North Haledon Day was set for Saturday, September 26, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Recreation Fields, in the borough's 125th year. That weekend a coastal storm moved in. The forecast called for 1.5 to more than 4 inches of rain and inland gusts above 40 mph. When New Jersey 101.5 published its list of canceled events across the state, North Haledon Day was on it, and so was Hawthorne Day.
As of September 30, the borough's upcoming events page doesn't show a new date for North Haledon Day. That leaves North Haledon's anniversary year without its one big public day. The rest of the year's shared calendar now rests on a few small, practical events, and most of them are run by the North Haledon Green Team. Its member list has seven names, Mayor Randy George's among them.
The 125th was already happening in quieter rooms
The anniversary had been going on for months before September. The North Haledon Library's June 2026 newsletter says its monthly "Talk of the Town" series is being held in honor of the borough's 125th. The June program featured Angelo Cifaldi speaking about North Haledon artist Otto Benz on Tuesday, June 16, at 1:30 p.m. The borough also asked residents for copies of "The Game of North Haledon" to give away as 125th-anniversary prizes.
The number 125 goes back to March 20, 1901. That's the date the borough's 1976 anniversary history gives for North Haledon's incorporation as a borough. Before that, the area was part of Manchester Township. According to the same history, the first plans for the borough were drawn up at Sam Buser's home. The final decision was made at "The Castle," which later became Saul's Park and then Belmont Park. The borough's history page links to its Golden Anniversary, 75th-anniversary and Centennial publications. No 125th edition is listed there yet.
October, date by date
Here's what the borough and its committees list for the rest of the month. Four of the six borough-side dates come from the Green Team.
- Saturday, October 3, 9 a.m. to noon. Monthly food pantry collection at the American Legion Hall, 512 High Mountain Road. Residents can bring donated food and personal care items for New Hope Community Ministries, which is based in Prospect Park. A donation box at Borough Hall also takes drop-offs all year.
- Saturday, October 3, 10 a.m. to noon. Plant Exchange in the North Haledon Library courtyard. Bring an indoor or outdoor plant, or take one home.
- Monday, October 12. The borough's 2026 road improvement work is scheduled to start, weather permitting.
- Tuesday, October 13, 4 to 7 p.m. Flu clinic. The borough says more details are coming.
- Saturday, October 17. Three separate events, covered below.
- Tuesday, October 20, 7 p.m. Fall Seed Swap at the North Haledon Public Library.
- Saturday, October 24, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Paper shred event at the North Haledon Recycling Center, 37 Willow Brook Court.
Before you bring a box to the shred
The Green Team asks for documents that are ready to go into the shredder. That means unbound paper with no clips, binders, plastic covers, photos or plastic credit cards. Anything that isn't paper has to be removed before you arrive. The spring shred was May 16, so October 24 is the last scheduled shred of 2026.
Why the seed swap has a borough flower behind it
The October 20 swap is the second of the year. The first was February 24. The Green Team also keeps a seed kiosk near the library's circulation desk all year. North Haledon has had an official borough flower, the orange butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa, since February 20, 2019. In September 2022 the mayor proclaimed the borough a Monarch City USA, encouraging residents to plant more milkweed and other native nectar plants. If you plan to bring seeds, native perennials fit what the borough has been encouraging for years.
October 17 is now the fullest Saturday of the fall
With no new date posted for North Haledon Day, that makes Saturday, October 17, the busiest day on the local calendar, with three events in a row.
The day opens at 10 a.m. with the borough's Breast Cancer Awareness Walk. The details are on a flyer linked from the upcoming events page. Also at 10 a.m., the Green Team's Trunk Trade begins and runs until 1 p.m. Residents bring clean, reusable items they no longer want and swap them out of their trunks with visitors and other participants. It's the fall version of the Earth Day Town Swap held at the curb on April 25.
The Trunk Trade's location deserves a closer look. The Green Team's page spells it "Bueller's parking lot" in one spot and "Buehler's" in its chronology. The grocery's own website lists Nicholas Markets, a specialty grocery store, at 1068 High Mountain Road in North Haledon. In other words, the borough's official notices still use the old name for this lot, and newcomers going by the current sign may not recognize it.
At 1 p.m., the American Labor Museum/Botto House in Haledon hosts a free performance of "Mother Jones" by Kim Hanley. Its exhibit "Bargaining, Buttons & Banners" runs from September 6 through December 31. The museum is getting some outside investment this year too. Passaic County's 2026 awards, announced May 27, include $34,000 for restoring the museum's wire fence, entrance doors, collection room and clothes closet.
The Rec Fields come back in the road work notice
The Recreation Fields, where North Haledon Day was supposed to happen, appear again in the borough's road work notice. Starting on or about October 12, the project covers minor curb repairs, ADA curb ramp upgrades and related drainage work. Here's where:
- Split Rock Road, from Reservoir Drive to Tuxedo Court and from Reservoir Drive to Pine Cliff Court
- Juniper Drive, from Point View Drive to Peach Tree Lane northbound and from Peach Tree Lane to Spruce Lane
- Spruce Lane, from Juniper Drive to Walnut Court
- Point View Drive, from Alpine Drive to Juniper Court
- Glenwood Drive, from Saw Mill Road to the eastern side of Glenwood Drive
- Hartwig Place and Columbia Court, entire length
- The Recreation Field Walking Path
- The High Mountain School parking lot
The notice ends with a second phase still to come:
"Milling and paving operations will follow at a later date. A separate notice will be distributed in advance."
If you live on one of those streets, expect two rounds of work. The curb and ramp crews come this month, and paving follows on a date the borough hasn't announced. The walking path is getting help on a second front, too. Passaic County's grant history lists $250,000 for North Haledon's Rehabilitation of Walking Paths Phase I in 2026. If your weekday routine includes laps at the Rec Fields, check conditions before you go once mid-October arrives.
After October
The food pantry collection continues on the first Saturday of each month through December 5. That puts the remaining dates at November 7 and December 5. The North Haledon Fire Department's annual fund drive is underway, and the details are posted on the borough's events page. After that, the next dated borough event is December 15, when Wreaths Across America drives through North Haledon.
Joseph Simone has spent more than 30 years working on North Haledon streets like Split Rock, Juniper and Point View. That includes the blocks getting new curbs and ramps this fall. If the roadwork notice or the quieter late-fall calendar has you thinking about timing, request a free home valuation and local market consultation. Joe will walk you through what your home is worth in North Haledon's 125th year.
