Lost camera leads to friendship for two families on Long Beach Island

When Carrie and Christian Witzke lost their camera while visiting family on Long Beach Island in June, they thought they had forever lost photos of their time at the shore as well as precious moments of their children, including those of Lukas, their third son, who was born last August. While getting ready to celebrate Lukas’ first birthday on Aug. 3, the couple received a call from Michele Jabin, whose family had spent a month trying to connect with the rightful owners, to let the Witzkes know they had found the camera and wanted to return it.

“They were pictures (of Lukas) from the hospital, from the christening, the first Christmas, everything. She thought she had lost them all on that camera,” Jabin, who has a home in Haven Beach that has been in the family for over 40 years, told The SandPaper in a phone interview. “It was just a miracle that we were able to track her down and that she gets to have her pictures back.”

Photo by Jack Reynolds
The two families meet up for the camera exchange.

When Jabin’s daughter and son-in-law Gillian and Fernando Giglio, who have two young boys of their own, found what appeared to be an expensive Nikon camera at the Taylor Avenue Park behind Bay Village in Beach Haven, they said they knew whoever had lost it was hurting. After waiting an hour at the playground for someone to show up and claim it, they decided to take it home and report it lost to the local police.

“You leave a camera like that, it disappears,” Fernando said. “We don’t need it.”

Hoping he would recognize someone in the photos, Fernando, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, said he was devastated after looking through them.

“The card was full, and I was just torn,” he said. “I couldn’t even look at that camera without feeling something. I knew whoever lost it was hurting. When you have health challenges, family means a lot.

“It’s not even the camera. It’s the photos,” he added. “Those photos, they’re priceless. And just when I started to look at the pictures, I got tears in my eyes.”

After a couple of weeks and still no word, Jabin reached out to The SandPaper for help in tracking down the owners of the camera.

“You can buy another camera. You can’t go back and get the pictures,” she said. “That’s what was so important to all of us.”

When SandPaper Photo Editor Ryan Morrill told Jabin he had found Lukas’ last name from a newborn picture taken at the hospital, the family conducted a two-hour-long Internet search before eventually finding Carrie Witzke’s phone number. Witzke said she was going through Lukas’ baby book when she received a call from Jabin. At first, Witzke said she thought Jabin was a telemarketer.

“I was just surprised at their persistence in trying to find me and all the things that they went through,” said Witzke. “I’m just really grateful to get the camera back, to get the pictures back so I have all the memories. It had all of his (Lukas’) firsts: his first bath, his first meal, the first time he rolled over. It had everything from when he was born through the first year, so I was pretty upset. I liked the camera; I had it for a few years. But I was mostly upset about the pictures of my three kids that were all gone.

“I think they’re very special people to go to all those extremes, to try to find me when they didn’t have to,” she added.

The families met up at Jabin’s home Saturday, Aug. 16, to exchange the camera and get acquainted. The Witzkes presented the Giglios with a “generous” gift certificate to The Gables for their efforts. They plan to meet up again in the future.

“LBI embodies this kind of community,” said Fernando. “We found a camera and made friends with a beautiful family with the same LBI values as us.”

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.

Beach Haven Future announces Beautification Contest winners

Beach Haven Future, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing the town of Beach Haven, hosted a beautification contest, which began Memorial Day weekend and concluded at the end of July. The contest received dozens of entries for best business curb appeal as well as best homeowner and condominium landscaping.

Photo via BHF
The Gables Inn and Restaurant, located on
Centre Street, wins best business curb appeal.

The main focus of the contest was to improve the streetscape along Bay Avenue between 12th and Pearl streets, explained Barbara Cona, the organization’s executive director, who announced the contest winners Friday, Aug. 15.

“It is our hope that homeowners, business owners and condominiums will focus on curb appeal in the coming years,” she said. “When one yard on the block looks beautiful, it inspires others to kick things up a notch to improve their own property. One by one, we can make Beach Haven gorgeous. It won’t happen overnight, but if everyone improves their property a little each year, we will get there eventually.

“Thirty years ago, hardly anyone had landscaping on the Island. Gone are the days when everyone’s yard had nothing but stones. Beautiful plants can grow at the shore. Choosing appropriate plant material and water, water, water are vital to the success of a garden,” she added.

