2011 November Color by Exit Zero Publishing

EXIT ZERO

DECEMBER 2011 « $4.95

Washington Inn

the wine bar

Contemporary Dining Classic Cocktails early dining $24 three course menu

Vote New Jersey Monthly 2011 Best Wine Bar Enjoy Dinner and Small Plates at the Bar from $10 Over 15 Flights of Wine from our cellar $1 Oysters Nightly

801 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-5697 • www.washingtoninn.com

Washington Inn & the wine bar... two distinct experiences, one address • • • • • •

Serving Lunch, Dinner, & Late Night Delicious Sunday Breakfast/Brunch Extensive Gluten Free Menu Best Burgers Best Thin Crust Pizza Coldest Draught Beer in Town

LUCKY BONES BACKWATER GRILLE 1200 Route 109 south, Cape May (609) 884-BONE (2663) www.luckybonesgrille.com Where Friends Meet

FEATURES a victorian holiday 6

contents

december 2011

A host of seasonal events to entertain you until next year

the season of giving 18 This year, make a gift that changes lives for the better

an angel gets his wings 41 Cape May Stage’s holiday show reinterprets a film favorite

hosting for the holidays 46 Simple tips for taking the stress out of holiday parties

the perfect storm 54 Learn about the nor’easter that changed the face of Cape May

kind of like a marathon 68 Scott Langdon learns how locals make it through the winter

merry deathmas 76 A Christmas killer is at large, and only one man can stop him

the snows of the delaware bay 101 Cold weather can’t stop birds from flocking to our area

the story’s in the stones 106 A walk through Cold Spring Cemetery brings old legends to life

cover painting by victor grasso 101

106

REGULARS quick chat chris shriver 37 my perfect day patricia jackson 67 sharon flanagan 90 bernadette matthews 122 jim zeitler 135 arts coverage soma newart gallery 87 gail pierson gallery 93 east lynne theater 97 27 questions for... tony genaro 129 puzzle time cape may crossword 136

about us editor & publisher Jack Wright jack@exitzero.us

advertising manager Jason Black jason@exitzero.us project manager Dan Mathers dan@exitzero.us staff writer Kate Chadwick kate@exitzero.us

Visiting CAPE MAY and leaving us off your itinerary would be like visiting PARIS... and skipping the EIFFEL TOWER!

assistant editor Jon Roth jon@exitzero.us creative consultant Victor Grasso historical editor Ben Miller ben@exitzero.us photographers Aleksey Moryakov, Sandy Maloney, Danielle O’Neal graphic artist Doree Bardes contributing writers Catherine Dugan, David Gray, Terry O’Brien, Diane Stopyra distribution team Stephanie Grubb, Amy Wingate labeler Mary Smith exit zero color magazine is published five times a year. Annual subscription is $25. To subscribe call (609) 770-8479 or visit www.exitzero.us Makes a wonderful gift! Published by Exit Zero Publishing, Inc. 109 Sunset Boulevard Suite D, Cape May, NJ 08204 Telephone: (609) 770-8479 Fax: (609) 770-8481 E-mail: info@exitzero.us Website: www.exitzero.us

The Lobster House Fisherman’s Wharf, Cape May (609) 884-8296 www.thelobsterhouse.com

president Jack Wright vice-president Jason Black tennis ball supervisor April Wright fluffy toy supervisor Friday Wright mouse supervisor Pascal Wright

Unchanging. Quintessential. Classic.

The BEST Live Entertainment in Town!

426 WASHINGTON STREET MALL, CAPE MAY • « (609) 884-3459

“BEST AMERICAN” and “TOP 25 RESTAURANTS IN THE STATE” New Jersey Monthly, 2008

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editor’s letter

ELCOME to a wonderful time of year in Cool Cape May. There are some of you who prefer the fall over summer in America’s Original Seaside Resort. Here at Exit Zero, we find something to love in every season (winter offers the epic, desolate quality of beach walks, while spring inspires us to come up with fresh ideas for what will be the BEST summer season ever). Fall? There are many reasons to feel privileged to live here during this time of year, and most of them are featured in this issue. Diane Stopyra provides an entertaining and very useful guide to all the holiday happenings in Cape May, a city that really twinkles with a ridiculously romantic Dickensian aura in the run-up to Christmas. If you like the idea of creating the perfect holiday party for your

loved ones (and well-liked ones), Sue Priester and Lauren Shenfield deliver the goods, offering tips on planning a relaxed open house with simple menus and thoughtful touches. Sue and Lauren throw some of the best parties in town, and they always manage to do so with style and unruffled calm. Trust us, you can trust THEM. Staying in the spirit of the season, Jon Roth wrote a feature story that is timely and targeted. This holiday season, what better gift to give than helping local non-profit groups? Whether you are donating your time, or goods, or money, these groups not only need your help, but they deserve it, too. And now, as they used to say on the legendary British comedy show Monty Python’s Flying Circus, for something completely different... mixed in with the ho-ho-ho holiday stories in this issue are some darker elements. First of all, Jon Roth visited Cold Spring exit zero

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gingerbread houses During Candlelight House Tours in December, you’ll have the chance to visit 15 beautifully decorated homes, inn and churches. Whether you travel by foot, trolley or horsedrawn carriage, Cape May at Christmas is a feast for the eyes. For more holiday happenings, turn the page and read “A Victorian Holiday.” Aleksey Moryakov

Cemetery to bring you the fascinating story of the lives (and deaths) of some of the area’s luminaries. And Terry O’Brien, our resident fiction writer extraordinaire, debuts his chilling new short story, Merry Deathmas, on page 76. You can follow Terry’s story either in our black-andwhite issues (from mid-November) or online at exitzero.us. And staying with the dark side, don’t miss Ben Miller’s excellent depiction of the great nor’easter that devastated Cape May in 1962. You might think you know the whole story, but you likely don’t. Ben did his usual thorough job researching this story, and dug up some new information. He also unearthed some amazing photos that I had never seen before. So there it is... Lots of jollity, lots of drama, but all of it compelling reading. Enjoy the issue, and enjoy the holidays. Jack Wright Editor/Publisher

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a classic cape may christmas Crowds gather at Congress Hall each year during their annual tree-lighting, an event that features hot cocoa, train rides and a festival choir Aleksey Moryakov

a victorian YOUR SUPER-SEASONAL, COMPLETELY COMPREHENSIVE, UTTERLY USEFUL GUIDE TO CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS Story by Diane Stopyra

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holiday exit zero

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e’ll Be Home for the Holidays

Join Us For Thanksgiving Dinner • New Years Eve Celebration New Years Day Brunch Reservations

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APE May is largely known as a Victorian town because of its “painted ladies,” the beautiful turrettopped cottages that line these streets. But Cape May doesn’t merely look the part. Especially this time of year, Cape Island embraces many Victorian traditions and, most importantly, a Victorian mindset. With the help of Susan Krysiak and Dr Robert Heinly of the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and Humanities, we’ve put together a user’s guide to the holidays in Cape May. Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or something else altogether you’ve been preparing for, we at Exit Zero encourage you to celebrate as the Victorians would – with style. For more information on any of these events, contact MAC at (609) 884-5404, unless otherwise indicated.

Drink, and Be Merry While the Victorians of the 1800s did not invent Christmas, they did restore the idea of having a celebratory one. What had been a staid Puritanical

Winery Cellar Tour and Tasting The Cape May Winery, which includes four vineyards and grows over 16 different grape varieties on 150 acres, is hosting this tour. The day will include a lesson on winemaking, a barrel tasting and a sampling of cheese and fruit. As a special treat, you’ll be able to taste the winery’s newest port wine, to be released in December. Saturdays in November and December. December 26-30; 3pm, $20.

barrels of fun Cape May Winery is the perfect place to sip away winter’s chill

observance in most countries around the world, the Victorians turned into a rollicking good time. While beer was the alcohol of choice for most Victorians, we know wine will be just as effective in helping you embrace your own rollicking good time, no matter what holiday you’re observing.

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Self-Guided Wine Trail This tour of both the Natali and Hawk Haven vineyards allows you to escape the hustle and bustle of the holiday season by exploring at your own pace. You’ll receive a map, a tasting glass and the opportunity to sip and relax in front of a roaring fire. November 18-January 1. No tours on December 24 or 25. Cape May Wine Trail Not only does the Cape May Wine Trail include lunch at MAC’s Carriage House Tearoom, it includes a trolley ride to the Natali and Hawk Haven Vineyards. Here, you’ll learn about the growing process while sampling some of the local varietals.

According to Kenna Wuerke, owner of Hawk Haven, this trip might also take the stress out of some of your lastminute gift-buying, as you can sip while you shop. Wine bags, openers, books and journals will be available for purchase. Reservations are limited. Saturday, November 19 and Friday, December 30. 12pm-5pm.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry Gathering around the table was, of course, important to the Victorian celebration as well. Christmas dinner almost always included singing, game playing, a sumptuous feast, and… pudding. If you choose to make pudding for your own holiday dinner, make sure to stir clockwise; in Victorian superstition, this was good luck. You might also want to toss a coin into the batter. Whoever is served the portion with the money, according to Victorian tradition, is destined for wealth. If you’d rather let someone else pour the wine and prepare the food this season, Cape May hosts several events that allow for some festive eating and imbibing, sans the holiday clean-up. We promise there

If you’d rather let someone else pour the wine and prepare the food this season, Cape May hosts several events that allow for some festive eating and imbibing, sans the holiday clean-up.

won’t be any coins in your food, but you’ll still feel like a million bucks. Thanksgiving Dinner at Congress Hall Kick off the season of eating with a traditional Thanksgiving meal prepared by Executive Chef Lucas Manteca. Opt for either a plated dinner in the cozy Blue Pig Tavern ($39), or a Thanksgiving buffet in the ballroom ($32). Call 884-8421 for more information, or to make reservations. Mad Batter Wine Dinner – Growing Grapes Locally Kick off the holiday season with this five-course, autumninspired meal at the Mad Batter. Dishes will include pumpkin soup, fig salad, duck and sweet potato quesadillas, herb and cheese stuffed filet with mushroom ravioli, and an apple brandy cake for dessert. In the bar area, there will be live music, while representatives from the local Hawk Haven vineyard will be available in the dining room, explaining each of the wines paired with the above courses. We recommend making reservations and wearing stretchy pants. Friday, November 18; 7:30pm. $75, tax and gratuity included.

Down-home cooking... with a terrific view!

Cape May Wine Weekend This special weekend starts off with a four-course wine tasting dinner at the Washington Inn, one of South Jersey’s premier fine dining restaurants. Dinner is followed by a cellar tour at the Cape May Winery on Town Bank Road. The weekend is capped off by a wine class at the Washington Inn, hosted by wine expert, Keith Bader. “This year,” Bader says, “we’ve experienced an earthquake, a hurricane, and power outages. This will be a chance for everyone to simply relax and have a good time.” The theme of the holiday class, which has been popular for the last 15 years, will be sparkling wine, because “it makes everything special.” December 9-11. The cost of the weekend is $135. The cost of the Sunday wine class alone is $30. Mad Batter Wine Dinner This fivecourse meal will include roasted butternut squash soup, goat cheese and pecan salad, an apple, onion, and Asiago tart with fig compote, roasted pork loin with cranberry and pomegranate relish, and a gingerbread cake for dessert. Each course will be paired with a domestic wine. Reservations are limited. Friday,

on Broadway Chef Geoff has appearded on Rocco’s Dinner Party on...

ADULT CONTEMPORARY CUISINE Dinner from 5PM Bill Caterini live Friday & Saturday Book Your Holiday Parties Now. Reserve for New Year’s Eve!

Beach Avenue & Grant Street, Cape May • 884-3772 exit zero

416 S. Broadway, West Cape May, 609-898-1555 december

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Prime Steak | Sensational Seafood

Slip into a beach frame of mind at Hemingway’s, Cape May’s only dedicated steakhouse and seafood restaurant. Savor USDA prime steaks and fresh-from-the-docks seafood at our award-winning restaurant, named one the best places to eat in southern Jersey by South Jersey Magazine. Kick back at this Key-Weststyled eatery and enjoy the best that land and sea has to serve.

“Best Steak in Cape May” West Palm Beach, Florida

“[Thursday Night] Seafood buffet was wonderful!” Delaware

“Ballyhoo’s will probably never be forgotten, but Hemingway’s makeover raised it to higher ground.” Taylor Yarborough (Press of Atlantic City)

Oceanfront at 1045 Beach Ave • 609.884.5611 • HemingwaysCapeMay.com exit zero

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Candlelight House Tours These selfguided tours, which usually engage around 16,000 people a night, will allow you an opportunity to see inside approximately 15 homes, inns, hotels, and some of the town’s most charming churches. You’ll see dining rooms, parlors and foyers decorated for the season, while enjoying warm beverages and snacks along the way. Ana Marie McMain of the Queen Victoria, one of the participating inns, calls the experience “magical.” Her property will boast 50,000 outdoor lights and seven Christmas trees, three of which will be decorated in traditional Victorian styles. Heated trolleys will be provided, and your ticket will include admission to the “Holiday Traditions” exhibit at the Emlen Physick Estate. The Merion Inn, located on Decatur Street, will open for dinner at 3pm on tour nights, so you can kick off your evening with a good meal. Reservations required. Saturday December 3, 10, and 17. 5:30-8:30pm. $25 for adults. $20 for children.

December 9; 7:30pm. $75, tax and gratuity included. Taste of Christmas Tour On a beautiful day, there is no better way to enjoy the winter wonderland at the end of the Garden State than on foot. This tour is an opportunity to work up an appetite during an hour-long guided walk through Cape May’s historic district. If you’d like, finish with lunch at the Mad Batter restaurant. Reservations are limited. Fridays, November 18-December 30; 11am. $20 for adults. $15 for children. Tour alone is $10 for adults and $7 for children. Chef’s Dine-Around The New York Times has called Cape May the “restaurant capital of South Jersey.” With so many wonderful dining establishments to choose from, why commit to just one? This five-course dinner is served at five separate locations. A local wine is paired with each course, and a trolley will take you to each spot. Reservations are limited. Thursday, December 29; 6pm. $125, gratuity included.

The Glitter Ball at Congress Hall Ring in 2012 the right way, with dancing and dining in the beautiful Congress Hall Ballroom. The evening will include live entertainment, an open bar and a plated dinner prepared by Executive Chef Lucas Manteca. Saturday, December 31. $165. For more information and reservations, call 884-8421.

all that glitters Congress Hall’s annual Glitter Ball greets the new year with dinner, dancing and excellent company Aleksey Moryakov

Deck the Halls For the Victorians, too much was never enough. Holiday celebrations grew grander with each decade, and so did the decorations. Christmas trees started out in the 1840s as tabletop pines decorated only with fruit, eggs and cranberries. By the 1870s, the Victorians started putting homemade gifts on their slightly larger trees. By the 1890s, trees were floor-toceiling and lushly decorated, with storebought gifts as accents. At holiday time, all of Cape May is lushly decorated. Touring the city is a wonderful way to draw inspiration before decking your own halls. exit zero

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Carriage Rides with Cape May Carriage Company The holidays can be the most romantic time of year in Cape May, and the option to ride through the festive streets of the historic district in a horsedrawn carriage is just one of the reasons why. The horses are beautiful (one was even featured in the Inaugural Parade of President George W. Bush in 2001), as are the decorations you’ll see along your ride. For holiday hours, visit capemaycarriage.com. Private and group rates available. Lamplighter Christmas Tours This selfguided tour will allow you to explore five of Cape May’s loveliest B&Bs at your own pace, with cocoa and cookies to warm you up along the way. Fridays, November 25-December 16; Saturday, November 26; Tuesday, December 27; Friday, December 30. 7-9pm. $20 for adults, $15 for children. Holiday Inn Tours This tour is an opportunity to see inside three festively decorated B&Bs, including the Decatur Street Cherry House, built in 1849 and named for the Cherry family of Philadelphia. Monday-Thursday, November 28-December 15. 1pm-3pm. $18 for adults. $13 for children. Holiday Crafts Fair If you’re still looking for that perfect tree-topper or homemade ornament to remember

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your time in Cape May by, the crafts fair, hosted by the Cape May Elementary School, is the ideal activity. Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26, 10am-4pm. $1 for adults, children free. 25th Annual Crafts at Christmas Show Sponsored by the City of Cape May and hosted by the Cape May City Elementary School, this show will bring in approximately 65 exhibitors from up and down the East Coast. Saturday, December 3, 9am-4pm. For more information, visit capemayrecreation.org, or call the City of Cape May at 884-9565. City Tree-Lighting Ceremony This tree, located in Rotary Park, could put even the most lavishly decorated of Victorian pines to shame. Keep your eyes peeled for Saint Nick! Friday, December 2, 7pm. For more information, visit capemayrecreation.org, or call the City of Cape May at 884-9565. Tree-Lighting at the Physick Estate You’ll want to be on time for this treelighting extravaganza, or you might just end up on the naughty list. Sponsored by Sturdy Savings Bank. Saturday, November 19, 7pm.

