Home Care In Pompton Junction, NJ

The monster coastal storm that battered New Jersey with fierce winds and heavy downpours Sunday night into Monday morning isn’t finished yet. But it already has dumped as much as 4 inches of rain — a whole month’s worth — in some areas of the state.

Preliminary reports from the National Weather Service and the Rutgers NJ Weather Network show widespread areas of 2 to 3 inches of rain, with some places getting drenched with 4 to 5 inches.

All that water arrived just one week after another storm dropped 2 to 4 inches of rain across the region, along with a quick burst of snow in a few northern counties.

Here’s a look at rainfall totals reported as of late Monday morning from the latest storm. (Note: Some of these totals were updated Monday afternoon when new reports became available. Some towns are listed more than once, because the numbers came from different weather monitoring stations in the same town.)

Atlantic County

Bergen County

Burlington County

Camden County

Cape May County

Cumberland County

Essex County

Gloucester County

Hudson County

Hunterdon County

Mercer County

Middlesex County

Flooding in Donaldson Park in Highland Park, New Jersey as the Raritan River swells from today’s rainstorm. Nearing major flood stage. #NJwx @NWS_MountHolly @nynjpaweather pic.twitter.com/wwUnMQymJD

— Collin Gross (@CollinGrossWx) December 18, 2023

Monmouth County

Morris County

Ocean County

Passaic County

Salem County

Somerset County

Sussex County

Union County

Warren County

Current weather radar

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Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected] or @LensReality on X.

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Columnist

The eternal question has come up again on the Internet: What’s the deal with Pequannock/Pompton Plains/Pompton?

Fasten your seatbelts, people. I am going to explain. By the way, I know I’ll get a lot of corrections and clarifications, so to expedite all that, if you were born in an even year, please email me on an even day, and if you were born in an odd year, well, I feel your pain. I was, too.

The names of where we lived were largely determined by the railroads, the U.S. Post Office, Western Union and also what was pretty much convenient.

Pequannock Township includes the localities that were determined by the Erie Railroad to be Pompton Plains and Pequannock. But when the railroads were built, Pequannock Township was more of an abstract concept that included most of northeast Morris County. Then all those little towns fought for and won their independence. Mostly, though, if was a state charter thing, but that’s another story.

But Pequannock, as we all know, is the Leni Lenape word meaning “cleared land, ready for cultivation.” Pompton was also derived from Leni Lenape, and meant the “place where they catch soft fish.” I suppose the Leni Lenape Area Chamber of Commerce back in the day attempted to highlight the best attributes of each area, but honestly, if you were an investor, you’d probably go with the “cleared land,” which is another way of saying “subdivision.” You could always have the soft fish delivered.

“Pompton” was the name of the area Riverdale now occupies. In fact, the train station was known as Pompton, and was only grudgingly changed to Pompton-Riverdale late in its life. North of that was Pompton Junction, where two railroads connected, offering important connections to the west.

But before any of these names were applied to towns, they were the names of rivers. The Wanaque, Ramapo and Pequannock rivers all met in the northeast corner of Pequannock Township to form the Pompton River.

Here’s where it gets tricky. Pompton Lake and the dam that forms it, traditionally known as Pompton Falls, are located on the Ramapo River. They could have called it “Mississippi Lake” for all it has to do with the river it’s named after.

After those three rivers form the Pompton River, it flows through Wayne Township to join the Passaic River. The headwaters of the Passaic River begin in what until a few years ago was Passaic Township. But very few people used that term, because the localities were known and Millington, Sterling and some others, to avoid confusion with the city of Passaic, in Passaic County, the good citizens renamed their town Long Hill Township.

And Wayne Township was more often known as Mountain View and Preakness. What was considered to be Wayne was the area on Ryerson Avenue, where the train station was named “Wayne.”

So, if you were on the train, you’d ride from Mountain View, Wayne, Pequannock, Pompton Plains, Pompton and Pompton Junction. Oh, and the station east of Pompton Junction on the other railroad was Pompton Lakes.

You have to wonder how many people got off the train at the wrong stop and just stayed there.

It’s not a blockbuster snowstorm by any measure, but the winter coastal storm that swept across our region Monday night is lingering into Tuesday afternoon, and it has given New Jersey its first statewide accumulating snow since March 2022.

Preliminary reports from trained weather observers across the Garden State show at least a half-inch of snow on the ground in all 21 counties, with some areas getting 2 to 3 inches of snow by late Tuesday morning. Hundreds of schools announced closures and delayed openings.

