Echoes of LBI Endless Summer and Holiday Edition

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Publisher’s Note

T

.

his is the time of year when those of us who live and work on the island reflect on the recent summer and plan for the months ahead. The mercury climbed high early in the season and sustained high temps breaking many records throughout New Jersey. LBI was the place to be whether you spent it on the beach, swimming, surfing, fishing, or on a boat. The ocean and the bay offered a refreshing escape from the heat.

Echoes of the past were plentiful this season with folks reminiscing about their wonderful memories as a child: at the trampoline park, visiting the Lucy Evelyn, the Betty Jean Shop and other historic places long gone but forever imprinted in our memory. Every year families return to the island with their children and grandchildren to share the island and start new traditions with the next generation. On a personal note, I am excited to have started photographing the third generation of visitors in the largest shell in the United States, here at Things A Drift.

Once school starts, the hustle and bustle of LBI tends to calm. Beachgoers wear a few more layers, protecting them from the cooler breezes, even though the water temps are still pleasantly warm. Many shops and restaurants stay open through the fall and some stay open all year.

There are so many reasons to stay or come back: the Lighthouse Challenge, the Striper Derby, the Sea Glass and Art Festival and LBI’s first ever attempt to break a Guinness World Record™. Spending the holidays on the island might be something to consider this year. Don’t miss the Ship Bottom Christmas Parade in December, a great way to kick off the winter holidays. As long as we have a relatively mild winter, we will once again take our January 1st dip in the ocean.

As always, I want to thank my dedicated advertisers, writers, artists, photographers and designers, who share my vision of Echoes. It takes an Island to create Echoes of LBI. Many past issues of Echoes can be found by asking our advertisers.

So many people are discovering or rediscovering LBI and promising to return. There is still so much happening here right through December. If you have a story, artwork or would like to share a photo, please send your original piece to echoesoflbi@gmail.com Have a wonderful sunset ...

Cheryl Kirby, Publisher

Echoes of LBI

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First In — Barnegat Sunrise Scott Palmeri photo

Echoes of LBI Magazine

i n s i d e

art, 14

photography, 20 beach reads, 30 poetry, 36 legends and lore, 44 lifestyle, 48 marine science, 72 50 and counting, 76 looking back, 80 a shore thing, 8 & 92

Echoes of LBI Magazine • 609-361-1668 • 406 Long Beach Blvd • Ship Bottom All content of magazine & website remains copyright of Cheryl Kirby. No part of publication may be reproduced.

Advertisers: People collect Echoes of LBI - your ad has the potential to be seen over & over again for years to come! EchoesofLBI.com Email articles on history, nostalgia, poetry or art to: EchoesofLBI@gmail.com Cheryl Kirby - Owner & Publisher Designer & Consultant - Pete Milnes Photographer - Marjorie Amon • Copy Editor - Joyce Hager • Pre-Press, Asst. Copy Editor, Writer - Vickie VanDoren Graphic Designer - Sara Caruso, Jayme Kilsby Contributing Editors - Rena DiNeno, Maggie O'Neill, Diane Stulga, Sara Caruso, Christine Rooney, Elizabeth Weber

Cover photo: Marjorie Amon: See Art section for Marjorie’s bio and shell description Contents photo: (left to right) Kim Bald, Bob Hauptvogel, Joe Poslusny, Denis Kirby, Frank Pearson, Dave DiEugenio, Victor Stulga, Frank Panzone, Richard Costa ...

All representing Jingles Bait and Tackle Beach Haven!

A Shore Thing

T

The Mermaid Chair

his chair is an original design by sisters Heidi Heck and Carol McDonald in celebration of the retirement of Surf City homeowner, Cindy Andes. When Cindy retired as Assistant Professor of Humanities and English from the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville, she decided the traditional retirement rocker would be of little use.

However, her artistic friends felt a chair more in keeping with their collective creative interests would be welcomed.

The mermaid and octopus utilized the sisters’ talents in woodcarving, paper making, painting and embellishing. The mermaid, hand carved and painted, is covered with hundreds of fabric scales shimmering with metallic paint. Hand-painted and beaded creatures from the sea hang from the chair. The octopus features hand-dyed papers

over papier mache, with repurposed suction cups covering its tentacles. The underside of the chair reflects the ocean theme with sand, shells, sea glass and found objects. Personalized objects found their way onto the chair, including a button from the Czech Republic where Cindy taught art, and a fishing net found in a Paris market for one of Heidi’s art projects. Hand lettering reflects the three artists’ creative philosophy, while song lyrics from the Zac Brown Band reflect Cindy’s beach humor.

Chairs can be customized and ordered through Things A Drift. •

4 Years Running

2008, 09, 10, 11

CHOWDERFEST

Stefano’s Grand Champion Red California Grill

Grand Champion White Available at Our 4 Locations

A Shore Thing

A

s a true beachcomber, I truly love my daily walks up and down the beaches of Long Beach Island which has brought me a lifetime of gifts. My love for the ocean and all the treasures it brings ashore has been a passion since childhood.

Through the years though, my definition of treasures has changed. Early treasures became collections of sea glass and shells that fill jars sitting on every windowsill of my home. Pieces of driftwood have settled on shelves to hold my favorite books in place. Lately I find myself searching for a new kind of treasure — not one washing ashore by the never-ending tide, but one that will wash away with the next wave. I search for “little feet,” those tiny footprints left behind by the next generation.

Each time I see a set of those tiny toe prints, it lights a spark in me that fuels a wildfire of questions. Who will that child grow up to be? Will he be famous? Will she change the course of history?

Will he love and be loved? Will she cure cancer or get it?

When my sons were toddlers, I’d walk with them along the shore searching for the gifts the ocean had to offer.

On one of those walks my younger son Dylan asked, “Can we do this forever?” Looking down at his little footprints marching along side of mine I wished I could have answered him “yes” making sure those tiny feet stayed that way forever.

My sons are grown now and I have only my memories of the little footprints they left behind as toddlers. My oldest son James is married and I look forward to the day I am a grandma and can once again walk along side tiny feet. My younger son Dylan works his summers on the island enjoying life on LBI before he too begins to follow his life path. We walk the shore together and his footprints fill me with pride seeing them so steady and strong. Both of my children plan to share their love of the island with their children.

On your next walk along the shore, look down at those little footprints before they wash away. If you’re lucky enough to still have little ones in your life, commit to memory the image of their footprints in the sand. — Kim Bald •

Little Feet

Page 10 • Echoes of LBI

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Check out our huge selection of mountain and road bikes, hybrids, cruisers, townies, and BMX bikes. All in stock.

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A Shore Thing

Oh, Buoy!

H

ave you ever wondered how boaters know where to operate their boat safely? Various markers along the waterway guide boaters. Each marker represents something different to those who spend time on the water.

Types include stationary markers, day markers, nun (or cones), cans, and pillars, to name a few.

Stationary markers in the Barnegat Bay tend to be relatively large markers. Barnegat Lighthouse is an example of the largest stationary marker at the mouth of the Barnegat Inlet.

All major navigational markers are indicated on charts similar to road maps. The Barnegat Bay, considering its relatively small size in depth and width, is part of the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) starting at the Manasquan Inlet and continuing south along the east coast to Florida and up the gulf coast to Brownsville, Texas.

Each marker representing the ICW has a number associated with it, similar to mile markers. Each type of buoy is different indicating its purpose. Day markers are the red triangle and green square markers usually on sticks similar to branches, marking smaller channels typically into a marina, cove or

Page 12 • Echoes of LBI

lagoon. Green markers, usually with odd numbers, are on the right, or starboard side, when “going to sea.” Red markers, usually with even numbers, are on the right, or starboard side, but only when “returning from sea.”

Some buoys may be caution signs indicating no-wake zones, underground cables or other underwater dangers.

Others may be mooring balls, weather or research markers or even fishing traps. Some may be temporary markers placed in the bay for sailboat races.

All buoys float and can be made out of cork, wood, styrofoam or plastic. Buoys are either secured by an anchor or tethered to a trap to prevent it from traveling too far from its intended location. Boaters should use caution around buoys since the buoys may be drifting and could get caught in a prop.

Crab traps owned by the same individual generally have the same color pattern and have numbers either carved or stamped on them representing the ownership of the buoy.

Buoys indicate different things so the next time you are on the water, take notice and heed their significance.

— Vickie VanDoren •

Art by Art

All art this page by Art Liebeskind

Page 14 • Echoes of LBI

Since 1974.

Footwear, watches, dvds Women’s, men’s & kids’ clothing Surfboards, sunglasses, wetsuits Wave Riding Vehicles sales/rentals Large selection of wetsuits & Uggs.

609-494-3555 • Surfinglbi.com 1820 Long Beach Blvd Ship Bottom Largest distributor of Wave Riding Vehicles for over 30 years

Unleash Your Inner ALOHA Spirit.

Surf Unlimited LBI now has its own custom surfboards!

Stop by to see custom surfboards being built and designed. Watch Surfboards being made, or design and build your own surfboards with the help of Master Board Builder Bill Kretzer. The only surfboards made on LBI, NJ ... Designed for East Coast Waves!

Art Anne Kurkian art

Page 16 • Echoes of LBI

Cover Shell Description

I

Anne Kurkian art

f you’ve ever been licked by the raspy tongue of a cat, you will know why this purple bivalve with a spray of sharp, delicate spines has the common name “Cat’s Tongue Oyster.”

Spondylus gloriosus Dall, Bartsch & Rehder, 1938 is one of dozens of tropical bivalve mollusks called Spiny Oysters. Along with this handsome purple-colored shell, Spondylus gloriosus is also found in orange, white and rarely yellow by scuba divers in 50 to 150 feet of water off the islands of Hawaii.

Though classified as an oyster, Spondylus are not edible. Nonetheless, the wispy needle-like spines of Spondylus gloriosus make it a stand-out among all molluscan treasures.

In the temperate waters of Japan, fishermen commonly collect a 3- to 5-inch Abalone called Haliotis discus hannai Ino, 1953, a species with an uncommonly beautiful patina, both inside and out. Though no two color patterns are alike, the external mint green shell coloration is characteristic of this species.

Of the 54 known species of temperate to tropical water Abalone, only a handful of the largest species are a staple food source harvested for its muscular foot. The shells of Haliotis are riddled with a row of 4 to 10 holes along the margin, which are not flaws, but used by the mollusk for respiration.

For shell collectors, the arched and oval-shaped Abalone shell with an iridescent inside is certainly the main attraction.

Asperitas bimaenisis cochlostyloides, Schepman, 1892, form: viridis is an exotic tropical land shell with a unique green color that is only found in small patches of forest along the coast of Sumba Island, Indonesia.

Land or terrestrial mollusks are the air-breathing cousins of the marine or ocean mollusks that adapted to life on land more than 100 million years ago.

An estimated 35 thousand species of land mollusks are known worldwide. Snails with the most exotic shaped, colored and patterned shells inhabit the tropics. The viridis form of this Asperitas species can most certainly vie for recognition as one of the most uniquely colored land shells.

— Richard Goldberg

Cover Photographer - Marjorie Amon

M

Tom Seiz art

arjorie Amon is a commercial, editorial and wedding photographer who resides in Lawrenceville and Barnegat Light, NJ. In addition to the work she does for Echoes of LBI magazine, which she says is rewarding, challenging and just plain fun, her client list includes Nicole Miller and the Hyatt at the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia, PA. Marjorie is a member of Wedding & Portrait Photographers International, National Press Photographers Association, Professional Photographers of America, Wedding Photojournalist Association and the American Guild Wedding Photojournalist Association. For more info about Marjorie’s work, please visit her website at www.marjorieamonphotography.com. •

Art

Bonnie Bright artwork From the book Surf Angel, available Things A Drift

Page 18 • Echoes of LBI

Ed Luterio art

Photography Scott Palmeri photo

Page 20 • Echoes of LBI

Photography

Carole Bradshaw photo

Page 22 • Echoes of LBI

Daphne and Daisy at The Big Dipper

“Sun Giver” by Pete Milnes Jr.

Photography

Page 24 • Echoes of LBI

Paper Nautilus Wedding Cake, Marjorie Amon photo

Carol Krom photo

Scott Palmeri photo

Photography

Pete Milnes photo

Through the Eyes of a Fish

Carole Bradshaw photo

Robert Sakson and Carol Freas artwork.

All artwork available at Things A Drift in Ship Bottom, N.J.

Photography

Phyllis Deroian photo

Jim O’Connor photo

Beach Reads

LBI & CUBA

WO R L D ’ S A PA RT

F

lat screen TVs, computers, diapers, and overflowing shopping bags comprised our take-on luggage aboard the Sky King Charter Flight from Miami to Havana. Deb Whitcraft and I headed to Cuba to research Cuban passengers and crew members aboard the elegant liner Morro Castle that erupted in flames fifteen miles off Barnegat Light in the early hours of Sept. 8, 1934.

An arsonist, now thought to be Radio Operator George Rogers, ignited a fire in the ship’s luxurious Writing Room. Panicky passengers and crew members jumped into a churning Atlantic Ocean during a nor’easter and 134 died. The Morro Castle lost power, and beached off Convention Hall in Asbury Park.

Due to decades of extreme dislike between the U.S. and Cuban governments, Americans do not regularly visit Cuba.

Through Florida fiction writer, Randy Wayne White, whose characters frequent Cuba, Deb and I met Roberto and Ela Giraudy. This lawyer and his publisher wife like a good mystery, so we e-mailed them many questions and requests.

