Sunday June 23rd from 2 - 5 pm and Saturday June 29th from 10 am - 1 pm, Kidville Westfield invites you to their Grand Opening Party featuring arts and crafts, refreshments, open play in their state-of-the-art indoor playground, and musical performances by Kidville’s own Rockin’ Railroad band. RSVP to rsvp.westfield@mykidville.com. 

 

Additionally, trial classes will be offered  Monday June 24^th through Friday June 28^th.  Booking birthday parties starting in July, and the 8 week summer semester begins July 1^st!  Located at 109 East Broad Street, Westfield 908-913-0856. www.kidville.com/westfield

(June 5, 2013) – The Westfield Memorial Library is pleased to present the line up for the Summer Foreign Film Festival, which runs from June through August, with all shows on Mondays at 2:00 and 6:30 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

 

The festival kicks off on June 24 with “The Intouchables,” a French film that runs 112 minutes. Driss, a Senegalese man living in a Paris slum, applies for a job as caretaker to a wealthy quadriplegic, but all he wants is to get his paper stamped so he can get benefits. As Driss reluctantly learns to take care of Philippe, the two men discover a blunt but vital humor that not only bridges the cultural and class divide between them, but also gives Philippe a renewed joy in life.

 

On July 8 “Free Men” will be shown. Also in French and running 99 minutes, it takes place in German-occupied Paris during the war where a young Algerian named Younes earns his living on the black market. Arrested by the French police but given a chance to avoid jail, he agrees to spy on the Paris Mosque. At the Mosque, Younes meets an Algerian singer and his transformation from a politically ignorant immigrant into a full-fledged freedom fighter begins.

 

“Elena,” a film in Russian that runs 109 minutes on July 22, is a gripping, modern twist on the classic noir thriller. Mismatched, sixty-ish spouses Vladimir and Elena uneasily share his palatial Moscow apartment. He’s a wealthy businessman; she’s his dowdy former nurse who has clearly married up. But when a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten the dutiful housewife’s potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan.

 

“Quartet,” an English language film directed by Dustin Hoffman, will be shown on July 29. With a running time of 98 minutes, it tells the story of the fictional Beecham House for Retired Musicians. It centers on four opera singers who are busy preparing for the annual Verdi Gala when word spreads about a famous new resident. Will they be able to convince her to sing? After all, her ex-husband is there, and soon unresolved romantic issues begin to boil to the surface.

 

On August 5, the Danish film “A Royal Affair,” which runs 137 minutes, will” be shown. This is the true story of an ordinary man who wins the queen's heart and starts a revolution. Centering on the intriguing love triangle between the ever more insane Danish King Christian VII, the royal physician, and the young but strong Queen Caroline Matilda, this is the gripping tale of brave idealists who risk everything in the pursuit of freedom for their people ... and above all, it is the story of a forbidden romance that changed an entire nation.

 

The film series culminates on August 12 with “A Simple Life,” a Cantonese film that runs 118 minutes. When Roger, a successful movie producer, comes home, he learns that Ah Tao, who has worked for Roger's family as a nanny and maid for most of her life, has suffered a severe stroke and is unable to care for herself. He agrees to help her relocate to a nursing home and as their roles reverse, he comes to understand how much she means to him.

 

The movies are free and open to the public.

 

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and closed on Sunday for the summer.

 

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”

 

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(June 10, 2013) – The Westfield Memorial Library is pleased to present Westfield jazz singer Jean Avery on Wednesday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.

 

Ms. Avery has an extensive career in theatre, commercials, and television. Born in Georgia, she began singing gospel at three years old at the First Baptist Church. Her love for blues, jazz, soul, gospel and songs from The Great American Songbook have taken her through every possible avenue of performance imaginable.

From 2001 until 2004, she performed as one of The Blues Sisters throughout Pennsylvania. The Blues Sisters Band began in the studios of a National Public Radio Station in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.

 

In 2005, she met and started performing with Bill Wehbe and has been performing the cabaret show they created throughout New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The show is a cabaret style mix of blues, jazz, standards, and pop hits from the past 100 years.

 

The philosophy of the act is that it doesn’t matter if you’re playing in front of 10 people or 10,000 people; you always give the best performance possible and love every minute of it. Miss Avery is an actress and model in her own right. She has appeared on television, television commercials, plays, and has worked in many movies.

 

The program is free and open to Westfield Memorial Library and MURAL cardholders. (MURAL cardholders belong to libraries that are part of the Middlesex Union Reciprocal Agreement Libraries. Check our website to see if your library participates.) As this show will be very popular, you must register for it by visiting the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , and clicking on the Calendar tab, or by calling 908.789.4090 option 0.

 

Founded in 1879, the Westfield Memorial Library—the community’s destination for discovery and ideas—engages minds, entertains spirits and facilitates lifelong learning for people of all ages. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and closed on Sundays during the summer.

 

For more information call 908.789.4090, visit the library’s website at www.wmlnj.org , and sign up for the monthly e-newsletter “Library Loop,” or stop by the library at 550 East Broad Street for a copy of the award-winning, quarterly newsletter “Take Note.”

