Mark the 25th of this month on the calendar. That is when the Women’s Club of Glen Ridge, established in 1905, will host the Mayor’s Gala and kick off the centennial of the dedication of its clubhouse.
“I think of this building as a big golden ticket for our community,” said Susan Costa, the club president. “Everyone at some point touches on the women’s club and the building itself. It’s always being used. There’s even a blood drive here this coming Sunday.”
The gala will be a Great Gatsby-themed, roaring ‘20s bash.
“All flappers are invited,” Costa continued. “The Charleston is mandatory, extra feathers and boa are optional.”
For the gentlemen, cocktail attire required, black tie optional.
Befitting a swell occasion, a 1930 Packard will be parked in the circle.
“An absolutely stunning car, weather permitting, of course,” chimed Danielle Mitola, the gala chairwoman. “We’re trying to tap into the glitz and glam of the 1920s and I’ll be dressing the part. You can find anything on Amazon, but there’s also a local boutique.”
Three signature cocktails will be served: the Gas Lamp Cosmo, after the town logo; a Henry Chapman Old Fashioned, for the philanthropist who provided funds to build the clubhouse, and a Mary Raymond Bee’s Knees, for a former member of the club, the Society of Mayflower Descendants and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Raymond also received the Bronze Star for her Red Cross work, in North Africa, during the Second World War.
Live music will be provided by the Silver Starlite Orchestra. From the Fred Astair Dance Studio, Montclair, dancers will perform to get people in the mood. According to Mitola, musical entertainment, including local talent, will perform.
Following a cocktail hour in the upstairs Georgian Room, dinner in the Williamsburg Room — the main ballroom, will feature a carving station, roasted salmon, Chicken francese and vegetarian options. Gencarelli’s Bakery will provide a Gatsby cake.
In the first-floor Mary Raymond Room, across from the Williamsburg Room, there will be an auction. Items will include a NJ Devils package; High Tea and Tour, at the Morgan Library, NYC; dumpling making lesson that includes wine and snacks for a group of friends and a Long Beach Island beach house for a week’s rental this summer. Mitola said the auction is sizable.
“It required teamwork and hours, but we had a corps of women,” she said. “It’s lovely to see the camaraderie to ensure the gala’s success.”
A fee will be charged for tickets to the Mayor’s Gala, which will run from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
“Now is our big push because the clubhouse is an irreplaceable, historic building,” Costa said. “The gala is kicking off the centennial year and our capital campaign. The profits are going toward the infrastructure of the building. There are three projects earmarked.”
The building needs a new boiler, she said; the main ballroom floor needs to be replaced and the lower level of the building, under the first floor, because of water damage, needs to be renovated.
“This level is not open,” she said. “We want to renovate it for a public space. It’s been used by the Girl Scouts and the blood drive, a Mommy and Me class before the pandemic. But we had to rip up the floor. It has bathrooms. If we could renovate it, and that is one of my passions, it would give us additional space.”
The capital project is for three years with a $300,000 goal.
The gala is the first of several events highlighting the centennial. On May 4, there will be a clubhouse and gardener tour and on Sept. 6, a community open house. Costa wanted to point out that like the open house, the gala is also open to all far and wide.
There are five local businesses sponsoring the gala. At the gold level is Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center. At the silver level is TD Bank
and Papasikos Orthodontics and at the bronze level is O’Boyle Landscaping/ Brookside Garden Center and Ameriprise Financial.
“We really wanted to do something to celebrate the house,” Costa said, “and we came up with a new tag line: ‘The celebration of open doors.’ The club logo is a Georgian window that’s on the front door and it says, ‘Connect, Share, Celebrate.’ But for this year, we had an expanded logo which shows an open window.”
“It’s pretty unique,” Mitola said, “to be able to celebrate an organization with such deep community roots for more than 100 years.”
The aforementioned blood drive will be Sunday, Jan. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Women’s Club hosting Mayor’s Gala added by Daniel Jackovino on
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