I highly recommend the sandwich and get it with the hot sauce!

I took my sandwich and sat in the park to enjoy breakfast. Their is a limited amount of places to eat in Blairstown, so it was nice to just take the sandwich and sit in the park on a beautiful day to eat. Footbridge Park is just off the downtown area and it has a wonderful river, picnic tables and most importantly bathrooms.

The entrance to Footbridge Park at the Paulinskill Trail in Blairstown, NJ is the perfect place for a picnic if the restaurants get too busy.

https://www.getoutsidenj.com/places/footbridge-park/

Footbridge Park in Downtown Blairstown, NJ.

The history of Blairstown, NJ with the influence of the Blair family.

Since it was a school day and early in the morning, I had the entire park to myself. The park was really beautiful as the leaves had not changed color for the fall and the river running through the park is picturesque. It was very relaxing after a busy two days of school and housework. It was nice to relax and just eat. After eating I took one last tour of the town and then drove over to Hope, NJ.

The scenes shot outside Hope, NJ

Before I left Blairstown for my appointment to see the Hope Historical Society at 1:30pm, I walked around the town one more time to see all the displays and props that merchants and artists had set up for the day. People in the town are finally embracing the film for the fans and decorated the town for the occasion. There were some really creative displays honoring the movie. I had to admit it was a little silly but it was all in fun and in the spirit of the film.

This painting was in one of the gift shops.

In honor of the bed Brenda slept in that night.

Representing the vans used by victims in later films

The artists created this interesting version of a haunted house.

The inside of the haunted house.

The town embracing Halloween early.

Having fun at a new store opening.

Halloween comes early in Blairstown, NJ.

The town was preparing for their fall festival the next day (it rained like crazy).

One of the homeowners even recreated one of the scenes of the film when Ned got killed.

Leaving the guarded downtown with all its decorations for Friday the 13th and Halloween.

The ride from Blairstown to Hope is only about ten minutes and there was no traffic on the roads being so early in the morning. Most people were just getting into Blairstown as I left so I knew my parking spot in the beginning of the downtown would be prime. I did not figure coming back to Blairstown as the afternoon went on because people would be coming in town to see the movie and then take pictures of the town before it got dark. Hope, Nj was pretty quiet when I got there but it busier as the afternoon wore on.

I stopped by the Moravian Cemetery and church first where people were stopping their cars to take pictures. It was really funny because the guy who was running the cemetery was outside to help people take pictures of people in front of the Moravian Cemetery sign which is so famous in the film where Annie was dropped off.

St. John’s United Methodist Church (The Moravian Church) at 354 High Street in Downtown Hope, NJ.

https://www.umc.org/en/find-a-church/church/?id=11006

https://m.facebook.com/p/St-Johns-United-Methodist-Church-100064940100723/

The Moravian Cemetery sign at the church where Annie gets dropped off.

He was taking donations for the church as well as selling cemetery dirt for $10.00 a jar. I thought this was great and what a clever idea. I told him that they should think about cemetery walks in the evening and the church sponsoring a Spaghetti dinner at night to raise money for the church. His wife, who is the pastor of the church, he was going to pass the ideas onto. While I toured the cemetery, people kept coming and going around the cemetery, taking pictures and getting insights on the film. I made a donation to the church as well.

Selling cemetery dirt was a clever idea and people were buying it! (I am sure that you can order through the church).

https://m.facebook.com/p/St-Johns-United-Methodist-Church-100064940100723/

The church and cemetery

The Blair family plot at the church.

While I was in the cemetery, I came across the Blair family plot and the grave of John Blair, the founder of Blairstown. It was in the older part of the cemetery toward the back close to the church. The older section of the cemetery had a lot of character.

John Blair’s gravesite at the Moravian Church

After visiting the cemetery, I visited Downtown Hope, which is about a block long. The Toy Box, a well known toy store in the downtown is owned by a guy from Little Ferry up by me. They had all sorts of memorabilia from the film for sale, including some items from the movie “Halloween”. The owner was even wearing a ‘Friday the 13th” tee shirt, which again was a good idea. It was nice to see the merchants embracing the film and the fans that were visiting the town.

Downtown Hope, NJ

The Toy Chest Toy store at 335 High Street in Downtown Hope, NJ

https://www.facebook.com/thehopetoychest/

The store has an amazing collection of toys and movie memorabilia. The owner is from my area of New Jersey and has brought a wonderful selection of toys and games to the area.

The inside of the store.

The core of the downtown is where the other scenes of the film were shot. The diner in the film is now the Hope Junction Antiques at 331 High Street , which features an assortment of Friday the 13th merchandise all year around. I was talking with the owner who I have gotten to know over the years because of museum trips to the area and the Moravian Candlelight Tour during Christmas that the Historical Society sponsors.

Hope Junction Antiques at 331 High Street

https://www.facebook.com/HopeJunctionAntiques/

The display windows celebrating Halloween

The Friday the 13th display that the store had inside. This is where Annie met the townspeople in the film.

The former diner is now a very nice antique and art store with a large selection of interesting pieces. They have just about everything you need to decorate your home.

She was selling painted Friday the 13th rocks and between her and the guy that worked with her they had sold eight of them at between $50.00 to $75.00 a piece. She had a artist that liked to paint them and they were selling briskly to people from out of town. It amazes me what people will buy.

After my visit to the store, I stopped off at the Hope Historical Society to take interior pictures for my blog. I had not been inside the museum for almost two years because it is never open.

The Hope Historical Society at 323 High Street

https://www.hopenjhistory.com/

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46518-d23805634-r921164790-Hope_Historical_Society-Hope_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The museum had been open for a special private tour that I was not part of but at least I got to stop in for about twenty minutes and do some interior shots of the collection and post them onto my blog, VisitingaMuseum.com. The collection is small but very interesting of life in the former Moravian town and of rural New Jersey.

The front part of the Hope Historical Society

The localized history of the area is shown in the front part of the museum.

The back part of the museum shows life in rural New Jersey at the turn of the last century.

The museum would benefit of having a small Friday the 13th collection and the town’s role in the movie. I think that would bring tourists into the museum more. That and arranging a tour with the church on where these sites from the film are in the town.

Still their interesting collection should not be missed and I took some time to see the collection before the tour took over the museum. The concentration is on local history of the area and life in rural New Jersey. There is emphasis on the Moravian culture in the town. It may be a small museum but there is a lot to see. The museum is only open on Sundays from 1:00pm to 4:00pm and it does not give you much time to visit.

After I left the museum, I stopped up at the places I had visited on the Candlelight Tour two Christmas’s ago and when I passed the real estate agency around the corner, I wondered why there was a bicycle outside the store. I realized it was Ned’s bike! Some people really thing out of the box. The people who worked in the office were having a good time engaging with tourists who knew the spot that Ennis took Annie to the crossroads (which is technically down the road). It may seemed like they left town for a long trip but they just changed the direction down the road.

The building where Annie was picked up by Ennis, the truck driver.

Crazy Ralph’s bike outside the office.

The woman who managed the real estate office was outside helping people take pictures in front of the store. This was around the corner from the museum.

After taking pictures around Hope and Blairstown, I needed something to sweet and I remembered that Humpty Jr. and Hot Dog Johnny’s were right down the road on Route 46 West.

The sign for Humpty Juniors at 72 US-46 West

https://humptyjuniors.com/index.php/menu

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46372-d7046832-Reviews-Humpty_Junior_s-Columbia_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on Littleshoponmdinstreet@Wordpress.com:

I love Humpty Juniors. I had wanted to eat lunch here but the breakfast sandwich I had for my late breakfast filled me up and I had no appetite. I had really wanted to try the cheesesteak with the wiz which so good the last time I was there. I decided to have a sundae and chose the Banana Cream Pie ice cream. I had it topped with butterscotch syrup, whipped cream and a cherry. It really hit the spot after a long day of touring.

Banana Cream Pie ice cream with butterscotch syrup with whipped cream and a cherry.

The people at the church had said that tours of Camp NoBeBoSoCa were completely sold out at $350.00 a pop! You could also spend the night at the camp. On Thursday, October 12th the price was $750.00 per person and on Friday, October 13th it was $950.00 per person. I thought this was crazy but it completely sold out too! I thought the camp was really smart on this.

Returning on December 13th, 2024:

It is a lot different to come to Blairstown in December when it is cold. When I returned to Blairstown in December (I missed the event September because of the Firemen’s Convention), it was 38 degrees at 1:00pm when I got into town and there was no one there. The Main Street was very quiet and I saw one person taking pictures by the waterfall by Blair Academy.

I just don’t think Friday the 13th and Christmas really mix especially with Downtown Blairstown decorated for the holidays. Still the town looked really festive getting ready for the holidays and it was nice to walk around even though it was so cold. It did keep the crowds away.

Downtown Blairstown, NJ decorated for Christmas

The gazebo where music was playing was now decorated for the holidays

Even the old outhouses were decorated. They are now used for storage

It was a rather gloomy, cold day to walk around but the merchants I talked to thought it would be a busier day. Even the theater in town was not showing the original film that evening which it normally does. The only people I saw in Downtown Blairstown were the locals going to the post office.

Downtown Blairstown was quiet on December 13th

I took some pictures of the town from the perspective of the opening scene of the film from when Annie walks around the Main Street. When I was here last October, we all had to take turns taking pictures by the Waterworks Building and the bridge by the waterfall.

The historic downtown sign

The Water Works Building that Annie walked under

The Water Works covered walkway

The waterfall on the Blair Academy property where Annie passed by

There were still some businesses that had the Friday the 13th spirit as they were selling the merchandise from the original film

This was competing with Christmas decorations unfortunately

The stream through the town on the other side of the waterfall

Downtown Blairstown was very quiet that afternoon and got colder as time went on so I went to the Blairstown Diner around the corner for lunch. Unlike last October, the restaurant was not that busy so I was seated pretty quickly. I have to tell you that they really decorate the place for Friday the 13th. On a warm day, forget getting in as the lines are really long.

The Blairstown Diner decorated for Friday the 13th

The counter area decorated for Friday the 13th

The restaurant was decked out for the day

The special menu for Friday the 13th themed around the day

The Summer Camp Chicken Sandwich platter was really good

The menu they have on Friday the 13th is limited and the prices were really high for this area. I could not believe that a simple Fried Chicken sandwich was $22.00 but I knew it was because of the day. No different from the restaurants in Rhinebeck during Sinterklaas. So I ordered the Summer Camp Chicken Sandwich with a side of Jason Slicers, which were fresh potato chips with cheese, bacon and sour cream on top of them. The food was really good and it was a nice sized portion for the price.

The Summer Camp Chicken Sandwich with Jason Slicers for my lunch that afternoon

The summer camp chicken sandwich

The chicken sandwich was really good and rather large

The Jason Slicers, potato chips with bacon and cheese on top were really good

The staff was even decked out for the event

After lunch was over, I took a drive to Hope where the rest of the first scene of the film took place. The town was getting ready for the Moravian Christmas event that I would be attending the next (yes, I had to double back to Hope the next night). The town was decked out for Christmas.

Downtown Hope where Annie gets picked up for her truck drive

The house in front of where the truck took Annie on her ride

The Hope Historical Society next to the real estate office decorated for the holidays

The old diner in Hope, NJ where Annie stops for directions

The downtown decorations in Hope, NJ

The Moravian Church gate at the Holidays less spooky during the day

The town was beautifully decorated for the Christmas holidays instead of Friday the 13th

The luminaries would shine the next night

Lots of Christmas trees too at the Festival of Trees at the Community Center

More Christmas trees

So it was less frightening and more festive in both Blairstown and Hope but everyone there is bracing for the next Friday the 13th next year in the warmer weather where it will get even bigger. You all have to take the Moravian Candlelight Tour the second week in December to really appreciate the beauty of Hope, NJ.

Have a good holiday season!

Returning to Blairstown, NJ for Friday, the 13th June 13th, 2025:

On a rather overcast but sunny and warm day in June, I joined the hundreds of fans of the film ‘Friday the 13th’ to walk around both Blairstown and Hope to take pictures and watch people dressed like Jason walk around town. It can be hokey but still fun.

Blairstown, NJ where original movie was shot was busy but not as busy as I though it would be given the time of year and the weather. There were many diehard fans walking around Downtown Blairstown, NJ that morning but I thought downtown would have been busier.

Entering Blairstown, NJ

I found a parking spot pretty quickly in the downtown and started to walk around. It looked like both museums in town were never going to reopen. They closed permanently back in 2023 but people kept asking questions about the and I got several hits on my blog.

I walked around the downtown like everyone else, talking to merchants and taking pictures. Several galleries have opened in the downtown and a few gift shops. The whole downtown has improved since COVID and all the homes and businesses have been renovated. It has improved a lot since my first visit back in 2019.

The famous downtown from the opening scene of the movie has not changed in forty-five years.

Part of the iconic downtown from the opening scene of the film

Two of the Victorian homes still under renovation at the end of the downtown area.

I like everyone else in Blairstown that say took Annie’s iconic walk downtown from the first part of the film.

Walking past the famous waterfall on the Blair Academy campus

Video of the famous falls from the film

Then walked back the other direction through the Blairstown Waterworks Building archway just like Annie did the day.

The Blairstown Waterworks Building archway

My tour through the building

There is a small park right where the old ‘Friday the 13th’ Museum used to be and a group of guys had sentry up a booth were they were doing a podcast from the park and talking to people. There was also a vendor who decorated the area for the day. He has been there in 2023 as well and did some clever displays.

The Jason display with coffin

The decorated coffin next to Jason

The table display

You have to admit the guy was clever

Some of the other displays in the park

Another display

The advertisement for ‘The Halloween House’ in Peckville,PA

Another of his displays

Across the street from the park was Roy’s Theater which always shows the film that night. The movie was sold out.

Roy’s Hall at 30 Main Street

The showing of the film that night is always sold out.

I just weaved through the other tourists and people dressed up in costume and took a few more pictures in the downtown area.

One of the buildings that you see entering town. It looked like one of the buildings in the camp.

It was getting late in the afternoon and I was getting hungry. The lines for the Blairstown Diner were about ten to fifteen deep and I did not feel like another $22.00 sandwich.