Take A Knee Children and carolers alike have a chance to put in a good word with the big guy during the Tree-Lighting at the Physick Estate on November 19 Aleksey Moryakov

FISH & FANCY

SEAFOOD TAKE-OUT “The Local’s Favorite”

2406 Bayshore Road, Villas (next to Robinson & Son’s Produce)

(609) 886-8760 • www.fishandfancy.com

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Tree-Lighting at Congress Hall Enjoy caroling, hot chocolate and the singing of Congress Hall’s festival choir underneath Cape May’s largest tree; it’s over 30 feet tall! Friday, December 2. Call 884-8421 for more information.

Meet the Big Guy Most of us think of Santa as a jolly old elf in a red suit whose belly shakes like bowl full of jelly. But this wasn’t always the case. Prior to the Victorian era, Santa was thought of as many different things in different circles – a Scandinavian figure with a pet goat and a penchant for porridge among them. It wasn’t until 1822 that Clement Moore, in his poem A Visit From Saint Nicholas (better known as The Night Before Christmas), painted a picture of a lovable elf-like man who gets stuck in chimneys. Then, in the 1880s, the Coca-Cola company got a hold of Santa, creating a six-foot Father Christmas for their advertising and solidifying our notion of Mr Claus. Santa will be making the long trek from the North Pole this season to spend some time on Cape Island. If you haven’t been good this year, you might

want to track him down at the following events, in order to plead your case. Winter Wonderland at Congress Hall At Winter Wonderland, you won’t just enjoy breakfast with Santa, but storytime with Mrs Claus, an outdoor shopping arcade, train rides around the lawn, family ceramics, matinee movies and a hot chocolate bar. It’s the North Pole, Cape May style. November 25-January 1. Visit congresshall.com for full schedule.

banding together At the Annual West Cape May Christmas Parade on December 3, you’ll see marching bands, dance troupes, local dignitaries, Santa Claus, and these bedazzled, musical mummers Aleksey Moryakov

Annual West Cape May Christmas Parade Of course, Santa is the honored guest at the Christmas parade, but he’s not the only attraction. This year’s event will include floats, dignitaries, and performances by several bands, including the Hobo String Band from Pitman, New Jersey. For the best view, Cape May Recreation Director Terry Brown recommends grabbing a spot behind the Pilot House on Decatur Street. Saturday, December 3, 5pm. For details, visit capemayrecreation.org, or call the City of Cape May at 884-9565.

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Santa’s Trolley Rides They say that behind every great man is a great woman. For this tour, Santa will greet children in the Physick Estate Carriage House, while his better half will lead the story-telling and sing-alongs on a heated trolley. Reservations recommended. Saturdays and Sundays, November 19-December 17. $8. Santa at Cold Spring Village The Village Country Store will be open FridaysSundays from 11am-4pm throughout the fall. Although the Village will be closed, guests are welcome to walk the grounds and enjoy the scenery. Santa will be present at the Village store on Wassail Day (see below). While the kids tell Santa what they want for Christmas, parents can browse a unique line of

Breakfast with Santa At this brunch, hosted by the Inn of Cape May, children exit zero

will have a chance to give Santa their wish lists and listen to a Christmas story told by Mrs Claus. Kids will also receive gift bags of toys and candy canes, which were used to decorate Christmas trees during the Victorian era. Reservations are recommended. Saturdays, November 26, December 3 and 10, 10am. $15 for adults. $10 for children.

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The best of the year ISSUE 5, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2011

NANCY Campbell snapped this photo of a harbor seal escaping the frigid temperatures of the Atlantic in March by relaxing on the beach in Cape May. According to Bob Schoelkopf, it isn’t uncommon to find seals in New Jersey, they just don’t often hang around people. Nancy Campbell

Seaside Cheese Co. over 100 imported cheeses gourmet olives dipping oils... and lots more!

600 PARK BOULEVARD WEST CAPE MAY • 884-8700 exit zero

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heritage goods, holiday gift ideas, jewelry, books and artisan wares. For more information, call 898-2300.

dates and details, contact the Washington Inn at 884-5697.

Settle In for Some Storytelling

So many of our favorite Christmas carols – including “Jingle Bells,” “Away in a Manger,” and “Silent Night” – were either written or revised during the Victorian era. The Victorians loved music so much, many of the lyrics they wrote during the late 1800s, both religious and secular, asked that drums and bells and voices be raised in celebration. The Victorians also re-popularized the medieval practice of caroling doorto-door. They usually traveled in groups of three – one to sing, one to play violin, and one to sell sheet music. This season, Cape May will follow in these Victorian footsteps.

Hark, the Herald Angels Sing

We tend to associate ghost stories only with Halloween, but this kind of storytelling was a form of entertainment during the Victorian era at Christmas and New Year’s Eve as well. The stories were more lovely than horrifying, relating tales of deceased friends coming to help out loved ones for the holidays, or a child returning to find something that was once lost. Victorian families would gather around a hearth to listen to the tales, which usually centered around charity and good-will toward men. Theaters (and trolleys) around Cape May are carrying on the tradition. East Lynne Theater Company presents Christmas Presents from the Past The Equity-professional East Lynne Theater Company, located at the First Presbyterian Church on 500 Hughes Street, has been engaging Cape May audiences since 1987, and this year will be no different. Renowned storyteller and East Lynne’s artistic director, Gayle Stahlhuth, will perform the American Christmas stories of Louisa May Alcott, O. Henry and Mark Twain. Stahlhuth, who has been known to play the parts of over 30 different characters in a night, will tackle all of the characters for this one-woman show. For lastminute shoppers, season tickets for East Lynne’s 2012 season will be available for purchase. Fridays and Saturdays, November 25 and 26; December 4, 9, and 10, 8:30pm. $25 for adults. $15 for students. Free for children under 12. For tickets, call 884-5898. Ghosts of Christmas Past Trolley Rides For this ride through Cape May, a member of the award-winning East Lynne Theater Company will engage you with seasonal ghost stories as you enjoy a heated trolley and the twinkling lights of the historic district. Reservations are recommended. Saturday, November 19; November 25-December 31; no tours December 3, 8, 10, 17, 24 and 25. $10 for adults. $7 for children. Cape May Stage presents This Wonderful Life A stage adaptation of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, this one-man show will remind you how

The HOlly and The Ivy The Emlen Physick Estate hosts a wealth of holiday activities, including living history performances and Christmas house tours Frank Scott

one man’s ordinary life impacts so many others. Reservations recommended. Thursdays-Sundays, November 25-December 31, 8pm, and 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. 8pm shows on December 20, 21, 27 and 28. No show December 24 or 25. F0r tickets, call 884-1341. Spirit of Christmas Tour On this two-hour, evening trolley ride, you’ll be regaled with delightful Victorian tales while taking in the beautiful Cape May scenery. Ticket price includes a visit to the Physick Estate for a living history holiday presentation, as well as the Carriage House for the “Holiday Traditions” exhibit and refreshments. Friday, November 18; nightly, November 25-December 30; no tours December 3, 8, 10, 17, 24, and 25. $18 for adults. $13 for children. Nutcracker Children’s Tea For 15 years, the Washington Inn restaurant has been sponsoring a performance of the holiday classic, The Nutcracker. The show, put on by dancers and singers from the Jersey Cape Dance Studio, will be geared toward elementary-age children. It will take place at the restaurant, located at 801 Washington Street, and tea sandwiches will be served. For

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Wassail Day at Cold Spring Village “Wassail” is an old English term for caroling. On this day, five of the museum’s buildings will be open to the public, and guests will have the opportunity to learn about the Christmases of two centuries ago. Of course, there will be a chorus present to raise the holiday spirit. Saturday, December 3, free. For more information, call 898-2300. Caroling Through Cape May As one of its “fun, free and friendly” events, the Town Crier Committee will host caroling along the Washington Street Mall. No need to bring anything but your voice. Friday, December 9, free. For more information, call the Chamber of Commerce at 884-5508. Holiday Lights Trolley Rides Not only are these trolley rides a great opportunity to learn about Victorian Christmas traditions and check out the charming decorations around town, they’re also an opportunity to exercise your vocal chords. During the 30-minute ride, you’ll participate in sing-alongs and listen to Christmas music. Your ticket includes admission to MAC’s Carriage House Gallery exhibit and allows for 10% off at any of MAC’s museum shops. Friday, November 18 and Saturday, November 19; nightly, November 2-December 31. No tours December 3, 8, 10, 17, 2, or 25.

Learn a Bit More In addition to a jolly Santa figure, caroling and decorative greenery, the Victorians popularized the Christmas

card. In the beginning, they sent these cards to their closest friends and family, but by the 1880s there existed an unofficial contest to see just how many cards one could send and receive. The Victorians also popularized kissing underneath the mistletoe and the making of ornaments – they used a great deal of wax and “diamond dust,” or powdered glass, to do so. To learn even more about how the Victorian era shaped the holiday practices of today, make it a point to stop by Historic Cold Spring Village, a living history museum on Route 9, or Washington Street’s Emlen Physick Estate this season. The Physick Estate, located on Washington Street, is an 18-room mansion that was built in 1879 and restored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts in the 1970s. It housed one of the most prominent families of the 1890s, the Physicks, and exists today as the only Victorian house museum in Cape May. Candlelight Tour of Cold Spring Village The 22-acre, 19th-century living history museum that is Cold Spring Village will host this candlelight tour to jump-start

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your holiday season. Beer, wine and light snacks will be served as luminaries guide you through a number of the village’s beautifully restored buildings. Desserts and live music will follow. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Saturday, November 5, 5:30pm. $25. For more information, call 898-2300. Physick Estate Christmas Tour This guided daytime tour through the authentically decorated estate can also be combined with an historic trolley tour. Mondays through Wednesdays, November 21-November 23; and Mondays through Thursdays, November 28-December 22. No tours November 24. $10 for adults. $5 for children. Physick Family Christmas Tours and Physick Family Christmas House Tours These tours are living history experiences, as you will get to meet Physick family impersonators and see firsthand how they would have celebrated the season. Includes a trolley ride. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, November 18-December 24. December 26 through January 1, daily. No tours December 25. With trolley ride: $18 for adults. $10 for children.

FESTIVELY FESTOONED The Queen Victoria is illuminated for the Christmas season Aleksey Moryakov

Christmas Traditions Lecture This highly visual lecture, full of fascinating Victorian trivia, will be given by MAC’s Director of Museum Education, Dr Robert Heinly. Learn about how the Victorian trendsetters, what Heinly calls the “beautiful people,” shaped the Christmas celebration into what it is today. Saturday, December, 2pm. $10.

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C-View Inn Texas Avenue & Washington Street Cape May • (609) 884-4712

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season of THIS YEAR, CONSIDER ADDING THESE SIX LOCAL NON-PROFITS TO YOUR GIFT LIST Story by Jon Roth Photographs by Aleksey Moryakov exit zero

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giving

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T DOESN’T matter what holiday you celebrate – this time of year is devoted to making your lists, then checking them twice – usually online, to make sure Macy’s and Toys ‘R’ Us have all the gifts you plan to buy for your loved ones. Are all those shopping marathons worth the trouble? Certainly, when you see someone special smiling back you. (Absolutely, when you finally get the gift you’ve been hinting at for months). But when you start to feel the holidays have grown too commercial, and you’re spending more time behind a shopping cart than with your family, we suggest you give another kind of gift. In the following pages, you’ll find six local organizations that work to enhance our area. Whether they champion stray animals, local students, homeless families, the environment, the disabled, or arts and education, these groups know something about giving – mostly, they know that all gifts don’t come gift-wrapped. Helping these organizations doesn’t have to involve writing a check. Often, giving your time is just as valuable. Others choose to become members of their chosen charity. The Kiwanis Club of

These groups know about giving – mostly, they know that all gifts don’t come giftwrapped.

Cape May, for example, does many good works in a given year, and also hosts a weekly dinner so that their members can come together and discuss future plans. Often, both parties benefit when you give to a non-profit organization (no, we’re not talking about tax breaks, but those don’t hurt either). Chrissy Becica, who works for the Cape May County Animal Shelter, describes her time spent there as “the best job I ever had.” Paige Cunningham, who runs an arts

and literacy program for The Center for Community Arts, says “If I could do this five days a week, I would.” The most meaningful testimonials come from those who have directly benefitted from charity work. A former guest of Family Promise of Cape May County says of the group, “They took me in with open arms. They cared for me the way a family should when I had no one else.” A story like that will leave you feeling toasty inside long after the spring thaw.

A Cape May tradition for over 30 years!

LITTLE ITALY II RISTORANTE

Home-cooked food that satisfies your family and your wallet! 19 Jackson Street, Cape May (609) 884-5970 www.madbatter.com

JAPANESE • SUSHI • CHINESE • THAI

898-0088

3704 Bayshore Road, North Cape May (Cape Plaza Shopping Center) • (609) 889-6610

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315 Ocean Street, Washington Commons Mall (inside Acme Market Mall) Cape May www.capeorient.com

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Family Promise of Cape May County Helping homeless families get back on their feet What They Do: There are more homeless people in Cape May County than you’d guess (415 individuals were recorded last year) and Family Promise makes it their mission to provide care to families without a home. The organization consists of 35 church congregations, each of which hosts homeless families for a week several times throughout the year. Family Promise also provides a Day Center which offers childcare and support as adults seek continued education, employment and housing. Family Promise gives individuals the confidence they need to turn their lives around. One former guest had this to say of her experience: “They helped my children find light in a dark situation and to see that there is good in people. Most importantly, they told me again and again

toyland Supporter Bill Natalie, volunteer Jeanne Shelley, Network Director Laurie Johnson, Board President Suzanne Smigo and Vice President Mary Durkin during a Christmas toy drive

that everyone deserves a friend.” What You Can Do: A $180 donation to Club180 provides a child with eight days of shelter, transportation, education and meals. Consider donating your used vehicle to Family Promise

Cape May

– reliable transportation can make all the difference between unemployment and holding a job. Family Promise of Cape May County, PO Box 200, Cape May Court House, 08210, (609) 846-7862, familypromisecmc.org.

Winery & Vineyard Merlot • Syrah • Blush • Chardonnay • Port Cabernet Sauvignon • Blush • Apple • Red Reserve Gift Certificates and Gift Baskets

Tasting Room - Open Daily

Tours Saturday at 3pm... Call for details!

(609) 884-1169 • 711 Townbank Road, North Cape May • www.capemaywinery.com exit zero

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Kiwanis Club of Cape May Volunteers dedicated to serving the children of the world (and the county) What They Do: They provide traffic control for parades and races, deliver food with Meals on Wheels, do maintenance at the Nature Center and Water Conservation Garden, aid Family Promise and more. Kiwanis provide $15,000 in scholarships to high school seniors and sponsor clubs on the elementary and high school levels, including the Builders Club, which instills leadership and altruism in young people. They also give awards to students who bring up their grades each marking period (the BUG Awards), and give money to the Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick. What You Can Do: Kiwanis is always looking for new members – they have dinner meetings every Wednesday. Or participate in and support fundraisers they hold throughout the TakeYourPickEZ 8/21/11 7:26 PM Page year. (609) 884-8888, capemaykiwanis.com.

