Nothing’s more American than a cold brew on a hot day, but a new business in Bergen County is making residents say goodbye to Budweiser and hello to craft beer.

The Alementary is one of Bergen County’s brand new businesses. Their business is beer and their reputation precedes them. The lovechild of a chemical engineer and molecular biologist, the duo joined forces last year to bring Bergen County the best in craft brew. Embarking on their first anniversary, the business boasts a variety of beer types and has become a hit with the local residents.
Combine a love of beer, a doctor of molecular biology, a chemical engineer and a desire to create something new and you’ll get The Alementary. The craft brewery is almost one year old, and tucked away in a small industrial park in Hackensack. It has gained quite the reputation for its sought-after lagers, ales and sours that bring out the locals every weekend.

Scientists by day and brewmasters by night, the team merged their scientific education and careers to create a craft beer company. With a passion for taste and a love of beer, the two-men worked tirelessly to create the perfect balance, recipe and appearance for their infamous ales and lagers.

The team came up with an idea for opening a brewery after traveling the United States extensively and realizing that pretty much every area they visited had their own local brewpub. Recognizing Bergen’s disparity in the market the team decided to give their luck a try and opened Alementary. Well their luck paid off! Not only did residents want to support local, but they wanted to experience something new—something unlike anything they had tried before.

Tired of contributing to the successes of others, the entrepreneurs went into business for themselves in the pursuit of their own dreams. They team based their brewpub off of the popular Hill Farmstead Brewery, due to their connection with the owner and the fact that it stood out from all the other venues they had visited in their travels.

When asked why they named it Alementary the answer was simple—the name combined their love of academics and beer into a singular catchy phrase that was both appealing to the general public and was indicative of who they were.

The brew pub offers tastings, tours and informal educational seminars for their clients. From describing their latest sour to pouring the perfect pint, the two owners have become experts in their craft. Attracting a large array of clients, the brewpub serves women, men, the old and the young alike.

The reviews have spoken for themselves, and the teams spirit and high level of hospitality combined with expertly crafted beer is what has kept residents flocking back for more. The sky is the limit for these two beer scientists and we’re pretty sure the ride is just beginning. If you’re a craft beer enthusiast, or are simply looking for a unique activity to do, Alementary will not only quench your thirst, but turn you into a forever customer.

It’s hard to break into the glitz and glam of New York City for almost anyone. The music industry is competitive, and full of would-be, could-be musicians, singers and song-writers. Bergen County’s own Jack Antonoff has not only made a splash into the music scene, but has dominated it with his collaborations for some of today’s biggest artists.

Antonoff is a typical New Jersey boy who just happens to be a brilliant music man and boasts celebrities for friends. Antonoff made headlines at the Grammy’s last year when Taylor Swift interacted with Antonoff after she won her award for album of the year.  Heads were spinning back home in Bergen as Swift, who is arguably one of the world’s biggest pop starts, laughed with Antonoff, treating him like a best friend.

Jack Antonoff is best known as Bergen’s homegrown music producer, songwriter and all around success story. Bergen County’s golden child has liner credits on Lorde’s new album as a co-writer and producer of her newest single, Green Light. In fact, he even made it into the music video.

Antonoff is back in Bergen, and this time he is with his own band Bleachers. As the lead singer and songwriter for the band, Bleachers is drawing huge local crowds to the venues they’re performing at. Bergen County residents have been eager to not only welcome him back, but bask in the native’s limelight. With his new song being released in June, Antonoff’s fans were thrilled to see him back where it all began.

Antonoff was clearly thrilled to be back in his home town and mixed and mingled with his fan following signing autographs, answering questions and just generally engaging with the crowds. Fans took to Instagram and Snapchat posting pics and videos with the music wiz.

The crowds sung along to their old favorites and danced along to the musician’s latest releases. His new tunes were well received by the audience of the sold out show, with many of the patrons screaming for more. The show in Webster Hall was overwhelmed with ticket sales from the first onsale date, as residents were eager to celebrate the homegrown talent.

