Viavo skincare hand selected for Emmy swag bags

When The SandPaper spoke with Brant Beach resident and Viavo business owner Stacey Maggio, she was driving down the highway with the sun shining in her eyes and the warm breeze blowing through her hair. But she wasn’t heading to Long Beach Island, and she wasn’t breaking any highway safety laws, either. She was being chauffeured to the Luxe Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, where she was staying the night before heading to the Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Hollywood on Saturday night.

Viavo Organic Body Polish, Maggio’s newest avocado-based beauty product, had been hand-selected to premiere in the Emmy nominees’ gift bags. Maggio couldn’t have been more ecstatic about the opportunity.

“I was part of the bag assembly yesterday, and there’s about 30 other companies here, of which I was the only one who gave away a full retail-sized beauty product,” Maggio exclaimed. “It’s pretty neat to be behind the scenes and to see some of the other entrepreneurs and their products. Other people are giving out coupon codes or smaller sample sizes, but no one else elected to give out a full-sized product. So I think I’m really going to stand out and make a good impression here tomorrow night.”

The Emmys picked up the organic beauty product after watching a YouTube video titled “Preserve Your Sexy with Viavo,” which Maggio created through an Internet marketing company called “I wear your shirt.” She paid just $70 for the 66-second trailer and thought every penny was worth it.

“A $70 YouTube video got me to Hollywood!” Maggio said with a laugh. “That’s a pretty powerful medium when you think about what print campaigns are costing people versus all the free mediums that are available through social networking. That’s where I’m directing my business this year moving forward.”

Photo courtesy of Stacey Maggio

Maggio showcases an Emmy nominees'

gift bag, featuring her Viavo skincare

product, before heading to the red carpet.

Maggio has been spending her summers on the Island with her family since the time she was 3 years old. After graduating from the University of Colorado with a communications degree, she eventually moved out to California, where she began working in the marketing department at Sony Electronics. After obtaining her esthetician’s license, she decided to combine her passion for beauty with her background in marketing and launch her own beauty line.

Maggio decided to center her beauty products around Southern California, the avocado capital of the world – a niche she found came with a good reputation. Avocados consist of a natural oil that’s renowned for its skin-softening fatty acids. Chock full of vitamins A, B, D and E, avocado oil is also known for its anti-wrinkle and antioxidant properties. Having found her forte, Maggio decided to name her company after the saying viva la avocado, or “long live the avocado,” and in 2006 Viavo was born.

The business went dormant for a few years after Maggio began suffering from sarcoma of the eye, a rare, inoperable cancer. She moved back to the Island to be closer to her doctors and her family, where she laid low for a couple of years before “resurrecting” Viavo in 2010. Since then, things have been moving in an upward spiral for both Maggio and her company.

Maggio hopes the Emmys will help take her beauty products to the next level. She said having one of her best beauty products in the hands of big-name celebrities is the kind of “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” every entrepreneur dreams about.

“The best thing that could happen coming forth with this is that one of the celebrities tweets or Facebook-chats that they like my scrub, and that goes viral, to the point where my website is hit with what’s called the “Oprah Effect,” and the product becomes like a household name overnight. The branding market with this opportunity is beyond my wildest dreams,” she said.

Although Maggio doesn’t expect to leave the Jersey Shore anytime soon, she hopes to take her company from the Garden State to the Golden State within the next three to five years.

“Have you ever lived in the Golden State? It’s called that for a reason. It’s incredible out here; I dream about it. It’s Long Beach Island on steroids, all year-round!” she gushed.

Maggio’s first step in getting back to California full-time includes offering Viavo to the Luxe Hotel and the Beverly Hilton as an exclusive product until the end of the year. She’s also vowed to convert Viavo into a completely organic product line by the end of this summer.

“There’s a national trend growing toward organic products, and I need to pay attention to that organic market because people are moving in that direction,” Maggio remarked.

Viavo beauty products can be found locally at Firefly and Tiffany’s Salon & Spa in Surf City; Dejavu Nails in Ship Bottom; Tula the Boutique and Make-n-Scents in Beach Haven; Lather Me Body, Bath & Barber Shop in Manahawkin; and at Luxe Day Spa in Egg Harbor Township. For more information about Viavo, visit viavo.net.

This article was published in The SandPaper.