1 rising stars Over the years, the Kiwanis Club of Cape May have provided thousands of dollars

in scholarships to some of the most promising students at Lower Cape May Regional High School

Take your pick...

Best Crab Cakes in South Jersey – South Jersey Magazine Award of Excellence – Wine Spectator Magazine, 2010/2011 Championship Hot Wings – Beachcomber Camp Grounds Contest Best Burger in South Jersey – Free Times Magazine

AMERICAN STEAK & SEAFOOD HOUSE

Featuring Hand-cut Steaks, Fresh Local Seafood, & International Beers-on-tap

Rio Grande Center Shopping Mall • 609-889-2000

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Open Daily for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Serving fine food since 1988 322 WASHINGTON STREET MALL CAPE MAY (609) 884-9119

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609-884-4800 At the corner of Beach Ave. & Decatur Street www.CabanasOnTheBeach.com www.facebook.com/CabanasOnTheBeach

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Nature Center of Cape May On the beautiful banks of Cape May Harbor, an environmental education facility that keeps on giving What They Do: If you’re looking to learn more about the ecosystem around you, this is the place to be. New Jersey Audubon’s Nature Center of Cape May celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, marking two decades of innovative, interactive nature programming for children, adults and families. Popular programs include their summer day camps, kayak eco-tours, naturalist-led evening beach walks and wildlife-friendly gardening workshops. The Nature Center also helps sponsor and host Harbor Fest and the Kids Can! Expo. Visitors to the Trucksess Center, located near the US Coast Guard base, can climb a three-story observation tower, explore a salt water aquaria filled with local marine life, stop by the kids’ hand-on activity room and learn

in the bag The Nature Center of Cape May celebrates Earth Day by gathering volunteers and bagging litter. Environmental consciousness is a key component of the center’s programming.

from numerous natural history exhibits. What You Can Do: Citizens can help out by volunteering at the center, either on a regular basis or for a special activity, such their semi-annual beach clean-ups. They have a

Harbor View RESTAURANT, BAR & MARINA

954 Ocean Drive, Cape May • (609) 884-5444 • harborviewcapemay.com

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wide variety of volunteer needs. In addition, there is a list of items needed for donation on their website. Nature Center of Cape May, 1600 Delaware Avenue, (609) 898-8848, nccm@ njaudubon.org, njaudubon.org/centers/nccm.

Life Rolls On Inspiring young people with spinal cord injuries to lead active and fulfilled lives What They Do: Life Rolls On enables victims of spinal cord injuries to stay involved in the action sports they love through a variety of programs. While this subsidiary of the Chris & Dana Reeve Foundation is a national operation, Life Rolls On is particularly active in Cape May County thanks to the efforts of former lifeguard Chad de Satnick, who suffered a spinal injury while surfing on Poverty Beach in 2001. LRO’s flagship program, They Will Surf Again, allows injured participants to get back on the board and in the water with the aid of volunteers. De Satnick, who has become a passionate advocate of surf safety in Cape May, says of this event, “You witness the freedom in people’s eyes that they do not have on a daily basis. This is what keeps me motivated.” The foundation also hosts a charity golf tournament at Cape May National Golf Club. To date, our county has raised over $150,000 for Life Rolls On – money that helps injured

back on the board A Life Rolls On volunteer helps a young surfer in the water during They Will Surf Again, an annual event in Wildwood Moondoggie Surf

youth continue to pursue their passions. What You Can Do: Life Rolls On is always looking for volunteers in the water for their annual surfing event in June. Or, you could enjoy a great day of golf for a cause in September,

at the glorious Cape May National Golf Club. Contact Chad de Satnick to discuss volunteering and participation options. Chad de Satnick, (609) 780-1986, chad@liferollson.org, liferollson.org.

A family place A first-date place A dinner-and-a-movie place A perfect place for any occasion.

Modern American cuisine with a cool and casual vibe...

GODMOTHER’S

broadway & west perry street cape may (609) 884-4543 .godmothersrestaurant.com

1 Sunset Boulevard, Cape May (609) 898-0100 • www.blackduckonsunset.com

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Center for Community Arts Fostering creativity, diversity and community through the arts and humanities What They Do: The CCA was founded in 1995 by 12 women artists and community activists who wanted preserve and enhance the culture of their area, particularly by bringing programming to underserved groups – youths, minorities and those on low and fixed incomes. Today, the CCA has a Youth Arts Program, a program dedicated to preserving Cape May’s African-American history, community radio station WCFA-LP101.5FM and arts classes for all ages. They host events like the Shore Slam poetry and storytelling competition, a Saturday night arts enrichment program, The Great Cookie Exchange and more. Paige Cunningham, who runs the CCA’s Art in the Library program, says, “Art is just expressing yourself, and these kids put it all

cookie monsters Each year the CCA holds the Great Cookie Exchange at Cape May Elementary – kids and grownups enjoy cookies, carols and the chance to celebrate the holidays together

on the paper. I’ve had some students for years now, and it’s amazing how they’ve grown.” What You Can Do: Become a member! For $25 a year you’ll receive 10% off all program fees and a subscription to the CCA’s annual newsletter. Sign up by visiting their website.

The CCA holds their Great Cookie Exchange this December 5, so contact them if you’d like to volunteer or donate goods to their raffle. The Center for Community Arts, 712 Lafayette Street, (609) 884-7525, centerforcommunityarts.org.

A classic copper bar, a great martini list, and modern American cuisine. What more could you want?

Oyster Bay

615 LAFAYETTE STREET CAPE MAY (609) 884-2111

STEAKS & SEAFOOD

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The Ultimate Cape May Food & Drink Chart What you need to know about the food and the vibe

Meals served

Price range of entrées

Bar or BYOB?

Should I book?

Food for kids?

Other details

B, L, D

$15-$45 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

FULL BAR

YES

ub HU

B, L

$3-$8 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

N/A

YES

b H

$24-$30 Cards: V, MC, D

FULL BAR

YES

ub H

B, D

$13-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE

BYOB

YES

ub H

B, L, D

$5-$25 Cards: V, MC, D

BYOB

YES

u H

$15-$28 Cards: V, MC

BYOB

YES

ub H

B, L, D

$12-$36 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

FULL BAR

YES

ub H

Cocktails

Cards: V, MC, AE, D

FULL BAR

ALEATHEA’S 7 Ocean Street, (609) 884-5555, Ext. 226 www.innofcapemay.com

Offers superb food in a graceful setting at the glorious old Inn of Cape May, plus a cozy-but-elegant bar with access to the oceanfront patio. Check out the antiquefilled lobby first.

AVALON COFFEE 3823 Bayshore Road, North Cape May (609) 846-0040 www.avaloncoffeecompany.com

Superior coffee that’s always fresh, and healthy food that’s perfect for breakfast and lunch. First-class wraps, sandwiches and bagels, along with a good range of smoothies and cold drinks.

AXELSSON’S BLUE CLAW 991 Ocean Drive, (609) 884-5878 www.blueclawrestaurant.com

Enjoy fine dining near the harbor – just go over the quaint old drawbridge. There is an elegant dining room, a cozy fireplace, and the classic Clipper Ship Pub.

BACKSTREET 600 Park Boulevard (609) 884-7660 www.backstreetcapemaynj.com

Backtreet is currently closed until April or May of 2012 but that should not stop you from buying gift certificates for holiday gifts at this true locals’ favorite!

BELLA VIDA CAFÉ 406 N. Broadway, (609) 884-6322 www.bellavidacafe.com

“The local café with a wholesome aroma” is what they call it... and that’s how we describe it. You can tell that everything is home cooked here. Always fresh, always delicious.

THE BLACK DUCK 1 Sunset Boulevard, (609) 898-0100 www.blackduckonsunset.com

A chic interior and stylish Modern American cuisine from acclaimed chef (and owner) Chris Hubert, but the ambience is anything but pretentious. There’s a nice laidback vibe.

THE BLUE PIG TAVERN 251 Beach Avenue, (609) 884-8422 www.congresshall.com

Congress Hall’s restaurant is better than ever, as evidenced by its usually filled dining rooms. The Pig serves classic tavern food with quite a a twist or two along the way.

THE BOILER ROOM 251 Beach Avenue, (609) 884-8422 www.congresshall.com

Congress Hall’s chic basement nightclub – all bare metal and brickwork – has an assortment of great music on the weekends and a cool vibe.

THE BROWN ROOM 251 Beach Avenue, (609) 884-8422 www.congresshall.com

Congress Hall’s lovely lounge is called Cape May’s Living Room for a reason. The decor is elegant but casual, the drinks are great, the staff are cool, and every inch of the place just says classy, without ever being stuffy.

Bar Menu & Cocktails

Cards: V, MC, AE, D

FULL BAR

CABANAS 429 Beach Avenue, (609) 884-4800 www.cabanasonthebeach.com

It’s always warm and friendly in this lively beachfront bar that features some of the best live bands around. A great spot to enjoy happy hour, with the sun pouring in the open doors.

B, L, D

$8-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

b H

CAPE MAY WINERY 711 Townbank Road, (609) 884-1169 www.capemaywinery.com

This beautiful winery is open daily. Make a reservation to take an informative tour ofthe winery – just call for more information and their current tour hours.

Winery

$5-$27 V, MC, AE, D

WINERY

N/A

ub H

SYMBOLS KEY

Onsite parking

Handicap accessible

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Takeout available

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Cape May County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center

Great food, great drinks and great music...

Taking care of adorable animals until you find the right one to take home

bundles of joy Just imagine these two canines waking you up in the morning. It could happen to you – stop by the shelter and bring home a friend.

...are always guaranteed.

What They Do: The shelter takes in strays brought in by animal control officers and Good Samaritans, as well as pets that local residents can no longer care for. They work tirelessly to minimize the euthanasia of healthy animals through cooperation with animal advocacy groups through the state. The Shelter oversees a population control plan which offers low-cost spaying and neutering of cats and dogs belonging to Cape May County residents. They are a full-service facility for county residents and animals. Chrissy Becica, clerk at the shelter, knows

106 Decatur Street @ Columbia Avenue Cape May (609) 884-8363 www.merioninn.com

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the importance of the facility: “This job can be emotionally draining, so you need to harden your heart to handle it, but still show the animals all the love that they deserve and were deprived of. I wouldn’t change my job or the work I do here for anything.” What You Can Do: You can adopt a lovable critter, volunteer, or donate items or cash to the shelter. For details, visit their website. Cape May County Animal Shelter And Adoption Center, 110 Shelter Road, Cape May Court House, (609) 4658923, animalshelter@cmcsheriff.net, capemaycountygov.net.

The Ultimate Cape May Food & Drink Chart What you need to know about the food and the vibe CAPE ORIENT 315 Ocean Street, (609) 898-0088 www.capeorient.com

It’s not often that one restaurant can do excellent Chinese, Thai AND sushi, but trust us, Cape Orient does. The service, led by owner Glendy, is superb, too.

THE CARRIAGE HOUSE 1048 Washington Street At the Emlen Physick Estate (609) 884-5111

The Carriage House offers everything from hearty wraps, salads, quiche and paninis to classic teas. Best of all maybe is the location – the gorgeous Emlen Physick Estate.

COPPER FISH 416 Broadway West Cape May (609) 898-1555

Chef Geoff Johnson’s popular Copper Fish is under new management, at a beautiful new site – Broadway and Sunset. As usual, Geoff’s concoctions are fun and creative.

CUCINA ROSA 301 Washington Street Mall (609) 898-9800 www.cucinarosa.com

Nicely located at the beginning of the mall, on the Congress Hall side, this Italian restaurant is a must-visit. Simply superb food in classy-but-casual surroundings.

C-VIEW INN Texas Avenue & Washington Ave. Cape May (609) 884-4712

A locals’ favorite, the oldest and friendliest tavern in town with great wings, excellent pub fare and cold beer. And these days they accept credit cards, too!

DEPOT MARKET CAFÉ 409 Elmira Street Cape May (609) 884-8030

New owners Chris and Lisa Shriver are keeping the old favorites at this much-loved café AND adding new specials. Cape May’s movers and shakers often eat lunch here.

THE EBBITT ROOM 25 Jackson Street, (609) 884-5700 www.virginiahotel.com

With the remarkable cooking of chef Lucas Manteca, there’s even more reason than usual to visit. There’s also a new bar with sublime cocktails and a great wine list!

FISH AND FANCY 2406 Bayshore Road, Villas (609) 886-8760 www.fishandfancy.com

Superb seafood however you like it – fried, broiled, grilled, blackened or sautéed. That’s choice for you. Also great salads. Eat in (there’s an outdoor patio) or take away.

GODMOTHER’S Broadway & Sunset (609) 884-4543 www.godmothersrestaurant.com

Excellent downhome Italian food, just like your mama, or your grandma, or your aunt would make. Reasonably priced and great for a family dinner.

HARBOR VIEW 954 Ocean Drive (609) 884-5444 www.harborviewcapemay.com

A locals’ favorite for a reason. There’s a Key West vibe, good food, regular entertainment, and the views are spectacular. Spend the day – or night.

HAWK HAVEN VINEYARD 600 S. Railroad Avenue Rio Grande (609) 846-7347 www.hawkhavenvineyard.com

This is not your grandfathe’s winery. A hip vibe, relaxed, beautiful setting and superb wines make this off the beaten track place a must-visit.

SYMBOLS KEY

u Onsite parking

Meals served

Price range of entrées

Bar or BYOB?

Should I book?

Food for kids?

Other details

L, D

$12-$19 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BYOB

YES

ub H

$12-$19 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BYOB

YES

u b

$24-$32 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BYOB

YES

ub H

$12-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BYOB

YES

b H

L, D

$4-$18 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

u H

B, L, D

$6-$14 Cash Only

BYOB

YES

ub H

$26-$33 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

L, D

$5-$19 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BYOB

YES

ub H

$12-$28 Cards: V, MC

BYOB

YES

u H

B, L, D

$6-$30 Cards: V, MC

BAR

YES

ub H

Winery

N/A

Winery

u H

Handicap accessible

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Takeout available

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Two Local Cafés with ... a Wholesome Aroma

OPEN YEAR ROUND!

Monday-Friday 7:30-2:30 Saturday & Sunday 7-2:30 Dinners from 5pm Vegetarian & Gluten-Free Friendly

Early Bird Catches the Wave! $6.99 BELLY BUSTER SPECIALS Everyday ‘til 9:30am with ad

BEACH #1 Two Eggs

Homefries & Toast, OJ or Coffee Bacon (2) or Sausage (1)

BEACH #2

Buttermilk Flapjacks (2) OJ or Coffee Bacon (2) or Sausage (1)

BEACH #3

BEACH #4

Bacon (2) or Sausage (1) OJ or Coffee

Scrambled eggs, cheese, black beans and salsa, OJ or Coffee

BEACH #5

DINNER SPECIAL

OJ or Coffee

Buy 1 Entrée Get One Half Off 5-6pm

Texas French Toast (2)

Two Eggs, Two Buttermilk Flapjacks

Uncle Bill’s

Burrito

& FAMILY RESTAURANT Open Everyday!

No substitutions. Not good with any other offers. Cape May Only.

2 Great Locations to Serve You! ...on Broadway 406 N. Broadway West Cape May 609.884.6332 Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner

...at Aqua Beach Ocean & Buttercup Wildwood Crest 609.522.4777 Breakfast • Lunch

(Menu items and hours vary from location to location)

BEACH AVENUE & PERRY STREET, CAPE MAY (609) 884-7199

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The Ultimate Cape May Food & Drink Chart What you need to know about the food and the vibe

Meals served

Price range of entrées

Bar or BYOB?

