Cops for Tots extends donation deadline

New, unwrapped toys for children ages 0-15 will be accepted through Dec. 17 at Weehawken Police Department, 400 Park Ave., and Weehawken Volunteer First Aid Squad, 201 Highwood Ave.

The toys are distributed to Palisades Medical Center and Hoboken University Medical Center, the Department of Youth and Family Services (DYFS), and the Boys and Girls Club of Hudson County.

For more information, call the Weehawken Police Department at (201) 863-7800 or the First Aid Squad at (201) 863-6611.

Weehawken Woman’s Club welcomes new members

The Weehawken Woman's Club will host their December meeting on the evening of Monday, Dec. 13 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Senior Nutrition Center, 201 Highwood Ave. New members are welcome. During the meeting, the club will be packing homemade cookies to be distributed to local shelters and nursing homes during the holidays. Please feel free to attend and bring any of your own homemade cookies to share. For further information please contact atelierclk@gmail.com.

Henley on Hudson sales office designated as Toys for Tots drop-off location



Developers Lennar Urban and Roseland Property Company have once again volunteered the Henley on Hudson sales center as a drop-off location for Toys for Tots this holiday season.

Those interested in participating are invited to drop off new, unwrapped toys to the sales center located within Port Imperial at 43 Eton Row in Weehawken, now through Dec. 20. Age range for toys is infant to 17 years old. For more information or directions to Henley on Hudson, please call (866) 619-8731 or visit www.henleyonhudson.com.

Since its inception in 1947, Toys for Tots has been collecting new toys during the months of October, November, and December which are then distributed to needy children in their respective communities.

For more information about Toys for Tots, visit www.toysfortots.org.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

The 12th Annual Santa Parade, presented by the North Hudson Firefighters and Fire Officers of the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue in conjunction with the towns of North Bergen, Union City, West New York, Weehawken, and Guttenberg, will be held Wednesday, Dec. 15 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The parade will start at 7:30 p.m. from 85th Street and Bergenline Avenue to 32nd Street and Bergenline Avenue and will end at P & L Grill at 590 32nd St., which is sponsoring the event.

Library to feature singer Kenning Cunningham in holiday program Dec. 15

Kenning Cunningham, an acoustic guitar/singer and songwriter who hails from Liverpool, England, brings his talents to the Weehawken Library on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. Included will be not only holiday music, but also songs from such artists as the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and more.

The performance is free of charge. Call the Library at (201) 863-7823 for more information.

NJMC to host total lunar eclipse viewing session

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission invites the public to an up-close view of the first total lunar eclipse in nearly three years on Monday, Dec. 20 at the Commission’s William D. McDowell Observatory. The free all-ages program begins at 11:30 p.m. with an information session on eclipses. Visitors will have a chance to view the eclipse and the night sky through the Observatory’s state-of-the art 20-inch-diameter telescope.

A total lunar eclipse is a unique event; it marks the only time when the entire Moon will pass into the Earth’s shadow. The last total lunar eclipse occurred on Feb. 20, 2008.

The upcoming total lunar eclipse, weather permitting, is scheduled to begin at 12:27 a.m. The total eclipse will happen at 3:17 a.m. Check-in for the viewing session is at the NJMC Center for Environmental and Scientific Education, located adjacent to the Observatory. The program will be canceled if the skies are cloudy. The public should call (201) 460-8300 on the night of the event for weather-related updates.

The William D. McDowell Observatory is located in DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst, the home of the NJMC. Visitors to the Observatory must be able to climb 25 steps, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Directions to the park are located in the “About Us” section of the NJMC website, www.njmeadowlands.gov. For more information call 201-460-8300 or visit www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.

Jersey Cares Warms seeks coats for 15th Annual Coat Drive



Over the past 14 years, Jersey Cares has collected, sorted, and distributed more than 300,000 coats to New Jersey residents through the Annual Coat Drive program. This year, Jersey Cares will work with more than 300 corporations and organizations to collect coats throughout the state, aiming to distribute 50,000 coats to more than 250 nonprofit agencies serving our neighbors in need.

Due to the enormous success of last year’s drive, Jersey Cares is partnering with United Mayflower Container Services to bring the Jersey Cares Coat Drive to additional agencies and a more widespread population of New Jersey residents. This year, Jersey Cares will place United Mayflower collection and distribution containers in 14 cities across the state.

Another change to this year’s drive is the reinstatement of the Note in a Coat program. Through Note in a Coat, children donating coats can write short messages to those children who will be receiving coats through the Jersey Cares Coat Drive.

For a complete list of collection sites, visit www.jerseycares.org. The coat drive will be held through Dec. 15. For more information, please contact Brian Dean, executive director of Jersey Cares at (973) 424-1091 or bdean@jerseycares.org.

Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey announces music competition



The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) and United Way of Hudson County has officially kicked off the 10th Annual Hudson County “Shout Down Drugs” music competition. This peer-to-peer song writing competition was created to reach out to teenagers through the most inspiring media outlet, music. High school students throughout Hudson County are asked to take their music talent and act NOW!

Any interested Hudson County high school student must contact their principal, music department, or substance abuse awareness coordinator, to submit their originally created song by Jan. 14, 2011. All Hudson County “Shout Down Drugs” participants will attend a countywide concert held at Newport Centre Mall, Jersey City in early Spring where they will compete for a chance to win a $1,000 music contract with PDFNJ and United Way of Hudson County, attend a professional music recording, have their winning song placed on a CD for Hudson County distribution, and perform their winning song at countywide events.

For entry information on the 10th Annual Hudson County “Shout Down Drugs” music competition, please visit www.drugfreenj.org or call (973) 467-2100 ext. 24.

Meadowlands Environment Center announces holiday performance

Celebrate the season with a holiday performance by Musicora, an ensemble of soprano, violin, cello, guitar and piano, on Sunday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. at Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst.

Pre-registration required. Tickets are $5 and $3 for MEC members. To reserve your ticket, call (201) 460-8300 or e-mail www.njmeadowlands.gov/ec.

Foundation announces scholarship for college-level Hispanic students

The Hispanic Business Council Scholarship Foundation of NJ, Inc. (HBCSF) announces that applications are now being accepted for the annual scholarship and book stipend awards for current college and college-bound Hispanic students for the 2011-2012 school term.

Open to all N.J. residents of Hispanic heritage, the application can be accessed through www.hbcsf.org. Applications and all required information must be postmarked by Monday, Feb. 28, 2011. Scholarships of up to $4,000 each will be disbursed directly to the college or university of the student's choice during the 2011-2012 school term. HBCSF also awards $1,000 book stipends.

Interviews and the final award selection will be completed by the end of March and the scholarships will be presented at the Foundation’s 20th Annual Scholarship Gala on Thursday, May 12, 2011.

Information about the 2010 scholarship recipients, previous scholarship recipients and the organization's gala can be accessed at www.hbcsf.org or requested by e-mail to info@hbcsf.org.