Nutley's fall events are not spread across the season. Most of them land on the three days from Friday, October 16, to Sunday, October 18, 2026. That weekend, the Historical Society opens an art show, a new bakery holds its grand opening, the library books a Beatles tribute, Kingsland Manor opens its doors and the CROP Hunger Walk sets off through two township parks. Several of these overlap by the hour. The rest of the season runs more slowly, through a book sale, three very different Halloween options and a November 4 ceremony at Nanina's in the Park.
Here is how the weekend's events stack up against each other, followed by everything that comes after.
The Weekend at a Glance
| Day | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 16 | Nutley artists exhibition, evening opening | Nutley Historical Society Museum, 65 Church St. | 5 to 8 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Golden Butter grand opening | 11 High St. | 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Nutley artists exhibition | 65 Church St. | Noon to 7 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Ruth Moros Beatles piano tribute | Nutley Public Library, 93 Booth Drive | 2 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct 18 | CROP Hunger Walk | Starts at Vincent Church, 100 Vincent Place | Registration 12:30 p.m., walk at 1 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct 18 | October Open House Tours | Kingsland Manor, entry on Lakeside Drive | 1 to 4 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct 18 | Exhibition closing reception | 65 Church St. | Noon to 7 p.m. |
Saturday and Sunday each have one long-running event as a backdrop. The museum exhibition runs from noon to 7 p.m. both days, so the timed events are the ones that set the order.
Friday Night on Church Street
The weekend starts at the Nutley Historical Society, which is showing work by nine Nutley artists in the museum's meeting room at 65 Church Street. The list is Gary T. Erbe, Carol Fortunato, Michael Gabriele, Dash Gurabandhi, Michael Lenson, William Lopa, Julian Robles, Roger Robles and Edie Sirmons. The opening runs from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, and the Society says there will be light refreshments.
This is a short show. It opens Friday evening and closes with a reception on Sunday, so Friday night is the quietest time to see it before the rest of the weekend's crowds build.
Saturday Belongs to High Street
Golden Butter Custom Sweets has been around since 2024, but only as online orders and catering by appointment. As Montclair Girl reported, 11 High Street will be its first brick-and-mortar location. Owner and pastry chef Alexis Coccio earned a pastry arts degree at Johnson & Wales and worked at Honey Bell Bakery before starting her own business. Golden Butter's main line is custom cakes and cookies, along with cake pops, pretzel rods and chocolate-dipped strawberries.
According to NorthJersey.com, the grand opening runs Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be raffles, giveaways and local vendors, and Montclair Girl lists Mel Rose Pottery, Rose and Ritual Permanent Jewelry, Kurly Kurtosh and Cubita Cafe among them. If you want to see the space before the crowd, the Township of Nutley holds a ribbon cutting there on Thursday, October 15, at 11:15 a.m., and it's open to the public.
One detail about the storefront is still open. Golden Butter will share 11 High Street with Soj Food Co., a plant-based business that does personal cheffing, grab-and-go food and supper clubs. Neither business has said yet how the shared space will work.
Saturday has a natural order. Start at the bakery, get to the Nutley Public Library for Ruth Moros's Beatles piano tribute at 2 p.m., then head to Church Street, where the exhibition is open until 7.
Sunday Is Where the Schedule Gets Tight
Sunday has the most overlap. The 2026 Nutley CROP Hunger Walk opens registration at 12:30 p.m. at Vincent Church, 100 Vincent Place, and the walk starts at 1 p.m. The route goes through Yanticaw and Memorial parks, with shorter and longer options. Organizers say 25% of the money raised will go to local food assistance.
At the same hour, Kingsland Manor opens for its October Open House Tours, from 1 to 4 p.m. The manor is marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a monthly series, and October's theme is the Lenape people who lived in this part of New Jersey. Visitors can taste food made with native ingredients, watch a demonstration of cordage-making from plant fiber and try games Indigenous children played. Tours are free, and donations go to the manor's scholarship fund. The manor sits at the corner of Kingsland Street and Lakeside Drive, and both entry and parking are on Lakeside Drive.
Because the tours run until 4 p.m., you can do both. Walk first, get to Kingsland Manor before 4, and the Historical Society's closing reception on Church Street is still open until 7.