The winner for best business curb appeal was The Gables Inn and Restaurant, located on Centre Street, and the runner-up was Container Garden Consignment on Bay Avenue. Local residents Wes and Jean Frazier took best homeowner landscaping for their yard on Ocean Street; Bonnie and Don Lenhard were given the runner-up award for their landscaping on Fairview Avenue. The winner for best condominium landscaping went to The Sans of Beach Haven on Pearl Street and Atlantic Avenue. Prizes ranged from VIP Chowderfest tickets to gift certificates to Foster’s Market. Winners also received a yard plaque honoring their accomplishment.

Throughout the contest, BHF members planted 32 4-foot planters along Bay Avenue. Though Cona said watering has been an issue, she said the project has been a “huge success” due to the assistance from the organization’s block captains as well as the volunteer efforts of BHF board members Allan Menegus and John Snyder.

“We’re anxious to see this program blossom,” said Cona. “Next year we hope to see more participants and additional categories.”

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.

'Terrapins and Tires' program at Bass River State Forest Aug. 16

Photo by Ryan Morrill
A terrapin makes its way to a less populated
area on Long Beach Island.

Northern diamondback terrapin turtles, a species of special concern, will be the topic of discussion during Bass River State Forest’s “2014 Lectures at the Lake” series Saturday, Aug. 16, at 8 p.m. The free “Terrapins and Tires” program will take place at the Lake Absegami beach breezeway, located at 762 Stage Rd. in Bass River Township.

Ben Wurst, habitat program manager at Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey, will lead the discussion. The program will focus on the life history of terrapins as well as the local efforts to diminish their number of road kills in the Barnegat and Great Bay watersheds.

“The diamondback terrapin is native to New Jersey, and major threats to the health of the population are drowning in ghost crab pots and being hit by vehicles when crossing roads,” said Cynthia Coritz, park superintendent. “Since they’re a coastal species, I think their plight is not widely known by the general public, especially folks that only visit the Jersey Shore seasonally. We hope that Ben’s program will help visitors and residents alike learn the importance of the terrapin in the ecosystem and change people’s behavior so that healthy population numbers are maintained.”

Program participants are encouraged to bring insect repellent, a flashlight and something to sit on. Donations for Conserve Wildlife Foundation will be accepted.

For more information, call the Forest Office at 609-296-1114 or visit njparksandforest.org.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.

Save Barnegat Bay Student Grant Program presentation includes research conducted on Long Beach Island

Research conducted on Long Beach Island was used in the findings of eight college and post-college students who participated in this year’s Save Barnegat Bay Student Grant Program.

Sarah Moss of St. Joseph’s University conducted research for the LBI Terrapin Nesting Project, led by Kathy Lacey. The study collected data in the field to help evaluate nesting female diamondback terrapin body size, nest site location and reproductive output.

Photo via Facebook
Programs serve citizens and institutions
 in the Barnegat Bay watershed.

The students shared their findings at the program’s annual presentation, held at the Tri-Boro First Aid Squad in Seaside Friday, Aug. 8. The presentations included information on Barnegat Bay’s water quality, subaqueous soils, beach grass and secretion as well as diamondback terrapin nesting data and black sea bass tagging.

The program was established nearly 10 years ago to provide an opportunity for students studying marine science, natural resource management, environmental science, or related fields to conduct their own, independent research projects in Barnegat Bay. Students from the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Sciences, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, St. Joseph’s University, University of Rhode Island and University of Pennsylvania participated in the program, held from June to August.

“Our goal is to have them do meaningful marine science on Barnegat Bay, and then go on to have great science careers anywhere, maybe in Barnegat Bay, or maybe elsewhere,” said Willie deCamp, president of Save Barnegat Bay. “We’re one sort of step in their career, and they get to work closely with people that really know what they’re doing with respect to marine science.”

Research this year was conducted on LBI as well as in Island Beach State Park.

The Garden Club of Long Beach Island donated $1,000 specifically to those studying water quality in the bay. Through their research at Tices Shoal at Island Beach State Park led by John Wnek, supervisor of MATES, Laine Meelheim of Rutgers University as well as Jennifer Gardner and Alissa Pazienza, both from Stockton College, found that bacteria levels were elevated at times above the recommended swimming water standards of 200 colonies per 100 mL sample, but were not correlated with boat densities, said Britta Wenzel, executive director of Save Barnegat Bay. The results indicate that water quality at Tices may not be suitable for swimming at times and that suspended material may not be related to boat densities, she explained.

