All Around Matawan-Aberdeen, October-2022

Save The Date!

MATAWAN-ABERDEEN VOL 1, NO 2

WELCOME TO FALL IN MATAWANABERDEEN! As summer is now becoming a memory, we prepare for a busy and productive fall in our Matawan Aberdeen Chamber of Comm e r c e a n d c o m mu n i t y.

I would like to take a moment to thank all of our Matawan Day sponsors, vendors and volunteers for their generosity, time and effort in making Matawan Day a pleasant and memorable event for our community.

The chamber is honored to have had the opportunity to help coordinate this event.

I would also like to introduce our newest members to the Chamber that have joined us since July; Blue Umbrella Waterproofing, Chop Studios, Donna Bruno, Sales Associate Coldwell Banker Realty, Function Forward Physical Therapy, Greyshore Studios, Hear Well Center, Jason Peist, Architect, Matassa Real Estate @ Wildfire Realty, Only Nail Studio, Pivotal Pilates, Prudential Advisors – Daniel Krause, Serenici Yoga, Studio 34, Thrivent Financial,. Please reach out to any of them for products and services you may need.

To members of the business community, please join us for Continue on page 22

Matawan - Halloween spooktacular 10/29 page 16 Aberdeen - Halloween house decorating contest, page 22

A Publication for the community of Matawan & Aberdeen

“The best part of Aberdeen Day is seeing all the smiling faces of our residents of all ages. The families at the Family Fun Zone enjoying the rides, games, pony rides was great to see. A fun time was had by all at every venue.”-Fred Tagliarini, Aberdeen Mayor More photos on page 10

HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR MHS GHOST TOURS

By Cathy Zavorskas

The Halloween season will be a memorable one for those attending Matawan Borough’s Halloween Spooktacular and the Matawan Historical Society’s Haunted History Ghost Tours on Saturday, October 29, 2022.

The Matawan Recreation Department has planned an exciting day that begins at 1:00 pm at Hourihan Field, 201 Broad

Street, when kids can trick or treat along Candy Lane and receive an assortment of Halloween candy sponsored by local businesses and organizations.

Kids and families will have the chance to participate in contests, and take advantage of the bounce house, and other fun activities offered during the afternoon.

The day continues with a live music concert by Stretch and The Armstrongs from 4:00 pm – 6: 00 pm with plans to include a Beer & Wine Garden. The day wraps up with the Matawan Historical Society’s annual Haunted History Ghost Tours.

Since 2016, the Haunted History Ghost Tours have become a main staple in Matawan during the Halloween season and have continued to

grow in popularity. New stories are added each year and includes Matawan history woven into stories about ghostly presence in commercial buildings and private homes. Tickets and information about the tours will be available at www.MatawanHistoricalSociety.org and its Facebook page where they will have details about the event.

Mark your calendars and get your costumes ready for a day of Spooky fun, activities, and entertainment at this year’s Matawan Borough Halloween Spooktacular.

For more information about the afternoon activities and concert information, please v isit w w w.Mat awanB orough.com or the Borough of Matawan Facebook page.

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OCTOBER 2022

MAYOR’S MESSAGE

Matawan Mayor Joseph Altomonte Summer is over, and a new season is upon us. I want to take this opportunity to thank the people of Matawan who work to make all our events a success.

Our Matawan Day plan has become bigger and better every year because of the hard work of our Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Business Devel-

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opment Commission, and the many volunteers. In addition, our Borough Hall employees, including our police, fire, public works department, EMS, CERT, and others, work hard to make it a success. Seeing and speaking with so many people on Main Street was amazing.

Downtown has dramatically improved, yet we have still maintained our small-town feel. We should all be proud that many people want to come and celebrate Matawan with us.

Later this month, we will have our Halloween Spooktacular Day on October 29th. We will begin at 1 pm with kids’ events and there will be plenty of treats! Next will be a concert for the whole family at 4 pm at Hourihan Field

by Borough Hall. After the show, the Matawan Historical Society will host ghost tours sharing stories from our rich history.

All of this is possible because so many volunteers from our community are willing to help.

Expanded community events, new businesses, improvements

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BOROUGH OF MATAWAN to our parks, and further development right around the corner are some of the reasons why Matawan is such a special place to live. And more good things are yet to come. As we continue improving and restoring Matawan, our Train Station Redevelopment Plan will bring our town to the next level. I take pride in all that we have done while honoring and maintaining our unique history. We have accomplished all of these things because of the combined efforts of the Council, our amazing employees at Borough Hall, and members of our community, and I thank you for your continued efforts and support.

