(CLIFTON, NJ) -- 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 offer his insights on the humor found in daily life as the guest speaker for a fundraiser luncheon on Sunday, May 1 at 1:00pm at the Upper Montclair Country Club (177 Hepburn Road) in Clifton. All proceeds from the luncheon will go to support the Clifton Arts Center.
Sponsored and organized by the Clifton Arts Center Inc., the May 1 event includes a three-course lunch, cash bar, tricky tray and a 50/50 raffle, along with Ervolino’s program. Tickets are priced at $65 per person and can be reserved by contacting Barbara Novak by phone (973-773-9383) or email (basiakasianovak@aol.com). Tickets also can be purchased online. Tickets will not be mailed; there will be a list of ticket holders at the door upon arrival at the Upper Montclair Country Club.
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); a two-time finalist for the Penney-Missouri national feature writing competition; and has received multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the New Jersey Press Association. In 1988 he won the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award for “The Lights on Walden Court.”
The Clifton Arts Center Inc. is a nonprofit (501c3) organization that serves as the fundraising arm to supplement the municipal operating budget of the Arts Center. The mission of the Clifton Arts Center is to promote excellence in the fine and performing arts within the City of Clifton. The Arts Center opened in January 2000 and is located at Clifton’s 26-acre City Hall municipal campus. Michael Bertelli is the president of Clifton Arts Center’s advisory board and Roxanne Cammilleri is the director of the gallery.
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.” Upcoming exhibitions this year at the Arts Center include “Silver Lining” (Clifton High School students); “Genes and Geniuses” (Gary Erbe and Chantell Van Erbe); “In Motion” (the Clifton Association of Artists); and “Cultural Connections” (Peace Islands Institute).
