TRUTH. HERITAGE. ENVIRONMENT.

BEACHWOOD • ISLAND HEIGHTS • OCEAN GATE • PINE BEACH • SOUTH TOMS RIVER • TOMS RIVER

FREE June 3rd ~ June 16th, 2011

RIVERSIDE SIGNALthe

ISLAND HEIGHTS – Last week, the John Frederick Peto Studio and Museum, located on Cedar Avenue, here, held its gala opening ceremony, reception and tours that included a ribbon cut-ting by three of his great-great-grandchildren, Isabelle, Phoebe and Ian; speeches and statements by Ocean County Freeholder Di-rector Joseph H. Vicari, who also served as honorary chairman to the studio and museum; Island Heights Mayor Jim Biggs; Board of Trustees President Joanne G. Moy; and Peter Kellogg, honoree.

Mr. Peto, who came to Island Heights from Philadelphia in 1889 and built the home at 102 Cedar Avenue in 1890, is today world-renown for his “patch” and “rack” paintings of American still-life, celebrated most often for his work in the style known as “trompe l’oeil,” or “fooling the eye.” This form allowed the artist to meticulously render three-di-mensional still life arrangements of common household objects that made the viewer feel as if they could pick them up right off the canvas. Mr. Peto died of Bright’s Disease at age 53 in 1907.

Over the years, Mr. Peto’s chil-dren and grandchildren main-tained the home, and it was used most often as a bed and breakfast in the latter part of the last cen-tury. By the middle of the last decade, however, the home had fallen into disrepair and was slat-ed for demolition when a steer-ing committee formed to oversee restoration of the building and grounds back to their original state, when Mr. Peto was alive and working

dent Caroline Hall, along with URI teammates Chanel Miller, Danielle Fougere came out on top with ten points over the next team, Connecticut College. It was the first time the school had competed in the ICSA Women’s National Championship. Ms. Hawkins and Ms. Hall first met and sailed together on the Mon-signor Donovan sailing team on the Toms River.

Speaking from telephone ear-lier this week, Ms. Hawkins said the challenges presented at “the Gorge” were multi-faceted.

“We sail against most of these girls throughout the fall and spring semesters but there was one thing about the gorge that

Bonnie M. Verga displaced the Republican re-election ticket of Mayor Hal Morris and Council-man Gerald W. LaCrosse from the borough council, turmoil and allegations ran high at borough council meetings from a number of regularly attending borough residents that included Mr. La-Crosse, former councilman and one-time campaign manager and business partner of Mayor Jones,. Robert DiBella, and others.

In addition to contentious de-bate during borough council meetings, Mayor Jones was the subject of three recall attempts since 2008. The first attempt was denied in late 2009 as not having enough signatures by Borough Clerk Bette Mastropasqua, and the second was rescinded when the recall committee found typo-graphical errors in the commit-tee chairman’s name and a lack of cost estimate to hold a recall

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Memorial DayPhoto Exclusives!

By Erik Weber

Open for Business!

cont. on page 15

Peto House Holds Gala Opening Mayor Jones Resigns Effective June 10th

PHILIPP SCHMIDT, the Riverside SignalMayor Kennedy, accompanied by Council President Richard Russell (far left), helps Terry Vassallo and Joanne Fitzgerald cut the ribbon to the new Comfort Station convenience stand at Wildwood Avenue beach late last month.

Local Women Take Women’s National Regatta for University of Rhode Island

BEACHWOOD – Democratic and undeclared voters will have the chance to participate in the borough’s Democratic mayoral primary this Tuesday, June 7th, which will see Bonnie Verga, a former councilwoman here, and Joel Balazinski, a previous inde-pendent candidate for borough council, vie for a spot in the regu-lar November mayoral election.

Mrs. Verga, a resident of Elm Street for over 35 years, was first elected to the borough council in 1979, serving January 1980 to December 1982. In November 2007, she was again elected to the borough council, serving January 2008 until last December, follow-ing a failed November bid for re-election.

While on council over the last three years, Mrs. Verga acted as the chairperson for the court and was liaison for code enforce-ment and the building, construc-tion and zoning departments. She also developed the borough building department early in her term following notice from Ocean County that it would discontinue offering its construction office services to Beachwood and the surrounding smaller municipali-ties. As a result, Beachwood now holds a shared services agree-ment with South Toms River and Island Heights boroughs for its building department services.

Certified as a municipal fi-nance officer in 1988, Mrs. Ver-ga was employed during undis-closed periods by Island Heights Borough and the Island Heights Board of Education, South Toms River Borough and Beachwood Borough in that capacity.

Contacted earlier this week, the former councilwoman stated that she and her husband, Tom,

Two Candidates for B’wood Dem. Mayoral Primary

By Erik Weber

By Erik Weber

By Erik Weber

BEACHWOOD – Drawing to a close what will probably go down in history as three and a half of the more unruly years the bor-ough has seen, Ronald W. Jones, Jr. on Monday ended his tenure as mayor effective June 10th, first by notifying local news media with a press release in the late morning hours and, when borough hall administrators and officials were caught off guard by the inquiries from this newspaper and the As-bury Park Press, with an official, signed letter to borough hall by mid-afternoon.

Shortly after Mayor Jones’ suc-cessful November 2007 election and subsequent inauguration, where he and Democratic run-ning-mates Katina L. Clark and

ORIGINAL LOANED PETO PIECES ON DISPLAY

B’WOOD DEMS TO CHOOSE THREE FOR COUNCIL PICK

OCEAN GATE – Members of the Ocean Gate Yacht Club will be able to welcome back borough resident, junior sailing alumnus and now coach Amy Hawkins as a national champion following her University of Rhode Island (URI) women’s sailing team’s win on the Columbia River Gorge in Cas-cade Locks, Oregon last week.

In the last day of racing in the Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women’s National Championship for the Gerald C. Miller Memorial Tro-phy, Ms. Hawkins and Brick resi-

JUNIORS HAWKINS, HALL “SHOCKED”

Courtesy of ROB MIGLIACCIO © 2011 Ocean Gate resident Amy Hawkins (right) and Brick Township resident Caroline Hall became national sailing champions in Oregon last week.

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalIsland Heights Mayor Jim Biggs thanked volunteers and benefactors to the newly christened John F. Peto Studio Museum during its gala opening reception on Cedar Avenue, here, last week.

Signal Takes You Back to 1931

cont. on page 8

cont. on page 2 cont. on page 14

Beginning with this issue, the Riverside Signal will begin taking readers on trips back to another era in our area’s past, diving into a time where politics began to heat up as one president began to seek re-election in a tumultuous economy, residents and officials in New Jersey began to seek ways to clean up its waterways, and widespread salary cuts and un-employment threatened the pre-vious decade of prosperity.

Yet even with all that going on, residents and visitors still enjoyed the natural beauty and sport our region had to offer, with sails rac-ing across the river and bay near daily, boy and girl scouts camp-ing out in the pinelands, and the original “bennies” arriving in droves.

Enjoy. This is our area, 1931. First up: Ocean Gate.

PAGE 2 The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

everyone kept saying was going to make the better teams stand out, and that was practicing in cur-rent,” she stated. “Our team did a lot of practice trying to mimic the current, moving mark drills and moving starting lines and ev-erything like that and that’s what I think really helped our team stick out.”

During the competition, “we can tell between the teams who practiced and the teams who didn’t practice in current,” she added.

Ms. Hall agreed.“We didn’t do too well at the

New England qualifiers – I think we were the second to last team to qualify, and we also didn’t do that many races there – but after that we realized that we had to work really hard and get our stuff together because all the other teams were really, really good,” she said. “We came out here with the mindset that we have noth-ing to lose, to give it all we’ve got, and we ended up finishing third in the semifinals.”

“Once we did that we grew a little bit more confidence [and] we came out and killed it for the nationals,” she continued.

Conditions of current on the gorge differed greatly with what Ms. Hawkins was used to at home on the Toms River.

“On the Toms River there’s al-most none, and even in Rhode Island there’s some big tide changes but the current we had been sailing in (on the Colum-bia River) was between six and seven knots, which is very strong if you’re any kind of sailor,” she said. “You can watch a boat just totally go sideways.”

Both women said they were in complete shock over the win.

“It still hasn’t even settled in yet that we’re national champions,” said Ms. Hawkins. “Right after the

OCEAN GATE – A new ad-dition that would bring beer to the beachfront and money back into the coffers of borough hall during the annual Ocean Gate Founder’s Day was proposed dur-ing last month’s council meeting as a possibility by Council Presi-dent Richard Russell.

“We could file the proper pa-perwork and ask for a permit for the day and sell beer,” he said during his council report on May 11th.

Mayor Paul Kennedy agreed that the borough could apply for a permit similar to Island Heights’ annual Sailfest, and said that pre-liminary discussions he and Mr. Russell had with Ocean Gate Po-lice Chief Reece J. Fisher resulted in his being amenable to the idea “as long as we rope it in.”

“I don’t know if anyone’s been to Sailfest, but they do it and con-trol it and they make some good money on that,” continued the mayor. “I think it’s a very good idea as long as it’s controlled.”

“I’ll be in charge of quality control,” joked Councilman Dave Kendrick as laughter echoed in the hall.

“They can bring the truck and

we’ll have authorized people to do the serving you you, Dave, Brian, me… not Richie,” joked Mayor Kennedy. “Charlie – Rich-ie’s in charge of crowd control that night.”

Councilman Tony Digironimo formally opposed the idea.

“As a person who has not had a drink of alcohol in over a decade, I’m not for it, I don’t like it and I don’t want to promote drinking on our boardwalk,” he said. “But I’ll obviously be outvoted tonight, but that’s my official opinion.”

“And you’re entitled to that, Tony, absolutely,” said Mayor Kennedy.

“Every festival in Ocean Coun-ty has some kind of beer or wine tent, and they make money off it,” Councilman Brian DiStefano. “Why shouldn’t we?”

Councilman Charles Mailot questioned where the revenue from such an attraction would go, and Mr. Digironimo answered that it would go into the general fund of the borough.

No formal action was taken on the matter. The next meeting of the Ocean Gate Council is on June 8th.

The Ocean Gate Yacht Club (OGYC), Ocean Gate Avenue, is always seeking new members. Its program typically runs from the end of June until the middle of August, consisting of eight weeks. The beginning date for the 2011 program is currently scheduled for Monday, June 27th, with a parent meeting now scheduled for Sunday, June 12th. Anyone interested in participating or would like to learn more about the sailing program or general membership please call 732-269-3622 and you will be directed to Mike, the membership chair.

OGYC is a year-round club with an active social schedule. During the summer months all members and their guests are invited to attend Family Fun Fri-day dinners or make a visit to the Tim-Bo Lounge. In addition, ev-eryone looks forward to attend-ing the Sunday morning coffee and donut socials on the large deck overlooking the Toms River. During the course of the year the

What does one do when their child’s 20th birthday is approach-ing and you feel like he’s quietly slipping further and further away? How do you reach a child who doesn’t communicate and ignores your ev-ery attempt? While parenting skills vary from person to person, here’s one mother’s unique way of bravely reaching out to her son. That mother would be me.

For my son’s birthday this year I did some-thing completely radical. I gave him a keepsake box and in it I put three pads of paper, two pens and a two page letter. No doubt, when

he opened it for the first time he had the look of “what the heck is this” written all over his face.

It was the manner in which the letter was written that was of the most impor-tance, for the con-tents mean nothing without providing some clarity.

My son has always been best stimu-lated visually, and therefore I knew I needed to paint a picture for him. I needed him to be able to understand

that the box was full of disap-pointment, hurt and evaporated tears. Being a talented writer, I believe the description was quite

OCEAN GATE

Women’s Nat’l Regatta, cont’d from front

Founder’s Day Beer Garden Considered

Let’s Get it Right with Liz Cochrane

OGYC Brevities

Birthday Intervention in a Box

Ocean GateCommunity Calendar

Historical SocietyMuseum Open SaturdaysThe Ocean Gate Historical Society Museum and Train Station is now open Satur-

days from 10 am until noon. Groups may call 732-269-

5710 for tours at other times.

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Drive Carefully!With the warmer weather,

residents and visitors of all ages will be out enjoying the outdoor amenities that our area has to offer. Please slow down, obey all local speed limits and be alert when driv-ing near playgrounds and on residential streets.

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Council MeetingThe next meeting of the

South Toms River Recreation Ocean Gate Borough Coun-cil will be on Wednesday, June 8th at 7 pm in borough hall on Ocean Gate Avenue.

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Free Karate Classes Fre karate classes are of-

fered every Friday from 6 pm to 7 pm in Adrian Hall on East Cape May Avenue to all borough residents.

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Republican Club Meeting

The Ocean Gate Republican Club will hold its next meet-ing on Thursday, June 16th at 7 pm in Adrian Hall on East Cape May Avenue.

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Seniors Club MeetingThe next meeting of the

Ocean Gate Seniors Club will be held on Friday, June 17th at 12:30 pm in Adrian Hall on East Cape May Avenue.

