Montclair Daily Buzz: May 29, 2025

LOCAL NEWS

Pride flag raising and proclamation reading planned at Montclair on Jun. 3. Flag raising begins at 4 p.m. at Church Street and Bloomfield Avenue. The proclamation reading begins at 7 p.m. at Montclair council chambers.
Add to 📅
Out Montclair

Montclair Pride reception planned with Out Montclair on Jun. 5. It is from 7-11 p.m. at The Loft, 8 Lackawanna Plaza. Tickets are $95 and include VIP access to the Audi Hospitality Area during Montclair Pride on Jun. 14. All proceeds support Out Montclair. Tickets available online for purchase.
Add to 📅
Out Montclair

Film screening and discussion of “Rare: A Rare Disease Revolution” planned with Montclair Film on Jun. 5 in Montclair. It begins at 7 p.m. at The Clairidge, 486 Bloomfield Ave. A Q&A with co-director Lainey Moseley and performance by film subject Casey McPherson will follow. Tickets available online for purchase.
Add to 📅
Montclair Film

Montclair African-American History and Culture Parade and Festival is scheduled for Jun. 7. The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. on the corner of Maple and Bloomfield Avenues in Montclair. The festival begins at 1 p.m. and will include food, music, vendors, and more.
Add to 📅
Montclair African-American Heritage Foundation (MAAHF)

Improv comedy show with “On The Spot” planned by N.J. School of Dramatic Arts on Jun. 7 in Montclair. It begins at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Tickets are $15.
Add to 📅
New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts

Beyond the Boogie Dance Company plans a grand opening at 602 Valley Rd. in Montclair on Jun. 7. Ribbon cutting begins at 12 p.m. There will be trial classes, raffles, and special discounts for rental and party booking.
Beyond the Boogie Dance Company

“Community Candlelight Vigil of Remembrance” planned with Grief Hope NJ, a support group, on Jun. 5 in Bloomfield. It begins at 7 p.m. at 1284 Broad St. Open to all. Submit names and photos for a video of remembrance by Jun. 3 by email.
Add to 📅
Grief Hope NJ

Bloomfield Center Alliance’s “Dinner Under the Stars,” or outdoor dining, begins Jun. 6. It is from 6-10 p.m. along Washington Street in Bloomfield. There will be live music.
Add to 📅
Bloomfield Center Alliance

West Orange Street Fair is scheduled for Jun. 7. It is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Main Street. There will be more than 150 vendors, a beer and wine garden, live entertainment, and a classic car show. Free all-day admission to the Thomas Edison Museum. Free parking at 80 and 286 Main St. with shuttle service available.
Add to 📅
West Orange Downtown Alliance

West Orange Arts Council seeks artists for its 2025 Juneteenth exhibit. Show dates are Jun. 14 to Jul. 12 at West Orange Arts Center, 551 Valley Rd. Artwork must be wired for hanging. Registration and submission guidelines available online. Artists must be WOAC members. Drop-off deadline is Jun. 7.
Add to 📅
West Orange Arts Council

Pride resource fair planned with La Casa de Don Pedro on Jun. 5 in Newark. It is from 12:30-2:30 p.m. at 23 Broadway. There will be mental health resources, health screenings, know-your-rights training, and light refreshments. Free admission. Registration is required.
Add to 📅
La Casa De Don Pedro

“First-Time Homebuyer Workshop” planned with Urban League of Essex County on Jun. 7 in Newark. The event is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 506 Central Ave. Attendees will learn about budgeting, credit and financial management, navigating lenders and loan options, and more. Registration is required. Admission is $25.
Add to 📅
Urban League of Essex County

Kyle Kuzniewski, of Troop 106 in West Orange, supervised and built an eagle nest platform for the Essex County Environmental Center. Kuzniewski’s project can be viewed along the environmental center’s Bird Lane Trail.
Essex County Environmental Center

Essex County residents can register for English for Speakers of Other Languages online classes on Thursdays starting Jun. 5 at Maplewood library. Registration is from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the library’s Hilton Branch until Jun. 26. Registration is also from 1-3 p.m. at 90 Broad St. in Bloomfield on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Beginner and intermediate classes are from July to September. Students must show two forms of ID and have a Gmail account to register. Registration is $25.
Add to 📅
Maplewood Public Library

Informational webinar discussing summer sun safety planned with Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern NJ on Jun. 5. It is from 4-5 p.m. Attendees will learn about ways to protect themselves against sun and heat. Free admission. Registration required.
Add to 📅
Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern NJ

Essex County residents can shred paper items for free on Jun. 7 in Cedar Grove. Paper shredding is from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Essex County Public Works Department, 99 W. Bradford Ave. A list of accepted items is available online.
Add to 📅
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.

Essex County’s Riker Hill Art Park will display artwork during an open house on Jun. 7-8 in Livingston. Attendees can view artwork by more than 30 artists-in-residence from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission.
Add to 📅
Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.

Patricia Desormes, a resident of Orange, was recently sworn in as a Court Appointed Special Advocate of Passaic and Union Counties. CASA is a nonprofit organization that trains people to advocate on behalf of children in foster care who are being abused or neglected. People ages 21+ with a valid driver’s license are eligible to volunteer with CASA in any of N.J.’s 12 participating counties, including Essex County.
TAPinto East Orange/Orange

REGIONAL NEWS

New Jersey Bookstore Crawl is a statewide independent bookstore event planned with Jersey Collective on Jun. 7-8. Each visit to one of the listed bookstores is considered one raffle entry for a chance to win prizes. A guide to the crawl and list of participating bookstores are available online. Add to 📅.
New Jersey Bookstore Crawl

New Jersey schools will screen students in grades K-3 twice per year for reading comprehension beginning this fall, according to the state’s Literacy Framework report released in May 2025. It requires schools to notify parents and guardians of their child’s reading levels and provide instruction training to staff, including library media specialists, and reading and early learning specialists among others. The new requirements attempt to identify and target literacy gaps based on recommendations made by The Working Group on Student Literacy, a group of teachers and reading experts, following a nationwide and statewide decline in early-grade reading proficiency. A N.J. Graduation Proficiency Assessment report from 2024 shows that 44% of students in grade 3 met or exceeded reading expectations in state testing. Education experts say that additional frameworks are necessary to ensure the success of these laws. Paula White, executive director of JerseyCAN, a K-12 advocacy group, recommended that the state hires literacy coaches to work with students in classrooms and requires teachers to make in-class and at-home reading plans for students.
NorthJersey.com