3-07-2022 11:59am

Bill Ervolino, Popular NJ Comedian, Performs in Clifton May 1st at the Clifton Arts Center annual Fundraiser

Bill Ervolino, the popular author, stand-up comic and columnist for The Record newspaper, rode off into the sunset in January 2019. Last June he rode back from the sunset, and he soon will be giving an encore performance in Clifton.

Ervolino will share the humor found in daily life as the guest speaker for a fundraiser luncheon for the Clifton Arts Center on Sunday, May 1, 1 p.m., at the Upper Montclair Country Club, 177 Hepburn Road in Clifton.

The event includes a three-course lunch, tricky tray and a 50/50 raffle, along with Ervolino's performance. The event marks the first return to an in-person fundraising event for the Clifton Arts Center since the beginning of the pandemic. Clifton Arts Center, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit organization, organizes the event and all proceeds benefit programming at the Arts Center.

Ervolino was a big hit at the Clifton Art Center’s 2019 luncheon fundraiser, wowing a sold-out audience. Last June, after a brief hiatus, Ervolino returned to writing his column for The Record. He started at the newspaper in 1990 and penned what he thought would be his final column in January 2020. He had planned to focus on performing as a stand-up comic, public speaking and teaching, but Covid 19 upended his plans.

His June 6, 2021 “un-retiring” column for the newspaper explained his change in plans. “Today, like it or not, I am officially un-retiring,” he wrote. “Why? Because the editor of The Record called and asked if I felt like un-retiring.” His newspaper column typically focuses on humorous quirks involving his friends and family, social activities, and New Jersey’s unique culture and destinations—always uncovering amusing elements in even the most mundane episodes of daily life.

He began his journalism career in 1976, running two weekly papers on Long Island, before becoming editor in chief at LI Nightlife magazine and a columnist, critic and features writer for the New York Post. As a freelancer he has written for the New York Times, Daily News, Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, Cosmopolitan and Parents Choice. He is the author of the 1997 book “Some Kind of Wise Guy: Stories About Parents, Weddings, Modern Living, and Growing Up Italian.”

Ervolino is a four-time winner of the Society of Silurians medal for humorous writing; a four-time winner National Society of Newspaper Columnists, (best humorous writing in the United States); two-time finalist Penney-Missouri national feature writing competition; multiple awards from Society of Professional Journalists and New Jersey Press Association for feature writing, medical writing and critical writing. In 1988 he won the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award for “The Lights on Walden Court.”

The Clifton Arts Center Inc. serves as the non-profit fundraising arm to supplement the municipal operating budget of the Arts Center. This board is responsible for all additional funding and donations to the Clifton Arts Center with the goal to provide financial resources for special exhibitions, programs, renovations and restorations of the historic facility, and for education programs. As stated on its website, the Arts Center provides “an interactive environment in which the arts can thrive. It’s a haven in the heart of the city where our diverse community can come together to experience art in all its forms.”

The Arts Center opened in January 2000 and is located at Clifton’s 26-acre City Hall municipal campus, 900 Clifton Ave. Michael Bertelli is the president of Clifton Arts Center’s advisory board and Roxanne Cammilleri is the director of the gallery. Upcoming exhibitions this year include:

“Silver Lining” (Clifton High School students);
“Genes and Geniuses” (Gary Erbe and Chantell Van Erbe);
“In Motion” (the Clifton Association of Artists);
“Cultural Connections” (Peace Islands Institute).

The Arts Center has also continued it's popular virtual webinar program this year, after a successful launch during the pandemic due to the Arts Center closure. Visit the website to see the schedule of exhibits and webinars.

Tickets for the May 1st fundraiser are $65 per person and can be purchased online or via check. To pay online with a credit card, visit www.cliftonartscenter.org/fundraiser. To pay by check, contact Barbara Novak by phone (973-773-9383) or email (basiakasianovak@aol.com) a ticket order form is available on the website here to print and mail.