Should I book?

Food for kids?

Other details

B, L, D

$15-$38 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

ub H

$99-$111

BYOF (Bring your own fork)

Book what?

Kids with teeth, YES

Snacks

$100-$150

BYOF (Bring your own fork)

We wrote it

If they know the password

B, L, D

$5-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

ub HU

L, D

$6-$22 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

For tables of eight or more

YES

ub H

B, L, D

$19-$30 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

b H

B, D

$4-$22 Cards: V, MC, AE

BAR

YES

BAR

YES

HEMINGWAY’S 1045 Beach Avenue (609) 884-5611 www.hemingwayscapemay.com

A relaxed yet elegant island ambience, featuring hand-cut USDA Prime Steaks, classic seafood creations and an outstanding wine selection. At the beachfront Grand Hotel.

KRAZY SNACK HUT 12345 Sixty Seven Street West Cape May (609) 609-6099

Are you NOT feeling hungry but want something to eat? Then this is the place! They serve upscale, top-of-the-line snacks like deep-fried octopus tentacle suction cups and sea gull jerky. Try our jellyfish and peanut butter pie!

KRAZY SNACK HUT 2 12345 Sixty Seven Street West Cape May (609) 609-6099

Krazy Snacks’ second location is in the basement of the same building – it’s where they offer blackmarket specialties like ground sea-urchin spices, smoked barnacles and stingray fricassee. Shh!

THE LOBSTER HOUSE Fisherman’s Wharf, (609) 884-8296 www.thelobsterhouse.com

Take-out, fish market, restaurant, raw bar, breakfast, dinner... The Lobster House has it all. Drinks on the Schooner American before dinner is a lovely experience.

LUCKY BONES 1200 Route 109, (609) 884-BONE (2663) www.luckybonesgrill.com

This harborfront restaurant is a huge hit for a reason. There is excellent food (including wonderful thin-crust pizza), a great bar vibe, and superb service. Gets it right every time.

MAD BATTER 19 Jackson Street (609) 884-5970 www.madbatter.com

The original fine dining restaurant in Cape May and still one of the best. The food is always creative and the breakfasts and brunches are very hard to beat – hence the lines.

MARQ’S PUB & RESTUARANT 501 Beach Avenue, Cape May (609) 884-3500 www.marquiscapemay.com

The new spot on the first floor of the Marquis de Lafayette hotel with a good old-fashioned pub atmosphere.

MARTINI BEACH 429 Beach Avenue Cape May (609) 884-1925

A lively nightspot with a friendly vibe, great Mediterranean dishes, and a panoramic oceanfront view. It’s also the place that brough tapas to Cape May – go ahead and share!

$15-$30 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

MERION INN 106 Decatur Street, (609) 884-8363 www.merion inn.com

The dim, amber lighting, dark wooden bar, period fittings and classy staff give this place a special ambience. Great food, great cocktails, and great piano from George Mesterhazy.

$18/Mrkt Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

ub HU

OCEAN VIEW Beach & Grant Avenues (609) 884-3772 www.oceanviewrestaurant.com

A large and very reliable menu at this oceanfront staple. Classic diner food, and very reasonably priced. A locals’ favorite, and you know that is always a good sign.

B, L, D

$9-$30 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BYOB

YES

ub H

OYSTER BAY 615 Lafayette Street (609) 884-2111 www.oysterbayrestaurantnj.com

Lovely, airy dining rooms, a beautiful coppertop bar and classic, generous dishes are what you’ll find here. This is the kind of place where people keep returning.

$12-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

ub H

SYMBOLS KEY

u Onsite parking

Snacks

Handicap accessible

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ub H

The best of the year ISSUE 12, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2011

EACH year Congress Hall hosts a beautiful Easter celebration, complete with brunch and – of course – an Easter Egg Hunt. Kids patiently lined up waiting for the signal, then tore off across the lawn in search of pastel-colored plastic. Aleksey Moryakov

Backstreet Gift Certificates Make Great Holiday Gifts!

Currently Closed for the Season • Call Chef Tee’s Cell (609) 602-8661 for gift certs • www.backstreetcapemaynj.com

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The Ultimate Cape May Food & Drink Chart What you need to know about the food and the vibe PETER SHIELDS 1301 Beach Avenue, (609) 884-9090 www.petershieldsinn.com

The Georgian Revival mansion on Cape May’s beachfront is magnificent, and the creative modern American menu matches it all the way. This is one classy eating experience.

THE PILOT HOUSE 142 Decatur Street (609) 884-3449 www.pilothousecapemay.com

A classic pub and restaurant offering great burgers, excellent comfort good and an authentic ambience. The burgers are big favorites among locals.

RIO STATION 3505 Route 9 South Rio Grande (609) 889-2000

While all around it has changed, the Rio Station is still serving excellent food with old-style, friendly service. Their chicken wings are particularly good.

SEASIDE CHEESE COMPANY 600 Park Boulevard (609) 884-8700 www.seasidecheesecapemay.com

A huge plus for the area when it opened, and this place, a short walk from downtown Cape May, continues to delight with gourmet treats. Private tasting room is available to reserve.

TISHA’S FINE DINING 322 Washington Street Mall Cape May (609) 884-9119

In case you’re wondering why they’re not at Convention Hall – they moved to the mall, where they are still serving up irresistible concoctions, PLUS breakfast and lunch!

TOMMY’S FOLLY COFFEE 251 Beach Avenue (609) 884-6522 www.congresshall.com

Situated in the lobby of Congress Hall, this shop has great coffee and some lovely to-go breakfast goodies, as well as healthy and tasty lunch wraps, plus soups, shakes and more.

THE UGLY MUG 426 Washington Street Mall Cape May (609) 884-3459

A Cape May legend, and even better now that they’ve put those wonderful booths in there. Such a treat. It has a classic pub vibe, and always a warm, friendly atmosphere.

UNCLE BILL’S PANCAKES Beach Avenue & Perry Street Cape May (609) 884-7199

Reliably excellent food – there is a reason why people wait a while to eat here... Excellent breakfasts and brunches at this circular restaurant that overlooks the Atlantic.

UNION PARK Beach Avenue & Howard (609) 884-8811 www.unionparkdiningroom.com

Elegant dining in a classic old hotel, and the food is magnificent and inventive. Voted one of the best restaurants in the state by New Jersey Monthly magazine.

VINCENZO’S LITTLE ITALY II 3704 Bayshore Road North Cape May (609) 889-6610

If you want to bring the family for a fine and fun Italian meal, look no further than here! The kids will love it. Excellent pasta dishes, and they’re also proud of their prime rib.

WASHINGTON INN 801 Washington Avenue (609) 84-569 www.washingtoninn.com

Superb gourmet food, and a great little cocktail bar to get your night off on the right foot. Amazing wine list and an all-new wine bar has opened with small plates available.

SYMBOLS KEY

u Onsite parking

Meals served

Price range of entrées

Bar or BYOB?

Should I book?

Food for kids?

$22-$39 Cards: V, MC, D

BYOB

L, D

$5-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

L, D

$13-$29 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

ub H

L, D

$4-$12 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

N/A

YES

ub H

B, L, D

$18-$35 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BYOB

YES

B, Café

$2-$5 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

N/A

YES

ub H

L, D

$12-$25 Cards: V, MC, AE, D

BAR

YES

b H

B, L

$4-$9 Cash Only

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Takeout available

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Other details

The trouble with eating Italian food

...is that five or six days later you’re hungry again. — George Miller

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IF YOU MENTION THIS AD

QUICK CHAT CHRIS SHRIVER, THE MAN BEHIND THE DEPOT MARKET

EST Cape May resident Chris Shriver and his wife, Lisa, are proprietors of locals’ favorite hot spot, Depot Market Café. Now in their second year at the helm of one of the busiest places in town (breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus catering!), it took some doing, but we corralled Chris for a quick chat in the Depot’s tiny kitchen. And we didn’t even make him cook for us… but he offered. What did you do prior to taking over the Depot? I worked at Cold Spring Fish Dock for Keith Laudeman. Before that, I was in food manufacturing for 15 years – still food, just from a different angle! Lisa was the chef at the Mad Batter, but we ate at the Depot all the time and liked the food, so when the opportunity arose to buy, we grabbed it. How did you and Lisa meet? At work, at The Commissary in Philly. She was so attracted to me she couldn’t help herself. I’m quite the magnet – ha! We’ve been

catering to the masses Let’s do lunch – or breakfast, or dinner. Chris Shriver, along with wife Lisa, fills the culinary need for hitsthe-spot homecooked food for at the Depot Market Café Aleksey Moryakov

married nearly 20 years, despite the odds! We both chuckle about that. Is this the first time you’ve worked this closely with her? I think people underestimate just how hard it can be. Oh, we LOVE it! Seriously, it can be tough, but this was her dream, so it became my goal for us to get it. Now it’s negotiating – figuring out who does what. Do you have any major plans for the big anniversary? We pushed it back to the 25th year – we’ll go back to Paris, where we honeymooned. The kids (Jake, 18, Laura, 15, Aidan, 12, and Reid, 10) want to go somewhere warm. They’re in charge. So much for being your own boss. And do you like being your own boss, while we’re on the subject? Absolutely. I’ve been fortunate to work for some really great bosses. People in the seafood business – Keith, the LaMonicas, LaVecchias, Danny Cohen – these guys work so hard and overcome so many obstacles to develop their businesses. It just makes them really, really smart. I have a ton of

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respect for people in the fishing industry. Is there anything you’ve learned by being your own boss that you couldn’t anticipate? That’s a really good question. The recent hurricane was an eyeopener, even though it didn’t amount to much. When the contents of your walk-in refrigerator and freezer that you worked so hard to prepare are hanging by a thread, and you’re lying in bed with the lights flickering from the storm and wondering how all the kitchen equipment will hold up, those are the things you can’t understand unless you’re in it for real. The boss used to take care of all that – now the boss is you. What possesses people to buy restaurants and go into this crazy business? Insanity. Well, maybe not just insanity – probably a combination of insanity and passion. That’s what gets you into trouble. That’s a good recipe for any endeavor, isn’t it? All I know is that I love it – it works for me.

Next Cape May Forum will focus on energy

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409 Elmira Street, Cape May (Next to the Train Station) • 609-884-8030

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HE Cape May Forum — Chautauqua at the Shore will once again bring a forum of experts and nationally renowned speakers, top-notch panelists, and authors to Cape May next April 20-21 to explore a critical issue of our day – Sustainable Energy. This is the Cape May Forum’s third annual program of events in Cape May. The program is titled Running on Empty – The Future of Energy. From our dependence on imported fuels to environmental concerns involving domestic production of nuclear, coal and natural gas, sourcing energy is becoming a defining controversy of our times. It impacts our local community, drives economics at the national level, and influences international relations. How we act collectively to solve our problems and find innovative new directions will determine the quality of life on our planet for coming generations. During 2012, the Cape May Forum will bring together energy experts, environmentalists, political leaders and the community for a public discourse. Topics the experts will explore include: •Defining the challenge to our planet and society •Energy security •Balancing business, societal and environmental impacts •Transportation versus residential and industrial uses; •Access to energy and its impact on world and local politics •Can we achieve sustainable energy for our future? The Cape May Forum is dedicated to providing public forums to inform, stimulate, and formulate public discourse of issues of relevance to our community and lives. The organization will soon december

2011

Guest speaker Amy Cotler at the forum’s event in September

announce its planned calendar of 2012 spring, summer and fall forums focused on energy issues Cape May Forum — Chautauqua at the Shore (CMF) is a non-profit organization founded in 2009 as a consortium of the region’s organizations and individuals. CMF provides an annual forum where creative and inspiring artists, speakers, events and courses are presented, to further enhance the Cape May experience for residents and visitors alike. The forum aims to attract more visitors to Cape May, and to extend the visiting season by integrating and showcasing the existing cultural, artistic, educational and recreational aspects of the community. The program is modeled after the renowned Chautauqua Institute in New York, which offers arts, music, cultural and other educational programs in an integrated campus environment. For more information and reservations, visit capemayforum.org.

Tom Carroll, Ronnie Cohen, Curtis Bashaw, Julia Freedgood of American Farmland Trust, Amy Cotler, author of The Locavore Way, Brooke Vosika, Executive Chef at the Four Seasons Hotel, Boston, Stephen Miller and Ed Henry together at one of CMF’s fall programs

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MAN OF MANY PARTS Actor Larry Daggett stars in the Cape May Stage adaptation of This Wonderful Life this holiday season.

“THIS WONDERFUL LIFE” COMES TO A WONDERFUL TOWN

an angel gets his wings

Story by Catherine Dugan Photographs by Aleksey Moryakov

EDFORD Falls in the film It’s a Wonderful Life is a fictional town, but it bears some resemblance to Cape May – especially at Christmas. Cape May’s Victorian architecture is at its most charming draped with garland, and its sparkling white lights would show up nicely in a blackand-white movie. Trolleys roam the streets. Fireplaces reveal silhouettes sipping cocoa in cozy parlors. Shops and craft fairs bustle with holiday shoppers. The timeless sense of family and community would make Angel Second Class Clarence Odbody, born 1654, feel right at home. Roy Steinberg, artistic director of Cape May Stage, knows just how to capture the magic. Steinberg speaks enthusiastically of Cape May’s Christmas charms. This year, he will add to them, presenting This Wonderful Life as a “gift to the community at Christmastime.” Steinberg will direct a new production of the one-man play by Steve Murray, starring Larry Daggett. The production features brand-new sets and a schedule designed to include the whole commu-

nity – including schoolchildren. The show runs from November 25 through December 31, 2011; Thursdays through Sundays at 8pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm. There are additional shows on December 20, 21, 27 and 28 at 8pm. The theater is closed December 24 and 25. This Wonderful Life is based on the classic Frank Capra film, It’s a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart, Donna Reed and Lionel Barrymore. The film was released in 1946 to little attention. It became a Christmas classic in the 1970s, when a lapse in copyright allowed television stations to show it repeatedly. By the time Republic Pictures restored its copyright in 1993, the film was a holiday tradition. It’s the surprisingly dark story of George Bailey, a small town banker who believes the world would have been better if he had never been born. Thanks to some divine intervention, he is granted a vision of the world without him, and he learns just how important he is. The tale began life as the short story, “The Greatest Gift,” by Philip Van Doren Stern. Stern had trouble

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Cape May’s Victorian architecture is at its most charming draped with garland, and its sparkling white lights would show up nicely in a blackand-white movie.

2011

finding a market for his story, and sent it out as a 21-page holiday card to his friends. One copy found its way to Cary Grant, who expressed an interest in turning the story into a film, but it was Frank Capra who bought the rights in 1945. The story was then published in Good Housekeeping magazine as “The Man Who Was Never Born.” There are some differences between the story and the film – George’s last name was Pratt instead of Bailey, for example – and the evidence of heavenly magic was an upholstery brush instead of an inscribed copy of Tom Sawyer, but the message is the same: “No man is a failure who has friends.” In the hands of Roy Steinberg and Cape May Stage, the story is told as a one-man play. Actor Larry Daggett voices the characters of George Bailey, Mary Hatch, Old Man Potter, Bert the cop, Ernie the cab driver, and all the other denizens of Bedford Falls. Daggett is known to fans of Cape May Stage for bringing Cosme McMoon to life in the 2009 production of Souvenir. Steinberg believes the story of This Wonderful Life has special resonance in

2011. The current economy is in “pretty much the same shape” as that of Bedford Falls. People are facing extreme challenges, and Steinberg views the play as a reminder that when the “whole world is crashing in on you, that’s when you need to remember that you are an important person to someone.“ Like George Bailey, people don’t realize their own value, Steinberg asserts, reflecting on the way each “life touches so many other lives. We rub up against each other and change each other in ways we may barely remember.” He recalls “teachers who have affected me,” who probably don’t remember what they said. “And I’ve had actors come up to me and say, ‘You said something to me years ago and I’ve held onto it ever since.’ A little thing that doesn’t seem to mean anything at the time can have a huge impact. That message is timeless,” Steinberg says. Steinberg’s impact is sometimes easy to spot. Cape May Stage presented The Little Prince, with puppeteer Scott Hitz, in 2010. Steinberg proudly reports that it’s currently on Broadway, at the New Victory Theater, “right next to Spi-

perfect puppetry Last holiday season Cape May Stage presented The Little Prince, with puppets by Scott Hitz. The production was such a success it’s now showing on Broadway.