By Philipp Schmidt

Liz Cochrane

cont. on page 20

cont. on page 18

Ocean Gate, 1931

LOVE THE SIGNAL? If you’re one of the many that we meet around town who say you “love” our little paper, then sup-port our advertisers and tell them when you do—it’s a sure bet to keep us around.

cont. on page 19

In early June 1931, the Ocean Gate Grade School made its final preparations to close for the sum-mer. One way street signs on Bay-view and Lakewood avenues went into effect. W.E. Burnett began building a new cottage for the Donovan family on Angelsea Av-enue. Borough founder Charles Guttentagg was a regular visitor to his riverfront home, and the C. Frank Bertsch agency reported several new rentals over the Me-morial Day weekend.

As Mayor Mease and family returned to their waterfront cot-tage for the week, George McKin-non returned to start up his min-eral water business for the season. Mrs. J. Howard Berry died fol-lowing an illness of approximate-ly three years, leaving behind her husband, who was once a catcher for the Athletics baseball team, a daughter, and a son, a former University of Pennsylvania ath-lete himself. Meanwhile, Mrs. Blanche Keeney announced that she would begin operating a new real estate and insurance office on Lakewood Avenue in the Har-ry Ellis building near the train station.

On Monday, June 1st, the Ocean Gate Fire Company was called out at about 9 pm to John Howard’s store and home on Stone Harbor Avenue after a neighbor saw smoke filling the storefront. While nothing inside caught fire, it was learned that the ice cream cabinet motor had activated and nearly burned the entire structure down. Wires were pulled before that could take place. The Howards were out of town at the time.

Also that day, the Pennsylvania Railroad reduced its ticket price for round trip tickets to $2.50 each.

Finally, it was seen that the Wolff family of Ocean Gate Av-enue were out busily painting a fence surrounding his property.

Reports indicated that the warm weather would continue, and eyewitnesses recalled a fairly busy beach season upon them.

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011 PAGE 3The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

OCEAN GATE

Wildwood Avenue Beach Scenes

(From left) Kelly Fitzgerald, Katelyn Vassallo and Riley Fitzgerald were on hand when Ocean Gate Mayor Paul Kennedy visited the new Comfort Station convenience stand on the eve before its official opening late last month. Inside, Terry Vassallo and Joanne Fitzgerald served treats.

Freshman Ocean Gate Councilman Charles Mailot hammed it up for the camera at last month’s beach sweep.

Two-year-old Beachwood resident Jack showed off an oyster he found while swimming late last month.

Ocean Gate Councilman Brian DiStefano pitched in at last month’s beach sweep. The next sweep will be held June 25th from 9 am to noon.

Matt Conway performed at the opening of the new Comfort Station convenience stand late last month.

Crowds gathered to open the new Comfort Station convenience stand late last month.

Area artist Kyle readied the new sign for the convenience stand at the Comfort Station before the grand opening.

An area youth enjoyed the hazy view from the upper level of the Wildwood Avenue pavilion one evening over the Memorial Day weekend.

This family, photographed over Memorial Day weekend, is proof that a family that jet skis together stays together.

PAGE 4 June 3rd - June 16th, 2011The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

PINE BEACH – On July 1st, 2010 over 200 junior sailors aged 8 to 16 years from yacht clubs throughout Ocean and Mon-mouth counties converged on the Pine Beach Yacht Club (PBYC), Riverside Drive, as part of their annual “Feed the Need” Regatta, collecting 600 non-perishable food items that were then do-nated to the St. Vincent DePaul Society in Bayville.

The food pantry, operated through the St. Barnabus R.C. Church, Bayville, provides vi-tal necessities to families in the Toms River area communities.

Club members expect this year’s event, taking place on Thursday, June 30th, to see ap-proximately the same number of sailors, but anticipate donations to increase.

“This regatta has developed the reputation on the bay as one of the best and most enjoyable events of the junior sailing sea-son,” said Carolyn M. Runyon, editor of the club’s newsletter, The Raft-Up. “Scheduled the week before the 4th of July, it pro-vides the opportunity for the club to host a traditional red, white and blue themed event, com-plete with an old-fashioned hot dog [and] hamburger cookout, homemade lemonade, ice pops, greased watermelon relay races, a rigging contest, DJ, t-shirts and other fun activities.”

“We wanted to make the event fun but wanted to use the oppor-tunity to teach the children about the importance of charity work and being community minded,” said Steve Toal, Regatta Chair-man at the PBYC.

Within their registration pack-et, a request is made of each sail-or to collect and donate several non-perishable items for the food pantry. At registration, the items are collected, counted and a tally is computed for each yacht club. The yacht club that donates the most items will receive a pizza party at their club, courtesy of the PBYC.

“Last year our own sailors col-

The Pine Beach Yacht Club welcomed six new members in May. Remember, you don’t have to own a boat or even know how to sail to join! PBYC is an active social and community-oriented club.

Junior sailors are getting ready to set sail for the summer of 2011 – boats will start arriving at the club, and everyone will be fine-tuning to catch the perfect breeze. The PBYC program in-volves sailors from our commu-nity, ages 6 to 15, and the club is still accepting applications for their River Rat program, which is a land-based class that meets two mornings per week. For more info, visit the club website at pbycnj.com or call Kristi Shirey at 732-349-8112.

The junior sailing programs all along the Toms River will start June 27th, and club members ask that motor boaters be aware of their presence on the river. Ms. Shirey said, “Don’t assume the

PINE BEACH

Pine Beach Community Calendar

Council Work SessionThe Pine Beach Borough

Council will hold its next work meeting on Monday, June 6th at 7:30 pm in bor-ough hall on Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Council MeetingThe next borough coun-

cil meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 8th at 7:30 pm in borough hall on Penn-sylvania Avenue.

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Join Boy Scouts Troop 114, ages 11 through

17. If you enjoy learning life skills, camping, adventure and helping to improve your community, call Barry Wieck at 732-341-6565.

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Drive Carefully!With the warmer weather,

residents and visitors of all ages will be out enjoying the outdoor amenities that our area has to offer. Please slow down, obey all local speed limits and be alert when driv-ing near playgrounds and on residential streets.

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Pine Beach 5KThe 13th Annual Pine Beach

5K & One Mile Riverside Run will take place on Sunday, June 26th with the Pine Beach Vol-unteer Fire Company hosting their pasta dinner for race par-ticipants the night before. Pack-et pick-up will also be avail-able on Saturday evening, June 25th, at borough hall and early on race day.

PBYC Feed the Need Regatta – June 30th Pine Beach Yacht Club Brevities

sailor sees you, and don’t assume they can get out of your way – they may not know how, they are learning – thank you in advance for your consideration, and we are happy to be able to share the river with all of you.”

The Feed the Need Regatta will take place on June 30th and is open to youth at yacht clubs throughout Ocean and Mon-mouth counties. U.S. Sailing Ju-nior Olympics for Sunfish will be held July 25th and 26th.

PBYC is available for event rentals to members and those sponsored by current members.

lected the most,” Mr. Toal said, “narrowly edging out the Beach-wood Yacht Club sailors.”

Several Pine Beach sailors, so inspired by the cause and the friendly competition, liter-ally took wagons and went door to door asking town residents for donations. The town itself blocks off Riverside to thru traf-fic making it safe for the children to roam and play more freely in front of the club. Additionally, more than 80 club members have volunteered to be part of the event making it a truly commu-nity wide effort.

The PBYC was established in 1916 and recently completed ex-tensive renovations to the club-house in 2009. This is the third regatta at the PBYC since the project has been completed. The club invites all junior sailors, and interested adults, to come and be part of this incredible fun-filled event.

“It is truly inspiring to see all the children banding together for a cause as community minded as this,” said Pine Beach Yacht Club Commodore John Parks.

Registration begins at 8:00am and the Harbor Start is 9:45 a.m. on the day of the regatta. Visit www.pbycnj.com for more infor-mation. ~ Submitted by Carolyn M. Runyon.

THINK IT OVERYou are one of the thousands reading this advertisement. If you have something to sell, or there is something you want to buy, the same thousands of people will see your message.—Mgmt.

Courtesy of CAROLYN M. RUNYONOver 200 junior sailors competed in the Pine Beach Yacht Club’s 2010 Feed the Need Regatta.

CLUB EXPECTS 2011 EVENT DONATIONS TO INCREASE

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011 PAGE 5The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

PINE BEACHEthan Henbest Makes Eagle Scout

The 13th Annual Pine Beach 5K & One Mile Riverside Run will take place on Sunday, June 26th with the Pine Beach Volun-teer Fire Company hosting their pasta dinner for race participants the night before. Packet pick-up will also be available on Saturday evening, June 25th, at borough hall and early on race day.

On race day, the One Mile Riv-erside Run will take place at 8:15 am at the starting line located on Riverside Drive adjacent Vista Park. The Music Academy will provide local bands to perform during and between races, with band members comprised of the area youth population. The 5K race will begin promptly at 9 am. Afterwards, Outback Steakhouse will provide food for race partici-

pants, though this year non-par-ticipants will be able to purchase food as well. Awards will be given to the overall top men and wom-en and then the top three of each age group of five years. Addi-tional awards will be given to the first Ocean County Road Runner Club finisher male and female, first Pine Beach resident male and female, and team awards for the top three male, top three fe-male and top three mixed teams.

Money raised will go toward a scholarship for a local high school student, the local Police-man’s Benevolent Association and fire departments as well as Autism Speaks. ~ compiled and submitted by Rick Lill, race direc-tor.

BUY LOCAL, SAVE JOBS

EVENT ENTERS THIRTEENTH YEAR

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalEthan Henbest posed between his parents, Christine and Jon, following a ceremony at the Beachwood Community Center whereby he officially attained the rank of Eagle Scout with Boy Scout Troop 114.

PAGE 6 June 3rd - June 16th, 2011The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

SOUTH TOMS RIVER

South Toms River Community Calendar

Sewerage AuthorityMeeting

The South Toms River Sew-erage Authority will hold its next meeting on Tues-day, June 7th at 7 pm in the Sewerage Authority on Mill Street.

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Municipal AllianceMeeting

The South Toms River Mu-nicipal Alliance will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, June 8th at 7 pm in borough hall on Mill Street.

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Ice Cream Fundraiser

The South Toms River Mu-nicipal Alliance will be hold-ing its first annual ice cream fundraiser at Mrs. Walker’s Ice Cream in Beachwood on Friday night, June 10th from 6 pm to closing.

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Council CaucusMeeting

The South Toms River Council will hold its next cau-cus meeting on Monday, June 13th at 7 pm in borough hall on Mill Street.

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Council Meeting

The next regular meeting of the South Toms River Bor-ough Council will be held on Monday, June 20th at 7 pm in borough hall on Mill Street.

Give a Bennie, Take a Bennie

May Council Meeting Rundown

Laugh at me. Go ahead. The dangerous thing about having a column is that you can take an insane three-in-the-morning idea and get it published. They laughed at Ben Franklin. They laughed at Einstein. Of course, they happened to be smart, but that’s really besides the point; they had easy things to contend with, like smallpox and World War II. We have to deal with shore traffic and slow internet connections, and our wretched, wretched economy. My crazy idea? I’m inviting Ocean County to play a little game this summer that could give a microshot in the arm to our local commerce.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but for me, at least, times are rough. I see signs of economic hardship everywhere. Small lo-cal businessmen and women, those pillars of our community

and youth sports sponsors whose impossibly long names adorn and are abbreviated on league uniforms by the thin backs of tee-baller s that wear them, are struggling to keep their heads above water.

In some cities I have visited, like Burlington, Vermont, or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the economy seems more robust than ours. This is due to the awareness they have in those cities. They know that in order to protect the local economy, the average con-sumer must be willing to pay the higher prices and buy locally.

In Vermont, this is especially difficult. Burlington is a cow town surrounded by farms that have a two-second growing sea-son wedged somewhere between noon on June 21st and the killer frost, which happens around June 22nd. Still, local restaurants buy local produce, and consum-ers are willing to pay higher prices for less variety in the name of local patriotism. As a result, these places are im-mune from the struggles we, who rely on lo-cal chain stores selling products made or grown overseas, have to face.

So what’s an Ocean County storekeeper to do? What are we, the consum-ers, to do? I say we should fol-low the example of Burlington and Pittsburgh. To help jump start our own econo-my, we simply have to consume lo-cal products. Mega corporations may be able to show corporate largesse as a matter of company police, but it can’t do anything to contribute to the local color the way a storefront businessman can. We need our small business-

es, and they need us. Buying local: in the long run,

it is a very wise way to do things. By supporting our own entre-preneurs and buying products unique to our area, we create cultural identity and maintain our own unique way of life. This newspaper is an example of “loca-vore” reading – no large newspa-per would care about the events going on in our small towns. As this paper is supported, reader-ship increases and the ideas in this newspaper, the ads in this newspaper all help the commu-nity to help itself in a way that no larger paper could. Why is this important? Because ultimately, we as a nation must produce and consume American products in order to maintain our indepen-dence. What would happen if China chose to pull the plug on its supply of cheap manufactured goods? How many systems would fail here in the U.S.? How many

businesses would go under?