The lines at the Blairstown Diner at 53 NJ 94

Not only do the lines never go down for most of the day, you also have Jason’s walking around taking pictures.

The weather was nice but overcast that day and I decided to go to Dale’s Market across the street and get some things from their hot foods area and have a picnic in Footbridge Park which is across the street. It is more fun than waiting in line for over-priced food that day.

Dale’s Market at 66 NJ 94

The market has a really nice hot foods area section and is known for their fried chicken. The last time I was here, I had a breakfast sandwich but this time I wanted lunch.

The To Go selection of foods at Dale’s Market

The fried chicken wings and boneless tenders

I ordered the Boneless Parmesan Ranch tenders with a side of Mac & Cheese and two Tasteecake pies with a Watermelon soda (okay not the most nutritious lunch) and took my lunch to the park. I relaxed by the river and this was better than any restaurant.

The entrance to Footbridge Park

Footbridge Park in June 2025

Footbridge Park is the perfect place for a picnic

The park was in full bloom

Enjoying a picnic lunch by the river

My lunch from Dale’s Market that afternoon

The Parmesan Ranch tenders were really good

The Mac & Cheese is really good here

Lunch was so relaxing. It was so nice to just listen to the river pass by and enjoy the warm weather. The lunch really hit the spot. I highly recommend on a nice day just picking up some goodies and having a picnic in the park.

The history of Blairstown, NJ

After lunch was over, I explored the park and saw the history of Blairstown display.

The namesake of the town, Mr. John Insley Blair, whose businesses influenced the town.

I explored the park for a bit and saw that they were having an arts as and crafts show by the diner and walked down to it.

Passing over the bridge in the park

Passing over the river is so relaxing

The town had a Friday the 13th art show and it seemed that all the vendors had crafts themed from the movie.

Some of the booths from the art show

A lot of fans from the film looking up events

I walked around the downtown one more time before I headed over to Hope, NJ down the highway to see what was going on there.

The stream running through Blairstown gives it it’s beauty

I left as downtown Blairstown was really starting to fill up. After I left my parking spot was taken immediately and all the other spots in the downtown were filled.

Entering Hope, NJ

Hope was relatively quiet that afternoon. There was a share of tourists but not like in October of 2023. There were tourists taking pictures by the real estate office where Annie started her ride to the camp.

The front of the building in the movie

Where the scene was shot where Annie was given a warning to leave her job at Camp Crystal Lake.

The Presbyterian Church where she was dropped off

The cemetery where she was dropped off

Those iconic gates

While I was at the graveyard, I walked around the older section of the place and came across the Blair family plot. It seems the whole family was buried there.

The Blair family plot

The extended Blair family members buried in this section of the graveyard

More of the Blair family plot at the church

There was not much going on in Hope and there was not even anyone from the church selling graveyard dirt. So I walked down to the Hope Junction Antique Shop down the road to talk to Lisa Iulo, the owner. The shop was once a diner that had been used in the opening of the film where Annie asked directions.

She told me she was putting the business up for sale as well as the building.It was too bad as it did sell some nice pieces. She then told me she was going to have an art show that afternoon at 4:00pm.

I thought that sounded fun so I took an hour and a half out and drove up to the town of Newton, NJ and decided to explore their downtown. It was right up Route 94 from Hope, NJ.

Exploring Downtown Newton, NJ

https://www.newtontownhall.com/256/Retail-Shopping

Exploring Downtown Newton, NJ

Downtown Newton is going through a transition and many of the buildings and old Victorian homes that surround the downtown are being renovated. While there were still many Mexican grocery stores and markets, many new hipster like stores and restaurants were opening in the area around the Newton Theater. There looked like a lot of changes were happening here.

I made note of a few things I wanted to revisit in the future including a few restaurants and small museums. Then I headed back to Hope for the Art show.

Lisa Iulo specializes in ‘found objects’ art and recycles objects into the theme of the work. It was an interesting art exhibition.

The artist Lisa Iulo art exhibition

https://explorewarren.org/events/lisa-iulo-art-show-hope-junction-antiques

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2795327044055362/posts/4074348899486497

The artist Lisa Iulo art exhibition

The exhibition was really nice and at the reception I got to talk to many of the residents who came that night. They seemed amused by all the Friday the 13th traffic around the two towns. I had something to eat and relaxed under a shade tree. It was a nice way to conclude the afternoon of touring.

Until the next Friday the 13th in 2026!

More information on visiting Blairstown and Hope, NJ:

Camp Crystal Lake Tours:

https://crystallaketours.com/tour/

They kept it small and people really wanted to see the camp. That’s good business.

This is a good locations shot video by a fan:

The movie in sections:

The scenes at Camp NoBeBoSoCa (North Bergen Boy Scout Camp) Part 6

The rest of the film that was available in clips on YouTube up to Part 10:

Part 7 at the camp

Part 8 at the camp.

Part 9 at the camp

Part 10 at the camp

The Making of the film:

See you on the next Friday the 13th! Boo!

Check out my blog on Exploring Budd Lake, NJ and Route 46 West which includes trips to Blairstown and Hope, NJ:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/3130

Check out my blog when the Lodi Memorial Library celebrated the 35th Anniversary of the movie “Friday the 13th” with former Scoutmaster Don Stein, who assisted the Blairstown Fire Department with varies scenes of the film. The introduction to the event and interview is here as well:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/228

This explores the area in more depth.

Places to Eat:

Dale’s Market

66 Route 94

Blairstown, NJ 07825

(908) 362-7395

https://dalesmarket.com/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 5:30am-8:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/12274169?m=19905

Humpty Juniors

72 Route 46 West

Columbia, NJ 07832

(908)475-4376

https://humptyjuniors.com/

Open: Sunday-Thursday 11:00am-8:00pm/Friday and Saturday 11:00am-9:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46372-d7046832-r921168660-Humpty_Junior_s-Columbia_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/3023

Blairstown Diner

53 State Route 94

Blairstown, NJ 07825

(908) 362-6070

https://www.blairstowndiner.com/

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-8:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46308-d848990-Reviews-Blairstown_Diner-Blairstown_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Places to visit:

Blairstown Museum-Closed

Friday the 13th Museum-Closed

Hope Historical Society Museum

323 High Street

Hope, NJ 07844

https://www.hopenjhistory.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46518-d23805634-r921164790-Hope_Historical_Society-Hope_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/6341

Places to Shop:

The Toy Chest

335 High Street

Hope, NJ 07844

(908) 459-0494

https://www.facebook.com/thehopetoychest/

Open: Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 11:00am-5:00pm

Hope Junction Antiques

331 High Street

Hope, NJ 07844

(201) 316-3328

Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday -Saturday 11:00am-5:00pm

https://www.facebook.com/HopeJunctionAntiques/

Moravian Cemetery

https://www.facebook.com/HopeMoravianCemetery/

Camp Crystal Lake Tours:

https://crystallaketours.com/

Day Two Hundred and Eleven: From the delivery of trees to the Sinterklaas Parade in Rhinebeck, NY and other Christmas activities that changed in the blink of an eye: Welcome to another crazy COVID Christmas! December 1st-31st, 2021

I cannot believe that another Christmas has come and gone and COVID is still raging around. Talk about having to adapt to a new world a lot wiser and more aware. I have just become more careful over the last year and kept my activities to a minimum (yeh right, I still run all over the place for work and keeping people informed about happenings all over the place). I just try to stay safe. I put my walk of the Garment District on hold for the Christmas holidays and all that came with it.

Christmas started right after I came home from Thanksgiving dinner in Lambertville when the next morning, I had to wake up at 6:00am to get ready to go to the Christmas tree lot for the Annual Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association Christmas Tree Drop Off of the trees. We had 390 trees being delivered and it was all hands-on deck.

Setting up the Christmas trees

Who knew that the truck would arrive at 8:00am and we got caught off guard. No one expected it to come until at least 10:30am. So, at 9:00am, over thirty members and their children emptied all 390 Christmas trees off the truck (they shorted us ten trees), got them tagged and ready to sell. We had not even finished tagging the trees and our first tree sold at 10:30am.

The Hasbrouck Heights Men’s Association at Christmas tree set up 2021

I stayed on the site until 4:30pm and we had already sold the first twenty-one trees. I could not believe how fast the trees sold that day. The only reason why I left is that I had to help with the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department on the town’s Annual Holiday Parade. God did it get cold that night.

The night after Thanksgiving, the Hasbrouck Heights Chamber of Commerce holds the Annual Holiday Parade and the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department is always a participant from helping Santa enter town in the Parade to setting up the sound system for the Tree Lighting Ceremony. I swear it got so cold that night by the time the town lit the tree it must have gone down to 35 degrees. Thank God we bundled up!

The Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department at the Annual Hasbrouck Heights Holiday Parade

After the tree was lit, I never saw a place empty out so fast. People were so cold! Even with all our layers, we were cold too.

I did an about face and the next morning left for Beach Haven, NJ to attend some of Long Beach Island’s Christmas activities. The day ended up being much nicer and was a bit warmer. It is a two-hour trip to the shore and you would think that a beach community is not the place to spend an early Christmas weekend but you would be amazed at the activities they had planned all over the island that day.

I left the house around 8:30am on what started out as a gloomy morning that turned sunny and clear by the time I reached Long Beach Island. I decided to visit the Barnegat Lighthouse first to see if it was decorated with lights like the lighthouse at Montauk Point. That was always impressive the years I went out to visit my friend, Lillian.

The lighthouse was not decorated for the holidays but was finally open to walk in and climb the stairs. It was over a hundred steps up and back down. What a view all the way up. There were small stops on the way up with views on each level landing. By the time I reached the top of the stairs there were only three of us up there and God was it windy. I only lasted at the top of the lighthouse a few minutes before I almost blew off. What views of the waves coming in!

The Barnegat Lighthouse at the tip of Long Beach Island

https://nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/barnegatlighthousestatepark.html

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46285-d286497-Reviews-Barnegat_Lighthouse_State_Park-Barnegat_Light_Long_Beach_Island_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/5345

Before I made the journey to the southern part of the island on my November trip, I stopped by the “Santa’s Viking Christmas Village” to see the arts and crafts festival at Viking Village at 19th and the Bay Barnegat Light. It was a sunny but cool afternoon but the winds had calmed down and I was able to walk the booths with no problems. I was in search of homemade Santa’s for my mother’s upcoming birthday. I found them in two different booths, one made of a conch shell and another made of wood.

The craft fair was very busy that afternoon.

The local seafood restaurant was open for takeout and you could smell the fried fish in the distance along with the horrible singing by a guitarist who could not carry a note. Thank God he took a break in time for the Barnegat Light Fire Department to bring Mr. and Mrs. Claus to the Village for a visit to the local children.

Santa’s Viking Christmas Village at dusk at closing

http://www.vikingvillageshows.com/village-info.html

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46285-d2471201-Reviews-Viking_Village-Barnegat_Light_Long_Beach_Island_New_Jersey.html

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrived right before I left the Village that afternoon.

After touring the Village, I made my way back down Long Beach Boulevard to the LBI Foundation of The Arts & Sciences Holiday Market 2021, which was mostly full of more expensive artwork and home decor products. It was not as festive as the Village Market and all our mask wearing steamed up everyone’s glasses which was a big complaint.

My next stop was the Long Beach Island Historical Society which sponsored an “Elves Workshop” for kids and their parents with all sorts of arts and crafts happening at twelve different tables lining the front room of the museum. There was cookie decorating and Christmas tree creation with beads and cloth and gingerbread house making. To end the evening, they had Smores and Marshmallows roasting over open firepits in the park across the street.

The Elves Workshop at the Long Beach Island Historical Society

https://lbihistoricalmuseum.org/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46292-d11444615-Reviews-Long_Beach_Island_Historical_Museum-Beach_Haven_Long_Beach_Island_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/3311

The museum knows how to welcome in the holiday season.

The Christmas display at the front of the Long Beach Island Historical Society

After my visit to the Historical Society, I went down the road and revisited the NJ Maritime Museum 528 Dock Road right by the water. I had read so much at the shark attacks in New Jersey back in 1916 and wanted to see the exhibition again. I also wanted to see the exhibition on shipwrecks again so I spent the rest of the afternoon at the museum and then walking down to the harbor to watch the sun set. The sun sets on that island are amazing.

The NJ Maritime Museum at 528 Dock Road

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46292-d1881647-Reviews-Museum_of_NJ_Maritime_History-Beach_Haven_Long_Beach_Island_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/5338

For dinner that night, I went back to the Chicken or the Egg at 207 North Bay Avenue in the Beach Haven downtown. The food and the selection here is just excellent and the perfect place for comfort foods on a cool night. My waiter could not have been nicer and recommended the White Clam Chowder, which was so thick and rich and you could taste the cream and fresh clams in every bite. God the seafood was so sweet.

The Chicken or the Egg at 207 North Bay Avenue in Beach Haven, NJ

https://www.facebook.com/chegg609/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46292-d438676-Reviews-The_Chicken_or_the_Egg-Beach_Haven_Long_Beach_Island_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

For dinner, I started with the New England Clam Chowder and did it hit the spot. Loaded with clams and potatoes in a rich cream soup. It warmed me up inside. I ordered the Chicken Pot Pie for the entree, which was delicious as well. Chunks of chicken and fresh vegetables in a flaky crust and a rich gravy. On a cool night by the shore, there is nothing like it to warm you up. Talk about making the perfect choices for dinner.

The Woo Hoo at 211 South Bay Avenue

https://thewoohoo.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46292-d7646259-Reviews-The_WooHoo-Beach_Haven_Long_Beach_Island_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/diningonashoestringinnyc.wordpress.com/1244

Kapler’s Pharmacy had refreshments and Horse Drawn carriage rides that afternoon.

After dinner on my visit in November of 2021 at the Chicken or the Egg, I finished dessert at The Woo Hoo and walked up through the downtown to see the last of the people roasting marshmallows in the park and walked to Kapler’s Pharmacy at 1 South Bay Street. The drug store was sponsoring horse drawn carriage rides around the neighborhood.

The rides were completely full that afternoon and evening as the weather was really nice that day.

I thought what a nice way to end the evening with a twilight view of the sun setting and watching the Christmas lights going on at houses around the neighborhood. The Jersey Shore at Christmas can really surprise you.