Save Barnegat Bay helps administer and fund the program through the Student Grant Program fund in memory of Paul “Pete” McLain, a prominent conservationist who helped found the program. The program is led by a committee of educators, including Wnek, who chairs the committee.

“It’s an exciting educational opportunity that we think professors should keep an eye on for their students and students should keep an eye on, too,” said deCamp. “A lot of students have gone through it and really found it useful. They’ve integrated it into their college work, or it’s just helped them choose a career path, to see what they’re interested in in the science field.”

Next year’s program application process will begin this winter, deCamp said. For more information, visit savebarnegatbay.org or call 732-830-3600.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.

Beach Haven taxpayers now seeing rate hike for third quarter

By now, Beach Haven residents should have received their tax bill for the third quarter of the 2014 budget, Richard Crane, borough manager, announced during the town’s monthly council meeting held Monday, Aug. 11. The Aug. 1 tax quarter payment is due by Aug. 26. Payments received on or after Aug. 27 will be charged interest back to the statutory due date of Aug. 1.

Photo via Google
The Aug. 1 tax quarter payment is due by Aug. 26

The tax rate is $1.20 per $100 of valuation, which is an increase over 2013 of 5.1 cents, divvied up among the local municipality and Ocean County as well as Beach Haven and Southern Regional school districts. The total amount to be raised through taxation is $19,897,288.04, an increase of $901,612.58, or 4.75 percent over 2013.

For the second year in a row, Crane said, the tax rate for Southern Regional decreased by 2 cents, or $317,759. The county rate increased by 2.1 cents for a rise of $375,022.09. The municipal rate also increased by 4 cents, representing an additional $660,000.

Crane acknowledged the municipality’s tax rate as “one of our larger increases in recent years,” mostly due to Superstorm Sandy-related debt. So far in 2014, the town has been reimbursed $347,906.57 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Together with the $826,119.01 in FEMA funds received in 2013, the town has collected a total of $1,174,025 in storm-related expenses.

“It’s still a long way from what we had to borrow, and there still is a lot more money on the table. But we are making progress,” Crane said.

Town officials are working with the state Office of Emergency Management to receive an additional $900,000 approved by FEMA. Later down the line, about 18 work orders will also need to be determined.

“We’re a long way from done, but the fact that we brought in over $1 million so far in FEMA money, I think, is a good thing,” Crane said.

During the meeting, the council passed on final reading two bond ordinances totaling over $1.6 million for various acquisitions as well as improvements to infrastructure and services in and for Beach Haven.

Also passed on final reading was an ordinance amending an ordinance that will allow the governing body to, by resolution, fix the charge to be levied for parts supplied by the Beach Haven Water Department and to charge for the testing of meters. The ordinance provides for the charges to be levied by the borough for the installation of meter pits, curb boxes and meters as well as for maintenance.

An ordinance amending an ordinance to provide an additional handicapped space on Third Street was adopted on first reading.

In other meeting news, Crane said beach badge sales are at $436,050, which is an increase of $18,720 over last year’s total sales. With three weeks still left in the season, it is possible sales will hit a banner year, he added.

The lifeguards continue to remain active, particularly with the recent storms off the coast, Crane said. Between July 14 and Aug. 11, the crew made 212 rescues, performed 106 preventive measures and responded to 119 first aid calls and 24 EMS calls.

Councilwoman Nancy Davis urged residents to contact her if anyone sees the beach grass and fencing on the dunes being destroyed by others, as there have been some recent issues.

“You should keep an eye on this as a town because we all have a vested interest in this,” she said. “We’ve put a lot of money and time and effort into trying to revitalize our dunes.”

Councilman Charles Maschal urged residents to continue opposing Rutgers University’s seismic testing planned for 15 miles off the coast of Barnegat Light, which was recently postponed until next year.

Mayor Robert Keeler also encouraged residents to come out for a filming of Beach Haven by FOX News on Friday, Aug. 22. Details will be posted on the Visit Beach Haven Facebook page, he said.

During public comment, the council was in favor of Beach Haven resident Ted Zolcinski’s request for the town’s help in setting up pickleball courts at the skating rink on Nelson Avenue.

John Snyder, a resident of South Beach Avenue, expressed concern about the amount of speeding on that particular road, especially since there are many bicyclists traveling the street. He asked the police to patrol the area more closely.

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.