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derman!” Steinberg spent time last year in Strasbourg, France – the Christmas capital of Europe – where he was delighted by the Christmas festivals. Strasbourg has been holding its Christmas market outside the cathedral since 1570, but Roy Steinberg envisions Cape May capturing similar holiday magic. To hear him talk, the town may already have it. Cape May’s holiday activity list is impressive. The town gets a head start on the season with a tree-lighting on Saturday, November 19 at 7pm, featuring free tours of the Physick House. Visitors are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item for the Cape May Community Food Bank – George Bailey would surely approve. There will be vis-

music and magic In 2009, An O. Henry Christmas lit up the Robert Shackleton Playhouse. The musical production featured interpretations of “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Last Leaf.”

its with St Nick, trolley rides and holiday ghost tales. The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities sponsors Christmas Candlelight House Tours. The Carriage House Gallery presents the exhibit, ”An Old-fashioned Christmas: Holiday Traditions through the Years.” The East Lynne Theater Company offers Christmas Presents from the Past, classic American Christmas stories by Louisa May Alcott, O. Henry and Mark Twain. The Christmas parade in West Cape May showcases the best of a modern small town, complete with eccentric characters to lend charm. And Cape May even has a local bank, Steinberg reminds me. Not many Americans know their banker, as the residents of Bedford Falls know George Bailey, “but in Cape May, we have that opportunity,”

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Steinberg says. Steinberg directs visiting friends to the SOMA and Gail Pierson art galleries, to concerts sponsored by the MidAtlantic Center for the Arts and local churches, and to Cape May’s many fine restaurants. He raves about the breadth of the town’s thriving art scene – visual, musical and dramatic. He encourages theatergoers to “make a Christmas holiday out of it. Take a horse and carriage ride” before or after the show, he advises. “What could be more romantic than snuggling up under a blanket on a cold winter day?” And, as the horse clops along, no one will fault you if you imagine George Bailey running through the streets, yelling “Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!”

The best of the year ISSUE 15, WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2011

THIS year Lower Cape May Regional High School held their prom at Naval Air Station Wildwood. The historic building, once the training ground for many of the pilots who fought in WWII, is now home to a museum, but the planes were cleared out to make room for a dance floor. Aleksey Moryakov

and

CLIPPER SHIP PUB

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Serving Dinner from 5pm... call for hours Early Dinner Specials 5-6Pm • $22.95 1/2 Price Raw Bar Items 5-6pm in the Pub Only Sports TV in The Clipper Ship Pub Affordable Pub Menu George Karavan at the Baby Grand - Saturday Night

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Reservations: 609-884-5878 991 Ocean Drive, Cape May www.blueclawrestaurant.com exit zero

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hosting for the holidays TRY THESE SIMPLE TIPS FOR STRESSFREE SEASONAL ENTERTAINING Story by Sue Priester and Lauren K. Shenfield Photographs by Aleksey Moryakov exit zero

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APE May’s wonderful homes are the perfect settings for holiday open house parties. Formal or not, catered or home-cooked, an open house is a great way to entertain and exchange holiday greetings with family, friends, colleagues and customers. Sharing your home with others – transformed by holiday decorations and festive food – is one of the indisputable gifts of the season. Our Victorian forebears knew how to do it in style. Two keys to a successful open house are planning and imagination. Here, we offer basic questions to consider when contemplating a holiday event and two sample menus to get you going: one for an easy afternoon open house with little or no cooking, and one for a more elaborate buffet dinner. Whichever you choose, organize it early and make it easy on yourself, so you can enjoy your guests and your lovely party. Speaking of organization, we recommend you consider the following questions before you start out. The Five Ws Why are you having this party? Answering this question first will guide your planning, help you organize your event and eliminate frustration as the hour approaches. Why are you hosting your party? Is it to catch up with friends and neighbors, repay a year’s worth of invitations, entertain colleagues or customers? All good reasons, which naturally lead to the next “W.” Whom will you invite? How large of a group will your home accommodate comfortably? The expectation for an open house is that guests will drop in, and sometime later drop back out. We all know people who forget that second step, so be realistic about your home’s maximum capacity. If you plan to invite an eclectic group of people, consider whether everyone will mix well; or should you consider sequencing your guests – family from 1-3pm, friends from 3-5pm, and so forth. Are children welcome? Is there a separate room where they can enjoy the party, or do you want them to come at a specific time? We invite eclectic groups: friends, clients, relatives, grown children,

We invite eclectic groups: friends, clients, relatives, grown children, associates from work and community activities – a mix of ages. Holiday parties offer a chance to bring together those you always thought should meet each other, and haven’t yet.

associates from work and community activities – a mix of ages. Holiday parties are opportunities to bring together those you always thought should meet each other, and haven’t yet. Serendipitous meetings are one more joy of the holidays. What kind of event do you want? Imagine what you see people wearing to your party. Cocktail dresses? Evening attire? Slacks and sweaters? This will help you decide whether you are hosting a casual or more formal party and will serve in developing your menu. When will it take place? Is your affair a general holiday open house, a Christmas party or a New Year’s celebration? Will it take place early in the season? During Hanukkah, on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Day? Will it be easier for you to host it in the afternoon or evening? Where in your home will it be held? How does the layout of your home lend itself to the flow of the party? Is there an open kitchen or dining room where you can lay out the food? Where will the bar go? What about the desserts? No matter where you display food and drink, guests always gravitate to the kitchen. Sue is fortunate to have a large kitchen with plenty of counter space and a center island. She can set aside the food preparation area as a private space and allow the rest of the kitchen to serve as a gathering point. Two beverage areas set up far apart help keep the traffic moving. It works well, she finds, to serve soft drinks and beer in one location, and wine in another. The rooms are smaller at Lauren’s Victorian home. She and her husband Marc set the bar in one parlor and the desserts in the other. Servers walk around the first floor rooms passing hot hors d’oeuvres. The rest of the food is laid out in a bountiful spread in the open kitchen, where guests can fill their plates and then move on to tour the house and mingle with other partygoers. So now let’s get to the big “H...” How Will You Pull It Off? A holiday open house can be simple and inexpensive or elaborate and glitzy. When you’ve answered the five

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Ws, you’ve already determined your style and, implicitly, your budget. Next you need to consider how much work you and your helpers can realistically put into your event. Find or make pretty invitations, or use an internet invitation site like paperlesspost.com or smilebox.com. Decide whether you will use disposable partyware or your finest china, crystal and silver. If you’re not catering the party, consider hiring students to staff the bar, heat the hors d’oeuvres, refill the food table and help clean up. Ask them to wear white shirts and black pants. They’ll look terrific. Another option for helpers: willing friends! Sue always manages to find a couple of friends who enjoy tending bar. Lauren’s dad used to play the role at her open houses. The more social among them will relish the chance to visit with everyone, and shy folks are happy to have a job to do. Next, establish a timeline, working backwards from the event. Among

the items to consider: when will invitations need to go out? When should guests RSVP? When will you decorate? If you are using a caterer, when do they need to know the menu and the final count for guests? What foods can you prepare in advance and freeze? When should you purchase beverages and paper goods? And don’t forget the ice! Deck Your Halls For many hostesses, holiday decorations are one of the most enjoyable parts of preparing the house for holiday events. Sue’s decorating style revolves around five elements: natural greenery, flowers, candles, ribbons and ornaments – the more of each, the better! Here in Cape May we can find holly, aucuba, nandina and pines right in our own backyards. There’s also an abundance of that essential Southern holiday staple – magnolias. Anything in Sue’s yard that is evergreen and has

ADJOURN TO THE PARLOR Lauren and Marc Shenfield’s beautiful Victorian home features an antique wicker parlor, an ideal spot to gather with friends for coffee and sweets

berries stands a good chance of being brought inside. For flowers, consider white and red carnations and chrysanthemums. They are inexpensive and striking. Red roses will add elegance to your table, and don’t forget pointsettias. Having spent most of her adult life in South Carolina, Sue is especially partial to poinsettias, named after Joel R. Poinsett – statesman, physician and amateur botanist. Born in Charleston, the South Carolinian was appointed the country’s first Minister to Mexico, where he discovered the “flor de Noche Buena,” or “Christmas Eve flower,” which was named for him in 1836. At Lauren and Marc’s, their historic home is the main attraction. Filled with period furnishings, serving pieces and an antique wicker parlor, well-placed greenery, fresh flowers and candles do the decorating trick for holiday entertaining.

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An Informal Afternoon Party Lauren and Marc open their home to guests from 2–6pm. Their festive menu accommodates guests attending other holiday events, perhaps coming from a brunch or going to an evening affair, and offers plenty for those who arrive with appetites. The food is simple, with little or no cooking, allowing for same-day preparation if the platters, tableware and decorations are put in place the night before. Excellent frozen hors d’oeuvres, widely available, complement the cold buffet table and can be heated and passed throughout the party. If you are so inclined, station someone at the stove to fry potato pancakes to be served with applesauce, sour cream and chopped chives, or caviar, depending on your budget. If time is available, Lauren may make the antipasto and cheese platters or purchase them from local shops. The menu can be fortified with a six or 12-foot hero, poached salmon or an elegant platter

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of gravlax (see recipes below). Order pizza for the kids if they are enjoying themselves in a separate room. For simplicity, limit the bar to sparkling wine or Champagne, beer, soda, mineral water and a non-alcoholic punch. Marc fills an antique copper boiler (originally used for washing clothes) with ice and loads it with the soft drinks and beer. Champagne or sparkling wine is kept in a cooler behind the bar, with one open bottle in a festive ice bucket ready to pour. When it comes time to eat, consider the menu below. Hot Passed Hors d’oeuvres Mini quiches, beef tenderloin, scallops with bacon, mushroom tarts, pigs in blankets, spanakopita. Cold Buffet Table A punch bowl filled with ice and topped with mountains of cooked shrimp makes a glorious centerpiece for a holiday party. Place a bowl of cocktail sauce with a serving spoon in the middle and hang the punch glasses around the rim for guests to fill with sauce. Decorate the table with greens, a fresh pineapple and red grapes, and use your prettiest serving pieces in a variety of colors, sizes and heights. Surround the shrimp bowl with a variety of savory delicacies such as these that require only fingers or a fork: Crab claws with mustard sauce Assorted olives Assorted cheeses, salamis and sausages Marinated artichokes, mushrooms and roasted peppers, well-drained Crudités and dip (see below) Bread and breadsticks Assorted mixed nuts Decorate your platters with kale, parsley and sprigs of rosemary and don’t forget the napkins! Dessert Table Bowls of shiny red apples Plates of holiday cookies Assorted holiday chocolates Assorted holiday candy A basket of assorted dried fruit – figs, dates, apples, apricots, peaches, pears, prunes

CROWD PLEASER A spread of shrimp, complemented with crab claws, cheeses, salamis, crudités and olives makes for a tempting spread at any party

Lauren’s Potato Latkes makes about two dozen While tradition calls for the potatoes and onion to be grated on a box grater, for large quantities, use the coarse disk of your food processor. 1 large yellow onion, grated 2 lbs (about 4 large) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, washed and grated 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp kosher salt ¼ c matzo meal Corn oil, for frying Place the grated onion and potatoes in a large colander. Put a heavy bowl on top and weight it down with cans. Let onion and potatoes drain for ten minutes and press out liquid with a large spoon. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onions, eggs, salt and matzo meal. Refrigerate for ten minutes. Fill one or two large, heavy-bottom fry pans with ½ inch of oil and heat until a drop of potato mixture sizzles on contact. For each pancake, carefully spoon about two tablespoons of potato mixture into hot oil, being care-

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ful not to overcrowd the pan. Tamp down lightly to flatten and cook until golden brown, about two minutes on each side, turning only once. Transfer with a slotted spatula to an oven-proof plate covered with paper towels. Keep extra pancakes warm in an oven set to low until refills are required. Serve with applesauce, sour cream with chopped chives, or caviar. Gravlax Gravlax is a classic Scandinavian dish that uses both sugar and salt to cure raw salmon and prepares it to be served sliced on the diagonal, paperthin, in advance of the party. Making gravlax is easy: spread a sugar, salt and spice mixture between two salmon filets, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Once cured, scrape off the marinade and slice. Place a bowl of mustard sauce nearby with a basket of black bread. Recipes for gravlax and video about the technique are available on the internet. Marcus Samuelson, the famous Scandinavian chef at New York’s Aquavit and Red Rooster, posts his recipe on

epicurious.com. For your convenience, the recipe is reprinted below. For gravlax One 2-3 lb fresh salmon fillet (preferably center piece, skin on) 1 cup salt 1 cup sugar 2 tbs cracked white peppercorns 3 bunches fresh dill, stems included For mustard sauce 1 tbs sweet mustard 1 tsp French mustard 2 tsp sugar 1 1/2 tbs white wine vinegar Salt and pepper 3/4 cup salad oil 1/4 cup chopped dill To prepare the gravlax, mix salt, sugar and white peppercorns. Take a handful and rub it on both sides of the salmon. Place the salmon in a dish, and sprinkle the rest of the mix on top. Cover the salmon with dill, and let it stand for six hours at room temperature. Refrigerate for 24-30 hours,

depending on how thick the salmon is. To make the mustard sauce, mix the mustard, sugar and vinegar, and season with pinches of salt and pepper. Mix in the oil while you pour it in a steady stream. When the sauce has a mayonnaise-like consistency, stir in chopped dill. Afterwards, slice the salmon off the skin in thin slices, and place them on a platter. Cut the skin in pieces, approximately 1/2 inch wide, and blacken them in a very hot cast-iron skillet. Decorate platter with lemon, dill and skin. An Elegant Evening Dinner Buffet Sue hosts her open house in the evening with a dinner-style buffet, partially catered and partially home made. Since her party lasts from 6pm until the last caller departs, she plans for guests to enjoy a full dinner, even if it’s “finger foods.” Her entrees typically include a beef dish (sliced tenderloin on small sandwich rolls or meatballs are a perfect choice), chicken (baked parmesan exit zero

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Sue hosts her open house in the evening with a dinnerstyle buffet, partially catered and partially home made. Since her party lasts from 6pm until the last caller departs, she plans for guests to enjoy a full dinner.

chicken fingers, and chicken skewers with a peanut dipping sauce), and a pork item. Almond-Ham Rollups makes 5 dozen Ham biscuits are a permanent feature of a Southern-style holiday buffet. A ham alternative is this pretty little appetizer that is popular with guests. They’re easy to make and freeze ahead for up to a month. 1 8-oz package cream cheese 2 tbsp mayonnaise 1 tsp instant minced onion 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce ¼ tsp dry mustard ¼ tsp paprika 1/8 tsp pepper 1/8 tsp hot sauce 1-2 tbsp finely chopped almonds, toasted 1 12-oz package thinly sliced boiled ham Combine all ingredients except ham, stirring until blended. Evenly

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spread one tablespoon of mixture on each ham slice. Roll up ham slices in jellyroll fashion, starting at the short end. At this point you may wrap the uncut rolls in plastic wrap and freeze. Thaw at room temperature for one hour before serving. If not freezing, chill the rolls for an hour before slicing each roll into ¾-inch sections. Secure each with a party toothpick. Tangy Crab Dip yields 1 ½ cups Seafood always deserves a place at a Cape May table. This dip is quick, simple and delicious, and you can’t beat that! ¼ c mayonnaise 1 tbsp prepared mustard 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp lemon juice Dash of seasoned salt Dash of hot sauce ½ lb fresh crabmeat, drained and flakes Combine the first six ingredients and mix well. Stir in the crabmeat. Serve with assorted crackers. Curry Cocktail Dip yields 1 cup A vegetable platter is an important component of any holiday buffet for those who don’t eat meat, fish or cheese, as well as for those who do. A platter of grilled and seasoned vegetables (zucchini and yellow squash slices, red peppers, mushrooms) always captures attention, and crudités – like carrots, celery, radishes, cauliflower and broccoli – are enhanced by this slightly spicy dip. Even people who say they don’t like curry enjoy this. 1 c mayonnaise 2 tsp onion juice 3 tbsp catsup 3 tsp curry powder 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce Mix all ingredients well, and chill. To complete her dinner buffet menu, Sue includes a cheese and fruit tray, a choice of several hot appetizers, salsa and chips, and an antipasto platter. And don’t forget something sweet – lemon bars and decorated sugar cookies always have their spot on her table.