To get an idea of how deep our dependency has grown, here’s a challenge for you the next time you’re at Lowe’s or Wal-Mart: find a product not made in China. Even products that claim to be “Assembled in the USA” can trace their manu-facturing origins back to China. Now, try and find some product in your home which

was manufactured completely in the U.S. As production moves away from our shores, we become increasingly dependent on dan-gerous dictatorships like China for our supplies. China lends us money and can dictate their own terms. Eventually, foreign gov-ernments can funnel money back

SOUTH TOMS RIVER - At the May 16th council meeting, the borough council continued with the tradition of honoring its bor-ough students who had achieved the rank of “Student of the Month” at South Toms River Ele-mentary School… William Major was honored by Mayor Joseph Champagne and the borough council for his company, Suffolk County Contracting, and its vol-unteered effort in demolishing the dilapidated 1930s Shell fuel-ing station on the northwest cor-ner of Mathis Plaza last month, seen for years by the public as an eyesore many years… The bor-ough council unanimously ap-proved a resolution opposing in-troduced New Jersey Senate Bill S1351, which Solicitor Guy Ryan said requests to amend the state’s open public meeting act ins such ways that would create a cost in-crease to individual municipali-ties by requiring more record keeping for committee meetings and eliminating the attorney-client privilege between the bor-ough and their solicitor… Mayor Champagne acknowledged the presence of many members of the South Toms River Volunteer First Aid Squad present during the meeting, and referred to a

package received by the borough with information pertaining to state guidelines under Title 8 that indicated the squad should have two licensable ambulances, of which one would be a backup… the municipal budget for 2011 as previously introduced was adopt-ed with Councilmen Kevin Mc-Cormack and Sandford Ross, Jr. casting dissenting votes. Mr. Ross stated that he appreciated the mayor’s efforts since the budget’s initial attempts at introduction to allow greater input in the process, but referred to a $10,000 drop in funds allocated to the first aid squad’s equipment purchases when he said that “as expressed before, taking away support from this very dedicated group of vol-unteers in our town, I don’t sup-port.” Mayor Champagne reaf-firmed his support to the first aid squad members regardless the budget cut and said that if the squad were to find itself “in a bind or in an emergency situation where they do not have the funds in order to take care of some type of [life saving] equipment, that we will try to accommodate you and we continue to be in full sup-port to the first aiders.”… South Toms River Municipal Alli-ance Coordinator Tanya Mosley

and former councilman, Oscar Cradle, were appointed to the borough recreation committee… the borough approved measures by the municipal alliance and Scotts Miracle-Gro Company for improvements to be made at the playground located in Brookfor-est Beach Club… Councilwoman Carla Kearney thanked the first aid squad and all who participat-ed in the spring fair last month at Mathis Plaza, saying “I wish attendance had been better but everyone that was there, vendors and all other parties, thank you for coming out, a lot of people did a lot of hard work to make it happen.”…Mr. Ross said that the borough’s next Senior Meet and Greet would take place on Sunday, June 5th from 4 pm to 5 pm at the Recreation Center due to the Memorial Day holi-day weekend, but that the event would return to its normal last Sunday of the month schedule… Summer camp was also brought up by Mr. Ross, who is the liaison to the borough recreation com-mittee, and he said that it would begin on Tuesday, July 5th and run until Friday, July 29th… the borough municipal alliance will hold its first annual fundraiser at Mrs. Walker’s Ice Cream in

Beachwood on Friday, June 10th from 6 pm until closing… Coun-cilman Ed Murray reported that the South Toms River Commu-nity Club baseball was going well with the season about half over already, with games Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays, and that night games were now pos-sible with the recent addition of stadium lights at the Recreation Center fields… Mayor Cham-pagne told of numerous places he had recently visited, adding that “wherever I go I always have South Toms River in my mind – my ultimate goal is to try and bring attention to South Toms River” with the possible future in-flux of funds and investments to the borough… Councilman Don Williams agreed that spring fair was “wonderful” and that there “weren’t some big crowds but of the people that we had everybody said ‘Thank God you tore down that building!’” He added that he “loves South Toms River, I’ve al-ways loved South Toms river, I’ve been in the town for 27 years and I’m not leaving.”

Midtown Pizza Banquet Hall Issues During open public session

of the borough council meeting,

You Think What You Think and I’ll Think What I Know with Frank Domenico Cipriani

Frank Domenico Cipriani

cont. on page 20

cont. on page 18

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011 PAGE 7The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

SOUTH TOMS RIVER

LATE SPRING SCENESAs Spring 2011 winds down into the lazy, hot days of sum-mer, we present to you the fol-lowing scenes captured around South Toms River during this period. Clockwise, from left: Young Explorers Childcare Center held an open house event featuring food, face painting, giveaways, children’s entertainment and Elmo (who ran away before we could take his picture); Mayor Joseph Champagne greeted students of the month from South Toms River Elementary School at the borough council’s last meeting for May; members of South Toms River Community Club baseball suit one of their own up to catch; meanwhile, another teammate swings for the win at the plate; as parents and players between games get some quick relief at the Recreation Center fields con-cession stand.

PAGE 8 June 3rd - June 16th, 2011The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

ISLAND HEIGHTS

Island Heights Community Calendar

Cottage Museum Open The Island Heights Cultural

and Heritage Association’s Cottage Museum, Simpson Avenue, is now open Wednes-days from 2 pm to 4 pm and every third Saturday from 10 am to noon.

~Land Use Board

The Island Heights Land Use Board will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, June 8th at 6:30 pm in borough hall at the Wanamaker Com-plex on Van Sant and East End avenues.

~Council Meeting

The next meeting of the Is-land Heights Borough Coun-cil will be on Tuesday, June 14th at 7 pm in borough hall at the Wanamaker Complex on Van Sant and East End av-enues.

~

Central Ave. Pavilion Restoration Underway

Music Under the Stars at Peto Museum

by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and that he felt “we should entertain discussion with” the anonymous benefactor and the borough resi-dents present regarding going forward on the project.

Councilman Al Gabriel said that he wanted to approach the issue cautiously.

Mr. Taboada stated that Ocean Gate Borough did not have a problem with upper level access in its Wildwood Avenue pavilion across the Toms River, adding that he felt a new staircase could be designed and built at the Cen-tral Avenue pavilion to prevent any individuals from accessing the upstairs after hours.

“I think it’s a great idea using private funds and the $30,000,” said Councilman Greg Heizler. “It’s the centerpiece of our town.”

An early vote to approve the project without many details dis-cussed caused Councilman John Bendel to request a clarification of what exactly the council was voting for.

Mayor Jim Biggs said that the governing body was voting to approve the refurbishing of the pavilion with contributions will-ingly made by a borough citizen and the $30,000, if necessary, but added that a committee of three council members would be ap-pointed to “sit down with the in-dividual and fine tune what they would feel would be an appropri-ate addressing of that improve-ment and then come back for full council approval.”

Mr. Bendel said that before tackling the issue of the up-per level access, that the project should first be concerned with the

ISLAND HEIGHTS – Area residents are invited to gather on the lawn of the newly-christened John F. Peto Studio Museum, Ce-dar Avenue, for a summer solstice celebration between 6 pm and 9 pm on Tuesday, June 21st. Partic-ipants will enjoy a casual supper as live blues and R & B group the Willie Mitchell Collaboration, of Monmouth County, performs.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Albert Holmes stated that they are a “very dynamic band” that specializes “in the blues, but we try to cover as many dimensions as possible. We always have our audience in mind [and] we try to play a little something for every-body.”

Selections from Albert King, James Brown, T-Bone Walker, Sam and Dave, the Temptations, Otis Redding, Clarence Carter and Wilson Picket are part of the band’s regular repertoire.

Co-founder “Mr. [Willie]

Mitchell used to say that we play the jukebox,” added Mr. Holmes. “If you can find it on the jukebox, we usually do it.”

Participants may bring their own refreshments or pre-pur-chase a box dinner prepared by Serenity Café of Toms River. Op-tions include a salad with grilled vegetables and roll for $10 or chicken bruschetta with grilled vegetables, salad and roll for $15. Box dinners must be pre-ordered by June 17th.

The museum collections and buildings will not be open to the public during the event.

Admission is $15 for adults and $6 for children ages six to thir-teen. There will be no rain date. For more information on tickets, box dinners or sponsorship op-portunities, please contact mu-seum staff at 732-929-4949 or e-mail info@petomusueum.org. ~ submitted by Lisa Prothers

By Erik Weber

cont. on page 18

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalThe Central Avenue Pavilion is currently undergoing restoration efforts that officials say will see the reopening of its upper level to the public.

A restoration effort in the 1980s saw the entire pavilion lifted onto temporary supports so that its deteriorated footings may be replaced with new ones.

“Today is the culmination of a very long journey that started in 2005,” stated Ms. Moy, follow-ing a series of commendations to the various individuals, organiza-tions and members of the muse-um board of trustees who worked toward the creation of the studio and museum. “There have been many, many different individu-als and organizations along the way, beginning with the Island Heights Cultural and Heritage

Association.” Peter Kellogg, an area resident,

businessman and philanthropist, became interested in saving the Peto home and began working with the committee in the early stages of the effort.

“Our benefactor and honoree today, Peter Kellogg, accepted the challenge of renovating this house by assembling what I call the “A-Team,” she continued, pointing out that Michael Cala-

fati, of Historic Building Archi-tects in Trenton and member of the studio and museum advisory board, “won the coveted 2010 New Jersey Historic Preservation Award for this house.”

As a result of the sponsors of the inaugural donor plaque, Mrs. Moy announced that the orga-nization “will now have the abil-ity to begin the long process of applying to the National Trust for Historic Preservation Artist Homes and Studios programs.”

“There are 30 such sites across the country and we hope to be the

first in New Jersey,” she added, hoping that patrons would “feel the magic by being transported back to the 19th Century.”

“You don’t have to be a student of 19th Century American art to understand the importance of museums in places like this,” the board president continued. “Whether you’re an artist, a pa-tron of the arts, gardener or his-tory buff, [we] all care about the quality of life of the community in which we live. We all under-stand the importance of the vital-

Peto House Holds Gala Opening, continued from front

cont. on page 20

ISLAND HEIGHTS – Riding the crest of a wave of popular opinion that has for years been growing for the restoration of the pavilion located at the public dock on the corner of River and Central avenues, here,

and owing to the volunteered effort by an unnamed borough resident to contribute directly to the cause, the borough council last week approved the appoint-ment of a committee to begin the process.

Councilman Brian Taboada first brought up the pavilion dur-ing the May 24th meeting, stating that he had been approached by Lake Drive resident Susan “Su-zie” Slack, who was planning to “walk around town with a can collecting funds for repair,” and that word traveled around Island Heights about the idea, causing an unnamed resident who lives adjacent to the site to come for-ward with an offer to fix up the pavilion “out of his own pocket.”

Contacted late last week, Ms. Slack said her idea was dubbed “Pennies for the Pavilion,” and that while she became inter-ested in the project recently, she thought generally restoring the upper level access with the current anonymous benefactor “would be great as I have memo-ries of dancing up there as a kid.”

At the meeting, Mr. Taboada said the borough had approxi-mately $30,000 in public access funds that could also be used as part of the restoration if allowable

OFFICIALS SEEK UPPER LEVEL OPEN TO PUBLIC

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011 PAGE 9The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

ISLAND HEIGHTS

Residents Recall Pavilion Heydays Fondly Boost Your Immune System Ask the Chiropractor with Dr. Steven J. Pollack, D.C.

Wanamaker Organ Presentation

IHYC Brevities Q: I have not been able to get rid of

the flu this year. I think I am getting better then the flu symptoms return again. What can you suggest to help me get rid of the flu once and for all?

A: Yes, this year’s flu seems to be affecting more people than ever and the symptoms are stron-ger and more prolonged. Preven-tion is the best policy, but that won’t help you at this point. How you treat the flu once you get it is based on your belief system in health care. I will give you the natural approach that we suggest to our families and patients.

First, I suggest you boost your immune system with supplemen-tal antioxidants such as vitamin C as well as zinc and calcium. Herb-al remedies containing Echina-cea, golden seal and chamomile can be supportive also. There are many choices and combina-tions of cold remedies available. Herbal teas are also very effec-tive. Always consult a specialist in nutrition to find the best supple-mentation for you as an individ-ual.

What you delete from your di-etary intake is as important as what you add when it comes to boosting your immune system. Minimize caffeine, sugar, salt; dense carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes, pasta and bread, and most importantly eliminate dairy products that cause mucous for-mation. Drinking plenty of water and clear broth fluids is essential to prevent dehydration secondary to fevers. Apple cider vinegar is an excellent detoxification agent that can be gargled with. It can also be used in a hot-air humidi-fier during sleep to break up con-gestion. Fresh lemons and lemon

juice can be used in the same way. Identify any stress in your life

that is presently diminishing your quality of life. If possible, con-front your stress at home, work or in your relationships. Harbor-ing pent-up stress lowers the im-mune system drastically. Find a safe outlet to break up your stress and laugh a lot. When you feel ill changing your state of mind can work wonders for healing.

Chiropractic is an outstanding method of assisting the immune system to fight flu conditions. Chiropractors help balance the nervous system, which directly controls the immune system. When patients tell us they can’t make it in to our office due to having the flu we encourage them to get in—especially on these days to help them heal more ef-ficiently. The patients that do are very grateful.

The final ingredient to fight-ing the flu is plenty of rest. Help your body to help itself.

Quote of the week: “Have the courage to act instead of react.” – Earlene Larson Jenks

Dr. Steven J. Pollack began his career in 1981 and opened his own practice in Beachwood in 1983. He became one of the first certified Chiropractic Pediatric physicians in the United States in 1996 and is a founding member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association. He donates his time to screen hundreds of preschoolers for scoliosis each year. Dr. Pollack can be reached by e-mailing him at questions@pollackhealthandwellness.com or writing to P.O. Box 93, Beach-wood, N.J. 08722.