Our aim was place ourselves in 1934 Old Havana, where the Morro Castle docked in Havana Harbor. Roberto suggested we stay at the Hotel Armadores de Santander on the Havana Harbor waterfront. Once the mansion and shipping office of the Spanish Santander family, it rates four-star according to Cuban standards, less so by ours. I had no hot water and a window broken from the outside. Deb had a rooster who serenaded her each morning. Door locks were rudimentary so we wedged chairs under door handles. However, the AC was marvelous, a necessity after walking the streets of Havana in ninety plus degree heat each day. And the congenial staff treated us like family.

The Giraudys took us to a restored building along the waterfront which is an Arts and Crafts Bazaar attracting Canadian, European, and South American tourists. It is the site of the old Ward Line/Cuba Mail and Steamship Company dock constructed by an American Company before the 1929 stock market crash. Overhead old conveyor belts still hang from the ceiling.

Cubans today have little in material goods. Electricity is sporadic or non-existent in some places. Not everyone can afford cable, internet access and cell phone service. Since the Castro brothers’ take-over of the country in 1959, they have emphasized the arts, producing a record number of highly educated doctors, teachers, and engineers who now have no jobs or work as waiters and pedi-cab drivers. Their sole aim is to get out of Page 30 • Echoes of LBI

the country, a feat not easily accomplished.

We walked around Havana, rode pedi-cabs, coco-cabs, horse and buggies, exactly what passengers from the Morro Castle did. Obispo Street, a long, narrow, cobblestoned street, leads from Central Havana down to Havana Harbor. It was designed by the Spanish hundreds of years before so the sun would only shine on shoppers a few hours a day. Once filled with expensive European shops, it now borders on decrepit, with a few government-owned cafes, T-shirt shops and book stores.

Businesses have been government-owned, a trend now trying to be reversed, with individual ownership encouraged (but government taxation). Generations of Cuban people are both complacent and confused.

We explored Havana’s gigantic cemetery, the Necropolis Colon, searching for the grave of author Renee Mendez Capote, one of the few passengers to escape the Morro Castle blaze in a life boat. New York District Attorney, Dickerson Hoover, and J. Edgar Hoover himself, accused Capote (a Communist and daughter of a former Cuban VP) of setting the inferno aboard the cruise ship. Capote left on a train from New York to Key West, followed by a ferry to Havana, vowing never to return. She became a journalist, wrote more novels, and held a number of important government positions in her beloved Cuba. She died in Havana at the age of 89.

In Guanabacoa there is a stadium in honor of Franz de Beche, an Olympic swimmer who gave life preservers to others jumping off the stern of the doomed ship. Niece Polly De Beche Diaz told us that Franz had boarded the ship at the last minute with his American girlfriend after a fight with his mother. Sadly, this young man knew nothing of props that still turned on a ship without power. Franz’s body was never found.

Meyer Lansky’s Nacional Hotel sits on a hill overlooking Havana’s famed Malecon and the Gulf of Mexico. Gangster Lansky had his casino where Morro Castle passengers gambled, drank expensive rum, smoked hand-rolled cigars, and viewed lavish shows. A bit outdated inside and out, the Nacional is now owned by a European Company. With a hint of its former grandeur, the ballroom has been the scene of dignitaries visiting Cuba over the years. While we were there, Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn met with Fidel and Raul Castro.

We toured Matanzas, the city of poets and writers, which boasts three rivers winding through it. Sailors will be interested to know there is a Youth Optimist Dinghy Fleet which prac-

Top: Gretchen and Deb enjoy dinner at El Aljibe in the Havana suburb of Miramar. Middle: Last picture of Cuban Olympic swimmer Franz de Beche taken with his unidentified American girlfriend before they left on the fatal voyage of the Morro Castle. Bottom: A crowd gathers around a suspicious boat being hauled out along the Ave. del Puerto. Were the occupants headed to the U.S.?

tices in the Gulf. Cuban sailors compete in sailing regattas all over the world. For trips to the countryside, we were lucky to be in the Giraudy’s 1993 Russian Lada or Franqui Padron’s restored 1953 Chevrolet.

As we left Havana’s Jose Marti Airport, our boarding passes had “X” marks on them. “What does this mean?” we asked. “The Cuban government wants everyone to know that under Communism everyone is considered equal,” they replied. It was a patent government answer by a Communist regime.

LBI and Cuba both have the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Sadly, the similarities of the islands stop there. We discovered affection for the Cuban people, a Cuban love of everything American, and friendships that will continue forever.

— Gretchen Coyle •

To read more about New Jersey’s mysterious maritime disaster, pick up a copy of Inferno at Sea by Gretchen F. Coyle and Deborah C. Whitcraft, available at local stores.

I

t was the great disaster of the 1930s, a horrific experience for all those aboard the ill-fated liner Morro Castle. Sailing to New York from exotic, anything-goes Cuba, the luxurious cruise ship was filled with passengers finding an escape from the Great Depression. But after the parties ended and guests were packing their belongings, preparing for their arrival home in the morning, the ship became a scene of panic as a raging fire quickly spread, killing 137 and sending many overboard.

The aftermath literally floated into public view — center-stage on the beach at Asbury Park, where the Jersey Shore resort town filled with rescuers, press, and gawking curiosityseekers from throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeast. The charred, smoldering, stranded ship quickly became a tourist attraction; hawkers sold souvenirs and photographs, and the dramatic story filled front pages for weeks.

Controversy and intrigue surrounded the mysterious death of the captain, as well as the cause of the fire itself, and much of the mystery has endured for nearly 80 years. But for many of those who survived the tragedy, it was a closed subject; they rarely spoke of the events, and held the awful memories away from loved ones.

In Inferno at Sea, we finally hear those personal accounts. Survivors tell their stories, family and friends share narratives of those lost that night, rescuers and volunteers all contribute to give us a rare glimpse into the events of Sept. 8, 1934. The fading, maritime mystery of the Morro Castle fire remains, but those closest to the disaster speculate about what really happened, and we gain a new perspective on a famous and tragic New Jersey shipwreck. • Book available at Thing A Drift in Ship Bottom

Beach Photography Reads

Josephine: The Washington Diary of a War Worker, 1918-1919

D

uring World War I, before women had the right to vote in America, a young Josephine Lehman Thomas answered the patriotic call from Washington, D.C., and became one of the pioneering “government girls,” leaving her home in Michigan for adventure in the nation’s capital. Through explored diaries and letters, her daughter, Margaret Thomas Buchholz, gives us an amazing chronicle of a trailblazing woman.

Josephine worked for legendary journalist Lowell Thomas and traveled the world until the Great Depression dropped her and her new family, struggling to get by, on an island off the coast of New Jersey.

This fascinating personal history reveals the optimism of the early 20th century, the emerging professional woman, the thrill of adventure travel and a sense of success, followed by the crash of the economy, losing everything, and ultimately happiness in a simple life by the sea. •

Books available at Thing A Drift in Ship Bottom Page 32 • Echoes of LBI

Portrait mentioned in book

Shells Are My Game.

B

Natural Nautical Design by Cheryl

ring the beauty of the ocean into your home with Natural Nautical Design by Cheryl. Decorating your mantel, curio cabinets or room with natural gifts from the sea lends a special serenity to any home. Whether it’s a small arrangement of shells or a large design for your living room or patio area, Cheryl will enhance any space to your specification. For 35 years, Cheryl Kirby of “Things A Drift” in Ship Bottom has been arranging nautical designs as well as selling precious treasures from the sea.

Her expertise on design and knowledge of all things nautical has been sought by shore-loving homeowners both nationally and here on LBI. Things A Drift has the largest selection of high grade shells on the east coast, including a perfect specimen of a Queen Helmet and a 525 pound Tridacna. These rare and beautiful shells are a fitting addition for your spa or poolside area. Other popular design choices include table top corals up to thirty inches in size. Cheryl will visit your home personally, or consult with you via the internet. In fact, the wall pictured here is from a house in Florida. The home owners selected their shells from Things A Drift during a visit to the Island. Emailing her the dimensions and pictures of the room they were chosen for, Cheryl sent a layout of her design. Delighted with the plan, the owners had the shells shipped and the result was a beautiful, decorative display.

Create your own feng shui with gifts from the sea and professional nautical design by Cheryl.

Things That Drift

Page 34 • Echoes of LBI

Karen Bagnard art

Two ors: av Fl • Bay Rum • Mango Papaya

For the Scurvy Dog & Wench!

BootySoap TM

Natural & Handmade on America’s Pirate Coast!

Smellin’ like a sailor?

Arggghhh! Before ye knock the crew back to Davy Jones’ Locker, break open a bar of natural Booty Soap and swab ye hindquarters — just like any scurvy dog or wench would do back in the 1600s after a good haul of booty, or a day of being soaked with saltwater.

Available at Things A drift in Ship Bottom, LBI, & BootySoap.com

Poetry — Submissions with a nautical theme accepted, send toEchoesOfLBI@gmail.com

Barnegat Bay White boats bob in the winds with the white caps.

A flying bridge rolls up and down.

One mate throws out the tie lines.

Two other young men catch them try to wrap them on pilings — too rough, too risky they bow to the waves, turn winds billow their shirts, gulls hunker down.

Patrons at Tiki’s Sea Breeze fly high seeking good times and Bombay dreams.

— Frank Finale

someone saw my future ahead of me, I was searching, but not looking, and someone paved the way the battles all seem meaningless and potently full of meaning, all at the same time upon further examination, much makes no sense, except to lead us to the truth of what is, without first seeing anything the dolphins in my mind, even til today, are motion picture figments or distant fins barely surfacing the ocean's horizon from my shore's edge view days disappear without warning, still I search for tomorrow's meaning, only to find it in today's triumphs and failures, and adolescent behavior discovered in myself I yell to myself silently... soar like an eagle charge like a lion sit still as a buffalo, and flow seemingly effortless, purposeful and free, like a dolphin

— Kirk Jarvis

Poetry Baby Sea Glass

Once on the Sea

New to the sea Still transparent And untried, Defined edges, Jagged corners, No frost or Stories to tell.

Under the house it sits and moans, A boat out of water, unused and alone.

Once it proudly owned the bay And set its course for a favorite cay.

Little children Young and faultless, Innocent smiles, Fingers like butter Soft to the touch, Laugh when happy Cry when wet.

— Richard Morgan, SEA GLASS PEOPLE

Dark dreams haunt its unused deck, As it sits abandoned, in neglect.

Ghostly memories blow through its sails While the boat rots away in rain and hail.

In past glory, it rode the high seas, Making its crew feel forever at ease.

Now, its hull bears a bleak little sign, Extolling the boat as one of a kind.

— Kathy Santangelo

Over Land to LBI The Bee Sitting on a coneflower Winged, hairy, oval body Gathering nectar Dusted with pollen Symbiosis of flower and bee Nature partners at their best.

— Carol Krom

It’s a long series of lanes From the river to the right coast.

Kids might say sarcastically It’s one LOL after another ... for twenty hours Yet more directly, It’s the L of LaCrosse on the Mississippi To the L of Long Beach Island on the Atlantic.

The journey of the Ls! That journey is not about escaping but rather relocating Something elemental like the rush of blood Through the veins; Like the inevitable deterioration and reclamation of a shack Lost in the bay marsh; Like the clashing and crashing of cultures and eras, Very similar to the banging of the waves upon the shore.

It’s about lingering for a moment With loved ones and one’s own solitude.

And being reshaped to the proper perspective As the tides lull in and out, Cleaning and cluttering the beaches, in preparation for launching The next eon, And a shower of spiraling meteors.

— David L. Polodna, La Crosse, Wisconsin

Page 38 • Echoes of LBI

The Deserted Pier When in a sad or despondent mood This spot I’d seek for solitude.

The sea surged mournfully ‘neath the pier Its rushing sound, music to my ear.

The gulls wheeled slowly above the bay, And all was peaceful both night & day.

Only here could I think my thought On the consequence my last deed had wrought.

I talked and sang to myself at ease And mused on the gusts in life’s gentle breeze.

The pier was sacred to me for years: It had heard my hopes; it had known my fears.

My place of refuge was not meant to be; It tumbled into a stormy sea.

My dreaming spot now out of reach, I sadly wander on the beach.

In thinking of life’s furthest goal I must find my peace in my inner soul.

— Dianne Poland

White Christmas As I sit on the beach on an unusually warm day in November, There are so many things of which I’m lucky enough to remember, Like blustery snow storms I always played in when I was a kid, And how I looked forward to all of that snow the way I did!

For to me any white winter’s day is a wonderful day to remember, Whether it’s a mild calm day or a freezing windy day in December, There’s never a day I question if there’s somewhere else I need to be, As I stroll over the dunes, and walk quietly along on the sand by the sea.

The beauty of the white sparkling sand stretching for miles and miles, So many years of happiness spent here with countless numbers of smiles, There are no guarantees in life - this over the years I’ve come to know, A “White Christmas” on the beach is one guarantee - having sand not snow!

To me there is something about the beach - it’s as magical as a snowy day, It’s the peace felt from within that in your heart and soul will always stay, A place to give you the strength and courage you need every day to get by, To have confidence and reassuring faith to talk to God and wait for a reply.

My joy of living here on LBI is a blessing and gratitude comes from within It makes me aware of my life’s journey and all of the places that I’ve been.

For to have these quiet special moments that are seldom shared by few, Keeps me focused and aware of how lucky I am to have the life that I do!

— Diane Stulga

Santa And Shira The snow stopped So Shira and her nanny Went to the mall As promised.

They waited on line With the other good Boys and girls So Shira could sit On Santa’s lap for the first time.

She stood, slumped And slouched for An endless amount of time.

