Rediscovering the Potential of a Vacant Property
Holiday Market: A Vibrant Gathering
The holiday market at Lackawanna Plaza is a bustling affair, featuring more than 175 vendors. Live music fills the air, adding to the festive atmosphere. A handful of food trucks offer delicious treats, while two bars and an art space provide additional entertainment. This market runs on Saturdays and Sundays through January 19, giving the community a chance to enjoy a unique shopping and entertainment experience.Several retailers have already set up shop in the mall, with more to open in the spring. It's a great start to seeing the space utilized while a full redevelopment is underway. Jason Gleason, vice president of community development at BDP Holdings, the site's owner, believes this is a way to show the community that a vacant property can be transformed into something special.
Incubator for Small Business: The Pop-Up Market
According to Gleason, the pop-up market is an incubator for small businesses. It will extend into the spring, hosting restaurants, food trucks, a wine store, and a co-working space. This approach allows for a creative and flexible use of the space while waiting for a full redevelopment. Gleason anticipates that the site will be open throughout the week come spring, providing more opportunities for the community.The farmers market at Lackawanna Plaza represents a significant step in providing access to healthy food. Charles Rosen, who runs Ironbound Farm and Ciderhouse in Asbury (Hunterdon County), is planning to launch Ironbound Farm Market based on a "farm stop" model. This means that local growers will sell their produce directly to the market, cutting out the middlemen and saving farmers time and money.
Meeting Community Needs: Ironbound Farm Market
Ironbound Farm Market will sell local produce sourced from farms in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The prepared goods, such as bakery items, sandwiches, and grab-and-go meals, will also feature local produce. The market will have a grocery store with packaged goods from local producers, with a focus on women-, BIPOC-, and veteran-owned businesses. An event center will also be available for visiting farmers and chefs to conduct classes and talks.Rosen is aware of the need to serve an economically diverse clientele and is working on a tiered pricing system and accepting SNAP payments to accommodate lower-income shoppers. This shows the market's commitment to meeting the needs of the community.
Future Plans and Challenges
Gleason hopes to expand the number of food trucks at the Holiday Market to seven or eight regular visits. Two restaurants, Little Bear Poké and Burgers Doughnuts Potatoes, are set to open in December, and a wine store will also open soon. A 9,000-square-foot co-working space will open in spring along with Ironbound Farm Market.Although there are still issues to be sorted out, Gleason believes there is public support for the space to be active again. People were excited to be back in the space and see something new and unique. It has that abandoned mall, "Stranger Things" vibe, and it's been neat to see the community's reactions.
Matt Cortina is a food writer for NorthJersey.com/The Record. Reach him at mcortina@gannett.com.ที่สำคัญของเกมนี้
ช่วงครึ่งชั่วโมงแรก
ลิเวอร์พูล雖掌控著球權，但在第 22 分鐘時幾乎丟掉了大門，杰克·梅菲爾德射門偏出。第 35 分鐘，亚历克斯·伊萨克射出精彩的一球，通過凱文·克萊赫爾的手成功進球，使主隊以 1 - 0 領先。然而，在第 38 分鐘，亚历克斯·伊萨克再次獲得機會，但仍未能命中第二個球門。第 40 分鐘，紐卡斯爾差點再次進球，但杰克·梅菲爾德在 20 碼外射門偏出，上半場結束時，紐卡斯爾以 1 - 0 領先。ครึ่งหลัง