So what does this mean for his Hollywood entourage? Only time will tell. Antonoff’s departure from main stream pop into his own organic genre seems to be what his current focus is, but when Taylor Swift is around it might not take much to lure him back into the music studio.

Antonoff is currently on tour and is playing in smaller venues. After the release of his new album, the band will likely embark on a tour that includes larger music halls and event spaces.

Looking for where to catch him next? Antonoff is rumored to be hosting the Shadow of the City music festival this year. While the dates have not been formally announced, rumor has it that’s it’s going to happen.

From Bergen Boy to music mogul, the future is looking bright for Jack Antonoff. 

Are you working on your summer bod? Trying to find a unique way to keep fit while having fun this Summer? Than look no further! Bergen County is home to a lot of great ways to keep in shape, while still maintaining an active and entertaining lifestyle. These are our top picks to help you get in shape this season!

The New Jersey Shore is an amazing way to not only experience the best of Bergen County, but to tone and trim your body down at the same time. Therefore, kayaking has made our list of the must-do fitness endeavors that you just have to experience this Summer! Our local outfitter, the Hackensack Riverkeeper, is a must-try adventure that is sure to help you keep fit this season, while providing you with an entertaining outing. The outfitter boasts more than 50 watercrafts, including canoes and kayaks, so while you’re paddling around and enjoying the sun, you’ll be burning those unwanted barbecue calories. Hackensack Riverkeeper offers rentals, which means you won’t have to invest in equipment before you try it out! They even offer water tours. So whatever you’ve been procrastinating in your fitness regime, we think hitting the water in a boat is one of your best options!

No matter what you say, yoga is here to stay! It’s everywhere! But do you really want to be inside a studio this summer, when you could be living large and experiencing Bergen County’s beautiful outdoors? We didn’t think so. Take in the Garden State while you experience Yoga on the Lawn. These short, yet effective, classes take you outdoors and get you back to your grass roots. An experienced and certified team of yoga instructors not only lead the class, but help promote your better living! Have we motivated you yet? We thought so! Check out Yoga on the Lawn by getting in touch with the Palisades, Taub Campus. All you’ll have to bring is your mat and your special water bottle.

OK! We get it! Yoga and river life isn’t for everyone! Looking to live life in the fast lane? Why not try tuning up your derrière at the annual Ramapo Rally. Grab your bike and your helmet and join the masses for an outdoor experience not to be missed. You’ll ride the trails and embark on a cycling journey that brings you closer to the New Jersey you know and love. While the club runs all year round, we know that there’s never any better time to start than in summertime. The event not only raises funds for charities, but gives you the opportunity to network with some new people and experience everything a bicycle club has to offer. Whether you’re committed to the day or committed to becoming a member, the Ramapo Rally is loads of fun and will leave you craving your next adventure.

Family fitness isn’t only fun, but vital to a healthier and stronger you! Why not embark on your fitness journey with your family and experience Venom Fitness. Located in Wyckoff, the fitness center creates various workouts for all the members in your family. From kick boxing to team building, Venom Fitness offers an interactive and engaging approach to fitness.
 
Take a walk on the wild side this Summer and embark on a fitness journey that meets your needs!

Bergen County isn’t as hip as it once was, with tons of our younger generations moving out of the County and into New York City. Craving culture, entertainment, job opportunities and education, millennials are vacating Bergen County in droves. Whether they’re embarking on their journey, or are younger families wanting to move into the city, suburban life no longer holds the special draw that it did in the 1980’s.

Data suggests that there was an almost 20% increase in the amount of families with a co-habituating mother and father and children in middle and upper class areas of the Big Apple. This number has been increasing since the mid-2000’s with numbers reaching record highs this year. The harsh reality is that suburban living no longer appeals to the masses.

With many of Bergen County’s suburban dwellers making the commute every day to and from work, the ability to cut down on lengthy commute times by moving back to New York is a huge draw for the daily worker. Areas that are further from the Manhattan epicenter, have been depicted as the hardest hit so far. Somewhere along the line, people just started getting fed up.
The shift from suburban living to city life is having a lasting impact on Bergen County. There are less potential job seekers, less potential home buyers, and less residents to contribute financially to local business. The exodus of millennials from the area is having an important and detrimental impact on the area.