The snow has changed to sleet and freezing rain or has turned to an icy mix in some areas of central and southern New Jersey, as well as parts of northern New Jersey, including Essex, Hudson and Union. More than a tenth of an inch of freezing rain was reported in Mount Holly in Burlington County and Trenton in Mercer County Tuesday afternoon, with exactly a tenth of an inch reported in Millville in Cumberland County.

Temperatures are cold enough to support some additional snow in the state’s far northern and northwestern regions through this afternoon, forecasters said.

Gov. Phil Murphy is urging drivers to be cautious on the roads, especially with the possibility of icing making surfaces slick. The “main concern,” he said, is freezing rain.

“I’d ask everybody to be really careful,” the Governor said during an unrelated event in South Amboy. “Please remain cautious heading into the evening.”

Latest snow totals in New Jersey

Here’s a look at snow totals reported by the National Weather Service and the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network, known as CoCoRaHS, as of late Tuesday morning. (Note: Some of the numbers below were updated Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, after new reports came in.)

Current weather radar

Thank you for relying on us to provide the local weather news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected] or on X at @LensReality.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

New Jersey has a remarkable number of independent, idiosyncratic vinyl record stores all across the state. There should be a guided tour of all its vinyl record shops because they get right to the heart of our state’s charms, history, distinctive attitude and variety. The stores range from small, funky shops that feel like being inside someone’s mind, to spacious, upscale record havens. One thing they all share is owners who are passionate about music on vinyl.

Yes, vinyl is back and better than ever. Vinyl sales have continued to rise, increasing a whopping 29.2% to $619.6 million in 2020, compared to $479.5 million in 2019. The rise in vinyl sales made up for the continued decline in CD sales, and artists are now recording on vinyl. (Country singer Kacey Musgraves is trending in the vinyl space.)

Stepping into New Jersey’s record stores is like stepping into history. Among the pleasures of vinyl records is their pleasing, reassuring size; the artwork on the cover that gives you a hint of what to expect inside, and — they have liner notes you can read. Then there is the ceremonial, tactile aspect of playing the record. You don’t just pop it in. You gently remove the record from its paper sleeve, carefully place it on the turntable and even more carefully touch the stylus (needle) to the album. Since you have earned it, you can sit back, listen to the album and let it wash over you. No skipping, sampling, no distractions: You are one with the music.

There’s also the quality of sound issue. Vinyl (analog) sound is considered “warmer” by some, and the fade out on analog is gentler to the psyche than the CD’s abrupt end. I remembered reading in the NY Times that Dusty Springfield singing “The Look of Love” on the “Casino Royale” album was considered the ultimate in analog listening pleasure. Darren Revilla of Revilla Grooves and Gear in Milltown backed me up on that.

Here’s a sampling of just a few of our state’s independent record shops.

Elmwood Park’s Music Connection. Photo by Manuel Igrejas

Music Connection in Elmwood Park is on a quiet side street off River Road. Once you step in, you are overwhelmed by the volume: a large room with racks and racks of records, a smaller CD section and some cassettes and assorted DVDs and 45s. You could easily spend half a day there.

Address: 12 Summit Ave., Elmwood Park, N.J. 07407

Music Merchants in Westwood. Photo by Manuel Igrejas

Music Merchants in Westwood is lighter and brighter with a vast collection. Owner John Schlapak founded the store in 1979. With his distinctive, piquant take on things, he could be mistaken for a particularly sassy resident of Middle Earth. Besides all the goodies in his store, he’s fun to talk to.

Address: 157 Westwood Ave., Westwood, N.J. 07675

Revilla Grooves and Gear in Milltown. Photo by Manuel Igrejas

Revilla Grooves and Gear in Milltown has a chill, Jedi vibe that attracts true sound believers. The displays are well-organized, and you can sample music on headphones at three listening stations with state-of-the-art equipment in front of the store. If you walk through the beaded curtain to the back, you’ll find a cozy room with a couch where you can test the first-rate sound systems that Revilla has on display in the next room. Owner Darren worked at the legendary Princeton Record Exchange before he opened his place. Whether you’re a true believer or a neophyte, Revilla is worth a trip.

Address: 126 North Main St., Milltown, N.J. 08850

Scotti’s Record Shop in Summit. Photo by Manuel Igrejas

Gary Scotti of Scotti’s Record Shop in Summit knows his stuff. Scotti’s, founded in 1956 by his father, is a bright and welcoming 2,000-square-foot store that sells vinyl, CDs, cassettes (they’re making a comeback) T-shirts, mugs and stereo equipment. Everything is thoughtfully categorized: rock, hip-hop, jazz, classical and movie soundtracks. What does Gary listen to? A mix of the classic rock and new artists, like Jason Isbell and the Black Pumas. He does a big business in Christmas records, too. Like most record dealers, he buys used vinyl, and he explained the concept of matrix numbers — the alphanumeric code stamped in the run-out groove area at the end of a record. It can tell a dealer if a record is an original pressing or a reissue, which affects its value.

