Showing their faces in the downtown Jersey City beer hall were North Bergen mayor and state Sen. Nicholas Sacco, Hudson County Freeholder Bill O’Dea and Jersey City Board of Education member Marvin Adames, who introduced Fulop as his mentor. Current and former city employees were out mingling as well.

Also working the room were at least four candidates running in the Nov. 8 special City Council election – Rich Boggiano, Rolando Lavarro, Dan Levin and Viola Richardson.

But Fulop was the star of the evening, starting his six-minute speech by acknowledging Sacco, whose presence raised some eyebrows since Fulop’s political guru Tom Bertoli and Sacco are longtime political rivals. After the event, Fulop, responding to questions via email, said that he and Sacco have a “good relationship” and was happy that Sacco came to his fundraiser.

Fulop then spoke of everything from his various legislative, good-government efforts while on the council to helping get Board of Education members elected who had a part in ousting Jersey City Schools Superintendent Charles Epps from his post.

Fulop thanked the supporters in the room for packing the house — over 730 tickets were sold, raising over $24,000; 640 people showed up — and playing a role in getting him into the mayor’s office in 2013.

“The key word is ‘us’,” Fulop said. “A team of like-minded, goal-oriented people that believes Jersey City can be a terrific, wonderful place to live, one of the best in the country.”

He was especially in campaign mode, saying that whoever becomes Jersey City mayor should provide the best city services to ensure the municipality is livable not only in the downtown area but throughout for “one city, one community.”

Fulop then sent a strong message to the current administration of Mayor Jerramiah Healy and those backing him. Healy is considered a potential opponent for Fulop, along with State Sen. Sandra Bolden Cunningham, although neither Healy nor Cunningham have announced their plans to run for mayor.

“They know that when we win in 18 months, the party that we collectively have been paying for, the no-show jobs, the patronage, that party is over,” Fulop said to loud applause.

Yet Fulop during his speech admitted that it will be a “tough road” leading up to the May 2013 election because of the opposition that will probably mount against his run.

The question that then comes up is whether he has made that road easier to navigate by already starting to put together a team of council candidates.

He said he is not worried since he has “a lot of time.”

“We want to have the same bottom-up approach of community feedback in the ward selecting the candidates that we do for the Board of Education process,” Fulop said by email.

In the meantime, he can court potential voters like one longtime Jersey City resident who came Tuesday at the behest of her friend and said it was her first political fundraiser.

“I always admired him because it seems like he is for the people,” said the resident, who declined to give her name. “It’s good that Fulop is running because two terms is enough for Mayor Healy and it’s time for fresh blood.”

Resident Robert Napiorski also sees Fulop’s youth and his energetic work in the local political arena as pluses for attaining the city’s top post.

“I know people [saw] him as an outsider when he got into office, saying he was from Edison,” Napiorski said. “But he has seized the mantle in this city as well as anyone I have ever seen.”

For full listings, check out the Cultural Calendar.

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TODAY

The big Halloween party kicking off the weekend is the 2nd Annual Zombie Pub Crawl. Meet at Grove Street PATH station to get your makeup done (6 pm), or come already in your undead best and set off for the pub crawl a bit later on (8 pm). If you’re more of a stay-in-one-place kind of person, you can check out Shocktoberfest at Zeppelin Hall (starts at 5 pm), the Slaughterhouse Halloween Party at Boca Grande (starts at 10 pm), or the Dress to Kill party at Sushi Tango ($25-$35, starts at 10 pm).

When the kids get home from school, head over to Liberty Science Center’s Halloween Spooktacular, which features activities for children young and old as well as adults ($13-$15, 6 to 10 pm).

B-horror fans will have a difficult choice to make this evening, with two unique film events on offer. ArtHouse Productions will be screening the classic silent film Nosferatu with live musical accompaniment by Felz Kenny, Rudy Stamp and guests. This will be followed by a showing of Night of the Living Dead ($5, starts at 8 pm). Just up in Journal Square, also at 8 pm, the Loew’s will be showing The House on Haunted Hill with EMERGO!, a campy movie promotion gimmick that got a lot of attention back in the 1950s when this film was released ($5-$7).

If you’re happy to wait until later in the weekend to get your Halloween hijinks going, check out the Statue of Liberty Birthday Cruise celebrating the 125th anniversary of Lady Liberty showing Jersey City her backside. The cruise departs from Liberty State Park and includes a lavish buffet dinner plus front-row seats for tonight’s Macy’s fireworks show ($84, 6 pm). Some spaces are left, but they’re going fast.