第 50 分鐘，利物浦反超為 1 - 1，莫哈·薩拉赫左路傳中，克里斯蒂安·約翰遜用右腳射門偏出底線，這也是他在本賽季的第 150 個進球。第 54 分鐘，利物浦差點扳平比分，莫哈·薩拉赫回傳給達文·努涅斯，但未成功。第 62 分鐘，紐卡斯爾再次取得領先，以 2 - 1 領先，亚历克斯·伊萨克快速傳球給安東尼·戈登，戈登晃過對手後傳球給凱文·克萊赫爾，球進了，這是他本賽季的第 3 個進球。第 66 分鐘，亚历克斯·伊萨克射門，但被擋出。第 68 分鐘，利物浦再次追平為 2 - 2，特倫特·阿諾德替補上場，從右路切入傳中，莫哈·薩拉赫射門偏出，這是他本賽季的第 12 個進球。第 73 分鐘，杰克·梅菲爾德搶到球後射門，但未命中目標。第 82 分鐘，利物浦仍未能反超，莫哈·薩拉赫射門偏出，對主隊不利。第 83 分鐘，莫哈·薩拉赫左路傳中，利物浦以 3 - 2 領先，這是他本場比賽的第 2 個進球，也是本賽季的第 13 個進球。第 90 分鐘，紐卡斯爾仍不願意放棄，從左路傳中，布魯諾·吉馬雷斯切入傳中，球進了，最終比賽以 3 - 3 結束。紐卡斯爾增加了 20 個進球，而利物浦有 35 個進球，與切爾西相差 7 個進球。ผู้เล่นในทั้งสองทีม
紐卡斯爾 (4 - 3 - 3) 的 11 名真實球員：尼克·波普 - 瓦萊里諾·利夫拉門托、法比安·沙爾、丹·伯恩、路易斯·霍爾；桑德羅·托納利、布魯諾·吉馬雷斯、喬林頓；杰克·梅菲爾德、亚历克斯·伊薩克、安東尼·戈登。利物浦 (4 - 2 - 3 - 1) 的球員：凱文·克萊赫爾 - 喬·戈麥斯、傑拉德·庫恩斯、費爾南多·托雷斯、安德魯·羅伯遜；亚历克斯·麥克·阿利斯特、裏安·格拉文貝克；莫哈·薩拉赫、克里斯蒂安·約翰遜、科迪·加克波；達文·努涅斯。Uniting a Family through the Appalachian Trail
Starting the Journey
Bettis started planning the trip in June 2022 and left in March 2023. Initially, she had planned for 2025 but got excited and moved it up. Her main goal was to complete the trail and bring the family together. When they started, they didn't know if they would make it, but they focused on their own reasons for hiking. One of the well-known rules on the trail is to never quit on a bad day, and they stuck to this. They knew that every bad day would end and the next day would be different as long as they had the right attitude.During the hike, they gained a following on their social media page titled "32 Feet Up," representing each foot of Bettis and her 15 children. Two of the children stayed at home and hiked sections with the family.
Overcoming Challenges
Bettis' biggest concerns before starting were the cold and safety around other hikers. She didn't want to jeopardize her kids' safety. But they had enough hiking and backpacking experience to know that most people on the trail are good. With the cold, they were overpacked at first, but they realized they had excess in their packs and began to weed it out.The biggest challenge came when they hit the end of Virginia. They were homesick and realized they were leaving everything familiar. At the halfway point in Harpers Ferry, many of the older kids wanted to go home. But once they openly talked about their fears and addressed them, they picked up and kept hiking.
High Points and Low Points
Each child had a different high point, but for Bettis, it was Franconia Ridge and the White Mountains. It was a powerful day with clear views, and they made it along the ridge line. This was the epitome of the entire hike as it showed they could overcome any obstacle.Despite the challenges, they also had their share of good times. The beautiful vistas and the sense of unity as a family were unforgettable.
Cost and Logistics
People on the internet said the cost of hiking with so many kids was $1,000 a month per person. But Bettis came in under budget every month. Her child support budget was $2,400 a month, and they spent between $1,800 and $2,200 a month for all 16 of them. The months that got expensive were when they needed new shoes as they changed about every 700 miles.Family Bond and Growth
The hike helped reforge the family bond. The kids grew in ways they wouldn't have otherwise. They developed leadership and responsibility, and each found their place within the group. The 19-year-old who stayed home took on resupply duties, and there were leaders and crew members for different tasks.Bettis loves hearing the kids talk about the hike and how it has changed them. It has given them ambition and goals.
Future Hikes
They have plans to hike the Mountains to Sea Trail in April and the Oregon Coast Trail in September next year. Then, in 2026, they will do the Continental Divide Trail. There are still discussions about how many kids will join them on these hikes, especially with the addition of a baby.Despite the challenges, Nikki Bettis and her family have shown that with determination and unity, anything is possible.