Tag Archives: Friday the 13th

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/

Author Mary Rodgers with the Friends of the Hasbrouck Heights Library

Day One Hundred and Eighteen: Freaky Friday the 13th-The Sixth Anniversary of author Mary Rodgers visit for the 40th Anniversary of her book “Freaky Friday” for the Junior Friends of the Hasbrouck Heights Library July 13th, 2018

This blog is dedicated to the great and wonderful author, Mary Rodgers, in honor of her visit six years ago to the Hasbrouck Heights Library in honor of the 40th Anniversary of her best-selling book, “Freaky Friday” on July 13th, 2012. This was one of the best Special Events programs that I ever ran outside “Parent’s Weekend” my senior year at Michigan State University. It was a big thrill for me to meet an author whom not only I had grown up with but whose books and movies I enjoyed not just then but even now. The original ‘Freaky Friday’ I saw as a kid when it first came out in 1977 and I still enjoy it today.

I had founded the Junior Friends of the Hasbrouck Heights Library in 2011 on the premise that there should be more for kids to enjoy at the library other than “Mommie & Me” classes, teen book clubs and arts and crafts for kids. As a child I hated all that ‘baby stuff’ preferring ‘Nanny & the Professor’, ‘The Lucy Show’ and ‘That Girl’ over shows like ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood’. I thought the shows were for ‘little kids’ as early as six. When it came time for movies, I enjoyed ‘On a Clear Day you can see Forever’ and ‘What’s Up Doc?’ to any of the kiddie fare they make kids watch at that age.

When Disney films like ‘Escape to Witch Mountain’, ‘Freaky Friday’ and ‘The Bad News Bears’ came out it really showed how kids behaved back then and the independence our parent’s generation gave us as children. They expected not ‘little adults’ but kids to be mature, have responsibility and respect for the people around them as well as be our own person. We were the generation to mature at our own pace and probably the last.

I wanted to share this experience with kids who were like minded, who wanted more than just the run of the mill activities. Plus I was patterning the organization on some of the groups catering to kids in the city at the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Forum, bringing the city to the kids of Hasbrouck Heights with sophisticated programming that including classic and independent films, celebrity visits and contemporary activities. The year 2012 was the leap year for the organization with goal of innovative programming and special guests.

I put my game plan of ideas together and came up with a “Freaky Friday” night at the library on Friday the 13th and because of the way Friday the 13th landed that year, July 13th that year was around the opening of the library’s Summer Reading Program. So the Junior Friends would tie their event around that. I never thought in a million years Mary Rodgers would come. I knew nothing about her whereabouts or her life. This is why I love Google.

One late night I was Googling her and did not realize that she had been the President of the Richard Rodgers Foundation and at the bottom of the screen there was a comments section. I went to it and wrote that the library was having a 40th Anniversary of her book, “Freaky Friday” and we wanted her to be our guest. Would she consider coming to the library to read the book? I could not believe it when she said yes the next day!

Thus started the plans for her visit. We bought copies of the novel, organized a small reception and had an area set up in the early afternoon for the reading. We would show the original 1977 film first in the private meeting room across the hall to be followed by the 2003 remake. We had planned something a little more elaborate but I could not get anyone to agree to it.

I had long emails for the next three weeks back and forth with her assistant, Ruschika, getting everything organized. It was like planning D-Day with all the conversations on a two hour visit. The way I was understanding it was that I was dealing with a very frail woman but when I met her she could have been nothing further from the truth. She was a spunky big kid who could not have been more engaging to both the adults and the kids. I knew that when I first introduced myself.

Freaky Friday 2013

Me with Mary Rodgers and the Friends of the Hasbrouck Heights Library Executive Board and Library Director on Friday, July 13th, 2012

I kept saying Mrs. Rodgers this and Mrs. Rodgers that and she finally said to me “Justin, after all this just call me ‘Mary'”. I knew she was cool even at 83. She could not have been more engaging and openly friendly with everyone there and the kids loved her. Most of these kids were two generations ahead of her, she being the R.K. Rowling of her time. You could not have asked for a bigger author of kids books with comparison to Maurice Sendak, Norton Juster and Judy Bloom. For my generation, she was huge! (It would be years later that I would discover that she had been suffering from terminal cancer at the time of the visit and she died just a few months before my dad in 2014).

