What The Actual Flock?
Bird nerds unite, our Gov gets mall'd, magical mysteries solved —and more!
Before We Dive In…
“Yesterday, we had a newcomer join us. A sweet woman, who fits right in :). She said she saw the article… Thank you, again. Everyone loved the article.”
The above is from the woman who runs the local knitting group which we profiled in the last issue. And recently, I went to a water aerobics class and someone said she only learned the Weehawken pool was open from this newsletter. Also, many business owners have told me, from pottery studios and bands, to cafes and event venues, that people are showing up, and they say the Weehawken Gazette is the reason they’re there. This is great news. Thanks for spreading the word and supporting local.
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Fortress Of Solitude Swimitude
Last year we dreamed about what the pool bubble would look like. Now, as you can see, it’s real. When inside, it’s like being under a puffy duvet. Sure you miss the stunning skyline views, but there’s no sunscreen needed and it’s really a dream come true for those of us who were pestering the town for a pool bubble.
If you haven’t heard, the Weehawken pool just announced the continuation of their recreation swim hours and classes. There’s adult lap swim, family swim and water aerobics. In short:
You need to register, they don’t accept walk-ins
It’s for Weehawken residents only
It’s (still) free
There’s also good news and a hair of less good news.
Good news: water aerobics is no longer listed as only for ages 55+. That was silly, and gonna be honest, I snuck into water aerobics throughout the summer. It’s now listed as ages 18+. I doubt any 17-year-olds will try to horn their way in to jump up and down to the tunes of the 60s, 70s and 80s — but part of me hopes they will.
Also good: New shower curtains, less dirt than in summer due to less people, and some locker room mat upgrades that are hard to explain but they look better and it’s probably easier for wheelchair & walker users.
Less good news: You must be registered to go, and people can register for any and all sessions until March 2. The problem is people will register, and then forget or lose interest and not show up. Plus there’s no online way to cancel. This happened in December—seemed there were lots of no shows. We shall see if this leads to people being locked out, but let’s just hope for the best. Register at weehawken.recdesk.com/Community/Program/
🐦 To Everything, Tern, Tern, Tern
July 11, 2024 Hoboken declared an official bird. Their bird is the Common Tern. Not only has the city of Hoboken declared this the official bird, the people behind the project have created a “Tern parade” of customized painted Tern sculptures for dozens of local businesses, they made a limited-edition Tern library card using an image from a local photographer, and they are even attempting to construct a floating island for these birds in Weehawken Cove, right on the Weehawken/Hoboken border.
Basically, Hoboken is flying past all other NoHu communities in cool bird stuff. And we didn’t even mention the Tern scavenger hunt. All of these amazing efforts have been spearheaded by the small group of dedicated folks at ourtern.com and supported by the town of Hoboken.
Our non-evil plan, revealed!
We want Weehawken to have an honorary bird. How about, I dunno, a hawk? Oh look, here’s one now:
Stephen Fulop To Birds: Drop Dead
Speaking of our flying friends, the above was the clever headline in a recently-defunct Jersey City Substack called Neighborhood Character* when writing about how Mayor Fulop vetoed the attempt to make bird-safe glass mandatory in new construction, even though the city council had approved it at the end of November. After the veto, Hudson County View reported on the birding activists who showed up to the city council express their displeasure and gave the outgoing mayor a very hard time, including trying to submit a dead bird into the record. It’s not clear from the story if it was a literal dead bird or a photo of one. We kind of hope it was an actual bird.
Note: We don’t think Weehawken has passed a bird-safe glass ordinance. During migration season we’ve seen too many dead songbirds on the waterfront by the new construction. Our Tern reminded us that you can help science and advocacy by reporting dead or injured birds you find to dbird.org.
🦅 Bald Eagle Fest This Sunday in Lyndhurst
And finally, Sunday January 11 in DeKorte Park there’s a free bald eagle fest that’s got bird walks and talks, plus live raptors from the Flat Rock Brook Nature Center, information tables, children's activities and live music. It’s from 10A to 2P and it’s totally free. Bird nerd crack!