ISLAND HEIGHTS – Re-sponding to the recent work un-derway at the pavilion located on at the public dock on the corner of Central and River avenues, here, a number of borough resi-dents wrote in with their memo-ries of its earlier years in which entertainment such as dancing to live and recorded music on the upper level at night accompanied relaxing river views and adjacent recreation amenities during the day below. We have printed their stories here alongside one discov-ered in the archives of the Island Heights Culture and Heritage Association.

~From Ms. Eileen O. Fancher:

The founding fathers of Island Heights had a wonderful idea when they built the first pavilion at the foot of Central Avenue. It provided a comfortable gather-ing place for all the town’s resi-dents to enjoy during the summer months. More than a century later, people from all over the area are still coming to savor the comfort of the cool breezes and to watch the passing boats.

Most residents call it the Pub-lic Dock and it has place in the memory of anyone who ever lived in Island Heights. The current structure is the second one built on that site and it has been the scene of weddings, dances, cel-ebrations and gatherings ever since the town was founded in the 1880’s. The design has changed only a little since it was construct-ed. The stairs to the second floor were moved from the center to the sides and now, as a safety pre-caution, have been removed com-pletely so that the top floor is no longer accessible.

My fondest memories of grow-ing up in Island Heights center on that sturdy old structure. I remember the large beach with its metal swings and the swim-ming area with two slides for the children of the town. At the end of the long pier the diving board was a popular place for the older children to gather for the day and practice their athletic skills.

Saturday night dances on the second story were magical with

a five piece live band providing music of the twenties and thirties. A piano was kept in a locked case and although the dampness from the river

kept it pretty much out of tune throughout the whole summer, no one seemed to mind. The musicians changed through the years but one I remember was the drummer, Harvey Quick of Ce-dar Grove, who kept things lively beating out a rapid tempo for the Lindy Hop and other fast dances.

The top floor was filled to capacity with dancers, many of them from towns miles away. The floor was sprinkled with sand and the benches around the edges of the dance floor were jammed with people either too old or too young to dance who served as an admiring audience for the agile couples gliding across the floor.

It’s reassuring to see that the town is keeping the pavilion strong and safe with the flag still flying and the benches still filled with people enjoying the summer weather. Although the dances are long since gone, there are those of us who still cherish the memory of the music floating out over the water on a Saturday night. Others who have come af-ter us will be able to have other memories of times spent there. I hope the Public Dock will stand forever.

~Lynn Lenox wrote: “My moth-

er, Ginny Orth, who was born in 1914 and passed in 2010 often told stories of dancing as a little girl on the second level of the Pa-vilion. There was a stairway go-ing up to the second level.” Susan “Suzie” Slack, who has been an early proponent of the structure’s restoration, including its renewed access to the upper level, also re-called many great memories of dancing there as a child.

Barbara Rooberg, trustee of the Island Heights Cultural and Heritage Association, submitted the following memory of the pa-vilion as written by borough na-tive Joe Bender:

On Saturday evenings the sec-ond floor of the Pavilion came alive with music and dancing, mostly fox-trots and waltzes.

On Monday, June 20th, at 7 pm, the Island Heights Cul-ture and Heritage Association will host Boston Conservatory of Music graduate Richard Seif-ert, of Mukilteo, a suburb of Se-attle, Washington for a Sound and Light Presentation, “The Greatest Musical Wonder in the World,” focusing on a history of the Wanamaker Grand Court Or-gan. The program is identical to that scheduled for presentation at Macy’s 100th anniversary cel-ebration at Wanamaker Organ Day later that week in Philadel-phia.

The Wanamaker Organ, com-prised of thousands of feet of Or-egon Sugar Pine, was originally built in Los Angeles for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and later installed in the Grand Court of the John Wanamaker Depart-ment Store (now Macy’s) in Phila-delphia. There it was first played before over 20,000 people gath-ered on June 22, 1911 to honor the coronation of England’s King George V. Since that day, the or-gan has been played for two con-certs each business day without interruption, and is today a Na-tional Historic Landmark.

The Island Height Yacht Club held its annual commissioning ceremony to inaugurate the 2011 season on Saturday, May 28th for its 113th season. The club was founded in 1898. Present at the event were members of Bridge and Board led by Commodore Don Doran; the ceremony also included several past commo-dores. The flag raising ceremony included the National Anthem, and a wreath was set adrift on the waters of the Toms River to hon-or the nations’ servicemen and women as well as club members who passed away during the prior year. Taps was played.

The club is looking forward to a successful season of regattas and social events. ~ submitted by Alice Askoff.

By Erik Weber

cont. on next page 19

PAGE 10 The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL June 3rd - June 16th, 2011PAGE 10

SCENES ALONG THE RIVER

Area children participated in a tug-of-war contest at Mayo Park, Beachwood during last weekend’s annual Memorial Day picnic.

Volunteers were hard at work picking up litter on the Windy Cove shoreline of Beachwood Beach during the biannual beach sweep earlier this season.

Artists painted an updated version of Beachwood Elementary School’s mascot, the Beachwood Bear, on the recently refurbished 300,000 gallon water tower that stands adjacent to Railroad Avenue, Beachwood earlier this season.

The Beachwood First Aid Squad held their annual flower sale fundraiser at the squad house on Beachwood Boulevard last month.

Beachwood Shade Tree Commission Chairwoman Robyn Paciulli-Griffith presented Beachwood Council President Ronald Roma with a plaque officially designating Beachwood a “Tree City, USA” municipality last month.

Friends volunteered their help in replacing the roof of this original bungalow on Forepeak Avenue in Beachwood last month.

Members of the Beachwood First Aid Squad posed for a quick photo amid cooking and preparing meals for that organization’s first annual pasta dinner fundraiser earlier this season at the Beachwood Volunteer Fire Company hall.

Toms River resident Norma Cevetello snuck away for a break from her duties at Blue Ridge Heating & Cooling, Pine Beach for some kayaking along the shoreline of that borough during a particularly nice day last month.

Kevin Braendly, a video operations manager at Ocean County College’s recently refurbished Robert J. Novins Planetarium, donned a NASA flight suit during the school’s Astronomy Day earlier this season.

Pine Beach Volunteer Firefighter John Serpica served Lamp Post Inn patrons last weekend during the fire company’s annual Tip-A-Firefighter night.

ALL PHOTOS BY ERIK WEBER & PHILIPP SCHMIDT

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011 PAGE 11The RIVERSIDE SIGNALJune 3rd - June 16th, 2011 PAGE 11

PEOPLE YOU KNOW

Longtime Toms River High School South Track and Cross Country Coach Mark O’Leary was caught wearing a rival school’s team shirt at the Pine Beach Town-Wide Yard Sale last month.

Members of the Ocean Gate Historical Society and Ocean Gate Councilman Charles Mailot (far right) worked last month to clean up their grounds and facilities for season, which includes the original Pennsylvania Railroad train depot located on the corner of Asbury and East Cape May avenues.

The Friends of the Beachwood Library held a book and bake sale fundraiser late last month.

Beachwood resident Julie Doherty observes the construction of her new prefabricated home on Spray Avenue near the Railroad Avenue walk/bike trail with brother-in-law Frank Lewicki, present for moral support.

As family, officials and residents looked on, Officer Nicholas Reed Koidl is sworn in by Ocean Gate Mayor Paul Kennedy as a Class I Special Police Officer late last month.

Parishoners from the Pine Beach Chapel sold baked goods, lunch items and donated items during the annual Pine Beach Town-Wide Yard Sale last month.

Concerned Island Heights residents packed borough hall at the Wanamaker Complex last month to get answers about the sharp increase in water usage per user, created to cover the cost of a loan the borough has taken out to obtain a new water tower and water treatment plant. The borough council voted to install a sunset clause in the proposed increase to allow for the possible development of an improved plan in the near future.

The cancellation of the annual Toms River Memorial Day Parade hours after rain stopped falling did not deter township resident Joseph Placente, who carried a one-man parade to honor America’s troops along the abandoned route south on Main Street/Route 166 and east on Washington Street to town hall last Monday morning.

ALL PHOTOS BY PHILIPP SCHMIDT & ERIK WEBER

PAGE 12 The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL June 3rd - June 16, 2011PAGE 12

MEMORIAL DAY

Residents and officials of South Toms River gathered together with members of the United States Submarine Veterans Jersey Shore Base in Mathis Plaza last Monday to honor and recall fallen members of the nation’s armed forces who had fought and died in the name of freedom and democracy.

Borough residents shared in Beachwood’s 96th annual Memorial Day events beginning at 10 am with a memorial ceremony honoring deceased members of the Beachwood Volunteer Fire Company. A bike decorating contest held later that hour presaged the start of the annual parade at 11 am, which included borough officials, volunteers, members of area sports teams and scouting organizations, antique cars and, of course, the decorated bikes. A ceremony honoring all veterans was then held in Neilson Monument Park prior to the Mayo Park picnic, craft fair and children’s games, which kicked off at noon.

ALL PHOTOS BY ERIK WEBER & PHILIPP SCHMIDT

SOUTH TOMS RIVER

BEACHWOOD

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011 PAGE 13The RIVERSIDE SIGNALJune 3rd - June 16, 2011 PAGE 13

REMEMBERING THE FALLEN

Last Sunday morning, Rev. Dr. Gregory S. Bruton, pastor of the Island Heights United Methodist Church, led services for Memorial Day weekend at Letter Park in the borough as members of the Island Heights Volunteer Fire Company stood at attention. An arrangement of flowers was left at the park’s 1962 monument to all borough veterans prior to a second ceremony held on the fire company grounds near the corner of Lake and Maple avenues.

Residents of this tight-knit borough ringed the perimeter of Ocean Gate Veteran’s Memorial Park on Monday along with members of Bayville Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9503 to pay tribune to the men and women who had served the United States with distinction and honor and had made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom.

Borough officials and residents were joined by members of Bayville’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9503 for Pine Beach’s 60th Memorial Day service, held on the grounds of the borough fire company, Prospect Avenue. Councilman and Pine Beach Chapel Board President Barry Wieck gave the invocation, after which VFW 9503 members each took turns honoring their fallen fellow service men and women.

ALL PHOTOS BY PHILIPP SCHMIDT & ERIK WEBER

ISLAND HEIGHTS

OCEAN GATE

PINE BEACH

The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

had raised their two children in the borough and that her plat-form had not changed.

“I always put the residents first,” she said.

Mr. Balazinski, who has re-cently defended accusations that he is either not a resident of the borough or not living in a home, said that he was “uprooted from a residence approximately two years ago, due to harassment to myself and the dwelling occu-pants by Mayor [Ronald W.] Jones [Jr.] and the vigilante commotion and threats received by his asso-ciates and certain officers that he had given promotions to.”

“This began when I exposed Jones for receiving $5,000 in my presence in return for a favor us-ing power of his office, which he later fully admitted in the pres-ence of council and residents at a borough meeting,” he continued. “Since then, I refused to give my physical address to Jones at pub-lic meetings, and I would hope logic would dictate as to why.”

“I’m fully aware that to serve as mayor, a legitimate physical address must be held in the bor-ough, and I agree with that and Title 40,” Mr. Balazinski said. “I’ll disclose those details when I’m elected, of course, and when

Jones is less prone to be able to use certain officers at his disposal for purposes of causing me hard-ship.”

On his campaign for mayor, he said he was “focused on giving Beachwood residents immediate results regarding the borough’s rusty water problem of many years, as well as immediate re-sults in the substantial reduction in property tax and unnecessary municipal spending.”

“I will also be appointing a competent committee of knowl-edgeable and serious residents to enforce and improve Megan’s Law restrictions in the borough, and to implant an upgraded Neighborhood Watch, to assure a higher quality of safety for all our children of Beachwood and bordering towns,” Mr. Balazinski said. “These are not just passing thoughts or campaign promises – these are tangible plans waiting for me to be elected so I can im-mediately enact them.”

“If any of my efforts are ob-structed by the municipal gov-ernment, I will call for a binding public referendum to assure the residents will get what they’ve been asking for all these years,” he continued. “I’m tired of watch-ing voters be made fools for be-

Bonnie Verga

Joel Balazinski

PAGE 14 June 3rd - June 16th , 2011

BEACHWOOD

Two Beachwood Democratic Mayoral Primary Candidates, cont’d from front

Beachwood Police Report Recent Activity By Philipp Schmidt

BeachwoodCommunity Calendar

Environmental Commission Meeting

The next meeting of the Beachwood Environmental Commission will be on Mon-day, June 6th at 7 pm in bor-ough hall on Pinewald Road.

~

Shade Tree CommissionMeeting

The Beachwood Shade Tree Commission will hold its next meeting on Thursday, June 9th at 7 pm in the Beach-wood Community Center on Compass Avenue.

~

Municipal AllianceDance

The Beachwood Municipal Alliance will hold its final dance of the school year on Friday, June 10th from 7:30 pm to 10 pm in the Beach-wood Community Center on Compass Avenue. Open to 5th, 6th, and 7th graders, space is limited, bracelets available for purchase begin-ning at 6:30 pm. Parents must pick up at end of dance at 10 pm. For more information, call 732-286-6000. Dances will resume in the new school year beginning this Septem-ber.