TOMORROW

One of the most highly anticipated events of the year, this year’s Ghost of Uncle Joe’s party is moving indoors to get out of the snow and rain. For all the info about the bands and the scene, check out JCI‘s story. Proceeds benefit the Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery ($10 suggested, starts at 5 pm). And put the after-party on your list as well, featuring even more live bands at the Lamp Post (starts at 10:30 pm).

Several other groups are hosting fundraisers around town tonight, so you can’t go wrong. Ed’s Salvage Co.’s Masquerade Ball will benefit local arts and community organizations ($5 suggested, starts at 7:30 pm); Madame Claude Wine will host a Masquerade Wine Tasting Fundraiser for Creative Grove ($20, 6 to 8 pm); and the annual Hudson Pride Masquerade doubles as a farewell party for the outgoing executive director Nancy Caamaño ($20 suggested, 7 to 11 pm).

Also on tap tonight are a few Downtown costume parties. The three-night Iron Monkey Halloween Weekend kicks off tonight and features a $1,000 prize for the best costume (starts at 8 pm); LITM’s Annual Halloween Celebration promises the usual fun (starts at 5 pm); and newcomer Brightside Tavern is throwing its first Halloween party, too (starts at 8 pm).

The Loew’s never skimps on classic horror, least of all during Halloween weekend. Today’s program features Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, for fans of classic comedy and classic horror ($5-$7, 6 pm), as well as the ur-classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, with organ accompaniment, of course ($7-$9, 8:15 pm).

Before you dress up and head out, though, stop by the Urban Mission Church in the Hilltop for House Your Body, a free health show (2 to 5 pm).

SUNDAY

Today’s events are all about fun for kids and pets. Don’t miss Halloween in Paulus Hook, which features costume contests for the little ones as well as our furry friends (12 to 4 pm). And make sure to check out the Halloween Parade & Celebration hosted by the Hamilton Park Neighborhood Association; please bring a non-perishable food item for the Festival Food Bank (10:15 am to 12 pm). Up in the Heights, the Riverview Neighborhood Association hosts a Halloween Dog Parade at Riverview-Fisk Park (11 am).

If you’re looking for a new best friend, head over to Grace Church Van Vorst for the Black Kitten Adoption Event to rescue black cats, which are killed in shelters more often than other cats (12:30 to 4:30 pm).

Other spots to check out for family-friendly Halloween festivities are Angel Ramos Park (1 to 3 pm) and 4th Street between Jersey Avenue and Coles Street (3 to 6 pm).

MONDAY

On the actual day of Halloween, there are two big events for kids: Newport Centre Mall is throwing a Happy Halloween Haunting Party, complete with trick-or-treating in the mall, a coloring activity station and the opportunity to capture the moment with a photo (12 to 6 pm); later in the afternoon, the Historic Downtown SID is hosting a free Halloween Bash for Kiddos, featuring face painting, pictures and of course, candy (5 to 7 pm).

And for the kid in all of us, LITM and DJ Meghan McKee will be putting on a special Halloween edition of its monthly Detention! ’80s party (starts at 6 pm). The party features cocktail specials and discounts for those in costume.

The Iron Monkey Halloween Weekend closes out tonight with a Best Tattoo Contest (starts at 8 pm).

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TODAY

After more than a year off, Jersey City band Jack Parsons Moonchild reunites for a show at ArtHouse tonight. We caught up with the group earlier this week ($5, 8 pm). Later in the evening, another local act shows off some new material at the Crosstown Country Allstars CD release party at O’Connell’s (10 pm).

In honor of National Pit Bull Awareness Day, the Liberty Humane Society is holding a “Pitty Party” at Captain Al’s in Paulus Hook to raise money for new dog cages (starts at 7 pm).

TOMORROW

If you’re looking for a fun alternative to your Saturday morning jog, check out the Live Fit event presented by Ed’s Salvage Co., Super Impact Fitness and Three Coffee Beans. Personal trainers will be on hand for “day of outdoor, high-endurance, elevated energy, and super fitness” (1-6 pm).

The embattled Community Awareness Series of the Miller Branch Library celebrates its 34th anniversary tomorrow with special appearances to include Amiri Baraka (8 pm).

The Museum of Russian Art opens a unique watercolor exhibition by Anna Sidorina tomorrow (starts at 5 pm), and the newly opened WOOLPUNKstudios has Here and Now, a new group exhibition from local collective _gaia (starts at 2 pm), followed by a Q&A with At-Large Council candidate Dan Levin (5 pm).