The Week After Is for Book People
The library stays busy once the weekend is over. The Friends of the Library book sale starts with a cardholder preview on Wednesday, October 21, from 4 to 7 p.m. Public hours follow on October 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on October 23 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations are accepted October 17, 18 and 20 during library hours, so books can come in on the big weekend and go back out the following week.
Halloween week at the library starts with a Halloween Cricut craft on Monday, October 26, at 7 p.m. Jay Daniels presents an Italian-American music program on Tuesday, October 27, at 7 p.m., and Halloween Story Time is Wednesday, October 28, at 10:30 a.m.
Halloween Comes in Three Formats
Each of Nutley's three Halloween options works differently.
- The township party. Nutley Parks and Recreation's Spooktacular Halloween Celebration is Friday, October 30, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Recreation Department, 44 Park Avenue. It includes a hayride, Halloween music, snacks and drinks. The event is for Nutley residents. You have to preregister through a Community Pass account and show proof of residency at the door, and the party is canceled if the weather is bad.
- The ghost hunt. On Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, Haas Paranormal leads a ghost-hunting investigation at Kingsland Manor from 7 to 10:30 p.m. It's capped at 25 people, reservations are required and tickets are $25 per person.
- The backyard. On Hillside Crescent, the Rinik family is building a free walk-through "Haunted Ballroom" based partly on Disney's Haunted Mansion. TAPinto Nutley reported that it will have projectors showing singing and dancing figures, a piano player with moving fingers, fog coming out of an organ and photos that change as you pass them. Visiting hours start once the family announces it's finished, and they plan to be ready about two weeks before Halloween, depending on the weather. After that it's open Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. The family takes donations by Venmo through a QR code.
TAPinto reported that the Riniks are skipping Christmas decorations this year and putting that effort into Halloween instead. Kelly Rinik told the outlet the reasons were "too cold, too expensive and too time consuming."
November 4: The Hall of Fame Inducts Its Own Hosts
Everything after Halloween builds toward the Nutley Hall of Fame's 25th-anniversary ceremony, on Wednesday, November 4, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Nanina's in the Park. Commissioner Carmen Orechio created the Hall of Fame in 2001. To qualify, a candidate has to have been born in Nutley, lived in town for at least ten years or graduated from Nutley High School, and be recognized for achievements at the state, national or international level.
This year's class of 11 has a connection to the venue. Three inductees, Vito Cucci, Barry Maurillo and Joseph Maurillo, each helped develop Nanina's in the Park, so they'll be inducted at a venue they helped create. Cucci also co-owns Dornoch, which won the 2024 Belmont and Haskell Stakes.
The rest of the class covers a wide range:
- Dennis P. Colin, Nutley High class of 1960, who helped design ARP synthesizers and later the Aries 300 synthesizer
- Christian Sebek, who played Ubaldo Piangi in Broadway's The Phantom of the Opera more than 1,600 times and now performs with his sons as The Sebek Tenors
- Dave Popkin, named 2024 New Jersey Sportscaster of the Year, who has called more than 700 Seton Hall men's basketball games
- Baron Raymonde, a saxophonist who has played with Rod Stewart, Levon Helm, Little Steven and Gloria Gaynor and has mentored Nutley students for more than two decades
- Connie Brown Siskowski, RN, PhD, founder of the American Association of Caregiving Youth and a CNN Hero
- Ralph E. "Rusty" Heinzen, a United Press foreign correspondent who covered Lindbergh's transatlantic flight and the founding of the United Nations
- Thomas "Tom" Maoli, appointed in 2026 to the U.S. Department of Transportation Advisory Board
- Michael C. Gabriele, a former editor of The Nutley Sun and author of five books on New Jersey history
A Michael Gabriele is also on the Historical Society's artist list for the October exhibition, which connects the weekend at the start of the season to the night at the end of it.
Admission is $50. Make checks payable to the "Nutley Hall of Fame Committee" and mail or drop them off at the Nutley Public Library, 93 Booth Drive. The next night, Thursday, November 5, Parks and Recreation holds its annual Princess Ball from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Recreation Department Gym at 44 Park Avenue. It's for Nutley residents with children 12 and under, and tickets are $35 for one parent and child plus $25 for each additional child.
Nicholas Salemme follows Nutley's calendar as closely as its listings. If you or someone you know is thinking about what's next in Nutley, let's connect.
