HILLSDALE—After a year of celebrating the borough’s 125th anniversary, Hillsdale residents danced and partied one night and buried a time capsule days later to help remember the year 2023 for residents who will be there to open it up 50 years from now, in 2073.
Approximately 30 residents, including parents, children and officials, gathered Dec. 2 to witness the burial of the 125th Anniversary time capsule in front of the police headquarters on Hillsdale Avenue, concluding a yearlong series of events and celebrations.
The capsule was buried adjacent to the first borough time capsule, sent forth in 1998, to celebrate the borough’s centennial.
“Thank you all for coming today and being part of this historic moment in Hillsdale,” said 125th Anniversary Committee co-chair Geraldine “Gerry” Beatty, kicking off the event a little after noon on a partly sunny and mild day.
Beatty thanked committee members, including co-chair Sean Smith, police captain and soon to be police chief; and members Al Metz, Jon Pacor, Patty Hughes, Melissa Mazza-Chiung, Janetta Trochimiuk, Zoltán Horváth, Jenny Frantin, Ann Cron, and Gerry Sandt.
Nearly a dozen children provided assistance to shovel dirt to cover the capsule. The capsule was a sealed box, generally used to hold an urn, donated by Becker Funeral Home. Beatty provided Pascack Press a copy of her letter, “Dear Citizens of Hillsdale in 2073,” which was included in the time capsule to be opened in 50 years.
She wrote: “Along with Rich Curran, a longtime resident who loved Hillsdale, I had the opportunity to be on the time capsule committee for our Centennial in 1998. That capsule is scheduled to be opened in 2048.
“The 125th Anniversary committee decided that we would also bury a time capsule that would be opened in 50 years. We are hoping that the 150th Anniversary committee continued the tradition and that going forward every 25 years a time capsule will be buried and another one opened. It is a wonderful way to mark our history and honor the things that we value as residents of this wonderful town.”
The letter notes the work of all 12 committee members, says why certain items were selected for the time capsule, predicts changes coming to Hillsdale, lists items in the capsule, delivers a personal note about family, life and times in Hillsdale, and lists 125th anniversary sponsors.
Items included in the time capsule: fliers from 125th anniversary events; a Nov. 13, 2023 Pascack Press article on the Anniversary Gala; bulletins from four local churches; letters from the mayor and four council members to residents of 2073; items from Stonybrook Swim Club; a signed baseball from U14 Hillsdale Hawks Eastern Regional Champions; a swim cap from Kate Hurst, 2023 Jr. World Champion 1500 meter freestyle; and a Sports Illustrated cover signed by gymnast Olivia “Livvy” Dunne, a local and number two college earner nationwide based on revenue generated from her name, image and likeness.
Other items were information from the Hillsdale Education Foundation, 125th Anniversary memorabilia; ShopRite and Kings fliers; a Hillsdale Volunteer Ambulance Service Fund Drive letter; a 2023 Amazon holiday toy catalog; items from the public library; a copy of “A Walking Tour of Historic Hillsdale”; a razor from The Shave Bar; a bag from the former Golden Dynasty Restaurant; a pen from Lou’s Tavern; and items from Marsala Hardware, a mainstay since 1929.
The capsule includes menus from 19 local eateries, a letter from the new Chamber of Commerce, a letter from Acting Police Chief Sean Smith, a letter from town benefactors Paul and Gayle Gross, and of course, Beatty’s letter.
Beatty said this year’s celebratory events were year-long and spanned a gamut of activities. Some anniversary celebrations will continue into mid-2024. These included a January logo contest won by seventh-grader Kaitlyn Zimmerman from George White Middle School; a history presentation by Sean Smith at the public library; a history display at the library; a launch of anniversary lawn sign sales; a March square dance; 125th birthday cards made by elementary school students; a Big Birthday Bash and a Hillsdale’s Got Talent Show at PVHS; Bagels With The Bunny at Beechwood Park; and painted rocks, i.e. “Hillsdale Rocks” displayed throughout town.
Other events included a 125th Anniversary cake at the Memorial Day Parade; a Commemorative Photo Shoot; participation at Hillsdale Education Foundation Music & Arts Festival; a walking tour of historic Hillsdale by the local public library; a scarecrow design contest; a vintage car show; and a holiday tree lighting.
In 2024, spring will see publication of the 125th Anniversary Journal and the 125th Anniversary scholarships will be awarded in June, Beatty said.
Only two days before the time capsule burial, nearly 200 residents and local officials attended the 125th Anniversary Gala held Nov. 30 at Seasons in Washington Township, from 6 to 10 p.m. for a celebratory night of dinner, dancing, music and socializing.
At the gala, Mayor John Ruocco remarked on the local anniversary: “It’s wonderful to see so many attend this gala anniversary dinner celebrating Hillsdale’s 125 years of existence, first as a township that broke away from Washington Township in 1898, and then in 1923 as an officially incorporated borough. This dinner and the planned subsequent dedication of a time capsule … is the culmination of many events that were held throughout the year marking this historic milestone.”
Ruocco, who declined to run for re-election, will rejoin the governing body Jan. 1, 2024 as a councilman.
Michael Sheinfield, a Democrat, was elected as mayor on Nov. 7. He will head up an all-Republican council in 2024, with Ruocco and Clemente Osso joining councilmembers Janetta Trochimiuk, Abby Lundy, Justin Fox, and John Escobar. Sheinfield also attended the gala.
Ruocco noted, “I am struck by the fact that tonight’s event is an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the past. The second event, the burying of a time capsule, is an opportunity to speak to the future, to the residents of 2073, when we will either be long gone or ‘well-seasoned’ as my mother-in-law likes to say.”
He said, “There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise an individual from childhood to adulthood. I always took that to mean that children best grow up to be responsible adults when they are surrounded by family who love them, teach them moral values, and by friends and neighbors who care enough about them to speak up when things aren’t quite right and who donate their time to community activities.
“Certainly, my experience since moving to Hillsdale with Angela 42 years ago has demonstrated that Hillsdale has been and still is that type of community, despite its rapid population growth in the post-war years and the social/cultural challenges of a tumultuous world.”
Of the gala, Beatty told us, “It was absolutely wonderful. We had 191 people in attendance representing a broad cross-section of Hillsdale. It brought together threads of the past, present and future to weave a celebration of 125 years of Hillsdale’s history, while inspiring a vision of the future. A sense of optimism and joy filled the ballroom. Guests expressed gratitude and pride throughout the evening.”