Kapler’s Pharmacy event at 1 South Bay Avenue in 2021

https://www.facebook.com/events/kaplers-pharmacy/classis-christmas-soiree/284160150273064/

I thought it was a nice group of visits to get my mind off what is going on in the world. What’s better than the Jersey Shore in warm weather? Visiting at all times of the year in warm weather and then returning for the Christmas holiday events. Who says the Shore closes at Labor Day?

Later that day I found out that Michigan State beat Penn State 30-27. What a way to end the day on my November trip!

After a short trip down to my mom’s for her birthday and two Private Member Nights in New York City at The Met and the Museum of the City of New York (see blog below):

Day Two Hundred and Eight: Private Members Nights in NYC:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/20227

it was back to Rhinebeck, NY for the Sinterklaas Parade and Celebration on Saturday, December 4th. I swear I was running from one place to another the whole week but was looking forward to the parade that had been cancelled last year because of COVID.

I travelled back up to Rhinebeck again for the festivities and got there by 10:00am in time to help unload the truck at the Starr Library. That brought back a lot of memories from parades past and it was so nice to walk around the cool air of Upstate New York. What started off as a very gloomy morning cleared up and it ended up being a clear, sunny and mild day in Rhinebeck.

We unpacked the familiar floats and puppets from years past and put together the bees, owls, geese, knights and dragons, horses that would lead Sinterklaas down his route and Children’s puppets that had children hoping for better times ahead. I always enjoy the comradery of the morning of putting the puppets together for the parade. Our theme this year was “Miss Mouse and Mr. Toad get married” so our events were based on the two characters getting hitched.

(I wanted to thank volunteer Jonathan Green for these pictures)

Me (in the jacket and khakis at the set up for the ‘Sinterklaas Parade’ in Rhinebeck, NY

Setting up the puppets for the parade is interesting

All the latest puppets ready to enter the parade

Mr. Toad preparing for his marriage to Miss Mouse

Miss Mouse preparing for her marriage to Mr. Toad in the Sinterklaas Parade

The Dragon is preparing for his duel with the knights of the parade

The puppets were set up in record time and we were finished by 11:45am

After we were done with the puppets, I drove down to Downtown Rhinebeck and parked a few blocks away and walked over to Main Street and joined in the opening festivities at the Beekman Arms. The restaurant was already packed with customers when I got there and the banquet room was full of visitors at the Opening Ceremony.

I had already checked in to my hotel, so I did not have to come back to the hotel until later that evening. This time I stayed at the Marriott Poughkeepsie which was much closer to Rhinebeck than staying at the one in Fishkill. I have to say that both hotels were wonderful when I was visiting the area.

The Marriott Poughkeepsie at 2641 South Road/Route 9

The inside lobby of the Marriott Courtyard Poughkeepsie

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pouch-courtyard-poughkeepsie/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g48443-d93719-Reviews-Courtyard_Poughkeepsie-Poughkeepsie_New_York.html?m=19905

The Opening Ceremony at the Beekman Arms is always a lot of fun. All the costumed characters are introduced like the Pocket Lady, Mother Holly (who is always feeling jolly), the Queen Bee and the Snow King and Queen. They also introduced the Mayor of Rhinebeck and his wife, who portrayed Mr. Toad and Miss Mouse and reconfirmed their wedding vows in real life in front of the whole crowd. I thought that was very touching and I told her this later when I ran into her at another event.

The Opening Ceremony at Sinterklaas.

After the marriage ceremony and the traditional Polar Bear Dance, Jonathan Kruk, a well-known storyteller, told the story of Sinterklaas. Mr. Kruk is a wonderful speaker and knows how to tell a story. He always captivates a crowd. Even though I have heard the same stories for years, I still enjoy listening to him speak.

No one is better at storytelling then Jonathan Kruk at Sinterklaas

Because I said that I would help with the checking in with the volunteers for the parade, I had to be back to the library by 4:00pm so that only gave me about a little over two and a half hours this time to enjoy the festivities.

What was nice was the policy blocked off the Downtown area so that everyone could walk in the streets and watch the performers do their thing. There were bands on stilts performing rag time music and holiday classics, the Polar Bear danced around and greeted visits with a quick spin on the street and I visited the Toad Stool where Mr. Toad and Miss Mouse greeted each visitor with a bundle of ribbons so that you could give them to strangers for good luck. I had never heard of that tradition before but it was interesting to walk through a giant toadstool.

I also walked around the businesses that were open and admired the store window displays. It was as if each store was trying to outdo the other for creativity and beauty of the Christmas season. My favorite was Samuel’s Sweet Shop at 42 East Market Street in Downtown Rhinebeck.

Samuel’s Sweet Shop at 42 East Market Street

https://www.facebook.com/samuelsofrhinebeck/

I watched the Grumpuses, Sinterklaas’s helpers do their traditional dance, singing groups entertain the outdoor crowds (Keeping COVID safe) and performers with sticks doing their routine. What I liked about Sinterklaas this year is that there were a lot of outdoor venues, so people were not cooped up inside wearing masks.

By 3:00pm I was starved and knowing that I would not be able to eat until way after the parade was over, I stopped at Pete’s Famous at 34 East Market Street. I love dining here and like their generous portions and the friendly service. I had my favorite Turkey Club sandwich with French Fries which is always good.

They roast their own fresh turkey every day for their sandwiches.

Pete’s Famous at 34 East Market Street

https://www.petesfamous.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48486-d823142-Reviews-Pete_s_Famous_Restaurant-Rhinebeck_New_York.html?m=19905

The day started to fall into dusk and the whole town was being lit up. This is when Rhinebeck shows its true beauty as a Christmas village. All the trees in the Downtown are lit with white lights and adorned with paintings of the Sinterklaas Festival and ribbons. Also, all the stores light their windows and it makes the whole town look like a Currier & Ives woodprint.

Downtown Rhinebeck at dusk

Downtown Rhinebeck at night when its magic comes to life

I got back to the library at 4:00pm and assisted the staff in getting everyone ready for the parade, explaining how to work the puppets and hold them and making sure that everyone knew to listen to the marshals who were running the parade when it started.

It had been two years since we had a parade but it felt like time had not even passed by. I love to watch the parade come to life. As everyone lines up, the lights go on at each puppet and the bands get into high gear. Then there is the excitement of walking down the hill into Downtown Rhinebeck to the adoring crowds of the parade.

The crowds have tripled in the decade that I have been volunteering for the parade. The first time that I volunteered it was in 2010 with my father on my first trip up to Rhinebeck since being at the Culinary Institute and then I started volunteering again in 2014 when I started working on the Halloween Parade in the City. Just like that parade, excitement builds as the parade starts.

Walking down that hill is an amazing thing as people get so excited to see the floats and hear the music especially at this time with COVID raging on. Things seemed more festive as this is an outdoor event and it was two weeks before the omicron outbreak raged the country. It was a night of revelry and welcoming in the holiday season.

Sinterklaas is a magically evening in Downtown Rhinebeck

Opening Ceremonies at The Beekman Arms

Because the positions in the parade and the puppets were all filling myself and the other person, I worked with on checking people in took the “Follow the Banner in the Parade” banner down the hill to get everyone to the staging area for the conclusion of the parade. We were right behind the drumline of women who concluded the parade and whipped spectators into a dancing frenzy. I watched as people literally danced in the streets happy to be outside enjoying this evening. It was so nice to see families have such a good time.

This wonderful view of the parade that was posted online of ‘Sinterklaas 2021’

The parade ended in the community parking lot with all the characters are introduced and the well wishes to Sinterklaas and his entourage. There was music and the fire eaters showing their talents off to the large crowd who were looking towards a much happier holiday season. It was just nice to see everyone having a festive evening.

After the ceremony was over, I just walked around Downtown Rhinebeck, admiring the beautifully decorated windows and admiring the white lights adorning the trees. I love this downtown at Christmas.

The Downtown Rhinebeck Christmas Tree near the Community parking lot.

I stopped at Village Pizza for dinner and it was nice to just warm up. God is their pizza delicious.

Village Pizza at 19 East Market Street

https://www.facebook.com/RBKVP/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48486-d818463-Reviews-Village_Pizza_of_Rhinebeck-Rhinebeck_New_York.html?m=19905

After dinner, it was another quiet walk around downtown Rhinebeck to admire the lights and the window displays. I love walking around this town.

Downtown Rhinebeck before dusk

Downtown Rhinebeck’s merchants go all out for the holidays

The next morning, I was off early to join some of the other members of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association for a modified Christmas hello to all our retired firefighters living in the NJ State Firemen’s Association.

Since our party was cancelled for the residents due to COVID, we gave our gift to the residents the week before (we got each resident a long-sleeved shirt that was monogramed with their name on it which I heard they all loved) and we also had a special Jersey Mike’s lunch for the residents the month before to ring in the holiday season.

Because of COVID regulations, we could only have a few members come but myself and the President of the Bergen County Firemen’s Home Association talked with our fellow firefighters during ‘Holiday Bingo’ or walked around to greet them and wish them a ‘Merry Christmas’.

Santa greeting guests at the NJ Firemen’s Home in Boonton, NJ in 2019 in better times

It was just for a short time that we were allowed to stay but the members of the home appreciated it. We wanted to let our fellow firefighters know that we did not forget them during the holidays.

Members of the NJ State Firemen’s Home enjoying the Jersey Mike’s dinner we sponsored

Classes took up most of next week for me as we prepared for my Introduction to Business class to make their big presentation to me for their final grade. So, I was running around most of the week working with both my online class and my live class as we were getting ready for final exams.

On Thursday, December 9th, I took a break from all of my grading and went to see the production of “A Christmas Pudding” at Bergen Community College where I work. The students were putting on a Christmas retrospect of songs and readings which was a very nice performance.

The Theater students sang many traditional and contemporary songs from the American songbook with one student singing a very emotional version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from the movie “Meet Me in St. Louis”. Considering everything that was going on with COVID, I thought it was very touching. The students did a good job with the production and it really put me into the Christmas spirit.

The Play “A Christmas Pudding” at Ciccone Theater at Bergen Community College on December 9th

https://www.facebook.com/bergenstages/

Another thing that put me into the Christmas spirit was all the new songs coming out this year. Did we need some Christmas cheer this year! I wanted to share two of my favorites that came to me via YouTube.

These two songs appeared on the Internet when I was writing this blog and I thought they were very symbolic of what is going on right now during the holidays as we try to resume to a new normal. I wanted to share them with all of you.

John Legend’s new Christmas song: “You Deserve it All”

Nora Jones new Christmas song: “Christmas Calling”

Kohmi Hirose did this great version of “Sleigh Ride” in English

On December 10th, my students presented their Class Group Project entitled “I’ve got a Golden Ticket to Bergen Community College-Homecoming 2022” and the students did a terrific job with the project.

The students logo to “I’ve got a Golden Ticket to Bergen Community College-Homecoming 2022”.

Here is the presentation with all the commercials:

Day Two Hundred and Nine on my “MywalkinManhattan.com” blog:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/20566

This “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory themed project was inspired by the 50th Anniversary of the film. I had the students watch the film for inspiration and ideas, then put the framework for the project together and they took it from there.

There is a message from me their CEO as well:

A welcome from CEO/Co-Founder of Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.

I could not have been prouder of my students both in my live class and in my online class who created the individual Class Project, “Market Street Candy & Confections”, reopening a 100-year-old candy store with a modern twist.

Here is the project with all the graphics that the students created:

Day Two Hundred and Ten on “MywalkinManhattan.com”:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/20568

With the major class projects over with, I prepared the students final exams and emailed off my online students their exam first. While they came in, I was able to grade along the way. Taking a break from that over the weekend, I visited Hope, NJ for a Lantern Walking Tour of the town and then a Candlelight Church Service at the Methodist church.

The Hope Annual Moravian Christmas Tour and Church service in Hope, NJ

I discovered this tour when I was traveling out to the Delaware Water Gap when I was updating my blog on “Visiting Budd Lake” and I stopped in Hope before heading to Blairstown, where I had wanted to visit the Blairstown Museum at the end of the day (it had closed by then). I saw this flyer when one of the shopkeepers in town handed it to me and I thought it would be an interesting event. What an eye opener!

I never heard of the history of the Moravian religion before and how they founded the town. We toured all the former factories and homes that had been built around the turn of the last century and then heard actors talk about that time during Christmas. Life just seemed slower then.

This is also where the opening scenes of the cult film “Friday the 13th” were shot. The initial scene where Annie arrives in Crystal Lake for her journey to the camp. I included the clip from the opening scene and the what the current locations look like now.

“Friday the 13th” from 1980 filmed in Hope, NJ

The famous opening scene from the film “Friday the 13th”

http://www.themoviedistrict.com/friday-the-13th-1980/

This is where Annie entered the diner for the opening of “Friday the 13th”:

Hope Junction Antiques at 331 High Street (where the diner was located at the time of filming)

https://www.hopejunctionantiques.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HopeJunctionAntiques/

The inside of the Hope Junction Antiques with one of kind artwork and antiques.

This unique store carries an array of local and regional artists work, the owner’s personal art pieces and a selection of decorative items and antique pieces. It had an interesting selection of holiday items when I visited the town both on my journey through Budd Lake and Route 46 and when I took the walking tour on December 11th. The store was open still right before the tour.

Burgdorff Realty at 2 Walnut Street where Annie enters the truck

https://www.facebook.com/BurgdorffERA/

Burgdorff Realty is where Annie entered the truck in the scene.

The Moravian Cemetery on High Street just down the road from Downtown Hope, NJ

https://www.facebook.com/HopeMoravianCemetery/

The cemetery is the ‘crossroads’ but is actually right down the block from the antique store and the realty company. This is now part of the St. John’s Methodist Church. This is where the Candlelight Services were held.

But I was not there for a movie tour but a cheerful Christmas tour of Moravian history. I met my tour group at the Hope Community Center which was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Before the tour started, the Hope Historical Society who was running the tour was selling food and Christmas items as a fundraiser. We started the Lantern Tour from this location.