At five, patience was painful, Fidgeting normal.

When her turn came She hesitated a moment, Then walked up to the roundish man In the red suit and fake white beard.

He gently lifted her onto his lap.

He smiled, she didn’t.

She gave her name, “Shira.”

“What would you like for Christmas, Shira?”

“Oh, I don’t celebrate Christmas, I’m Jewish.”

Again he smiled, “Well so am I.” Now she smiled.

He asked, “Do you know any Chanukah songs?”

Half saying, half singing, “Dreidel, dreidel.”

“I know that one. Let’s sing it together” And they did as the waiting line waited.

Satisfied, she moved off Santa’s lap, He winked at her; Now they both were smiling.

Shira and her nanny returned home Just as it started snowing again.

— Richard Morgan

Poetry

Beach Gifts

Cinderella Sea

There are life lessons presented at the beach: Live warm like the sun.

Stay soft like the sand.

Maintain a rhythm like the waves.

Accept change like the tides.

Set one foot in front of the other Steadfast as the ocean.

Delight in searching for shells and answers.

The beach and life are constantYet always changing.

This is the gift of the beach.

Celebrate what it offers

The Cinderella Sea waltzes on the beach to the music of the waves, till the clock strikes low tide.

Rushing down the dune, she leaves behind pieces of her slipper, bits of glass in cobalt blue, teal and green.

The colors glisten in the morning sun like jewels, a memory of her midnight dance.

— Maggie O’Neill

— Carol Krom

Autumn Whispers

Treasured Memories As we watch an LBI sunset at the end of another winter’s day, To you there are just so many things that I want to share and say, Like how much I like seeing you and how glad I am for the time, Of many “Treasured Memories” of you and LBI I have to call mine.

Every year we’d always be found on the beach with fun things to do, It didn’t matter what we did as long as my time was spent there with you, I was always aware that you were a special gift sent to me from up above, And today and everyday I make time to thank God for you to share my love.

You’re older now but I will never forget - not that I ever really want to try, All of our days spent together way back then living the dream here on LBI, Now your life is busy and you’re schedule’s full - studying hard everyday, Achieving your goals and making your dreams come true along your way.

Always remember to take a few minutes out of your busy time, To reflect on your blessings of life and always look for a “sign”, Pray often, work hard, be honest, and take time to visit the beach, Recalling just like shells sooner or later - your dreams are within reach!

— Diane Stulga, Winter Break, Dedicated to Chelsea (our daughter)

Page 40 • Echoes of LBI

Early August morning, Still summer surrounds.

But leaves dance and sing To the melody of a cooler breeze.

Few leaves are showing Subtle hints of wearing Brilliant crimson and gold Accessories yet to come.

A flat oak leaf Lies on the ground alone, Separate from the others.

There is a secret being shared If one is paying attention.

Soon it will be time To embrace autumn.

— Carol Krom

Poetry

Autumn Returns

A Day of Freedom

I lie supine, in a state of lethargy, Captor to the sun’s final rays, Unwilling to surrender to Autumn’s , Encroaching colors, Wilted flowers and falling leaves.

Unprepared for the assault of blackness that shortened days bring.

Unwilling to return to the servitude Of daily life that we call work, Happy to remain a child of the sea With no demands or responsibilities.

Hot sands blow, seabirds squawk, Gathered on blankets families talk.

Children build castles, then burrow in sand, Scavenging for food, seagulls touch land.

People ride boards on foaming waves, Swimmers seek privacy in hidden caves, Children search for bright, pearly shells, Bathers enjoy sights and various smells.

Waves cascade and are swallowed by the sea, An escape to the beach is an attempt to feel free.

— Lynn Reebe

— Lynn Reebe

Autumn Regatta Wings trimmed, legs trailing Tacking down the south skies Geese sail Summer in their wake.

—Norma Paul

Deserted

Kamikaze Birds of Cedar Bonnet Island

The beauty of its infinite majesty, the splendor of its almighty greatness, where children gaily laugh and play on the unceasing stretch of golden beaches.

The gentleness of its clear waters, once ruled by the simple fishermen, now a torrent and turbulent sea.

The gentle waters which are no more, but now a place of utter loneliness, once warmed by the powerful sun, where children gaily laughed and played, is now deserted.

We cross curving causeways, head toward the Atlantic.

A gust of wind swoops a flock of mourning doves down to the pavement. They’re determined to hold it as we intrude on their long-held possession. We brake, edge toward the curb, pass through unscathed. They would squabble to death in lieu of defeat by these outsiders.

Not for Cedar Bonnet natives sleepless summers imposed by flippant escapees from city lights and concrete walls. They fluff out their ruffled plumage, commiserate with each other, slap their chests together in a feathery high-five.

— Dianne Alvine

— Norma Paul

Page 42 • Echoes of LBI

Find your home on Long Beach Island!

“In the immediate nearness of the gold” — Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island

Zack Shore Properties Patrice “Pat” Albanese, Broker Associate, ABR, SRES Prudential Zack Shore Properties • 1000 Long Beach Blvd. • Ship Bottom, NJ 08008 (o) 609-494-7272 (c) 609-226-6113 • patalbanese@aol.com

Legends & Lore

O

n a crisp November evening, two young men hunt whitetail deer by their forest home. They follow tracks of what they think is a buck. As they near a shallow bog in the center of the clearing they notice movement between the trees.

They take aim, but through the briers and bushes what they see is no deer. At first they think it must be a moose, but moose have been extinct in New Jersey for decades. The creature looks toward the men and lets out a deafening screech.

Then it launches into a tree, crashing down branch after branch. The men race back to their cabin and barricade the door. The next morning they gather the courage to revisit the bog to see if they can find proof of their encounter. All that remains among the torn undergrowth are footprints, each about eight inches long and cleaved in three toes like a lizard’s.

The men conclude that the animal they saw was no deer, owl, bear, coyote, wolf, moose, or human. The creature must have been the devil himself.

The Jersey Devil has haunted the forests and beaches of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York since the late 1700s. The resident monster has been forgotten after repeated hoaxes and a population consumed by technology. However, here is the most wellknown legend of how the devil came to New Jersey.

The Birth of the Beast Mrs. Leeds was the mother of twelve children in a small house in the depths of the Pine Barrens, now known as Leeds Point. She was outcast as a witch—a common practice for society to single out persons who lived on the edges of town, particularly women. After learning she’d become pregnant with her thirteenth child, she became enraged and yelled “Lord, let this one be a real devil!” With that, there was a knock at the door.

A charming gentlemen disguised as Satan entered the room and offered to take the child once Mrs. Leeds had given birth. He asked that she sign a pact with him to never go looking for the “little monster” once he took him away. Exhausted and desperate, this strong Catholic woman dissolved under the Devil’s hooves and relented.

Page 44 • Echoes of LBI

Sara Caruso art

A few months later, Mrs. Leeds gave birth to a baby boy. larger than an eagle hopping along the tow-path.” On Monday, Memories of the Devil’s curse and her angst for this child esthe devil’s tracks were seen all over Burlington backyards and caped her. As she gazed into his ice blue eyes and curly blonde rooftops every twenty yards or so and then they would vanish hair, she noticed the boy’s skin began to darken and scale and as if to take off from the ground. On Tuesday it was seen in a the body elongate. The baby twisted out of his mother’s arms shipyard in Camden. On Wednesday a fisherman described it and contorted into grotesque formations on the floor. Wings as “three feet tall with long black hair and cloven feet,” and by sprouted from his shoulder blades, toes morphed into hooves, Thursday it was stealing chickens from the Delaware Valley. and a winding tail grew from the base of his spine. The baby, By the end of the week there wasn’t a newspaper in all of New now a beast, screeched a blood curdling call as it began to flap Jersey or the Delaware Valley region that didn’t have a devil around the room wildly like a canary in a cage. The nurse and story posted in it.

Mr. Leeds caught the demon child in one of the birthing blanA sighting occurred in Barnegat Bay in which the devil was kets and threw him in the basement. seen cavorting with mermaids and The beast clawed the door but Mr. laughing when a ship sank. To this Leeds held it shut with all his might day, sightings of the devil more not letting this “thing” get out, until frequently happen during the late fall Sightings of the devil date finally after some time the creature and deep winter months. As recently was silent. as 2005, a woman and her son were back to Native American The family heard a loud bang from outside removing Christmas decoradownstairs and bravely opened the tions from their house when her son door to discover that the furnace was screamed as a large creature leaped beliefs, who dubbed the Pine ruptured as if from a force inside. The from a tree to their roof. Come morndemon child was nowhere to be seen ing, they climbed up on the roof to Barrens as the “Den of the and seemed to have climbed through check for damage and found gigantic the piping to escape. Suddenly they three-toed tracks sprawled across his Dragon.” This suggests that heard another loud screech outside roof. Although the Fish and Game the house and, as they peered through Service concluded it had been a large the frost covered windows, there owl, the family, who has lived in the the creature may have not stood a creature bristling with brown Pine Barrens for generations, knows it scales and fur with face like a horse. was too big to be an owl. been a rumor of a forlorn The only evidence that it was ever Deer, especially bucks with their the Leeds boy was a scrap of the torn fully grown antlers, could have set off mother, but a real animal not birthing blanket that remained. a large number of sightings, as well as feral dogs or even coyotes who have The Sightings a strange howl. Other now extinct yet identified by science.

Sightings of the devil date back to New Jersey animals, such as wolves, Native American beliefs, who dubbed played into the hysteria of early sightthe Pine Barrens as the “Den of the ings, especially with shepherds and Dragon.” This suggests that the creacattle ranchers. Though sightings are ture may have not been a rumor of a forlorn mother, but a real less frequent today, one man tried to keep the legend alive. animal not yet identified by science. As sightings in the 1800s and early 1900s increased, along with the growing popularity The Man Who Became Monster of the spiritualist movement, the devil found a new home in the For 18 years, Cliff Oakley brought the legends of the Jersey minds of the East coast. Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, Devil and “Smokey the Bear” to life. Born in Trenton and raised claims to have seen the creature while out hunting near his Borin Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island, Cliff spent much of his dentown estate in 1820. time in the Wells Mills cranberry bogs of his family farm deep The third week of January 1909 changed the devil’s story in the Pine Barrens. Now the Ocean County Park, the family’s once and for all. Within that week, thousands of sightings hapbogs became the devil’s headquarters. Cliff would dress up for pened around South Jersey and Pennsylvania. It started on the children outside the family cabin. His devil suit was furry, black night of Sunday, January 16, when Mr. John McOwen, who and red, and looked like a very elaborate Halloween costume, lived near Delaware Division Canal, was awakened by the cry not like the horse-headed beast of legend. He especially tried to of his baby daughter. He went to her room and heard a strange be “a good devil” but would accidentally scare people on occanoise outside. When he peered outside the baby’s bedroom sion. He rekindled the legend in the hearts of the young and old window, which faced the canal, he saw “a creature that was before retiring from his devilish work in 2005. Sadly, in 2008

Legends & Lore The Last Tail to Tell Many legends have faded into history because they were dismissed as hoaxes or mass hysteria. Technology is bringing some of those stories back, but eliminating the need for them. It is likely that Cryptid or Crank? everyone who lives in To believe the Jersey New Jersey today had Devil is anything more an ancestor who either than a hoax or myth saw or knew someone made up to scare good who saw the Jersey church folk is laughDevil. It has become a able to some. However, cultural icon, a hockey the descriptions of this mascot, and a hero to creature over the years those who hold out hope paint an interesting and that a new species can strangely logical being be discovered every day. that could potentially In 2010, an expediexist in an environtion to Suriname, South ment such as the Pine America found 46 new Barrens. species and cataloged Cryptozoology is the over one thousand and study of animals that thirteen variations of are not yet recognized existing rare species. by science and considScience argues that huered a pseudo-science man encroachment and by many academics. the destruction of the It has contributed to rainforests could wipe the discovery of new these animals out. The species that were average person probably thought to be the myths wouldn’t be affected by of hysterical shamans, this, and worse wouldn’t such as the okapi, an give two shakes of the antelope-like animal devil’s tail. related to the giraffe.

If the Jersey Devil Upon first glance, the story should teach us Map reprinted from The Jersey Devil by James F. McCoy and Ray Miller design of the devil anything, it’s that the makes no sense when it lines up with its story. However, the forests are important to humanity’s existence. The Pine Bardevil has an ever ready food supply with New Jersey’s explodrens decreases in size each day from developers who need to ing deer population. If it had wings they would have been thin make new homes for an ever-expanding population. What once strips of membrane attached between the wrist and ribs and run- connected New York and Pennsylvania by trees is now less than ning down the side of the animal like a bat’s wings. Their claws, a quarter of its size and getting smaller. This forces animals to which could be used to climb, were so long they likely walked come out of their homes in search of food, such as black bear, on their knuckles like a chimp giving the appearance of hooves which are now hunted in parts of Northern Jersey to keep their from a distance. Although this is all speculation, the Jersey numbers down. Without top predators like the bears, coyotes and Devil is a great example of why we can’t assume everything is wolves, the deer and rabbit population will continue to increase a myth or a hoax. Nature proved time and again that the animals and become more of a hazard on our roads and in our towns. For which science deemed extinct can pop up in places we never ex- what it’s worth, we need the Jersey Devil. It reminds us of our place pected. For lovers of legends, the Jersey Devil is a culture hero on Earth and perhaps it will save us from destroying our home and and a hope for new discoveries. making a really big mistake. — Sara Caruso • he left the pines for good when he peacefully passed away in his home. The legend of the Jersey Devil did not die with him, and perhaps new forms of science can bring a light to the devil’s story.