Freaky Friday 2012

Author Mary Rodgers reading her book “Freaky Friday”

It could not have been a better afternoon as the weather cooperated and because it was early traffic, she arrived over an hour early so she was able to settle in and talk with all the patrons on a personal basis. It really was a magical afternoon.

Mary talked to the audience of about 40 patrons about growing up as Richard Rodgers daughter and living in the shadow of fame while carving her own career out of it. She talked about growing up in a musical family, writing stories with her sister and time creating such shows as “Once Upon a Mattress” and “A to Z”. I even remembered when she worked on “Free to be you and Me” that Marlo Thomas had created in the 70’s for kids.

The best part of the program is when she talked about growing up and said, “Annebelle is me! I was a tough kid when I was growing up and had my own opinions.” She and her mother had obviously butted heads when she was growing up and based the book on her early childhood growing up in New York.

She then talked about working with Disney Studios to adapt the book into a movie and writing the screenplay. She told us of having to write a sexy secretary into the script to please one of the studio heads. She talked about the rewrites and finally how proud she was when the movie came out. She admitted though when asked whether she liked the original film or the 2003 remake, she admitted to us “I thought the remake was more true to the theme of the book.”

After a long discussion, we made our presentations to her. I made her the first ‘Honorary Member of the Junior Friends of the Hasbrouck Heights Library and the Mayor of Hasbrouck Heights at the time, Mrs. Rose Heck, read a proclamation declaring it ‘Mary Rodgers Day’ in Hasbrouck Heights. We even had the electric board out front of the Municipal Building read “Welcome Mary Rodgers”. We then had the book signing and she continued the discussion with many of the patrons and kids.

Mary Rodgers

Mayor Rose Heck presents Mary Rodgers with our version of the ‘Key’ to Hasbrouck Heights

After that she joined for a bit for the reception and then headed back into the City before rush hour began. We did keep in touch for bit writing to one another and me sending out press clippings and pictures from the event. (Years later after she passed away, Mayor Heck had told me she had just sent her a birthday card. Even the two of them had kept in touch long after the event).

After she left, we watched the original 1977 film with Jody Foster and Barbara Harris, then we stopped for intermission and had a pizza and brownie dinner and then showed the 2003 film with Lindsey Lohan and Jamie Lee-Curtis. The original film was a big hit with the kids many of whom had never seen it before. We ended up being at the library for over four hours and the last of the patrons walked out at 9:15pm with everyone raving about the event.

All these years later when older members of the organization get together, we still talk about the wonderful afternoon we had when Mary Rodgers visited us.

So on this Friday the 13th, six years to the date of the original event on July 13th, 2012, I dedicate this blog to a true New Yorker, Mary Rodgers-Guettel and the wonderful afternoon we had sharing stories, reading the book and watching her films. The kids may not known who she was when they came but they sure knew who she was when she left.

In Memory to the very first ‘Honorary Member of the Junior Friends of the Hasbrouck Heights Library and one of my literary idols, Mary Rodgers-Guettel January 1931-June 2014.

The Opening of the Original “Freaky Friday”

 

Closing Song from Freaky Friday remake 2003

 

Special Note: I was very proud to discover in 2014 that BCCLS, the governing body  Bergen County Cooperative Library System for all libraries in Bergen County, New Jersey, honored the Junior Friends of the Library for our 2013 programming and the organization itself. It was nice to see that someone noticed!

Some articles that were posted online of the event:

Patch.com October 2012:

https://patch.com/new-jersey/hasbrouckheights/mary-rodgers-visits-heights

https://patch.com/new-jersey/hasbrouckheights/freaky-friday-author-mary-rodgers-to-visit-heights

Proclamation from the Borough of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ:

Click to access 7-24-12.pdf

The Gazette Newspaper:

Click to access jul12.pdf

Now there will be a new follow up film “Freakier Friday”:

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