'Twas the Night Before Christmas in the Tri-Boro

A Kinnelon, Butler and Bloomingdale version of the classic poem.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town, For Santa to come, kids began a countdown. As they celebrated the holiday with family and ate Christmas treats, Parents reflected on the past year, both the struggles and and feats.  Kinnelon football came to mind as the team's now state champs, And how the Walter T. Bergen School was finally lit up by lamps. But as the year comes to a close, Kinnelon still doesn't have turf, For now the youth sports kids will have to play on just earth. School budgets were decided to no longer require a vote, Businesses made adjustments in attempts to stay afloat. A tax program for AvalonBay was rejected, Kinnelon saw crime rate in the borough deflected. Butler schools knocked down a fairly old …

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paul bastante

1:36 pm on Monday, December 24, 2012

Love, peace and happiness was the goal and to that, the BBYC won the Super Bowl!   more ›

Santa to Ride Kinnelon Fire Truck Sunday

Man in red will stop on borough streets to hand candy canes out to children.

Santa Claus will take his annual ride around Kinnelon on a Kinnelon Volunteer Fire Co. truck on Sunday. Jolly Ol' St. Nick will be touring the borough beginning at 10 a.m., according to an announcement sent out by the school district's notification system. Fire sirens will be on so residents should look for Santa outside when they see them.

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5 Things You Need to Know Today

5 Things You Need to Know About This Long Weekend

What's closed, where to see Santa and more.

This weekend is so many things! It's Hanukkah, it's Christmas (and let's not forget Christmas Eve) and for many of us, it's a long weekend away from the office. We've got lots of fun holiday features coming your way, but first, here are a few things you need to know going into the weekend:

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OMGs From New Jersey PDs

Naughty Santas, Drunken Rescues, Grave-kit Robbers

Also, what possessed this guy during a repossession?

Each week, Patch takes a peek at some of the more surprising, shocking, stunning and occasionally silly police-related incidents reported throughout New Jersey for "OMGs from NJ PDs." Some of this week's reports: Feeling Possessive: The right way to dispute a vehicle repossession is to take it up with the creditor, or even legal authorities if you think the creditor's out of line. But the wrong way is to make a getaway with the car and run over the repo man's foot. Toms River police say a resident chose poorly when faced with that particular set of options. Ho Ho Ho? Against a backdrop of Christmas music piped in from the downtown public address system, Collingswood police detectives and officers from the Camden County Prosecutor's Office …

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Poll: Does Santa Need a Healthier Lifestyle?

Associations of NJ Chiropractors think so. Do you?

He's jolly. He's red. He comes out once a year around this time. And he's big. But is he unhealthy? Does he need to change his habits? Count the Association of NJ Chiropractors among those who believe he needs a lifestyle overhaul. "It is imperative that in order for Santa to be healthy enough to fulfill his mission of delivering children’s favorite toys and goodies on his sleigh all over the world for many more centuries to come, he needs to start treating his body better and that means making some healthy choices, with a chiropractic adjustment the perfect place to start,” Dr. Joseph D’Angiolillo, president of the group headquartered in Branchburg, said in a release. The association also said that, based on observances of the abuse done …

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Natalie Davis

12:28 am on Saturday, December 17, 2011

Nobody'd better mess with my Elmo! The Tooth Fairy? That's another matter. How come I only got a quarter per tooth when my kids received a buck??? Oh, right...   more ›

Holidays in the Boroughs

Send Us Your Santa Photos

Share your photos with Santa.

Hearing a lot of "Ho, ho, ho" lately? That's probably because Santa Claus has made several special appearances in the tri-boro the past several weeks, from visiting the Butler Applebee's Toys for Tots Drive to riding on a firetruck in Kinnelon, helping light up Butler Park and participating in the Holiday Stroll in Bloomingdale. We know you and your kids have had their photos taken with the Christmas celebrity, and we want to see them. Upload your Santa photos to the gallery above.

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Holidays in the Boroughs

Santa Joins in at Stonybrook Sing-a-Long

St. Nick makes a surprise visit to kindergarten.

Stonybrook Elementary School, in Kinnelon, held a sing-a-long on Wednesday for the kindergarten classes. Students were surprised with a visit from Santa during the singing, and the children were treated to holiday goodies and juice after the sing-a-long. The children were led in song by Principal Mark Mongon, retired Kiel Elementary School Principal Pat Hart and Stonybrook's Director of Special Services Dr. Richard Maizell. Maizell also played the guitar. Traditional Christmas songs, such as "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," were sung. Mongon explained, "Stonybrook has the sing-a-long every year and the children enjoy the music and have a lot of fun." Parents of the kindergarteners helped with organizing the event…

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Holidays in the Boroughs

Santa Lands in Bloomingdale Via Helicopter

Despite harsh rain, Santa still visits Walter T. Bergen School.

'Twas the day before school and not a person was dry, but Bloomingdale residents still came out to see Santa Claus fly! Santa arrived in a helicopter Sunday, at the Walter T. Bergen School, to say hello and greet children and their parents who came out, despite the rainy weather.

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Holidays in the Boroughs

Butler Park Lighting Features Mr. and Mrs. Claus

Christmas decorations, live music and Santa at the park.

Last Friday, Butler held its annual tree lighting ceremony at the park in front of the Butler Police Department. Festivities began with live music performed by the North Jersey Concert Band. Santa and Mrs. Claus made an appearance, courtesy of the Butler Fire Department. Despite the cold, hundreds of adults and children came to see the holiday lights and Santa Claus. Even the Grinch came out to celebrate. Visitors socialized and took photos of family and friends at the park. Gay Ellis, who is originally from New Jersey, was visiting from Florida to see her son, George, his wife Jennifer, and her grandson, Jack. "This is the first time I came up during Christmas in over 20 years and may be the last time because it is too cold, but I wanted …

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Holidays in the Boroughs

'Santa's Wonderland' Ready for Man in Red

Santa will be stopping in to say hello during Butler's park lighting Saturday, Dec. 11.

Santa's Wonderland is all set up and ready for jolly ol' Saint Nick to stop in on Saturday, Dec. 11 during Butler's annual park lighting ceremony. A live band will be performing beginning at 6:30 p.m. and Santa is expected to arrive at 7 p.m.

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