The Bergen County Historical Society (BCHS) has announced that it will be holding a fundraising Gala to support the creation of a new 3,750 square foot history museum. The Gala will be held on Thursday, Oct. 19 at Sanzari’s New Bridge Inn in New Milford, NJ from 6-10pm.
All proceeds raised at the gala will go towards the overall development of the museum, including construction, planned exhibits and educational programming. The museum is eyeing July 4, 2026 as its opening date, the 250th birthday of the United States.
The site plans have been completed and approved by the Department of Environmental Protection. The design plans for the museum outline a 3,750 square foot barn-style building that will blend with the other historical buildings located on the 13-acre site across the Hackensack River.
The BCHS is working with G3 Architecture and a solar panel roof is included in the site plans. The museum will feature temperature-controlled exhibits and storage space, a theater and orientation gathering space. The exhibits included in the museum will be both hands-on and digital. The BCHS hopes to raise $3 million through this campaign.
“We look forward to bringing a dynamic new museum to life on this historic site that is a noted landmark of American History” commented building chairperson Deborah Powell. “The new museum will provide added space to accommodate new educational programming for more people and expanded exhibit space for our collections of over 4,000 original artifacts, textiles and documents that tell the story of how Bergen County and our country came to be.”
The esteemed Gala honorees include Senator Loretta Weinberg; Jose Lozano, Senior VP, Strategic Business Partnerships, Hackensack Meridian Health; Bill Hanson, President of NAI James E. Hanson; Tammy Molinelli, Executive Director of Bergen County Workforce Development Board and Anita Rivers, Executive Director of Community Relations at Fairleigh Dickinson.
The gala will include a cocktail hour, live entertainment from musicians, Anne & Ridley Enslow, and band Soul’ed Out, a silent auction, dinner and recognition of the honorees that have done extraordinary work in preserving New Jersey history. Tickets are $195 ($175 for members) and include a 1 year membership to the Bergen County Historical Society. The recommended attire is business casual with a little bit of patriotic flair.
To find more information regarding the gala, visit www.bergencountyhistory.org.