September - October Overview: North Jersey Events

 It's Sweater Weather, nerds!  Don your Cosbyest pullover for this month's Harvesty goodness:

Week of Sept 16 --Boonton Restaurant Week

Friday Nights through September -- Music on Main Street, Clinton (free)

Weekends through October -- NJ Film Fest at Rutgers returns ($10/ticket)

Sept 21 -- Staged Radio Play: Batman!  in Metuchen ($10)

Sept 22, 23 -- Oktoberfest at Crystal Springs Resort in Vernon ($5/day)

Sept 23 -- Red Bank Guinness and Oyster Festival

Sept 23 -- Storytelling Festival at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton (cost of admission)

Sept 27, 28, 29 -- Celebrate Sean Connery at Historic Loew's Jersey City for a measly $7/show

Sept 29 -- Open Space and Horse Festival in Freehold ($15 adv/$20 gate)

Sept 29, 30 -- Chester Lions Club Oktoberfest and Antique Car Show ($6/adults; see site for parking pass)

Sept 30 -- Union County Harvest Festival ($4)

October 1 -- A Taste of Bergen 

October 5 -- Boonton Art Walk (4 - 9 PM, free)

Oct 6 & 7 --Harvest Festival in Chester

Update: Things to Do in a Jersey August

Squeeze the last bits of juice out of summer at these Food, Music, Culture and Bargain Nerd events:

Aug 22 - 26 -- St. Sebastian Italian Feast, Montclair
Aug 22 - 26 -- Hunterdon 4H Fair, Ringoes
Aug 25 -- Garden State Rollergirls Rummage Sale, Wallington
Aug 25 -- Camelfest Music Festival at Maxwell's, Hoboken

Aug 29 -- Great Tomato Tasting at Rutgers Extension Farm in Pittstown

Unique Dining NJ

Nerd Alert takes a break from events (see post below for August happenings) to report on some of the unusual dining experiences to be had in North-Central Jersey.  Below is a small sampling; if you've got a unique eatery to recommend, let us know at nerdalertnorthjersey at gmail dot com, or leave a comment on our Facebook page.  Remember, every time you can support a small business instead of a chain, you are supporting Jersey!

Marakesh Parsippany
Moroccan food; Belly dancer every Friday and Saturday night

Cafe y Canela Boonton (link is to the Morristown location)
Columbian food (and adjacent bakery) in the old retro Main Street Diner (and former Sopranos location)

Clinton Station Diner (Route 78)
Dine in a train car, or watch model trains move around the ceiling of the main dining room.  This place is also known for its gigantic and disgusting burger challenges.  For a much more swank (read: expensive) train car dining experience, try Rod's Steak House in Madison.

Makeda Ethiopian New Brunswick
Live entertainment and no utensils; Montclair has its own Ethiopian offering, Mesob.

Shanghai Jazz Madison
Come for the music, cocktails, and experience; food is a little pricey for what it is and the dining area is jam packed

Fork & Screen West Orange, Bridgewater, & Metuchen AMC Theatres
Watch your movie on the big screen in a comfy chair with table service; Nerds with Kids may also want to check out the Dunellen Cinema Cafe

Here's what's upcoming in August; there's a whole month of summer left, y'all!

Through Aug 4 -- Warren County Farmer's Fair (Harmony Twp)
Aug 3 -- First Friday Art Walk/Late Night in Downtown Boonton
Aug 3 -12 -- NJ State Fair/Sussex Farm & Horse Show (Sussex County Fairgrounds)
Aug 3, 4, 5 -- Sidewalk Sales and other special events in Clinton
Aug 4 -- Bergen County 4H and Master Gardener Fair (FREE -- Paramus)
Aug 4 -- Peach Festival in Chester

Aug 7 -- National Night Out at Mennen Arena in Morris (Free skating!)
Aug 9, 10, 11 -- Somerset County 4H Fair (Free -- Bridgewater)
Aug 11 -- Spider Man at Somerset Patriots (with Fireworks!)
Aug 11 -- Classic Car Show & Craft Fair at the Farmer's Market (Downtown Boonton)
Aug 11 -- The Empire Strikes Back Live Radio Version in Metuchen

Aug 18 -- Jazz and Blues Festival on the Green (Morristown)
Aug 18 -- Lackawanna Music Festival (Hoboken)

Aug 29 -- Annual Great Tomato Tasting at Rutgers Extension Farm in Pittstown

July Weekends in North and Central Jersey

NANJ is back from vacation and ready to amp up the nerd.  All of the info, none of the snark.