To counter the growing crisis, communities are being encouraged to reinvent themselves in an attempt to remain attractive to both residents and potential buyers. With culture, diversity and entertainment topping the list of reasons why people are moving out, communities are being encouraged to broaden their available lifestyle experiences. From theater, to gastropubs, suburbs are being faced with the need to mimic city living while living in a suburban landscape.

Last year, Bergen County’s Park Ridge area experienced a decline of more than 5% of its population, due to its residents opting to move back into New York. That means that for every 100 residents, 5 of your neighbors left. Restaurants, retail outlets and public services are the main sectors feeling the burden of the weakened population, where there is now less money to go around.

Vacancy rates in both residential and commercial spaces are at an all-time high, with housing prices up to 25 % lower than their value at the turn of the century. While creating a buyers’ market, there are simply just not enough people considering moving out of the big city and into a cookie cutter community.

John Cosgrove, the mayor of Fair Lawn, likely put it best when he said that change has to happen if communities in the area want to maintain their sustainability. However, with the lifestyle wants of the newer generation’s drastically shifting, change might just not be enough to keep the suburban dream alive. 

Murder is becoming a fast growing trend for the most popular television shows and movies. When Netflix aired Making a Murderer, it created a cult-following of at-home sleuths determined to find an answer to the whodunit and why. The genre of crime-drama is increasing in viewership across the United States and a story right here from home is getting some attention.
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Bergen County is getting its own homegrown crime investigation next year with the premier of the movie Wisper. While the movie is set to hit theaters in early 2018, the hype surrounding the movie has already started to grow. A long imagined suspect, Josiah Wisper, sparked a flurry of internet activity on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, showing the publics eagerness to not only embrace the film but solve the crime. While Wisper was cleared of any wrongdoing, it has been hard for the public to concede that Wisper wasn’t the perpetrator of the murders, leaving many members of the community still suspecting Wisper of the crime.

The film focuses on the loss of Wisper’s family in 2016, when they were murdered while living in Fort Lee. The unsolved murders remain a cold case to this day and the film focuses on the unraveling of the events both before and after the incident. The film which is being dubbed a crime-thriller, interweaves some of Josiah Wisper’s own footage, which is one of the most important pieces of evidence in finding the killer. His personal footage is what makes the movie both compelling and hard not to get involved in.

Wisper’s loss was large, with his wife and three children murdered. The movie takes a first person approach and follows Josiah Wisper on a quest to prove who killed his family. Filming large amounts of video footage on his own in an attempt to find clues on the killings, Wisper will leave you feeling uncertain about many of the key players in the investigation.

Bergen County is featured in much of the film with many scenes being filmed in many of Bergen’s towns and streets. The gritty shooting environment provides an authentic feel to the viewer and offers first hand insight into the occurrences surrounding the event.

Josiah Wisper has started a Facebook Page called the Wisper Project, and is dedicated to uncovering clues, facts and information surrounding the murder of his family. The page is home to comments and posts not only vindicating Wisper, but with information people hope will point to a killer. Josiah Wisper has kept his posts about the movie to a minimum with a single photo of him visiting the graves of his family generating thousands of likes, comments, and shares on social media.

Wisper is wrapping up its post-production currently, and will be released in the coming months. The film is sure to reignite the controversy surrounding the murders, and is expected to draw large number s from local citizens for whom the murders hit a little too close to home.
Screenings of the movie have yet to be publicized.

If you’ve been reading the news, watching National Geographic or simply visiting your neighbor down the street, you’ve probably heard about just how important bees are to Earth’s sustainability. Not only do they help pollenate your flowers and your backyard garden, but they sustain our fragile ecosystem.

The population of bees has been decreasing over the last decades, making the Garden State take action into its own hands. The state of New Jersey has begun to promote backyard beekeeping not only as a hobby, but as a call to action to help combat what is called the Colony Collapse Disorder, or the CCD for short.

