The Bergen County Homes Blog

Come out this Tuesday for terrific Mexican food and fun at all 3 Blue Moon Mexican Cafe restaurants.  You’ll have a great time, enjoy wonderful Mexican food and support the Tenafly Nature Center.  What could be better?

The Blue Moon Mexican Cafe is one of the most popular local restaurant chains in Bergen County.  With 3 locations – Englewood, Woodcliff Lake and Wyckoff – no matter where you are in Bergen County, you’re near a Blue Moon restaurant.  This Tuesday 20% of all dinner bills is being donated to the Tenafly Nature Center for food ordered from 11 am through 9 pm.  You must bring a donation flyer with you and give it to your waiter.

So come out on Tuesday and have a 2nd Cinco De Mayo at a Blue Moon Mexican Cafe and support the Tenafly Nature Center.  Maybe I’ll see you there!

Last month I wrote an article about the change in school board elections – New Jersey now allows school board elections to be moved to the general election in November.  This will save a lot of money and increase voter turn out so it’s a cost saving and convenience improvement.  But, if you aren’t registered to vote, then you’re out of luck.  Most but not all school board elections have been moved to the fall – please check with your town on this.

If you haven’t registered to vote because you’ve just moved to Bergen County or elsewhere in New Jersey, click on this link for voter registration application forms.  It’s very easy, doesn’t take long so do it today before you forget and it’s too late.  The New Jersey Division of Elections website is easy to use and very informative for any questions you might have.  Here’s something else too -

If you’re not sure you can make it to the voting booth on election day, you can apply for a mail in ballot.  If you want to vote by mail,  just get an Application for Vote by Mail Ballot You don’t need any reason at all – just make sure you get your mail in ballot application to your County Clerk no later than 7 days before the election.

  In the wake of last year’s early winter storm in October  that had a devastating impact on Bergen County and throughout the New York City area and beyond, Public Service Electric and Gas has begun a year long effort to prune trees in Bergen County so that the next major storm won’t have the same resul. 

Bergen County is known for it’s foliage – our streets are often lined with magnificent towering trees reaching enormous heights.  Many of these trees have limbs perilously close to electrical wires and when winter storms come, they snap and break tearing down those wires creating havoc for the nearby residents.  Last October 29th Bergen County was brought to a standstill as power, phone and cable lines were out everywhere and streets were made impassable due to the overwhelming number of trees and branches that fell.

PSE&G spokeswoman Bonnie Sheppard said that all pruning work should be completed in the following towns by the end of April: Bergenfield, Bogota, Cliffside Park, Dumont, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fairview, Haworth, Fort Lee, Leonia, Little Ferry, New Milford, Oradell, Palisades Park, Paramus, Ridgefield, Ridgefield Park, River Edge, Teaneck and Tenafly.

This is welcome news for Bergen County residents some of whom were without power last October for one week.  No one wants a repetition of last year’s Halloween snowstorm.

Voter Alert – School Board Elections Are Changing in New Jersey

School board elections in Bergen County and throughout New Jersey have been held on the 3rd Tuesday in April. Because they are a separate election apart from the general elections in November, they’ve never gotten the turn-out of the November elections and have been an extra expense. Starting in 2012 this is going to change for many New Jersey and Bergen County residents.

Signed into law on January 17th of this year, a new regulation allows a school board to move its election to the general election in November. While there is no specified deadline to make this change, towns were encouraged to do so no later than February 12th.

By February 9th twenty-one Bergen County towns had moved their school vote to November: Alpine, Bergenfield, Carlstadt, Cresskill, Elmwood Park, Glen Rock, Hasbrouck Heights, Little Ferry, Maywood, Moonachie, New Milford, North Arlington, Oradell, Ridgefield Park, Riverdell Regional, River Edge, Saddle River, Teaneck, Tenafly, Waldwick and Wallington. Six opted to maintain the April date: East Rutherford, Englewood, Lodi, Palisades Park and Ramsey.

There are 70 locations in Bergen County; if yours is not here, get in touch with your local Board of Education to find out when your school vote is scheduled.

Have you been enjoying this winter? I have! There is so much to do right here at home in Bergen County for winter sports. You never have to leave home, or take an expensive vacation. Skiing, hockey, ice skating – it’s all here!

Probably the top winter attraction for this area is Campgaw Mountain in Mahwah. Just a short drive from Tenafly and eastern Bergen, this mountain resort is on the New York State border, and it’s very popular. Take a look!

Campgaw Mountain Reservation is open year round and in warmer weather is a favorite hiking and camping retreat.  But, in the winter, it becomes a snow park where you and your family can come for “in your backyard” winter sports.  Campgaw is just another reason why it’s fun to live in Bergen County and why our Bergen County homes are so valued.  I bet you didn’t expect a ski resort only 30 minutes from Manhattan!

