On Sunday, September 13, dog owners and their leashed regulars gathered on Doremus Avenue for something that had nothing to do with fetch. A bronze statue went up at the entrance to the Glen Rock Dog Park, and community donations covered its cost.
Six days later, on September 19, a different crowd folded out lawn chairs a short walk away at the Thielke Arboretum, where an orchestra that started as one resident's idea in 1975 played its fall concert under the trees. The two gatherings showcased community-supported work in Glen Rock.
The dog park's origins offer a closer look at one of those community efforts.
A Community-Funded War Memorial
The Glen Rock Dog Park opened on January 1, 2020. It began years earlier as a Girl Scout Gold Award effort by a local resident. The park describes itself as the only nonprofit in the world specifically dedicated to the search and rescue dogs of Ground Zero, a distinction that turns a fenced patch of grass into something closer to a memorial that happens to also have a dog run.
The statue unveiled that Sunday commemorates an estimated 300 specially trained dogs who deployed to Ground Zero within hours of the attacks, working alongside firefighters, police, and rescue crews in roles that ranged from locating survivors to providing comfort in the days that followed. The last living person pulled from the rubble, 27 hours after the collapse, was found by one of those dogs. The last known 9/11 search and rescue dog was laid to rest in 2016.
The money for the new bronze memorial was raised entirely through community donations. A $5,000 placemaking grant from the Greater Bergen Association of Realtors helped fund the original agility equipment. As Police K9 Magazine reported, the dedication ceremony's stated theme was short enough to fit on the plaque itself:
"Their courage had four legs."
If you walk your dog on Doremus Avenue on a normal Tuesday, none of this history is posted anywhere obvious. It is just a park. The statue gives that history a visible place in the park.
Fifty Years of Folding Chairs
The Thielke Arboretum concert that weekend reflected another community effort, one with a much longer track record. The Glen Rock Pops started in 1975 when a resident named Sue Johnsen had what she called a good idea, and the orchestra has been playing free concerts for the town ever since. It marked its 50th anniversary with a special concert in June 2025, part of a season that has leaned into the country's 250th anniversary programming throughout 2026.
This year's fall concert ran at 4:00 p.m. on September 19 at the Thielke Arboretum, 460 Doremus Avenue, with a rain date built in for the following afternoon. It was free, with donations welcome at the door, and the setting did a lot of the work: a 16-acre wetland forest maintained by a volunteer group called the Friends of the Glen Rock Arboretum. The grounds hold more than 250 tree and plant species, a spring-fed pond, and an antique gazebo, none of which shows up on a typical drive down Rock Road.
The dog park and orchestra are two examples of long-running community efforts in Glen Rock. Their histories offer another way to understand the town, beyond its train schedule, sidewalks, or home prices.
What Changed on Rock Road and Prospect Street This Year
Alongside those longstanding community efforts, two restaurants opened in Glen Rock this year.
Taste of Haifa opened at 251 Rock Road in February 2026, bringing a Mediterranean menu built around shawarma, falafel, schnitzel, and a rotating list of mezze. The shawarma, a slow-roasted chicken or beef preparation marinated in a Haifa-style spice blend, is the dish the kitchen leads with.
Zalim Hot Chicken & Burgers opened at 898 Prospect Street in July 2026, its third location in North Jersey after Englewood and Parsippany. The fast-casual concept runs on Nashville-style hot chicken, burgers, and milkshakes.
The openings add two dining options to Glen Rock's downtown.
What These Stories Say About Glen Rock
These stories do not show up if you search median home prices or commute times. A statue dedication funded by donations, a concert series older than most of its attendees, and two restaurants that opened downtown offer a glimpse of Glen Rock's community life beyond the market statistics.
That is worth knowing whether you have lived here for decades or you are still learning which streets flood the parking near the Arboretum on a busy Sunday. It is also the kind of detail that never makes it into a spreadsheet of comparable sales, which is exactly why it matters.
If you are weighing a move to Glen Rock, or you already live here and are curious what the market looks like from someone who pays attention to these details as closely as the football schedule, My Bergen House is happy to talk through it. We work this town because we live in it too.