Save yourself: Get UVSunSense Wristbands

With the passing of Memorial Day Weekend, it's safe to say that summertime at the Jersey Shore is heating up—literally, too. The sun is shining bright, and some days the heat reaches well above 90 degrees. The consequences of too much sunbathing can already be spotted on the faces and bodies of many people at the beach. Heat exhaustion and sunburn are the most prominent of these after-effects.

So how does one properly prepare for a summer of outdoor fun, while also avoiding the repercussions of dehydration, sun poisoning and, in a worst case scenario, skin cancer? You can start by picking up a pack of UVSunSense UV Monitoring Wristbands to help remind you when to reapply sunblock.

The UVSunSense Wristbands monitor a person's UV exposure by simply changing color. All you have to do is fasten the band around your wrist, printed side up, and apply sunscreen. Freshly out of the package, the band is a light pink color. When exposed to sunlight, the band will turn dark purple (or blue, depending on your definition of the color). When the band fades to a lighter shade, it's time to reapply sunscreen. When the band becomes yellow, it's time to get out of the sun. If you forget to apply sunscreen, the wristband will go through the necessary color changes, but at a much quicker pace. The wristbands work only with an SPF of 15 or higher.

Photo by Ryan Morrill 
Supino tries on his own product for
the first time.

UVSunSense Wristbands, made of nontoxic and recycled materials, are perfect for any outdoor occasion, whether you're hanging out on the beach, riding your bicycle, fishing at the dock, joy riding on a boat, watching an outdoor baseball game, putting golf, waiting in line at a theme park or swimming in a community pool. John Supino, owner of Buoy Beach LLC, owns the exclusive rights to UVSunSense in North America and Australia. He announced the UV Monitoring Wristbands are a win-win for everyone.

“The nice thing about these (wristbands) is that they're attuned to the individual,” said Supino. “It's not a timer; it chemically determines how effective the sunscreen is. So if you sit in the sun and go in the water, everything's going to wear out; it's going to change color faster than if you were sitting in the shade. If you have two kids that are in and out of the shade and doing different things, each one is going to get their own personal monitor. It really focuses on the person that's wearing it and their sunblock. If you're using 50 (SPF) and I'm using 30 (SPF), it's going to work differently for the both of us.”

Having grown up renting on the Island with his family during the summertime and lifeguarding in Surf City and Long Beach Township during his high school and college years, Supino knows just how badly the sun's rays can affect a person.

“Sitting down here (on LBI) as a lifeguard, we used to use what we called 'negative sunscreen.' I used to go home looking like that color,” said Supino, pointing to a glass of freshly brewed iced tea. “I think things change when you have kids. I think that's kind of why I picked up (UVSunSense) and why I believe in it. Primarily because when you're a kid, you don't know any better and parents have to try to track them down. Now I can throw (a UVSunSense Wristband) on my kids' wrists and say, 'When it turns blue, come see me.' I know I don't have to say, 'Come here.' They'll come back when (the band) is blue. I'll slather them up again and say, 'When it turns yellow, come see me.'”  

“My wife was constantly putting sunscreen on (our kids), but now she can lay off and let them enjoy themselves a little bit. It's a pain in the neck for the kids, too, when their mother keeps saying to them, 'Come here, come here, come here.' Every time they get out of the water, my wife is putting stuff on them. So now they can say, 'I'll be back when the color changes.'”

After graduating from William Paterson University with a bachelor's degree in communications, Supino started out working in Corporate America, managing and creating high tech companies such as Glowpoint, Inc., formerly Wire One Technologies. But after 20 years, “the tech market fell out and the money dried up.” Left to his own devices, Supino decided he was finished working for other companies; he was going to start his own business.

“I was managing the North American arm for an Israeli company,” Supino remembered. “When I came in they were managing $300,000 (a year), and when I left they were doing $10 million a year. When I told them what we needed to do to rebuild the company, they didn't want to make the investment and closed the office.”

Supino and his work partner started up Buoy Beach in 2010 with Shade Anchor—the company's first outdoor-themed product. Shade Anchor, which Supino owns globally, works as a ballast for any standard beach umbrella. It doubles as a tote bag, complete with straps, perfect for carrying over the shoulder. Made with “tough 600D military grade material,” the anchor also includes mesh and zippered pockets, is collapsible for easy storage and comes in an assortment of colors. Buoy Beach sold nearly 11,000 Shade Anchors during the product's first year on the market.