Older cats adopted after many years at Popcorn Park animal shelter

Older cats housed at the adoption center of the Associated Humane Societies’ Popcorn Park Zoo in Forked River, which currently has about 130 cats waiting for forever homes, sometimes have a difficult time getting noticed. But after waiting many years for potential adopters to take them home, Stormy and Frankie, two cats living at the shelter for nine and six years respectively, were both adopted by separate families last week.

Photo via Facebook
Before being adopted, Frankie spent six years at
the Associated Humane Societies' adoption center.

Both of the cats were brought to the shelter as strays. Stormy, a brown tiger and white female, was rescued from a storm drain in Waretown in 2005. Frankie, a black domestic shorthair male with white back toes, was brought in after being found in the back yard of a home in 2008.

Jay Morris, a cat caretaker at the shelter for the past 13 years, who helped oversee the care of Frankie since he was brought in, described him as “somewhat of a loner.”

“He was a little more of a dominant cat, so he didn’t really get along so well with other cats. But he had an excellent personality,” Morris said. “He was a very good companion. He was very vocal; he would always meow at you. He had a big, deep meow.

“To be picked amongst 150 cats is hard. It’s kitten season now, so the numbers get a little higher, and since black cats don’t stand out as much, sometimes they just get overlooked,” he added.

More often than not, potential adopters are looking for kittens, said Cathi Gray, the shelter’s office manager.

“With so many cats here, people come in, and they’ll just see a certain cat, and the other ones get overlooked,” she explained.

Thankfully, cats that are not adopted right away are kept at the shelter for as long as possible.

“We don’t have a specific time limit on any cat’s stay here,” said Morris. “We try to give every cat as much of a chance as we can. We don’t set a limit on what we can do for them.”

Unless a cat is “overly ill or aggressive,” they are given every opportunity at being adopted, he added.

“Even that cat, if it didn’t get adopted, would have been here longer,” said Gray, referring to Stormy.

The shelter is equipped with two cat roaming areas, one for males and another for females. Two cat cage areas can hold up to 21 cages each and another has room for 24 cages. The hospital area also has room for another 21 cages, Morris explained.

“We keep cats as long as we can. It’s a very last resort to have to put a cat to sleep,” he said. “We give them every chance we can and treat things medically and do everything before that even becomes an option.”

For more information about adopting from the Popcorn Park animal shelter, visit ahscares.org or call 609-693-1900.

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.

Blood drive to be held at the Beach Haven firehouse Aug. 12

Photo via Google
The Beach Haven firehouse is located at the
corner of Bay and Engleside avenues.

The annual Beach Haven blood drive hosted by the American Red Cross will be held at the Beach Haven firehouse, located at the corner of Bay and Engleside avenues, on Tuesday, Aug. 12, from 2 to 7 p.m. The Red Cross is currently in dire need of blood donations, said Darcy Kolodziej, receptionist at borough hall.

“Especially during the summer months, it’s not on a lot of people’s minds to donate,” she said.

Appointments are recommended, but walk-ins are welcome. Proper identification is required. Parents must fill out a consent form for children 16 years old and younger.

To schedule an appointment, visit beachhaven-nj.gov/event/annual-borough-of-beach-haven-blood-drive/.

For more information, contact Kolodziej at 609-492-0111, extension 210.

–Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.

Former teacher writes follow-up book on Common Core State Standards

While pundits and politicians debate over whether the Common Core State Standards are useful or not, former Southern Regional High School English teacher Sarah Tantillo presents her latest book, Literacy and the Common Core: Recipes for Action, published in July by Jossey-Bass. She homes in on the advantages of the standards and how they can help educators enhance instruction and bridge achievement gaps. A follow-up to her first book, The Literacy Cookbook published last year, which serves as a guide to effective reading, writing, speaking and listening instruction for English and non-English teachers, Literacy and the Common Core offers guidance on how to use the standards to improve classroom instruction.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Tantillo
The new book focuses on ways to help
educators enhance instruction.

“If you just watch the news and listen to certain radio stations, you might think everybody hates the Common Core because there’s a lot of pundits who are making a lot of noise,” said Tantillo, who has worked as an independent consultant primarily focused on literacy instruction for the past seven years. “The truth is that I work with a lot of people in the field who are excited about what the standards can mean for their students, in terms of pushing them to achieve at higher levels. Having national standards means that we can work across state lines and support one another and share ideas across state lines in a way that we haven’t been able to do in the past.”

