September 11, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 23 Ridgewood Notes Come Alive Outside announced Village families are invited to set out on a community afternoon adventure set for Saturday, Sept. 28. Attendees may bring their bicycles to be inspected, learn about bike safety, and join a ride through the village’s park areas. Included in the festivities will be an animal program and a nature scavenger hunt. (Rain date: Sept. 29.) The schedule of events will begin at 3 p.m. when partici- pants may meet at either Benjamin Franklin Middle School at 335 North Van Dien Avenue, or Willard Elementary School at 601 Morningside Road for bicycle inspections, a bike safety talk, and a review of the Come Alive Outside program. At 3:30, bikers will ride to Twinney Pond or Habernickel Park for a presentation, “New Jersey Native Wildlife,” that will begin at 4:15 p.m. Participants will then bike to South Pleasant Park or Citizen’s Park for a nature scavenger hunt at 4:45 p.m. The event is sponsored by Jacobsen Landscape Design and Construction, Ridgewood Parks and Recreation, Ridgewood Police Department, Ridgewood Wildscape Association, and Ridgewood Cycle Shop. The activities are free, but those who plan to attend are asked to register at www.ridgewoodnj.net/community- pass or in person or by mail at the Stable, 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. The recreation department is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration forms may be found at www.ridgewoodnj.net/recreation. For more information, call (201) 670-5560. Special needs soccer program set The Ridgewood Soccer Association still has a few open- ings in its fall special needs program. The program offers individual attention and mentoring from members of the girls’ soccer team at Ridgewood High School, and is open to players ages five to 14 at all skill levels. Children in Ridgewood and neighboring towns are welcome. Each ses- sion provides an hour of soccer as it aims to promote fitness and emphasize the enjoyable aspects of the sport. Sessions will be held on Saturday afternoons in Sep- tember and October. The cost is $60 for eight weeks. Each player will receive an RSA team jersey and soccer ball. For more information and to register, visit www.ridgewoodsoc- cer.org or e-mail registrar@ridgewoodsoccer.org. Yarn donations sought The Knit and Crochet Class at Ridgewood Village Hall is seeking donations of yarn for its community service proj- ects. The group, which meets on Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m., is making shawls and lap blankets for the patients in the New Jersey Veterans’ Memorial Home in Paramus. Yarn, nee- dles, and hooks are needed. Donations may be brought to the Stable, 259 North Maple Avenue in Ridgewood, week- days from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. New class members are welcome. For information, call (201) 670-5560. Gold Star Mothers to be honored On Sunday, Sept. 29, the United States will honor Gold Star Mothers and families. In Ridgewood, the Gold Star Mother’s Day Committee will commemorate Gold Star Mother’s Day at Van Neste Park, where luminaria will be lit from 7 to 9 p.m. to honor Gold Star Mothers and their families. However, the com- mittee’s goal is to have thousands of other luminaria lit throughout Ridgewood on Sept. 29 to honor the Gold Star Mothers and families. American Legion Post 53 (Ridgewood), Washington Elm Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 192 (Ho-Ho-Kus/ Ridgewood), and Ridgewood’s Blue Star Families are com- mitted to bringing awareness to the community and to com- memorating the sacrifices these mothers and their families have made for the country. The community is invited to join in the event at Van Neste Park and to raise awareness for this event by talking to family members, friends, and neighbors. Donations in support of the Ridgewood event are wel- come. Checks made payable to American Legion Post 53 that state “Gold Star Event” on the memo line, should be send to: American Legion Post 53, P.O. Box 1525, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. In the aftermath of World War I, Washington D.C. resi- dent Grace Darling Seibold formed an organization called Gold Star Mothers to support the women who had lost sons and daughters to the war. Seibold’s son, First Lieutenant George Vaughn Seibold, was an aviator killed in combat over France in 1918. In 1928, the small D.C.-based group decided to nationalize its efforts. In 1936, a joint congres- sional resolution established the last Sunday in September as Gold Star Mother’s Day. The Gold Star Mothers grew from a support group of 60 women to today’s extensive nationwide network with tens of thousands of members and hundreds of local chapters. “As members of a grateful nation, we owe a debt we can never repay, but hold this sacred obligation forever in our hearts, minds, and actions,” the 2011 Presidential Procla- mation commemorating this day states. “We honor their sacrifice, and stand with our service members, military families, and Gold Star families as they have stood for us.” OLMC MOMs meet The MOMs group at Our Lady of Mount Carmel will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The group will gather at 9:15 a.m. in the parish center located at One Passaic Street in Ridgewood. Attendees are invited to bring a friend and enjoy a cup of coffee with other moms while learning about the Minis- try of Motherhood. MOMs monthly meetings include speakers and group discussions. The organization features interest groups including journal and book clubs, a recipe club, a reserva- tion club, tennis groups, playgroups, yoga, teen talk, and faith sharing. Moms of all faiths and ages are welcome. Child care will be provided during meetings; RSVP to childcare@olmcmoms.org. For more information about MOMs, visit www.olmc- moms.org. We welcome press releases from our readers. Items may be sent to editorial@villadom.com. Deadline is Wednes- day at noon the week prior to publication.