The Hope Community Center at 5 Walnut Street decorated for Christmas

The Festival of Trees inside the Community Center

The Festival of Trees

When we finished visiting some of the old factories, we visited ‘Trout Alley’, where people used to travel to get around the toll booth when they arrived in Hope. The path is now used to get to the antique store at the end of the path.

https://www.hopechristmascraftmarket.com/building-info

Trout Alley

Trout Alley is the path to avoid the toll booth in Hope, NJ.

The Hope Historical Society at 323 High Street

https://www.hopenjhistory.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/6341

The Hope Historical Society was the sponsor of this program and was open the evening of the tour. We got to walk inside and look at old pictures of the town, old maps and artifacts that have been donated over the years by local residents that are part of the history of the town. The small one room building also houses vintage furniture and household and dress items. Please look at my blog at VisitingaMuseum.com above.

Looking down the street from Downtown Hope, NJ to the Inn at Millrace Pond where the Festival of Trees was located.

The house on High Street where we heard about Moravian Christmas traditions

Costumed characters sat on the porch that evening and reminisced about life at the turn of the last century as they prepared for the Christmas holidays. They talked about the hours needed to prepare the decorations and food for the legions of relatives and friends that would be visiting.

It was more spectacular at dusk when it was lit for Christmas

The First Hope Bank and Moravian homes that are now private residences

The bank was called the Gemeinhaus, which was the church/community center of the village. It was built in 1781. The house next door which is part of the bank is the Caleb Swayze House that was built in 1832.

Moravian Residences by the bank

The Caleb Swayze is the house towards the right and it was built in 1832. It is now part of the bank.

The homes and the current bank at dusk lit for Christmas

The Toy Chest Toy Store at 335 High Street a former Moravian home

The inside of this fun store

https://www.facebook.com/thehopetoychest/

I have been to the Toy Chest Toy Store many times on my journey to Hope, NJ and it has the most amazing selection of toys, games and collectibles in the area.

Moravian home where the Manger program was performed and after it was over, we visited many local homes of prominent residents from the area. To end the tour, we visited the back of someone’s garage where there was a live nativity scene performed that evening with actors reading from the Bible.

The live Nativity performance

This interesting little barn/garage is across from the church and I thought looked quite festive

St. John’s Methodist Church at 354 High Street and the former Moravian Church where the Candlelight services were held. The service is posted on their Facebook page below.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Methodist-Church/St-Johns-United-Methodist-Church-1406394686297265/

I attended the Candlelight Christmas services at St. John’s Methodist Church which had once served as the Moravian Church and the service was followed as it would have been at the turn of the last century.

The inside of the church during the holidays

The Christmas tree at the church

The visiting priest had once been head of the church here and gave a very inspirational talk on the holidays that was followed by the lights being dimmed and caroling by candlelight which gave the whole church an interesting glow (you can see the whole service on the church’s Facebook page attached).

The start of the Candlelight ceremony at the church

The downtown lit up for the holidays

Afterwards I took one last walk around Hope to admire all the lights and decorations. After a quick slice of pizza at Hope Pizzeria at 435 Hope Blairstown Road, I was on my way home through the darkness. It really does get dark on these back roads until you hit Route 80. The little pizzeria is tucked into a small strip mall on the side of the road and has great pizza. It really was a festive and interesting evening.

Hope Pizza and Catering at 435 Hope Blairstown Road

https://www.hopepizzeria.com/

https://www.facebook.com/hopepizzeria/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46518-d19270906-Reviews-Hope_Pizzeria_Catering-Hope_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The pizza was really good here.

For my Christmas present to myself every year, I go to Carnegie Hall for the NY Pops Christmas Concert but it ended up being on the night of my final exam and there was no way to cancel it, so I had to miss it again this year (COVID cancelled it last year).

When I visited the City the Sunday before for the “Shark” exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History, I walked back to Port Authority through Lincoln Center and I wanted to see what was going on this Holiday season and I saw that Kristin Chenoweth was performing a one woman show to promote her new Christmas album that Monday night. I was on the Internet that night to see if there were tickets left for the show.

The “Shark” exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History at Central Park West at 79th Street

https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/sharks

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d210108-Reviews-American_Museum_of_Natural_History-New_York_City_New_York.html

The next night I had tickets in hand and off I went to Lincoln Center which I had not been to in two years since I had seen “Whipped Cream” in December of 2019 for the holidays. It was so nice be dressed up and going to the Met again. The theater was packed with people with the same idea. The City was ablaze with Christmas colors and lights.

Lincoln Center in all its glory at Lincoln Center Plaza

http://www.lincolncenter.org/

What a concert! Talk about being in sync with the holidays and just what the doctor ordered after a long semester. I needed a good concert and this really put me into the holiday spirit. Ms. Chenoweth was really in great spirits that night and brought the house down with these two songs from her album plus playing from Broadway shows and the Great American Songbook. It was a great Christmas concert and I left humming down Eighth Avenue.

This song opened the show at the Metropolitan Opera House on December 13th, 2021

https://www.metopera.org/season/2021-22-gala/kristin-chenoweth-christmas-at-the-met/

This song brought down the house!

I was starved when I left for the theater since I was in a rush to get into the City that afternoon with enough time to make the concert and still grade quizzes that were coming in from my online class at the Cornell Club.

I had a sudden craving for Linguini in White Clam Sauce so off I went to Amore Pizza Cafe at 370 West 58th Street which I had visited over the summer. I ordered their Linguini in White Clam sauce which ended up being a piping hot almost pound of pasta with a quarter pound of clams on top ($10.95) with a Coke. Talk about excellent and the perfect dinner on a cool night. The sauce was so flavorful and the clams were so sweet and fresh. I ate contently and the manager was so happy when I told her the food was excellent. Talk about an end to a wonderful evening.

The Linguini with White Clam Sauce was just superb that night at Amore Pizza Cafe

https://amorepizzacafe.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d23336838-Reviews-Amore_Pizza-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

For the rest of the week, I had visited the Met and the Museum of the City of New York for private events and while seeing the new “Shark” exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History, I went to see the “Origami Tree”, that has been a staple of the museum for years. All of these events really put me in the Christmas spirit and put the ghosts of last Christmas behind me. It was not too last.

The Origami Tree at the American Museum of Natural History

I wanted to visit the Hudson River Valley again before the holiday season was over and I saw on the Dutchess County Tourism site that Mount Gulian, a mansion near Beacon, NY was being decorated for the holidays and December 15th was the first day it would be open for touring.

I grabbed my aunt and we decided to spend the day visiting decorated homes and towns for the Christmas season. Our first stop was Beacon, NY to visit some of the stores on my website, LittleShoponMainStreet@wordpress.com, Colorant and Flora a Good Time both located in the downtown area and then off to Mount Gulian, a decorated mansion up Route 9.

Downtown Beacon, NY at Christmas

Mount Gulian was the home of the Verplanck’s for generations, the original house burned to the ground in 1938 and this house is a replica of the original sitting on the original home’s foundation. The house is decorated in many of the Verplanck’s family heirlooms donated by branches of the family over the years.

The main rooms on the first floor of the home including the former living room, dining room, sitting room and library were all decorated for the Victorian Christmas holidays. The hallways and doorways were also adorned with garland and bows and lights giving a festive and warm appearance to the house.

The tour took about an hour (see my blog on VisitingaMuseum.com) and the history of the house was discussed at various times and how family members called it home. Our tour guide also gave us interesting facts on the family and their connection with the house today. It is so nice to hear that various members of the Verplanck’s family still take an interest in the home.

Mount Gulian at 145 Sterling Place in Beacon, NY

https://www.facebook.com/mountgulian/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47291-d10701912-Reviews-Mount_Gulian_Society-Beacon_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/4103

Mount Gulian decorated in the foyer

The Staircase decorated for the holidays

Mount Gulian’s Dining Room decorated for Christmas Dinner

The sitting room at Mount Gulian

The Library decorated for the holidays

After the tour was over, the tour guide invited us to enjoy refreshments of hot cider and home baked goodies. Since there were only three of us on our tour, it gave us a chance to discuss the history of the families in the Hudson River Valley, the status of these famous homes and the future of historic sites of the region. It was really an engaging and interesting afternoon and the tour guide could not have been nicer. The whole event really represented what the Christmas experience is in the Hudson River Valley.

Between the Sinterklaas Parade in the beginning of the month, visiting the decorated homes of the region and walking the festive downtowns of the area giving them a “Currier & Ives” look about them. Dutchess, Ulster, Greene and Columbia counties really know how to convey the holiday spirit.

Downtown Rhinebeck, NY at Christmas

Our next stop was visiting Rhinebeck, NY which we arrived before dusk. The town was just lighting the trees and all the storefront windows were beautifully decorated for the holidays as they were on the night of the Sinterklaas Parade. The only town I know that can compete with Rhinebeck for the title of ‘Christmas Village’ is Cape May, NJ.

Rhinebeck has a magical look at nightfall

Samuel’s Sweet Shop at 42 East Market Street gets into that spirit every year

I love the way they merchandise the store for the holidays and their prices are very fair on their candies and desserts. You have to try their doughnuts.

The delicious candies and baked goods at Samuel’s Sweet Shop

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48486-d3641613-Reviews-Samuel_s-Rhinebeck_New_York.html?m=19905

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/187

Our next stop after leaving Rhinebeck was downtown Red Hook, NY which to me represents the best in small towns in the Hudson River Valley with excellent reasonable restaurants, creative store owners and a blend of old and new in architecture. Plus, everyone is so friendly when you shop and dine there.

Downtown Red Hook, NY at Christmas

I have written about my many trips to Red Hook in my blog “MywalkinManhattan.com” and discussed visiting the downtown and its proprietors.

Exploring Red Hook, NY:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/14144

The Red Hook town Christmas tree is such a great addition to the downtown and it more amazing at night as is the rest of the town when it is lit. When it gets dark in town, Red Hook gets that classic Americana feel to it.

Downtown Red Hook’s Christmas Tree

Downtown Red Hook, NY at dusk is so beautiful

After the walk around Red Hook (most of the stores closed early that night), my aunt and I crossed the Kingston Bridge and visited the ‘Stockade District”, the historical and shopping district of Downtown Kingston, to see how the town prepared itself for the holidays. It really was beautiful even with the light rain.

Downtown Kingston, NY at Christmas

The businesses had garland and beautiful white lights adorning them and the windows were very festive as in the other towns. Large snowflakes decorated the main streets which were lit brilliantly.

Downtown Kingston, NY Christmas tree

The Kingston, NY Christmas tree is right in the middle of the downtown shopping district and gives off such a holiday vibe. It is also so beautifully decorated. It really brightens up this stretch of the street.

Our last stop that evening was visiting Woodstock, NY, where I had spent three wonderful Christmases and is a place that I highly recommend spending the holidays. The Christmas Parade every year is so festive and well organized. The town is also so nicely decorated for Christmas and the square always has the most unconventional Christmas tree. They are usually oddly shaped and decorated and that’s their charm.

By the time we got to town that evening, all the stores were closed for the night and we dined for our early Christmas dinner at Shindig at 1 Tinker Street.

The love the Christmas tree in Downtown Woodstock, NY. It always looks so unusual.

Downtown Woodstock, NY square and Christmas tree

My visits to Woodstock, NY during Christmas meant a lot to me and I always loved going to the town’s Christmas Parade on Christmas Eve night. Santa always makes such interesting entrances.

Christmas in Woodstock in 2015:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/662

Christmas in Woodstock in 2016:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/3408

Shindig has the best hamburgers and some of the most delicious mac & cheese. Talk about great comfort food on a cool misty night in the Catskills. We were the last customers to dine there that night, so they did not rush us as they were cleaning up for the night. Don’t miss their Cowboy burger. I highly recommend it.

Shindig at 1 Tinker Street in Woodstock, NY (Closed June 2022)

http://www.woodstockshindig.com/

https://www.facebook.com/shindigwoodstock/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48915-d7376319-Reviews-Shindig-Woodstock_Catskill_Region_New_York.html?m=19905

The burgers are wonderful

We had such a wonderful time visiting all the towns with their Christmas decorations and beautiful window displays. The Hudson River Valley is a wonderful place to get into the Christmas spirit. Who knew with all this Christmas cheer that all hell would break loose two days later.

Thank God I did all these events when I did because by Friday, December 17th, the night of my final exam, there was panic all over the country with the spread of a new variant of COVID, Omicron. All of a sudden, this new variant from South Africa started to move like wildfire all over the country and New York City was inundated by it.

I had to stay home all weekend and grade final exams because grades had to be posted by Tuesday. All I heard on the Internet and on TV was the rapid spread and the almost panic mode that everyone went into. I hauled up in the house and concentrated on school and getting the students emailed with their grades so that they could relax and enjoy their Christmas break.

I posted all my grades by Monday night and had to drop off all the paperwork on Tuesday at the college. I was just glad that they had not cancelled classes on Friday night when I was giving my exam. That would have been too much on me scrambling to get the exams done. Since I was the only one teaching on a Friday night, I was hoping they just forgot about me and the class would just happen which it did. Thank God!

Tuesday afternoon, we had a sparsely attended Faculty Party which I thought was very nice considering what was going on all over the country. We kept our masks on while we were walking around the room and enjoyed a lot of finger foods made by our Culinary Department and soft drinks. It was nice to just talk to people through our masks and catch up with people I had not seen all semester.

On the Sunday, December 19th, the Sunday before Christmas, the Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department held its Annual “Santa Around Town”, one of the highlights of the holiday season for both the town and the department. Last year because of COVID rules, we could only drive down each street slowly waving at residents.

This year we were able to go back to making stops and greeting each resident and taking pictures with children and their families. Even a family dog decked out in its Christmas jacket joined in the fun. It was nice to see people outside and engaging with their neighbors.

The Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department’s ‘Annual Santa Around Town’

The Hasbrouck Heights Fire Department’s “Santa Around Town” 2021

By Monday, December 20th, it seemed that the whole country was going crazy with the new COVID variant. Flights were being cancelled, people were putting get togethers on hold and families were abandoning their plans for the holidays. Our family seemed fine until one by one, things kept happening the whole week and everything was derailed by Christmas Eve.

First my brother’s flight was cancelled and he could not get another flight until late Christmas Day so he nixed coming to Delaware for Christmas. Then a family member got sick so my mother cancelled all Christmas plans including our family dinner. She did not want anyone at the house who was not vaccinated. This derailed the plans even more as family members and friends were not vaccinated so no one was going to visit her house that day.