~

Land Use BoardMeeting

The next meeting of the Beachwood Land Use Board will be held on Monday, June 13th at 7 pm in borough hall on Pinewald Road.

~

Council MeetingThe Beachwood Borough

Council will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, June 15h at 7 pm in borough hall on Pinewald Road.

~

Beach Opens!Beachwood Beach will of-

ficially open on Saturday, June 18th to swimmers and visitors. Badges and park-ing passes are required and can be purchased at borough hall during normal business hours from Monday to Fri-day. For more information, call 732-286-6000.

Extended HoursTake advantage of the long

summer days and head over to Jakes Branch for our extended evening hours. Stroll through the nature center, climb up the five story observation tow-er to watch the sun dip low in the sky or take a short nature walk as the moon rises. Fri-days, June 17th, July 15th and August 5th until 9 pm.

~

Live Animal TalksCome in and meet the ani-

mals of Jakes Branch County Park. Visitors will get an up close look at park inhabitants and learn about species. No registration is required, Sun-days, from July 10th until Sep-tember 18th, 1 pm to 1:30 pm.

~

Great Bay Eco-ExcursionSeine Great Bay, walk the

salt marsh, do some beginner birding and learn about other interesting sites along Great Bay, Little Egg Harbor and 7 Bridges Road in Tuckerton. Pack a lunch and binoculars. Long sleeves and insect repel-lent are recommended. Be prepared to get wet and for your shoes to get muddy. Chil-dren must be accompanied by an adult. Pickup is at the Jakes Branch Nature Center park-ing lot on Saturday, June 25th at 9 am. Cost is $14 per per-son, ages eight to adult. Maxi-mum 12 participants.

~

Jakes BranchPark Programs

BEACHWOOD – Lt. Robert L. Tapp reported the following police activity of the Beachwood Borough Police Department:

• On Sunday, May 22nd, bor-ough police received a report of a trash can missing and possibly stolen on the 400 block of Atlan-tic City Boulevard, the value of which is $100.

• On Monday, May 23rd, bor-ough police responded to a re-port of a house burglary during the daytime hours on the 700 block of Ocean Avenue. A safe and personal documents were discovered stolen.

• On Tuesday, May 24th, a green fiberglass canoe was re-ported stolen from the 600 block of Spray avenue.

• On Friday, May 27th, at 4 pm, borough police received a re-

port of a stolen white child’s bike from the 1300 block of Pacific Avenue.

• On Sunday, May 29th, bor-ough police responded to Beach-wood Bicycles, located on the 100 block of Atlantic City Boulevard, for an “alarm condition.” Upon arrival they observed a broken window and determined that no entry was made.

• On Sunday, May 29th, bor-ough police received a report of a tackle box stolen from the bed of a truck while parked in a drive-way on the 800 block of Neptune Avenue.

• On Monday, May 30th at 6 pm, borough police were dis-patched to Beachwood Bicycles, located on the 100 block of Atlan-tic City Boulevard, on a report of

cont. on page 19

On the 20th of May, the Beach-wood Municipal Alliance hosted a wonderful luncheon for the Beachwood Senior Women’s Club at the Beachwood Community Center, Compass Avenue. There were over 50 seniors who enjoyed the luncheon and also the chil-dren ‘s music class from the local school, who sang and danced to all the popular songs.

There was also a guest speaker who explained the advantages of keeping fit by doing a moderate amount of exercise, which will help oneself to keep physically and mentally well. ~ submitted by Ann Wurster, Pine Beach

BeachwoodSenior Luncheon

cont. on page 20

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011 The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

ENJOY LOCAL NEWS? If you’re reading this and thinking, gee! What a great thing it is to read about the real news, people and events of my hometown, then Subscribe To-day! $20 annually to: Riverside Signal, P.O. Box 93, Beachwood, 08722. Cur-rently published every fortnight.

PAGE 15

BEACHWOOD

Beachwood Library, Then & Now

Erik Weber, the Riverside SignalMembers of the Pine Beach and Beachwood fire companies responded to a afternoon.

election. The third attempt also failed for lack of signatures, in August 2010.

Mr. LaCrosse was returned to the governing body last Novem-ber for another three-year coun-cil term, in the same election that saw Mrs. Verga lose her re-elec-tion bid. Mrs.Clark chose not to run.

According to Mayor Jones’ Monday morning press release, he is leaving the governing body to pursue “a new business inter-est formed to lobby constructive legislation, promote entertain-ment, business consultation and bring about various projects ded-icated to green technology and urban reinvention.” The business name associated with the e-mail address from which he sent the press release is Piquant Enter-prises, LLC, and at least as of to-day is listed as being located on Myrtle Lane in Toms River.

Early last month, it was learned that Mayor Jones was no lon-ger living in his Seaman Avenue home, and that inquiries as to

where he was living by borough council members and Mr. Di-Bella resulted in his claiming to be homeless but living in the homes of some Beachwood resi-dents when they allowed him to stay there. Mr. DiBella later stat-ed that Mayor Jones was actually living in the Silver Bay section of Toms River, on Myrtle Lane.

During the June 1st council meeting, Mayor Jones submitted a letter to Ms. Mastropasqua and this newspaper stating that he would not be present at the mat-ter but would reveal his address “after application to the Superior Court to provide protection for my family, house mate and myself (as documented) in the Riverside Signal.” He also asked that “stalk-ers cease from following [his son Steven] as he operates my vehi-cle.”

Mayor Jones’ vehicle was seen parked outside the home on Myrtle Lane multiple times by numerous independent witness-es, including one representative from this newspaper, in the weeks

Mayor Jones Resigns Effective June 10th, cont. from front

cont. on next page 19

Jonathan Zee Makes Eagle Scoutleading up to June 1st.

In the press release, Mayor Jones stated that he is “pleased with my three years advocating the best interest of the Borough of Beachwood, my accomplish-ments as Mayor and selection by my peers to the Board of Direc-tors of the New Jersey Confer-ence and Legistlative Committee of the New Jersey League of Mu-nicipalities. It has become abun-dantly clear to me the political structure here in Ocean County is resistant to innovative ideas, transparency and productive dia-log.”

“I am excited by the prospects of continuing my passion for gov-ernment on a much larger scale.

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalBorough resident Jonathan Zee posed with his family shortly after receiving his Eagle Scout Award during a ceremony at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church last month.

Beachwood Beach Opens June 18th!

The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

With the arrival of warm weather, just about every week-end brings an assortment of art fairs, art shows, exhibits and craft fairs. Some are held in galleries, some in public parks, some in street fairs, and some in schools and churches. The artists, their materials, their choice of subject and the venue of the show all have influence on what type of art shows you may want to experience. Let’s explore a few.

Gallery ShowsGalleries have

the advantage of a fixed location, a relationship with the artists, the correct space to hang paintings or the rooms to hold sculptures. The owners/

managers are knowledgeable in the arts and have experience in dealing with first-time buyers and novice collectors. The open-ing reception for the artist is held at the beginning of the period of

time the artists(s) will have their work prominently displayed. There are usually light refreshments and beverages served at no cost to the public, and there is the opportunity to speak to the artist and gain insight into their work. This is the type of gathering that is glorified in Hollywood and

romance novels, where struggling young artists are “discovered” and enjoy a rapid and successful rise to immortality. In real life,

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011PAGE 16

TOMS RIVER

cont. on page 18

By Erik Weber

Toms River Community Calendar

Wooden Boat Fest The Toms River Seaport

Society and Maritime Mu-seum, located at the corner of Hooper Avenue and Water Street, here, will hold its 33rd annual Wooden Boat Festi-val at Huddy Park on Satur-day, July 16th from 9 am to 5 pm. A free family event, it will feature antique and classic wooden boats both in water and on land, nautical vendors, and the Valhalla’s Pirates, a pirate re-enactor group.

~

TRYC Spring Series Junior Sailing Final

Arts and Artists in Ocean County with Jean LeBaron

TRYC Spring Series Final

Cattus Island Park Programs

Tour Cattus Island by Bike

Cattus Island Park now has adult bicycles and helmets of various sizes to loan out for use within the park. The bi-cycles are free to use with a driver’s license held until their return, and may be borrowed for two hours, seven days a week, between 8 am and 2 pm. They must not be taken out of the park.

~Step Into Spring

It’s amazing what you can find just a few small steps from the Cooper Environmental Center at Cattus Island Park. Spring Azures are spreading their wings. Buds are burst-ing out leaves and flowers. Fiddleheads of ferns are push-ing their way out of the musty loam. Spring is, well… spring-ing at Cattus Island Park. Let a naturalist open your eyes to the wonder on Sunday, May 15th & 22nd from 10 am to 11 am. There is no cost or regis-tration required. All ages.

~ Scales and Tales

Snakes are frequently sub-ject to many myths. Join a nat-uralist as they uncover the real truths about snakes in this live animal presentation on Satur-day, May 14th & 21st and Sun-day, May 22nd & 29th from 11 am to 11:30 am at the Cooper Environmental Center in Cat-tus Island Park. There is no cost or registration required. All ages.

~ Turtle Feeding

The Cooper Environmen-tal Center at Cattus Island Park houses a variety of na-tive turtles, including the Diamond-back Terrapin, the Box Turtle and the Painted Turtle. Naturalists and youth volunteers will be on hand to answer all of your questions while they feed and otherwise care for their native turtles on Saturday, May 21st & 28th and Sunday, 22nd & 29th from 1:30 pm to 2 pm at the Cooper Environmental Center in Cat-tus Island Park. There is no cost or registration required. All ages.

~ Discovery Backpacks

Cattus Island Park has 10 discovery backpacks. The packs, which may be borrowed for free with a driver’s license held until their return, con-tain tools to help families en-joy and learn about the park, including binoculars, several field guides, an audio guide to bird sounds, an aquatic dip net, tools for catching and holding insects, and sev-eral suggested activities and games. The packs are appro-priate for family groups with children of any age.

Jean LeBaron

ON THE TOMS RIVER – The Toms River Yacht Club concluded its 2011 Spring Series on Sunday, May 15th with their final E-Scow and Flying Scot regattas.

Winning the E-Scow class se-ries with an average score of 1.65 was Seaside Park Yacht Club’s John Brown. Jeff Bonanni, of Little Egg Harbor, took second with 1.94 and Toms River Yacht Club’s John Manderson, who did not initially compete in the first regatta of the series but came back with an overall 2.58 score took third.

Randy Hartranft of TRYC, who also did not compete in the first week of the series, took

fourth with the score of 4.08, fol-lowed by fellow club member Joe Thorpe in fifth with 5.92. Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club’s Chris Norman and Pat Flinn held onto sixth and seventh places with 5.92 and 6.50, respectively, and Toms River Yacht Club’s Glenn Shaffer remained in eighth from the pre-vious week’s overall with 6.89. La-vallette Yacht Club’s James Miller held onto ninth with 7.41, with no other participants qualifying for a place.

In the Flying Scot series, Peter Sayia held onto his top spot with 1.35, Rich Kerdock retained sec-ond with 1.88 and Steve Miller took third with 2.29.

ON THE TOMS RIVER – In the Toms River Yacht Club’s Spring Series junior sailing re-sults, Island Heights Yacht Club’s Joseph Laforgia took first in the Opti class with an average score of 2.19, Toms River Yacht Club’s Margaret MacCormack second with 3.60 and Julia Laforgia, also of IHYC, third at 4.95. All three will be traveling to Ontario this

month to compete in the USODA Great Lakes Regatta.

Brianna Dittenhofer held onto a fourth place spot with a final overall of 5.50, and Taylor War-wick was fifth overall with an av-erage score of 6.38.

In the Sunfish class, Allen Dittenhofer bested his two sons, Trace and Troy, with an overall score of 1.29 over their 1.71 and 2.71, respectively.

Junior sailing race coordina-tor, Ann MacCormack, added that Jeff Glosenger, of Lavallette

Yacht Club, and a member of the United States Opti National Team, finished 12th overall at the recent USODA Team Trials held at San Francisco Yacht Club in California.

“Jeff will be representing the U.S. this June in Los Angeles, California for the Opti North Americans,” she said.

For more information on ju-nior sailing at the Toms River Yacht Club, please visit them on-line at www.tryc.com.

ERIK WEBER, the Riverside SignalIn the Sunfish class of the TRYC Spring Series, Allen Dittenhofer bested his two sons, Trace and Troy.

FICTION WRITERS Are you a writer of short or long-form fiction, science fiction, etc. who would like to be featured in these pages? Write us today! Riv-ersideSignal@gmail.com or P.O. Box 93, Beachwood, N.J. 08722

OPTIMIST AND SUNFISH CLASSES

The RIVERSIDE SIGNALJune 3rd - June 16th, 2011 PAGE 17

TOMS RIVER

October 2nd, 1861: Ocean County Rifles Head to War

TOMS RIVER – The following is an account of Ocean County’s first volunteer military com-pany, the Ocean County Rifles, beginning the march to Trenton on September 21st, 1861 to fight for the Union in the Civil War, as originally printed on October 2nd, 1861, in the Ocean County Emblem, the second newspaper in existence in the recently estab-lished county. Its reintroduction to contemporary area residents’ awareness is the result of work performed by historian Patricia H. Burke for the county’s efforts to mark the 150th anniversary of that conflict over the next four years. It appears here uncut, with spelling and formatting errors and differences present.

