Oakes Park has come a long way. I remember sitting with the Committee and planning use of this space. The Oakes Park space was property owned by the Oakes family. The house still sits on the property. We have built a handicap bathroom with a ramp and refurbished the home for future use. We are still debating how we will use the home. The Committee members of the park include: Paula Clark, chairperson, Diane Broderick, Steven Broderick of Magnolia Landscaping, Patrick Gambuti, Maryann Kovitz, and Hugh Knolton. Our Committee worked on this project for close to three years, meeting weekly. We painstakingly chose the right landscaping, setting, gazebo, and pavers. When the park was completed we were amazed at how beautifully it turned out. Now its so nice to see Old Tappan residents using and enjoying the park. Below are a list of events happening throughout the rest of the summer:

Aug. 1- Singer/songwriter Phil Benson will perform. Benson hails from South Jersey and got his start playing for small crowds at The Stone Pony is Asbury Park. He now opens for acts like Nick Lachey, Teddy Geiger, and the popular rock trio, The Jonas Brothers.

Aug. 8- Silk City, an acappella vocal group from Manhattan, specializes in the sounds of the ’50s and early ’60s. The dynamic doo-wop group has performed throughout the metropolitan area as a five-man group in the classic street corner harmony configuration.

Aug. 15- The Caribbean with the Tropical Beat Steel Drum Band will perform.

Aug. 22- Hometown Broadway Bound will play showtunes. The group will feature Amanda Binaghi, Ron Binaghi III, Morgan Collins, John McKenna and Veronica Polce. All hail from the Northern Valley and have performed local musical productions including Pippin, Wit, Little Me and Sweet Charity.

Aug 29- Nikki Armstrong and her Whole Lotta Blues Band will perform. Armstrong’s blues are mixed with jazz, pop, and folk rock.