POLLING LOCATIONS/DISTRICTS District 1 Bayshore EMS (Matawan First Aid & Rescue Bldg) 29 Little St. (732) 566-0005 District 2 & 3 Matawan Municipal Community Center (Gym) 201 Broad St. (732) 566-3898 ext. 602 District 4 Freneau Volunteer Fire Company 109 Freneau Ave (732) 566-5516 District 5 Matawan Municipal Community Center (Cafeteria) 201 Broad St. (732) 566-3898 ext. 602 District 6 & 7 Matawan Municipal Community Center (Gym) 201 Broad St. (732) 566-3898 ext. 602

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OCTOBER 2022

DEANA GUNN, COUNCILWOMAN LIAISON TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, POLICE AND PLANNING AND ZONING

Each council member has several departments they liaise with; one of mine is the Department of Public Works. As we enter fall, our leaf pick-up will begin in mid-October. As a friendly reminder, we ask all residents to rake their leaves to the curb; please do not bag them. Also, only leaves will be collected, not sticks, branches, or anything else. Including these items slows down our leaf collection and can potentially damage our equipment, so we appreciate your cooperation.

Shortly, you will also see our 2022 road program begin. We have been committed to an aggressive road program since 2016. But, unfortunately, it was not long ago that didn’t happen. Since the beginning of our leadership, we’ve paved over 30 roads! We believe in investing in infrastructure and that our residents deserve a return on their tax dollars, and roads are one of the ways we do that for them. This year is no different, and we are proud to share the 2022 road program will include the following roads: Oak St., Cedar St., Center St. (from Main to Broad), Washington Ave (from Robert to Liberty)*, Harding Blvd, Sapphire Lane ,Johnson Ave (from Little to Terminus) (*We plan to finish Washington with the next road program.)

If you have any questions or if I can assist in any way, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at deana. gunn@matawanborough.com.

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CHECK IT OUT: LIBRARY NEWS!

We h a d a very successful Library Card Sign-up Month in September – many thanks to all who visited with us in the library and on the road and participated in our raffles. Now that you have your library cards in hand, it’s time to put them to good use! Here’s some information about many of our offerings: • Your MAPL library card allows you to check out books, magazines, audiobooks, music CDs, DVDs, Wonderbooks, L aunchp ads, Playaways, Chromebooks with embedded hotspots, and museum passes. (If you’re looking for something we don’t have, we can probably get it for you through inter-library loan. You can also visit one of the other 34 libraries in our consortium to check out their materials.)

• If you’re more of the techie type, we have an abundance of

electronic resources that you can access with your library card!

Ebooks, eAudiobooks, streaming movies and music, language instruction, newspapers, online courses, homework help, coding classes, genealogy, local history, encyclopedias, MARSD yearbooks, and SO much more!

• We host programs for every age group and all kinds of interests. Some of our programs (in-person as well as online) require registration – you can do that with your library card, too!

If you have questions about any of the materials, resources, and services listed above, visit

our website at www.matawanaberdeenlibrary.com, stop by, or give us a call at 732-583-9100 – our friendly staff would be happy to assist you. Also, mark your calendar for our OPEN HOUSE on 10/21 from 6-8pm – more details are on our website.

Have a wonderful October!

Kimberly Paone, Library Director Matawan Aberdeen Public Library

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THE ALL AMERICAN SUBARU PET-A-PALOOZA IS BACK AGAIN THIS FALL!

The All American Subaru Pet-A-Palooza is back again this fall! October is Subaru Loves Pets month and All American Subaru will be hosting its 7th annual pet adoption event.

The event will take place on Saturday, October 22nd from 11am - 3pm in the All American Subaru showroom, 3706 Route 9 South in Old Bridge. Over the past seven years, All American Subaru has helped over 100 dogs and cats find their forever

home and this year is gearing up to be the biggest one yet! There will be many local shelters and adoption agencies, along with pet-friendly vendors that will be on site to help support the event. The NJ101.5 Yellow Van will be at the event with giveaways, music and the always popular Cutest Pet Contest with huge prizes. In addition, there will also be games, crafts, and the Friendly’s ice cream truck will be on site as well. This has always been a favorite event of All American Subaru’s and they are so excited to bring it back once again. Pet-A-Palooza 2022 is sure to be a great outing for the entire family so be sure to stop by and possibly even take home a new furry friend!

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WHAT DOES MY CHILD’S PSAT MEAN? Mo s t s t u dents will take the PSAT on October 12th.

So what? It doesn’t count for anything, right? Wrong!...

Mostly. Here are some ways the PSAT counts for everyone who takes it: (1) The PSAT is an opportunity for students to put themselves in a real test setting before taking their first official SAT. It is a chance to “work the nerves out.”

