The Winter Market and Christmas Tree Lighting gets one Saturday in the village. The Festival of Trees at the Environmental Education Center runs for more than three weeks. Between the first of November and the last week of December, one address keeps showing up on the Basking Ridge calendar more than any other: 190 Lord Stirling Road. Most of what happens there needs registration before the day.
So the weeks after Halloween reward people who plan ahead. Somerset County Park Commission programs fill a November schedule that requires registration. Township committees and local organizations run a handful of free gatherings around them. The village's biggest day comes near the end, on Dec. 5, when most of the season's crowds arrive at the same time.
November at the EEC Asks for a Reservation
The Environmental Education Center's November 2026 schedule says advance registration is required for programs unless an individual listing says otherwise. That one line shapes the month. A free walk with no sign-up exists, but it is the exception, and the multi-week sessions are priced and booked as sessions.
Here is the November public schedule at the Lord Stirling Park center, grouped by who it suits:
| Program | Dates and time | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Woodland Walks | Tuesdays, Nov. 3, 10, 17, 24, 10 to 11 a.m. | $24 senior, $28 adult for the four-week session |
| Keeping Up with Science, "Voyages of Scientific Discovery" | Friday, Nov. 6, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. | $6 senior, $7 adult |
| Family Nature Walk | Sunday, Nov. 8, 10 to 11 a.m. | Free, no preregistration |
| Walkin' in the Pines | Sunday, Nov. 8, 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. | $40 senior, $50 adult, preregistration required |
| Field & Forest, "Animal Tracks" | Saturday, Nov. 14, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. | $6 student or senior, $7 adult |
| The Green Team | Saturdays, Nov. 14 and 21, 1 to 4 p.m. | Free, preregistration required |
| Storytime Adventure, "Take Flight!" | Sunday, Nov. 15, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. | $10 per pair, $5 per additional child |
| Turkey Talk | Tuesday, Nov. 17, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. | $10 per pair, $5 per additional child |
Families with young children get the Monday series. The Young Explorers Club meets Mondays from Nov. 2 through Nov. 30, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., at $50 per pair for the five-week session. KinderNats meets the same Mondays from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at $50 per person. Critter Club runs Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12 and 19, from 4 to 5 p.m. for $30.
One program leaves Basking Ridge. On Thursday, Nov. 5, the Nature Hike at East County Park meets at 40 Reinman Road in Warren from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. It costs $12 for seniors and $14 for adults, with preregistration required. The full listing is on the Somerset County Park Commission's November programs page.
Sunday, Nov. 8 Stacks the Whole Swamp Edge Into One Day
On Sunday, Nov. 8, three programs overlap along the edge of the Great Swamp.
- 10 to 11 a.m.: The EEC's Family Nature Walk, free and with no preregistration.
- 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Walkin' in the Pines leaves from the EEC at 190 Lord Stirling Road with van transportation provided. Anyone on this all-day trip misses everything else that Sunday.
- 1:30 to 3 p.m.: Friends of Great Swamp hosts its Second Sunday with Friends talk, "The Buzz about Bees: Apians of Great Swamp & Beyond." It takes place in person at the Helen C. Fenske Visitor Center, 32 Pleasant Plains Road in Harding Township, and on Zoom, with registration required.
A morning walk at Lord Stirling Park and an afternoon at the Fenske Visitor Center fit together with time for lunch in between. The Friends of Great Swamp calendar also lists weekday volunteer mornings. Pervasive Invasives runs Oct. 29 from 9 a.m. to noon, which falls on publication day.
Township Volunteers Run the Free Events
The free gatherings in between come mostly from township committees and small local organizations, and they need very little planning.
The month opens on Sunday, Nov. 1, at noon with the Field of Honor Dedication Ceremony on the front steps of the Municipal Building, 1 Collyer Lane. Details are on the Bernards Township resident calendar.
The following Saturday takes care of the Halloween pumpkins. As TAPinto Basking Ridge reported, the sixth annual Pumpkin Smash runs Saturday, Nov. 7, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at English Farm, 3625 Valley Road in Liberty Corner. The Bernards Township Agricultural Advisory Committee organizes it with the Environmental Commission. Smashed pumpkins go to the farm's chickens and pigs. The event is free, open to all ages and needs no registration. Pumpkins can be carved or whole, but candles, stickers, googly eyes and plastic decorations have to come off first. Anyone who misses Saturday can drop pumpkins at English Farm earlier that week while the farm is open.