On Saturday, the 21st. ult., the Ocean County Rifles left the vil-lage, ninty-four strong, accom-panied with a number of our citizens, conveyed in twenty five carriages, with a band of music, flags, &c., for Trenton, there to be mustered into the service of the United States. The events and the day will be memorable in the history of our village and county, and cherished with recol-lections of pride, although associ-ated with the liveliest sensations of grief.

THE FOLLOWING WAS THE ORDER OF ARRANGEMENTS

1.—Precisly at 5 o’clock the bell of the Presbyterian Church commenced to ring, and contin-ued 15 minutes, at the close of which the soldiers were up and ready for breakfast. Thirty min-utes were allowed for breakfast, and fifteen to form in line in marching order.

2. At six o’clock the men were drawn up between the Hotels of Messrs Gravatt and Cowdrick, the carriages were also arranged in line on the street, ready to march on command.

3. At a little past six E.H. Wilks, Esq., in the absence of Rev. Mr. Sharp, who was prevented by sickness, commenced an address to the soldiers. The remarks of the speaker were well timed, em-

bracing sentiments of patriotism and encouragement, seasoned with commendable enthusiasm. At the close of the address and the singing of a patriotic song, called, “The Sword of Bunker Hill,” by George W. Wright, the soldiers and the hundreds of our citizens present, sent up long and loud cheers for the Union, and for the “Ocean County Rifles.”

4. After the salutations and the distributions of little pres-ents from parents, relatives and friends, amoung which we noticed a beautiful boquet, presented to Capt. Page, by Mrs. W. I James, the company was detached into files of five and loaded into the carriages, commencing with No. 1. through.

At about 15 minutes past sev-en the procession was completed and ready to march. In front was the Captain and several citizens, next followed the band of music and flag, then the soldiers and Lieutenants. All things being ready the Capt. gave the word “march,” and the procession moved, passing from Main street into Washington street, down Church street into Water street and from thence back into Main, the band all the while playing an-imated and patriotic music.

In our village was assembled Mothers, Sisters, Fathers & broth-ers of volunteers, whose strong fraternal ties were most touching-ly manifested, by the tears which trickled down their anxious fac-es; by their earnest solicitude and anxious consern for the comfort of their dear ones, by their part-ing salutations, which seemed to stir the soul with the bitterness of death. Here were mothers, giv-ing up their sons—their sons in whom their lives are bound up—young, noble, loving sons—the support and comfort of their de-clining days,—giving them up for the salvation of our Union. Here, too, were fathers, engaged in the same holy duty, and most patriot-ically did they perform that work. But scenes like these are too painful to contemplate; we can only think of them with indigna-tion, when we remember that all

this distress, all this loss of life, all this tearing of hears asunder, all this waste of property, and all the attendant calamities of this war are the results, the fruits of that wicked, Heaven-cursed in-stitution, SLAVERY. In the name and for the extension and Na-tionalization of Slavery, have the Rebels made war upon us and our free institutions. God grant that this war may never end until this foul stain upon our Nation; al escutcheon receives its death

blow, and the blot is washed en-tirely out. Let the patriot blood already spilt, and the warm blood animating the hearts of the thou-sands more, yet to be pourd out, redeem our land from Slavery’s galling chains, and thus remove the cause of all our woe.

~ The remainder of this, as well

as subsequent accounts of our ar-ea’s involvement in the Civil War, will be reprinted in future edi-tions of the Riverside Signal.

Rain: Guadalcanal

It’s raining, coming down as if the sea were overturned.Men stand knee deep in slimeAnd cuss and bless the God that sentSuch things to an already miserable part of rotted earth.Cigarettes turn to sodden paper and dirty brown shreds.Shoes squeak and chageAnd water runs down the necks of men.Into guns and off the small mounds of earth called graves.Dark night falls and it rains.Men squat in water-filled foxholes and curse and pray.A small fortune for a cup of hot coffee,Anything hot, anything dry.God, how it rains!There is no gun fire, no calling birds.No Nip howls of Bansei, just rain.Rain that seeps into supplies, corrodes ammunition,Rain that dampens the spirit and cools the lust for blood.But they go on, through the rain, through the mudCrawling on their bellies,Keeping the fires of their hatred smoldering.They tell themselves, it won’t last much longer, this rain.But it does, it rains and they go on.It used to rain back home,But not like this.Good for the corn. Used to make the smoky citiesSmell clean and fresh.Used to like to walk in the rain.Walk in the rain? Christ, what a laugh?Every once in a while, the wicked zipOf a bullet plops into a rain soaked jacketAnd the blood spurts red, fuses with theDownpour, trickles slowly down and turnsBrown with the mud of ‘Guadal.What the hell, maybe a flower will growThere one day. The ground’s been well fed

~ John Gardella

St. Joseph’s 6th Grader

Courtesy of DENISE PAPIERNIKOn Sunday, May 22nd, Drake Anzano, a 6th grader at St. Joseph’sGrade School, broke the 1200 meter junior division track meet recordfor Monmouth Ocean Catholic schools with a time of 3:57.

The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

into our elections and change our politics. I am sure, even today, that our representatives in Washington are more likely to listen to a lobbyist representing China than to their own constituents.

Today, with the influx of “Ben-nies” and their money marking the official beginning of beach season to our area, it is time to go locavore. The American idea of “homespun” – that is the real Patriot Act. We must protect our local interests and build a microeconomy right here, and we have an ideal window of opportunity to do it while the subwoofers vibrate shore-bound car windows and mus-cle-bound zombies wearing oddly angled Yankees caps parade along our boardwalks.

But how? It’s easy. At the heart of our locavore economy should be a lo-cal currency.

Successfully coined in other areas of the country, local currency in plac-es like the Berkshires have “Berk-shares,” or paper dollars that can be purchased for ninety cents and used

instead of dollars to purchase items at local stores, effectively giving indi-viduals a ten percent discount. Shop-keepers can trade their Berkshares back to the local bank for the original purchase price of $.90.

I have huge ideas about how we could create such a system to bring the “Sand Dollar” to the shore, but that project is far beyond this au-thor’s expertise (or attention span) to initiate. Luckily, the tolerant, long-suffering editorial staff at the Signal has agreed to allow me to coin a cur-rency for you, my readers, in THIS VERY NEWSPAPER!

Without further fanfare, I pres-ent “The Bennie,” which, printed here, is worth nothing, but poten-tially can be exchanged for a penny. Some local shopkeepers I’ve spoken to have agreed to accept a limited number of Bennies instead of pen-nies. Here you’ll find a sheet of ten, or a “Schnoocky” (not to be confused with the moniker of the hit MTV show, our Schnooky stands for Sup-port Commerce Here, Not Outside

Ocean County, Kapish, y’all?). When you purchase something at a local store, and you find yourself a penny or two short, present this article and see if they will accept Bennies instead of pennies. Let’s see if you can get our currency movement to catch on. Who knows? By the end of the summer, I may have printed the shore equiva-lent of a dollar, the One Bada-Bang bill. I hope that everyone wants to play the Bennie game and that shop-keepers will soon be hanging signs in their windows proclaiming, “Your Bennies are welcome here!”

For you shopkeepers, I have pro-vided an added incentive to compel you to accept the Bennies printed on these pages. The week after La-bor Day, you mail your Bennies in or call us for pickup, with the store that turns in the most Bennies winning a free three-issue size B ad run in the Signal, and a signed, first-edition copy of Learning Little Hawk’s Way of Storytelling. Any merchants who want to encourage the Summer of the Locavore can add extra bonus prizes,

so the “pot” will grow throughout the summer.

Don’t look for the big stores to ac-cept Bennies, and don’t look for our monetary system to catch on at chain stores. I don’t think Mickey D’s is go-ing to be taking these paper coins, but even if buying local costs a little more, at least you’ll be playing the “Give a Bennie” game. Just please, wherever you shop, let the local mer-chants know about our little plan. And merchants, even if you accept only a limited number of Bennies, say one per customer, please know we’re doing this for you.

See, the “Give a Bennie, Take a Bennie” program is my personal economic package to jump start our riverside economy. Each week, we’ll print a sheet of ten bennies – one whole Schnoocky per issue. The Riv-erside Signal has become, perhaps, the only newspaper in the county to coin money. What a wonderful return on your subscription price!

Now if only I could figure out a way to pay the cable bill with toothpicks…

By the way, the design of this week’s Bennie comes from Ms. Con-nie SanClair, the woman responsi-ble for the image on the NO CASH VALUE coins we see scattered on roadsides. Her Bennie symbolizes the triumph of the human spirit over things that are “Merely Natural,” like that so-yesterday glowy thing in the sky, the sun. I mean, why sit in the sun when chemistry provides all the shade without the tan lines or harm-ful UV’s? And what’s sweeter than looking more orange than an oom-pa-loompa? Can the sun make you orange? I don’t think so. The symbol of the spray can being greater than the sun is the wonderful irony of the Jersey shore: In order to get a real tan, you have to be awake during the day, or at least awake enough to get into the sun.

And that’s too much work. Way too much work.

(BENNIES LOCATED ON BACK PAGE)

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011PAGE 18

Continued from...

clear. I then reminded him that there was still so much more put into this box, as it was stock-full of love, admi-ration, and hope too. And I spelled it all out.

We cannot allow our children to think that the world owes them a favor. It’s not ok to take family and home for granted. We have to remind them to give back and to be humble and to live each day to the fullest. It’s our responsibility to encourage them to plan and execute and to strive for more greatness than we do. The sim-ple act of telling someone to be amaz-ing goes a long way. Show your child just how much faith you have in them by telling them they can be anything they want to be. The best esteem is built with love from the heart.

I created a description for my son that was vivid and clear and the mes-sage of encouragement prevailed. And I explained that the paper and pen were the best old-fashioned tools

available to communicate with. Leave a note because it’s thoughtful. Write some words from the heart because it’s cheaper and more meaningful than a store bought greeting card. Use paper and pen when words fail you and you have something that needs to be said and heard. We live in an age of technology where text mes-sages, social networking and emails take all the personable touch out of life. No mother could be prouder if she could see her son grow from this.

The most important thing of all was to remind my son that in all of the contents that the box holds, seen and unseen, what should be most treasured was the piece of my heart that I had entrusted to him. I had giv-en it to him on the same date 20 years before. There may have been many times when he had forgotten about it or turned a blind cheek to it, but it was always there and it was always his to keep. And with everything in this

box that he could possibly need, mom put in a great bit of hope to top it off.

As birthday presents go, this was as difficult for me to give to him as it was for him to receive. I’m sure that he will keep this box and the letter with him always and take from it what he needs at times that he needs it. And someday when he is a father and his own child is loosening the lines of communication he will use this same example of love and determina-tion. This box is not only a birthday intervention, but it is a lesson in life, and some of the best lessons we ever learn, we learn the hard way.

As parents if we can’t open the lines of communication with love and truth, then how can we expect to have any kind of relationship with our children? We have to be pro-ac-tive and we have to stay determined. Don’t put off till tomorrow what we can do today. Let’s Get it Right.

Let’s Get it Right, continued from page 2

exterior appearance of the structure, which had fallen into disrepair in re-cent years.

“If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right and not half-assed,” said Mr. Gabriel.

Mr. Taboada said that steps should be constructed leading to the second floor, but Mr. Gabriel was sure that the second floor boards would first need replacing.

The borough council unanimously approved the project and the forma-tion of the committee, consisting of Mr. Taboada, Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Heizler.

Following the meeting, Mr. Taboa-da stated that he has been a “huge proponent” of the restored public ac-cess to the second floor “even before I was on council. At one meeting years ago I asked why we could not open up the second floor. Since visiting the second floor this past week, my resolve to open it up has only been heightened. The views from up there are terrific and it is a huge disservice to the residents of the town that such access is not made available to them.”

Mr. Bendel was also personally en-thusiastic about opening the second floor, but felt that if it could not be done, the aesthetic restoration of the pavilion would still “be great – all the more so if it’s at no cost to taxpayers.”

Two days later, according to Mr. Taboada, a pair of local architects volunteered their service in restoring the pavilion and the New Jersey De-partment of Environmental Protec-tion agreed to allow the borough to use the $30,000, but that Mr. Gabriel had begun “talking to [the anony-mous benefactor] and approving work without knowledge or consent of [the] committee,” which he said Mr. Gabriel later denied ever happen-ing. Further discussion between Mr. Taboada and the anonymous bene-factor’s lawyer led to a verbal agree-ment that “no work is to proceed without mayor approval.”

Mr. Taboada then said that the fol-lowing Tuesday, May 31st, work be-gan on the pavilion without mayoral

approval, which the councilman said he confirmed with Mayor Biggs.

“I then spoke with Al who then went to speak with the mayor. Appar-ently the mayor approved the work requested by Al since he already ap-proved it as the council president,” said Mr. Taboada. “Since that time, [the] mayor has not been available.”

“The fact is that Al never wanted the second floor opened up. Why, I do not know,” he continued. “Greg [Heizler] and myself went up there with public works to look at the is-sues surrounding opening up this pa-vilion second floor to the public. Al made agreements contrary to those made at council and hid them from the governing body. The mayor then backed him but made himself un-available even with messages left.”

