HILLSDALE—In the run-up to the 125th Anniversary Gala on Nov. 30, the borough’s anniversary committee co-chair urges last-minute celebrants make haste to buy tickets that are going fast—and to stock up on anniversary merchandise, at up to a 30% discount.
The committee (hillsdale125thanniversary.com) also is selling 125th Anniversary bricks, which will be laid to connect the Centennial Pathway and a Hillsdale 125th Anniversary Pathway to the main walkway in Veterans Park.
Bricks are $40 each and include up to three lines of text with up to 18 characters per line.
Gerry Beatty, committee co-chair, says “Become a permanent part of Hillsdale’s history by purchasing a brick for your family and to show your support.”
She tells Pascack Press, “We sold 50 bricks in our first week and look forward to more residents and businesses purchasing bricks to commemorate this time in Hillsdale’s history and in memory of loved ones.”
Brick orders will be accepted until Nov. 30.
Beatty said that often “inscriptions include family names and the year that they were established, two were from the Olley Family who are descendants of John Olley who built the Police Booth in 1925, from Boy Scout Troops 108 and 109, and also bricks in memory of loved ones.”
For more information email Hillsdale125th@gmail.com or call (201) 446-1703.
125th Anniversary Gala tickets are available through Nov. 15, Beatty said. Tickets are $150 apiece and available on the anniversary website. The Nov. 30 celebration, at Seasons in Washington Township, features dinner, dancing, open bar, and music by DJ Willie Nelson from 6 to 10 p.m.
Beatty said in early November that 166 tickets had been sold for the Gala, “and more have indicated that they have interest in attending.”
2023 Time Capsule Burial Plans
The Anniversary Committee plans to bury a time capsule in late November, highlighting important items and events from 2023, although details are not yet finalized, said Beatty.
The committee has been soliciting items for the capsule for months, including letters from public officials, and local ephemera such as restaurant menus, a list of businesses from the Chamber of Commerce, names of men and women serving in the military, bulletins from our local places of worship, Pokémon Cards, 2023 baseball cards, a thumb drive containing the information that the library created for the Historic Walking Tour of Hillsdale, a signed baseball from the champion Hillsdale Hawks U14 Baseball Team, Hillsdale magnet and wristband, Amazon Holiday Catalog, a list of all of the events that were part of Hillsdale’s 125th Anniversary, and a list of historic events of 2023, explained Beatty.
“We are also reaching out to other residents who have done exciting things this year in areas of sports, television and publishing, and more,” she said.
Beatty told us that the 125th Anniversary Journal is coming together nicely, with the deadline extended to Nov. 30: “It will be a compilation of the history of Hillsdale and the story of Hillsdale in 2023. We are excited that for the first time the Hillsdale Anniversary Journal will be in color. Ad space is available and we encourage businesses, community groups and families to submit ads. Information can be found on the website under Sponsorship.”