Live Music Every Tuesday Night in July & August, 7-9pm

The 17th Annual Sweet Sounds Downtown Jazz Festival 2013 will run from July 2 through August 27. Four talented jazz groups will play and entertain each Tuesday evening from 7pm until 9pm during July and August with Wednesday rain dates. Visit downtown Westfield for the Jazz and enjoy the restaurants and dessert places too. We look forward to seeing everyone!  Click here for details and the 2013 performance schedule.  

 

The Westfield 5K & Pizza Extravaganza will be here before you know it! Don’t forget to sign up for a night of running, pizza, prizes, and entertainment! The event will be held on July 24, 2013 with a start time of 7 pm. The race is pre-registration online only. You can log on to PracticeHard.com to register. There are no online processing fees. All online registrations close at midnight on July 22.

 

Also known as the “Pizza Run”, the event would not be possible without the help of generous sponsors. For the fourth year in a row, Trinitas Regional Medical center is the Platinum Sponsor of the event. As the Platinum Sponsor, Trinitas Regional Medical Center staff will be on hand to share information about their award winning hospital and lead the race.

 

Present at the event will also be Silver and Bronze Sponsors. Barnabas Health – Saint Barnabas Medical Center , Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Overlook Medical Center and Stop & Shop have returned as Silver Sponsors. Drew & Rogers, JAG Physical Therapy; Wells Fargo Financial Advisors, Westfield Pediatric Dental Group, and UBS Financial Services will be returning Bronze Sponsors. David Realty Group, Get in Shape for Women, Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook & Cooper; Morgan Stanley, Summit Medical Group, Westfield Running Company, and Trenk DiPasquale will be new Bronze Sponsors. Contributing Sponsors this year include Creative Dental Care, P.A., PSE&G, Spencer Savings Bank, and Thomas Burns, DMD, P.A. State Farm Insurance Christine Consenza Agency has returned as a Supporting Sponsor.

 

The race will be held on the USATF certified course for the following route: On E. Broad Street Left onto N. Euclid Avenue, Left onto Park Drive through Mindowaskin Park, Cross Mountain Avenue, Right onto Lawrence Avenue, Left onto Sylvania Place, Right onto Elm Street, Left onto Newton Place, Right onto Prospect Street, Left onto Brightwood Avenue, Left onto Embree Crescent, Left onto Eaglecroft Road, Right onto Clark Street, left onto W. Dudley Avenue, Right onto Elm Street, and Finish just past E. Broad Street. Refer to www.WestfieldToday.com for the 2013 course map.  Pizza and dessert will be provided to all registered runners. Entertainment will be provided by the ever-popular Michael Craig Band & FOG with an awards ceremony immediately following the race.

 

To find out more about the Downtown Westfield Corporation 5K & Pizza Extravaganza, contact Sherry Cronin or Beth Brenner at the Downtown Westfield Corporation at 105 Elm Street, Westfield, NJ 07090 (908)789-9444 or by visiting www.WestfieldToday.com.  You can now follow the Downtown Westfield Corporation on Twitter.

 

The Downtown Westfield Corporation (DWC), formed in 1996, is the management entity of the Special Improvement District. It is governed by a seven member Board of Directors, has two full-time and one part-time staff members, and numerous volunteers serving on Design, Promotion, Economic Development and Organization committees. The vision of the DWC is for Westfield, NJ to be a preferred destination where people want to live, work, and visit. Westfield is also honored to be one of 22 designated Main Street Communities in New Jersey, a program of the National Trust’s National Main Street Center. Through the DWC efforts, Westfield won the 2004 Great American Main Street Award and the 2010 America in Bloom Award.

 

For the latest happenings, event information, and promotional offers from Westfield businesses, check out www.WestfieldToday.com, or follow Downtown Westfield on Twitter!

 

Photo credit:  People of all ages run each year at Downtown Westfield Corporation’s Annual Downtown Westfield 5K & Pizza Extravaganza scheduled for July 24.

 

 

 

The 5K pizza run, one of the largest non-corporate 5K races in the state, attracts 2,500 runners and over 6,000 spectators for an evening of running, pizza, prizes, DJ entertainment, and live music by Michael Craig Band.

 

Register here!

 

Thank You to Our 2013 Sponsors!

 

Platinum Sponsor: Trinitas Regional Medical Center

 

Silver Sponsors: Barnabas Health-Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Overlook Medical Center, Stop & Shop

 

Bronze Sponsors: JAG Physical Therapy, Summit Medical Group, Wells Fargo Advisors, Westfield Pediatric Dental Group 

 

Contributing: PSE&G, Spencer Savings Bank, Thomas Burns, DMD, PA  

 

Supporting: State Farm Insurance Christine Cosenza Agency

 

To find out about sponsorship opportunities for 2013, contact the Downtown Westfield Corporation 908.789.9444.

 

To volunteer to help out at the race, contact Meg Mehorter at retrogem@me.com.