Weekend Planner
The leaves are mostly down, the air has that crisp bite, and Bergen County is sliding right into Thanksgiving week. This is the stretch where calendars fill up fast with turkey trots, holiday markets, and school breaks. If you are trying to keep the kids busy, sneak in a little self care, and still enjoy a quiet night or two at home, this guide will help you map out the week from Friday through Thanksgiving Day.
Weekend Planner: Nov 21–27
Wheel of Fortune LIVE! at bergenPAC
What it is: A live stage version of the classic game show where audience members can be randomly selected to play for prizes, with all the familiar puzzle board energy but in person at bergenPAC.
Date & time: Wednesday, November 26, 2025, 7:00 PM
Location: Bergen Performing Arts Center, 30 N Van Brunt St, Englewood
Cost: Tickets range roughly from $33 to $103, depending on seat location, plus fees.
Why it is worth going: It is a fun pre–Thanksgiving night out that works for multi-generation groups, and there is always the chance someone from the crowd actually ends up on stage spinning the wheel for real prizes.
Lear more and get tickets: https://www.bergenpac.org/events/detail/wheel-of-fortune-live-1
Resin Charcuterie Board Workshop at The Muse ArtHouse
Saturday, November 22 – The Muse ArtHouse, Closter
Create a custom resin charcuterie board that you can actually use for Thanksgiving or give as a gift later in the season. The Muse ArtHouse in Closter provides the board, resin, and guidance, and you go home with something that looks like it came from a boutique shop.
Time: Saturday, November 22 (check registration for exact start time)
Cost: About $125
Why go: It is a hands on way to kick off the holiday season and you leave with a statement piece that will be on your table for years.
Learn More and Register: https://www.themusearthouse.com/workshops
Third Annual Holiday Market at Leonia High School
Saturday, November 22 – Leonia High School, Leonia
Leonia High School is turning its halls into a holiday marketplace with more than forty vendors, crafts, and seasonal treats. It is indoors, which is key if the weather turns wet or windy.
Time: Saturday, November 22
Location: 100 Christie Heights Street, Leonia
Cost: $5 admission includes a raffle ticket to benefit the school
Why go: Easy one stop spot for gifts from local makers and small businesses without touching a mall parking lot.
An Evening Dining with General George Washington
What it is: A full dinner at historic New Bridge Inn where you “time travel” to 1776 and dine with General George Washington and two of his generals, portrayed by living history actors.
Date & time: Saturday, November 22, 2025, 6:00–10:00 PM
Location: Sanzari’s New Bridge Inn, 105 Old New Bridge Rd, New Milford
Cost: $125 for general seating, $175 for Washington’s Table, plus small service fee; ticket includes admission to Sunday’s “Retreat to Victory” event at Historic New Bridge Landing and a souvenir.
Why it is worth going: You get a real local history deep dive right where it actually happened, with period music on violin and hammer dulcimer, stories from the Revolution, and photos with “Washington” in a spot that is central to Bergen County history.
Racefaster Thanksgiving Day Run
Thursday, November 27 – Glen Rock Pool, Glen Rock
If you like to earn your second slice of pie, the Racefaster Thanksgiving Day Run in Glen Rock is the classic turkey trot option. The five kilometer race starts at the Glen Rock Pool, winds through town, and includes a kids fun run.
Time: 5K at 9:00 a.m., kids fun run at about 9:45 a.m.
Location: 390 Doremus Avenue, Glen Rock
Cost: Around $40 for the main race, $25 for the kids run
Why go: It is a real community tradition, with neighbors cheering along the course and plenty of strollers, walkers, and multi generation families in the mix.
Register to run: https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/GlenRock/TheGlenRockThanksgivingDayRun
Bergen in 60 Seconds
Hudson Bergen Light Rail finally creeping toward Bergen: Federal transit officials advanced plans for a ten mile extension of the Hudson Bergen Light Rail from North Bergen into eastern Bergen County, which would add new stops near Englewood Hospital and other Route 4 corridors if the project is built.
County budget means a small bump in tax bills: The 2025 Bergen County budget will increase the county portion of property taxes by about $69 a year for a home assessed at around $530,000, mainly due to the end of federal recovery funds.
Turkey trot season is huge this year: Besides Glen Rock, you will find Thanksgiving morning races in River Vale and Upper Saddle River, some of which collect donations for local food pantries, so you can run and give back at the same time.
Road work to keep an eye on: Hackensack has been under a milling and paving schedule around mid November, and some blocks may still have fresh pavement and lane shifts, so give yourself extra time if you are cutting through the city.