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, the Somerset Hills YMCA hosts a Veterans Social from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in its Teen Center at 140 Mt Airy Road. It is free for the community, with registration through the Greater Somerset County YMCA.
The Bernards Township Library book discussions keep a steady pace through both months. The evening group meets Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m. for The Lathe of Heaven and Tuesday, Dec. 1, for A Fine Balance. The daytime group meets Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m. for Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World and Wednesday, Dec. 16, for By the Sea. All four take registration through the library's newsletter listing.
The Festival of Trees Makes the EEC December's Living Room
In December the season moves back to Lord Stirling Road. The 48th Festival of Trees runs from Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 27, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The EEC is closed Dec. 24 and 25.
The Park Commission describes it as an indoor exhibit of trees decorated by community groups and individuals, with holiday music playing. The suggested donation is $5 per person, and visitors can bring new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots.
The trees are local work, and anyone who wants to decorate one can still sign up. The Park Commission's festival page lists 908-722-1200, extension 5328, for exhibitor sign-ups, group reservations and questions. Because the festival runs on weekdays as well as weekends, a quiet weekday morning is easy to plan around the busier Saturdays.
Dec. 5 Brings the Season Into the Village All at Once
Saturday, Dec. 5, is the one day the calendar shifts into the village. The Basking Ridge Business Alliance hosts its 13th Annual Winter Market and Christmas Tree Lighting at Bishop Janes United Methodist Church. The day includes local vendors and artisans, live entertainment, the tree lighting itself and a visit from Santa. The Alliance says the event "draws hundreds of guests." The start time differs by source. The Alliance's event page lists 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the township calendar lists noon to 7 p.m. Neither page gives a separate time for the lighting, so a quick check that week makes sense.
The same evening, Liberty Corner Fire Company holds its biannual Comedy Night at 95 Church St. Doors and the bar open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m., with Leighann Lord, Brad Trackman and Chris Roach, as Patch reported. An afternoon at the market and an evening in Liberty Corner fit into one day. Dec. 5 is also the festival's second day at the EEC.
The village has a new stop for that Saturday, too. Jersey Girl Chocolate, owned by Nicole and Pete Edelson, opened its storefront in a historic building at 20 Lewis Street and sells chocolate and ice cream, according to TAPinto Basking Ridge. The shop held its grand opening on Sept. 26.
The Grocery Run Changes This Week
One change reaches beyond the calendar. Stop & Shop at 553 S. Finley Ave. in the Lyons Mall is closing in late October. New Jersey Hills reported that staff were given a final day of either Wednesday, Oct. 28, or Thursday, Oct. 29. Either way, the store's last day falls this week. Stop & Shop spokesman Daniel Wolk told the outlet that the decision came "after a routine evaluation of our store operations." He added that all associates would be offered transfers to other Stop & Shop locations.
The company has not said what comes next for the space. In July, Patch reported that Mayor Ana Duarte McCarthy said "the landlord has indicated there is a new tenant preparing plans and specifications for township review." The tenant has not been named. Plans for the store will come before the township, so the tenant's name will surface as those plans move forward.
Dates to Keep Through December
- Sun., Nov. 1, noon: Field of Honor Dedication, 1 Collyer Lane
- Tue., Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m.: Evening book discussion, Bernards Township Library
- Sat., Nov. 7, noon to 1:30 p.m.: Pumpkin Smash, English Farm, Liberty Corner
- Sun., Nov. 8: Family Nature Walk at the EEC at 10 a.m., bee talk at the Fenske Visitor Center at 1:30 p.m.
- Sat., Nov. 14 and 21, 1 to 4 p.m.: The Green Team at the EEC
- Tue., Nov. 17: Turkey Talk at the EEC at 10:30 a.m., Veterans Social at the Somerset Hills YMCA at 6 p.m.
- Fri., Dec. 4 to Sun., Dec. 27: Festival of Trees at the EEC, closed Dec. 24 and 25
- Sat., Dec. 5: Winter Market and Tree Lighting at Bishop Janes United Methodist Church, Comedy Night at the Liberty Corner firehouse
Gereon Wiese keeps the same kind of calendar for clients, with every registration date and deadline written down early. If you'd like to talk about what's changing around Basking Ridge, in English, German, Mandarin or French, Gereon Wiese is glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
