Wood-Ridge's Halloween Week Runs From 1891 to the Borough's Newest Fields
October 22, 2026
October 22, 2026
The last days of October in Wood-Ridge cover more than a century of the borough's history. The week opens with the Historical Society, whose home is an Italianate house from about 1891. It moves through a parish that has said Mass here since 1926. On Saturday afternoon it ends with costumed kids walking into the Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex. In 2019 that complex was still a plan on paper, and its final phase was funded only in the past year.
Paving comes before any of that. Crews milled roads on October 15, 16 and 19, and the borough's schedule has prep work and paving running Monday through Friday, October 19 to 23. Streets close to traffic and parking from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the day crews work them. If you need your car that day, move it before 7 a.m. The borough is waiving its overnight parking ban in affected neighborhoods so cars can be moved the night before. The schedule depends on the weather. Look for the no-parking notice on your street, and see the borough's official resurfacing notice for details.
The Wood-Ridge borough calendar lists "Historical Society Presents Haunted Bergen County" at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 25. The calendar entry has no venue, so check the event flyer on the borough site for location and details before you head out.
The organization behind the talk has a home with its own history. The Fridolin Arnault House at 111 First Street, also known as the Arnault-Bianchi House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register documentation describes it as an Italianate home built around 1891 that serves as the local history museum and gives community groups a place to meet. That makes it the oldest stop on this week's calendar, and it sits on the same street as the week's other century-old anchor.
On Wednesday, October 28, the event moves outside. Spooky Ghost Stories runs from 7 to 8 p.m. on the back lawn of the Wood-Ridge Library at 381 Center Street. The library's event listing says all ages are welcome and no registration is needed.
The Mayor and Council are hosting it with the Wood-Ridge Memorial Library's children's director. The borough calls it a Halloween-themed evening of spooky stories and seasonal entertainment, open to all Wood-Ridge children and families.
It falls on a Wednesday, three nights before Halloween. For families with young kids, that makes it an easy weeknight outing that doesn't compete with the weekend. Late October nights get cool, so bring a blanket for the grass.
The Church of the Assumption has been part of Wood-Ridge for as long as most of the borough's houses. The Archdiocese of Newark's parish chronology lists it as established in 1926. The parish office and rectory are at 143 1st Street, a few doors up the street from the Historical Society's museum by address. A parish directory names Fr. Edwin Garrity, OFM, as the founding pastor. The same directory says he celebrated the first Mass on November 28, 1926, after the cornerstone was laid that August 15.
The parish has been celebrating its centennial all year. Its Easter Sunday 2026 bulletin announced an August 23 parish feast and anniversary celebration with Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Archbishop of Newark. The fall event is a 100th Anniversary Cocktail Party for parishioners, friends and community members:
The April bulletin gave the party date as October 22. The borough's later notice says October 29. If you're buying tickets, confirm the date with the parish office on 1st Street.
The first three events of the week are built around institutions that are a century old or older. The Ragamuffin Parade on Halloween afternoon ends somewhere new. The Mayor and Council and Wood-Ridge Recreation host the annual parade on Saturday, October 31. The borough's parade notice has the logistics:
The route is short, but it ends on the newest public land in the borough. A borough presentation from June 2019 placed the Athletic Complex at Wesmont Station, between Marshall Lane and Johnson Drive on one side and Kennedy Lane and Avalon Drive on the other. It described the site as 12 acres. The plan in that presentation included soccer, softball, Little League and baseball fields, plus a field house.
A lot of that plan is now in use. Wood-Ridge Recreation held its soccer opening day at the complex on September 12, 2026, with teams marching onto the field. The borough's 2026 Babe Ruth baseball page lists the complex's baseball field at 100 Johnson Drive as its home field.
The final phase is the most recent addition. It covered practice fields and pickleball courts, with The Neglia Group under a borough construction-management contract that ran from January 15 to December 31, 2025. On December 3, 2025, the borough adopted a bond ordinance that set aside $17 million for improvements to municipal and school properties. The list includes Athletic Complex fields and pickleball courts. The money breaks down as $7.5 million in bonds and notes plus a $9.5 million state grant. The court directory Pickleheads lists four free outdoor hard courts at the complex, at 30 Kennedy Lane, with permanent lines and nets.
The Ragamuffin Parade is an annual tradition, and this year it ends on ground the borough has been planning, funding and building since at least 2019.
November's events move indoors, to civic buildings. The Board of Recreation meets at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4. The Wood-Ridge Memorial Library's November calendar lists Storytime with Santa at 11 a.m. on November 21 at the Boro Civic Center, and Crafts for Grown-Ups at 6 p.m. on November 24 at the Boro Senior Center. Wood-Ridge Recreation has also opened online registration for 2027 indoor soccer and for the 2026–27 wrestling and basketball seasons.
If you've watched Wood-Ridge grow out toward Wesmont Station and want to know how they show up in what homes are worth now, I'd be glad to walk you through it. Christine Ayubi is always happy to talk about this corner of Bergen County. Let's Connect.
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