Open space funding questions on ballots: Several towns, including Ridgewood, have been weighing changes to their open space tax to preserve parks and natural areas, so expect more talk this winter about what that means for your tax bill and local green projects.
Flood alerts remain an issue along the rivers: County emergency officials have recently issued flood watches for low lying parts of the Hackensack River watershed, reminding residents not to park in flood prone spots when heavy rain is forecast.
Community Spotlight: Glen Rock, NJ
This week we are zooming in on Glen Rock, a small borough with a big sense of place. The town gets its name from the massive boulder that sits right in the middle of a busy intersection at Rock Road and Doremus Avenue, a glacial rock that has watched the town grow up around it. Glen Rock is compact, walkable, and centered on Rock Road, where you will find an old school main street lined with diners, coffee shops, and long running neighborhood businesses.
For commuters, Glen Rock is unusually spoiled. It has two NJ Transit train stations, one on the Main Line and one on the Bergen County Line, both feeding into Hoboken with connections through Secaucus to midtown Manhattan. There is also bus service along Route 208 that runs straight to the Port Authority, which makes the town very attractive to New York City commuters who still want a true suburban feel. Parking at the stations is managed by the borough, with resident permits and daily options available near Rock Road.
It is also a serious park town. Families spend time at the Duck Pond section of Saddle River County Park, the Children’s Park playground, and the dog park, all of which sit within or right next to Glen Rock. The borough recreation department runs a steady calendar of events, from pool programs to seasonal activities, plus youth sports that spill across fields and gyms almost every weekend. On Thanksgiving morning, the Racefaster run turns the streets around the pool into a moving sea of runners and walkers, which fits the larger Glen Rock theme: tight knit, active, and very community driven
🏡 Bergen County Real Estate Snapshot
The Bergen County housing market remains firm heading into late 2025. Recent data shows the median sale price for residential homes around $850,000, which is up just over 12% compared to the same time last year. Homes are taking no longer to sell, with a median of about 36 days on market. In a pattern we don’t usually see in the Fall we had about 200 more active residential listings this November.
This week, a quick look at homes near transit. Towns with direct train or express bus access, like Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Oradell, and Fort Lee, continue to draw strong demand from buyers who are back in the office at least a few days a week. In several of these zip codes, recent sales show properties closing over list price, especially for updated three and four bedroom homes within a short walk of a station.
If you own in a transit friendly pocket, this is still a good environment to sell, especially if your home is move in ready and has a finished basement or extra work from home space. On the buyer side, it is worth widening your search by a town or two along your preferred rail line or bus route, since some of the best value is a bit farther from the most famous stations but still within a short drive to park and ride lots.
👉 See the latest homes for sale and local market insights at NorthJerseyPartners.com.
Real estate information deemed accurate but not guaranteed.
Community Board: Ways to Get Involved
Greater Bergen Realtors Coat Drive: The Greater Bergen Realtors Community Outreach Committee has kicked off its 2025 Community Service Coat Drive in partnership with Jersey Cares, running from November 10 through January 9. Gently used coats for adults and kids are collected at drop sites across the county and then distributed to local residents who need a warm layer this winter. greaterbergenrealtors.com
Bergen County Chanukah Toy Drive: The long running Bergen County Chanukah Toy Drive is underway, gathering new, unwrapped toys from schools, synagogues, and community organizations through December 1. Donations support local families and partner charities, and many collection spots make this an easy way to involve kids in giving.
Bergen’s Promise Holiday Toy Drive: Youth and families served by Bergen’s Promise benefit from an annual toy drive that launched in mid October. They accept donations of new toys and gifts to brighten the holidays for kids who are working with the organization on mental health and support services. https://www.bergenspromise.org/news/support-our-youth-this-holiday-season-2025-bergens-promise-annual-holiday-toy-drive
Food support and Thanksgiving help: Groups like the Center for Food Action and the Social Service Association in Ridgewood coordinate food pantry support and Thanksgiving meal programs, and they rely heavily on volunteers and small donations this time of year. If you want to help, it is worth checking their sites for ways to pitch in.
Did You Know? FM radio was born on a Bergen County cliff
Despite the name, the Hudson Bergen Light Rail does not currently enter Bergen County at all. The system runs along the Hudson waterfront through towns like Bayonne, Jersey City, and North Bergen, then stops just before the county line. Only now, more than twenty years after it opened, is the state moving forward with a proposed ten mile extension that would finally bring actual Bergen County stops to a light rail line that has had the county in its name from day one.
That is this week in Bergen. Save what you need, forward it to a friend who is always asking what is going on, and enjoy the start of the holiday season.
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