Page 46 • Echoes of LBI

surf city marina “Our Newest Edition”

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LBI locations For Sales, Repairs, Slip Rentals Surf City Marina • 325 S 1st St, Surf City • 609-494-2200 Surf City Marina Boat Sales • 337 W 8th St, Ship Bottom • 609-361-5200 Bombardier Dealer • Sea-Doo personal Watercraft • Showroom in Ship Bottom

Lifestyle

Left to right: Top Row - Thomas Welch, Emily Welch, Matthew Krasnow. Middle Row - Vic Tabora, William Krasnow, Brenda Kay, Rowena Liao, Arlena Welch, Joyce Krasnow, Cassie Kay, Daniella Kay, Zachary Kay. Bottom Row - Jason Welch, Nicholas Krasnow, Alex Liao, Ken Liao, Scott Kay, Paul Welch, Ken Krasnow, Vin Tabora, Samantha Kay, Claudia Krasnow, Eric Liao.

Tabora Family Treasures • Tradition • Family • Life • LBI Page 48 • Echoes of LBI

T

hey came from a land surrounded by beaches and eventually settled down in New Jersey.

Vic Tabora and Edith Montesa left the Philippine Islands in the early 1960s on separate medical programs which led them to New York where they met and soon married. Their life adventure together continued in Northern New Jersey where they lovingly raised five children.

In the early 1980s, they got wind of a great family getaway called Long Beach Island. Upon seeing it, they believed they had found paradise. Long stretches of beautiful white sand beaches, gentle as well as wild waves, the fresh scent of the ocean, and the sense of serenity in the air were the attractions that made Vic, Edith, and their kids fall in love with the island. So they bought a vacation house in the area where the family could enjoy all the wonders the island had to offer.

Years passed, the house sold, and the grown children started having families of their own.

Vic and Edith (now affectionately known as “Dodo” and “Lola”) became proud grandparents of thirteen grandchildren, dubbed the “Lucky 13,” with backgrounds representing many countries besides the Philippines.

Once the first grandchildren arrived, Vic and Edith started the tradition of renting a house for everyone one week of every summer so that the new generation could experience the beaches and all the wonderful family activities on the island. In 2008, Lola passed away yet the family tradition at LBI continues as they will never forget her beaming face in the LBI sunlight, exuberant from their special time together. — Brenda Kay •

Echoes gives back.

MOVIES AND FILM FESTIVALS

ART CLASSES º KID’S ART

AND SCIENCE SUMMER CAMPS

CERAMICS CLASSES SCIENCE PROGRAMS AND TOURS

YOGA º PILATES º ZUMBA

ART EXHIBITS TENNIS TOURNAMENTS AND CLINICS

AND A WHOLE LOT MORE! The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences (LBIF) is Long Beach Island’s premier location for arts, cultural, and educational activities for the entire family. The LBIF is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that has served the community since 1948. From free art exhibitions with works by internationally celebrated artists to yoga, tennis, and family theatre, there’s something for everyone at the LBIF. Visit the LBIF’s main gallery, a 4,000 square foot exhibit space hosting artwork in all media or attend one of the LBIF’s many highly anticipated events hosted each summer. Interested in receiving a brochure on all of the LBIF’s programs and activities? Learning more is easy. Stop by to take a look around, we’re free to visit. Register for a class, visit our website, or give us a call.

Lifestyle

A

Building on Tradition

drawing table sits in the corner of Rick Aitken’s office. The paint on the table is chipped but holds fresh drawing paper.

The bent back, wicker seat on the swivel chair looks as though it belongs in a 1950s museum but it still turns.

The artist is A. Richard Aitken, founder and owner of a custom construction business, who has been building custom homes on Long Beach Island for almost thirty years. The desk belonged to his grandfather who also worked in the industry. Rick creates beauty and constructs value for homeowners with his materials and personal foresight into the process. When I asked Rick what was most important to his work, he didn’t respond with measurements or materials. Instead, he spoke about trust and strong relationships with the individuals and families he works for.

Rick has been working with a young couple this summer, renovating their modest cottage in Harvey Cedars.

Before construction, the home had fallen two inches, its foundation twisted by years of storms. Rick and his team took up the task of rebuilding the foundation to provide greater stability and durability to the cottage. In one instance, Rick contemplated painting the walls of a room white. The clients had asked for this, but before covering the layer of prime, Rick brought the couple into the room to show them the streaked walls, curious to know if they too saw the imperfect beauty.

For Rick and his team, construction is an interactive process with clients. He builds homes that generations of families are proud to own.

Page 50 • Echoes of LBI

Rick’s old world craftsmanship and dedication to clients is well known and recognized by all. As a builder, contractor, entrepreneur and artist, Rick Aitken is committed to providing the residents of Long Beach Island with excellence.

— Elizabeth Weber •

36 W. 80th St., Harvey Cedars, NJ 08008 • 609-618-2420

Lifestyle

L

ove the tropical garden look? It’s easy to bring the tropics to a Jersey Shore yard. Just ask Pete Milnes, beachcomber, tiki lover and tropical plant lover.

“I plant banana trees, banana cannas, and hibiscus plants every May next to my cold hardy, non-invasive bamboo. In the slightest breeze, the huge leaves flop around and add visual interest to my yard. In the fall, I cut the banana trees down to 4 inches and bring them in for the winter. The flamingoes and tikis can stay outside. In the Spring, the madness begins again! ”

Page 52 • Echoes of LBI

Autumn Wine Festival at Manahawkin Lake

Long Beach IsLand RegIon, new JeRsey MeMoRIes BegIn heRe saturday, sept. 29 MeRchants MaRt OUTDOOR FOOD COURT Sponsored by U.S. Foodservice

Don’t miss this! End-of-Season Blowout Bargains from your favorite local shopkeepers

sunday, sept. 30 chowdeR cook-off ChOwDER COOk-OFF ClaSSiC

Your Favorite Restaurants Serving Chowder Under The Big Top

Operation

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winning series Beyond the Beach on

VisitLBIRegion or LBItV.com

Zombie

October 12 & 13

Outbreak Autumn Wine & HArvest

Festival

October 20 & 21 - manahawkin Lake

Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, 9th St. Ship Bottom 609-4947211 VisitLBIRegion.com Supported in part by a grant from The NJ Department of State, Division of Travel & Tourism

Lifestyle

Timeless Cruiser

Page 54 • Echoes of LBI

O

ver the 4th of July holiday, we spotted a beauty on the boulevard in Ship Bottom. We left a note on the windshield of the truck expressing our interest in finding out more about her. Several hours later we discovered she was on her way to her new home in Brant Beach. She is a Cherubini Yacht.

After some phone calls, I finally met the man behind this beauty. David Cherubini is the president and CEO of Cherubini Yachts. One day in late July he brought one of his 255 Sport Cruisers to LBI from Delran, New Jersey where the custom yachts are “born.” We met outside the home of Ed Wilbraham in Brant Beach where he lives with his wife and daughter Tori. They are the proud owners of the yacht spotted in Ship Bottom over the 4th of July.

While David prepared this classic beauty to be launched, I spoke with Melissa Young who accompanied him to the Island. She told me that in the office they lovingly refer to this sport cruiser as a “pocket yacht,” stating that they will be heirlooms passed from one generation to the next. She went on to explain that each yacht is custom made and is “born” when she leaves the shop for her new home. The gestation ranges from six months to two years depending on the design.

Having grown up around cars and boats, I wanted to see what powered this angelic beauty. David raised the back deck with the push of a button revealing a spacious insulated engine compartment. She is propelled by a Bravo III outdrive and powered by a 350 Mercruiser motor. This model has an 80-gallon fuel tank allowing for more hours on the water between fill-ups.

Once all seven of us boarded and were comfortably seated, David took us for a cruise around the Bay on what clearly isn’t your average boat. We were cruising at slightly more than 20 knots, there were some small waves on the bay, from a strong south wind, this vessel went through them effortlessly and the waves seemed insignificant. We got on plane easily and the ride was smooth and quiet. I commented on her performance and David said that this model has the capability to reach much higher speeds while still maintaining peak performance.

The Cherubini family had been building these classic styled

boats since 1975. For a short period, the Cherubinis had taken on some partners. In 2003 they lost control of the company and David went to pick up some of his personal belongings. While looking for some wood in a dumpster to block his boat, he found the template for the cockpit of the 44’ sailboat. He brought the template home thinking he was just going to hang it on the wall in his home office.

During the next few months he started receiving phone calls from people who were either interested in restoring an older Cherubini or looking for information about the boats.

He wasn’t sure what all of this meant and in an attempt to find the answer, he asked his three-legged cat Thumper, “Is this is a sign to save the family’s endeavor?”

Thumper rolled over and raised his single rear leg as a thumbs-up.

David started making boats again in 2004 under Cherubini Yachts. The company currently makes five models, two of which are sailboats. The hulls are all made of solid hand laid fiberglass. The decking is mahogany and the dashboard on this boat was made of quilted maple.

Each Cherubini is custom made so interior wood and certain amenities may vary. This particular vessel had a small head (toilet) discretely hidden in a closet behind the Captain’s seat and bed in the v-berth under the front deck. There was also plenty of room for storage. David pointed out that some owners ask to replace the storage locker with a small refrigerator. The craftsmanship of this yacht shows the quality and pride in a product not just made in the U.S.A. but made right here in New Jersey.

We made two brief stops at the Dutchman to drop off Marjorie Amon, our photographer, and pick her up again. Patrons were heard commenting “Look at that boat!” “What kind of boat is it?” and “Is that David with his Cherubini?” It was dusk and David turned on his navigational lights and the elegant interior lights inconspicuously tucked into the perimeter of the ceiling of the cabin and small side compartments. We took our time returning to the dock so we could enjoy the sun setting over the bay. Being on the bay at sunset is magical and sharing it with delightful people on a beautiful Cherub(ini) made it that much more special.

— Vickie VanDoren •

Cherubini Spotting in LBI Waters

Lifestyle

Summer Curiosity

I

Lessons from Hong Kong

followed a curiosity this summer, and worked in an unfamiliar profession. I’m a rising junior at Brown University with a passion for supporting entrepreneurs and understanding how businesses develop. The University provided me with an exceptional opportunity—to work in Hong Kong at a financial company in their asset management and private equity divisions.

For more than two months I became a proud member of Hong Kong’s colorful, cultured, and ambitious community.

My journey began with an exchange with a kind older woman.

In Hong Kong, I lived at the Helena (Above) After spending 19 summers on LBI, Elizabeth spent her 20th on May, a historical woman’s hotel my work for the comanother island thousands miles away - Hong Kong Island. (Below) dating back to 1916. In dormitory pany revolved around One of Hong Kong’s many unique cultural traditions, dragon boat racing. fashion, I stayed with twenty-four identifying business women between ages 18 and 65, opportunity. Through four of whom were eating breakfast research, I learned what the morning of my first day of work. metrics and patterns to The older woman sitting beside me look for in a company’s must have noticed my apprehension financial statements, and because she asked if that day was imwhat traps and common portant. I raised my eyes to smile and misconceptions to avoid. told her I was beginning an internship.

I became curious about She gave me a knowing smile and process, what to look for said, “You’ll do fine, just remember first, then second, and the importance of relationships.” And then third on the income then she added, “Think hard about the value you bring to the com- statement or balance sheet. I was becoming a process thinker. pany, and if you’re not sure what it is, don’t be afraid to ask.”

I realize this logic is not singular to investing but rather someMidway through my internship, the woman approached me thing I can apply to all aspects of my life. As human beings, at breakfast again and asked if I had discovered my value. I the first way we empower ourselves is through our thoughts. By started speaking, and after a few sentences I stopped, realizing constantly improving our thought processes, we can improve our that I still didn’t have a good answer. I was working hard at the working intelligence and translate that into work performance. company. I was last to leave and first to come in each day, and At school, I’m head of the Entrepreneurship Program. I I was doing good work. I had two mentors, one of whom was connect my peers with advisors, and potential investors to help knowledgeable beyond measure with an entire library encasthem become entrepreneurs. Reflecting on my work this suming his desk area. It wasn’t his knowledge that was so striking, mer, I’ve realized a flaw in the Entrepreneurship Program. The but rather his genuine compassion for sharing that knowledge. I organization puts more resources into rewarding success than was comfortable around him, comfortable enough to show my it does into teaching the process. It’s human nature to strive for vulnerabilities. When I asked him the older woman’s question, the end product. Parents wish success for their children, CEOs “What value did I bring?” he replied that my value came from desire profit for their company but these end goals cannot the questions I asked and my eagerness to learn. I hadn’t exovershadow the path to achieve them. The path is sometimes pected this answer. I had anticipated it would be my research or long, riddled with mistakes and struggles, but for the patient a presentation I had done—something more tangible. teachers and persistent workers, the process is worth far more Then I reflected back to the woman’s first statement about than the end product. relationships and began to understand. The best relationships While cultural differences separated me from my Cantonare those in which we share ourselves—our genuine beliefs and ese co-workers and friends, I believe truths like these hold us our thoughts. Even in business, defined by coveted numbers and together. Cultural differences—how to hug, how to politely eat profit expectations, relationships are what matter. I formed a a meal, and what to give as gifts—seem inconsequential in comstrong relationship with my mentor not through my research, but parison. These can be learned by reading a book. But to become through my questions, through showing weakness, and working a person of the world, you need to understand genuine relationhard. I learned the best relationships are honest and genuine. ships and respect how others think and learn.