So when my mother called me to tell me that everything was being cancelled, I immediately looked into going back to Woodstock, NY where I had spent many happy Christmases. These plans were abandoned when my other brother’s flight was fine and he was coming for Christmas and he did not want to spend it alone in Rehoboth Beach.

So, I changed my plans again and booked a room at the Chalfonte Hotel’s Southern Quarters and Thank God was able to book the last room at the resort. The main hotel was closed for the season but the Southern Quarters is the small B & B concept they have next door, which serves guests all throughout the winter months (the main hotel will not reopen until May).

The Chalfonte Hotel at 301 Howard Street

https://www.chalfonte.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g46341-d79381-Reviews-The_Chalfonte_Hotel-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

This was the weird part about the eve before Christmas Eve, it snowed overnight which it was not in the forecast and it looked like we would have a white Christmas. Since it was supposed to rain all day on Christmas, I looked at the weather and thought ‘great having to walk around with wet weather on Christmas’ but like the rest of the holiday season, Christmas Day brought its own surprises. After paying my respects at the cemeteries, it was off to Cape May to start the holidays.

My Christmas Eve was spent as it had three years earlier, going to dinner at the Boiler Room at The Congress Hotel for dinner. I love their coal-burning oven pizzas and their fresh salads. The dinner was really amazing and the restaurant was pretty busy all things considered. I guess some people were not going to be spooked by everything going on around us, myself included. I figured I was fully vaccinated and if I wore my mask every place, I needed to I would be fine.

The Boiler Room Pizzeria at The Congress Hotel in Cape May, NJ at 200 Congress Place

https://www.caperesorts.com/congress-hall/boiler-room

https://www.facebook.com/boileroom/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46341-d10289837-Reviews-Boiler_Room-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

I had the most wonderful dinner. I started with a Mixed Green salad with Balsamic dressing and chopped strawberries which had the most complex flavor with the sweetness of the strawberries playing off the Balsamic vinegar. The greens were so fresh that they crunched when I bit into them.

The Mixed Greens were so fresh and crisp

For the entree, I had the Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza with fresh mozzarella. Talk about a crisp pizza and the sauce could not have been more delicious with the fresh tomatoes and olive oil.

The Prosciutto Arugula Pizza at the Boiler Room

(sorry the pictures have such a strange light but that is the dining room)

After dinner was over, I walked all over The Congress Hotel which is always so beautifully decorated for the Christmas holidays. The halls are lined with white lights and garlands and a fire roaring in the fireplace in the main hall. Outside on the lawn, there a colorfully decorated tree and decorated tables with pool heaters for people to sit under.

Congress Hall Hotel Lobby decorated for Christmas

Seeing the casual and engaging conversations the other guests were having you would have never known that there was a major outbreak going on. Most people walking around the hotel were not even wearing masks.

The Congress Hall Hotel at Christmas

https://www.caperesorts.com/congress-hall

https://www.facebook.com/congresshall/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g46341-d92337-Reviews-Congress_Hall-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

After walking through the grounds and through all the gift shops to see what was for sale (their gift shops are really nice and they have an interesting bakery), I walked the Washington Mall which serves as the Cape May downtown. All the stores were closed by this point but I got to admire all the beautiful window displays and the white lights adorning the trees. The only town that can rival Cape May at Christmas is Rhinebeck, NY. Both have that Christmas feel to them.

The Gazebo in Downtown Cape May

After my walk around Downtown Cape May, I went to 9:00pm Christmas Eve mass at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Downtown Cape May at 525 Washington Street. I needed some spiritual guidance at this time of the year as well as the rest of the congregation did as well. What really surprise me again was that 95% of the parishioners did not wear masks. I guess people in Cape May thought they were away from the danger (I wore mine through the whole service, hey you never know).

Our Lady Star of the Sea Church at 525 Washington Street in Cape May, NJ

http://ladystarofthesea.org/

My TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46341-d16846237-Reviews-Our_Lady_Star_of_the_Sea_Church-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html

It was a beautiful service with the choir singing and a very inspirational Christmas talk from the priest. The service could not have been more perfect and the church was so beautifully decorated with Christmas trees with white lights and poinsettias all over the place. Very secular but still in the spirit of the holidays.

Christmas services at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church

The next morning, I had to be on the Cape May ferry at 10:15am and there was literally nothing open for breakfast without going to one of the hotels and there was no time for that. There was no food service at the ferry and the woman at the ferry was unsure if food was going to be available on the boat (it was we both found out later), so I left the ferry and had to go to the local WaWa around the corner at 3719 Bayshore Road.

If there was ever a meeting place on Christmas Day that everyone congregated at it was the local Wawa. The place was mobbed with people socializing with one another and wishing everyone else a Merry Christmas. You would have thought I was at City Hall or a Town Square. Everyone knew everyone else in the store and they were all ordering their breakfasts, getting coffee or their takeout orders or filling up on gas for a trip somewhere. I felt like I was in Mayberry.

https://www.mystore411.com/store/view/24532701/Wawa-Convience-Store-North-Cape-May

My review on TripAdvisor:

Wawa really does have a good breakfast!

The surprising part was I ordered a Bacon, Egg and Cheese omelet on a fresh hoagie and it was really good! I was amazed. The All-Berry Smoothie that I ordered with it was also terrific. I was blown away on my Christmas breakfast which I ate on the back of my car since there was no place to sit down.

After breakfast, I noticed the gloomy morning was starting to clear up and by the time the ferry left Cape May for Lewes, DE, it was becoming sunny and bright. When we got to Lewis by noon, it was sunny, clear and going up into the 60’s. It ended up being 65 degrees and sunny the whole day. God answered my prayers for a warm Christmas!

By the time I got off the ferry at noon in Lewes, De, it was a bright sunny and warm day. This is when the forecasters predicted rain all day. The entire afternoon was in the high 60’s, sunny and clear. It was the perfect day to be at the shore.

After dropping some presents off at my mom’s and wishing her a Merry Christmas, my brother, niece, my brother’s girlfriend and I went to Dos Locos in Downtown Rehoboth Beach for Christmas lunch. Unusual choice but it was the only place open. I had the most delicious Shrimp Quesadilla for lunch and that was more than enough after the big breakfast I had two hours earlier.

Dos Locos at 208 Rehoboth Avenue

https://www.doslocos.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Restaurant/DOS-LOCOS-78133849014/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g34048-d396081-Reviews-Dos_Locos-Rehoboth_Beach_Delaware.html?m=19905

Dinner was wonderful that afternoon

Before we left the restaurant, we took a memorable group shot in front of their Christmas tree. As we were leaving, I was amazed by how many people had the same idea we had and the restaurant really started to fill up.

My family at Dos Locos for our Christmas Dinner

To work off lunch (and my earlier breakfast), we walked all over the boardwalk that afternoon. Being such a nice day, again everyone had the same idea and we were wishing other families a “Merry Christmas” as they walked on the beach and walked their dogs around the downtown area. It was also ideal to go window shopping. By 3:30pm, it had reached almost 67 degrees and we walked along the beach and watched as one brave soul took a Christmas swim in the ocean. I know it was warm but it was not that warm outside.

My family by Santa’s House on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk

We took a lot of family shots around the Rehoboth beach Christmas Tree and at Santa’s House. He had left for the North Pole, so he was not around at this point. Still, everyone on the boardwalk was taking pictures by the tree.

My brother and I by the Christmas tree in Downtown Rehoboth

My brother and I in the bandstand in Downtown Rehoboth Beach

Me at the holiday displays in the Bandstand in Rehoboth Beach

The Manger at the bandstand in Rehoboth Beach with Santa’s House in the background

It started to get dark by 5:45pm at that point (the days are starting to get longer) and we headed back to my brother’s hotel as they prepared for dinner and I had to head back to the ferry to go back to Cape May.

I was surprised on how well Christmas had turned out. For a day that started off as the original ‘Clusterfuck’, it is amazing how plans change and the day can still turn out to be pretty good. I got on the 7:45pm ferry back to Cape May and we were in by 9:00pm. Again, not much was open on Christmas Day for dinner and I refused to have dinner at WaWa.

When I got back into town, the only two restaurants were the Chinese restaurant in the mall but they were closing for the night. So, I went to the Ugly Mug at 426 Washington Street in the Washington Mall for a snack. It was the only place open besides going back to Congress Hall.

The Ugly Mug at 426 Washington Street

https://www.facebook.com/uglymugcm/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46341-d393818-Reviews-Ugly_Mug-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Talk about crowded for a Christmas night! All the locals either had tired from their families, tourists need to get out of their hotels or people had just gotten off their shifts from work, people lined the bar having a good time eating, drinking and laughing. The Christmas games were going on and the bar was in full swing.

The inside of the Ugly Mug

With only five minutes left to order, the manager of the restaurant who was eating right next to me was eating a cheesesteak and highly recommended it. So, it was a cheesesteak and a Coke for me on Christmas night. It was nice to sit back and talk with the other patrons and bartenders in a relaxed environment.

The Cheesesteaks at The Ugly Mug are fantastic. Just like Philly!

The cheesesteak was so good

I spent the rest of Christmas night walking along the shore, listening to the waves hoping to get a glimpse of Santa on his way back to the North Pole. For the craziest Christmas Day with twists and turns, it ended up being a really great day. Not at all what we had planned but sometimes things work out for a reason. I ended up getting the best night’s sleep.

The day after Christmas my plans changed when a friend of mine who came into town changed the plans again and I decided to go to the theater at the Cape May Stage at 405 Layfette Street. I saw the final show of the season “Adopt a Sailor: The Holiday Edition”, which was performed by the Theater Director and his wife who are professional actors.

The Cape May Stage: Adopt a Sailor: The Holiday Edition

https://capemaystage.showare.com/

https://www.facebook.com/CapeMayStage/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46341-d1582818-Reviews-Cape_May_Stage_Professional_Equity_Theater-Cape_May_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html

It was a clever story about a Manhattan couple that ‘adopt’ a sailor from the deep south for Christmas Eve. I thought it was a bit predictable with the stereotype of the uptight Upper West Side couple and the ‘naive’ sailor from the South but it ended up being a very bittersweet story about the couple looking within on their own relationship with this sailor shipping out on Christmas to a dangerous part of the world. It made them think about how small their own problems were and what Christmas was all about.

After the show was over, I decided to spend my last night in Cape May watching the sunset at Sunset Beach in West Cape May at 502 Sunset Boulevard. If you ever want to see the most spectacular sunset in the world and I have literally seen them all over the world, this is the most fantastic location to see the sunset over the Delaware Bay.

I stayed until after 5:00pm to watch the sun dip below the bay in most spectacular fashion. It really does amaze the way it slowly disappears into the bay and then the whole sky is a brilliant variety of colors. People were literally applauding the sun setting. I left Cape May for home after this.

You have to see the sun set at Sunset Beach at least once

https://www.facebook.com/SunsetbeachNJ/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g3948623-d103992-Reviews-Sunset_Beach-Lower_Township_Cape_May_County_New_Jersey.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/2705

The video of the sunsets are amazing

In the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I spent the night in the City before the Ball dropped museum hopping between the Met and the MoMA trying to see the current exhibitions before they closed and taking the long ride up to Inwood to see the Cloisters decorated for Christmas and the current exhibition “Spain: 1000-1200” and taking a second look at the Christmas decorations all over the City.

The Cloisters at Christmas time

https://www.metmuseum.org/visit/plan-your-visit/met-cloisters

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60763-d106609-Reviews-The_Met_Cloisters-New_York_City_New_York.html

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/680

I wanted to explore the neighborhood for changes since COVID and my last trip to the area since the summer, so I walked from The Cloisters to West 155th stopping for lunch and visiting stores and bakeries that I had written about in the past.

I stopped for lunch at the New Golden Star Chinese Restaurant at 4247 Broadway, a restaurant that I had passed many times on my walks down Broadway and had wanted to try. The food is excellent and the service could not have been nicer. I had a Chicken with Broccoli ($11.95) with Hot & Sour Soup and an eggroll.

New Golden Star Chinese Restaurant at 4247 Broadway

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Chinese-Restaurant/New-Golden-Star-103332598081909/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d10926156-Reviews-Golden_Star-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

The Chicken with Broccoli was delicious and the sauce with a combination of Hunan and Soy really made the dish. The Hot & Sour Soup was one of the best I have had recently. The chili peppers added some kick to the soup and it was loaded with vegetables and sliced pork. The service could not have been nicer.

The Chicken with Broccoli was excellent

After lunch, I continued my walk down Broadway. I had originally planned had planned to go the Met on Fifth Avenue but it was too late for that and then I decided to walk down Broadway but by the time I got to West 155th Street near the cemetery I was pooped. I needed something sweet, so I stopped at one of my favorite bakeries uptown Five Star Estrella Bakery at 3861 Broadway for a snack.

Five Star Estrella Bakery at 3861 Broadway

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60763-d4416394-Reviews-5_Estrella_Bakery-New_York_City_New_York.html?m=19905

I had the most amazing Vanilla and Strawberry Iced Doughnut ($2.00) and between the sweet thick icing on top and the rich dough, every bite was heaven. I was reenergized but my feet were beginning to kill me. I stopped at Ilka Tanya Payan Park and sat down to finish my doughnut and relax.

I just admired the Christmas tree in the park for a bit before taking the subway back to midtown. I never knew that the park was named after the actress and activist, Ilka Tanya Payan. I thought it was nice of community to set such a beautiful tree up for the holidays and it was nicely decorated. I was finished for the day.

Ilka Tanya Payan Park at Edward Morgan Place & Broadway

https://www.nycgovparks.org/news/media-advisories?id=13217

Actress and Activist Ilka Tanya Payan

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilka_Tanya_Pay%C3%A1n

New Year’s Eve this year was a quiet evening at home watching the ball drop on TV. There was no way I was going back to the City with those crowds in that cold. Thank God that 2021 is now over and hopefully better days ahead!

This was not the Christmas I planned but things took so many twists and turns that I just went with the flow. This is why I am fully vaccinated. Life needs to go on as normal in these unnormal times.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

My three favorite Christmas songs: These are the songs that I wait to hear on the radio.