(2) Although the PSAT is 15 minutes shorter than the SAT, it is still 2 hours and 45 minutes.

It’s tough to focus for 2 hours and 45 minutes! Movies are rarely longer than 2 hours so they don’t push the limits of people’s attention spans. (And frankly, the PSAT is not as entertaining!) Focusing for that long period of time a few more times after taking the PSAT will put students in a better position to maintain their focus for the SAT. Here is a breakdown of the

PSAT 8/9 (taken by freshmen): S e c t i on 1 re a d i ng : 5 5 minutes, 42 question Section 2 writing and language: 30 minutes, 40 questions Section 3 math (no calc): 20 minutes, 13 questions Section 4 math (with calc): 40 minutes, 25 questions The total score scale ranges f rom 240 to 1440. The section score scale ranges from 120 to 720. Cross test score ranges from 6 to 36.

Here is a breakdown of the PSAT/NMSQT (taken by sophomores and juniors): S e c t i on 1 re a d i ng : 6 0 minutes, 47 question Section 2 writing and language: 35 minutes, 44 questions Section 3 math (no calc): 25 minutes, 17 questions Section 4 math (with calc): 45 minutes, 31 questions The total score scale ranges f rom 320 to 1520. The section score scale ranges from 160 to 760. Cross test score ranges from 8 to 38.

The cross-test scores from

each test enable parents and students to compare reading to writing and language to math apples to apples even though the PSAT is 50% math, 25% reading, and 25% writing and language.

The NMSQT part of PSAT/ NMSQT stands for “National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.” Here’s how it works: about 1.5 million high school juniors take the PSAT each year. 50,000 of those who take the test qualify for a national merit scholarship. Only 15% of those who qualify receive a national merit scholarship. Earning a scholarship is an 18-month process, which includes consideration of

extra-curriculars, GPA, and improvement to the SAT. Last year, NJ had the 3rd highest qualifying score—a selection index of 222, which is roughly equivalent to a 1480, or 40 points away from a perfect score. This was 2 points behind Maryland and DC (224).

PSAT results will be available online December 5th. Students will receive their questions, along with a report of what they had incorrect, what wrong answer they put, and the correct answer. For more information on the PSAT/ NMSQT, call Paul Pscolka at 732-485-6480. Suggestions for a topic? You can reach us at https:// www.ivymasters.com/contact/

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HELPING LOCAL BUSINESS

By Councilman Brian Livesey Over the last three years, the Mayor and Council have taken steps to better assist our local businesses.

With a desire to build stronger relationships with existing businesses and to attract new businesses to the Borough, the Economic Development, Business, and Redevelopment Commission (EDC) was created. Its mission is to listen, support, and work with the business community and help them resolve issues they might encounter. The Commission is comprised of volunteers ranging from residents to local business owners.

The EDC has made significant progress in its short tenure. It created a resolution that waives building permit fees for a new business occupying a downtown area property that has been vacant for one year or more.

The volunteers have helped business-

es navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic by supplying information on grants and aid, waiving the business license renewal fees, and creating such programs as the Lakeside Dining Program which offers restaurants additional outdoor space at beautiful Lake Lefferts, Restaurant Take-out Week, and the Matawan Open for Business campaign.

Last May, the EDC hosted the Matawan Main Street Blues and Cruise Night, attracting thousands of people to downtown Matawan for classic cars, and Blues Bands performances. They helped plan Matawan Make Music Day, which provides free music around town annually on June 21st. The Commission partners with the Matawan Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce to plan the yearly Matawan Day Street Festival.

The Commission is creating a Matawan Brochure to be distributed to local stores and realtors, outlining all that Matawan has to offer. Plans are underway to meet with current business owners this fall to continue our open dialogue and offer further assistance. The Commission meets at Borough on the third Thursday of each month unless otherwise noted.

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JAR OF HOPE RUNNING IN NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

JAR of Hope foundation researches a cure for an extremely-rare – and always fatal – childhood disease. Only one in every 5,000 children (mostly boys) are born with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. And every single one – so far – has died from it.

Children born with Duchenne md lose the ability to walk by 12-13. They’re breathing on ventilators by their midteens. And they die in their low-20’s from asphyxiation.

Jim and Karen Raffone of Manalapan founded JAR of Hope (https://www.jarofhope.org/ after their son, James Anthony (“Jamesy”) was diagnosed with Duchenne at four. Now 13, Jamesy can no longer walk. But 52-year-old Jim Raffone can

run. In fact, he’s running in the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6 – again - to raise funds to research a cure for this disease.