If fashion is what you’re after, don’t miss DEEN’s fall trunk show, which is all about accessories (6-10 pm). The first 30 guests will receive gift bags.

SUNDAY

The temperature is dropping, and this weekend may be your last opportunity before spring to take a leisurely bike ride. So why not take advantage of the Jersey City Community Garden Bike Tour (starts at 11 am), which will hit up seven of the city’s community gardens and give riders a chance to talk about urban gardening practices.

Start your Halloween celebrations early and stop by the Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery for “Ghosts of Ole Jersey City,” a journey into Chilltown’s past with local storyteller Bob Leach. He’ll be recounting one of his most famous tales, the Parade of the Shanty Town Dead (2 pm).

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TODAY

The City Love Project, an interactive public art show, comes to Jersey City today, stopping in McGinley Square (9 am), Journal Square (1 pm) and the Creative Grove Artist Market downtown today (5 pm). Participants will paint “what their city loves,” transforming a canvas “into a living portrait of the city through the eyes of the people,” according to the project’s website.

You can attend a gospel concert or just practice your line dancing at the annual festival at St. Aedan’s Parish, which offers live music, dancing, karaoke and entertainment all weekend.

The fundraiser for the upcoming production of Your Move, Jersey City’s second annual modern dance series, includes live music by Sylvana Joyce and The Moment, PHWG and DJ Purple Stuff, as well as innovative movement performances by Insurgo Stage Project, raffles, treats, and more (8 pm at Art House Productions).

At Grace Church, Con Vivo opens its new season with a free concert featuring three pieces of classical music — Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schoenberg, Stories from my Grandmother by Lembit Beecher and Four Nocturnes from The Oblivion Ha-Ha by Carl Schimmel (8 pm).

On stage, the Attic Ensemble’s comedy Fully Committed continues through the weekend (8 pm tonight and Saturday; 3 pm Sunday); while Puccini’s opera La Boheme is at NJCU’s West Side Theatre all weekend as well (7:30 pm tonight and Saturday; 3 pm Sunday).

SATURDAY

There are festivals galore this weekend. The Irish Festival kicks off at 11 am at Exchange Place, with music by Black 47, Celtic Thunder and the Eamon Ryan Band, plus food and drink (11 am to 10 pm). The Jersey City Greek Festival begins at noon at the Evangelismos Greek Orthodox Church on Montgomery Street, with Greek and American music, homemade Greek pastries and other food and drink; Saturday night will turn into Taverna Night, complete with an indoor bar, DJ and food stands (noon to midnight, also Sunday from noon to 8 pm).

The Hamilton Park BBQ Festival offers a not-to-be-missed lineup of bands and BBQ, and funds raised will benefit the Hamilton Park Conservancy. Most of the vendors at this year’s festival will be familiar to the hundreds who turned out last year; Jimmy’s BBQ (Pennsylvania), Joey’s BBQ (Hoboken) and Legal Beans (Jersey City) will all be returning to fire up their grills, and Made with Love and Tamworth Supper Club, both of Jersey City, will both return to offer desserts. The Hamilton Inn will make a reprise appearance at the festival, but it will have food in addition to the drinks it served last year; it will be joined by Bar Majestic, which will also serve both food and drinks this year. New Jersey Beer Company will also be on site, serving beer on tap, and Fizzy Lizzy will be there with its natural sodas (12 to 8 pm).

Double-feature: The Loew’s Jersey Theatre tonight presents Woody Allen’s Take the Money and Run (6:15 pm), part of the “For Money, Love or Laughs” — Capers in the Movies — Weekend at the Loew’s. Stick around to watch Paul Newman and Robert Redford in The Sting at 8:15 pm.

SUNDAY

Enjoy a classical piano concert by Yukiko Tanaka, who will play a number of classical selections on the piano — including the Bach-Busoni Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, and Chopin’s Polonaise in F# Minor — at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (12:30 pm).

Jersey City Art School founder Thomas John Carlson celebrates the official “Going into Business Sale” of his Jersey City Art School Workshop, located just a few blocks from the school’s home base. Today’s grand opening for the 1,800 square foot facility features art (on display and for sale) by Ana Benaroya, Kiva Ford, Matt Caputo, Norm Kirby and Thomas John Carlson; refreshments; and live music by Michaal Tarlazzi and Gabe Perry (2 to 8 pm).