Through July 8 -- State Fair at The Meadowlands

Through July 10 -- Califon Fireman's Carnival
Through July 29 -- A Comedy of Errors on the Outdoor Stage at St. E's

July 7 -- Historical Walking Tour of Dover
July 7 -- Bag of Books Sale at Maplewood Library
July 7 -- Middletown Jazz and Blues Festival
July 7 & 8 -- Maplewoodstock
July 7 -- Bluegrass Festival & Pig Roast in Chester
July 7 -- North Plainfield Fireworks and Concert

July 11 -- Masterwork Chorus Summer Sings continues in Summit

July 11-15 -- Mount Olive Carnival and Community Week
July 12-15 -- Black Potatoe Music Festival in Clinton
July 13 -- Fright Night Skate in Parsippany
Starting July 13 -- Free Drive-in Movies in Bridgewater
July 14 -- Artisan Market at the Boonton Farmer's Market
July 15 -- Street Fair in Nyack
July 15 -- Latin-American Festival of Folklore Raices de America at Exchange Place in Jersey City

July 18 -- Annual Sandcastle Building Contest in Belmar
July 25 -- Union County Summer Arts Concert Series continues
July 27-29 -- Balloon Festival in Whitehouse Station
July 28 -- Tomato Hoedown at Sunset View Farm in Andover Twp.


Ongoing -- Walk alongside actual-size animatronic dinosaurs that are programmed to respond to your movement in Secaucus

Grab a cheap seat (that's all of them) and support the Somerset Patriots, Trenton Thunder, or Newark Bears; lots of times they have fireworks!


Upcoming --
August 3-12 -- NJ State Fair at the Sussex County Fairgrounds
August 29 -- Annual Great Tomato Tasting at Rutgers Extension Farm in Pittstown

In other news -- July is Small Business Month.  Whatever the political candidates say, we're the ones who really support Main Street.  Show your patriotic pride by shopping local, this month and every month.

Summer Explodes! In North Jersey, Central Jersey: Things to Do June 1, 2, 3

Nerds, there is so much happening this weekend that we cannot take the time to create witty quips.  Here's the list; no excuses now... Summer's here!

Friday:
Main Street Nerd, Artsy Nerd: First Fridays in Boonton: Main on Canvas
Music Nerd, Main Street Nerd: Live Music on the streets of Clinton
Festival Nerd, Music Nerd, Nerds with Kids: RiverFest in Red Bank begins
Movie Nerd, Nostalgia Nerd: The Landmark Loews Jersey City shows classic comedies all weekend
Movie Nerd, Festival Nerd, Nerd Loves a Bargain: The NJ International Film Festival Spring season begins, and promises free food!
Music Nerd, Festival Nerd, Food Nerd: The Crawfish Fest returns to the Sussex County Fairgrounds, beginning today.

Saturday:
Nerds with Kids: Kidstock! in Maplewood
Culture Nerd, Food Nerd: Hungarian Festival in New Brunswick
Artsy Nerd, Nerds with Kids: Anniversary Arts Party at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton
Nerd Loves a Bargain, Artsy Nerd: Affordable Art Fair at the Montclair Art Museum
Culture Nerd, Main Street Nerd: African-American Heritage Parade and Festival in Montclair
Outdoorsy Nerd, Food Nerd, Nerds with Kids: Strawberry Festival in Hackettstown

Sunday:
Culture Nerd, Food Nerd: Polish Heritage Festival, Holmdel
Culture Nerd, Activist Nerd: LGBTI Pride Celebration, Asbury Park
Artsy Nerd: Annual South Orange/Maplewood Artists Studio Tour 
Festival Nerd, Main Street Nerd: Montvale Street Festival and Craft Show

Not enough?  What kind of difficult-to-entice monster are you?  Perhaps Sports Nerds would like to support one of North-Central Jersey's minor league baseball teams: the Newark Bears, Somerset Patriots, or Trenton Thunder.