The next day, on June 1st, the Riv-erside Signal received an e-mailed message from Mr. Taboada that was also addressed to other council mem-bers stating that Mayor Biggs and Mr. Gabriel “apparently authorized the laying down of ¾” plywood over the floor of the pavilion,” a claim that Mr. Gabriel later that day stated was an incorrect rumor, claiming he was working with a crew to only “cleaning it up and getting it painted” and in-stall new netting to prevent pigeons from nesting in the upper level.

Mr. Gabriel added that the sec-ond floor would be reopened to the public, and that he was part of the earlier restoration of the pavilion in the 1980s that saw the entire struc-ture lifted onto temporary pilings so that the footings beneath it could be rebuilt, with cleaning and painting following that.

Mayor Biggs assessed the events surrounding the pavilion to that point and said “I think there’s just some noses out of joint and as far as I know everything is progressing as to schedule; we do have a commit-tee, they’ve looked it over and they’re proceeding, the majority is, but we do have individuals who like to give an opinion on everything that is done and don’t necessarily feel that what

we may be doing exactly includes what their opinion may be.”

“We’ve got two individuals in town who are supporting this project both in manpower and in dollars and we have run it by everyone and all but one or two are moving along with it and are satisfied with it,” he contin-ued. “Now that other municipalities plural or singular have been able to show that you can have a pavilion and still keep it secure, I think some peo-ple who had definite ideas as to the impossibility of that are now coming around and saying, ‘Gee, we can do it here, too!’”

Mayor Biggs declined to confirm or deny whether he was talking about Ocean Gate and its Wildwood Av-enue pavilion, which was originally constructed approximately 90 years ago, was demolished as a result of heavy storms in 1992, rebuilt largely using volunteers and donated funds in 1997 and continues to allow public access to the second floor to this day.

Island Heights “is a town that’s always been involved one way or an-other and we passed a period where that involved an absent administrator and now we’re doing some things and some people are just trying to catch up,” said Mayor Biggs. “I don’t want to belittle or in any way be deroga-tory because then that can stop some progress, I just think that some peo-ple are seeing things done and want a little more platform. If they were arguing with me, who’s only driven a nail in a fence, that’s one thing, but when you start arguing with two ar-chitects and the former building code enforcer then you have to say ‘Wait a minute, guys, calm down.’”

He added that the borough was trying to again return some of the features available to earlier residents for contemporary and future use.

The next meeting of the borough council will be held on Tuesday, June 14th at 7 pm in borough hall on the Wanamaker Complex at Van Sant and East End avenues.

Cipriani, continued from page 6

this does not happen very often, but it is a very enjoyable and dig-nified way to spend an evening, rubbing elbows with the artist and other art supporters and pa-trons. I highly recommend them.

Street FairsStreet Fairs are an excellent

way for families to introduce art to their children, as there are usually other vendors participat-ing. Food vendors, street per-formers, musicians, artists and craftspeople are set up in the street, which is closed to vehicles, and there is a happy mix of some-thing for everyone: face-painting and balloons for the kids, cheese steak and fries for Dad, and a lovely vase or painting or jewelry for Mom. These items tend to be more moderately priced, in my experience, than those found in a gallery or gift shop atmosphere, although some artists also display a few high-end items as well, to establish their expertise. Most items found in a street fair envi-ronment are consumer friendly, and priced for impulse buying. This is a casual, fun and eclectic exhibit, and you never know what you’ll find there!

Fine Art Fairs and ShowsFine art fairs and shows can be

found in almost any setting, from public spaces, parks, held in pri-vate homes, corporate buildings, hospitals, lawns and beaches, boardwalks; you name it.

It can be a small group show of as little as half a dozen artists, or it could be miles of aisles of booths and tables. Some of these shows are juried, and some are open. A juried show requires that the artist submit photos or ex-amples of their work, and a panel of jurors decides whose work is accepted into the show. It may be a theme requirement such as size of work, subject, or medium (oils, acrylics, watercolors, min-iatures, pastels, etc.) or it may be a quality or technique decision. Juried shows also sometimes in-clude prizes for first, second, and third places; honorable mention or viewers’ choice awards. These prizes may be monetary, certifi-cates or ribbons. Non-juried, or open, shows generally allow any-one to enter, although there may be certain restrictions concern-ing nudity or controversial sub-jects when shown in public spac-es. These are wonderful shows to attend as there is normally a vast array of subjects and techniques,

and the artists are most likely the ones who are manning their booths, thus allowing a great chance of one-on-one conversa-tion with the creator of what one sees. Also, when dealing with the artist directly, you may have an opportunity to discuss a commis-sion or payment plan which suits both parties. Depending on the setting and size of each art show, these can be casual, formal, or anywhere in between.

Craft FairsCraft Fairs are also generally

family-friendly, sometimes offer-ing such add-ons as bake sales, lunch counters, and kids’ activi-ties. Generally held at schools, firehouses, churches, and other similar settings, they offer a wide array of both fine art, and craft items. Some craft shows I have attended have a “Children’s Shop,” where kids can spend any-where from .25 to $3.00 or so and choose something just for them. Cute idea, and the kids are more apt to want to spend time there if they know they can buy some-thing, too. These are great places to pick up gifts for family mem-bers, and teachers, co-workers, shower presents, et cetera, with-out breaking the bank. Lots of fun and affordable, and you may even bring home dessert!

So, which show to go to?If you are uncertain, contact

the host and ask how long they have been hosting art shows, if it has a large following, the size of the exhibiting group, and if it is family friendly: strollers al-lowed, rest rooms, large (expen-sive) breakable items? Whether it is a fund raiser (Host receives entry moneys and/or a percent-age of sales) or private (artist gets the money) or a combination (art-ist gets a portion, fund raiser gets a portion) or a true auction (artist donates artwork and fund rais-er gets all sales), it’s important for you, the consumer, to know where your money is ultimately going. If you decide to go, I’d offer a couple of unwritten rules: ask permission before touching the artwork, never take photos without the artist’s okay, wait un-til you are out of earshot before commenting that your 3-year-old paints better than that and above all, talk to the artist and ask ques-tions. Artists love to talk about their work, almost as much as they enjoy creating it!

Pavilion Restore, continued from page 8 LeBaron Art, continued from page 16

The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

Beachwood Dem. Mayoral Primary, from page 14

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011 PAGE 19

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Jones Resigns, cont. from page 15 Dear Editor, the Riverside Signal:

After reading the article in the May 20th to June 2nd edition of the Riverside Signal, regarding Mayor Ron Jones’ claim of being homeless and accompany-ing story, I was compelled to make this statement. 1. Regarding Jones: If he is staying with people in Beachwood, then he isn’t homeless—period. That’s just a change of address, so I’m uncertain as to the reasoning behind his claim except a lawsuit was mentioned if an attempt to remove him was made, so I speculate it’s another one of his “get rich quick” schemes. If Jones is living with someone out of town, he still isn’t homeless, but neither is he a resident—and according to law, and Title 40, he can’t serve as mayor under those conditions, and the mayor’s office is VACANT. He may not like the truth, but I’m sure Bin Laden wasn’t pleased about the way things worked out in the end either—but that’s the way it is. 2. Moving on, Bonnie Verga made a statement claiming she “wasn’t tak-ing sides,” and that she was “remaining neutral,” this while making a direct statement that “any official candidate should not serve nor run if they aren’t a resident.” That certainly doesn’t sound neutral to me. In fact, it sounds a lot like she slipped in a cheap shot at creating negative publicity against my campaign for mayor of Beachwood. I’ve been civil thus far because I will not run a childish smear campaign. 3. Which brings me to the municipal clerk, Bette Mastropasqua, and her alleged statement that Superior Courts will “bend over backwards to allow someone to vote or run for office.” (Bearing in mind that she was being quoted by Mayor Jones, who has been known to twist the facts). If she did say that, I consider it unprofessional and condescending, and suggest that she have the courage to call the Superior Court judges, explaining that she knows how they will rule on a case prior to it being heard. I would love to hear the response. I’m sure that she would be even more “red in the face” than the day I handed her my petition for candidacy—when she made her annoyance of my running clear to me and “all” present. 4. Now, to clarify the question of my residency. If I wasn’t legally eligible to run and campaign for mayor of Beachwood, I would have been denied from the start. I am FULLY in compliance with all requirements governing eligibil-ity and I AM a Beachwood resident. I am also a registered Beachwood voter. Title 19 further substantiates any other questions pertaining to my eligibility, so I’m a little concerned over Municipal Clerk Bette Mastropasqua’s attempt to “taint” my campaign with “negative and false” statements based upon her personal feelings. Those interested in contacting me with questions may reach me at facebook.com/J.BalazinskiforMayor , e-mail me at jbcampaign@yahoo.com, or send letters to P.O. Box 158, Beachwood, N.J. 08722.

Joel Balazinski

Beachwood

lieving the empty promises and signed contracts not honored by am-bitious candidates.”

Polls will be open Tuesday from 6 am to 8 pm. Polling places are

assigned by residence and are lo-cated at the Beachwood Community Center, Compass Avenue, and the Beachwood Volunteer Fire Company, Beachwood Boulevard.

My work on the successful passage in Congress of HR-847 (James Zadroga Health and Compensation Act) made me realize I possess a special gift. I am determined to utilize these skills, experience and professional contacts to affect the masses in a more posi-tive way,” he continued. “My legacy in Beachwood will prove to be my creation of environmental programs representing more than just window dressing.”

The mayor then listed a number of initiatives introduced and approved by himself and various members of the governing body throughout the past few years, and closed by stat-ing that he is a father before he is a government official, and that he left his position in the Borough of Beach-wood to be with a woman he had fall-en in love with.

Mayor Jones did not respond to further inquiries made by the River-side Signal at presstime.

The Democratic Club of Beach-wood will now select three possible candidates for mayor to fill out Mayor Jones’ unexpired term, from which the governing body will select one to appoint.

A number of the mayor’s past as-sociates, allies and public adversaries commented on his resignation.

“I have left two messages for Mayor Jones since hearing this news and as of now he has not returned my calls,” wrote Council President Ron Roma in an e-mail to the Riverside Signal at 5 pm Monday. “We as a community must move forward and try to regain our good name. I will continue to do the duties of council president and continue to do my best to represent Beachwood positively and to act on initiatives that will make Beachwood both successful and strong in years to come. My record demonstrates that I am a responsible citizen, active vol-unteer and councilman with concrete accomplishments.”

“It’s just a surprise to me, but I wish him the best in whatever he does,” stated Councilman Steve Komsa.

Joel Balazinski, a former associate who in recent years challenged the mayor on a number of his actions fol-lowing being elected to office, ques-tioned the timing of his resignation.

“I’m wondering why news of it came before the primary,” he said. Mr. Balazinski is currently running in Tuesday’s Democratic mayoral primary against Ms. Verga. “I know firsthand that Ron Jones was unable to stay in Beachwood due to a land-lord-tenant matter and for him to at-tempt to remain as mayor would have been like beating a dead horse.”

Robyn Griffith, a Democratic council candidate in this year’s elec-tion, said that “like any public official you have your ups and downs and he has done some positive things for this community but what you have to re-ally get here is that with all the posi-tives come some negatives and what I really believe is that Ron did the best for the community for his time in of-fice but basically now we have to wor-ry about the people of Beachwood.”

She added that civility would need to return to borough meetings.

Pat Barndt, who is also running on the Democratic council ticket, wished him well in his new venture.

“I am currently getting our com-mittee members together to review the process for filling the vacancy,” she said. “I believe we will be select-ing three candidates to submit to the council and they will choose one.”

“We have some very good peo-ple interested in the position,” Ms. Barndt continued. “Certainly one of them will be our qualified mayoral candidate, Bonnie Verga.”

Multiple attempts to reach Mrs. Verga were unsuccessful due to a continuous busy signal on her home phone line.

Mr. Dibella said that “I think that it’s the best thing for the commu-nity. It’s time to move forward and put someone competent in office to take his spot, and I would offer my assistance to whoever succeeds him to work with me for the benefit of the

community.”He was also critical of the mayor

for what he called taking credit for accomplishments of others, including environmental initiatives achieved by the “tireless” effort of former bor-ough environmental chairman Rob-ert Clark and his wife, Councilwoman Clark.

“[Mr. Clark and I] didn’t always see eye to eye but any environmental is-sues that moved forward from anyone in the Democratic party would have been produced by Robert and Tina Clark, not Ron Jones,” he added.

Jayne Moorman, who chairs the borough’s environmental commis-sion, reflected upon his tenure in working with her as being generally positive.

“All the time that I had worked with him and the environmental commission, he had always been ded-icated to the environment, attending beach sweeps and contributing posi-tive suggestions whenever he could,” she said. “He’s been more helpful than any of the council liaisons since I’ve been chair.”

“He was a pleasure to work with and when I was able to reach him – sometimes he was hard to reach – but when we could work together we got a lot done,” she added.

Sal Murante, a retired member of the Beachwood First Aid Squad who ran into conflicts with the may-or shortly after he took office with regard to the construction of the squad’s new building, now complet-ed, said that “I think that’s the best thing that’s happened to Beachwood in the last two years, and hopefully we’ll have better luck than we did with the last Democrat.”

“Instead of destroying the town, maybe they should work together,” he added.