For more info: head to the Bergen County Audubon Society.
New Governor Heads To The Mall
Incoming NJ governor Mikie Sherrill is having her inaugural ball at American Dream Mall on January 20. The NJ Globe reported that it’s being held on the ice skating rink and 2,000 are expected to attend. Tickets are available until January 12, it’s black tie, and it costs $350 but the proceeds are going to Mission to Deliver, NJ — a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. In the fine print the website says the donation is not tax deductible.
Related: Paramus Peeved At American Dream
Yes, Paramus is taking the American Dream Mall to court for allegedly violating Bergen County’s ye olde Blue Laws by keeping certain businesses open on Sundays. As a reminder/primer we wrote about the dispute here in September:
🧑⚖️ American Dream Ignores Law, Says County; We Aren’t Beholden To Your Laws, Says Mall
Bergen county is sticking to the argument that American Dream promised they would comply with the law. American Dream lawyers and the NJSEA say the local municipality can’t dictate what happens on state-owned land and besides, what they are doing is not a problem. According to an article from December 24 on NorthJersey.com, the state will hear arguments Jan 9 and Jan 30 before handing down a decision.
Exclusive: We Make Mind-Blowing Magical History Connections
In our last issue we revealed the new hip Union City cafe with ties to world-famous magician Harry Houdini.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, for our next trick, we will tell you about the area’s ties to another magical great, Howard Thurston, and how we think he showed Houdini the way here…
Although the name Houdini lives on, Thurston was his contemporary, and has been called the most famous magician of his time. He had a traveling magic show that was so big it “required eight train cars to transport his props across the country.” Source: Columbus Metropolitan Library
How Does This Relate To Weehawken?
Howard Thurston was the mentee of magician Harry Kellar. Thurston did shows with Kellar and then took over when Kellar retired in about 1909. And wouldn’t you know, Kellar was an investor in the failed film biz (now a Union City cafe) with Houdini!
How A Showgirl Led Thurston To Weehawken
John R. Willadsen was a theatrical manager, mostly forgotten from history but he was the manager of some prominent acts, including the Duncan Sisters. Willadsen built a house at 7 Oak Street in Weehawken in the early 1900’s for his then wife, a former Zeigfeld dancer. Their daughter Jane was born in 1909 in Weehawken. This marriage ended in divorce, but Jane’s mother married — drumroll — world-famous magician Howard Thurston in 1914.
Since Thurston and Houdini knew one another, were both close with Kellar, and Kellar invested in Houdini’s film lab that opened in 1916, it stands to reason that Thurston is the one who introduced Houdini and Kellar to the space that is now Beni coffee. The distance, as seen below, is exactly half a mile. In case you go looking for Thurston’s home, 7 Oak no longer exists, it’s a parking lot in between two buildings, but at the time, it would’ve had the primo view of the skyline.
A Forgotten Magical, Musical Weehawken Woman
The bombshell find that Houdini was probably led to set up his film lab in New Jersey via his Kellar/Thurston connection is a Weehawken Gazette exclusive. But in researching this story, I became mesmerized by the story of Thurston’s daughter Jane.
Thurston adopted Jane and Jane took his name and reportedly performed in his magic act as a teen, starting in the late 1920s, but the NY Times lists appearances as a performer starting in 1926. And in 1935 a short piece with no known source called her “the only woman magician on the stage.” What is interesting is Jane was left only $500 by her father, who left a nasty note in his will as to why. He claimed, among other things, that she caused “great mental anguish” and he said she was “generally undutiful to me.” Yikes.
I mean, when Howard was 66 and Jane’s mom was only dead a year, he married his fourth wife, a woman 40 years younger than he was… that probably caused Jane some anguish, no? Also here’s a photo of father and daughter together a few months before Thurston died, captioned “This picture of Thurston, and his daughter Jane Thurston was made several months ago at Charleston W.V. as she nursed him during an illness that followed the bursting of a blood vessel in his head.”