“I had already started doing the (Shade Anchor) bags on a part-time basis, and at that point I decided I was going to do the bags on a full-time basis,” said Supino. “As a result of doing Shade Anchor, I met a lot of people. The Shade Anchor is in four catalogs now: Solutions, Brylane Home, Whatever Works and Fresh Finds. Working with the catalogs, I met the guys who made UVSunSense, and as a result of finding them I negotiated an exclusivity deal as a distributor in North America and Australia. So now this is (Buoy Beach's) second product.”

Supino ventured along LBI with Shade Anchor and UVSunSense prototypes to see if retailers were interested in the products. Luckily, many of the area's shops were intrigued by them. Shade Anchors can be found in Farias, Wave Hog and Silver Sun Mall, and in Hands and Surf City 5 & 10, along with UVSunSense Wristbands.

“Years ago, I came down (to LBI) and went door to door with these products to a lot of the stores around here,” Supino pondered. “Five years ago, I never thought I would have been selling things door to door. That was just so far away from where I was at, and now it's socially acceptable. I think if we can make it through this year and the next year, the rest will be easy.”

Photo by Ryan Morrill 
A package of five UVSunSense Wristbands costs
around $5 in stores.

Supino hopes to introduce at least one unique, patented outdoor product every year to Buoy Beach's customers. He's currently working on an updated version of the Shade Anchor, made out of cooling material to carry food and beverages, which he hopes to “roll out” next year. He's also in the process of acquiring a hands-free board snap for carrying your body board, a towel clamp, to keep your beach towel from blowing around in the wind and an umbrella, complete with hammocks for stowing personal belongings.

“The focus of (Buoy Beach) is to find really cool products that have a theme, and I'm going for an outdoor theme,” explained Supino. “It's hard to be a one-product company because you have to make your entire living on that one product, and what it does is drive your price up because you have to make money on every one you sell. By having multiple products, you can make a little less on each product, bring your price down, sell more and be accepted by national chains. National chains don't really like to do business with one-product companies. That's why the (first) product is Shade Anchor and Buoy Beach is the company; we did that intentionally. Now (UVSunSense) is the second product.”

“We're constantly looking for what other people have done like this. If we see something really good, we jump on it. We're trying to have a little more vision than your standard retailer. A basic retailer tries to do what's been proven; we're trying to get ahead of what's been proven,” Supino added.

Supino hopes the innovative products will help Buoy Beach obtain global recognition, and he soon hopes to maintain sole ownership of the UVSunSense patent.

Of course, he also hopes to someday purchase a house on LBI so he can spend more time waking up to the sound of rushing waves. Until then, he's content working from home up north in New Milford and spending time with his wife and two children at the beach on LBI, teetering on the edge of Surf City and Ship Bottom, boating around on Barnegat Bay and spending the night at his parent's second home in Beach Haven West, which the family had built in the late 1970s.

“LBI is unique. It's not as commercialized as some of the other beaches, and you don't see a lot of those cheap, gimmicky, tourist-trap shops that advertise 'three T-shirts for ten bucks.' I don't like them; it doesn't attract the right kind of people,” said Supino.

"Long Beach Island is a very unique place in New Jersey, and even more unique is the community. And the reality is, without the people that come down here with money, this place would be a second rate sandbar filled with mosquitoes off the coast of New Jersey. It's not the same as Seaside (Heights), and it's not the 'Jersey Shore' yet,” he added, referring to the hit MTV show.

UVSunSense Wristbands and Shade Anchors can be found in stores worldwide. For more information about these products, or about John Supino himself, visit buoybeach.com.

This article was published in The SandPaper.

Rubbish on LBI beaches

Saturday on Long Beach Island was a picture-perfect day, but not necessarily at the beach. The Long Beach Island Health Department shut down access to the shore in Ship Bottom, Surf City, Harvey Cedars, Barnegat Light and even North Beach Haven, after many lifeguards found medical waste, including insulin syringes and other debris, such as rotten wood and plastics, at the water’s edge on the first day the beaches were guarded.

The waste began to appear between Saturday’s high tide at 6 a.m. and low tide at 12:18 p.m. Lifeguards assembled the needles they found and placed them in plastic biohazard canisters. Swimming in the ocean and standing below the high tide line was restricted around 12:30 p.m.