The Ronette’s: Sleigh Ride:

Ray Parker Jr.: Christmas Time is Here

The Waitresses: Christmas Wrapping

I also thought these Christmas songs in Chinese were interesting when I found them on YouTube:

I find it intriguing how other countries see Christmas and interpret it.

Hope Historical Society 323 High Street Hope, NJ 07844

Don’t miss the Christmas weekend sponsored by the Hope Historical Society.

The Hope Historical Society’s Christmas Event and Tour

The Hope NJ Historical Society

jwatrel's avatarVisiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical

Hope Historical Society

323 High Street

Hope, NJ 07844

No Phone Number-Please email via their website.

https://www.hopenjhistory.com/

Open: Sundays 1:00pm-3:00pm from June to October: Please check website for times

My review on TripAdvisor:

Hope Historical Society at 323 High Street

I recently went on a Lantern Tour of Hope, NJ’s downtown district for the Christmas holiday season visiting this once Moravian founded town. The evening was an interesting tour of the history of this small town near the Delaware Water Gap with visits to historical homes of the residents of the town and the manufacturing hub.

The Hope Annual Moravian Christmas Lantern tour

We toured the historic downtown district that was ablaze with lights and garland learning about the residential and commercial district and the role it played in the development of the town. We toured the former Grist Mill, Cannery, Distillery, homes and former barns and churches and given…

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Day Fifty-Eight: Touring the Route 46 Corridor from Budd Lake to the Delaware Water Gap in New Jersey’s Fall and Summer Season-A Local Journey November 6th, 2016 (Again November 11th, 2021, August 20th, 2023, October 13th, 2023 and August 10th, November 3rd and 9th, 2024 and April 20th and October 21st, 2025)

As the leaves started to change colors and wanting to see the foliage around the state before all the leaves fall (they have since), I decided to revisit a place that I was exploring over the summer.

In 2021, a series of storms have knocked the foliage off the trees earlier than before so I got to see what was left before everything falls off the trees this week. In the summer of 2023, everything was in full bloom and sunny and warm. It is amazing how beautiful the area looks in the summer months.

Budd Lake in the summer of 2023

Budd Lake in the Fall of 2025

As I have said in previous blogs, I have never really gotten to know my own state and I was born and raised in New Jersey. I have wanted to see some of the far corners of the state and explore the back highways and roads and see some of the parks, beaches and historical sites that I have only read about but never visited (this has been very helpful in my blog “VisitingaMuseum.com).

Driving around Budd Lake on Shore Drive

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The driving around Budd Lake in the Fall of 2025

Along the way, I have visited many beautiful parts of the state and formed my own opinion of the ‘Garden State’. There is much more to see of the state than what is on the opening of ‘The Soprano’s” and the description of the state in most TV sitcoms.

Driving around Budd Lake on Shore Drive

I made the trip to Budd Lake and the surrounding areas are off Route 80 and in a section of the state near the Delaware Water Gap, a scenic section of the Delaware River surrounding a mountain pass. During the summer, it is lush with trees but in the fall is when it shows its true beauty. The leaves change colors at different times due to the species of tree. The effect is trees at various hues of green, yellow, gold and red at different points during the months of September, October and early November. By the second week of November, the show is over for New Jersey as the leaves have fallen.

Driving around Shore Drive on Budd Lake

In 2016, I had never explored Budd Lake before and took a sunny, warm November afternoon after I had finished everything I needed to do at the house and took a road trip to the area. This is a section off the highway that most people do not venture unless they really want to see this section of the state or live or work here.

In 2021, the day was rather gloomy but still it was a nice day to get out of the house and explore the area in more detail. I missed not coming out here in all these years. On the trip to the area again in the summer of 2023, it was sunny, warm and clear, the perfect day to visit the lake and the surrounding farms.

In 2025, I had not noticed how fast the foliage had changed and I wanted to replace a lot of pictures where the foliage was not full. So I started the trip at 10:00am and made my first stop the Delaware Water Gap and then worked my way back down Route 46 East to Budd Lake and stopped at a lot of farms along the way. The whole trip was much nicer with all the colors on the trees.

Budd Lake is small but breathtaking in the summer of 2023

https://www.mountolivetwpnj.org/parks-buildings-grounds/pages/budd-lake-beach-park

The road that lines the lake, Sand Shore Road, only takes you to a portion of the lake front, which is lined with beautiful homes and spectacular views. A lot of the homes reminded me of former summer homes that had been winterized while others were new and much more elaborate reflected the money that is moving into the area.

Since COVID and my first visit in 2020, I can see that many of these homes had been through a renovation since the last time I travelled out here. Still when I drove down the road, I felt like I was taking a step back into the 1970’s. It was a just the feel of the homes that I passed.

The view of Budd Lake from the pier.

It was a sunny day that reflected off the lake, which looks more like a catch bastion than a true lake. There were not the boat slips or yacht clubs that normally would line a lake but still there were some smaller boats lining the shoreline. There were small parks with views of the lake and as you entered the Budd Lake State Wildlife Management Area and Bog, the road moved away from the lake and it was mostly homes and woods and not much more to see unless you went into the park. Upon exiting, you are back on Route 46 West.

Budd Lake in the Summer of 2024

The Lake in the Fall of 2025

In 2021, I drove off Sand Shore Road and travelled down the back roads closer to the lake and drove past houses closer to the other shore line and even discovered an independent theater, the Pax Amicus Theater at 23 Lake Shore Road, that was performing that afternoon. You have to travel down Pine Grove Road and Manor House Road on the other side of the lake to see the beauty of the area and views of the lake.

The sun shining on the lake in the Fall of 2025

Route 46 West (I live off Route 46 East) is the highway that time forgot. It goes through many small towns being the main artery of the state until Route 80 was built many years later. It takes you through quaint small towns that had once seen better days but were improving in post COVID times or long stretches of woods.

Driving along the lake in the Fall months

The beauty of Budd Lake in the Fall of 2025

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The sun blazing in the Fall of 2025

The sun simmering on the lake at Budd Lake

Looking across the lake in the Fall of 2024

You have to get to places like Budd Lake when the foliage is at its peak to appreciate it. In 2025, I lucked out and had the day off before a major storm was going to hit and I knew that would knock the foliage down. It had been so dry for the last several months, it really did affect the trees.

The first time I visited Budd Lake in 2016 and then again in 2024, I ate at a terrific pizzeria named Enzo’s Ristorante & Pizza at 382 Route 46 West, which I highly recommend (see review on TripAdvisor). The pizza there amazing and the service is excellent. They are very friendly and the pizza is just wonderful. Their sauce is full of flavor and is cooked perfectly. They also have a nice lunch dinner menu. I passed it on this trip unfortunately wanting to try another place.

Enzo’s Ristorante & Pizza at 382 Route 46 West

https://www.enzospizzabuddlake.com/

Since my visit in 2016, the restaurant has grown three fold and now takes up three full parts of the strip mall it is located in. The pizza was fantastic.

The Cheese Pizza is delicious.

In 2021, I had spent my morning at the Knights of Columbus in Lodi, NJ monthly All you can Eat breakfast so I was hardly hungry. They had a buffet of pancakes, French Toast, Bacon, Sausage, Hash Brown Potatoes, Fresh rolls with butter and coffee, tea and juice that you could load up on. I personally love breakfast so I went back several times. Needless to say, I was not hungry for most of the road trip. So, by the time I got to Budd Lake that morning, food was the last thing on my mind.  I had wanted to try the Budd Lake Diner 120 West Route 46 but that will be for another time.

In 2023, I got to try Budd Lake Diner for breakfast when I was hungry for another meal.

The Budd Lake Diner at 120 West Route 46

https://www.facebook.com/BuddLakeDiner/

The food at the diner is really good and the service is excellent. It is a typical New Jersey diner with the long booths and the extensive menu. The service was excellent and very friendly.

The inside of the Budd Lake Diner

I ordered and ate my second breakfast of the day. I had the French Toast platter with scrambled eggs and sausage patties. The portion size was really big and the meal was delicious ( see my review on TripAdvisor). The prices were also very fair in comparison to its Bergen County counterparts.

The French Toast platter with scrambled eggs and sausage patties at the Budd Lake Diner.

When breakfast was over, I toured around the lake and took pictures from all angles. It was nice to see the lake finally with some activity around it. People were sitting on the beach and boating in the lake. As I toured Shore Drive that surrounds part of the lake, I could see the numerous signs asking people to stay off their property. Shore Drive only follows the lake for a short distance and then veers off and the rest of the lake is surrounded by parkland.

Exploring the edges of Budd Lake

After my tour up the lake, I doubled back to a small shore line on Budd Lake off Route 46 East and stopped and sat on a bench and just watched the day develop in the afternoon. It was something to just relax and look at the colors of the trees surrounding the lake. In the summer, this little park was filled with sun-bathers finishing their day but today I had it all to myself along with the birds who were looking for a handout. I could not believe that seagulls were in shore this far. In the summer of 2023, there were a few people sunbathing in the early morning not paying much attention to me taking pictures.

The small beach at Bud Lake

Before I left Budd Lake I stopped at RH Farm stand, a small farmstand at 500 Route 46 West. I would spend most of my day exploring various farmstands along to way to see the selection and prices of the items. For the most part, everyone was charging New York City farmers market prices for produce. Some stand were charging $6.99 a pound for peaches and $12.00 for a small pie. I guess many of these people were hoping people from Manhattan were coming out for the day. I did find some decent prices but for the most part most of the stands were pretty expensive.

The entrance of RH Farms

RH Farm Farm Stand at 500 Route 46 West

https://www.facebook.com/serendipity665/

https://rhfarmsllc.wixsite.com/rhfarmsllc

My review on TripAdvisor:

This picturesque little farm stand has been in business since 2012 (I would have thought much longer) and offers an array of produce, gourmet products and flowers. I just thought it looked really nice. The prices are a little high though. Still quality does have a price tag to it.

The entrance of RH Farm Stand

The inside of RH Farms Farm Stand

The inside of RH Farms

The beautiful flower arrangement at RH Farms

The peaches and produce at RH Farms

4th of July display in Summer of 2024

4th of July display in the Summer of 2024. Uncle Sam looks on

Christmas display in the Summer of 2024

The plant display in the Summer of 2024

Their little cat welcome me with a couple of charming rubs to my legs

Visiting the farm in October of 2025

The sign welcoming you to the farm

I was out exploring the Route 46 corridor several years ago from Budd Lake to the Delaware Water Gap and I visited a series of small farm stands along the way. RH Farm at 590 US 46 was one of the standouts that I visited .

It was not just the selection of fresh produce I saw on each of my visits in both in the Spring and Fall, but it was the selection of the variety of goods there was to purchase and the way they were displayed.

There was also a nice selection of freshly baked goods, arts and crafts items and plants and flowers all beautifully displayed like a boutique.

The inside of the farm

The selection of pumpkins in the Fall

I love the way they decorate the farm for each holiday. They decorated not just the selling space but other parts of the farm as well like the grounds and the barn area.

The display of holiday crafts and pumpkins

The holiday display of pumpkins and flowers

The Halloween decorations

I continued down Route 46 West and made a stop in the historical town of Hackettstown, the home of M & M/Mars. You would never know this was a corporate town of anything as the downtown seemed somewhat depressed in 2016. A lot of the stores were empty or filled with some not great shops. This all changed when I visited in 2023.

Downtown Hackettstown NJ in 2023

The statue of the Minuteman greets you as you enter Hackettstown, NJ.

The sign welcoming you to Hackettstown, NJ studded with M & M’s.

In 2021, Downtown Hackettstown had changed a lot. Most of the buildings in the downtown had been renovated and there were lots of new restaurants and shops. There were new design stores, consignment shops, innovative restaurants that were not the cheap and several new antique shops. I guess the New Yorkers in their quest to leave the City discovered Hackettstown as well and started to renovate the town. Many of the Victorian structures in the downtown area as well as the homes on the outskirts of the town have been fixed up and brought back to their glory.

David’s Restaurant at the start of Downtown Hackettstown

Home

The Old Burial Ground downtown

The Old Burial Ground in Downtown Hackettstown, NJ.

The cemetery in the Summer of 2024

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=53391

The First Presbyterian Church of Hackettstown at 298 Main Street

http://www.fpchackettstown.org/

When I returned in the Summer of 2023, the whole town seemed to be renovated and so much more vibrant since my last visit two years earlier. Admittingly it was right after everything opened up after COVID, but there was a new feeling here very active and spirited. The whole downtown had changed from the first time I visited back in 2016. The town looked like it came back to life.

The front of the church on a quiet Saturday in 2024

The church in the Fall of 2024

The beauty of the church in the Fall of 2024

There were two terrific places that I found walking around.  One was Tracey’s Candy Shoppe at 210 Main Street (see TripAdvisor review), where the owner’s mother and talked when I walked in. They had set the shop up in one of the older buildings in town and the affect made it look like an old-fashioned shop from the turn of the last century.

Tracey’s Candy Shoppe at 210 Main Street

https://www.facebook.com/Traceys-Candy-Shoppe-1594145357531041/

They had all sorts of candy from the 60’s and 70’s at not such 60’s and 70’s prices. They also had a selection of penny candies that were more than a penny. I found a Charleston Chew, that are still the most amazing candy. More of nougat than a bar.

Tracey’s Candy Shoppe at 210 Main Street

I met the owner’s mother again on my visit this time and she let me sample some of the homemade chocolates that they made inhouse. At $6.00 a quarter pound I have to admit the cinnamon truffle she let me sample was delicious but hardly matched the price. I settled on a small bag of fruit slices ($1.99), which I like much more. I had not had them in years and loved biting into their sugary core.

The homemade chocolates at Tracy’s Candy Shop

The owner’s mother explained how they are trying to bring the downtown back with concerts and farmer’s markets. In its day, it must have been a nice downtown but some of these small towns off the beaten track have been affected by malls and the rerouting of the major highways. Still a classic little place like this, set up to look 1930’s has a place in the books. It had an interesting selection of candies and a very warm, welcoming feel to it and you should visit it when you are in the area.