In response to the states innovative plea, most neighborhood blocks now have a personal beekeeper living in the vicinity; but with virtually no regulations, neighborhood beekeepers are at risk of being shut down in some cases as the state has begun to receive negative attention regarding the initiative. Saving our states bees has now become a two steps forward and one step back approach.

Bees make your backyard buzz with life and most people are for it… as long as it is not in their own backyard, or in the general area of their property. As a result of the recent public outcry over neighborhood beekeepers, the state has attempted to implement regulations and zoning laws regarding who can keep bees and where they can be kept.

The real truth behind the Bergen County Garden Crisis is that not everybody can just be a beekeeper. Apiaries take time and knowledge to build, and once they’re inhabited, owners must ensure that they have enough room for the colonies. In the case of many of the current issues on the table, many backyard beekeepers simply cannot control their bee populations which results in a lesser quality of life for neighbors of beekeepers.

So what does this all mean for beekeeping in Bergen County? If you’re a beekeeper you’re safe from regulation…for now. Though the state is warning of stricter zoning laws and bylaws in order to ensure that property owner’s rights are protected. While there are no current rules governing beekeeping, owners are encouraged to check out the Garden State’s beekeeping suggestions.

Whether you’re a beekeeper, or are just thinking of starting your own apiary, you’re currently free to do so, but we suggest that you follow the states proposed regulations just in case they become law in the future.  The good news is that people with hives older than 2015 can be exempt from certain regulations, such as space requirements, if they apply for a regulatory exception. So if you’re a long term beekeeper chances are some of the new laws that will be coming into effect won’t apply to you.

So what are the best beekeeping tips? Keep your bees near water, keep your hives spaced out and be weary of your neighbors… helping the environment also means being a good member of the community. Bee-ginning to consider bees? Check out the Garden State’s apiary course for new beginners!

With the kids heading back to school to begin a new year, life is an exciting time full of  crayons, pencil sharpeners and 3-Ring paper. Yet heading back to school can be a costly endeavor for parents, especially those who are already struggling. In an attempt to help families in need, teams of volunteers have started pitching in this week to get kids ready to go back to school.
The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey embarked on their third year of school supply fundraising this week. Filling almost 2000 knapsacks, the group came together for their annual Supplies for Success Event. The event is simple—get back to school supplies to the families and kids who need them most.

There are almost half a million children living below the poverty line in the Garden State, making affording the necessary back to school supplies an unaffordable expense for many families. As such the event was founded to help give every child in need a new backpack full of school supplies to help them in their upcoming year. The event estimates that 20 % of children heading back to school this year won’t have the necessary tools to engage in their schooling efficiently. The event’s organizers want to ensure that every child in the school system not only has access to the supplies they need, but wants to make sure that every child starts out with the same chance for success.

The value of each filled backpack is estimated at a cost of around $18, which seems insignificant enough, but for families with multiple children the added cost can hinder their other financial obligations.

Volunteers experienced a mix of emotion as they packed the bags. Some were enthusiastic, while others were saddened by the cause. Parents who were volunteering empathized with parents who could simply not afford new pencils or erasers for their children, noting that the economic downturn has hit everyone.

From kindergarten to grade eight, backpacks were filled with a variety of different supplies conducive to the demands of the grade the student was entering. Some backpacks had pencils, while others had more advanced supplies such as calculators and protractors; whatever the grade, the backpacks were filled to ensure that every necessary item was accounted for.

The event has grown more than 300% since its inception and has improved the lives of students at every school in the Bergen County area. For most of the volunteers the event wasn’t just about giving back, but setting a standard for their children.

While the event currently only focuses on Bergen County the event’s organizers have high hopes to eventually expand it into all of New Jersey in order to provide all children with the same chance of success when they head back to school.

The event has not only grown, but has become an exciting fundraiser that the community has begun to look forward to every year. With parents and their children both volunteering together, the message is clear, community is alive and well in Bergen County.