Photo via Jay Mann

The beaches reopened on Sunday after the Health Department and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection surveyed the shore after high tide on Saturday and again early the next morning. LBI’s southern beaches were also checked since strong currents tend to carry waste southward. Nearly 50 syringes were found.

Authorities said the waste was a result of an overflow from storm water control systems from the New York-New Jersey wharf, which had been burdened by heavy rain last week and tremendous high tides. None of the rubbish is thought to have derived from the Island, which does not have storm drains that are connected in any way to the sanitary sewer system. 

Officials warned that small quantities of further objects could perhaps emerge. The public should inform a lifeguard or local police officer if they come across any type of medical waste on the beach. A hotline is also available through the DEP at 1-877-WARN-DEP. No more waste has been reported thus far.

Interpreter channels healing power of music through sign

King of Kings Community Church in Manahawkin was a happening place to be for Christian worship on Sunday, May 20. A seven-piece contemporary Christian band called Kept had churchgoers moving and grooving to a number of energetic and inspirational songs, both covers and originals. But the quietest band member of the group appeared to reach the audience the loudest.

Manahawkin resident Randi LaRocca is Kept’s sign language interpreter. Nearly 10 years ago, she saw the band playing at a recovery ministry dedicated to helping addicts seek help through God. Infatuated with the band’s music, she introduced herself and asked to join the group as an interpreter. Although the band was a bit hesitant about her offer, they invited her to accompany them at a later Jesus Fest held at Manahawkin Lake Park. It was then the band realized her stage presence was a blessing.

Photo via Shout Life
Signing with Kept helps keep LaRocca in good spirits.

“We’re all on the same page and we all get to sing,” said Kevin Gheoghegan, Kept’s lead singer and lead guitarist. “We’re like the Beatles; everyone gets to lead – until someone brings Yoko Ono,” he joked.“Kept is kind of like a music missionary. A song can bring gospel around the world,” he added.

For King of Kings Community Church member David Paul, one of finger-style guitar’s biggest stars, the lure of Kept’s music and its connection to God is easy to understand.

“After dealing with many of life’s tragedies, I found myself driving to (King of Kings Community Church) and I have no idea why,” he pondered. “These people here saved my life, literally. Kept is half of the worship sermon, and Kevin and Randi and the whole band are amazing. When I first came here, I stayed because the band’s music was so unique and so great.”

LaRocca said audience members often tell her that her song interpretations are like theater. Chalking it up to her experiences starring in off-Broadway plays and commercials as a kid, she said she brings out the meaning of the songs through her body, her expressions and her hands. Her interpretations are sometimes so moving that her “groupies” even cry.

“I really enjoy watching her do her thing,” said Gheoghegan’s wife, Dorothy. “She dances as she interprets and really makes it a song. She’s very artistic.”

LaRocca decided to learn sign language when she was just 7 years old. Her lifelong best friend, whom she had known since she was 4, was told her eardrums had almost completely disintegrated and she would be deaf by the time she turned 30.

“That was absolutely my motivation for learning how to sign,” said LaRocca. “I told my friend, ‘Don’t worry, I’m going to learn sign language. You’ll never be alone; we’ll always be together, and I’ll teach you’” (how to sign).

LaRocca began studying American Sign Language (ASL) dictionaries at the local library in New York when she was 9 years old. A few years later, she began attending sign language classes wherever they were offered. Between ages 14 and 26, she obtained eight certifications in ASL and English Sign Language (ESL). She is also fluent in German, Japanese and British sign language, which she taught herself. She is now in the process of acquiring an associate of applied science degree in American Sign Language Interpreting at Ocean County College, with only one class to complete before graduation.

“Many people think sign language is universal and every state and every country uses the same gestures to communicate, but it’s really another culture in itself,” expressed LaRocca. “Many of the same signs mean different things in different parts of the world. If you hold your left palm facing down and you stick your right thumb underneath and circle your wrist around, that’s the sign for ‘basement’ in American Sign Language, which is practically the same sign for ‘I love you’ in Japanese Sign Language.”

Photo courtesy of  Randi LaRocca
LaRocca continues to do what she 
loves despite her illness.

LaRocca moved to Ship Bottom during her early 20s and began managing the local 7-Eleven convenience store. After signing with a number of the store’s hearing-impaired customers, she began landing jobs as a sign language teacher, interpreter and tutor. She worked with students and staff of all ages wherever she was needed, including at schools, libraries, churches and show places. She said she even taught a group of actors how to sign for a silent film that aired on MTV during the 1990s. Things were really shaping up for LaRocca – that is, until a few years ago.