My final lesson took me awhile to fully understand. Much of — Elizabeth Weber • Page 56 • Echoes of LBI

ON TV ONLINE ON SMARTPHONES

LBI TV airs 10 times every day all summer long on LBI cable channel 22, and all year long online. Check out this video series featuring the people, places, activities, and events that make the LBI lifestyle so special. For TV air times, or to watch anytime online, go to LBITV.com. For ad info, call 609-294-2111.

LBI TV 2012 features Presented by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce

t Discover Barnegat Light t *t’s Happening in Harvey Cedars t &YQMPre Surf City

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t Ship Bottom: Gateway to LBI t -POH #FBDI Township WFMDPNFT You t #FBDI )aven The Queen City

Lifestyle

“I

Seeing Your Yard as a Room

t’s a pretty simple It’s important to use whatever concept that has that square footage is to the always made sense Simple Concept Creates best possible advantage. What to me,” says Mark Reynolds, Reynolds has done for years is describing how he and his apply the same principles to the a more Functional team at Reynolds Landscapyard as he would to a room. ing on East Bay Avenue in “Just like with your living — and Fun — Life Manahawkin design an exterior room, let’s say, you must first space. To you and me, it’s the yard, the part of the lot not ocestablish the orientation. People get in trouble even in the simcupied by house, garage, driveway, walkways. plest of rooms if they are unsure of where they want the focus to Reynolds calls them “micro spaces.” Sometimes what’s be, like which direction the couch should face,” he explains. On available is 1,500 square feet or as much as 3,500 square feet.

LBI one of the most important things to create is an orientation that enables you to feel your relationship to the ocean. Reynolds considers the sky as a primary aspect. “You can always see the sky,” he says. If there’s no strong influence, like a pool or the

Creating a room with a view at this lagoon side property in Loveladies.

Lifestyle ocean, he orients the outside life “back toward the house, toward the center,” always with an awareness of how the sky and the light affect the functionality and the feeling.

The rooms are not divided—no walls, per se, must exist. Each aspect of the yard has a sense of purpose and that is accomplished in a variety of ways.

Years ago when Reynolds Landscaping became involved in these kinds of projects, most of the decisions were made by Reynolds on-site—there was no time and employees were few. He and his wife, Peg, were the sole visionaries.

Now he describes it as a collaboration.

Photos are taken. Plans are drafted.

A fair amount of time is spent physically on the small plot of land, paying attention not just to what the owners want or think they want but also to the ambient sounds, the wind, the position of adjoining lots, the neighbors. In the end, 70% of what was originally drafted on paper remains.

Planning is key to the success of Above: Intimate seating area covered with cedar beam pergola creates a private corner in the backyard of this Surf City residence. Below: Behind the initial phase in the creative process. designing for a compact, multifunctional space. Equally important, however, is flexibility. Once the plan is made, Reynolds says, paying attention is even more vital since it’s easy to get locked in to the vision.

“Each room has to have a reason,” explains Peg Reynolds, and that reason dictates not just what the larger items—like fireplace, pool, outside kitchen station—will be but also the furnishings and the plantings. All of it has to work together.

If the space is intended to be a serene retreat, someplace restful in which you can remove yourself from the day-to-day, she often thinks in terms of a spectrum of whites: layers of spectacular hydrangeas, hostas, astilbe, phlox, impatiens, and more.

The plantings for many of the outside rooms, however, change with the seasons. The whites of spring and summer transition into fall’s white cabbage and asters, and if you intend to use your exterior space in what is traditionally seen as the off-season, say sitting around the fireplace in November with a “yard” can become a new room with area rugs, lamps, clocks, glass of wine, a deciduous planting like birch expands the relaxceiling fans, all made to withstand the weather. ing environment with its leafless branches and patterned trunks.

Choices abound: fireplace or fire pit; a long linear planting or If your room will be the site of parties and the focus of kids’ a traditional cottage garden; formal seating arrangements or inactivities, bright colors are the palette: hibiscus, lantanas, contimate clusters of chairs and couches; privacy or openness; party stantly blooming petunias. time or retreat. Whatever you want beyond a day at the beach, What can pop things even more is the furniture and accessoyou can have—with the right planning and vision. ries in all kinds of materials, along with a vast array of stunning — Annaliese Jakimides, weatherproof fabrics that rival interior possibilities. Today your Photos by: johnmartinelliphotography.com • Page 60 • Echoes of LBI

Fall In Love With LBI!

“oh give me a house by the shining sea, by the waves and the sand and the sky...”

SAVE THE DATES! Chocolate Week Decadent offers, delicious discounts and special events made to be shared with the ones you love — Feb. 9-18, 2013 Wedding Road Show LBI Region’s premiere wedding planning event allowing you to meet, greet and eat your way through our fabulous wedding services and venues — April 21, 2013 Southern OceanCounty Chamber of Commerce Long BeachIsland Region DMO 265 West Ninth Street • Ship Bottom NJ 609-494-7211 • visitLBIregion.com

“Paid for in part by funding from the NJ Division of Travel and Tourism”

Maggie M. O’Neill Real Estate Sales Mary Allen Realty, Inc. Ship Bottom, NJ 609-494-0700 Lunasea32@gmail.com

Lifestyle

Neptune market back in the day. Left to right: Ron Marr, JoAnn Montrey, Diana Showenbach, Carol Freas, Ed Heitman, Chelsea Stulga, Robert & Diana Roy, Karen Larson, Ottavia “Otto” Lazzarato Marjorie Amon photos Bob Butkus test riding a new addition to Walters Bike Shop in Ship Bottom — the Fat Tire beach bike, the only bike that can be ridden (and adapt to) virtually any terrain.

Back by Popular Demand —The Retro Bathing Suit Gang!

Top: Karen Larson, Arlene Schragger, Marcy Burns Middle: Rena DiNeno, Ron Marr, Donna Bradley Bottom: Janice Burke, Carol Freas, Chelsea Stulga

Page 64 • Echoes of LBI

Top: Pat Albanese, JoAnn Montrey, Eileen Moon Middle: Diana Showenbach, Robert & Diane Roy, Gay Adelmann Bottom: Ed Heitman, Merry Simmons, Ottavio “Otto” Lazzarato

Holiday Shop Local!

GiftGuide

LBI Music CD Pure Sea Glass book, signed copies Seaglass Jewelry Booty Soap For The Scurvy Dog & Wench “Shack” wood ornaments Lifeguard model boats And much more available at Things A Drift in Ship Bottom, LBI, 609-361-1668.

Holiday Hoedown

December 1, 2012 1 p.m.

1:00-3:00 p.m.

On Long Beach Blvd. from 5th-25th Streets.

•Homemade floats and antique cars welcome.

• Must register by November 30 to be eligible for judging.

• No registration fees for Homemade Floats and all Participants!

• For more info call the Clerk’s Office at 609-494-2171 x116.

Lifestyle

Doing Good

O

An Evening on LBI: We’re All in This Together

ne extraordinary August evening. Three beautiful homes in Loveladies open to thirty diners to raise money for local food banks. Many people volunteering to support the effort: from chefs to wait staff to food vendors and floral designers and the supplier of tents, place settings, linens. That’s An Evening on LBI! Every year in April—long before many people can get to their homes on Long Beach Island for the summer season—Southern Ocean County Community Foundation holds a successful fundraiser called Taste of the Nation. This year that effort raised $70,000 for the local food bank.

For years, Mark and Peg Reynolds say, people have been asking, “Why not do something in the summer when we’re here?” That question planted the seed for the Reynolds family to create An Evening on LBI. “It’s been an overwhelmingly heartwarming response,” says Peg Reynolds. “I have always known this was a special place to live, to raise a family, but to watch people step up to the plate, to say ‘count me in,’ over and over again. It’s amazing.”

The event sold out almost instantly. So on this idyllic evening all the guests gathered at The Loveladies Foundation of the Arts, where a trolley picked them up and transported them to the first home, on Bayview. The trolley shuttled guests for Page 68 • Echoes of LBI

the next course at the next home, another beautiful bayfront estate, and finally to a stunning home on the lagoon.

Each location had a theme: “garden party” for the appetizers; “farmhouse” for the main course with its farm-fresh focus; and

Trolley car shuttles donors in the progressive dining experience, An Evening on LBI.

Formal dining segment of the event at a bayfront estate in Loveladies.

“lush tropical oasis” for dessert and coffee. Every location would not have been possible without the kindness and generosity of local businesses and local people, says Katie Hood, who along with her sister, Ashley Reynolds, paid attention to every detail. In addition to the owners of the three locations opening their homes for the event, dozens of people who work at Reynolds Landscaping and Garden Shop volunteered until almost midnight.

The Reynolds design staff worked closely with Ocean Tent to create a world of dining heaven at each location. And the air was filled with the cool sounds of a five piece jazz band, the Jonathan McElroy Quartet, who moved everything—horns and drums and piano—from site to site.

In addition to Ocean Tent and Reynolds Landscaping and Garden Shop, many others made the event happen: Beach Haven Catering, Stefanos, Pinziminios, Mud City Crab House, Neptune Liquors, Black Eyed Susans, Off the Hook Catering, Neptune Market, and Okie’s. Chef Ian Smith from Ocean County Vocational Technical School donated his expertise to assure the success of a cause so close to his heart. The menu included roasted beet salad, a petit sampler, tomato gazpacho, diver scallop with sweet corn relish, micro greens with grilled peach, parmesan and berry vinaigrette, filet mignon stuffed with Jersey lump blue crab, wild mushrooms, scallions, pancetta, mushroom risotto, and baby carrots.

From the opening course with a slight heavenly breeze, on through a hot-pink sunset and finally candlelight and lanterns and tiki torches under a starry sky, old friends visited and new friends met, all the while knowing that the next day the fruits of this night would last much longer than anyone had ever envisioned.

To live on LBI is a lucky thing but everyone is not as lucky as the next guy. You never know when things can shift in a life, say both Mark and Peg Reynolds. Although this was “the event,” the work itself is never done. The concept is local and direct, with an immediate effort to move the money forward into the community.

Five dollars can make a difference, a quarter can make a difference, a few cans of soup, those crazily prolific zucchini—all of it helps. If you are inclined, Reynolds Garden Shop will accept any of it and make sure it all gets where you intend it to be, somewhere nearby feeding people in need.

— Annaliese Jakimides •

W riting With A Piece Of History

Bob DeMartino sees unlimited potential in combining his passion for local history with art. Limited edition Shack pens and Shack ornaments can be purchased at Things A Drift.

Fisherman’s Cottage pens and new edition pens from wood from The Cedar Bridge Tavern are also available. All pens come with a certificate of authenticity. 609.361.1668

Causeway to Heaven

Lifestyle

“T

here’s a feeling I get when I look to the west and my spirit is crying for leaving.” I am confident countless other baby boomers out there heard those words at their High School prom in the mid ‘70s. I share them because they come to mind every time I approach the Causeway leading to LBI, rising up from the mainland and, like a cresting wave at its very height, giving you the first glance into Heaven— my heaven, at least, the Beach. So, for the purists out there, while the original lyric speaks of looking to the “east,” you’ll just have to go with me on this one.

From 8th grade through college graduation, I lived three blocks from the ocean in a small seashore hamlet. It is a picturesque seaside town bookended by the railroad tracks transporting New Jersey Transit coastline trains and the boardwalk that runs the entire length of the town, and the multitude of teenage memories I have from this town form the genesis of a dream I carried with me for years— i.e., to one day own a house at the beach. Believe it or not, though, my hometown and its beach did not fit that dream. The beach town I envisioned had to be a

Page 70 • Echoes of LBI

place that makes you feel like you have left the everyday stuff behind— a true departure that constantly reminds you that you are, in every way, “At the Beach.”

There are hundreds of choices for beach style living along the Jersey coast and all have their unique and endearing qualities.

Hundreds of thousands of people have found their dream situations “down the Shore,” from Cape May to Sea Bright. For me, though, Long Beach Island has a special allure, much of which is directly attributable to the Causeway.

I still remember that Saturday morning in the late summer of 1999, when my wife and I decided to drive down and see what houses were available on LBI. We didn’t know about “changeover day” on Rt. 72, however, and, after sitting in traffic for an hour and a half, my dream started to feel more like a nightmare. All of that changed, though, as we finally approached the Causeway and began its upward climb. With the windows down, “you hear the wind blow,” just like in the Zeppelin song.

It’s the same wind that holds the drifting gulls over the Bay and provides that first smell of salt air which still invigorates me

“There are hundreds of choices for beach style living along the Jersey coast and all have their unique and endearing qualities. Hundreds of thousands of people have found their dream situations “down the Shore,” from Cape May to Sea Bright. For me, though, Long Beach Island has a special allure, much of which is directly attributable to the Causeway.” every time and brings back those beach memories that kindled my dream.

That Saturday 12 years ago was the beginning of a search that ended with our purchase of a lot in Surf City upon which we eventually built a house. To this day, our beach house remains a welcome respite from the day-to-day mundanity that mainland reality brings. Although I do not get to enjoy it as much as I would like, our beach house in Surf City continues to fulfill my original dream. Even better, it has also helped create new dreams and memories for my family and for the many friends who have had the chance to stay there.

So, why does LBI trigger a true beach sense in me and why does my hometown fail to do so? It’s simple: the Causeway and the transition it represents. The entire LBI experience is, for me, inextricably linked to the journey there. The change you experience driving through the Pine Barrens on Rt. 539, then past the gradual commercialization bordering each side of Rt. 72, and, next, through Cedar Bonnet Island, is an important prelude that prepares you to leave the mainland behind and to enter

onto LBI. It is this transition, this shift from mainland to barrier island, punctuated by the Causeway, that is what my hometown cannot provide.