And break out your best “creative black tie” for the Attic Ensemble’s 40th Anniversary Gala, with cocktails, a buffet dinner, a silent auction and other surprises. Tickets are $100, and you can also purchase a $150 ticket, which includes a discounted subscription to the 2011-2012 season (6 pm).

This year’s gala is especially significant, as the Attic Ensemble celebrates its 40th year in existence. The group, which started in an attic in Bayonne (hence the name), has come to be a leader in Jersey City’s independent theater scene.

At the “Creative Black Tie” gala, the Attic Ensemble will honor retired JCPD detective/community activist/actor Calvin Hart; Robert P. Iezzi of Craft Signs, which donates signage to the ensemble; longtime supporter Robert M. Mason, Jr. of Provident Bank; St. John’s Lutheran Church’s Annemarie Oest, who donates cakes for intermissions in Attic’s productions; and Attic supporters/advisors/actors Nathan and Nancy Sambul. The honorees were all chosen “because of the outstanding leadership they display within our community,” the group notes.

Sunday’s gala features a cocktail hour, a buffet dinner, a silent auction and other surprises. Tickets are $100, and you can also purchase a $150 ticket, which includes a discounted subscription to the 2011-2012 season. Tickets can be purchased online via Brown Paper Tickets.

THE DETAILS

40th Anniversary Gala Fundraiser for The Attic Ensemble; Sunday, September 25 at 6 pm; at the HCCC Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center, 161 Newkirk Street. For more information, call 201-413-9200.

Here’s how LITM explains the show:

For a nominal materials cost, each artist will receive a wooden frame/shadow box, fashioned after a shallow shipping crate/hutch. What sort of creature you want to put in your crate is entirely up to you. $10 gets you a frame 12 inches or under. $15 gets you a 16×20 frame. You may either paint directly on the frame’s backing OR fit a canvas/picture into the frame.

For every piece sold, LITM will donate 20 percent of sale to See Spot Rescued, which focuses on saving dogs in the South, specifically in rural North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kentucky. Thirty percent will be divided between Not Yo Mama’s Affairs and LITM, and the remaining 50 percent goes to the artist. If an artist wants to donate all of his or her proceeds to See Spot Rescued, the gallery and Not Yo Mama’s will also donate their portions of the sale money. Last, but not least, a portion of the bar sales on opening night (November 1) will also be donated to the animal group.

To enter, submit jpegs or a website link to andrea (at) litm.com by October 17. There are no limitations on medium, and since most pieces will be created specifically for the show, the curators don’t expect the submissions to be the final piece, but rather they should be examples of your style.

The tournament, sponsored by the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association (POBA) and the newly formed Police Officer Domenick J. Infantes/Fallen Officers Memorial Fund, begins at 8 am.

“Sacrificing one’s life in the line of duty is a heroic action taken by 38 Jersey City police officers,” POBA president Jerry DeCicco says in a statement. “The P.O. Domenick J. Infantes Jr. Fallen Officers Memorial Softball Tournament is just one way we remember our fallen brothers and sisters and honor their legacies.”

The event features a DJ and a bounce house, as well as several more somber activities. At approximately 12:20 pm, a moment of silence will be held and names of the Jersey City Police Officers recognized on the National Law Enforcement Memorial in D.C. will be read.

This year’s event will also include a blood drive by Community Blood Services from 10 am to 3 pm and a “Be the Match” bone marrow registry drive from 10 am to 1 pm. Representatives from the NJ Sharing Network will also be on hand to register anyone wishing to become an organ donor.

Photo via jcpoba.com

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TODAY

Summer = festival season, and this weekend both the Mt. Carmel Feast in Marion and Downtown‘s I Love St. Anthony’s Festival are on tap from Friday to Sunday.

SATURDAY

In the Jersey City Children’s Theater‘s The Golden Key, the troupe performs five fairy tales and fables from around the world and then runs a mini-workshop with attending children after the show (plus, there’s free gelato); shows are Saturday and Sunday at 2 and 4:30 pm each day, at the Barrow Mansion.

And if you’ve enjoyed what the newish nonprofit Uptown Crew has been doing in the last year or so, be sure to swing by its Alive and Growing fundraiser (4 pm).

SUNDAY

The Sunday Night Film Forum hosts a screening and discussion of 1998′s Kirikou and the Sorceress at Jersey City Art School (7:30 pm).

