December 18, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 25 Saddle River Valley Notes Register for baseball & softball The Upper Saddle River Baseball and Softball associa- tions will hold in-person registration for the spring 2014 recreation season on Jan. 4 and 11. Registration will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the borough hall, 376 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. For more information about the baseball program, con- tact Ed Cenci at ecinc81@optonline.net or visit www. usrbaseball.com. Those interested in softball may contact Natalie Ling at usrsoftball@gmail.com or visit www.usrsoftball.com. Pet food & toy collection under way During December, the Center for Food Action and Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Inc. will receive food to help needy families feed their pets, and for homeless dogs and cats. The community is asked to remember the animals this holiday season and bring donations of pet food and pet toys to one the following drop off locations: Animal Hospi- tal of Saddle River, 171 East Saddle River Road in Saddle River; The Spotted Dog, 347 Ramapo Valley Road in Oak- land; and Woof Gang Bakery, 57 West Allendale Avenue in Allendale. The pet toys will be distributed to RBARI and Teterboro shelters. ESL classes available The Upper Saddle River Library offers an ongoing ESL (English as a Second Language) Program. The free ses- sions provide instruction for area adults. Local residents, who are specially trained tutors, teach foreign-born adults on a one-to-one basis to speak, read, and write English. All groups meet at the library at 245 Lake Street at prearranged times. Applications are available at the library’s circulation desk. To register for lessons or to learn more about becoming a tutor, contact Rosemarie Manganaro at (201) 327-2583. Holiday Senior Gift Drive to begin The Jewish Community Organization of Northern Bergen County is collecting holiday gifts for area seniors in need. The annual drive will take place Dec. 20. JCO invites the community to take a gift suggestion from the club’s board posted in the Saddle River Post Office located at 177 East Saddle River Road. Donations will benefit Bergen County seniors in need. Special needs basketball offered The Upper Saddle River Basketball Association and Upper Saddle River Recreation Commission are sponsor- ing a free structured, small group basketball clinic for chil- dren with special needs. Students in kindergarten through grade six are invited to these one-hour clinics, which will be held in the Reynolds School gym at 391 West Saddle Ideas for foodies (continued from page 19) Many foodies also laud pressure cookers for their nutri- tional benefits. Steaming certain foods can intensify their flavors, which allows cooks to rely less on potentially unhealthy additions like salt or butter to ensure a meal is flavorful. Serving dishes: Of course, many foodies want to share the fruits of their labor with friends and family. For the person who loves throwing dinner parties, consider some serving dishes this holiday season. Serving dishes can range from casual (for the foodie who can’t wait to fire up the grill) to formal (for the gourmet foodie), so keep your friend or family member’s preferences in mind before pur- chasing a set of serving dishes. Cookbook: The ideal fallback item for holiday shoppers who can’t seem to find anything for their favorite foodies, cookbooks filled with recipes for dishes from their favorite type of cuisine (i.e., Italian, Thai, Cajun, etc.) are sure to please. When giving a cookbook, peruse a few of its reci- pes to determine if there are any special ingredients that appear throughout. If there are, purchase these ingredients and give them as part of the present. River Road in Upper Saddle River. The program will meet at 11 a.m. on the following dates: Dec. 15; Jan. 5, 12, and 26; Feb. 2 and 9; and March 2, 9, and 16. Players will warm up, run drills, and play a brief game. Breaks and any other accommodations will be made. Each participant will require a parent shadow for all clinics. Children from the surrounding communities are wel- come. Contact Joe Abbatiello at (917) 744-4415 or e-mail jabbatiello@verizon.net to register or for details. Ski trips planned for local students The Upper Saddle River Recreation Commission will sponsor three all-day ski trips on Saturdays in 2014. The trips include Windham Mountain on Jan. 11, Hunter Moun- tain on Jan. 18, and Mount Snow in Vermont on Jan. 25. This program is open to skiers in grades sixth through 12 who attend Ho-Ho-Kus schools, Brookside School and Northern Highlands High School in Allendale, Cavallini and Bogert schools in Upper Saddle River, and students who reside in Upper Saddle River and attend other schools. The cost of the three trips, including luxury coach trans- portation and lift tickets, is $370. Students may sign up for individual trips, the cost of which is outlined in the regis- tration form. Registration forms will be available on the Upper Saddle River website, www.USRToday.org, at borough hall, and at the schools. Space is limited. Those who register will be accommodated on a “first come” basis. Parents who are interested in becoming chaperones, and those who require additional information may contact Chairman Esau Ali at (201) 934-9075. Kindergarten orientation set The Upper Saddle River School District will hold kinder- garten orientation/registration for its fall 2014 class on Jan. 9 in the Travers Multi-purpose Room at Reynolds School, 391 West Saddle River Road in Upper Saddle River. The program will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Parents of kinder- garten age children (having attained the age of five on or before Oct. 1, 2014) are invited. The program will cover a typical day in kindergarten and the curriculum. RSVP by Jan. 3 to (201) 961-6300 or cfinn@usrschoolsk8.com. The JCO, a non-profit organization serving the Saddle River Valley area, supports local and national charities. For more information, contact: jconbc.info@yahoo.com.