My original dream and new shared memories are made up of simple routines: early morning walks for the paper and a cup of coffee, checking the waves, raising the flag on my Father’s-daygift flagpole, Memorial day parties, surfing with my kids and my nieces and nephews, running the annual Dog Day Race in Harvey Cedars and trying to guess this year’s shirt color, Chowder Fest, the LBI 18 miler, climbing Old Barney, art shows, mini-golf, summer employment for the kids, kayaking, riding a bike everywhere, my wife hosting college friends, late afternoon BBQs, and sitting at the beach after the crowds leave, just watching and listening to the waves. Ah, yes, just listening to the waves, waiting for the rhythm of beach life to come and take your spirit aloft.

You know, just like another line from Zeppelin: “And if you listen very hard, the tune will come to you at last.”

I have, indeed, found my Causeway ... to Heaven.

— Kevin Doran text, Rosemarie Sprouls photo •

Marine Science

W

hen settlers came to the New World, they unknowingly brought along several unwelcome stowaways. The history books tell us of various diseases accidentally passed on to New World natives by European settlers, but rarely will they mention the number of invasive plant and animal species brought over by their ships. While some of these introductions were purely accidental, others were quite intentional attempts at making the New World feel a little more like home. In any event, many of these alien species thrived and choked out native species that proved to be no match for the new competition. Indeed, you may very well encounter one such species, in the form of a four-pronged seed pod commonly referred to as a “devil’s head,” as

Summer of Fun! Barnegat Bay

you walk the beaches of the Jersey Shore, including the lovely beaches of Long Beach Island. The devil’s head features long spines and strangely resembles, as you may have already guessed, the head of the Devil. But an encounter with a devil’s head is an encounter that you may very well want to avoid. For all of you who have stepped on a devil’s head on the beach and felt the excruciating pain provided by its spines, you know what I mean — ouch! Introduced widely to eastern North America by way of an accidental escape from a botanical garden at Harvard University in the late 1800s, the devil’s head — formally known as the European Water Chestnut

2012

(Trapa natans) — quickly spread throughout the Hudson River Valley and through the wetlands of the East Coast.

Since they love fresh water, devil’s heads can also be found around lakefronts and other areas that tend to flood, in addition to the beaches along the Shore. As these seed pods float, the tides carry them all along the East Coast, from Yonkers to Cape May, and beyond, making them dangerous, not only to beach walkers, but to the region’s ecosystem, as well. This process of dissemination is then further advanced by small rodents who crack the pods open to eat them, thus distributing more seeds into the ecosystem — a true concern in light of the fact that the seeds of this species remain viable for up to 12 years.

Devil’s heads have become an aquatic nuisance in North America because of their ability to reproduce rapidly and the fact that they are not subject to predation (i.e., the preying of one species on another).

The irony, here, of course, is that the species is in the process of becoming extinct in Europe, the place that bestowed this “gift” to the New World. In any event, this “gift” has become a significant ecological threat to our environment. Due to its

dense growth, the species impedes navigation through the waterways for both water foul and fish. Moreover, the dense surface mats they create most likely inhibit the growth of other aquatic plant species. Decomposition of the abundant plant can contribute to lower oxygen levels in shallow waters and thereby kill off fish and create “dead zones” where nothing can survive for long. Finally, with its four half-inch spines, which are sharp and rigid enough to penetrate shoe leather, this thorny pod is a major hazard to beach goers, especially little ones who may not understand the danger. So, beware on your walks on the beach and, for heaven’s sake, make sure you don’t crack open the shell and release the “demon seed” within.

You’ll be exposing yourself and others to a real pain in the ... foot! — Sara Caruso •

LBI locations For Sales, Repairs, Slip Rentals Surf City Marina • 325 S 1st St, Surf City • 609-494-2200 Surf City Marina Boat Sales • 337 W 8th St, Ship Bottom • 609-361-5200 Bombardier Dealer • Sea-Doo personal Watercraft • Showroom in Ship Bottom

http://lbiseaglassfest.blogspot.com

50 & Counting

Island Roots

I

didn’t know to be scared—that at age four my life could end that miraculous morning when the air was soft and the sun glistened through the salty mist making day stars twinkle on the boards of the dock. As I ran, my bare feet slap-slap-slapping was the only sound to break the dawn stillness. There it was!

Its back to me pecking its breakfast crab. Leaping for the gull who took to the air, I tumbled into the Bay. Allowed to explore my grandfather’s world on Cedar Bonnet Island in 1947, I was rescued by the bridge tender, Burrel Adams. It wasn’t the usual sound of a diving gull that drew his attention, but the thrashing of a child in the water.

We lived with my grandparents, Charlie and Carrie Fackler.

Pappy’s business sold bait, tackle and beer. He had many traps, as well as cages for soft shell crabs, tied to docks about the island and I was allowed to explore alone, even playing on beer kegs or using empty bottles as xylophones.

After this scary dunking, my parents moved us to several rentals and eventually a bungalow on Maryland Avenue in Beach Haven Terrace. Today this cottage is lovingly called “The Old Girl” by the David Ewer family.

Pappy was quite a character, often sporting a Don Eagle haircut and called the first hippie. At the age of 16, he ran away from home in the Gettysburg area, hopping trains with hoboes, landing at Ft. Dix as a baker before moving his family to the shore in 1924 to start the bait and tackle shop. Granted the first liquor license in Manahawkin after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, he sold beer for a dime. His son, Jack, born in 1917, and twins Betty and Bill, born in 1921, helped gather bait from his many traps, even cleaning the rental boats. Eventually, the shop sold sandwiches and Great Uncle Harry’s spicy red chowder to local baymen and tourists headed to LBI. Being superstitious though, Harry refused to make chowder during a storm because it would sour.

After WWII, the business continued to thrive, managed by my Uncles Jack and Bill. Pap continued as the jaunty bartender, serving libations among his huge collections of guns, nautical stuff, military gear and antlers. The men added the facade of an ocean liner to the south side of the building and a real boat for the bar inside. It came from Roy Ramage’s Exotic Blue Room (now Joe Pop’s in Ship Bottom). Above the bar, like the spokes of a wheel, hung about 20 rifles, a 30-inch bomb and other curiosities.

In 1952, Bill had married Freda Benestad from Barnegat Light and opened his masonry business. Jack sold Charley’s in 1954 to the Schmid family, who renamed it the Bay Shore Bar. The floors were strewn with sawdust, buckled from flood tides, but many still considered the bar the best hang-out around. After the ‘62 storm severely damaged the old buildings, they rebuilt and named it the Dutchman’s.

My mother Betty, a tomboy way back then, preferred athletic endeavors to bait buckets and beer. She would climb the old Page 76 • Echoes of LBI

(Left to right) Carrie Fackler, Jack, Charlie, twins Betty & Bill, Uncle Harry and friend. Circa 1923, LBI.

draw bridge as it went up for boat traffic, scaring people waiting in line to cross. She loved to roller skate and would drive her gal pals to far-off rinks. Part of a group of Tuckerton High School girls, they sported gold satin jackets, lettered Skater Bugs in brown, with brown velvet skirts lined in gold. She met my dad, Peter Bohan, while he was a Staff Sargent bivouacked here. Prior

to becoming Long Beach Township Police Chief in 1962, he had several jobs: working for HiVita Dairy, then as a plumber, and as a builder for Shapiro homes. Mom and Uncle Bill, age 91 now, still share their old stories.

After many years away from LBI, my husband George and I built our dream house down the street from where I grew up. I

still love those salty-misty mornings when the sun filters through, creating day stars on Barnegat Bay. However, now when the grandkids come, I pay close attention by the water. Memories can be a warning and a joy. Come visit. It’s best when I can sit and share those memories of early days on LBI with a friend.

— The story of Kathy Bohan Roma, written by Carol Freas •

50 & Counting

Without Reservations A

sense of warmth, comfort, and memories overwhelmed me as I entered the kitchen door of Howard’s Restaurant in Beach Haven Terrace. Howard’s has been a family business for over sixty years.

Howard Sparks and his wife Ginnie moved to Holgate from Collingswood, New Jersey in the 1940s with their son Kingston.

Howard, an avid fisherman and carpenter, had been in the dry cleaning and trucking business. His love for both fishing and cooking made it an easy decision when the Bert’s luncheonette was for sale. Howard made an offer and opened his own restaurant. A countertop, few tables, jukebox and pinball machine defined the restaurant in 1950. He put his carpentry experience to use and performed repairs and renovations over the years.

When Howard passed away suddenly at the age of 48 in 1966, Kingston took over the restaurant.

Kingston managed the business for many years until his son Kevin Sparks, the current owner took over. Kevin began working in the restaurant in 1983 and is the third generation to run the restaurant.

Kevin’s eyes light up when he recalls the family in their younger days, playing in the restaurant and serving each other crackers and soda filled with sugar packets. He vividly remembers peeling mounds of shrimp every day. His great-grandfather, George, positioned a TV in the restaurant’s kitchen so the staff could watch Flyers games. George also hosted spelling bees for the staff, challenging them with his favorite two words: mayonnaise and Worcestershire Sauce.

Kevin said the wait staff back then required the girls to work the dining room and the boys to work the kitchen. Kevin bePage 78 • Echoes of LBI

came the first waiter in the 1990s. His parents worked seven days a week. One of his mother’s favorite traditions was to make a London broil dinner at the start of each summer season.

After going away to college in Colorado for a year, Kevin began to miss the LBI lifestyle. A love of surfing and the support of his wife Lara made returning to his beloved island an easy decision. Two years ago they took over Howard’s. Prior to this, Kevin managed the kitchen for many years and had been a signature chef. The restaurant received a letter from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its signature dish, French Fried Lobster. It is well on its way to becoming a household name on LBI. He smiled warmly as he spoke of the wonderful staff throughout the years that have come and gone. Some still return, entering through the kitchen door, smiling and ask his father, “Hey, King, remember me?” Other staff are still considered family whenever they return. There are 45 staff members here today.

Kevin plans to make another addition to Howard’s Restaurant called Swell Fish Tacos. It will be located on the site of the old Howard’s Take-Out building, and Kevin hopes to have it up and running by next summer.

Old black and white photographs adorn the walls of Howard’s, which overlooks the marina. A collage in the dining room of the restaurant shows the many changes that took place over the past sixty years. In the 1980s, a second story was added to the restaurant that seats 186 patrons.

Howard’s Restaurant has never taken reservations, yet without reservations, “Sparks” still fly at this mainstay of the island.

Thank you, Kevin. — Diane Stulga •

Lisa Pricilla (first from left), Brenda Eckland (second from left), and Janet Meredith (fifth from left)

Hazel Hartel (Ginny’s Mom), Ginny & Howard.

In the kitchen at Howard’s.

Howard with Striper 1950.

Looking Back

W

A Lady Eve

hen I was 11 years old, my father built a house in allowed. Our family car was pristine, but not sand-, ice cream Harvey Cedars. We had longed for the sea breezes cone- or picnic-friendly. Many days, my brother and I had to and sandy beaches since he sold the other house stand out by the bumper with fast melting cones, being bitten by he built on Bergen Avenue. It was then he decided to plunge whatever insect that happened by. Rides with Eve, on the other into the house building business again. As a thrifty man, of hand, were always adventures with food (my first spumoni) and course he had to do most all the work himself, except for all manner of kid activity, fights included. the plumbing and electrical work. His workmen helped, but Many afternoons, we would knock at the door at the Van Memost of the labor was his. When the house was ready to be ter house while they were eating and Eve would invite us in for camped out in, we journeyed to our new place on Long Beach “egg in the hole,” fried bread and eggs cooked together with the Island. The first thing my brother and I scoped out was egg peeking out of an artfully cut hole in the bread. I thought the kid ratio in the neighborhood. Immediately, we found it was so clever and delicious. I prevailed upon my mother to the Plasket family with two boys our own age and the Van make this recipe a Kurkian family dish.

Meters who had, at that time, four children: Gay, Bobby, The only beach cookout my brother and I experienced was Cheryl and Merry. organized by Eve. We were amazed that the Van Meter family When I first met the Van Meter family, I could not wait to dug a large pit in the sand for the driftwood fire. The day was tramp the marshes and beach with Gay, perfect with warm breezes and calm sea. who was my age, but Mrs. Eve Van Our neighborhood group was the only Meter explained there would be no play one on the beach except for the occauntil Gay did her exercises. There was sional fishermen casting bamboo rods no negotiation. Eve explained that her over and over. We feasted on hot dogs, daughter had had polio and whereas she hamburgers, corn and charred marshmalhad recovered well, her exercises had lows. The noisy scene had adults, kids to come before play. I was instructed and many dogs all in high humor. As the how to do range of motion and leg sun behind us threw riotous pinks, reds, strengthening exercises with Gay, and oranges and purples over the dunes, we we usually did them before escaping. crammed the last marshmallows in our I do not know if Gay was consulted or mouths and headed home filled with if she felt embarrassed, but her mother contentment. was firm on this issue and it was no I remember one weekend at the Van chore for me.