A couple of years after joining Kept, LaRocca began experiencing shortness of breath and was often sick. She visited several doctors and was diagnosed with chronic asthma and pneumonia. But after coughing up green sputum and blood, she knew something more was very wrong. She was eventually put on steroids to counteract her illness, but the medication ignited the growth of a pseudotumor in her head that hemorrhaged in her optic nerves, blinding her in her right eye.

LaRocca was told she was going to die. In an attempt to save her life, doctors placed a shunt in her body to drain excess fluid from her head to her stomach, where it’s later digested. During surgery, doctors realized over 95 percent of her trachea had collapsed. They determined she had been suffering from tracheomalacia, probably since birth.

Looking back on her childhood, LaRocca said she remembers sometimes turning purple and losing her breath for minutes at a time. But as a kid, she didn’t really think anything of it; she just went back to playing. People around her assumed it was a symptom of stress.

LaRocca now suffers from several autoimmune diseases, including tracheomalacia, bronchomalacia, bronchiolitis and BOOP. The others are so rare they aren’t even in the database yet. So she’s the study, research and experiment for these illnesses.

Within the last two years, LaRocca has undergone 26 surgeries. She now has a tracheotomy and carries around an oxygen tank wherever she goes. She is in desperate need of a lung transplant, but her immune system is so compromised doctors are afraid she won’t survive the surgery.

“Basically, my body is eating itself up,” said LaRocca. “It’s eating all my cartilage. And doctors have said that they don’t know what it is, but it’s worse than lupus and leukemia. Isn’t that nuts? But I’m still here!” she added with enthusiasm.

LaRocca said she spends every day feeling like she’s battling the flu. The only instances when she ever really feels well is after receiving high doses of intravenous immunoglobulins, or IVIGs, which are given to immune deficient patients who have little or no means of producing antibodies. But without help from her health insurance, she says she can’t afford to pay for the medication. So she only gets it when she’s admitted to a hospital under dire circumstances.

Due to her condition, LaRocca is unable to work. She is highly susceptible to bacteria and infections and has been instructed by doctors to stay away from anyone who could get her sick. She has trouble making it to Kept’s weekly band practices, yet she tries to play at concerts when she’s feeling up to it. She had to put her college study on hold, although she hopes to go back to Ocean County College to complete her associate’s degree.

“I shouldn’t really be around people for my own sake, but that kind of plastic bubble doesn’t exist,” said LaRocca. “If God wants me, he can call me home. If he needs me here on Earth for research, than I’m going to live in the moment and take care of my family. Who knows? God could heal me.”

Photo via KOKCC
Members of King of Kings Community Church are
happy to have LaRocca and the rest of the band
with them.

Members of Kept and the church are very supportive of LaRocca and her needs.

“The band gives Randi a sense of purpose, especially since she’s been too sick to continue with school,” said LaRocca’s husband, Keith, one of Kept’s three guitarists. “We all love playing with each other. It’s about the adventure and most importantly, God. We always pray for each other at practice,” he added.

“Randi’s really involved with the church and she’s really inspirational; she never complains,” said Janice Dryburgh, who is married to King of Kings Pastor Michael Dryburgh. “There’s strength in each and every one of the band members. They’re singing and praising God, no matter what happens in their lives.

"'Wherever we go, the audience says that I bring the songs to life,” Randi remarked. “People tell me that it looks like I’m singing. They say, ‘We really saw your soul come out.’”


This article was published in The SandPaper.

Bring the family to Bayview Park

Let's face it: Vacationing can be pricey. But on Long Beach Island, it doesn't have to be. LBI offers many entertaining and affordable opportunities to its seasonal Shore visitors. In recent years, Long Beach Township has made it a priority to up the ante at Bayview Park, located at 68th St. and Long Beach Blvd. in Brant Beach, by providing daily and weekly activities that are fun, free and educational.

"It's a mission for me to bring families together and entertain them, as well as educate them about all the wonderful things there are to do on Long Beach Island," said Bayview Park Director, Joni Bakum. "There are a variety of free and enjoyable things to do and get involved in at the park. I want people to explore and expand on their own gifts and talents here," she added with enthusiasm.

Photo via Lorry's Motel
Picnic, play and enjoy the sunset at Bayview Park.