Tracey’s Candy Shoppe selection is wonderful

Five years later in 2021, it looks like that strategy worked as the downtown is coming back to life. They will be having a traditional tree lighting ceremony and holiday fest the first weekend of December and all sorts of activities during the month of December. It looks like it will keep changing going forward.

Down the block, I found a Colombian bakery, Pan Rico Bakery at 183 Main Street, for a quick snack. They have the best version of an empanada that they serve with a chili hot sauce and for a $1.30 each, they are a steal.

Pan Rico Bakery at 183 Main Street

I ordered one of the beef ones which I ate going back to the car and it was well worth the trip inside as the sauce had some kick to it. It is a good place to stock up on a long road trip.

The bakery selection at Ran Rico Bakery

I continued my trip out of Hackettstown and passed the rest of the downtown and the surrounding neighborhood that had many beautiful Victorian homes that lined the streets as you exited town. It showed the money that once was in this town and the influence it once had in the area. Unfortunately, unless you work for one of the major firms out here it must be a hard place to live.

Downtown Hackettstown, NJ and their stock of Victorian homes.

https://shopdowntown.org/pages/shop-downtown-Hackettstown-New%20Jersey

Downtown Hackettstown in the Summer of 2024

Downtown in the Fall of 2024

Downtown Hackettstown in the Fall of 2024

This is becoming quite the downtown in Central New Jersey

The Historical District of Hackettstown offers a treasure trove in Victorian architecture and you can see that new people are moving in and renovating this neighborhood surrounding downtown. The gingerbread architecture is being touched up and the colors of the homes reflect the care residents are putting into their property.

The historic Wilson House location where George Washington was entertained

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=53386

https://www.hmdb.org/results.asp?Search=Place&?Search=Place&Town=Hackettstown&State=New%20Jersey

The Wilson House plaque

One place I had missed on my previous trips was the Hackettstown Historical Society. The society is at 106 Church Street right off the downtown and is packed with local information on the town and the surrounding area.

The Hackettstown Historical Society at 106 Church Street.

http://www.hackettstownhistory.com/

The welcome sign of the Historical Society

I visited the Hackettstown Historical Society on a recent trip to Downtown Hackettstown and this small historical society is packed with interesting information on the history of the town and the local town of Mansfield, NJ that has more information but they do not have their own building for a society of their own.

The historical information on Mansfield Township, NJ

The other exhibits on the first floor are on the history and clothing of the “Gibson Girl”. It shows how women were progressing in society during the late 1800’s after the Civil War. It shows how women gained more independence after the war years and showed it in their clothing, physical activities and schooling.

The “Gibson Girl” exhibit

The first floor exhibition also had a display on the first Miss America from New Jersey, Bette Cooper, who was Miss Bertram Island. She won the award and then ran away from the award. She never wanted to participate in the Miss America Foundation and because of her, there was a contract put together for future winners to participate in activities for the organizations. The Cooper family resided in Hackettstown, NJ at the time of her being a winner.

Miss America winner Bette Cooper

Another exhibit explained the transportation for Hackettstown and its influence in the outside community.

The Transportation exhibit in Hackettstown, NJ.

The local toy manufacturers are displayed on the first floor as well.

The Toy Company exhibition on the first floor.

The Beton (Bergen Toy and Novelty) Manufacturing Company display. The company manufactured at the turn of the century in Hackettstown, NJ.

On the second floor, the museum has displays on the businesses of the community. There were many manufacturers of items such as carriages, farm equipment and of course the M & M/Mars Company.

The Business display on the second floor.

Another exhibit was on how a households were run at the turn of the last century and what went into keeping house in those days. From equipment to clothing you could see how a woman’s time was taken up on a daily basis.

The Household Exhibit on the second floor

The Kitchen exhibit on the second floor.

The museum is free but donations are accepted. It is a nice diversion when visiting the downtown area for shopping and eating out. I explored the edge of the downtown before I left the town and discovered that two new microbreweries had opened up. The hipsters found their way here. I even got to enjoy the music at the local Farmers Market.

The Hackettstown Farmers Market

https://www.facebook.com/WEFMarket/

As I left Downtown Hackettstown to continue my trip to the Delaware Water Gap, I had visited the Farmer’s Market in town before it closed for the day and then made a effort to visit a lot of the farm stands that dot Route 46 West on my way to the park.

Downtown Hackettstown in the Summer of 2024

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Leaving downtown in the Fall of 2025

The foliage in Hackettstown, NJ in 2025

My first stop was right out of town at Best’s Farm Stand at 1 Russling Road. This small farm stand had all sorts of fruits and vegetables and I made a quick note of all the items they carried.

Best’s Fruit Farm at 1 Russling Road

https://www.facebook.com/people/Bests-Fruit-Farm/100057655419884/

The small stand carries an array of fruits and vegetables.

The fresh peaches at Best’s Fruit Farm.

Best Fruit Farm in the Fall of 2024

Best Fruit Farm in the Fall of 2024

Pumpkins at Best Fruit Farm in the Fall of 2024

I stopped in Independence, NJ to a new farm stand that had just reopened to new owners.  The family that reopened the Vienna Hill Farm & Market at 3 Asbury Road did a beautiful job not just renovating the farm stand but renovating the Victorian home that was adjacent to it.

Vienna Hill Farm at 3 Asbury Road 

https://www.viennahillfarm.com/

In front of the farm was a large garden where a lot of the fresh fruits and vegetables are being grown and the owner was telling me how they are working with local artists and bakers to bring in new product. The farm stand was gearing down for the closing on Thanksgiving weekend so there was not that much in ways of items left. When I visited in 2023, the farm was stocked with products and was having very brisk business.

The inside of Vienna Hill Farm in summer of 2023

There were still freshly baked pies, cider doughnuts, greeting cards made locally and fresh produce still available for sale in a cheerful barn-like building that greeted passersby.

The farm stand is very modern and attractive

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Vienna Farm would close for the season Halloween week

I followed Route 46 West along the section that lined the Pequest River, a tributary of the Delaware River, to my true lunch destination, Hot Dog Johnny’s. Hot Dog Johnny’s, located at 333 Route 46 West (see TripAdvisor and DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com reviews) is like Rutt’s Hutt in Clifton.

It is an old roadside stand that people used to stop at on the way to view the Delaware Water Gap or needed to get into Pennsylvania. It must have been there since the 30’s and I had not eaten there since I was about ten when my parents took us kids there when viewing the Gap in the 70’s. The food has not changed.

Hot Dog Johnny’s at 333 Route 46 West

https://hotdogjohnny.com/store/

Everyone must have had the same idea that I had because there was a line 20 deep after I got my food and sat at the outdoor picnic bench. What a view! The restaurant sits on the bank above the Pequest River and has the most beautiful view of the surrounding mountains where the foliage was a golden hue. The hot dogs have not changed in years.

Hot Dog Johnny’s had not changed my last visit in 1974

They are still deep fried in peanut oil and are every bit the crunch they were when I was a kid. Still crisp and full of flavor and still delicious with lots of mustard and pickles on them. The fries are still crisp and well-cooked and the birch beer is still ice cold. On a beautiful fall day overlooking the river and mountains, there is no place better to be.

The hotdogs and fries are the lunch of the day and are still extremely popular.

In 2016, It was one of those relaxing afternoons to watch the view and listen to the locals talk about the upcoming election (Yes, Trump did win). I still could not believe the number of Trump signs on the lawns in this area. Totally different from Bergen County.

The hot dogs and fries have not changed one bit

In 2021, some of the Trump signs are still up and it will be interesting to see what happens in 2024. Still the food has not changed a bit and I still ordered the same hot dog with mustard and pickle, French Fries and small birch beer ($5.72) and it still tasted the same as it had in 1975.

The view of the river from the back of Hot Dog Johnny’s

The river views of Hot Dog Johnny’s

The original stand still on the property

In the Fall of 2024, the restaurant was just amazing as it is in the summer.

The restaurant was celebrating its 80th birthday in the Fall of 2024

The hot dog restaurant in the fall

Fall at the restaurant

Fall at the restaurant

The end of the foliage across from the restaurant

The streams behind the restaurant in the Fall of 2024

The Foliage along Route 45 West was just breathtaking at the beginning of November of 2024. It was at its final stages but it was still amazing. I came back to the same farm in 2025 and was able to get more amazing pictures of the farm. The foliage was extremely colorful.

The fields were just being cut down for the end of the growing season

The farms along Route 45 West in 2025

The beauty of the farms

The same farm in the Spring

Their farmhouse in the Spring

Driving down Route 46 in the Fall is a real treat. The beauty of the foliage is just amazing. I had to keep stopping just to take pictures in the oddest spots just to get the right angles to share with readers.

It was such a beautiful path along Route 46 West in the Fall of 2024

What a spectacular day for a drive

The farms were so picturesque

What a beautiful day

When I traveled back in the Fall of 2025, the farm was just taking down the corn crops and plowing their fields.

The rolling hills of the farms around Route 46 West in Fall 2025

The farm in the Fall of 2025

I had never stopped to look at the river views but there was a real beauty in the them that I never noticed before. I had to stop in an obscure parking lot just to walk back a quarter mile just to take some pictures. It was just gorgeous site to see.

The river view

The river in the Fall of 2025 was just amazing

To add to the haunted pleasures of visiting the farms, the Ramsaysburg Cemetery lays just on the Marshall Farm Stand border. It adds to the spookiness of the Halloween holidays in the surrounding areas.

The sign for the Ramsaysburg Cemetery

https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2149422/ramsaysburg-cemetery

https://mapcarta.com/W1130999311

https://newjerseycivilwargravestones.org/cemeteries.php?selected_cid=21

The cemetery is home to many veterans of the Revolutionary and Civil War

The lines of historic tombstones

Many of the tombstones date back to before the Revolutionary War

The grave of Revolutionary War veteran Private Barney Banghart

The back part of the cemetery has a spooky allure to it in the Fall

After my visit to the cemetery and walking amongst the historic tombstones of our brave veterans. I continued on my trip down Route 46 West and I made a few stops at some of the farm side stands. Talk about a step back in time when you could find fresh cider and doughnuts and freshly picked apples by the side of the road and not worry about germs. I stopped at Marshall’s Farm Stand at 114 Route 46 (see review on TripAdvisor) for fresh cider and cider doughnuts.

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Marshall’s Farm Stand 114 Route 46 West

http://www.marshallsfarmmarket.com/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46387-d3571725-r1035892936-Marshall_s_Farm_Market-Delaware_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

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Marshall’s Farm Stand in the summer of 2023

Talk about a step back in time. It reminded me of places I used to go to as a kid that have since disappeared with suburban sprawl. I toured around the stands with shelves of fresh jellies and honey, sauces and salsa and arts and crafts. I found a nearly empty shelf of pies and doughnuts and not a sweet roll in site. The girl working the register told me that everything sells out so quickly and they had baked a second batch of everything.

The signs leading to Marshall’s Farm Stand in the summer of 2023

There were three pies left and that was it of the baked good when I got there.

I did grab one of the last bags of cider doughnuts for the trip home and freshly made cider that you rarely see any more. Most of it is processed in big facilities now not at farms. Their doughnuts were outstanding ($4.75 for six). All but two got home with me as I munched on them on the trip through the Delaware Water Gap.

The Apple Cider doughnuts at Marshall’s Farm Market

The Apple Cider doughnuts are amazing here!

In 2021, I bought the same items again but after a big breakfast and then lunch, I only ate two of the doughnuts this time.

Marshall’s Farm Stand in the summer of 2023

The Fresh peaches and plums at Marshall’s Farm Stand.

I had a lively conversation about the upcoming election and trust me, this woman said a mouthful as most people were right before the election. In 2021, people were talking about the recent Governor’s election and Murphy seems in the doghouse with most of these residents.  I said my good byes as quickly as possible. Politics is not something to talk about when buying food products.

Marshall’s Farm on a warm sunny afternoon.

The farm in October 2023 for Friday the 13th

The signs that Halloween is on its way

This chair must amuse people taking pictures at the farm.

The farm on Friday the 13th when I returned.

When I returned in October for Friday the 13th, all the farms were decorated for Halloween and all the fall festivals that were planned. It was supposed to rain over that weekend but on Friday October 13th, 2023, the weather was warm, clear and sunny.

Marshall’s Farm Market stand during the fall.

Decorated for Halloween 2024

The display was more elaborate in 2025

The Kiddie Corn Maze in the fall.

Just after Halloween, the farm prepared for Thanksgiving in Fall of 2024.

Marshall’s Farm on a warm November day

The front of the market in the Fall of 2024

They had delicious pies on sale when I visited

The delicious pies and pastries on sale at the farm

The homemade pies on sale

Get there early or they will run out of cider doughnuts

The fields in the Fall of 2024

For dessert, I decided to try another classic place to dine, Humpty Juniors at 72 Route 46 West in Columbia, NJ. This old fashioned sandwich and ice cream stand has been around for years and I wanted to stop for dessert.

Humpty Juniors at 72 Route 46 West in Columbia, NJ

https://humptyjuniors.com/

Humpty Jr. decorations inside the store.

I had passed Humpty Jr’s many times on my trips to the Delaware Water Gap and have never stopped before. I had stopped for lunch at Hot Dog Johnny’s up the road and I just needed a little dessert. I stopped for an ice cream sundae and while I waited I saw the sandwiches that were coming out of the kitchen. They looked amazing. The cheesesteak alone looked like it could feed two people and the hamburgers, that won awards, looked pretty good as well..

The full menu at Humpty Junior’s is really reasonable.

The Dessert menu at Humpty Junior’s

The Humpty Dumpty mascot at Humpty Juniors.

I just ordered a Vanilla Soft Serve with Strawberry sauce that hit the spot after a long ride down Route 46 West. It was a nice way to end my meal. The soft serve was rich and creamy and very reasonably priced. The strawberry sauce was the perfect topping to the sundae. It was nice to sit outside on the picnic benches and enjoy the sunshine. Humpty Juniors warrants another visit for lunch in the future.

The Strawberry Sundae with Strawberry topping.

That is exactly what I did in the Fall of 2024. I eyed the Cheesesteak with Wiz on my last visit and wanted to have it when I returned again. It was fantastic.

The Cheesesteak with French Fries at Humpty Jr.’s is amazing

The sandwich was really large and they put extra Cheese Wiz on it for me

Yum!

