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Mayor Alphonse Petracco introduced several Nutley citizens including state wrestling champion Robert Trombetta.

Mar 16, 2015 - Mayor Alphonse Petracco attracted a capacity crowd to the Nutley Elks Lodge Thursday night for an unusual pre-2016 election rally – unusual because there was no mention of an election or rallying the troops in anticipation of election that's still two years away. Instead, Mayor Petracco spent a half-hour thanking individuals and organizations for their past support.

And there were plenty of his admirers to thank. The room was so crowded it would have been impossible to squeeze even one

Mayor Petracco spent his entire time thanking and introducing individuals along with more than 30 groups, including not only those who paid to attend the fundraiser, but tables of invited groups including Nutley's Special Young Adults and the children from Sister Chiga Romilda's Franklin Avenue nursery.

Indeed, it was a festive night, but a difficult one for a newspaper reporter to latch on to a headline. Perhaps there was one missed opportunity when Mayor Petracco introduced

Photo by NJHometown (3/7/2013)

Little Shop of Horrors: Nutley High School's production of the Broadway musical opened March 7, 2013 for the first of four performances ending with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday.
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Feb 17, 2013 - More than 170 persons, including dignitaries from throughout the state, celebrated the 100th anniversary Saturday night (2/16/13)of the founding of Nutley Elks Lodge 1290, one of the earliest and most prestigious in New Jersey.

"We've been planning this 100th year event for a long time, "Adam Jernick, Nutley's current Exalted Ruler, told the dinner guests who included representatives from lodges throughout the state.

John Zelna, secretary of the Nutley Lodge, was night's principal speaker, telling of the organization's rapid growth "as a dynamic presence in the community, right from its inception and continuing to the present day."

The Nutley Lodge has been a continuing major force and leader in state-wide Elks activity for most of the past century, sending several members from Nutley to serve in high positions including the nation-wide office as Grand Exalted Ruler, a post held by the late Nutley Mayor and Finance Commissioner William J. Jernick.

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Photo by NJHometown

Grand Exalted Ruler Adam Jernick (tallest person in the photo) with his father, Past Exalted Ruler William Jernick, at Saturday's 100th Anniverersay Celebration of the Nutley Elks Lodge.

Feb 16, 2013 - The N.J. General Assembly on Thursday voted 57-12-7 to approve a revamped measure sponsored by Assemblyman Ralph Caputo and others that would help protect teens from an increased risk of skin cancer by banning access to tanning beds for anyone under 17 years old.

"While I would have liked the age remain at 18, in the interest of protecting as many people as possible, rather than no one, I think this is a healthy compromise that

Increasing the age that individuals can begin exposing themselves to tanning bed rays will help delay their exposure to potentially cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation," Caputo said. He likened the bill to when the age to purchase tobacco products was raised.

The Nutley Assemblyman was the lead sponsor of the bill prompted by the Nutley woman who is accused of bringing her daughter into a tanning

The N.J. Assembly originally passed a bill last month barring anyone under the age of 18 from using a tanning bed. In a compromise reached with the Senate, the bill (A-2142) now bars anyone under the age of 17 from using tanning beds regardless of whether they have obtained parental permission.

Feb 3, 2015 - Nutley's Pinewood Derby dates back 52 years when Cub Scout Master Don Murphy wanted to create a new father-son activity he could do with his 10-year-old son who was too young to race in the Soap Box Derby which requires driving a home-made car down a hill. Murphy's idea got national attention when "Boys Life Magazine" published an article that led to the Don's idea going full swing the following year.

Nutley Cub Scout Pack 14 for the past 10 years has reorganized and has been sponsoring the derby which utilizes miniature cars crafted to specific specifications, and last Friday night, the 2013 Soap Box Derby took place before hundred's of fans at the Walker School gymnasium.

"Most of the rules and regulations of the Pinewood Derby remain the same as Don Murphy wrote them over 50 years ago," says Walt Smith, the former Nutley Town Commissioner who is one of the leaders of Cub Pack 141 in Nutley. But unlike the first derby races a half-century ago, Friday night's event has gone high tech.

Computerized sensors monitored the tiny cars as they raced downhill along a -foot track. It took only seconds before computer sensors flashed the results, first thru fifth place.

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Brian McClean, co-Cubmaster of Pack 141, placing the cars in place at the top of the 30-foot incline for a race. Cars reached speeds more than 180 miles-per-hour.

Photo by NJHometown

The curtain has closed after the final performance Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013 on the Parks & Recreation Dept.'s production of the musical "The Music Man." The production was directed by James J.Miles, choreography by Tracey Turner Turnano with music direction by Matthew Wilson.

Photo by NJHometown

Yesterday's Christmas concert encouraged the audience to sing along. The Christmas weekend event also included a soup supper for those attending.

Dec 24, 2012 - Casey Kasem wasn't there yet the musical countdown of the top 20 tunes, this time for Christmas, was performed before a near-capacity audience last evening by the six-member ensemble "Doorjam" based at Nutley's Franklin Reformed Church.

The audience included townspeople of all ages with many children who joined in singing along (the youngsters' favorite: "Jingle Bell Rock." And when the concert ended, all joined for a Christmas soup supper in an adjacent auditorium decorated for the holiday.

The "top 20" format teased the audience into singing along and guessing what tune would be next.