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TODAY

Sirelo Entertainment once again takes over the Creative Grove Artist Market today for its monthly Creative Grove Under Siege event, which features live music, belly dancing and a kid’s bazaar (2 to 8 pm). Artist Victoria Kovalenchikova is at the Museum of Russian Art for a meet-and-greet in conjunction with her solo exhibition of paintings, Heaven’s Tears, which is currently on display there (4 pm).

In the evening, Art House Productions celebrates the closing of its 10th season with its annual Summer Blowout, which features karaoke, Twister, summer fashion and reverie (8 pm). And on the live music front, the Rum Runners Jazz Trio plays a free show at Sushi Tango (9 pm), while Boca Grande gets heavy with FireHaze, Iratetion and Trash Executioner performing at the “UnBlock the Rock” fundraiser, which helps to raise money to bring the Cuban hardcore band Escape to the U.S. (11 pm).

SATURDAY

There’s plenty to do around town today. Why not start out by checking out the public program honoring the 26th anniversary of a 610 mile marathon run by former US Marines to raise funds to restore the Statue of Liberty, at Liberty State Park (11 am)?

Later on, the Powerhouse Arts District is the place to be. The Not Yo Mama’s Craft Fair returns for its third year, bigger and craftier than ever, at a huge Morgan Street parking lot. Expect plenty of handmade goodness, as well as lots of great live music, food and beer (11 am to 7 pm). Just down the block at Parlay Studios is the latest installment of the Jersey City Record Riot, with plenty of vinyl and CD dealers, DJs and other music-related goodness (11 am to 6 pm).

Elsewhere during the day, there is an opening reception for the Patches of Art group exhibition at the library’s Biblioteca Criolla (noon), as well as an artists’ discussion in conjunction with the Brooklyn Heights group show at the Distillery (noon).

On tap for the evening is a free show by The Bamboo Kids and Gifthorse at the Lamp Post (10 pm).

SUNDAY

The annual Philippine American Friendship Parade & Festival takes over the city’s West Side, with a parade down West Side Avenue and a festival in Lincoln Park (starts at noon). The Actors Shakespeare Company at NJCU presents a free performance of its ASC Labs production Arcadia at Congregation B’nai Jacob (1 pm), while Pole Position Raceway hosts a Racers Against Leukodystrophy fundraiser (2 pm). And later on, you can wind down your weekend with a free yoga class on the Hudson River (7 pm).

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TODAY

White Star hosts an opening reception for Kris Dulfer‘s solo art-toy showcase, Alchemy in Plastic & Vinyl (7:30 pm), and Nimbus Dance Works continues its three-day 2011 Home Season at Grace Church Van Vorst (8 pm tonight and Saturday). Meanwhile, the Loew’s kicks off its final film weekend of the season, a tribute to the masterful film scores of Bernard Herrmann, with a screening of the original Cape Fear (8 pm).

SATURDAY

The annual Hamilton Park Festival is today, with a huge variety of live music, family friendly entertainment, vendors and food from a number of local establishments (10 am to 6 pm). Team Walker‘s annual Walk-a-Thon steps off at 11 am, and at noon the Jersey City Dance Academy presents its 38th annual dance recital at Ferris High School.

In the evening, the volunteer organization JC Resident Arts and Services hosts Arts and Awareness for Pulmonary Hypertension, a fundraising event for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association that features an exhibit by local artists Bojana Coklyat, Ana Luisa and the late Maritza Matiz; performances by local poets Alisa Raymond and Feliza Mirasol; and live music by The Audiobodies and Tip Canary (7 pm).

Elsewhere, the Chip Shelton Peace Time Band performs at the Miller Branch Library (8 pm); and the Attic Ensemble hosts its Fourth Annual Saturday Night Stand-up, an evening of comedy featuring comedians Vicki Ferrentinos, Bill Graber, Vicky Kuperman and Michael Lawrence, and hosted by Phil Rivo (9 pm).

The Loew’s also continues its weekend of film with a back-to-back screening of 1958′s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (6 pm) and the Hitchcock classic The Man Who Knew Too Much (8:10 pm).

SUNDAY

The Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy hosts a walk of the walkway through Jersey City (begins at 10 am), and a little later, the Chillfest film series presents a screening of I Love You Phillip Morris at LITM (4 pm).

And for some late Sunday afternoon live music, you’ve got two options. There’s live jazz at Downtown’s Casa Colombo (4 pm), and a concert of string quartets by Antonin Dvorak and Erwin Schulhoff and Israeli folk music presented by Con Vivo Music at Temple Beth-El (5 pm).