December 7, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 21 Allendale Notebook Board of education meets The Allendale Board of Education will meet Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. The meeting will be held in the library at Brookside School, which is located at 100 Brookside Avenue in Allendale. Chamber to hold dinner meeting, elections The Allendale Chamber of Commerce will host a Dec. 6 dinner meeting at the Allendale Bar and Grill, 67 West Allendale Avenue, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will include elections for next year’s officers. RSVP to Adrienne at Jumbleiah, (201) 327-8411 or e-mail Jumbleiah2@aol.com. The Chamber meets the second Tuesday of the month. Allendale businesses are welcome to join. Clothes Line sets holiday schedule The Archer United Methodist Church’s Clothes Line Thrift Shop is offering Christmas decorations and gift ideas. The shop, located at 37 East Allendale Avenue, is open Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The shop will also be open Saturdays, Dec. 10, and 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Thrift Shop will be closed from Dec. 19 through 31. The shop will reopen on Jan. 5, 2012. Gently used clothing and household items may be dropped off during regular shop hours. NHRHS Class of 1972 plans reunion Northern Highlands Regional High School Class of 72 will celebrate its 40th reunion on July 14, 2012 at the Ramsey Country Club. Interested alumni should contact JimCoomber@yahoo.com for further information. Christmas comes to Highlands Presbyterian Highlands Presbyterian Church in Allendale will be celebrating the Advent Season with several special events. The annual Christmas Pageant will be held on Sunday, Dec. 18 during the 10 a.m. worship service. There will be two Christmas Eve services on Dec. 24. The Children’s Service will be held at 4:30 p.m. and the Candlelight Service will be held at 8 p.m. with the musical prelude beginning at 7:15 p.m. The church is located at 270 Franklin Turnpike in Allendale. Weekly worship services are held on Sundays at 10 a.m., with child care and Sunday school provided for younger and older children, respectively. Visit http://www. highlandschurch.net/ or call (201) 327-4466. Chamber offers ‘green’ fundraiser The Allendale Chamber of Commerce is offering residents a chance to save on their energy bills, raise money for the Chamber, and embrace a greener lifestyle. The Chamber has partnered with Viridian, an energy provider, to encourage consumer choice when purchasing electricity. With the deregulation of the electricity industry, consumers in north Jersey have the option to choose their electric supplier. Those who sign up with Viridian receive a 10 percent discount on the first month’s supply portion of their energy bills. Sign up under the Allendale Chamber’s campaign, and the Chamber will receive a contribution from Viridian to fund its programs. After enrolling with Viridian, there is little else the consumer needs to do. The local utility continues to send the bills and deliver the electricity to the home or business. The difference is Veridian’s name and rates are listed on the bill. Enroll online at Viridian.com/allendalegoesgreen or by phone at (201) 236-1910. Fyke plans Christmas Bird Count Fyke Nature Association will host its 60th Christmas Bird Count on Dec. 17. The event will cover a 15-mile diameter circle centered on Lake Erskine. At least eight teams will be in the field from dawn to dusk. The count is part of the nation-wide 112th Christmas Bird Count organized by the National Audubon Society. To join a team, call Stiles Thomas at (201) 327-3470. For more information, call John at (201) 327-1483 or jbro29@optonline.net. Leaf collection schedule announced The Allendale Department of Public Works has announced its fall leaf pickup schedule. Bagged leaves will be picked up on streets east of the railroad tracks Dec. 12 to 16. The schedule for streets west of the railroad tracks will be Dec. 12 to 16. Residents are reminded that all leaves must be left at the curbside for collection in brown biodegradable paper bags only. There will be a limited number of paper bags (10 per customer) available at the recycling center. The recycling center is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Please note that the week of Nov. 21 is shorter due to the holidays. For details, call (201) 818-4410, extension 100. Letters to the Editor (continued from page 20) noble veterans for their dutiful service to our flag and country,” I would like to modify that to say that our noble veterans and men and women in uniform should be paid respect and given support for their dutiful service on a continuing basis, because without their sacrifices we would not be a free country and they deserve nothing less. Thank you, young people, for your enthusiasm, compassion, and support for all of us who have worn and are wearing the military service uniform of our country. Responses and support like this from you make it worth the sacrifices we endured. May God Continue to Bless America! Stanley A. Kober, Commander Washington Elm VFW Post 192 Ridgewood—Ho-Ho-Kus Dear Editor: On Dec. 1, Allendale laid to rest a long-time resident and personal friend who lost her battle to cancer. At the funeral, the family could not say enough about the Allendale Fire Department during the recent snowstorm. I had received a call from a neighbor asking for help because this particular family had lost power and my friend was too ill to be moved. I immediately called the fire department, and they rushed a generator to her home. The fire department monitored the refueling of the generator for six days before power was restored. There is no doubt that her last days were made more comfortable because of their efforts. At our Nov.10 council meeting, I acknowledged the efforts of our fire department and particularly Captain Ryan Shute for the “awesome job” during the storm. However, after the funeral, I was reminded that it was not only my friend who was helped, but many others who were assisted throughout the storm and the days thereafter. The fire department volunteers stayed at the firehouse many nights answering fire calls and requests for assistance. The volunteers answered 38 alarms, brought generators to the sick and infirm and rendered all forms of aid to our residents. I wanted to personally thank all the fire department volunteers for their service and unselfishly answering the call of their neighbors in their time of need. Allendale is proud to have such a dedicated group of volunteers. Vince Barra, Mayor Allendale Appreciates Allendale Volunteer Fire Department