Acknowledging the importance of consistent, real-world learning goals, the effort to develop the Common Core State Standards was launched in 2009 by state leaders from 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia through their membership in the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers to make certain all students, regardless of where they live, are graduating from high school ready for college, a career and life in general. The New Jersey State Board of Education adopted the standards in 2010.

“There has been a push for literally decades to create national standards, but it hasn’t been successful until recently,” said Tantillo. “Historically, even the push for standards, period, has taken a long time to develop. So I’m really excited about it.”

Currently, the most pressing concern for professionals in the field is how to implement the standards and how to get students to meet and exceed the expectations, Tantillo said. Her new book offers K-12 teachers advice on how to design units, lessons and objectives to meet the standards in English Language Arts. The book describes how to analyze the standards to strengthen instructional planning and curriculum development. It also offers practical approaches that teachers can use right away to target key standards.

Contrary to popular belief, the standards are not a curriculum. It is a misconception that the standards inform teachers of what they have to teach and how to teach it. Rather, the standards set bars for student performance, so teachers can design a curriculum they believe will best enable their students to meet those standards.

“Any time a policy is put in place, some people like it and some people don’t. But what everybody has to deal with is the question of how do we actually implement the policy,” Tantillo explained. “That’s a challenge for a lot of teachers, many of whom have never been trained in how to write curriculum. I see that all the time in my work, so that’s a key feature of this book. It explains how to do that.”

Of course, English Language Arts teachers are not the only ones affected by this issue. As the standards emphasize building arguments and supporting them with evidence and explanation, it is clear the expectations apply to all teachers, school leaders, parents and children, Tantillo said. Literacy and the Common Core aims to make the job easier for everyone.

“It’s very practical, so in that sense people can use it right away,” she said. “It’s not theoretical in any respect. Everything in it has been tested and used in the field and proven to be of use. It offers ideas about how to implement, for example, school-wide reading initiatives. One of the realities of why our students tend to under-perform is they’re not reading enough. If we can get them to do that, if we could get them to fall in love with books, a lot of these problems would be solved.

“The idea is that we’re all literacy teachers, so if you want to meet the literacy standards, everybody really has to pitch in,” she added. “It can’t just be the English teacher’s job anymore.”

Individuals who purchase Literacy and the Common Core will receive an accompanying CD with document tools from the book and a free 30-day trial subscription to the website literacycookbook.com.

For more information, readers may also want to follow along on theliteracycookbook.wordpress.com, which features Tantillo’s latest thinking on how to help students meet and exceed the Common Core State Standards.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.

Full Moon Night Hike Saturday at Bass River State Forest

Photo by Ryan Morrill
Hikers will be navigate through the forest,
following the moon.

A guided Full Moon Night Hike at Bass River State Forest will encourage participants, by using their ears more than their eyes, to learn what makes the Pine Barrens so special. Listen for wildlife and get acquainted with a different perspective on the 2-mile hike over flat terrain on Saturday, Aug. 9, from 8:15 to 10 p.m.

“Participants may hear frogs and toads, see a bat near the Lake Absegami bridge and learn that they don’t have to use a flashlight to see the forest from a completely different perspective,” said Cynthia Coritz, superintendent of Bass River State Forest.

The program is available to the first 25 people, ages 7 and older, who register at the Forest Office in New Gretna. Registration costs $2 per person and must be paid prior to the hike.

Closed shoes or hiking boots as well as insect repellent and a flashlight are recommended.

For more information, call 609-296-1114 or visit njparksandforests.org.

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.

Learn how to make all-natural beauty products using simple ingredients

Photo via Facebook
Becky Tountas creates her own beauty products
using natural ingredients.

Natural beauty products continue to gain in popularity as more and more consumers learn about the harmful effects of toxic chemicals found in today’s most common cosmetics. Becky Tountas, a certified holistic health coach, will discuss the basics of natural beauty supplies at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, located at 120 Long Beach Blvd. in Loveladies, on Saturday, Aug. 9, from 11 a.m. to noon.

“Becky enjoys making her own lip balm, body butters, body scrubs and salves,” said Amy Carreño, director of public programs at LBIF. “She will show us how to make our own salt scrub and will be having homemade beauty product giveaways. This workshop is great for people looking to rejuvenate their skin, to feel better from the outside in.”

