School No. 4 Centennial Celebration

About Town was front and center for Friday night’s sold-out Fort Lee School No. 4 Centennial Celebration at the DoubleTree Hotel for a fun and festive night. The celebration was all about town.

PTA President Ada Garcia and her Executive Board Members Paula Colbath, Peter Mertens, Julie Schwartzapfel and Jennifer Backer turned this celebration into the social event of the season. They did an outstanding job organizing the event and not only made it look effortless, they made it fun, fun, fun! And Ada could not have been more accommodating fitting late-comers into the event. (Moment of shame: About Town waited a little too long to procure tickets, but Ada got us in with a smile and a shrug of “No problem!”)

And what a perfect night for a party—a warm evening with more than a hint of spring in the air, a brilliantly full Moonstruck moon, and best of all—no bridge traffic on Route 4 East to keep any guest from being late to the extravaganza.

But let’s dish Red Carpet. About Town is here to tell you that Fort Lee came out InStyle. Hemlines were up, hair was down, heels were high, bling was in. Although black was clearly the dominant color of the evening, some incredibly vibrant prints in bold shades of red and cobalt were represented, as were one-shoulder and strapless dresses.  And there were a few animal prints that carried the night.

Let’s not forget the gentlemen who owned the carpet with a style all their own. Black was in, and ties were sharp—from iced grays and blues, to dark-patterned reds. Their bling was the woman on their arm and they wore them well.  

Now let’s go inside. From the moment you walked up the large winding staircase to the ballroom the buzz was on. Drinks firmly in hand, you followed the conversational conga line into the cocktail hour to catch up with old friends, make new ones and share stories about Fort Lee’s past, present and future. Talk of the town ranged from the empty storefronts on Main Street and what could and should be done to make it a vibrant town center, to the start of the baseball season, which is right around the corner. Even some of our neighbors from Leonia came out to support the school and have a great time.

While other members of the press were getting posed group photos, About Town was busy with some ladies at the bar, where we learned from the bartenders that the drink of the night was vodka martinis. Not to be left out, About Town lifted a glass or two, but who’s counting?

The cocktail hour was a festive affair with an endless assortment of tasty hors’douerves. Here we had a chance to glimpse all of the many prizes that were being raffled off. Gifts aplenty ranged from gift certificates to restaurants, to an iPad, to a 42-inch flat screen T.V., to trips to Bermuda and Turks and Caicos. There were 89 prizes to be exact, and a 50-50.  There was so much good humor going around the room with everyone joking about what they would do if they won this prize or that prize. After two vodka martinis About Town made promises best forgotten. But to that man who needed $1000 to finalize his divorce, About Town did not win the 50-50 so that makes us officially off the hook despite what that third vodka martini promised. The cocktail hour was so successful that it was a bit difficult to corral everyone into the ballroom for the main event. Somehow, we managed to find our way there after getting off the exit to the bar.   

The ballroom was filled to capacity with parents, politicians, businessmen and women, teachers, principals, the school Superintendant, School Board members, coaches, School No. 4 alumni from 1944 to1986 and so many other special people who make Fort Lee the great town that it is.

However, the man of the hour, the honored guest, our very own Mayor Mark Sokolich, who graduated from School No. 4, stole the show. In a poignant moment, he was presented with a plaque for being the “Student of the Century.” It was a heartfelt moment not only for him, but for all who were assembled in the ballroom watching him accept this award. Mayor Sokolich choked up as he accepted the award with a great deal of emotion and humility. What a remarkable achievement to be a boy of this town, grow up on its streets, be educated by its schools, make your life here and become mayor. And let’s not forget that he’s mayor for a generation of us born in the 1960s. What pride to have one of our own achieve so much so young.

Following Mayor Sokolich’s award, the Fort Lee Film Commission presented a film montage created by Commission member Louis Azzollini that included images of old Fort Lee from the photo collection of the Fort Lee Historical Society. The film illustrated how so much of the character of Fort Lee has changed; the audience’s response represented how much of the character of its citizens has not. Though Fort Lee is often characterized by out-of-towners as being a bedroom community, it is anything but. This evening proved that people care very deeply about our town and are committed to making it a great place to live and raise a family.      

Music was provided by a D.J. that got everyone, and we mean everyone, onto the dance floor to shake it up. Clearly, lots of babysitters were employed because these parents were free and having a good time! The music was so good that it was hard to get everyone to sit for dinner.

The rest of the evening was devoted to calling the raffles for all of the prizes. The committee has to be commended on all of the prizes that were raffled, and thanks have to go to all of the families and Fort Lee businesses who so generously donated prizes. Among the Fort Lee businesses are The Bank of New Jersey, All Reel Images, Hudson City Savings Bank, In Napoli Restaurant, Golub Dentistry, Pizza Nova, Pomodoro Restaurant, Starbucks, Strictly Bicycles, and Tasteatery. Thanks must also go to Majesty Travel who donated those amazing trips! Even About Town didn’t leave empty-handed. We won a day at Brotherhood Winery in upstate New York! Some gifts just have About Town’s name on it. Quite frankly, we were hoping that the trip to Turks and Caicos had our name on it, but we’ll take Brotherhood Winery!

As you can see, it was a fabulous night! About Town can’t thank Ada Garcia, her committee and the entire PTA for putting on such a spectacular event. The night reluctantly ended near midnight, but some carried the party to In Napoli. That, dear readers, is another column for another time. After all, we all know that what happens at Naps, stays at Naps.

If you have a party or a Red Carpet event that you want About Town to cover, just send us an email and we’ll be there.