Edgewater Parrots Flarch* South
Plus local sing-portunities, an exclusive giveaway, 14U softball champs & much more
When Will Weehawken See Green?
If you didn’t know, there’s a community of Monk parrots in Edgewater, NJ. Also known as Quaker parrots, they’ve been here since the mid-1970s, according to Weird NJ. The first time we saw them flying past us on River Road we thought, “Nah, we couldn’t have just seen bright green things fly by” and then promptly forgot about it until we were in the Edgewater Whole Foods parking lot with a bird nerd** who heard them, looked up, and said, “Those are freakin’ parrots!”
So yes, we have parrots, but when we first got obsessed with them in 2008, their HQ was south of the GW Bridge in Memorial Park, which locals then called “Parrot Park.”
PSE&G gets permits and removes the nests twice a year, because according to them, it’s a fire hazard, and indeed our green friends have been blamed for power outages. Over the years we’ve watched these nests like hawks, and we’ve noticed a steady southward movement.
We’ve been rooting for them to make it to Weehawken, and it seems it might happen! But when? Well as of 2024, “Parrot Park” doesn’t seem to have parrots, and now the southern most nest on River Road is by the Exxon a hair south of Target. This Google map illustrates their move:
In 15 years, the parrots have moved 1.3 miles south. And from the Exxon to the Envue Hotel in Weehawken is exactly 3 miles.
So, if you do the math, and we did —the parrots will hit Weehawken in approximately 34 and a half years!
For all us Weehawken bird nerds, this is very exciting and extra inspo to eat right, exercise, and sing, to welcome them when they come flarching in. 🦜🎉
Weehawken 14U Softball Champs Trounce Adults
Last Sunday the Weehawken rec softball champs played a celebratory game kids vs. adults, and the young ones won it 17-15. The champs took the title in June, but last Sunday’s game was a scrimmage to celebrate the girls’ hard work and their parents’ involvement. According to the coaches, almost every parent was at every game.
According to the parent who sent the news, the majority of the team has played together and won the championship for the past 3 years, playing on the PBA team, and currently, as Weehawken & You. Massive shout out to coaches Steve Bognar, Jason Pendergraft and Amy Eng on their 3rd consecutive championship. For sure they are to be celebrated for working hard to prepare the town’s softball players for Weehawken High School. And they need to work hard because the kids have some pretty big cleats to fill. See: Weehawken softball makes history, repeats as Hudson County champs
Feel-good stories? We love them. Thanks to Jenny Pendergraft for sending the hot tip!
Exclusive: Bob Shea Giveaway
Bob Shea is a friend. He writes and illustrates children’s books. He’s very funny and talented. We met him when we were working at Comedy Central in the 90’s back when the earth was still cooling and dinos ruled the land. The book you see above is called Pizza for Birds and it came out yesterday. It’s the sequel to his smash hit Chez Bob. But don’t take our word for it, check these reviews for Chez Bob:
"Chez Bob is beyond glorious. Seriously: It’s a perfect book." —Sandra Boynton
"Readers will laugh at this funny story... kids will cheer for the heartwarming ending. Appropriately droll illustrations perfectly match the lively shenanigans and depict Bob with a toothy, expressive mug. This is one to devour." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
So… as New Jersey knows pizza, and as Bob is our friend, he agreed to do an exclusive never-before-done signed doodle for one lucky Weehawken Gazette reader.
How to enter? It’s easy!
To enter, leave a comment on this post (there’s a button at the bottom) telling us your favorite pizza, your favorite bird, or your favorite Bob Shea book. Full rules to follow in italics. Good luck! And thanks,
!Rules: Original Bob Shea doodle for the Weehawken Gazette giveaway runs from 8/14/24 through Wednesday 8/28/24. One (1) winner will be picked at random from all eligible entries on this post, and sucking up to Bob Shea about how much you like his books is appreciated, but won’t actually increase chances of winning. Winner will be notified and the prize delivered by mail anywhere in the USA, but we secretly hope it’s a NJ winner, gotta be honest here.
In Brief
🚲 This Saturday 8/17: There’s a community bike ride to Manhattan Summer Streets. You can start at 9A in Weehawken, or 9:30 in North Bergen. See this post on Instagram for details:
Save the date: September 20th at 6P the Weehawken Elks pub hosts a 3-D photography salon presented by Emmy-award winning writer Eric Drysdale. Tickets will be $50 each, include donation, and only 14 tickets will be sold. More details in the next Gazette. To learn more, see Eric’s site: Midcentury Stereo Panorama
Save the same date: Following the 3-D presentation, the Elks pub will be open to adults 21+ at 8:30P for a “September Social” and there will be no cover — just a good way to get out and meet neighbors.
👻 🏃♀️Run or walk with us: The HoBOOken 5k is a USATF certified 5k that takes place Saturday October 26th at 10A. It benefits the Hoboken Shelter and it’s awesome. If you wanna register, go to hobooken5k.com and use our exclusive code: WEERUNS at checkout to save $2 per registration. We’ll have more on this as we get closer. Related: Read a 2022 interview with a winner of the HoBOOken5k.
And over in Manhattan: Sat. 8/24 at 4P Ritch Duncan’s comedy Set For Life will be in the “So You’re Not In Scotland Festival” at Caveat NYC. $12 & no drink min. Tix here.
🎤 Sing! Teaneck Community Chorus and Cantigas Women’s Choir will both be starting up/seeking new singers in the fall. Stay tuned for more info, and if you know of another local singing group, let us know. As Robert Putnam showed, singing is good for community health. See: Sing along for health on Harvard Health
Is It Us Or Have There Been More 🌈 Lately?
Have there been more rainbows? Feels like it. Leave a comment, yay or nay.
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Tah for now nice nabes!
Susie
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PPS Thanks to all the people who’ve given us great feedback about the newsletter. Every time we hear someone tell us that it helped them discover something or entertained them, it makes us happy.
*Flarch is not really a word, but we are using it to mean fly + march = flarch
**The bird nerd in this story was author Edith Layton, RIP.
Great column. My favorite bird is the Crow. And they do flarch!
On another note, do other Weehawken residents have an opinion on the "poop bridges"? I'm referring to the Marginal Hwy bridges that have an abundance of birds hanging out under them and pooping on the pedestrians and vehicles below.
Any thoughts on what we can do to get the town to address this?