The next meeting of the Beach-wood Borough Council will be held on Wednesday, June 15th at 7 pm in borough hall on Pinewald Road.

volunteer-based membership orga-nizes many fun-filled events, such as the Commodore’s BBQ, A Victorian Tea, Red White and Blue Night, Taco Tuesdays, Chinese Auction Night, country line dancing lessons, ice cream socials and more.

The club also has a beautiful ban-quet room overlooking the Toms River that is available for rental both to members and non-members. Acco-modating approximately 90 people, it is available from mid-September through mid-June. For details, please call Joella at 732-995-1006. ~ submit-ted by Lynda Kennedy

It’s a wonder the floor did not cave in from all the dancing! A four-piece orchestra

provided the music. On those Saturday nights I would go to all the dances but only watched. I remem-ber one summer morning when I was about 11 years old, I was at the Pub-lic Dock listening to Captain Johnny Page, who lived nearby on Jaynes Av-enue and Mr. Hierholzer, a summer resident who lived on Van Sant Av-enue, swapping stories. While talk-ing about how they could improve the looks of the Pavilion, they decided to draw a compass on the floor of the pavilion, three feet in diameter, about ten feet in from the boardwalk.

The degrees and directions on the compass were very accurately cali-brated by these two men. The used many different colors to paint the compass, with Captain Johnny sup-plying the paint from his paint shop at home. I was pleased to have been present at its inception. This was a real work of art designed by Catain page and Mr. Hierholzer and I hope the compass had been refurbished in later years.

~

Regular updates as to the progress at the pavilion will appear in future editions of the Riverside Signal.

Pavilion Memories, continued from page 19 OGYC, cont’d from page 2

The RIVERSIDE SIGNAL

Dover Road resident Linda Flynn criticized Midtown Pizza’s recently opened banquet hall for noise and light pollution, in addition to pos-sible public drinking and rowdiness that occurs during some events held there.

“I’m having a problem and my neighbors are having a problem,” she began. “We live across from the strip mall on Dover Road, with Midtown Pizza, and they opened a banquet hall, which is fine, but the music is so, so loud, shaking every window at two or three in the morning.”

She said that she had called bor-ough police on numerous occasions,

and that drinking at the establish-ment has carried on outside as pa-trons are not permitted to smoke inside and therefore bring their drinks, along with their alleged row-dy behavior, which includes breaking glass, into the parking lot. Ms. Flynn also stated that a number of patrons outside drinking appeared to be un-derage, and that the strobe lights used during many of the events cut right into her home as the restaurant appeared to not have any curtains blocking the windows.

“They’re walking through the neighborhood at all hours of the night,” she continued, adding that

the owner of the strip mall said he couldn’t do anything about it, and that she was concerned as with the warmer weather the noise and light pollution would be more readily heard and seen due to windows being open more often.

“It’s getting ridiculous,” said Ms. Flynn before asking what the bor-ough could do to “stop it or tone it down.”

Members of the South Toms River First Aid Squad, present during the meeting, concurred with Ms. Flynn’s account, and had in the past ap-proached the borough council about patrons of the restaurant parking on

their adjacent property. “I did call myself [to the restau-

rant],” said Ms. Flynn. “I called and the first time they did lower it then it was loud again, and it happens every weekend or so.”

Following her statements, there was some discussion as to whether or not the borough had a noise ordi-nance on the books to enforce, and Mayor Champagne said that he “un-derstands she needs to run a busi-ness, but there needs to be a balance, and we take this very seriously.”

ity the arts bring to a community, and as you look around it’s easy to under-stand why Peto came here in 1889. All of us here have an extraordinary ability to build upon that legacy, and that will benefit all of New Jersey for generations to come.”

Addressing Mr. Peto’s great-great-granchildren present, Ms. Moy said that “we don’t want to stop at just preserving history, we also want to honor the present and help shape what could be the future, and for all of the Isabelles, Phoebes and Ians of today and tomorrow, I hope that all of you will join us as we pursue our next steps in our mission.”

Mayor Biggs next addressed those present, saying that he wanted to let everyone know “how thrilled we are and how proud we are that this facil-ity has been preserved, and that you all have worked as hard as you have, and how diligently you have sought to provide the information to make Peto again come alive for each of us.”

“I had the privilege, about 40 years ago, of being the pastor of the church here in town when Peto’s daughter was still alive and very ac-tive and a part of the community,” he continued. “She loved this home, she worked hard to preserve it, and so did her daughters. They made great con-tributions to the home, to their moth-er and they were loyal and wonderful people who sought in so many ways to preserve this legacy.”

On the artist himself, Mayor Biggs said that “one of the things I found so interesting when I first came here was to learn about John Peto, and then someone brought me a piece of paper from a funeral home, wherein John Peto arranged a funeral for an individual that he had care of, and the undertaker being very thorough wrote down all the information that was necessary so that the pastor about to have the funeral would know what to say, when to say it and how to say it.”

Reading from the paper, Mayor Biggs stated, “He listed a group of questions beginning with this: ‘Cause of death?’ And John Peto said, ‘Old age.’ The next question was, ‘Dura-tion of illness?’ to which John Peto wrote, ‘Complaining for years.’”

“I have a feeling that what has been done here in the past few months and leading to today, through the gener-osity of Peter Kellogg and certainly the labor and the effort and the gen-erosity of the committee that estab-

lished itself and worked diligently to do this, John Peto might say, after all these years, not complaining, but praising and being thankful for the opportunity to do good, to raise good families and to establish a legacy that everyone can be proud of,” he contin-ued. “We in Island Heights are proud of each of you, all of you who have made this possible.”

Mayor Biggs then stole a quick mo-ment for a plug of his borough that is becoming something of a tradi-tion at town events, beginning at last month’s Kiwanis Daybreak 5K awards ceremony.

“Take your time riding through Island Heights. It’s a beautiful town. We have a number of properties for sale!” he said, eliciting laughter from those present. “I know that there is a sense of eagerness and desire to come to Island Heights. We will wel-come you, and your taxes, with open arms. Enjoy this day. I did say to the newspaper, ‘You notice how nice it is on this side of the river? The sun al-ways shines in Island Heights!’ Thank you.”

Ocean County Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari next addressed the crowd, saying that one thing very im-portant to the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders is “the culture and history of Ocean County. It’s not just restoring the 1850 courthouse or the Bishop Library. Between New York and Philadelphia there are a lot of museums, and sometimes we miss that, but you’re giving our young-sters, our students in school, around 80,000 of them, an opportunity to someday get a taste of what this is all about, and to give them a new desire.”

The freeholder director then thanked Peter Kellogg for his con-tributions and those volunteering their time to restore and operate the studio and museum, and presented the board with a framed certificate that stated: “John F. Peto Studio Museum, for preserving this world-class artist’s legacy by maintaining his Island Heights house and studio as a working museum so that artists of this generation may be inspired by the environs in which his creativ-ity flowed, and visitors may learn of the achievements of John F. Peto, who lived and worked in this community from [1889] to 1907.”

Ms. Moy next returned to present Mr. Kellogg and his wife, Cynthia, with an original painting of the Peto house by Jean C. Wetta as a thank

you from the board of trustees. Fol-lowing that, Mr. Peto’s great-great-grandchildren joined Mr. Vicari and Mr. Kellogg to cut the ribbon on the house, officially opening it to tours and visitors thereafter.

A reception and silent auction was then opened for all present on the grounds and gardens of the new museum. Tours through the house offered patrons a rare one-day-only look at a number of original paint-ings by Mr. Peto, all of which were on loan from museums and private col-lections.

Members of the John F. Peto Stu-dio Museum Board of Trustees in-cludes, besides Ms. Moy, retired area arts educator Harry L. Bauer, as vice-president and chairman of education programs; Frederick L. Rosenfeld, treasurer, who Ms. Moy said was “al-ways asking me, ‘How much did that cost?’”; Sarah E. Punderson, author of three self-guided walking tours of historic areas of Island Heights, in-cluding the riverfront, Westray and camp meeting tours, as secretary; Alice E. Askoff, who Ms. Moy said was “responsible for getting all the original Peto paintings on loan” for the gala opening; Betsy J. Hyle, a past borough councilwoman who works on publicity and marketing for the studio and museum and acts as the group’s community liaison; and Don-ald D. Roberts, who in recent years has led the efforts of riverfront native grass plantings along River Avenue and is currently leading the team in recreating Mr. Peto’s studio.

Also involved with the trustees are volunteer coordinators Chetra E. Kotzas, who is in charge of the gar-den programs and Barbara Rivolta, collections manager. Regina Rosetto organized the gala opening.

Mr. Calafati and Peter H. Brink, the retired senior vice president of programs for the National Trust for Historic Preservation comprises the museum’s advisory board.

The restoration involved a num-ber of professional teams besides Mr. Calafati’s Historic Building Archi-tects, including general contractor Robert Frizell Builders of Bamber Lake, site planning and engineer-ing by East Coast Engineering of Toms River, landscape architect Bar-retto/Dowd Landscape Architecture of Howell; and historic research by Zakalak Associates of Red Bank. Ed King served as the museum’s project manager.

June 3rd - June 16th, 2011PAGE 20

Continued...

last race we did win we were all in just absolute shock, just jumping up and down. My crew and I were shaking we were just so excited, and then we started to get interviews and every-thing and that’s when it really kind of set in, then after that our phones and everything kept blowing up. That’s when it really sank in for us.”

“I was so happy, it still hasn’t really set in because I’m still out here,” said Ms. Hall. “I think it’ll set in once I’m back home with my friends and fam-ily – it’s an awesome, awesome thing.”

Ms. Hawkins, a junior at the uni-versity majoring in secondary edu-cation with concentration in math, recalled growing up sailing as a resi-dent of Ocean Gate and member of the borough yacht club.

“I started sailing when I was about six years old [and] my brother is three years older than me, so he was sailing at Ocean Gate, and then I started watching him and when I was old enough to start I started sailing ‘Optis’ [Optimists] there and then we became part of a private travel team and started travelling all over the world,” she said. “I lived on the water in Ocean Gate my whole life so I’ve always been surrounded by sailboats and everything so every year I was just drawn back into it.”

The now-national champion cred-ited her brother, Todd, with inspiring her on the water.

“I definitely learned a lot from my brother, watching him and watching him excel – he’s really my role model in sailing and I always wanted to fol-low in his footsteps,” she said. “He al-ways made world championships and everything, and I’ve never been to a world championships [but] I always wanted to try and be right up there with him and he kept me going at it.”

Ms. Hall, today a junior studying physical therapy at the university, said she didn’t enjoy her early start at the Metedeconk River Yacht Club in her hometown.

“My parents worked and it was something for me to do all summer, and when I first started sailing I abso-lutely hated it and cried every day for like the first two years,” she recalled. “I liked it after I got over being so scared, and I did really well.”

In high school, the Brick native said she started sailing with Ms. Hawkins, and that when the time came they both looked for a school with a good sailing team, leading them to the University of Rhode Is-

land. Today she continues to sail out of the club when home, and said she feels sailing is important for area youth to get involved in.

“I think sailing really builds a lot of character and morals, and I know without sailing I wouldn’t be the same person I am today,” Ms. Hall said. “It taught me a lot of my morals and values and it just teaches kids how to deal with different situations.”

Ms. Hawkins, who coaches junior sailing at the Ocean Gate Yacht Club in the summer, agreed.

“I have a lot of cousins that now go there, and I know they love sailing just as much as I do so it’s kinda cool to coach [them],” she said, adding that she hoped her win would high-light more female sailors from the Toms River and Barnegat Bay area. “There are a lot of good women skip-pers and women sailors in general that came from Toms River.”

Ocean Gate Yacht Club Corre-sponding Secretary Lynda Kennedy said that the club was “very proud to have Amy pass through our program, triumph in such great challenges and return to us to share her knowledge.”

“With her help and that of the other qualified instructors, the ba-sics of sailing, including learning to control the flow of wind over your sail and mastering the mechanics of us-ing a rudder and tiller to direct your boat are accomplished in a matter of hours,” she continued. “However, mastery of sailing takes time on the water in all kinds of conditions

Before getting off the phone, the national champions thanked those who encouraged them through the years.

“I’d like to thank my parents, the Metedeconk River Yacht Club for giving me a strong foundation, and my high school sailing coach, Brian Hall,” said Ms. Hall.

Ms. Hawkins thanked “everyone back home [who] has been such a great support.”

“You know our team is a club sport so every year a lot of people get let-ters in the mail asking for donations for our team, and everyone who sends us money is not only helping us [but also] our school and our sail-ing team,” she continued. “I’d like to thank my family, my parents, grand-parents, aunts and uncles because they’re always my biggest support throughout anything with winning, losing, you know.”

Women’s National Regatta, cont’d from page 2Peto House Holds Gala Opening, continued from page 8

suspicious juveniles at the rear of the business. The investigation, which in-cluded the assistance of witnesses and South Toms River Borough Police, resulted in the arrest of a male juve-nile. The investigation is currently ongoing, and anyone with informa-tion can contact Detective Sgt. Glen DeMarco at 732-286-6000.

• On Monday, May 30th, Chris-tina Bondonese, 21, of Bayville, was arrested and taken into custody near the corner of Route 9 and Longboat Avenue by Ptl. Adam Griesemer at approximately 2 am on a charge of driving under the influence.

South Toms River Council Meeting, continued from page 6 Beachwood Police Blotter,continued from page 14