A Word About Stress The holidays can be taxing, and hosting a party, no matter how experienced you are, is a complex undertaking. If you are giving the party alone, hire as much help as your budget allows. Or, consider giving an 0pen house with friends. If you live with others, work out who is responsible for what. At Lauren’s home, she takes care of the food and Marc is responsible for the décor, table set-up and bar. Most important, enjoy your party and your guests. The holidays are deeply personal to each of us in different ways. May yours bring you peace, light, hope and love. exit zero

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How to preserve a spouse This recipe, from a Lower Cape May Regional High School cookbook and adjusted for gender, can help sooth marital feathers at party time. Be careful in your selection. Do not choose too young. When once selected, give your entire thoughts to preparation for domestic use. Some insist on keeping them in a pickle, others are constantly getting them into hot water. This may make them sour, hard and sometimes bitter. Even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender and good, by garnishing them with patience, well sweetened with love and seasoned with kisses. Wrap them in a mantle of charity. Keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion and serve with peaches and cream. When thus prepared, they will keep for years.

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the perfect THE STORY OF THE “FIVE HIGH STORM,” THE 1962 NOR’EASTER THAT CHANGED OUR TOWN FOREVER Story by Ben Miller

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OWARD the end of summer, Cape May faced the threat of what weather forecasters dubbed the “Storm of the Century” in Hurricane Irene. The entire county was evacuated, as were many other communities along the East Coast. By the end of the storm, 55 lives were lost and ten billion dollars in damages were amassed nationally, yet Cape May escaped relatively unscathed. The brunt of the storm was felt by communities farther south. The Cape May seawall was barely breached in two spots and damage was contained to minor flooding and downed trees. For local residents and visitors, it seemed the storm didn’t live up to the hype. The story you’re about to read describes another “Storm of the Century,” one that had a much different outcome in Cape May. On paper, the similarities between Hurricane Irene and the 1962 Ash Wednesday Nor’Easter are striking, the latter creating 40 deaths and five hundred million dollars in damage, over ten billion in today’s money. As anyone who lived through

losing a classic The façade of the previous Convention Hall looks relatively unharmed here, but much of the rest of the building had been washed away. Previous page: City leaders decided Convention Hall was beyond repair and called for the demolition of the compromised structure.

them both will tell you, they couldn’t have been more different. It all began with the promise of a mild storm that would quickly pass… Monday, March 5, 1962 Weather forecasters were aware of a nor’easter that was about to hit the region, but all signs pointed to a mellow storm that would come and go with little effect. The Trenton Evening Times ran a small piece on the front page that read: “Trenton is in for a brief nor’easter tonight, ending tomorrow morning… The forecast: wet snow beginning tonight and continuing tomorrow morning; Snow clearing tomorrow afternoon… Weatherman George Whitely says that with the temperature tonight hovering just below the freezing mark, there is a bare possibility that the snow will be rain.” As it turned out, Weatherman George Whitely was wrong. The brief nor’easter he predicted turned out to be anything but brief, and battered the New Jersey coast with heavy snow that began in the late evening and continued

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through the night. Compounding the problem were sustained 33 mph winds and 50 mph gusts that downed power lines throughout the state. Cape May experienced an unexpected complication to the nor’easter – a powerful storm surge that drove water over the boardwalk onto Beach Avenue. Those who live by the sea know that the highest tides of the year come around the spring and autumn equinoxes. With the spring equinox falling on March 20, the waves were already at the top of the beaches before the heavy precipitation and winds pushed them further. Tuesday, March 6, 1962 Stunned residents of Cape May woke up to see flooding, as the snow gave way to torrential rains. High tide came around 6am, affording early risers a glimpse into Cape May’s near future. Many around town had lost power from a combination of winds knocking down poles and ice accumulating on the lines overnight. Victorian fireplaces that hadn’t been used as a heat source in 50 years were suddenly put back into service as more

modern forms of heating were lost with the electric. Those who had access to newspapers and radio broadcasts learned that the entire Mid-Atlantic Coast had been equally battered. In Atlantic City, 20 feet of the Steel Pier were ripped from the rest of the structure and much of their boardwalk was lost. Near Beach Haven, the USS Monssen, a WWII destroyer, had run aground on its way to the Philadelphia Naval Yard. Luckily, the ship was unmanned and under tow when 50-knot winds and 15-foot ocean swells snapped the tow line, sending the Monssen into a sand bank. It remained stuck in the sand for six weeks. In Cape May, the rains persisted throughout the day as the nor’easter seemed to have stalled over the region. The howling winds also continued into the night and by high tide, just after 6pm, the waves had risen even further and were breaking on the boardwalk. The two consecutive high tides were rapidly flooding Cape May, but again, there was still much more to come. Wednesday, March 7, 1962

caught unaware Without adequate warning of the coming storm, Cape May residents didn’t prepare by boarding up windows and securing structures – as a result, detritus was flung all over the beachfront

It was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, when the storm finally decided to move away from the region. It slowly moved on throughout the day and the 60 mph winds died down to substantial 30 mph sustained winds by early evening. It had become painfully obvious at this point that the initial forecasts of a nor’easter quickly moving past the area were dead wrong. In fact, the storm had just about stopped all day Tuesday and most of Wednesday, stuck in the atmosphere over the Cape May region as the USS Monssen was stuck in that sandbar. A third exceptionally high tide pounded the boardwalk and Beach Avenue just before 7am, increasing flood waters invading the city and destroying what was left of the boardwalk. Pieces of it were deposited blocks to the north by the winds, which also continued unabated. This high tide was the most damag-

ing to buildings along the beachfront, like Petroff’s Candy Store (the building that now houses Cabanas andMartini Beach) and the Beach Tower restaurant. Each were hit with flooding and damaged by flying projectiles picked up by the gales. The rails for passenger trolley service along the boardwalk were twisted like pretzels and buildings that sat over the beach were decimated. Frank’s Playland was badly damaged, but survived. Convention Hall, Hunt’s Pier, Ricker’s and Sagel’s candy shop were all lost. Unlike the others, Convention Hall appeared to have weathered the storm from the front, but the stage and rear of the building were gone. In Cape May Point, the foundation of the Cape’s second lighthouse was cracked and destroyed. It had stood over 100 years as a storage shed prior to the storm. The top of the tower was

A third high tide pounded the boardwalk and Beach Avenue just before 7am, increasing flood waters and destroying what was left of the boardwalk. Pieces of it were deposited blocks to the north by the winds.

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removed and the base was capped with a roof when the current lighthouse was built in 1859. The 1962 norâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;easter ripped the reinforced brick and mortar structure in half as if it were a piece of paper. Though the storm appeared to begin moving out of the region by that evening, news men and weather forecasters issued a stern warning. Residents were informed that while the storm had appeared to pass, those along the coast

a crumbling city The 1962 norâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;easter decimated the boardwalk and broke the Beach Avenue pavement to pieces

would still be subjected to surges and flooding. This time they were right. The fourth consecutive unusually high tide blasted Cape May just after 7pm. Thursday, March 8, 1962 By Thursday morning, the storm had completely passed but the flood waters continued to rise. One last high tide battered the beach front around 7:30am and by noon, the waters began receding very slowly. Much of Beach Avenue

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was covered in roughly three feet of water at this point. In some areas it was even higher, where sand underneath the asphalt had eroded and what was left of the road collapsed into the void. Flooding moved north from Beach Avenue along many of the streets running perpendicular to it, extending two blocks from the beach in some cases. Basements around town were flooded nearly to the ceilings and foundations were undermined, with flood waters

also removing nearly every front porch along Beach Avenue. Beach Avenue itself was a total loss. The sections that were flooded also saw hundreds of tons of sand deposited where the road had been. The asphalt was broken up into thousands of pieces, found in houses and businesses up and down the beachfront. Because the storm came as a shock to everyone in Cape May, nothing had been boarded up – Beach Avenue was also littered with personal belongings. The area that had been home to South Cape May was completely underwater and Cape May Point faced demoralizing floods. Numerous houses along the water were lost to tidal surges and flooding came as far as five blocks inland, up to the shores of Lake Lily. Nearly every home in Cape May Point had flood damages. To complement the watery conditions, a light rain continued on and off throughout the day and the temperature didn’t rise above the mid-40s. Winds had slowed considerably, but continued at 10 to 20 mph, enough to make a cold and rainy day downright miserable. Moving Forward As the water continued to recede back into the ocean and Delaware Bay over the next two days, the level of destruction became painfully clear. Sewage lines had been compromised, power lines were down and clean drinking water was scarce. Piles of debris littered the town and burst pipes were reported all over Cape May. It took weeks to restore power to everyone and repair the city’s municipal infrastructure. An army of workmen and bulldozers descended upon Beach Avenue and the beach itself, working furiously to remove remnants of destroyed buildings, the broken boardwalk and scores of home appliances and personal belongings that had been picked up by the flood waters. According to Red Cross documents, over 4,000 homes were lost due to the storm in New Jersey, with 1,259 of those in Cape May County. Every motel and hotel along Beach Avenue was damaged to some degree by the storm and some were a complete loss. One of the leastreported aspects of the storm was the widespread looting that occurred prior

scenes from old cape may Pieces of the boardwalk were broken apart and speared into the building that now houses Cabanas and Martini Beach Opposite top: This oceanfront store was reduced to rubble and left on the beach Opposite below: One man strolled the boardwalk, seemingly unaware it was moved about 15 feet north by storm surges

to the New Jersey State Police being called in to patrol the area on Thursday. Governor Richard J. Hughes, New Jersey’s US Senators and other officials were given an aerial tour of the coast to see the damage first-hand. They were flown from Cape May Point to Beach Haven and The Trenton Times reported the Governor “silently puffed on a cigarette and stared through the window at the gentle sea splashing on sticks and stones which once were homes.” Governor Hughes later told the media, “It was a shocking sight.” The overwhelming effects of the storm were compounded by the sad news that beloved Cape May Point Mayor Charles H. German has passed away at a neighbor’s house on March 12. He had been staying with the neighbor after his own house was badly damaged by flooding and it was believed that he suffered a heart attack. Afterwards, city leaders took action to ensure future storms would not devastate Cape May like the 1962 Ash Wednesday Nor’easter. They replaced the boardwalk with the present promenade structure, a million-dollar custom seawall designed to protect the city from future flooding. As Beach Avenue was reconstructed, storm sewers were replaced and new ones added. Debate ensued about what to do with Convention Hall. Damage to the

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building was similar to what it received in the 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane, and many in town felt it should be fixed and reopened. City leaders believed it was too far compromised to be repaired and they decided it should come down. The imposing 1917 hall was demolished and the land sat empty for three years, until Mayor Frank Gauvry spearheaded construction of a new hall by city employees. The US Weather Bureau, now known as the National Weather Service, dubbed the nor’easter “The Great Atlantic Storm,” and many coastal residents informally named it the “Five High Storm” due to the five devastating high tides. Lessons learned from that storm are used to protect Cape May and other coastal towns today, with updated evacuation guidelines and contingency plans for breakdowns in the electric and plumbing grids. Modern forecasting technology has greatly decreased the likelihood of Cape May being surprised as it was in 1962. Even so, the possibility is still there. Hurricane Irene didn’t punish Cape May the way some feared it might, but one day a storm will hit the city hard. When you build near the unforgiving sea, it’s a matter of when, not if. The only real question is how future generations will address their own “Storm of the Century.”

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BEACH TOWER DESTROYED The Beach Tower Restaurant was lost, but it was promptly replaced with what is now the Pier House. The adjoining Beach Tower Motel became La Mer.

OCEAN STREET Pieces of the boardwalk were carried over a block up Ocean Street

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ocean deck damaged The Ocean Deck restaurant near Convention Hall was badly damaged, but rebuilt and later became Henryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the Beach

BEACH AVENUE CHAOS Beach Avenue looked like a war zone by the time the storm moved away from the Cape

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THE MORNING AFTER Beach Avenue was completely destroyed, as was Convention Hall in the background

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The best of the year ISSUE 18, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 2011

AS THE school year comes to a close, West Cape May Elementary holds their annual Bike-A-Thon. Kids bring their bikes to school and circle the block, all to raise money for charity and to have a good time. Aleksey Moryakov

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my perfect day PATRICIA JACKSON, OWNER, PATRICIA JACKSON JEWELERS

Bikes, beaches and blue skies

HE perfect day starts with clear blue skies and temperatures in the low 70s. As I practice my early-morning yoga out on the deck, I see two hummingbirds, thankfully not blown away for the season by Hurricane Irene. It seems to be a good omen for the day ahead. I pack my bike for the morning commute – laptop, lunch and iPod, and I’m good to go. I stop for a latte at Higher Grounds, after which Patricia Jackson Jewelers is open for business at 11am. Then an amazing thing happens – suddenly, it’s 1pm, and we’ve done enough business for the day, so my husband Pat and I look at each other with a smile and hang the “Gone Fishin’” sign on the door! We stroll down to George’s, where there is no wait (this is a perfect day, after

all). Lots of locals are inside and the conversation flows between booths. We take a ride to the bird sanctuary at the Point, seeing lots of hawks and other critters. Then we notice a huge bird way up in the sky, and as it soars closer we see it’s a Bald Eagle – what a treat! On the way home, we part ways and I stop at the Flying Fish to chat with Sue Lotozo about Mermaid Guild business. Our annual King Neptune Bachelor Auction has become such a success, and all for such a worthy cause. It’s a great event each fall, and all the women in town eagerly look forward to it. A little later, Pat and I go down to the beach for a dip in the ocean. Ideally, the temperature is 78 degrees, and the waves are just high enough to have fun. We walk exit zero

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lots of lobster Patricia Jackson and her husband enjoy two freshly steamed lobsters, then take an evening dip in their pool (mosquito-free, of course) Aleksey Moryakov

2011

across the street to the Rusty Nail, where they don’t seem to mind slightly soggy customers, and enjoy a couple of late-afternoon cocktails in the sun. When the inevitable discussion of what to do for dinner comes up, I decide I am definitely not cooking, so we go through our long list of favorite restaurants in town. Back and forth we go until we hit upon the perfect solution… That evening we’re poolside with a bottle of wine, two lobsters, freshly steamed and cracked from H&H Seafood, and some yummy side dishes. After dinner, we take a long night swim (there are no mosquitoes in my perfect day), enjoying our pool for the little time we have left of the season. In the back of my mind are the lyrics to that Lou Reed tune: “It’s just a perfect day, I’m glad I spent it with you...”

kind of like a marathon

ONE RUNNER LEARNS HOW CAPE MAY LOCALS MAKE IT TO THE FINISH LINE EVERY YEAR, THEN START OVER AGAIN Story by Scott Langdon Photographs by Aleksey Moryakov

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’M A marathoner. I guess I became a marathoner shortly after I became a runner. I became a runner on April 19, 2010. I know the exact date because it was the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. We were living there in 1995 and, on the day of the blast, my wife and I felt our apartment building rumble as our three-week-old daughter lay between us on our bed. We felt a significant loss that day. So, on April 19, 2010, I set out on a run that would honor those who could no longer run for themselves. It was a quiet gesture, one that only I would know about, but I felt certain that those for whom I was running would somehow know I was doing it for them. Until that day, I’d never run more than a three-mile stretch in my life, and every step I’d endured on any run prior came with the mantra, “I hate running... I hate running...” On the evening of that anniversary day, however, I was somehow compelled to run five miles. It was a distance that seemed long but possible. So, with my thoughts fixed on those who had passed and the loved ones they left behind, I set off. About an hour later, I returned home triumphant. I had pounded out the five miles and, to my surprise, had done so with a purpose I had never had before. The feeling of joy that accompanied my conquest was at once satisfying and emboldening. I felt like I had done something important; something that, in a very small way, had lifted my spirit to connect with something greater than myself. My wife Malisa and I were able to enjoy a brief vacation in Cape May this past July. A year ago, we found one of our favorite B&Bs, The Bacchus Inn, and were pleased to be able to return this year. On the second evening of our stay, Malisa and I were sitting on the porch when a man named Jim Crist came over and introduced himself to us. “I understand you’re a runner!” he said, with his hand outstretched. “Why, yes, I am!” I answered, confident but wary. “I saw your ‘26.2’ sticker on the back of your car and thought maybe you’d like some company on a run, say, tomorrow morning, 6:30?” “Sounds great,” I said. “I’ll meet you right here on the porch.”