When I ate here in the Fall of 2025, I was in the mood for one of their Grass Fed Organic Cheeseburgers. It was really flavorful and juicy and perfectly cooked. The coupled with a soda was the perfect lunch.

The Organic Grass Fed Cheeseburger

The burger and fries were excellent

Yum!

Sometimes you need something sweet for dessert and I thought this is the perfect way to end a meal or just for a snack.

The delicious Cookies and Cream and Cotton Candy Ice Cream for dessert way to end a meal

My last part of the trip was Route 46 along the Delaware River which was still a blaze with color. In both 2016 and 2021, the leaves were still in the process of changing and it was awash with yellows, oranges, reds and gold. It was quite the site. As much as I wanted to venture further into the Gap, there was really no time to walk around as you seriously need time to walk the trails. Still the afternoon of foliage was impressive.

The entrance to Route 46 East from the Water Gap

In 2023, the trees were a sea of emerald as the last part of the summer was still in bloom. The park was still filled with hikers and kayakers who were just coming back from their journeys. The park was busy but the Visitors Center was still closed. I don’t think they will reopen this anytime soon. The paths were full of wildflowers and the views from the park were breath taking.

The Delaware River in the summer

The Delaware Water Gap at River Road off Route 209 in 2025

https://www.nps.gov/dewa/index.htm

I was able to stop at the U turn on Route 80 West and park in the beginning of the trails that go through the park. Since it was so gloomy out and it was getting late in the afternoon, I stuck by the Visitors Center, which was closed for the season and walked along the river. Most of the foliage had been knocked off the trees by the two recent storms but there were still hues of gold and yellow with the trees that were left. It is a breathtaking view of the mountain range.

The foliage from the highway

When I returned in October of 2025, I timed it so that the trees would be at their peak and it was before a major rain storm the next day. I figured this would be the best time to come. Plus it was going to be the last nice day of that week. The trees were just past peak but because there had not been much rain that summer, the leaves changed earlier than in past years.

The mountains at the Delaware Water Gap from the Visitors Center in the Summer months

https://www.nationalparks.org/connect/explore-parks/delaware-water-gap-national-recreation-area

The Gap in the Fall of 2025

The Visitors Center in the Fall of 2025

The river in the Fall of 2025

I had gotten to the park earlier than previous years and since I had time, I explored the park more than I had in the past. I looked at the map and decided to visit Turtle Beach , a small gap in the wood further up in the park. I could not believe how bad the roads were in the park. They were loaded with potholes and it made it very difficult to drive in the park. I thought it looked easy to get there but it took some time. My poor shock absorbers took a beating. I got there a half hour later and it was not worth it.

Turtle Beach is a small gap in the woods along the Delaware River for swimming and even with the signs that said that there was no swimming that day, people were in the water. I swear people do not want to listen as the algae count could have been high in the river.

Turtle Beach in the Delaware Water Gap Park in the summer

I originally want to venture further up the road but the roads were so bad and it would get dark by 8:00pm, that I did not want to risk it so I headed back to the main part of the park. That in its self was an adventur3e. At least there was no traffic heading back to the main road.

In 2016 and 2021, I did take one more stop through Hope and Blairstown. I wanted to visit The Toy Chest at 335 High Street, a toy store that is in the small downtown section of Hope, NJ. In 2023, I returned to hope to visit the Hope Historical Society which was supposed to be open and was closed during the hours of operation.

Downtown Hope, NJ in the Fall of 2023

Downtown Hope where Annie was dropped off and Ralph’s bike. Very Clever!

Downtown Hope, NJ on Friday the 13th 2023.

https://www.getoutsidenj.com/local/new-jersey/warren-county/hope/

The Hope Historical Society at 323 High Street

https://www.hopenjhistory.com/

The inside of the Hope Historical Society

Plus, I wanted to see what the cemetery in Hope looked like this time of year. It is where the opening scene of the movie, “Friday the 13th” was shot. It looks more like the movie this time of year.

The Moravian Cemetery on High Street in Hope, NJ, where “Friday the 13th” was shot in 1979.

https://www.facebook.com/HopeMoravianCemetery/

The famous scene from the movie “Friday the 13th”

The location documentary on “Friday the 13th” in Blairstown and Hope, NJ

My interview with former Scout Master Donald Stein for the “35th Anniversary of the movie ‘Friday the 13th'”, who worked on the film with the Blairstown Fire Department.

The Blog on the Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library’s “35th Anniversary of the movie “Friday the 13th”:

https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/228

After seeing the famous cemetery, I visited the stores in Hope. My first stop was the Hope Junction Antiques at 331 High Street. This unique little store was a combination of antiques, works from local artists and in the upstairs gallery was a display of art from a painter who lived in the area (this is where the famous diner scene from ‘Friday the 13th’ was shot). 

The Hope Junction Antiques at 331 High Street in the fall of 2023.

The store windows for Halloween and Friday the 13th

https://www.hopejunctionantiques.com/

The store in Christmas of 2021

The store already had their Christmas merchandise out and while I was admiring some handmade ornaments, the owner came out and we chatted for a while. Come to find out she was an expat from Bergen County and had lived in Ridgewood, NJ. Small world. What I did not know was that I later found out this store was used for the opening scene in the diner for the movie, “Friday the 13th”.

I ended up buying some of her handmade Christmas ornaments that she created when she was stuck at home during COVID. She created some interesting works. After my purchases, it was off to the toy store.

The merchandise at Hope Junction Antiques is one of a kind

On a recent trip back to Hope, NJ lead me back to Hope Junction Antiques and their beautiful Christmas windows and decorations.  I went out for the ‘Hope Annual Moravian Christmas’ on December 11th, 2021, an event which included a Lantern tour of the Downtown buildings, a live Nativity and a Candlelight Service at the St. John’s Methodist Church at 7:30pm. The luminaries that had been planned had been canceled because of the upcoming rainstorm but they put some out for the tour on the edges of the streets.

My first stop when I went into town was to talk to the owner of the store, Lisa Iulo, to tell her that my mom loved here homemade Santa ornaments that I bought from her last month. She took pictures of the outside of her store for me before I started the tour. Talk about beautiful decorations!

Hope Junction Antiques III

Hope Junction Antiques at Christmas time is amazing!

Hope Juntion Antiques

These festive little sheep are available at Hope Junction Antiques

Hope Junction Antiques IV

There are interesting items to peek in the window at Hope Junction Antiques

The Toy Chest toy store

The Toy Chest was still open at 4:00pm and I had a lively conversation with the owner, Kirk Perez, who funny enough was another expat from Little Ferry and had moved down to this section of New Jersey to be closer to his wife’s family. It is a great little store loaded with all sorts of games, plastic toys and action figures.

The Toy Chest has an interesting selection

What he has added since my last visit since 2016 is all sorts of interesting high-end collectables dealing with horror and fantasy films, a complete line of Playmobile and Lego products and creating a showcase on the second floor for wooden toys and board games. The main floor also has an extensive collection of action figures and memorabilia from the film “Friday the 13th”.

The front of the store

There are a few more unique little stores along the strip but otherwise I just walked around a little and then got to Blairstown down the road for a quick drive through the downtown at twilight. It was a nice little tour.

The Toy Chest at 335 High Street in Hope, NJ

https://www.facebook.com/thehopetoychest/

In 2021, I was chatting so much with the merchants in Hope, NJ that I never got to Blairstown. It has gotten so dark so early (I hate it when it gets dark at 5:00pm) and had been so gloomy outside, I decided to head home early. It was pitch black outside when I got to Route 80 East. When visiting in the summer, I wanted to see more of the park.

In 2023, on the beautiful fall afternoon, all these smart merchants embraced the original film and were either wearing ‘Friday the 13th’ shirts, carrying Friday the 13th merchandise or having photo shots as the real estate office did with the bicycle. The Moravian Church was even selling cemetery dirt for $10.00 for a donation to help the church.

The cemetery dirt on sale on Friday the 13th.

The afternoon was a step back to a quieter time where people are not on top of each other and there is a slower pace. It really is another part of New Jersey not touched by time as the other parts of the state have become. It still is the New Jersey of my childhood.

The Delaware Water Gap in all its glory in the summer of 2023.

Hope was just as beautiful in the Fall of 2024. The town had just finished a busy Halloween and was preparing for Christmas.

The Methodist Church

Where Annie was dropped off in the movie “Friday the 13th”

The houses decorated for the Fall

Houses decorated for the Fall in Hope, NJ

The barn across the street from the church

Places to Visit:

Budd Lake

Mount Olive, NJ  07828

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budd_Lake,_New_Jersey

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

1978 River Road

Bushkill, PA  18324

(570) 426-2452

Open: Sunday-Saturday 6:00am-6:00pm

https://www.nps.gov/dewa/index.htm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g52484-d103619-Reviews-Delaware_Water_Gap_National_Recreation_Area-Delaware_Water_Gap_Pocono_Mountains_Reg.html?m=19905

RH Farm Farm Stand

500 Route 46 West

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

(908) 413-5662

https://www.facebook.com/serendipity665/

https://rhfarmsllc.wixsite.com/rhfarmsllc

Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:0am-6:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

Tracey’s Candy Shoppe

210 Main Street

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

(908) 651-5210

https://www.facebook.com/Traceys-Candy-Shoppe-1594145357531041/

Open: Sunday 12:00pm-4:00pm/Monday Closed/Tuesday-Wednesday 11:00am-6:00pm/Thursday-Saturday 11:00am-7:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46481-d11801331-Reviews-Tracey_s_Candy_Shoppe-Hackettstown_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Best’s Fruit Farm

1 Russling Road

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

(908) 852-3777

https://www.facebook.com/people/Bests-Fruit-Farm/100057655419884/

Open: Sunday 9:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Saturday 9:00am-6:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

Vienna Hill Farm & Market

3 Asbury Road

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

(908) 645-4678

https://www.viennahillfarm.com/

https://www.facebook.com/viennahillfarmmarket/

Open: Sunday & Monday 9:00am-4:00pm/Tuesday Closed/Wednesday 12:00pm-6:00pm/Thursday-Saturday 9:00am-6:00pm (Seasonal-will close after Thanksgiving and reopen by Easter. Please check their website).

Hackettstown Historical Society

106 Church Street

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

(908) 852-8797

http://www.hackettstownhistory.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HackettstownHistoricalsociety/

Open: Sunday 2:00pm-4:00pm/Monday-Tuesday/Closed/Wednesday 2:00pm-4:00pm/Thursday/Closed/Friday 2:00pm-4:00pm/Saturday Closed (check the website for additional open hours)

My review on TripAdvisor:

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/13941

Hope Historical Society

323 High Street

Hope, NJ 07844

No Phone Number-Please email via their website.

https://www.hopenjhistory.com/

Open: Sundays 1:00pm-3:00pm from June to October: Please check website for times

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46518-d23805634-r822429868-Hope_Historical_Society-Hope_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/6341

Marshall’s Farm Stand

114 Route 46 West

Delaware, NJ 07833

(908) 475-1989

Open: Sunday 8:00am-6:00pm/Monday-Thursday 8:30am-6:00pm/Friday-Saturday 8:00am-6:00pm

http://www.marshallsfarmmarket.com/

https://www.mapquest.com/us/new-jersey/marshalls-farm-market-363115443

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g46387-d3571725-Reviews-Marshall_s_Farm_Market-Delaware_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The Toy Chest

335 High Street

Hope, NJ 07844

(908) -459-0794

Open: Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 11:00am-5:00pm

https://www.facebook.com/thehopetoychest/

Hope Junction Antiques

331 High Street

Hope, NJ 07844

(201) 316-3328

https://www.hopejunctionantiques.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HopeJunctionAntiques/

Open: Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm/Monday & Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 11:00am-5:00pm

Places to Eat:

Enzo’s Ristorante & Pizzeria

382 U.S. Highway Route 46

Budd Lake, NJ  07828

(973) 691-1330

https://www.enzospizzabuddlake.com/

Open: Sunday-Thursday 10:30am-10:30pm/Friday-Saturday 10:30am-11:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46332-d3678843-Reviews-Enzo_s_Ristorante_Pizzeria-Budd_Lake_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Pan Rico Bakery

183 Main Street

Hackettstown, NJ 07840

(908) 850-5741

Open: Sunday-Saturday 5:00am-9:00pm

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rico-Pan-Bakery/115651991797247

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46481-d1916895-Reviews-Rico_Pan_Bakery-Hackettstown_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Hot Dog Johnny’s

333 Route 46 West

Buttzville, NJ  07823

(908) 453-2882

Open: Sunday-Saturday 9:00am-10:00pm

https://hotdogjohnny.com/store/

https://hotdogjohnny.com/store/history/

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46336-d833526-Reviews-Hot_Dog_Johnny_s-Buttzville_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

DiningonaShoeStringinNYC@Wordpress.com:

Knights of Columbus Breakfast (Once a month during the year)

Knights of Columbus Hall

39 Washington Street

Lodi, NJ 07664

(973) 470-9373

Budd Lake Diner

120 Route 46 West

Budd Lake, NJ 07828

(973) 691-9100

https://www.facebook.com/BuddLakeDiner/menu/?ref=page_internal

Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-9:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g46332-d4650084-Reviews-Budd_Lake_Diner-Budd_Lake_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

Humpty Junior’s

72 Route 46 West

Columbia, NJ 07832

(908) 475-4376

https://humptyjuniors.com/

https://www.facebook.com/HumptyJuniors/

Open: Sunday 11:00am-8:00pm/Monday Closed/Tuesday-Saturday 11:00am-8:00pm

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46372-d7046832-r912186274-Humpty_Junior_s-Columbia_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

My review on LittleShoponMainStreet@Wordpress.com:

https://wordpress.com/post/littleshoponmainstreet.wordpress.com/3023

The 35th Anniversary of the Movie "Friday the 13th"

Day Twenty Four: The Friends of the Lodi Memorial Library Celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the 1980 film classic, ‘Friday the 13th’ November 13th, 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.

Friday the 13th Lodi Picture

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.

Friday the 13th VI

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.

Friday the 13th Lodi Memorial Library

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:

http://lodi.bccls.org/friends-of-the-library.html