By HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO PASCACK PRESS
WESTWOOD—On Aug. 27, Veterans’ Memorial Park teemed with thousands of excited and delighted shoppers. Families and people of all ages had come from all over Bergen County and beyond for the Westwood Heritage Society Crafts and Antiques Show.
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The show is produced by PJ Promotions and is sponsored by HMH Pascack Valley Medical Center.
This annual “not to be missed” event has been a popular mainstay of the borough for decades. It began as an antiques show 27 years ago, at which time a big draw was an apple pie eating contest.
About 10 years ago, organizers decided to increase the excitement of the day by adding a craft show. Now, numerous tables and booths from both venues intermingle throughout the park. This year, the vendors were joined by food stands selling grilled chicken kabobs, hot dogs, burgers, sausages and peppers as well as popcorn, kettle corn and ice cream treats.
“I love to buy things that are made by people’s hands,” said Kate Clifford, who strolled the show with her daughter Zoe.
There were lots of handmade items from which shoppers could choose. Table after table was filled with custom crafted wood items, furniture, jewelry, pottery, leather and metal art, floral designs, folk art, soaps and much more.
Besides 70-plus booths selling crafts, there were 35 booths selling antiques: vintage and collectible wares such as silver, coins, vintage toys, estate and costume jewelry, vintage linens, country store items, books, paper collectibles, trunks, primitives, pottery and other tabletop items.
For people who hoped that their family heirlooms would bring fame and fortune, appraisals were conducted by John Clark during most of the day. He examined everything from old oil paintings to a blueprint of Yankee Stadium signed by Mickey Mantle.
Two glamorous seniors, Kay McGrath and Madeleine Ciocco, had a great time shopping for antique jewelry. “We have been coming to this show every year. There are wonderful things to buy, and the event brings the community together,” one of them noted.
Indeed, there was something for everyone. Inside the train station, girls looked at the vintage dolls while their mothers perused beautiful ceramic dishes and vases.
At the Westwood Heritage Society booth, Bob Hibler, president of the Society, and the borough’s historian, and Linda Salib, vice president of the Society, oversaw a display of fascinating old photos of Westwood. One black and white photo showed an Erie Railroad train coming into town in 1936.
Westwood’s annual Crafts and Antiques Show is sponsored by the Westwood Heritage Society, whose work and contributions are of great importance to the borough. The Society was established in 1988 as a grassroots volunteer organization dedicated to preserving Westwood’s history, beauty and unique character.
Since its inauguration, the members of the Society (close to 50) have provided leadership for and financial contributions to a number of projects within the community, including:
- Establishing the Westwood Museum, located in the train station;
- Refurbishing the bandstand in Veterans’ Memorial Park and providing the flags and banners around the band shelter;
- Preserving and installing the U.S. Declaration of Independence brass plaque in the Westwood Municipal Complex;
- The Mayor’s Portraits Project, which portrays every mayor of the borough, beginning with Isaac D. Bogert in 1894. The portraits hang in the council chambers at borough hall;
- Memorial Plaques Project;
- Coordinating of the annual Westwood Pride Day;
- Researching and writing the borough’s Centennial History Journal; and
- Producing and distributing of the printed Westwood Community Calendar.
Members of the Westwood Heritage Society also serve as guides for walking tours of Westwood, providing a unique historical perspective.
A particularly important contribution of the Society is the Community Service scholarship, named in honor of Cheryl J. Todd, a member of the society and a co-historian of the borough, who was said to be “right at home living in the past.”
Todd devoted her life as a volunteer to the research and preservation of Westwood, according to the Society website. The scholarship in her name is awarded to a Westwood resident who is completing his/her senior year in high school and who has a demonstrated record of volunteer service within the borough.
As witnessed by this year’s enormous turnout, the Westwood Crafts and Antiques Show is another way in which the Westwood Heritage Society keeps the borough connected and involved.