The feeling of joy that accompanied my conquest was at once satisfying and emboldening. I felt like I had done something important...

The next morning, I met Jim out on the front porch, bright and early. We limbered up a bit and set off, GPS watches firmly locked onto their favorite satellites. We turned down Howard Street toward the beach, crossed up to the promenade and headed south. As I took in the morning sea air and felt the wonderful ocean breeze, I looked over to the businesses across the street. The night before, well after the sun went down, virtually every store and miniature golf establishment was still brimming with business. “That’s fine now,” I thought to myself, “but how’s their business in November?” Now, I’m not completely naïve. I know Cape May is a seasonal town, but I couldn’t help but wonder what local merchants, merchants who live and make their living in Cape May, do after Labor

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Day. After the summer months have gone, how do they keep things going the rest of the year? Jim and I fell into a steady pace and when we got to the end of the promenade, turned around and got into the street. I let Jim lead. He’s been vacationing in Cape May with his wife since before they were married – over 30 years ago. He led me through the downtown, passed the waking Washington Street Mall, out to Sunset Beach and back along the sand. As we made our way back to the inn after what amounted to a ten-mile tour of the island, I thanked my new friend Jim for the experience and such good company and headed inside to shower. ‘I could live here,’ I thought to myself. ‘I could run a little business right here in Cape May!’ Well, let’s not get crazy here, Scott. That’s

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a marathon of a different color. People often compare things to a marathon. “Getting through that statistics course was like running a marathon!” “Yeah, well, my business meeting was a marathon!” In truth, though, while many things can take a long time, I wasn’t sure there really is anything quite like running a marathon, until I came to Cape May this summer. The marathon is more than just the race day event itself. For me, it’s about the journey: the journey of training, ups and downs of eating right and at the right times, getting enough sleep, and the many other preparatory activities that take up the 12 to 14 weeks that precede race day. The entire experience of running a marathon, from the training to the race, is about committing to a way of life. When all is said and done, you spend a great deal of time preparing for something that lasts a relatively short time. But, in the end, it’s all worth it. “A marathon is a great analogy to what we do,” says John Matusiak, owner and operator of The Bacchus Inn on Columbia Avenue. “Our race really takes off in May and is an all-out push to Labor Day. After Labor Day, things definitely slow up until they come to a final halt after New Year’s.” John and his wife, Lisa, run their inn for the same reason I run marathons: they love doing it. As I talked with them, I could tell how much joy it gives them to run their business. “I get to spend people’s ‘happy time’ with them. It’s great!” said John. “People come here to get away from it all, to be on vacation. Lisa and I get to know them and do what we can to make them comfortable. It’s really a wonderful thing.” And they make it all look effortless. When I first got serious about running, I re-watched Forrest Gump. If you’ve seen it, you’ll remember the section of the story where he sets out on a run and just keeps on going. Soon, he gets some company and, before too long, Forrest has unwittingly become a leader and a symbol of the running explosion of the early 1980s. At one point, as Forrest is recounting his running days, we see Forrest running alongside beautiful scenes of nature with ease and grace in his stride and carriage. Forrest made me want to find that effortless joy in running, just as John and

“A marathon is a great analogy to what we do,” says John Matusiak, who owns and operates of The Bacchus Inn with his wife Lisa. “Our race really takes off in May and is an allout push to Labor Day.”

Lisa inspired me to help make people feel comfortable and at home. Dolores, at Cheeks Apparel on Ocean Street, gave me that same feeling of ease when I walked into that interesting little boutique. Jim and I had passed it on our run and it looked like the epitome of a quaint, small-town shop. When I walked in the front door, Dolores greeted me with a warm smile. I told her my name and what I was writing about and she was more than eager to talk with me. “Tell me what Cape May is like after Labor Day,” I asked. “What happens to when the ‘money months’ passed?” “It’s a completely different town,” she said. “Those of us who stay through the winter look forward to the special occasions like the jazz festival and Christmastime, but it’s certainly not what you get in the summer.” “How’s business in the off season? What do you do to stay open?” I asked. “Well, we have a pretty strong online business. We’re a destination store. People go online or call and order from our warehouse, so we stay pretty busy,” she said with confidence. “People will sometimes make special trips to purchase older stock. We’re definitely busiest in the store in the summer, though.”

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Heather Wright, who works at SOMA NewArt Gallery, grew up in Cape May. “A marathon is about right,” she said, as we talked the day after Labor Day. “It sure does feel like one! I work virtually every day between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Everyone does. But once Labor Day passes, well, you can see, everything changes.” She was right. The race was clearly over, or at least it was down to the last few walkers. This town where, only a few days prior, it was near-impossible to find a decent parking spot, was now replete with spaces convenient to just about anywhere you wished to go. The summer race run, most everyone had moved on to their fall pursuits. “There’s definitely a bit of seasonal depression that goes on,” Heather told me. “When I say there’s nothing to do here sometimes, I mean, there’s nothing to do. It’s literally like a ghost town.” “How do people combat that?” I asked, a bit worried. “What do they do?” “Well, a lot of people take the free time to travel. Some go lay on the beach somewhere tropical because they couldn’t find the time to do it here during the summer. When they come back, they’re ready for a new season. Getting away renews them.

It refreshes them.” ‘I can relate to that,’ I thought. Resting is so important. You have to give yourself time to recover before you plan for your next big race. If it’s too long a time, though, you might get too used to the complacency, and that’s no good. John and Lisa can relate to the need for rest as well. The couple take their family away during the winter months. With The Bacchus Inn’s shutters closed, the Matusiak family head out for their own respite. “We’ll go away after our last guest leaves after the new year,” said Lisa, with a warm smile. “We like to travel around and see what’s working at other B&Bs. If I find a neat new breakfast entrée, I’ll tinker with it and try it on our guests. We like to give them something new.” “We try to use our downtime wisely,” John continued. “Last year, we made some renovations and we needed the time to get it all done. When you guys got here in July, we were glad to see you all. We were ready for people to get here.” One of the main reasons I love to run long distances is hard to explain to someone who doesn’t like to run. Running qui-

ets me; it gives me a sense of peace and harmony with the world, like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing at that moment. Thankfully, running has helped me transition that kind of feeling to what I do for a living. You’ve probably heard the saying, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life.” I don’t know who said it, but it makes sense to me.

Ghost Town In the off seaon, Cape May’s population dwindles drastically and many business close until after the spring thaw Frank Scott

And when I come to Cape May and meet the people of this small town who break their necks with the greatest of ease in order to serve their clientele, it makes me smile. Mostly because I know they love what they do, but also because I know the joy of a marathon accomplished. Congratulations, Cape May. You did it again. See you at the starting line next year.

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deathmas

WHEN A MAN IN RED STARTS BUTCHERING LOCALS, TRAVIS WHITAKER SETS OUT TO CRACK THE CASE OF THE KILLER CLAUS Story by Terry O’Brien

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CHAPTER ONE A Right Jolly Old Elf

December 20 – Near Midnight EAD embers crunched lightly under his feet. Soot and ash fell from above, taking a bit of the shine off his red velvet suit, a suit lined with white fur piping. The dingle ball at the tip of his hat bounced off his nose so he blew it away, along with a puff of black soot that sparkled briefly in the dim light. He crunched the pipe between his teeth and wormed his way deeper into the chimney, the rough brick snagging and pulling at his shoulders and elbows, further ruining the suit, but he did not mind; he had plenty of them. The weather outside was frightful, howling above him in the way that only a Cape May winter storm can. The few, brave and, some would say, the foolish, who choose to winter on the Cape knew what to expect; wind, a little snow, wind, some rain, wind, howling wind, cutting wind, freezing wind, and wind. And cold. Cold and wind.

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While Chicago is billed “The Windy City,” this is actually a bit of a misnomer. While it is not widely known, the fact remains: there is no windier place on Planet Earth than Cape May. One can Google it if one does not believe it. Regardless, he pulled free of the last clinging bricks and stood up in the mouth of the fireplace. It was dark but for the moonlight spilling in from above, the door-sized flue separating the house inside from terrible wind and cold outside, but he was toasty warm inside the suit, standing in the chimney, glove-clad hands cinched on the heavy sack slung over his shoulder. He quickly and quietly covered his means of entry and, with a grunt, placed a foot on the mechanical arm of the flue control mechanism and leaned. It slid open with the quiet sound of metal scraping over slate, and slid back into place just as quietly. Entry gained, he stepped out into the room, an ostentatiously large, ridiculously opulent living room, or den, or whatever rich people called their rooms full of antiquities and fireplaces that they never used and seemed only to exist in order for

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He stepped out into the room, a large, ridiculously opulent living room, or den, or whatever rich people called their rooms full of antiquities and fireplaces that they never used and seemed only to exist in order for other people to clean.

other people to clean. It was dark but for the dim lights shining over the paintings on the walls, a schizophrenic collection of Kinkade oils, Lichtenstein prints and Grasso originals. He leaned in to examine them; he’d always been rather ashamed to admit how much he liked Kinkade’s work, as saccharine as it may be, and never much cared for Lichtenstein’s pop sensibilities. And Grasso’s work just made him feel queasy, confused and a little angry, though for the life of him he could not tell you why. A clump of charred matter dropped from his snowy beard and fell silently onto the frame of one of the Kinkades, so he gave his chin a tug and a shake, sending clouds of ash spewing from his chin and onto the painting as if a small volcano had suddenly loosed on the sleepy hamlet on the canvas. Something beeped nearby. He raised his head and cursed himself for having nearly forgotten to disable the alarm. Not that the alarm would be of any use; in less than two minutes he would be gone and his night’s jolly work done. But he found it always better, more tranquil to do these things without lights flashing

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and alarms blaring. So, without hurry, he shuffled across the living room into the foyer and punched the code into the control panel. The little lights on the console went from yellow to green. He knew this alarm system well, having researched it in his days leading up to the crime, and found it to be so bad at stopping intruders it was almost not worth having, even for show. Once tripped, the system gave the owner 30 seconds to disarm. A full 30 seconds – a lifetime for thieves used to living between the ticks of the clock. And even then, after 30 seconds, it only went to “Trouble,” or yellow. Then it was 30 more seconds before it went to red, or “Full Alarm,” and alerted the local police. A minute. A whole damn minute for the alarm system to not send an alarm. And the code had been even easier to acquire; a few keystrokes on the Central Alarm Co.’s home page, answer a few rudimentary questions, convince the online assistant that you’re just not that technologically inclined and ‘Here you go, ma’am, thanks for doing business with us!’ He shook his head disapprovingly as

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he stepped away from the console. His heart jumped a bit as the big clock in the living room began chiming midnight. A small light flicked on near the chimney, a little desk lamp on a little table. And on that table sat a small, beautifully ornate china plate with two large cookies and a glass of milk. For a moment he allowed his heart to be warmed, then remembered that light had been on a timer, and that the odds that James Rappaport, obscenely wealthy local and owner of the house, had actually been the one to plug in the light and set the timer were about 1 in a trillion. More likely it had been a Mexican or Central American mother of six doing the actual manual labor of going to Swain’s Hardware, buying the light and timer, installing them in the living room, testing them, baking the cookies and pouring the milk, probably while staying late and losing precious family time because Rappaport had to go to some ludicrous city function with his ludicrously beautiful wife on his arm. A function peopled by the same 50 local muckety-mucks that graced every ludicrous city function; the VFW this, the Chamber of Commerce that, the Knights

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A small light flicked on near the chimney, a little desk lamp on a little table. And on that table sat a small, beautifully ornate china plate with two large cookies and a glass of milk.

of Columbus whozit, and so on. Every time he ruminated for any length of time on the injustice of it all it made him very angry. Not so angry he wouldn’t eat the cookies and drink the milk, which he did, but quite angry indeed. He brushed the crumby memory of the cookies from his beard and placed the plate and glass in his sack. He took a deep breath and surveyed the room. On one wall was a set of tall windows that looked out onto the long, wide front porch, which was dark except for a small light by the front door. The deck chairs were stacked and secured against the wind, the table tipped to its side. Angry flurries swarmed around the windows, as if the snow found it too cold to be outside in those appalling gusts. The other end of the room opened into an elegant dining room. Fine crystal, china and silver adorned the table, which itself was draped with a white cloth he was sure must be silk. Probably very rare, very expensive silk. The whole house smelled like money. Rappaport, he knew, came from oldold money, starting in Civil War times

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with cotton, through some Depressionera bootlegging and up to current day venture capitalism. The dining room, much like the den, was filled with all manner of antiquity and art. Both the rooms emptied into a central corridor which halved the house, but he knew the other half was like this one: full of large rooms packed with expensive things that no one really cared about but were harder to tax than large sums of cash. But this was not really his concern. He made his way to the hallway and the stairs, which were bathed in a pale blue light from above. He could only guess Rappaport left the light on for his wife when she came home. If she came home. Slowly he climbed the stairs. The glass and plate in the sack clinked against the other object inside. At the landing, he lowered the sack and pulled the object out. It was an axe. He surveyed the area; the second floor was just as long and wide as the first, with long hallways running its length. Halfway down the hall to his right he saw the telltale blue light of a television at the floor

He could only guess Rappaport left the light on for his wife when she came home. If she came home.

crack of the door. He spun the axe handle in his hand, feeling its heft and stepped inside. Rappaport lay in the bed, looking thin under the satin sheets. He was a thin man to begin with. Without the natty suit and jacket, in his sleepwear, he looked positively skeletal. He was asleep. On the night stand an empty glass sat next to a bottle of Scotch which sat next to a bottle of pills. A set of headphones lay next to his head, turned up very loud. He glanced at the TV; Lifetime reruns of Will & Grace. Perhaps the rumors surrounding Rappaport’s sexuality and relationship with his wife had some merit after all. But again, these things did not concern him. His reasons for wanting Rappaport dead were far more pragmatic and had nothing to do with what or who he liked to do in bed. This thought pleased him as the axe struck and cleaved Rappaport’s skull. He was pleased with the fact that this killing had nothing to do with the politics of sexual identity. As the axe landed a third, fifth, tenth time, he felt warm in the glow of his complete bipartisanship. After 12 blows he was done, winded;

the axe was heavy. Rappaport gave nary a twitch after the third swing, and even that was most likely an involuntary flexing of nerve endings. Finished, he went back to the steps, dropped the axe back in the sack, and started back down the steps, blood and other things dripping from his gloves and beard. As he took the final step into the hallway and then back into the living room and fireplace, he heard the jangling of keys in the front door. He quickened his step, but did not panic; if he knew Mrs Rappaport she was four martinis in and would probably try to seduce Santa if she saw him, covered in blood or not. He opened the flue, slid out, pulled it closed. By then Mrs Rappaport was clomping her way up the steps, calling to her husband. “Jimmy!” she cried like a screeching hawk. “Jimmy, you’ll never guess who I saw tonight! Jimmy! Take those damn headphones off!” Now he was outside, having escaped through the chimney, and, mercifully, he could not hear her. He crunched across the frozen grass

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and squinted at the snow and wind pelting his face. In less than a week it would all be over and he would be one very happy Santa. Through the angry, swirling wind he heard her scream. And then he smiled. * I HATE mornings. I mean, I hate nice, warm, breezy July mornings, with birds chirping and butterflies flying and the air smelling of fresh mown grass and shit like that. But mornings like this? Blistering cold and windy like the top of a skyscraper? Ground frozen, water frozen, everything frozen and crunchy, every free-flowing body of water, from the water in your gutters to the water in your birdbath to the damn Delaware Bay is solid enough to walk on, and where the heat on full blast keeps a room reasonably habitable despite the chill breeze that blows through your poorly insulated windows and doors (even though you just shelled out good money for new windows and doors)? Well, I’m not really sure if there’s a word or formula to define hate to the Nth degree, but that, whatever that is, that’s how I feel about mornings like this.