It’s a fall tradition – pumpkins and Halloween.  Despite all the news lately about problems with the pumpkin crop this year, there are plenty of places right in Bergen County where you’ll find a pumpkin patch and maybe a hayride or two. 

No matter if you live in Englewood, Teaneck, Paramus or Franklin Lakes or anywhere in Bergen County, you’re not far from a local pumpkin patch.  Here’s a list of places to go to get your own pumpkin and have a fun day -

Abma’s Farm – 700 Lawlins Rd in Wyckoff  (Pumpkins, pony rides, farm tours & they even do parties)

Demarest Farm – 244 Werimus Rd in Hillsdale (Pick your own pumpkins, apples, corn maze, famous for their home cooked pies, breads, great gift & produce shop, this is the “Big Kahauna” of them all)

DePieros Farm – 300 West Grand Ave in Montvale (pumpkin patches for different ages, hay rides, cider mill, haunted house, farmer’s market, gift shop)

Fresh & Fancy Farm – 575 River Rd in New Milford (pumpkin patch, corn maze, straw maze, face painting, farm stand)

Secor Farms – 168 Airmont Rd in Mahwah (pumpkin patch, corn & hay mazes, child sized maze, hay rides)

Spend a day outdoors enjoying this fall tradition and if you have children, make sure you bring your camera.  The kids will have a blast!

Haworth NJ is a wonderful town.  Small with less than 3,500 residents, it’s also gorgeous with street after street of magnificent towering trees and mature plantings that give it a beautiful, idyllic charm.  Because of it’s special ambience and great schools, Haworth homes are in high demand.  For such a tiny town, Haworth has some amazing services and chief among them is the Haworth Swim Club.

The Haworth Swim Club has 2 large pools (heated and unheated), a kiddie pool for the little ones, refreshment stand and picnic facilities too.  If you get tired of swimming, you can play basketball, ping pong, volleyball or board games. 

What’s so nice about the Haworth Swim Club is that it truly is a town facilitiy.  People form long term friendships while watching their children swim in the pool.  Open to both residents and non-residents (who are charged only $100 more), many members come back for decades where they meet old friends and make new ones.

If you own a Haworth home you’re bound to join the swim club where you really become part of the community.  Since the Haworth Swim Club opened in 1952 it’s been a large part of the fun of owning a Haworth home.  But you better join now – rates go up on May 28th!  Just click here for the application.

One of the agents in my office had an interesting experience in Englewood today.  She was inspecting an Englewood home with her customer and nearly came eye to eye with a raccoon in the attic.  Needless to say this presented a problem when trying to show the house to her buyer and I have no doubt that both real estate agent and home buyer left that Englewood home pretty quickly.

Attics seem to be favorite hiding places for raccoons and squirrels too.  One way to protect your home from a squirrel or raccoon invasion is to make sure you have a chimney cap on your chimney.  A quick Google search came up with this Draft King Chimney Cap picture:

As you can see, this is a really pretty simple item but it sure does the job.  It’s also important to periodically check where your roof meets the house structure itself.  Sometimes a squirrel will bite through the facia board just under the roof and get inside the attic.  When you’re having your gutters cleaned out it’s a good idea to check around for any signs of a raccoon or squirrel trying to bite their way into your home.

Towns like Englewood, Tenafly and Ridgewood have so many beautiful, mature trees that tower over the homes there but these gorgeous trees also have branches that make it so easy for a raccoon or squirrel to scamper up on your roof and bite their way into your attic.  It’s best to do a regular inspection of your house so you can keep on top of the raccoons and squirrels who have decided they like your house as much as you do!

Looking to take your children out on a local Easter Egg Hunt this weekend?  Here are some for you to consider.  Unfortunately rain is forecast for Saturday so it’s probably a good idea to call to see if it’s still on if it is raining:

Closter – Saturday at 10 am at Memorial Field

Old Tappan – Saturday at 10:30  Check it out at http://oldtappan.net/easter_egg_hunt.cfm

Ramsey – Saturday at 10 am at Adorno Fathers on Darlington Ave (no rain date)

Ridgefield Park – Saturday at 10 am http://www.ridgefieldpark.org/archevt/2011020822451254.htm

Ridgewood – The Ridgwood Chamber of Commerce has an all day event with picture taking with the Easter Bunny and a Bunny Express Trolley ride through downtown.  http://www.ridgewoodnj.net/event_detail.cfm?EventID=1473&EventDate=04/23/2011

River Vale -  River Vale holds it’s Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday at 9:30  Get the details at http://www.rivervalenj.org/