Upcoming: June 30: The Princeton Prowl Scavenger Hunt by Watson Adventures, one of the few NJ-based hunts the company does.  Weird wacky fun, but they sell out ahead of time.

Memorial Day Weekend: Music, Main Street, and Memory

Music Nerds have lots to choose from this weekend:

A Blues & Wine Festival in Peapack-Gladstone
Music on street corners in downtown Clinton
The last weekend of the Raritan River Music Festival, also in Clinton
"Homespun Jersey Bands" at the Montclair Music Jam

Other events sure to have music (and plenty for Main Street Nerds, Festival Nerds, Nerds with Kids, Food Nerds and Culture Nerds) include the Downtown West Orange Festival and in Newark, the African American Heritage Festival.

Maplewood holds its annual Rubber Duck Race on Monday.

Every small town is sure to have a parade, and everyone's sure to have a flag.  Don't forget to remember.

NJ is Fun: May 18-19-20

Festival Nerds, hold on to your sunscreen and hand wipes.  The season begins!

In Asbury Park, that big music festival is happening this weekend, but for something more small-scale, The Raritan River Music Festival continues this weekend with Australian and Lebanese musicians in Stewartsville.

Main Street Nerds and Nerds with Kids can check out the Maplewood MayFest this Sunday.  Food and Culture Nerds can gorge themselves at the St. George Greek Festival in Piscataway.
Saturday offers two unique options: a roller derby double-header in Wallington or Raconteur Ventures' staged radio play Sunset Boulevard in Metuchen.

History Nerds who Love a Bargain: In Morris County, 10 historic sites will open their doors for FREE on Sunday.  Check here for a list of participating sites and hours.

May 4-6: Nerd Nerdington

Main Street Nerds, cute it up this weekend at the Boonton Art Walk on Friday night or the Clinton Pansy Festival on Sunday.  Both events great for Nerds with Kids and Artsy Nerds as well.

Low cost culture fixes for Music Nerds at Peak Performances in Montclair, where the Shanghai Quartet will be rocking the Bartok, or on the Drew University campus, where the Masterwork Chorus will take a bite out of Vivaldi; both on Saturday (both $15).

Movie Nerds should check out the Montclair Film Festival, running all weekend, and can pick up Fest-related cookies while in town.

Outdoorsy Nerds can stock up at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum Annual Plant Sale on Saturday and Sunday.

Book Nerds might appreciate the poetry slam stylings of Cool Women: Poetry in the Park at Grounds for Sculpture on Sunday.

ps. If you like the blog in real life, 'Like' it in fake life on Facebook!  (If we get 100 'Likes,' a fairy gets its wings.)

Nerd Alert: Spring!

NANJ is BACK from Winter Hiatus and ready to turn its collective face to the sun.

This weekend:

Friday night, Book Nerds who were savvy enough to participate in World Book Night can pick up their free copies of their favorite books to give away at Watchung Bookseller's Book Night party. If you don't want to miss out for next year, check out the World Book Night website.

The mad minds behind the now-closed Raconteur Bookshop are staging a live version of Nosferatu: The First Vampyre this weekend. Find out more here.

Saturday is RECORD STORE DAY! Search the website for nearby free entertainment and support your local indie. Princeton Record exchange will have They Might Be Giants, and Main Street Jukebox in Stroudsburg, PA will have Bovine Social Club.

The Garden State Rollergirls host an intraleague grrrudge match on Saturday in Wallington.

Nerds with Kids can celebrate Earth Day at the Turtle Back Zoo's Party for the Planet on Sunday.

