The award recognizes the top local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ are awarded solely based on the reviews from over 1.2 million newlyweds. Awards are determined by a combination of four factors: Overall rating (quality), total number of reviews (quantity), review performance from 2011 (recency), and consistency of reviews from year to year (consistency). This year’s recipients represent the top 5% of WeddingWire’s vendor community, across all service categories and all regions throughout the U.S. and Canada.

From now through February 4, if you bring in five or more non-perishable food donations such as canned food and cereal, Liberty Tax Service will give you a coupon for $20 off your tax preparation fees. You can also complete an entry form to win a catered “Soup or Bowl” party for 10. Liberty will draw one winner at 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 4. On that day, there will also be some family fun and entertainment at Liberty’s office from noon to 4 p.m.

“There’s no Super Bowl hype to this chance,” says Andrew Santamaria, owner of Liberty Tax Service. “Anyone can donate and save or enter to win. The odds are pretty good.”

The Human Needs Food Pantry provides food, clothing and other services to people in need who live in Montclair, Verona and other neighboring communities. That includes more than over 2,000 bags of groceries each month. The Santamaria’s Liberty Tax Service office is  located at 295 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, which is just before Grove Street as you are heading east.

The company was started in a Chatham garage in 2004 and moved to Verona in 2007.  It now has clients in 28 states, and 30 employees in jobs from computer programming to sales, most of whom are based in Verona.

North End Grill, which is located at 104 North End Avenue at Murray Street, features wood-burning grills and seasonal ingredients, with a strong focus on seafood. It is already open for lunch, and dinner and weekend brunch will follow soon. Cardoz was the executive chef of Union Square Hospitality Group’s Tabla restaurant for more than a decade before in closed in December 2010 and last year was the winner of “Top Chef Masters”.

“Floyd, my partners and I conceived North End Grill to celebrate its neighborhood–adjacent to the Hudson River and across the street from TriBeCa,” says USHG restaurateur Danny Meyer. “We’re excited to serve the people who live and work there – and also to introduce this peaceful plot of Manhattan to others who may never have heard of North End Avenue. People adored Floyd’s cooking at Tabla and they’re in for a real treat when they taste what he’s up to now.”

Town Medical Associates in Verona has started a program to provide home visits for patients who have difficulty getting to a doctors office because of health problems such as arthritis, heart or lung disease, memory problems and other disabling conditions.

Town Medical says that home-bound patients have difficulty getting their medical needs met and frequently end up using the emergency room when problems arise. They are also more likely to be hospitalized because their medical problems have not been adequately managed. Its geriatric physician and geriatric nurse practitioner provide primary care services at home and coordinate with the family and specialists as well as home nursing care and other home services.

The Town Medical Home Care Program services Verona, Cedar Grove, Montclair, Upper Montclair, the Caldwells, Essex Fells, Roseland, West Orange, Little Falls, Glen Ridge and Bloomfield. The program participates with Medicare and cares for patients in their home, apartment, senior apartments, assisted living, boarding homes, nursing homes and rehab facilities. New patients are still being accepted and can contact the office at 973-239-2600 Ext 4 for further information.

“On behalf of the Junior Women’s Club of Verona, we would like to thank the area businesses that participated in our successful discount-card fundraiser, which ended November 30.

We are so grateful for the support of Bagelwich, Bella Salon & Spa, Clearview Caldwell Cinema, Cloverleaf Tavern, Forte Pizzeria & Ristorante, Frank Anthony’s, Gelotti, Hobcaw Cafe, Huntington Learning Center, Jack’s Cafe, JT”s Barber Shop, Lakeside Deli, Mardi Gras, O’Neil’s, The Towne Scoop, Tortilla Sunrise, Twin Method Cleaners, Verona Diner, Verona Pizza, Verona Veins, Verona Yoga, Sue Waldman LPC and Yin Yang Cosmetics.

We also would like to thank the individuals who purchased discount cards. Those sales helped our club raise some of the funds we need to continue the important work we do within our community and beyond: assisting families in need, supporting our first responders, awarding scholarships to our students, caring for our senior citizens, filling gaps in our school budget with grants and supplies, and supporting a variety of local, national and international humanitarian organizations.

Kristen Donohue and Meghan Walsh
2nd Vice Presidents, Junior Women’s Club of Verona

Don Johnston served lunch to a fifth grade class at HBW earlier this year

Don Johnston, the owner of the Subway franchise at the intersection of Bloomfield and Pompton avenues, is rolling out a plan to help Verona school SCAs roll in a little more money. Johnston is implementing a weekly school donation program, which means that 10% of every catering order made for a school function or event will be donated to that school at the end of the week. To get more details, e-mail Johnston or call the store at (973) 857-6100.

Julianne, Rich, Debbie and Remy Sullivan

The fundraiser for Rich Sullivan, who was seriously injured during the October snowstorm is today, Saturday, December 10 at O’Neil’s Restaurant & Pub. The event will run from noon to 4 p.m. with plenty of food, fun and prizes.

O’Neil’s has put together a special menu that includes pizza, wings, mini chicken tacos and a whole lot more for $20 per adult and $10 per child, with all net proceeds going directly to the Sullivan family. Each adult donation will also get three gift basket raffle tickets.

But you don’t have to buy lunch to participate in the raffles. The event organizers have assembled more than 20 gift baskets and over 15 gift certificates that will be raffled off. Raffle tickets are available at 10 tickets for $15 or 20 tickets for $20.

In addition to the gift baskets, there are two other big prizes. The grand prize, which is valued at $1,500, includes use of a three-bedroom condo at the Jersey Shore for Memorial Day weekend and two pairs (non-prescription) of Prada sunglasses. The Silent Auction prize is two tickets to a New Jersey Devils home game, plus a Zach Parise autographed hockey stick, and two pucks.

If you are unable to attend the event but would like to make a donation to the Sullivan family, contact George Barnes by e-mail.

But Fair in the Square isn’t the only place to see Santa this season. He’ll be posing for free pictures with the kids at Terry’s Family Pharmacy from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and the store, which is just east of the town square, is also planning refreshments, a drawing and in-store specials. If you’re out of town on Saturday, you better not pout or cry: Santa will be back at Terry’s on Saturday, December 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again on Thursday, December 15, from 4 to 7 p.m.

OK, but Verona being Verona, your family’s schedule might be so full that none of those dates work. You are still going to be OK. Our friends over at Barista Kids have made a list of every possible Santa photo-op from here to Short Hills. (We’re assuming they also checked it twice for the obligatory naughty/nice screening.)

UPDATE: One of the Verona Fire Department elves has just reported that Santa will be touring the entire town of Verona on a fire truck on Sunday, December 18!

The event will be held on Friday, December 9, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and it’s not just about inner beauty. All attendees get a mini holiday makeover plus 10% off the featured wines courtesy of Montclair’s Amanti Vino, and what Verona Yoga owner Doreen Arminio calls “a really cool swag bag”.

If you want to attend, the class is $30 if you register by Monday, December 5, and $35 thereafter.