Tountas will also discuss the benefits of using simple ingredients such as sand and ocean water to improve the look and health of skin. A demonstration on how to use these ingredients to make all-natural beauty products will be provided.

The fee for the class is $10. Pre-registration is not required as drop-ins are welcome.

For more information, call the LBIF at 609-494-1241.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.

Island Gala and Casino Night will honor local residents, benefit cancer foundation

The second annual Island Gala and Casino Night to benefit David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation, known throughout the community for helping local residents and their families dealing with a cancer diagnosis, will be held at The Sea Shell Resort and Beach Club in Beach Haven, Friday, Aug. 8, from 7 p.m. to midnight. The gambling-themed event will feature six blackjack tables, one roulette table, three poker tables and two craps tables.

For the first time, a David’s Dream and Believe Humanitarian of the Year Award will be presented to local residents and business owners Eric and Melanie Magaziner. Melanie is also vice president of the foundation’s board of directors. The award acknowledges individuals dedicated to the foundation’s mission statement, “Saving Lives by Fighting Cancer Together,” and who are also committed to helping others in the community.

Photo via Trip Advisor
The gala will be held at The Shell in Beach Haven.

“They’ve been involved with the foundation almost since its inception,” said Caldarella. “The two things that we wanted to focus on are a person’s dedication to the foundation and a dedication to the community because we all live in the community. I don’t just attend my own foundation events. I go to Jetty events, Jetty Rock events, START events, LBI Foundation events, and we’re just a big community supporting each other. Melanie and Eric have both done that for as long as I’ve known them. We figured it was a good place to start with honoring them, and we’re looking forward to honoring a lot of great people in the community that step up on a daily basis.”

A brief video about the foundation, produced by students from Southern Regional High School's audio visual department, will also be played during the ceremony. The video features some of the patients the foundation has helped as well as children from the organization’s Generation Dream team. Caldarella said he will be viewing it with the audience for the first time.

“We’re really excited because we’re obviously a part of the community and the local schools as well,” he said. “When we heard they wanted to help us out with a public service video, we were just thrilled. I really can’t wait to see the video on Friday night.”

Good food as well as a three-hour top shelf open bar will be available during the night.

Acoustic music by John Manzella, whose wife, Kim, serves on the foundation’s board of directors, will be provided during the first hour of the event. Music played by a DJ will continue throughout the night.

A variety of live and silent auction items will also be available. Big ticket items include a three-night stay in Napa Valley, a dinner for eight prepared at home by Eric Magaziner and photography by Ann Coen.

Reservations for the event cost $150 per person, and the dress attire is cocktail-style. To reserve a spot, contact Caldarella at david@davidsdreamandbelieve.org or 609-548-3382.

–Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.

Wear white for Surflight Theatre fundraiser on Aug. 8

Glistening crystals, white streamers and balloons will adorn The Gables Inn and Restaurant in Beach Haven during the White Party on Friday, Aug. 8. The event, being held from 6 to 10 p.m., will serve as a fundraiser to benefit the Surflight Theatre in honor of its 65th anniversary.

Photo via Wedding Spot
The event will be held at The Gables Inn.

Guests in attendance are encouraged to laugh, eat, drink and dance — and, of course, wear white.

“It’s just so right for the Island that we should all wear white and have a wonderful fundraiser for Surflight,” said Sondra Beninati, owner of The Gables and a Surflight Theatre board member. “We’re telling folks that they can wear shorts, T-shirts; we don’t care. They can dress up or down. Just wear white.”

Delicious hors d’oeuvres as well as a champagne fountain will be available throughout the night.

Live music by Killer Joe and the Lido Soul Review will be performed in the garden.

“They’re a fabulous cover band with a lot of sound and a lot of soul,” said Beninati, who happened to see the band perform at a B.B. King concert in New York City.

Stars from Surflight’s “Spamalot,” set to perform July 30 through Aug. 24, will also be singing songs during the party.

“There’s going to be a lot of different music going on,” said Beninati. “It’s fun, the music is great, and people can dance their asses off and just have a great time.”

Tickets to the event cost $125 per person. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

To reserve space, or for more information, call 609-492-9477 or email info@gableslibi.com.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The Forked River Gazette.

