WESTWOOD—It’s that time of year where music fills the air of downtown Westwood every Friday and Saturday night. Mark your calendars and make your dinner reservations: Al fresco dining and live, local musicians after a day shopping in the Hub of the Pascack Valley—What could be better!
Celebrate Westwood is proud to present its fourth season of live music on the street corners of the central business district. The rebranded Music on the Avenues summer series (formerly Arts on the Avenues) features more than 35 performances across 14 weekends this summer, beginning with a special performance by Kyle Towey and his band at the Westwood Historic Bandstand on Friday, June 9 and ending with the highly anticipated return of WestwoodFest — a townday style celebration — on Saturday, Sept. 10.
The talented lineup includes eight local musicians: returning fan favorites Kyle Towey, Steffani Bette, Jon Lancaster, Jon Schmarak, and Dave Dunn, and newcomers Mike Rooney, Candice Lee, and Sam Sings.
Celebrate Westwood teases the possibility of additional surprise guests as the season unfolds, with the potential for more performances if the weather allows.
All performances begin at 7 p.m. along the sidewalks of Westwood Avenue unless otherwise posted on Celebrate Westwood’s website or social media.
Each performance is sponsored by local business members of the BIZhub committee.
Get your art on!
On Saturday, June 10 from 3 to 7 p.m., Celebrate Westwood hosts local photographers, illustrators, painters, crafters and other types of creatives from Westwood and neighboring towns at Veterans Memorial Park, Broadway and 3rd Avenue.
Artists participating in this year’s event include photographers Benjamin J Faresich, Kyle Lagatol, Maria Aklian, Jodi Murphy, Anna Wojno-Oranski, and Bergen County Camera; painters Paul Manzella, Arleen Zabala, Elke Donofrio, Garry Breithaupt, Laura Lee Hallada, Dennis Meeha, Nicole Zanetakos, and Stefanie Jones; graphic designers and illustrators Caithy Liao and Adam Cohen; and artisans Yellow Door Art Studio, Danielle Davies, Danielle O’Brien, Laurie Donnis, Michelle Fleischer, Nevine Sharif, Mercedes Amato, Carol McCabe, Edyta Ostrowska, Thomas Connell, and Joe Rodriguez.
Students from Westwood Music Studios rock band program will bring their musical talents to the bandstand during the event, playing an eclectic mix of classic rock favorites.
Attendees are also welcome to bring their own artistic skills to the park by creating sidewalk chalk art throughout the event (chalk provided).
Arts in the Park is a free event, open to the public. Images of artists’ work can be viewed at celebratewestwood.org/arts-in-the-park-2023 and on Celebrate Westwood social media @celebratewestwood.
Shop the Hub
Moreover, Celebrate Westwood’s BIZhub committee’s premier shopping and dining event, Shop the Hub, runs the same day. Retailers, service providers, and restaurants are looking forward to providing unique sales, specials, promotions, giveaways, popup events, and creative use of outdoor spaces.
At 7 p.m. the Celebrate Westwood Music on the Avenues series welcomes musician Steffani Beate at the intersection of Center and Westwood avenues.
This is the fourth year Celebrate Westwood is hosting artists and artisans as part of its public arts programming. Music on the Avenues (formerly Arts on the Avenues) began as a musical busking program at the height of the pandemic. According to Lauren Letizia, “Celebrate Westwood sought to find ways for residents and visitors to connect safely. With the rise of outdoor dining, the addition of ‘a little night music’ was a welcome reprieve from masks and isolation.”
Likewise, Celebrate Westwood created Shop the Hub days in spring 2020 as a way to create the spirit of a sidewalk sale in which many businesses participate toward a common goal, without needing to close the streets.
Arts in the Park 2023 evolved from Creative Bergen’s Arts Amble, a biennial event.
RoseAnn Ciarlante tells Pascack Press the committee is “thankful for the return of warmer weather and the governing body’s enduring support to enable the return of outdoor dining and small musical acts downtown for the fourth consecutive year.”
To learn more about Music on the Avenues, BIZhub, Shop the Hub, or Celebrate Westwood’s other community events, visit celebratwestwood.org or find the organization on Facebook and Instagram. For more information write Lauren Letizia and RoseAnn Ciarlante at celebratewestwood@gmail.com.