Jane seems to have been married six times, to three men. Yes, you read that right. Her first marriage was in 1930 to Harry Harris, a state senator’s son. And this newspaper details how she married this first husband three times, and how her husband allegedly abused her and her father. The father got him back though — the article says he fired a tear gas canister at his son-in-law’s face.
Magic Jane’s Massively Impressive CV
Jane was a rarity as a female magician. And after she gave up magic (5 years after her father died), she worked as a Civil Air Patrol in World War II, and later became a songwriter who used the name Gene Willadsen because ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) was restricted to men only at the time.
According to the Weehawken Time Machine group on Facebook, “as of 1989 Jane still lived at 7 Oak Street under the name Jane Thurston Shepard, Jane died on November 12, 1994 due to a fall she had in NYC.”
Thing is, Wikipedia has no mention of Jane’s existence. MagicPedia has inncorrect/incomplete info. Luckily the site Girls Love Magic covers Jane Thurston, puts together more of the pieces and has some great pictures, but it doesn’t mention her songwriting.
As a tribute to Jane, here’s a song she wrote the lyrics to. It’s called, “My Best to You” and we wanna dedicate it right back to Jane. Originally done in 1946, we found Joni Mitchell covered it in 1998. Does Joni know this song’s magical gender-bending backstory? If anyone knows Joni, ask her, and let us know. Update: rumor has it Joni chose this song after finding this version of the song by Sons of the Pioneers, but no source for that.
💅 🎉 Jan 23: Weehawken Parents To Beef Up School Coffers With Fancy Filet Mignon Event
We were very glad to hear of this bold new school fundraising event. According to the organizers, the Mayor of Weehawken, the Town Council, and Weehawken School Board members will all be joining the WHS Parent Teacher Organization Filet Mignon Dinner happening on January 23rd.
Who’s cooking, we asked? Good question, they said… the event is being done by Nightingale Catering. Based in Clifton, NJ they specialize in wood-fired filet mignon and are known as “The Beefsteak Company since 1938.” Here’s an article in the NY Times from 2008 that mentions Nightingale and their rich history putting on these popular meaty fundraisers in New Jersey.
Menu highlights:
🥩 All-you-can-eat hand-sliced filet mignon tenderloin
🥗 Spring mix salad with balsamic vinaigrette
🍟French fried potatoes
🍨 Ice cream sundae
☕ Coffee, tea, decaf
Plus: DJ & dancing, cash bar, silent auction, and a door prize drawing ($200 value)
Thursday, Jan 23 | 7 PM | Weehawken Elks
$65/person or $440 for table of 8 — only 150 tickets will be sold, so act fast.
Tickets: zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/beefsteak-fundraiser
Can’t purchase online? Call: Ivette (201) 362-3324 | Trista (201) 214-6438
Cup O’ Fun
iSpresso, the local artsy Union City coffee spot, has new artist-designed cups to doodle and play on. They are only 25 cents and I can attest that it can make your morning buzz, buzzier.
Finally, Remember This
Lyrics by our Weehawken Jane/Gene seem like a good way to start our sign-off:
"Remember this
Each new day is a kiss
Sent from up above
With an angel's love
So here's to you
May your skies be blue
And your love blessed
That's my best to you”
No thanks once again to Hugo Holland, our unpaid copyeditor — because he’s busy this week, so we refused to let him edit any of this. If there are errors, or if the story of the magicians seems to ramble in a disjointed way (because it kinda does), he’s not to blame.
Anyway, feel free to leave a comment here or email us tips: susie@bignoyes.com
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Tah for now, nice nabes!
Susie
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*Neighborhood Character is a Jersey City Substack with over 1000 subscribers that said they are ending due to it just being too hard/they are too busy. Sad because we found it just about as they were ending.