“I’ve run marathons before,” Raffone says. “And I’ll be running with some JAR of Hope friends in the NYC marathon. A marathon is 26.2 miles of pure hell… there’s no other way to describe it. But we do it for a very simple reason – these kids deserve a chance to become adults. And they won’t get that chance unless we find a cure. So we run to raise funds to research a cure.”

“At the end of a marathon, we’re all gasping for air,” Jim Raffone says. “But kids with Duchenne, once into their low-teens, will never be able to breathe without gasping for air unless we find a cure. And they’ll take their last breath of air while still in their low-mid twenties.” “ These kids will be in our thoughts every step of the way,” he says. “Their fight is what keeps us running.”

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OCTOBER 2022

ABERDEEN PARKS & REC GEARS UP FOR FULL LINEUP THIS FALL The Parks and Recreation Department, at the heart of the township, continues to coordinate programming for residents of all ages and is primed for an exciting fall lineup of activities.

“Our parks and recreation department aims to create positive experiences through both leisure activities and recreational programs that will fulfill the needs of the Aberdeen com-

munity and create long-lasting memories,” said Councilwoman Margaret Montone, the council liaison to the Parks & Recreation Committee.

Highlights include: • A b e r d e e n D a y • Pumpkin Carving/Painting • S c a r e c r o w C o n t e s t • H a l l o w e e n H o u s e D e c o r a t i n g C o n t e s t • I r i s h S t e p D a n c i n g

• Soccer Squirts Program • Multi-Sport Squirts Program • F a m i l y T i e D y e • F a m i l y P a i n t i n g • F a m i l y P i z z a B i n g o • Paint & Snack for Adults • Teen Open Mic Night • K i d s K i c k b a l l • Open Gym Nights for Kids • Disney on Ice Bus Trip • PAW Patrol Live Bus Trip • T r e e L i g h t i n g

Grand Opening!

Services: Body massage – FREE Hot Stone Foot Reeexology- FREE Hot Stone with Sea Salt Foot Soak & Hot Jacuzzi

$10 OFF All Services (60 mins or more)

Not to be combined with any other coupon.

No cash value, Exp March/2023 - AAMA

After 10 hours get 1 hour FREE

Monday -Saturday: 10:30am-9pm Sunday: 11am-9pm 732-590-4544 419 Route 34 #7 Matawan, NJ 07747

• H o l i d a y H o u s e D e c o r a t i n g C o n t e s t • Drop Your Kids and Shop • 1 4 F i t n e s s C l a s s e s f o r S e n i o r s • LEGO® Robotics and Coding – Adventures • T h e A r t o f F i l m making with Stop-Motion • Historic Smithville Bus Trip

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ABERDEEN WELCOMES ALCOEUR GARDENS

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FROM YOUR HOME TO OURS; SAFE, COMFORTABLE CARE FOR THE MEMORY IMPAIRED

Alcoeur Garden’s Ribbon Cutting,September 14,2022 A joyous occasion many years in the making, Alcoeur Garden’s is a live in facility for Alzheimer’s and memory loss patients. The facility has 20 rooms and focuses on 1 on 1 - 24 hour care. Mayor Tagliarini, members of Council

were joined by Senator Robert Singer and many members of the Matawan-Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations to Denise VanTassell and family!

Alcoeur Gardens is located at 1288 RT 34 in Aberdeen Township.

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IN M EMOR I A M

NOVEMBER 9, 1944 - SEPTEMBER 25, 2022 VIRGINIA “JEANNIE” M. SANTORA, 85 OF ABERDEEN VISITATION WAS HELD AT BEDLE FUNERAL HOME IN MATAWAN.

MARCH 23, 1954 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2022 WILLIAM HINTENACH, 68 OF MATAWAN, VISITATION WAS HELD AT BEDLE FUNERAL HOME IN MATAWAN.

APRIL 22, 1942 - SEPTEMBER 22, 2022 THERESA CHIRICO, 80 OF QUEENS, NEW YORK VISITATION WAS HELD AT WAITT FUNERAL HOME IN MORGANVILLE.

AUGUST 10, 1957 - SEPTEMBER 5, 2022 CECILIA A PRENDERVILLE, 65 OF OLD BRIDGE, VISITATION WAS HELD AT OLD BRIDGE FUNERAL HOME IN OLD BRIDGE.

AUGUST 15, 1933 - SEPTEMBER 24, 2022 JOAN M. MURPHY, 89 OF BRADLEY BEACH, VISITATION WAS HELD AT OLD BRIDGE FUNERAL HOME IN OLD BRIDGE.

FEBRUARY 9, 1949 - SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 ROBERT PITZNER, 73 OF FREEHOLD, VISITATION WAS HELD AT WAITT FUNERAL HOME IN MORGANVILLE.

