Jennifer Tiritilli Ranu

Colorful Journey, historical fiction, told by Sweety, a young African American girl in the 1950s begins at the Great Falls when George Washington and Alexander Hamilton galloped on horses in this area to plan the first industrial city in America - Paterson, New Jersey. Sweety describes the living and working conditions for migrant factory workers, and fun games she and her Irish American and Italian American friends play at the foot of Garret Mountain. A bossy groundhog promises to take the neighborhood kids on a colorful journey through Garret Mountain if Sweety's friend, Giuliana can guess his name. The groundhog leads the neighborhood kids to the Morris Canal Bank, over railroad tracks, to an overflowing watering spring where they meet a fox. They travel through Garret Mountain's wilderness, see a moving locomotive, and meet Sir Vincent of Paterson at Lambert Castle. Throughout this colorful journey, Sweety wonders what our Founding Fathers would think about the changes that have taken place in this same area where they explored nearly two hundred years ago, and what the Great Falls and Garret Mountain will look like in the next century.

In the early 1900s, the Little Italy, Riverside, Stony Road, and Sandy Hill sections of Paterson, all within walking distance of booming factories and mills, became neighborhoods that offered Italian immigrants the opportunity to be near employment and to have a better life for themselves and their families. Paterson's Italians always helped each other during tough times and contributed to making Paterson a great city and a great place to live. Cooking Italian recipes for fun holidays; gardening in the backyard; and honoring heroes of the military, politics, sports, and the arts are valuable traditions and customs passed down through generations. The works of Gaetano Federici, a sculptor from Paterson, reflect the city's history, especially in front of Paterson City Hall and at St. Michael the Archangel Church. Floyd Vivino entertains audiences and almost always mentions Paterson in his shows, while actor Lou Costello proudly reminded his audience at the end of almost every show that he was from Paterson. De Franco's Lock and Safe, Peragallo's Organ Company, and Ordini Pools are just a few family-owned Italian businesses that began many decades ago and are still in operation today.