Inferno at Sea selected for 2015 Havana International Book Fair

Beach Haven residents Gretchen Coyle and Deborah Whitcraft will head back to Cuba early next year as their book, Inferno at Sea: Stories of Death and Survival Aboard the Morro Castle, was recently chosen to be part of the 2015 Havana International Book Fair. Before the book was published by Down The Shore Publishing in 2012, the authors spent 10 days in Cuba conducting interviews and research regarding the infamous Morro Castle fire, one of New Jersey’s worst shipwrecks, which killed 137 crew members and passengers on Sept. 8, 1934.

Photo by Jack Reynolds
Authors Deb Whitcraft and
Gretchen Coyle discuss their
research for the book.

“Deb, Ray Fisk – our Down The Shore publisher – and I are extremely honored that Inferno at Sea has been chosen by Eduardo Fernandez Collado, Cuba’s Director General Feria Internacional del Libro de la Habana, and his committee to be part of the 2015 Havana International Book Fair,” said Coyle. “... Deb and I did research in Cuba in 2011 on Cubans aboard the doomed ship for our book and have made a number of friends we communicate with by email and Facebook, so we are anxious to go back.”

A luxury ocean liner that transported passengers to and from New York and Cuba during the Great Depression in the 1930s, the SS Morro Castle became engulfed in flames eight nautical miles off Long Beach Island. Many aboard the cruise jumped from the fully engulfed ship into a churning Atlantic, and bodies washed ashore as far as Sea Girt. The incident left many people with unanswered questions.

Coyle and Whitcraft’s book tells of the close ties between the United States and Cuba during the 1930s, the effect of the Great Depression on both countries and issues of safety aboard ships at the time – a problem most people thought had been remedied after the Titanic disaster.

“We’re honored to have our book selected by the committee and to be a part of this event recognizing books, authors, historians and publishers from around the world,” said Fisk. “The tragedy of the Morro Castle described in this book shows how connected we are as humans, despite different political realms. The selection recognizes that.”

More than a hundred publishing houses are expected be in attendance at the fair, set to take place at several locations in Cuba Feb.13 to 20. Speakers and presentations, book vendors, poetry readings, children’s activities, art exhibitions and concerts will all be part of the program.

The event, which draws over 600,000 people annually, began in 1982 to promote literacy in the Caribbean nation. Many American writers, including Alice Walker and Libby Fischer Hellman, have participated in the fair.

Coyle and Whitcraft often give local talks and slideshow presentations on Inferno at Sea, which focuses on the human side of the disaster. They have detailed the lives of many who were aboard the Morro Castle when the fire erupted.

The authors will speak at the New Jersey Maritime Museum on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m., and another presentation will be held at the Little Egg Harbor branch of the Ocean County Library on Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m.

For more information about the upcoming events, visit down-the-shore.com/author.html.

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.

On Tap: Hyperactive

HOME BASE: Jersey Shore

Photo by Jack Reynolds
Hyperactive gets the crowd going on LBI.

STYLE: A dance band that’s always ready to party, Hyperactive hits the stage with its signature punk and ska twist on energetic songs the whole crowd can enjoy.

LINEUP: The seven-piece band, an eclectic set of musicians with high energy, includes original members Joe Bembry on guitar and vocals and Mark DiLeo on bass, as well as guitarist Mike Beach, Vince Bergamo on keyboard, drummer Tony Onofrietti, Doug DeHays on saxophone and John Martin on trumpet.

SOUND BYTE: The band gets to the essence of the songs they’re playing by replicating what really makes them go.

TWO’S TAKE: Dedicated to having a good time, the group likes to mix it up with a loud and talented horn section.

CHECK OUT: hyperactivemusic.com

BE THE JUDGE: Saturday, Aug. 9, 10:30 p.m., at the Sea Shell Beach Club and Resort (in the nightclub), Beach Haven.

— Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.

Twice As Nice opens for buying, selling new and lightly used clothing

What could be better than cleaning out the closet and getting cash for excess clothing that no longer fits or isn’t of use anymore? Avoiding consignor fees, of course. That’s the beauty of Twice As Nice, a new second-hand clothing store located in the Manahawkin Mart Shoppes on Bay Avenue in Stafford Township, where individuals can sell lightly used clothing and receive cold, hard cash on the spot.

Photo by Ryan Morrill
Twice As Nice store owners sort through a mixed
bag of clothing brought in by a potential seller.