Villa Milagro Vineyards will be hosting a Wine & Cheese tasting event all weekend, and Unionville Vineyards hosts a Bridal and Special Event Fair on Sunday; the latter requires RSVP.

Coming up:

Those cool cats at Loew's Landmark Jersey City will be marking the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster by screening classic films about other sea-worthy disasters, like The Poseidon Adventure and Lifeboat, next weekend.

Grab tickets to any of our local minor league baseball stadium's games--The Newark Bears and the Somerset Patriots are both gearing up for opening day.

Boonton Art Walk May 4.

Montclair Film Festival May 1-6; see website for tickets and lineup.

Classy Diversions: Nerd NJ January 13-15 and Beyond

This weekend, Grownup Food Nerds may want to take advantage of something the wineries are calling Wine Trail Weekend, which is probably just a promotion of their wine tasting and tours, but is also a good excuse to support local businesses and farms and, well, try lots and lots of wine. Visit Old York Cellars, Terhune Orchards and Winery, Hopewell Valley Vineyards andUnionville Vineyards. It's a like a pub crawl, only classier, and you have to drive. Check out their websites or Facebook page for more info.

Book Nerds and Music Nerds, take your last chances to celebrate both at The Raconteur before it closes its doors at the end of this month. The last few planned events are no less fascinating for being the last few.

The historic Loews Jersey City returns with a classic lineup this weekend, including The Purple Rose of Cairo and Cinema Paradiso (Director's Cut). It's also cheaper and less soulless here than at your local multiplex. In other Jersey movie nerds, the NJ International Film Fest returns for the Winter season.

Finally, if you have been abducted by aliens and the experience is interfering with your ability to function, this meeting is for you.

In Long Range Nerd News:

Sports Nerds and Fans of the Weird may want to become judges at auditions for the next Newark Bears mascot! You will also review vocalists for the National Anthem, and dancers. Newark Bears publicity describes the experience as "humorous, interesting, and at times emotional." Interested parties should e-mail info at newarkbears dot com ASAP to sign up to judge the January 28th auditions.

Nerds with Kids and Artsy Nerds may want to mark their calendars for the first weekend in February, when the New York Theatre Ballet will hold a "mini residency" at the County College of Morris.

Nerdy New Year: Things to Win, Support Local Radio

Special Independent Radio Edition:

Craft beer fans rejoice! WFMU will host a special beer nerd Meet-Up at Barcade in Jersey City (163 Newark Ave), where they'll tap a rare keg of Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout on Mon Jan 23rd at 7pm. Reserve a guaranteed serving by pledging $20 to WFMU (doesn't include drink price) and be sure to mention beer in your pledge comments. Space is limited to the first 50 pledges, so act quickly!

Make a pledge to WBGO and you could win a Big Party for the Big Game, Sunday February 5th. Set the place, invite your friends and WBGO News Director and Sports Jam host Doug Doyle will bring you all the food for your party, as you gather to watch football-s biggest night.
Not only will you be treated to an amazing array of tasty treats, but you and your friends will be featured on Doug-s program, Sports Jam, broadcast on WBGO Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and podcast online at wbgo.org. It draws sports and music figures from all walks of life to tell their stories at the intersection of sports and music. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Monte Irvin, Tony Meola, Oksana Baiul, and so many others have been guests. Now it-s your turn, if you-re the winner!
No matter who wins the big game, you-ll never forget this night!
Pledge right now ( http://wbgojazz88.pmailus.com/pmailweb/ct?d=T5Jf-gBzAOEAAAQIAAW26Q ) to keep your station swinging, and be automatically
entered to win Doug-s Super Party.

At The Raconteur, celebrate the old days of radio with "Marx Brothers Lost Radio"--a live performance featuring "Welcome Back Kotter's" Bobby Hegyes.
8:00 PM, Fri. Jan 6
7:30 & 9:00 PM, Sat. Jan 7
Featuring acclaimed Groucho impersonator Ron MacCloskey (in full costume & makeup) and Welcome Back Kotter's Bobby Hegyes (Epstein) as Chico Marx. Reservations required, $10.