MAY 29, 1944 - SEPTEMBER 18, 2022 ERNEST CHIRICO,78 OF MATAWAN, VISITATION WAS HELD AT WAITT FUNERAL HOME IN MORGANVILLE.

JUNE 10, 2000 - SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 DANIEL STUART, 22 OF MATAWAN, VISITATION WAS HELD AT WAITT FUNERAL HOME IN MORGANVILLE.

JULY 26, 1932 - SEPTEMBER 17, 2022 WOON CHUNG, 90 OF MATAWAN, VISITATION WAS HELD AT BEDLE FUNERAL HOME IN MATAWAN.

JANUARY 13, 1956 - AUGUST 30, 2022 EILEEN M. JOYCE,66 OF OLD BRIDGE, VISITATION WAS HELD AT OLD BRIDGE FUNERAL HOME IN OLD BRIDGE.

JUNE 9, 1941 - SEPTEMBER 10, 2022 THERESA MORAN,81 OF MORGANVILLE, VISITATION WAS HELD AT WAITT FUNERAL HOME IN MORGANVILLE.

DECEMBER 16, 1962 - AUGUST 23, 2022 DANIEL J TRACEY,59 OF JACKSON, VISITATION WAS HELD AT OLD BRIDGE FUNERAL HOME IN OLD BRIDGE.

To send condolences to families please visit www.waittfh.com

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SPINE-CHILLING RADIO PLAYS AT THE LIBRARY

Elaine Steelman performing the title role in an episode of Our Miss Brooks Two scary Halloween radio plays will be presented free of charge at the Matawan/Aberdeen Library on Friday, October 7 at 7:00 p.m. Classic Radio Road Show reenacts radio plays from the golden age of radio, complete with sound effects and music. The program includes A Knock at the Door, an episode from the famous spooky series “Lights Out,” fol-

lowed by The Flaming Skull, an episode from the Radio Hall of Fame show “The Shadow.” People often quote the famous intro, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?…The Shadow knows!”

Three of the actors are residents of Aberdeen, including Elaine and Ron Steelman, and Michael Bürgi.

The same Halloween program will be presented at the Middletown Arts Center (Oct. 15 @ 7 p.m./$15) and the Navesink Library (Oct. 29 @ 7 p.m./$15).

CRRS offers six recorded produ c t i ons F OR F R E E on t h e i r website, classicradioroadshow.org: The Petrified Forest, Darn That Dream, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Dreamer, Roadside, and Our Miss Brooks.

Classic Radio Road Show, Inc. (CRRS) is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) (educational) NJ corporation. All donations help entertain and educate the public about this historical, truly American art form.

These productions mark the 53rd and 54th radio plays produced by CRRS. For more information and to hear those recorded productions, visit classicradioroadshow.org (Recordings Page).

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A MESSAGE FROM THE WELCOME CHIEF OF POLICE TO FALL IN Recently, a few incidents at the scene, grossly false rumors within the Borough prompted and undue cause for concern. MATAWANvarious social media posts from In the event there is an inciarea residents after receiving dent or situation that residents ABERDEEN! information from ring door- need to be immediately notified bell neighborhood alerts or similar notifications. While the Matawan Police Department is fully in-tune with the current social media culture and strives to be as transparent as possible in reporting incidents, without jeopardizing on-going investigations, recent social media posts have contributed to unnecessary panic and alarm.

Immediate posts to social media while the incident is still on-going and being actively responded to and/or investigated may delay or hamper the work of law enforcement and other first responders. While it is your right to post whatever you’d like, we ask you to delay posting at least until the initial response has concluded. Posts during on-going recent incidents have led to increased vehicular traffic

in the interest of public safety, immediate notification will be made via one of the Borough’s Emergency Notification Systems, SWIFT911 or Nixle (in addition to the various social media platforms utilized by the department). If you’re not receiving notifications, please sign up for Nixle alerts by texting 07747 to 888-777. To register to receive SWIFT911 messages, visit the Borough’s website (www.matawanborough.com) and click on the Notify Me icon. Thank you for your continued support.

Continue from page 1 our next monthly Meet and Greet on October 18th at Kearny Bank 510 Rt.34 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., bring plenty of business cards and meet business people from our community. Also, coming on Nov. 1st will be our business Luncheon at Sahara 34 restaurant 1008 Rt. 34 at 12 noon.

Visit our website MACOCNJ. com for more information.

L o o k i ng for w ard t o a successful Fall Season! Rememb er to Shop L o c a l!

Je f f Pa nt e l a s : President: Matawan Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce

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