Here are the top 6 things to do in North Jersey this weekend, May 9-12

Looking for something to do on the weekend? North Jersey has plenty to offer.

Each week we’ll highlight several events for the upcoming weekend happening across our counties. We may venture at times across the river, down the coastline or places between. And when you’re making plans, weather could be a factor. We’ll have the weekend forecast here, too.

So what will you be doing this weekend in North Jersey? Here are some options, including a Mother's Day-themed concert, an LPGA golf tournament, English country dancing, an Elton John tribute band, and a walk through a botanical garden.

Enjoy the weekend.

Story continues below gallery

Mother's Day weekend weather looking cooler, damp

While temperatures topped 80 degrees during the week as many of us were stuck at work, the Mother's Day weekend forecast won't be quite so nice with cooler temperatures and chances of rain each day.

Friday will be cloudy with a high near 56 degrees and the National Weather Service puts the chance of rain at 70% for the Paramus area. It will dip to around 47 in the evening. Saturday will be partly sunny with a high of 59 and a 30 percent chance of rain after 2 p.m. Temperatures will drop to 47 with a 40 percent chance of precipitation.

On Mother's Day, it will reach a high of 60 with a 40 percent change of rain with mostly cloudy skies. In the evening, the low will be 47.

Musical Celebration of Mother's Day in Ridgewood

Honor mom's special day with "A Musical Celebration of Mother's Day" in Ridgewood.

The Sunday event will feature four artists - Chee-Yun (violin), Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung (piano), and Brad Gemeinhardt (horn) - performing works inspired by motherhood and children.

Works include Antonín Dvořák’s "Songs My Mother Taught Me," Robert Schumann’s "Scenes from Childhood," and Maurice Ravel’s "Mother Goose Suite," which summons the worlds of classic fairy tales including "Beauty and the Beast," "Tom Thumb," and "Laideronnette, The Empress of the Pagodas."

The celebration will culminate with Johannes Brahms’ Trio in E-flat for violin, horn, and piano, dedicated to the memory of his mother, Christiane.

Go: A Musical Celebration of Mother's Day. Sunday, 4 p.m., West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 S. Monroe St., Ridgewood presented by Parlance Chamber Concert. $45 for adults ages 40 to 64; $35 for seniors ages 65 and up; $25 for young adults ages 21 to 39; $15 for students ages 12 to 20; no tickets required for children ages 8 to 11. For tickets and program information, visit parlancechamberconcerts.org.

LPGA tournament - Cognizant Founders Cup in Clifton

The Cognizant Founders Cup is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, the 11th event of the 2024 LPGA Tour season.

This is the 13th edition of the Cognizant Founders Cup and the third held at Upper Montclair Country Club. The event celebrates the 13 founding members of the LPGA Tour, who created the association in 1950.

The field is headlined by Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 golfer, Nelly Korda. With her recent victory at the Chevron Championship, the 25-year-old American became the third player since 1978 to win five straight tournaments on the LPGA Tour.

Also in the field this weekend will be Hannah Green, who won the HSBC Women’s World Championship and the JM Eagle LA Championship; Lydia Ko, the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions winner who will earn induction in the LPGA Hall of Fame with her next victory; Bailey Tardy, who became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the Blue Bay LPGA; and Patty Tavatanakit, who won the Honda LPGA Thailand for her first victory since 2021. Jin Young Ko, Sei Young Kim, Minjee Lee, Stacy Lewis and Anna Nordqvist are also competing.

The Fan Zone, located by the putting green and main clubhouse, will host activities including taking a shot at a hole-in-one at the 65-foot putting experience surrounded by trees and other obstacles. By the 16th green, fans can commemorate their visit at the Fan Photo Booth. The LPGA Lesson Zone, located on the driving range, offers free 10-minute lessons from LPGA teaching professionals.

The LPGA USGA Girls Golf team will offer clinics Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, from 2 to 3 p.m., providing juniors with a hands-on teaching experience.

Go: Cognizant Founders Cup, Upper Montclair Country Club, Clifton. Tickets are available at SeatGeek.com. Daily general admission tickets are $55, Pioneer Pavilion hospitality tickets are $190 for daily admission. The Pioneer Pavilion, a fully covered viewing area on the 17th green, includes breakfast and lunch, afternoon snacks, soft drinks, beer, wine, select spirits and off-site parking. Current and former members of the U.S. military and certain guests may receive complimentary grounds tickets regardless of sellout. Children ages 17 and under will receive complimentary admission with the purchase of an adult ticket. lpga.com

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at the Wellmont in Montclair

Together for more than 30 years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy — named after an autograph by blues legend Albert Collins — is coming to Montclair on Sunday.

With sold-out concerts from the Hollywood Bowl to Lincoln Center, appearances with many of the country’s symphony orchestras, and television appearances ranging from "Dancing with the Stars" to Super Bowl XXXIII, the band continues its decades long mission to celebrate and revitalize jazz and swing music — America’s original musical art form.

Go: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Sunday, 8 p.m., at Wellmont Theater, 5 Seymour St., Montclair. $25 to $97. wellmonttheater.com.

Spring Wildflower Walk at NJ Botanical in Ringwood

The gardens are beginning to bloom at the New Jersey State Botanical Garden in Ringwood, where you can take a Spring Wildflower Walk on Saturday at 10 a.m. Meet at the Carriage House to join Darlene Nowak in checking out the spring bloomers in the woodlands of the Wildflower Garden. If the rain does persist, the walk will be canceled. The walk costs $5, but is free for children under 12.

If a guided walk isn't your thing, enjoy the splendor of the Lilac Garden, which is in the peak of bloom, on Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Members of NJBG’s lilac team will answer questions. The garden is free to explore and donations are welcome.

Go: The NJBG, located on Morris Road in Ringwood, is open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Garden admission and parking are free. Free guided garden tours are also available on Sundays at 2 p.m. through Oct. 27, though rain or excessive heat cancels. For information, call 973-962-9534 or visit njbg.org.

Here’s Elton - an Elton John tribute in West Milford

Russ Davis and the Here's Elton Band will recreate the sights and sounds of Elton John on Saturday at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Oak Ridge, which is within West Milford.

Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30. Bring your snacks and BYOB. Water, coffee and tea will be available. The show is presented by Knights of Columbus Joseph F. Lamb Council 5510. The K of C will give all proceeds to charities.

Go: Here's Elton, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, St. Thomas the Apostle Church Hall, 5635 Berkshire Valley Road, Oak Ridge. $25. For information, contact Vito at 973-545-2288 or Jim at 862-322-2196.

North Jersey English Country Dancers in Ridgewood

At the Ridgewood dances, dress is casual, all dances are taught, the moves are called (as in square dance or contra), and there’s no fancy footwork. There is live music and a wood dance floor. Newcomers are welcome to the dances on the second and fourth Sunday of each month. Beginner instruction is at 1:45 p.m., followed by dancing for all from 2 to 5 p.m. Paul Ross is the caller on May 12.

Go: North Jersey English Country Dancers, Sunday, 1:45 p.m., Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place (side entrance). Visit northjerseyenglishcountrydancers.org, or call Robin at 201-657-9956 or Norma at 914-522-0056.

Have an event coming up? Tell us about it. Write to Daniel Galioto at galiotod@northjersey.com.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 6 things to do in North Jersey this weekend, starting May 9