12/07/04
The Bergen Point Merchants Association will ring in the new year with its second annual "Winter Wonderland" festival Friday and Saturday.
The celebration begins with a Christmas tree lighting at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Fifth Street and Broadway and a visit by Santa Claus. Guests will get free cups of hot chocolate and will be entertained by the Elvis stylings of BPMA member Ed O'Rourke of Edfor Music, by Bayonne High School carolers and by BHS's Sweet Harmony. On Saturday, visitors will be greeted by a variety of family-related activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., along Broadway between Fifth and Seventh streets. Among them, Santa will make another appearance and will pose for pictures with youngsters in front of CJ's Ices, 183 Broadway.
A nominal fee will be charged. Children can look forward to balloons, candy canes, face painting and life-size cartoon characters "Shrek" and "Elmo." For the adults, there'll be holiday music, carolers, free giveaway gift certificate raffles, a bicycle raffle and a 50/50 raffle, from which the proceeds will go to the Windmill Center, an adult training facility for the developmentally disabled at 141 Broadway. The Bayonne Police and Fire departments will present exhibits. And Operation Interdependence, a clearinghouse for shipments to military personnel overseas, will set up a "Support Our Troops" booth in front of the A. John Ward Real Estate office, 205 Broadway, where people can fill out and drop off greetings to be sent to military bases.
Participating merchants are: A. John Ward Real Estate, Amici's Restaurant & Martini Lounge, Bayonne Community Bank, Brennan's Irish Gifts, Chodash Cleaners, Cinerama Video Center, CJ's Ices, the Corner Office, Cutting Café Hair Salon, Daddi & Daughter, Downtown Haircutter, Edfor Music, Elbaum's Food Center, First Savings Bank, 5th Street Deli-Ette, J&V Liquors, June Nail II, Lucky's Hardware, Mark Sports, Mona Lisa Pizzeria Ristorante, Naples Pizza & Restaurant, Newman's Candy Store, Once Upon a Dream, Pamrapo Savings Bank, Yau's House Chinese Restaurant and You're Invited, Inc.
Ronald Leir covers Bayonne. He can be reached at rleir@jjournal.com.