Co-owners Carrie von Gorski and Jay Zimmerman, both 1997 Southern Regional High School graduates, call the business procedure “better than consignment” because sellers don’t have to wait for a check like at traditional consignment shops, where sellers usually wait long stretches of time in hopes that their garments will be bought and not returned.

“We absorb all the risk up front,” explained von Gorski, who also owns Belle Curve, a women’s plus-size clothing boutique located inside Manahawkin Mart. She decided to incorporate Twice As Nice into the business locale after working at a similar shop a few years ago in North Carolina before relocating back to the local area.

“It was a lot of fun. It was a total hoot, so I thought, ‘I want to bring this here. This could be great,’” she said.

Zimmerman, who also owns three other businesses – Jerz Shore Jewels, Jerz Shore Estates, as well as Hired Hands Landscaping – and is also captain of the Barnegat Light First Aid Squad, decided to team up with von Gorski after realizing the potential for such a store.

Twice As Nice officially opened the week of July 1, and customers have been coming in droves to buy and sell merchandise, the owners said. Since then, Zimmerman and von Gorski have gone through thousands of pieces of clothing. The shop currently has about 1,000 pieces available, and the store is nearly full, they said.

“It’s crazy, absolutely crazy; crazy, crazy, crazy,” Zimmerman iterated.

The shop took over the former Little Jersey Divas spot in the mart, which has relocated next to Belle Curve.

Photo by Ryan Morrill
Popular name-brand clothing, including Hollister
and Aeropostale, is readily available in the shop.

“Almost everybody in the family can shop here now,” said von Gorski. “You’ve got little kids’ stuff up front, plus (size) up front, and now you have this, which is for everybody.”

The new store offers mostly women’s clothing, though some men’s attire is also available for buying and selling.

“Date night is about as dressy as it gets, kind of like what you see here,” von Gorski said, while motioning to a rack of stylish dresses. “It’s beach cover-ups to going out to dinner. We don’t do any prom or wedding (apparel). It’s very everyday, casual, cute stuff.

“We don’t do vintage, either. School of Vintage does that in Surf City, and they’re the best at it. We’ll leave that to them,” she added.

The store’s clothing ranges from extra small to plus size. Handbags and unworn shoes are also available on a “super selective basis.”

The average price for clothing sold in the store is about $8. Tank tops range from $2 to $20, and jeans range from $8 to $15. A pair of never-worn Express jeans with the $70 price tag still attached recently sold for $18, and a seersucker Banana Republic jacket priced at $20 “went as soon as it hit the floor,” von Gorski said.

“We’ve been very lucky to get a lot of stuff that’s new with tags: a lot of Banana Republic and Gap, J. Crew, the usual suspects,” she said.

Other popular name-brand clothing such as Hollister, Aeropostale, Lucky, Forever 21 and H&M is also readily available in the shop.

Payouts to sellers are made on a case-by-case basis and are rounded up in the customers’ favor, who can get up to a couple of dollars per piece, depending on the condition and label, von Gorski explained.

“We look at every single piece. If it’s new with tags, you’ll get a little more than something that’s two years or older. Banana Republic will get you a little more than Old Navy,” she said. “We’re very thorough, too. We see stuff here that people won’t see at home, so if we ever pass on stuff it’s just because usually there’s something that you missed at home, like a little spot, a little hole, or something,” she added.

Each piece of clothing is also checked for stains and odors and is made sure to be functional and in great to excellent condition. Customers are asked to bring in clothing freshly laundered.

“We try to buy clothing that we would want to buy,” von Gorski said.

The owners have to see everything to be able to make an assessment and a proper offer, they said.

“The good thing about this is most people that have clothing are going to donate it anyway. Usually it goes into a bin or something like that, so this is an outlet for them to be given cash instead of just donating,” said Zimmerman. “Most people are excited to get 10, 20 bucks because they were just going to donate it. We also have the donation option, as well.”

Clothing that’s a bit dated or otherwise ineligible for sale at the store will be accepted as a contribution. The attire is then sold outside at the flea market for $1, $3 or $5, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Any of the money raised there will go toward a scholarship fund, which will be offered to a Southern Regional student pursuing a degree in business. Zimmerman and von Gorski hope to raise $1,000 for one student. About $100 has been raised in one weekend so far.

Twice As Nice summer store hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Buying takes place from opening until one hour before closing.

For more information, call 609-618-2812.

–Kelley Anne Essinger

This article was published in The SandPaper.