Meter house, we painted the chickenEve was a woman of the earth who had coop playhouse with orange gravel so much to teach us about the pinelands. water (gravel added to water in a pail She would ferry us off the island in her and wield brush). We thought we had station wagon and lead us on expeditions created a beautiful Mexican adobe Melinda Kurkian and the Van Meters through acres of stumpy scrub pines and look. The great thing about this is that blackberry bushes, all ripe for picking and eating. Eve would no one punished us for our creativity. I don’t think they point out all manner of flora and fauna. I remember that Eve even noticed that they had an original art object sitting in was particularly fond of silver maple trees and whenever I see their side yard. that maple tree, its leaves ruffling in the wind revealing their One stormy afternoon, all the kids, my mother, and Eve sat at secret silver sides, I think of her. I remember masses of vines, the kitchen table painting and drawing while the rain beat at the poisonous and not, that sported attractive red and white berries. windows and sluiced across the porch. Everyone was drawing She would helpfully point out the “touch” and “do not touch” something different, but my mother and I drew Distelfincks, signs so we didn’t’ come home with strange rashes or worse. We Pennsylvania Dutch designs; don’t ask me why. We remained all tramped over miles of gravel and sand tracks until we were hot snug, cozy, and miles away from the nattering storm. and tired and would semi-doze until the salt marsh smell ushered I can’t claim to have had a special relationship with Eve. I us home. We took great care when we came home to search for don’t remember even having a conversation with her, although I ticks, fleas and other nasty creatures that might have hitched free certainly must have. Adults are often the background music to a rides on our bodies or in our clothes. child’s life, and it is only when we grow older that we begin to Eve was a no-nonsense woman who drove her old woody recognize the tunes we were unaware of at the time. station wagon everywhere—a perfect car for her brood and Eve was a strong and knowledgeable woman who raised a neighborhood children. Unlike our father’s car, we could comgood family and was kind enough to put up with, and include, mit all manner of rumpus in the woody. We did not have to dust the neighborhood children in her busy life. I will always be ourselves off before entering because sand and gravel were grateful to her for that. — Melinda Kurkian Gaffney • Page 80 • Echoes of LBI

wyndecrest home home furnishings & interior design 233 second street, beach haven 609.492.7030 lee industries, jonathan adler, ralph lauren home, karen robertson, thomas paul, jill rosenwald

Looking Back

Barnegat Light

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Museum

he Barnegat Light Museum is the grounds neglected, now flank the enan historic jewel nestled on the trance to the museum. Through the hard corner of 5th Street and Central work of museum volunteers, Barnegat Avenue. Built as a one-room schoolLight employees and the Coast Guard, the house in 1903, one teacher served elcannons were dug up, sandblasted, paintementary schoolchildren from Barnegat ed and placed on brick pedestals designed Light, Harvey Cedars and Surf City, with by museum volunteer Dick Malacrea. the last class held in 1951. The buildKaren Larson, president of the museum ing began its life as a museum in 1954, since 2005, works hard to attract more with artifacts donated primarily from the visitors, particularly children. There are Scandinavian fishermen’s wives. Other many artifacts throughout the museum to townspeople soon became involved, also. whet a child’s appetite. Children love to A special highlight of the museum participate in a treasure hunt, starting at is the original Fresnel light from the the compass in the center of the floor and Barnegat Lighthouse. Installed in 1859, ending with their very own sand dollars to it remained in the lighthouse until 1929. take home.

After various temporary homes, it ended Under Karen’s leadership, the museum up at Chicago’s Museum of Science has a new heating system, air conditioning and Industry. Through hard work on and computerization of the entire inventory. the part of the townspeople, including By publicizing the museum through the petitions to Congress, the beautiful light Chamber of Commerce, the Ocean Counwas returned here in 1957. ty Tourism Board and local publications, Other important holdings in the muKaren has seen the attendance quadruple Marjorie Amon photos seum include: an 1862 Friendship Quilt, since 2005, requiring more docents and written and photographic material on Sinbad the Coast Guard longer visiting hours. The museum is open every day from Dog, Mrs. Hanson’s collection of autographs of famous politi10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in July and August; on weekends from cians, celebrities and community leaders, and maritime artifacts 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in June and September; and by appointment including dinosaur remnants such as mastadon teeth. all year. School groups, women’s clubs and civic organizations Lovely gardens surround the building maintained by the frequently visit during the year. — Kay Binetsky • Garden Club of Long Beach Island. Commemorative bricks line Opposite page: Inside a Fresnel lens at Barnegat Light Museum. garden paths. Two cannons from the 1850s, which had been on

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LIGHTHOUSE CHALLENGE he Lighthouse Challenge is a yearly event in New Jersey, offering the opportunity to visit the state’s eleven lighthouses, two museums and two life-saving stations in a two-day period. This year, the Challenge will be held on October

20 and 21. It is a wonderful chance to include the whole family in an exploratory project, combining history, ecology and the thrill of the Challenge itself. Started approximately twelve years ago by the Lighthouse Society of New Jersey, the Challenge has been run by the managers of the individual lighthouses, museums and life-saving stations since 2010.

The Barnegat Lighthouse and the Barnegat Light Museum are integral parts of the Challenge. Dick Malacrea, coordinator in Barnegat Light, reported that one man completed the entire challenge in one day last year—on a motorcycle!

Since many people participate each year and visit the same places, the local volunteers like to have new items on display. This year, the newly installed 1850s cannons greet visitors in the front of the museum. A new display of wood carvings by the Walnut brothers, who were distinguished longtime residents of Barnegat Light, is featured inside. (For information regarding hours of operation and directions, go to www.lighthousechallengenj.org.)

Looking Back

Still Here After All These Years

“A

Brother Nat Ewer III home on leave from Admiral Farrigutt Accademy holds his young brother David S. Ewer in Beach Haven.

A special moment and brotherly bond captured.

Page 84 • Echoes of LBI

s far back as I can remember, our family make-up was always based on integrity, fairness, outreach, good morals, and most of all, kindness. Everyone who knew my parents would gladly vouch for this. My mother’s family history goes back to the days of the Beck Farm, once a working farm four blocks wide, spanning from ocean to bay. Her brother, my Uncle Charles, wrote the original “Lure of Long Beach,” before most folks knew how special LBI was.

A free spirit and a can-do attitude were passed from generation to generation. Great Grandfather Beck was the visionary who believed we should have a bridge connecting the mainland to LBI. He provided the initial funds from his own bank account to get the project underway in 1912 when only a railroad bridge existed. My father’s dad was a humble inventor who made several important discoveries, such as instant coffee and newsprint color. His beach home was the Strandhiem in Spray Beach; valued at $3,400 — a cost equal to one year of his salary. Not

Ewer’s Beach Haven home before there were any homes built on Essex St. up to the ocean.

This Wyeth Eye Wash stopper doubled as an eye cup to hold medicine.

Christmas card from the Ewers, owners of the Lucy Evelyn.

only does my family have roots on LBI, but they have been an intricate part of its history.

Nat and Betty Ewer, my parents, grew up in Swarthmore and Wincote, Pennsylvania, and met on LBI. They married in 1938, settled in Beach Haven, and raised a family of four children: Muff, Nat III, Ellen and David. Both my parents played significant roles in the community. Dad was at the forefront of the Rotary Club, along with Richard Van Dyk. Mom and Adalaide Kapler, started the Women’s Soroptomist Club. These two organizations continue to play an important role in the community.

My parents’ first business, the Sea Chest, was on the former boardwalk. Dad, a diesel engineer for Atlantic Richfield at the time, would help mother at the cash register occasionally. One day, he made a sale which topped his best pay check ever. After that, he was sold on retail.

During the hurricane of 1944, the Sea Chest took a beating when a large storm surge moved the shop to a nearby sand dune.

Ewer’s Beach Haven home on Essex and Beach Ave. with a tennis court.

The Seaman’s Shack, which was located on the property of the Lucy Evelyn owners.

Looking Back

Portrait of the Lucy Evelyn Gift Shop in Beach Haven, NJ

Almost a total loss except for the Lenox cups that remained on their hooks as if to say, “Don’t give up on us!” Mother was convinced that someday the Ewers would have a store which would float in severe storms. Keeping that in mind, they salvaged everything possible and opened another Sea Chest in the Baldwin Hotel. The day that a fire threatened the Baldwin, friends and family from all over town came to help move all of Betty and Nat’s merchandise and showcases out of the hotel and into their homes. The next day, as that fire was contained, everyone returned with all the products and helped to reset the store — such a demonstration of the kind of loyalty and spirit of giving that prevails in Beach Haven.

In 1948, my mother’s dream manifested itself. A tall ship named the Lucy Evelyn (after the original owner’s two daughters) became available at an auction in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Dad was then on a mission and a life-changing journey no one could have ever imagined. After purchasing it, he had Page 86 • Echoes of LBI

the schooner towed to Beach Haven, not yet having acquired the land on which she would rest. Their amazing foresight and teamwork prevailed again. In 1949, the schooner Lucy Evelyn opened its doors and was considered one of the world’s most unusual gift shops selling items such as candles, jewelry, handbags, ships’ clocks, toys, and beach essentials. For twenty-three years, the schooner Lucy Evelyn played a key part in Beach Haven’s development and was considered to be the island landmark, much like the Barnegat Lighthouse is, and became a regular stop for visitors year after year. Always wanting to please Mom, Dad built the showcases lining both port and starboard sides of the ship. Mother was the true visionary always thinking of new possibilities while keeping Dad on task with her tenacity.

You would enter the Lucy Evelyn down a ramp and through a two foot thick door with a port whole and immediately feel a sense of peacefulness, warmth and hospitality at its finest.

Straight ahead stood the most amazing display of the eight-foot

ship’s wheel table. The children enjoyed selecting from the twenty-four varieties of candy sticks in jars surrounding the front counter. Paying twenty-five cents and going up on deck was another fantastic experience. Viewing the Captain’s Quarters made you feel what it was like to be at sea. The Lucy Evelyn was also an ocean-going cargo vessel that crossed the seas to other continents transporting items such as lumber, potatoes and granite. Unfortunately, on the evening of Feb. 7, 1972, the Lucy Evelyn caught fire due to a faulty oil burner switch and blazed for three days, a difficult tragedy to accept.

While I am still a resident here, my siblings have relocated. However, we have all learned from our parents’ enthusiasm and talents. The Shell Shop started out being Muff’s and later Ellen’s first store. Being the oldest building ever built on the island, its historic value made it extra special. It was moved from Crest Fishery to the present location on Schooner’s Wharf. Unique shells, coral, and natural sponges along with hermit crabs were her best sellers. Ellen went on to have the Schooners Toy Chest and Christmas Cargo, which were later combined.

Nat III, our older brother who currently resides in Singer Island, Florida, once had an aquarium store selling exotic fish, as he was always interested in marine life. Today, he hand carves Polynesian hooks made entirely out of exotic bone, called Hai–Matau hooks. They represent strength, prosperity, and respect for the sea. He also creates one-ofa-kind hand carved tables, lamps, and custom pieces for yachts.

My sisters have left their mark on LBI also. Muff was a tennis pro who worked at Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club and St. Francis Center. Many of the ladies she taught would say what a wonderful teacher she was and that she had amazing patience for her students. She now resides in Ohio with her grandchildren and family around her. Ellen brought her creativity to another Toy store in Sarasota, Florida. She and her husband Arthur Sturges also had two restaurants, Elegant Pelican in Nags Head, North Carolina and Chef Arthur’s in Orlando, Florida. Both eateries have exquisite cuisine, great hospitality and unique décor.

As for myself, like my parents, my wife Jane and I met on LBI in the summer of 1976 and married in 1979. We have two wonderful children, David and Melissa, and our relationship continues to grow and flourish. After a similar journey of challenges, we presently have a growing gift business of unique handmade candle holders, which we market to stores and sell retail at upscale art/craft shows along the east coast. We came back to the gift business as it is a genteel market that suits our middle-age lifestyle. See us at www.romancelights.com for more of our story.

In conclusion, through amazing challenges our family code always encourages us to strive, survive and then thrive. Wherever we are, we look forward with a positive can-do attitude and grateful hearts. The Lucy Evelyn will always be a fond memory of a unique time in LBI history, and we are so glad that many islanders and visitors remember her and the special experience she gave to all who visited. — Text and photos courtesy David Ewer •

The four Ewer children, David S. Ewer, Muff Ewer Pettinos, Nat Ewer III, and Ellen Ewer Sturges.

Betty Ewer with brother Charles Nash and Dottie Beck a niece.

The name Beck goes back to Betty’s grandparents who owned the Beck Farm which ran from ocean to bay on Liberty St., Beach Haven, where the Ewer House grandparents home still stands.

The Sea Chest after the 1944 Hurricane.

Looking Back

Sisters Jean and Betty standing in front of their namesake store.

L

Betty Jean Shop, whitewashed with awnings and an electrified sign, on the corner of 29th St. Ship Bottom.

The Betty Jean Shop

ois Hart remembers a time when you could just lie down on the boulevard and no one would care. That’s how quiet and unpopulated the island was in 1947 when her family moved to 29th Street in Ship Bottom.

With help from their cousin Bob Brown, the Waldo family built a shop during the summer of 1947 and named it The Betty Jean Shop. Lois’s sisters, Betty and Jean, had worked in Weber’s, a jewelry store in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Mr. Weber taught the girls about gems and the buying and selling of fine jewelry. The inventory for the new shop was on loan from Weber’s.

Over the years, the Waldo family had collected many beautiful shells and Betty and Jean had ordered packets of shells from Florida. They made custom shell jewelry and designed exquisite patterns inspired by their passion for working with fine jewelry.

Lois remembers one time when she wore a lovely necklace and matching earrings made by Betty. When a customer came in and admired the jewelry set Lois was wearing, the business-savvy sisters promptly had Lois remove her jewelry and Betty and Jean sold it to their customer. Lois never wore any of her own jewelry while in the shop again.

