Hudson executive Craig Guy, community activists named honorees for annual Snow Ball Gala
Art House Productions’ annual Snow Ball Gala will be held on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 6 to 11 p.m. at Hudson County Community College’s Culinary Arts School and Conference Center at 161 Newkirk St., Jersey City.
Art House has announced the following honorees for the gala for their contributions to the arts in Jersey City and to Art House’s new Performing and Visual Arts Center:
Hudson County Executive Craig Guy
Born in Weehawken and raised in Jersey City, Craig Guy served as a Jersey City police officer for more than 25 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant before serving as deputy chief of staff and chief of staff. He’s known for his work in improving public education, expanding parks and open space, economic development and senior and veterans’ services. He also led efforts to reduce the number of illegal firearms and led the Hudson County COVID-19 vaccine task force during the pandemic.
Guy began his Vision Zero approach to traffic safety on Hudson County roadways shortly after his election and has allocated more than $8 million to the Open Space Trust Fund for safety upgrades, green space improvements and playground enhancements. He also hosted Hudson County’s first Food Security Summit and he continues to hold resource fairs in all 12 municipalities.
Jersey City LGBTQ+ Pride Festival Producer Eddie Baez
A New York native who moved to Jersey City in 2007, Eddie Baez and his husband are the co-founders of Gayborhood Jersey City, an online platform founded in 2009 on Facebook that connects the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. The network has more than 4,300 members as of 2024.
Baez took over leadership duties of the Jersey City LGBTQ+ Pride Festival, a month-long celebration that features more than 40 events throughout the month of August. The 2024 Pride Festival drew an estimated 20,000 attendees.
Baez also works in the field of HIV/AIDS care, recently working with the Northeast Caribbean AIDS Education and Training Center and educating HIV service providers in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Baez is planning to launch a nonprofit that will support Pride and LGBTQ+ organizations to ensure their continued growth.
Executive Director of HDSID Rachel Sieg
Director of the Historic Downtown Special Improvement District Rachel Sieg is originally from Princeton. She currently resides in Jersey City and has been serving as the executive director at HDSID for the past 13 years. She also had a hand in beginning the Historic Downtown Farmers Market.
Sieg has been a commissioner on the ABC Board of Jersey City since 2021 and is a member on the board of the cancer awareness non-profit Glamming the Warrior and the autism acceptance foundation Whole Spectrum Autism. Sieg was also one of the minds behind Groove on Grove and the annual All About Downtown Street Fair.
Click here for the full feature on NJ.com by David Mosca