Address: 351 Springfield Ave., Summit, N.J. 07901

In Station 1, a record from the 1977 film ‘Eraserhead’ can be found, which is packed with a haunting soundtrack. Photo by Manuel Igrejas

Station 1 Books Vinyl and Vintage Shop is a handsome store inside the old Pompton Lakes train station. Owner Daniel Salsberg was an online book dealer when he bought the place four years ago. Now, records, mostly vinyl, make up 85% of sales. Music manager Joe Smith said the biggest vinyl sales are in classic rock, punk or metal and jazz of the Miles Davis, John Coltrane variety. I asked him what the most treasured of vinyl records were: 13th Floor Elevators (one of the first psychedelic rock bands from the ‘60s) and early Zombies. Station 1 also sells turntables, DVDs, VHS and an intriguing assortment of books you won’t find at Barnes & Noble.

Address: 1 Station Plaza, Pompton Lakes, N.J. 07442

New Brunswick’s Spina Records. Photo by Manuel Igrejas

Rutgers alumnus, Andrew Spina, opened New Brunswick’s Spina Records in 2014 inside a cozy basement shop, then moved to 118 Easton Ave. in 2017. A record collector since he was kid, he saw the rising interest in vinyl and got on board. The Hub City, with its lively music scene, is the home of several influential bands, like Screaming Females (he went to school with lead singer Marissa Paternoster) and Cook Thugless. A former musician himself, Andrew connected the dots between record lovers and coffee and has a partnership with Hidden Grounds Coffee. The espresso bar, at 4C Easton Ave., is just minutes from Spina’s and has hundreds of his handpicked vinyl records to browse while you sip.

Address: 118 Easton Ave., New Brunswick, N.J. 08901

Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank. Photo courtesy of Jack’s Music Shoppe

From the street, Jack’s Music Shoppe in Red Bank looks like a beautiful, Parisian bookstore, circa 1920. Inside, it’s just as beautiful: a spacious, 6,000 square feet filled with the best vinyl (and CDs and cassettes) in every genre. These are smart music people (manager Tim Cronin was a sound man for bands). Its selection is vast, beautifully laid out and well-organized. And there are musical instruments to sample and buy in a room off the first floor.

Address: 30 Broad St., Red Bank, N.J. 07701

The Record Collector in Bordentown. Photo courtesy of The Record Collector

The Record Collector in idyllic Bordentown was voted the “No. 1 favorite independent record store in the tristate area” by Details magazine. It’s a good-looking store in the heart of town. Like all the best stores, it offers an immense selection of new, used, rare and collectible music in all formats, and management has been doing it for over 40 years. At last count, the store held over 1 million LPs, 45s, and CDs. And, like most shops, they also buy and trade almost anything that spins on a turntable or CD player.

Address: 358 Farnsworth Ave., Bordentown, N.J. 08505

Music Country in Cliffside Park. Photo by Manuel Igrejas

While researching this story, I came across Music Country in Cliffside Park, and I just had to check them out. It opened in 1934 as Taliaferro Radio and Electric and sold radios, record players and records. Daughter Joan started working there when she was 10 years old and eventually took over the business. It was renamed Music Country in the 1980s. Joan runs Music Country with her husband, Jim Demarest, a musician who once played back up for Sammy Davis Jr. It’s a small space tucked into a busy block, and when I walked in, Jim was picking on a guitar. Though cramped, Music Country is well-organized and jam-packed with music treasures. The walls are lined with classic album covers such as that of Keely Smith, Bobby Darin and Sinatra that make the place seem like a museum of music history. Jim was an informed and charming guide.

Address: 728 Anderson Ave., Cliffside Park, N.J. 07010

No “New Jersey Iconic Record Shop Tour” (let’s make it a thing) would be complete without a visit to these enduring pioneers of the record business. But you don’t have to sign up for the whole tour. You can jump in your car and, just a few miles from wherever you live in New Jersey, there’s vinyl magic waiting for you.

Manuel Igrejas has worked in the theater as a playwright and a publicist on and off-Broadway. He was the publicist for Blue Man Group for 15 years, and his other clients included Richard Foreman, John Leguizamo, Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, STREB, Julie Harris and Peak Performances.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2021 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.

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