Bayview Park is home to a guarded bay beach, basketball court, gazebo, playground and picnic area, perfect for any family event. This season, the park will provide many of the same family oriented daily and weekly activities that were offered the past few summers, plus a few new events.

"Tuesdays in the Township" will kickoff with a Reshell the Bay seminar, a new program hosted by ReClam the Bay in conjunction with the LongBeach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences. Between 10 and 11 a.m., participants can paint their very own seashells and place them in the bay to help regenerate the shellfish population.

LBI artists and crafters will host an art party, 11 a.m. to noon, once a month immediately following the Reshell the Bay presentation. Dates are June 26, July 24 and Aug. 21.

Tuesday nights from July 3 to Aug. 28 will conclude with a musical concert between 7 and 10 p.m. The 2012 band schedule is: Verdict (July 3), Brian Clayton and the Green River Band (July 10), Paul Presto and Paul Jr. (July 17), Brue Crew (July 24), The Kootz (July 31), National Night Out (Aug. 7), Strictly 60’s (Aug. 14), Lighthouse (Aug. 21) and Face Down (Aug. 28).

"Jump In and Swim Wednesdays" will start bright and early at 6 a.m. with a freestyle swim in the bay, hosted by Zoom 3 Training coach Tommy Craig. Guided swim training will be available until 8 a.m.

The Splash and Dash Race Series, hosted by DQ Events, will take place once a month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Dates are set for June 27, July 25 (along with a Kids 2k Fun Run, 7:30 to 8 p.m.) and Aug. 22. Individual registration costs $30 in advance and $40 on race day. Team registration costs $50 in advance, or $60 on race day. Registration for the Kids 2k Fun Run costs $15 in advance, or $20 on race day. To register, visit dqtridu.com.

"Bay Day Thursdays" will begin at 10 a.m. with a ReClam the Bay presentation led by the organization's president, Rick Bushnell. From 11 a.m. to noon, Alliance for a Living Ocean will seine the bay during their "Sea Critter Roundup" and discuss what they scoop up, which could include seahorses, scallops, tiny blow fish and more. From noon to 1 p.m., Angela Contillo Andersen will lead participants in a discussion about the effects of recycling on Barnegat Bay, followed by a kayaking demonstration. Kayaks are provided free by Island Surf and Sail. The day will culminate alongside Deborah Whitcraft and Jeanette Lloyd from the New Jersey Maritime Museum as they tell old "Stories by the Bay" from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

"Family Fun Day Fridays" will host "Family Water Sport Night" alongside Island Surf and Sail. Water sport demonstrations, fun races, contests and in-water instructions will be offered from 6 to 8 p.m.

Photo via NJWWA
Water sports are great for trying out at the park.

Special events will be held all summer long, June through August. The fourth annual Fun Fest, designed to introduce the general public to water sports such as windsurfing, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, will kickoff on Sunday, July 15. The festival, sponsored by the New Jersey Windsurfing and Watersports Association, will run all day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration costs $15 for NJWWA members and $25 for non-members. To register, visit windsurfnj.org.

Island Surf and Sail will host a Paddle Day alongside the Southern Regional Autistic Class on Friday, July 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. A Women's Stand-up Paddle Challenge will take place the same day, 5 to 9 p.m. Fees will benefit Piece of the Puzzle Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to autism awareness.

DQ Events will host their third annual Triathlon/Duathlon Weekend, Sept. 15 and 16. A Kids Splash and Dash will take place on Saturday at 6 p.m. Registration costs $15 before Sept. 15 and $25 on race day. Sunday will consist of a Triathlon/Duathlon at 7:20 a.m. sharp. Registration before Sept. 9 costs $70 for the triathlon and $60 for the duathlon. Registration on or after Sept. 9 costs $85 for the triathlon and $75 for the dualthon. Pre-registration for triathlon relay teams (three members) costs $95 and $65 for duathlon relay teams (two members).

"People are looking for fun things to do with their families, and that's what we're trying to provide," said Bakum, while adding that if it wasn't for Mayor Joseph Mancini and Commissioners Ralph Bayard and Joseph Lattanzi, none of these activities would have been possible.

"Bayview Park is a gem and we want to use it to enhance the Island and its visitors' experiences," she added.

For more information about the upcoming events at Bayview Park, visit www.longbeachtownship.com or call 609-361-1000.


This article was published in The Beachcomber.