People stopped by frequently to shop and chat. Mose Friedel and his son Floyd had given Bill Waldo wood they had cut from a ship that had become beached. Bill was employed by Ocean Page 88 • Echoes of LBI

County, transporting disabled patients to the Paul Kimball Hospital for therapy. He was an avid fisherman and one day he found a seahorse on the beach while fishing. He brought the seahorse home and Betty set up a saltwater tank to keep the seahorse alive. A seahorse became the store’s logo.

Their mother Stella, who worked for Kapler’s Pharmacy on 21st Street, made fashionable aprons for the store. The shop sold silver and designer costume jewelry and original crafts. It also had a lending library and the seahorse tank. The tank had a big sign which read “NOT FOR SALE” because so many customers inquired about purchasing a sea horse. Betty started finding these sea horses on the beach in April of 1952.

Each of the girls met their husbands on LBI in the mid-1950s.

Betty married George Powell from Beach Haven. He was the Water & Sewer Superintendent for Ship Bottom. He helped to found the first First Aid Squad to service LBI and served as Fire Chief in Ship Bottom. Jean married Al Tonneson who worked the Barnegat Bay, was an avid hunting guide and built boats in his shop. Al also renovated vintage wooden boats. He is a Hurley Conklin Award winner and resides in Manahawkin.

Lois married Walter “Shorty” Hart, originally a pound fisherman who later fished up and down the eastern seaboard. After meeting Lois, he became a carpenter. He served on the LBI School Board and served as President of the Zoning Board of

People often recall the live seahorse tank at the shop. Here Betty hand feeds the seahorses. She kept a detailed log about the seahorses in her care.

William (Bill) and Stella Waldo, with their young daughters (l. to r.) Lois, Jean, and Betty, and their dog Inky , at home in Paramus, NJ before the family’s move to Ship Bottom, LBI.

Adjustment for Long Beach Township. Shorty along with his brothers were also recipients of the Hurley Conklin Award. The sisters were all volunteers for civic and church organizations and raised a total of five children on the island.

When Bill Waldo passed away in 1956, Stella took over the store to carry on the family’s dream. Steiff toys were displayed on the shelves and Italian marionettes hung from the ceiling above where the seahorse tank once stood. German clockwork tabliaus music boxes and cuckoo clocks adorned the walls. Fine china, silver jewelry and Russ Craft card rack were among the treasures waiting to be discovered.

Stella sold the 29th Street location in the 1970s. The original store still exists but is part of a larger building. Stella rented the first floor of the Gurtcheff building on 19th Street in Ship Bottom. The second Betty Jean Shop was larger and offered a wider variety of selections. While chatting recently with Bea Shanklin (Gurtcheff) who is 95 years young and whose parents owned this property, Bea remembers the pretty dresses and treasures that could be found in the shop. She mentioned that if they didn’t have what you were looking for, they would “shore” try to get it for you.

This building was later sold to the Gross Family and it is Surf Unlimited today. Stella moved the shop to the Barnegat Antique Country on East Bay Avenue in Barnegat and finally sold the Betty Jean Shop when she retired in 1987.

Lois and her family have had waves of success and memories on LBI. Their dream of moving to LBI and starting a business here came true.

Their perseverance and hard work have been woven together and kept alive by the passion each one has shared with the island.

— Diane Stulga text, photos courtesy Lois Hart •

Looking Back

Far-Out, Groovy Times on LBI during the ‘60s at

Le Garage — Discotheque Au Go Go G

reg Miller remembers walking to the teen club with his buddies in flip-flops, shorts and Tshirts and seeing “a million pretty girls. It was wall-to-wall people dancing in a stationary position” on a concrete floor, many of them barefoot.

Kids danced their hearts out to popular music by Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Procol Harum and The Doors.

Maria Boyd went as a 14-year-old and remembers Le Garage being really dark. “We’d be standing in place packed like sardines. You couldn’t move. We just swayed in a big group.

Our feet never moved.”

She said more than the music though, she remembers the hip-huggers, wide bell bottom jeans with wide leather belts, and Indian gauze tops with embroidery.

The girls had frizzy, long hair and the guys kept their hair long, too.

“The rattier the jeans, the better,” said Boyd. Teenagers would embroider their jeans or sew patches on them. Some girls wore a leather-braided band across their foreheads and a similar band on their wrists.

Le Garage Discotheque Au Go-Go was the brainchild of the late Joe Laputka. While in his mid-twenties and working as an advertising agent in Manhattan, Joe read about a warehouse sale of inventory left over from the 1964 World’s Fair. He made a beeline for the warehouse, scooping up tables, chairs, displays and novelty items. Joe didn’t specifically know what he’d do Page 90 • Echoes of LBI

with the old stuff that he shipped down to LBI, but a vision was forming in his entrepreneurial mind, reported Joe’s brother, John Laputka.

Joe searched for a building on the island and found an old garage which happened to be located on the corner of 23rd Street in Spray Beach, the same street as his parents’ summer home.

The ambitious businessman dreamed of creating an entertainment venue for kids ages 15 to 20 because, up until then, there was no place for kids under the legal drinking age to go and hang out in the mid-1960s. That ground-breaking venue on LBI

became Le Garage Discotheque Au Go-Go. Joe and his two business partners convinced their fathers to help finance the innovative operation. Initially, Joe’s father worried what the neighbors would say about losing their peaceful summer nights to blaring music played by long-haired musicians. However, he quickly realized that Joe was on the cutting edge of the cultural revolution, bringing the sound and sway of the Sixties to a previously subdued island.

Joe’s idea became a family enterprise with his brothers, sisters, parents, cousins, aunts and uncles all taking part. They covered the bases as cashier, cook, talent scout, booking agent, doorman, security guard, parking attendant and clean-up crew. Joe even bought an old white hearse, parked it out front and decorated it with psychedelic art and daisies.

Local bands would audition on Sunday afternoons and get booked for the weekend. Bands like Lovin’ Spoonful with John Sebastian showed up. One band called The Night Watch was so popular that when they played The Doors’ Light My Fire, the place “evaporated in incredible enthusiasm,” according to Laputka. He cites the night when that song played (for what seemed like forever) as the most memorable event at the disco.

Miller agrees, because he remembers thinking, “I hope this song never ends.”

Laputka claims that what made Le Garage special wasn’t necessarily the music, the location, the dancing or the people. It was the newness of everything. Strobe lights and psychedelic light shows awed the teenagers. Professional go-go dancers stood in twelve-foot tall birdcages and grooved the night away in mini-skirts. Enormous black and white photos of pretty girls mounted on the walls, some with poems and quotes on them, added to the mystique. People would enter and marvel at how cool the place looked, never having seen anything like it. Joe’s younger sister, Karen Laputka Kiss, states that between the music, lights, artwork, poetry and

dance, you couldn’t help but feel naturally intoxicated.

Kiss explained how Joe’s vision “expanded beyond the discotheque. He converted a round building across the street into a business and named it The Loading Zone. This store had a funhouse feeling,” she said. Joe bought merchandise in bulk from a store in the East Village called Paraphernalia and then toted it down to LBI on the weekends. They sold mod clothing including floppy hats, tie-dye shirts, bellbottoms, sandals, leather-braided headbands, period posters, Nehru jackets, sleeveless sheaths, and fluorescent orange bikini bottoms.

Next to the discotheque, Joe opened up a coffee shop called The Summer Place. He was a “hopeless romantic,” says Kiss.

The Summer Place served ice cream, burgers and coffee, but it wasn’t profitable because customers couldn’t relax or hear each other talk above the loud music next door. So Joe transformed it into a very profitable shop called A Navel Base: Bikini Headquarters where he sold nothing but bikinis.

And this all happened before Woodstock.

Then the 1970s brought more cultural change to the island and Le Garage’s novelty began to wear off. However, before it closed for good, a little known musician by the name of Bruce Springsteen and his band played there in June of 1974. Their two-night gig created such a sensation that they agreed to play a third night. Sue Kramer, an islander and self-professed Bruce Springsteen groupie, remembers ending up at a party with the band. She recalls Springsteen as quiet, serious and not a drinker.

It was a “super groovy” time, says Kramer. To this day, whenever she catches the scent of patchouli, she remembers the era and wonderful times at Le Garage.

“It was a time living larger than life,” said Laputka. “Everyone wanted to be a part of it. We always had a fun time.” Parents knew that when their kids went to the disco, it meant they were off the street and out of trouble. The business had a highly successful five-year run before times changed. Pot and other drugs started to permeate the island. Instead of dancing, kids wanted to sit on the floor stoned. The population dropped, band values went up, and people started buying their own headphones and stereos.

Despite that, Laputka says, “We were proud as a family that we pulled this off. We had the hottest little thing going.”

— Joyce Hager • Mike Grabowski, who was a bouncer at Le Garage, purchased this hearse in Florida as a way to transport surfboards back to LBI. He gave it to the Laputka brothers who painted it 1960s style. Thanks to Jac Grabowski for archiving photos of this one-of-a-kind vehicle.

A Shore Thing

W

Fear

e’ve all tied some sort of a knot, whether intentionally or (k)not. If you’ve been a scout, fisherman or boater, making the correct knot for a particular task is second nature. Knotting can be fun and made easy if you give it a try.

In order to tie a knot, let’s first get some background on rope.

Rope is usually made from natural fiber, synthetic fiber or wire. Common natural fibers used to make rope include sisal, jute, cotton, flax, manila and hemp. Cotton, manila and sisal are the most common natural fibers used on boats. However, most lines used on boats today tend to be synthetic with nylon being the most popular.

Rope is made in one of three ways: by laying, braiding or weaving. A laid rope is made by twisting the individual fibers together to form yarns. Yarns are then twisted together in the opposite direction to form strands and the strands are twisted in the original direction in order to complete the rope. By interweaving, individual fibers will produce a braided rope. Rope used to be measured by its circumference, however now it is measured by its diameter.

On a boat, rope is referred to as line. There are a few exceptions to this rule particularly on sailboats where lines are used extensively to perform various tasks. Names of lines are based on the task it will perform.

A line tied to itself is called a knot. A knot becomes a bend when one line is tied to another and when the line is attached to an object, it’s called a hitch. A good knot should hold well without slipping and be able to be untied with minimal difficulty. The bitter end is the end of the line tied to the vessel. The opposite end is called the working end.

Of the numerous knots, I will highlight a few here. An overhand knot is generally the knot that most of us are familiar with.

It is used to temporarily prevent the rope from unraveling. To make this knot take one end and make an overhand loop and pass the working end through the loop and pull it tight.

A figure eight knot is a stronger knot, created by tying the overhand knot and forming an underhand loop, pass the working Page 92 • Echoes of LBI

end over the stand end of the line and up through the loop.

A square knot (often confused with the granny knot) is sometimes referred to as a reef knot. This knot is often used when tying two lines of equal size together. The ends of each line will lie parallel to its own standing part. This will be accomplished by passing the end in your left hand over and under the line in your right hand.

Clove hitches tie lines to pilings and fenders to rails. This knot can slip and is best used under constant tension. To make this knot, pass the working end of the line two times around the object it is being tied to. The first pass is below the standing part of the line and second pass is above the standing part. Finish by passing the working end under the second loop.

Many dock lines can be purchased with a loop already made at one end. However, sometimes splicing lines is the best solution. This is usually the case when a permanent loop is made to run through a cleat either on the boat or on the dock. This short splice increases the diameter of the line where it is woven (or spliced). Create a loop the desired size allowing enough line to be unlayed and woven back into the line. To prevent the strands from unraveling, tape the ends (or, in the case of nylon, fuse the fibers with a lighter). Take the middle strand of the unlayed end and tuck it through any strand of the standing part of the rope.

Take the adjacent strand and pass it over where the first strand was woven and tuck it under the adjacent strand of the standing part. Now pass the remaining strand through the last strand of the standing part of the rope on the other side. Tuck each strand alternately over and under working against the lay of the rope.

Repeat several times to secure the spliced loop and cut off whatever remains of the strands close to the rope.

Finally, to secure a line onto a horn cleat, make a figure eight with the line and secure it with an underhand loop over one of the horns. Or use the spliced loop and run it through the opening between the two horns in the same direction as the standing line and looping it over the “horn” ends.

The next time something needs to be secured, fear (k)not.

— Vickie VanDoren •

Knot

LBI Dog Leashes and Collars Available at Things A Drift 406 LBI BLVD • Ship Bottom, NJ

Photo by Sara Caruso Prints available.

La Spiaggia 357 W. 8th Street. Ship Bottom Long Beach Island 609-494-4343 LaSpiaggialbi.com

A Shore Thing

LBI Film Fest

SAVE THE DATE • June 7-9, 2013

L

ights! Camera! Action! The 5th Annual Lighthouse International Film Festival will take place on Long Beach Island on June 7-9, 2013. The Festival gives locals, tourists, and summer residents a unique opportunity to view award-winning, independent films, to network, and to participate in Q & As with filmmakers.

A weekend of films, discussions, parties, and special events with the filmmakers gives Festival attendees a behind-the-scenes peek at the world of filmmaking. Our outstanding line-up includes features, dramas, documentaries, and shorts from prestigious festivals around the world, including Sundance, South by Southwest, Cannes and more.

Films and events are scheduled throughout the weekend—all on beautiful Long Beach Island. Please check our website for events, year-round screenings, and Festival updates at www.lighthousefilmfestival.org. Here’s your chance to support the arts on LBI. Come for the films. Stay for the fun! • Page 94 • Echoes of LBI

Movie posters from 2012 Lighthouse International Film Festival

Things That Drift

Anthony DeMarco photo

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Last In — Barnegat Sunset Bruce Kerr photo

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