If you enjoy creative holiday decorating with friends, then you’ll love the wreath-making workshop this Saturday at the Van Vleck House & Gradens. In seasons past, I’ve plunged in with pliers, branch cutters and friends – enjoying a relaxing afternoon in a pine-scented room. You make your own party favor at this event, bringing home a bushy, festive 14-inch wreath (don’t mind the sap on your hands).
The workshop will be led by author, lecturer, horticulturist Marta McDowell, who will show you how to fashion a gorgeous wreath with natural materials, and cuttings from the VVH&G grounds. Marta teaches landscape history and preservation at the New York Botanical Garden and Drew University, and teaches gardening classes for the Chautauqua Institution.
Saturday, December 5, 10:00-12:00pm, $55/members, $65/non members, all materials included. Space is limited, reserve asap. VAN VLECK HOUSE & GARDENS, 21 Van Vleck Street, Montclair. (973) 744-4752
Spectacular Seasonal Spectator Event: Montclair will light up the town’s giant holiday tree during the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony Friday, December 4, at 6:00 p.m., at Church Street’s plaza. Montclair Community Band will play familiar holiday tunes adding to the evening festivities in downtown Montclair. Have a picture taken with Santa Claus ($3.00, framed). Church Street will be closed to vehicular traffic at 5 p.m. On Saturday, December 5, Santa will be making appearances on a fire truck all around Montclair. Find out where you’ll catch up with him, on BaristaKids.
Plan ahead for all your holiday events, check the Baristanet Calendar.

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It’s baaa-ack! This time around, I’m going to be making reservations way in advance for tables during Montclair’s Restaurant Week. Last year, we enjoyed delicious prix fixe menus, and left with a few extra dollars in our pockets.
January 25 – February 7, 2010 are the dates of Montclair’s second annual restaurant week; participating restaurants will offer 3 and 4-course meals for $31 or less. Last year 44 establishments participated – Montclair Restaurant Week 2010 participation should be even bigger.
This year the sponsors are making a good event even better, with the addition of fundraising for our favorite local charities.
The Human Needs Food Pantry, Salvation Army Food Program, and Toni’s Kitchen will all benefit from a $1 per meal surcharge collected during restaurant week. Funds will be distributed by volunteers from Montclair Rotary Foundation.
Additional sponsorship is needed to make Restaurant Week 2010 another unqualified success. The organizing committee is actively seeking new volunteers. To get involved, contact montclairrestaurantweek@gmail.com for info and further details.

In addition to vaccinating the at-risk campus population, Montclair State University will be providing the H1N1 vaccine to family members of students and staff this week.

H1N1 flu is now widespread in New Jersey and approximately 200 cases of ILI (Influenza Like Illness) have occurred on campus.
The primary defense against H1N1 is vaccination. The University has administered over 2,000 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine and has additional vaccine available. We will continue to offer H1N1 flu shots to our campus membership and now will include family members of MSU students, faculty and staff that belong to one of the target groups. All target group family members including children age 6 months and older are eligible to receive a flu shot.

An H1N1 Flu Clinic will be held December 2, 2009, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the University Health Center in Blanton Hall for MSU students, faculty and staff and eligible family members. No appointment is necessary and the vaccine is free. Individuals under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
To find out if you are eligible within the target population, click on the CDC website. H1N1 shots cannot be provided to non-target group members until the state grants approval.

If you need to rationalize your cyber shopping today, just think about the gas you’re saving by shopping from the screen – and no parking hassles! Since we’re online anyway, I thought I’d share a few deals in Baristaville that you can click to.
Bobbi Brown “LET’S GO SHOPPING FRIENDS & FAMILY”
November 30 through December 2, Shop BobbiBrown.com and receive 20% off your order, complimentary gift wrap, and free standard shipping on orders of $65. Proceeds from your purchase will help support their donation of $10,000 to Dress for Success. Specials also apply to in-store purchases at the Montclair Studio, 8 Lackawanna Plaza. (973) 783-3506.
GLEN RIDGE SCHOOLS GET FREE MONEY on CYBER MONDAY…and all year long. When you shop using the Alternative Funding Committee links, Glen Ridge Schools can get up to 40% back from all your online purchases. Here is how you can help this holiday season:
Use AFC’s link, http://www.glenridge.org/afc/online.html for online purchases, and http://www.glenridge.org/afc/grocery.html when ordering groceries (5% back to GR schools). The Holiday Gift Card Sale: Download the holiday SCRIP order form to buy gift cards from dozens of store, restaurants, and services, including local Fitzgerald’s 1928 pub. Glen Ridge schools will get up to 17% back. Order by Dec. 7 – gift cards will be delivered by Dec. 17. For information, contact Tracey St. Auburn at 973-748-9377 or by e-mail rolandandtracey@comcast.net.
Tell us about any other good Cyber Monday deals you know of in comments.
Deals at Harmony Day Spa and Bangz Salon & Spa, after the jump.

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County Executive Joe Di Vincenzo, who has made it his mission to beautify Essex County and improve its financial health, will announce his candidacy for a third term on December 11 from a former gritty parking deck in Newark – which under his oversight was transformed into 2.7 acre sanctuary of green. Di Vincenzo has more than a million dollars in the campaign “war chest,” according to The Star Ledger, and plenty of support.

One of DiVincenzo’s most vocal critics is David Weiner, who as president of Local 1080 of the Communications Workers of America represents about 650 welfare workers.
His membership is primed to piggyback on the re-election campaign to get their message out. He’s thinking of arming his local with their own individual pieces of sod.
“So now, you have to pay attention to us because we’re a park,” Weiner said.

Robert Bowser, mayor of East Orange, is thinking about challenging Di Vincenzo in the June primary, according to the Ledger.

I know, because my neighbor Deb Ellis and I have been doing it for several years. Sometimes we make huge kettles of tomato sauce, using extra end-of-season produce from the Farmers’ Market. Other times we make lemon verbena bread, with herbs we grow in our gardens. Around the holidays we’ve had fun making Christmas cookies together, heavy on the ginger snaps, and dividing the trays up when they cool. So when Deb invited me to take the Cooking With Friends class with her at the Adult School of Montclair two weeks ago, I was delighted to participate. (And Baristavillians may have already learned how to cook with friends if they attended this fun session in September.)

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The event is Relay for Life. Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising event. In fact, it is the largest non-profit fundraising event in the world. Relay is an overnight walkathon, in which teams of about 15-20 participate and must have at least one member of their team walking the track at all times during the event. It usually starts at 7 pm, with a survivor walk, and ends at 7 am. People camp out, play games, and fundraise, with all the money going to cancer research and patient services. Not only is it an incredibly moving event, but it is also a lot of fun. Mayor Fried has already set a date and location for an interest meeting for Relay: Tuesday, December 15th at 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd Floor of the Municipal Building (205 Claremont Avenue). Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting to partipate in the planning of this wonderful, worthy event. Click here to learn more.

“Roots:Unknown” is an award-winning 30-minute documentary produced and directed by Montclair resident Zara Phillips examining the lifelong emtional impact adoption has on the adoptee and their families. A free screening of the film will be presented as part of Adoption Awareness Month – Monday Nov. 30 at 7p.m. – at Montclair Public Library.
Following the screening, there will be a short discussion with Zara and several cast members in the film.
To watch the three-minute trailer on You Tube, click here.
ROOTS: UNKNOWN, A Film About Adoption, NOVEMBER 30, 7p.m., MONTCLAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY, 50 S. Fullerton Ave. Montclair, NJ.
Check out the Baristanet’s Calendar to find out what’s going on this weekend…