I’m not really sure if there’s a word or formula to define hate to the Nth degree, but that, whatever that is, that’s how I feel about mornings like this.

Times two. I hate that it takes me 20 minutes to get dressed and undressed, that’s 40 minutes round trip, for my daily 15-minute pilgrimage to the Texas Avenue Wawa for a 24-oz cup of joe and a cruller or fritter. And I really hate that by the time I get home my coffee needs to be nuked. Nuked coffee is okay, but it’s never the same as fresh from the urn, it’s like it goes a little flat or something. Especially if you put three creams in it, like I do. I just flat hate being cold. No lie, I quit my construction job five years ago because it was too cold. I was on top of a house down by the canal that we were renovating, a real dump that needed a top-to-bottom overhaul. I’m on top of this house, it’s about eight degrees out (I mean, just say that out loud. “Hey honey, what’s the temperature outside?” “Eight.” “Excuse me?” “Eight degrees.” Doesn’t that sound ridiculous?) and, as ever down here on the beautiful Cape, especially by the canal, there’s just the stupidest wind blowing off the water. I’m covered headto-toe in three layers of Carhartts, thermal underwear, four pairs of socks… I could barely move. And I’m trying to

swing a hammer and build a house. Finally, I just looked at my boss and said, “Jay, my friend, I’m sorry, I just can’t do it.” Jay didn’t argue. I was just a pup then, and what I didn’t realize was that Jay was probably just as cold and miserable as I was, except he had a wife and kids to feed and other employees to worry about and a business to run. Me? I was able to go on unemployment (because Jay didn’t fight it) and wait ‘til spring for the next job to come along. I don’t have a wife and kids yet, but I do have my own business, so I understand a little bit more now where Jay was coming from, where on even the worst days you had to strap on your boots and go to work because no one but you is going to give much of a shit about your business. I have, for the last two years, been fortunate enough to do well enough in the summer that I didn’t have to work in the winter. So I didn’t. Winter was for organizing and paying bills and reaching out to contacts and setting up your season and keeping up with training and paperwork. And drinking. I do a lot of drinking in the winter.

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CAPE MAY • 609.898.1777 in the Congress Hall Hotel Estate and Antique Jewelry Designer Jewelry and Accessories

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at “Victorious Pink” for printable coupons, specials and new merchandise exit zero

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Luckily, I stumbled into some pretty high-profile cases in my first two years in business. First I solved almost 30 missing persons cases by busting up a superweird ring of Cape May cannibals headed up by a crazy guy who owned a bunch of B&Bs. “Dead and Breakfast,” the press had dubbed it. That was pretty fun. Almost died twice, but who’s counting? The next summer I got involved in the case of “The Editor,” who had a thing for killing local authors. He turned out to be local Exit Zero magazine publisher Donal Lonegan. Almost died a couple times there, too. But I don’t like to complain. Along the way I stumbled onto an awesome partner, Tim DeMarco, who’s kind of a Zen Kicker of Asses, and met all sorts of interesting people. Both cases brought me a lot of local, regional and national press, which is always good for a short-term spike in business. But truth is, it was a bad summer. All that press does not translate into money, just means people know your name and, sometimes, what you look like. It’s not like I got a dollar every time someone Googled me or read my name in the paper. Fact is, though I could probably

squeak my way through the next few months, I could really use a case. “Morning!” Tim shouted as he walked in at exactly 9am. This three-second entrance sucked all the warm air out of my office and all the steam out of my already reheated coffee, which I’d now have to rereheat. Add these to the list of thing I hate about the damned cold. “What’s going on?” I asked rhetorically and stuck the coffee in the microwave on the shelf behind my desk. “Brisk out there,” Tim said and took off his coat. “That’s one way to put it,” I replied. Guess my misery was obvious. “Aw… Too cold out there for our intrepid PI?” Tim said in his gently ball-breaking way. “It’s too cold out there for anyone,” I told him. “Anything going on your end?” I’d placed Tim in charge of our internet and social media outreach. Meaning, since I am completely ham-handed with anything more advanced than a calculator, Tim had to answer all our email and deal with our Facebook traffic. I refuse to have anything to do with Twitter. A man must draw the line somewhere. “Not a sniff,” Tim replied. “How bad

“Morning!” Tim shouted as he walked in at exactly 9am. This threesecond entrance sucked all the warm air out of my office and all the steam out of my already reheated coffee, which I’d now have to re-reheat.

is it?” He plopped down on the small sofa in front of my desk. “It’s not terrible, but it’s not good. If we tighten our belts we can see our way into March. Beyond that I can’t really say.” “Shame people don’t steal as many bikes in the winter.” “True that.” A good chunk of our summer business consisted of tracking down stolen rental bikes. I charged clients just enough to make it worth not losing their deposits, and this money paid most of the bills. “Something will turn up,” Tim said, in that consoling manner of his. “I don’t know,” I said, and gnawed on my lip. “I’ve got a bad feeling. Phone hasn’t rung in weeks, and as much as I like hearing you say it, your sunny outlook isn’t going to make it start ringing now.” The phone on my desk began to ring. Tim smiled at me. I said, “Now there’ll be no living with you…” Tim snagged the receiver, “Whitaker and DeMarco Investigations, Tim speaking. How can we help you?” Next week: Eight Tiny Reindeer

The hardest part is picking your favorite...

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The best of the year ISSUE 26, THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2011

THE annual Captain Kidd Treasure Hunt is a big day for kids in Cape May. Not only do they get to dress up like pirates (which Hayden and Brandon took full advantage of), but they get to dig for hidden treasure on the beach. Aleksey Moryakov

Simply...Beautiful If you love tea, or know someone who does, this is paradise.

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325 Washington Street Mall • 609-898-7755 exit zero

405 West Perry Street Cape May 609 . 898 . 4832 www.teaincapemay.com

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musthaves

from the shops of cape may

ACROSS THE WAY

ALL IRISH IMPORTS

Andrew’s Ltd

A PLACE ON EARTH

304 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-4199 acrossthewaycapemay.com

401 Lafayette Street, Cape May (609) 884-4484 allirishimports.com

325 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 898-7755

526 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 898-0039 aplaceonearth.com

This is a “where did you get that?” kind of place. If you’re looking for something unique, even quirky, in the way of home furnishings and gifts, put Across The Way at the top of your shopping list. Jewelry to lighting, vases to clocks, and the best fuzzy slippers anywhere: it can all be found Across The Way.

Even Santa shops at All Irish, we’re told. They have an amazing selection of Celtic jewelry and fragrances for that special someone, or hand-knit fisherman sweaters for your favorite angler – even sweets for stocking stuffers. Put a little “green” under the tree this year, courtesy of our leprechaun friends at All Irish.

What a pleasure it is just setting foot in this charming shop! Even if you’re not in the mood for holiday shopping, this place will get you going, with its beautiful selection of antiques, jewelry and fine collectibles, and all beautifully displayed for your browsing and shopping pleasure.

No sense getting gussied up for that holiday party if you don’t smell great, and A Place On Earth is just the place to get started. Make bathing fun again with a delightful selection of handmade soaps and body products. And they have monster repellent! Slip some into the stocking of your favorite little one.

Bay Springs Alpaca

Bird House of Cape May

Cape May Bird Observatory

Artisan’s Alcove

523 Lafayette Street, Cape May (609) 898-0202 artisansalcove.com

542 New England Road, Cape May (609) 884-0563 bayspringsalpacas.com

109 Sunset Boulevard, West Cape May (609) 898-8871 birdhouseofcapemay.com

How can you go wrong with jewelry at holiday time, we ask you? Check out Artisan’s Alcove, carrying the largest selection of estate jewelry in South Jersey right here in our town, with a breathtaking selection of vintage Art Deco, Edwardian and Victorian pieces. Specializing in engagement rings....just saying.

And the prize for most unique holiday gift goes to… you, for that alpaca under the tree! So maybe you don’t want to make that kind of commitment, but you can still make your offering unique with something from the Bay Springs Alpaca store – not your everyday scarves, mittens and sweaters here!

This place is for the birds. Okay, not really – in addition to the incredible selection of aviary housing and garden ornaments you’d expect, you’ll find beautiful accessories for your own nest. Check out their best-selling (and greatsmelling) wax candles – plus prints, pillows and more.

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701 East Lake Drive, Cape May Point (609) 884-2736 birdcapemay.org Who would have thought? What a great store they have here at the Bird Observatory – you’ll hit the gift-giving jackpot, with everything from binoculars to books to great avian-inspired canvas totes and these bird ornaments – you don’t have to be a bird-lover to appreciate them!

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BRA specialist available daily!

ELEGANCE

Walk right in or make an appointment.

FREE In-Home Consultation www.budgetblinds.com

609-513-8595

429 Washington St. Mall, Cape May NJ Across from the Ugly Mug 609.898.7448

Shutters | Blinds | Shades | Draperies

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Hunter Douglas-Signature Series

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ARTS CERAMICS, STAINED GLASS, DIGITAL MEDIA, PAINTING – IT’S ALL AT SOMA

Art for every persuasion

OVEMBER marks an exciting season for SOMA NewArt Gallery in Carpenter’s Square Mall. Four artists will exhibit their work in SOMA’s three galleries through November 28 in various media including painting, collage, ceramics and glass art. In the Gallery One, enjoy a solo exhibition of digital and mixed media pieces by local artist and former Cape May innkeeper Richard Samuelson. Full of references to modern masters like Picasso and Hopper, and representing subjects like war, the interiors of Baroque churches and the pleasures of sculpture gardens, they are bold, vigorous and loaded with imaginative visual inventions. “They were all done with a pressing purpose in mind and some particu-

gnarly Sam Donovan’s painting “Troll” depicts knotted tree roots digging into the ground, evoking a mythical, monstrous creature. Donovan, who trained with billboard painters, went on to work as a muralist, completing public works in Philadelphia and throughout the region.

lar visual idea that was pestering me,” says Samuelson. “For example, the war painting is a reinterpretation of Picasso’s ‘Guernica.’ I have often felt that the subject matter called for a more painterly and less Cubist approach. So I gave it a shot.” Samuelson’s depiction of a sculpture garden references his own project in the side yard of his home on Cape May Canal, allowing him to recreate a deeply personal space that provides “continual inspiration and solace” to him. His paintings of Baroque church interiors demonstrate his interest in illusion and tricks of perspective. Samuelson collages churches together, expanding on the already spatially complex nature of this architecture to imaginative effect. All of the pictures in Samuelson’s show were digitally manipulated at least in part. While the artist was initially wary

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of employing software to create art, he says he found “that traditional and digital techniques can come together into what seems to me to be a deep and true creative partnership.” Gallery Two will showcase the artwork of husband and wife Bruce and Robin Hippel. Bruce works primarily in stained glass, and over the last three decades he has produced numerous sitespecific windows for homes, churches and public buildings. “Since I cut my first few pieces of glass, and fingers, I have been fascinated with the power of light passing through colored glass and its ability to transform the visual environment,” Bruce says. Robin Hippel acquired her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Ceramics at the University of Athens in Georgia. “When I found the clay medium, I was home,” she says.

“Working on the potter’s wheel became what I call my orbital bliss.” Robin creates functional and sculptural ceramics for display or use. She has been showing and selling her work in South Jersey for 30 years. SOMA’s Gallery Three will exhibit the work of Sam Donovan, an artist who has been painting for the better part of 35 years. His early training came from old men who made their livings hand painting the billboards that lined the roadways of South Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, in the years before computergenerated graphics took their place. Sam moved on and turned his skills to murals. The market grew to include interior murals for homes and businesses, with subjects as diverse as can be imagined, from a 400-foot Tastykake painting at their new Philadelphia factory to several monster murals on the streets of Philadelphia. These days he turns his attention to the things he loves, like the landscapes and the dairy farms of the rural areas he knows from his youth. SOMA NewArt Gallery is open daily from 10am to 7pm, 9pm on weekends. For more information call (609) 898-7488.

creatures great and small Clockwise from top left: Bruce Hippel’s “Sleeping Cat Detail” captures a cat’s curled repose. Robin Hippel’s “Figure In Blue” has an animated feel. Richard Samuelson’s “Stars In The Garden” pits unearthly colors against statuary.

Tradition. Wit. Supreme Craftsmanship.

Above: Patagonia ottoman box padded and upholstered inside and out in a fabric all our own. Victorian mahogany dining chairs upholstered in a classic red-and-cream toile pastoral.

Antique and vintage furniture meticulously restored by master craftsmen using the traditional techniques of fine English upholstery. New designs hand-crafted in unique fabrics. We invite you to pay a visit to our provocative new online gallery at

www.BigButtonUpholstery.com.

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musthaves

from the shops of cape may

Cape May Linen

110 Park Boulevard, West Cape May (866) 884-3630 capemaylinen.com You hit some shopping destinations because it’s that time of year, and others you shop all year ‘round just because you love them. Cape May Linen is just such a place. Everything you could possibly need for bed and bath (kitchen towels and curtains, too), at absolutely rock-bottom prices – it’s a Cape May must-visit.

Cohwen’s Ink Emporium

1210 Bayshore Road, Villas (609) 886-7767 villastattoo.com All I want for Christmas is a new tattoo. Or belly-button ring. Or tattoo correction. Stop by Cohwen’s Ink Emporium – they cater to all your ink needs. Put their 17plus years of experience to work for you. Remember, you only have one body – trust it to the experts at Cohwen’s.

Cape May Sports Memorabilia

Cape Winds Florist

Celebrate Cape May

405 West Perry Street, West Cape May (201) 306-0076 capemaysportsmemorabilia.com Quandary: What to get your favorite sports nut when the same old jersey just won’t do? Solution: A visit to Cape May Sports Memorabilia at Antiques Emporia (or shop online). They offer the highestquality sports cards and memorabilia at extremely reasonable prices.

Don’t let the Christmas tree be the only greenery in your holiday home. Flowers make a great gift to those we love far and near, especially at the holidays, so reach out and touch someone this season with a festive arrangement from Cape Winds Florist. They deliver anywhere – call Mike or Deb and their friendly staff.

‘Tis the season for celebration, so toast your favorite town with a little something from Celebrate Cape May, a full-service souvenir and gift shop carrying Cape May-centric clothing, decals, wine glasses and more. And don’t forget a hermit crab for the stocking (okay, maybe not the stocking).

Donna’s Hallmark

FIBER ARTS YARN SHOP

The Flying Fish Studio

401 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-0555

Donna’s has a greeting card selection for every holiday, from Halloween salutations to party invites for that New Year’s Eve bash – not to mention postcards for friends back home. There are also gifts galore, from Cape May mugs and frames to wind chimes.

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860 Broadway, West Cape May (609) 884-1865 capemayflowers.com

315 Ocean Street, Cape May (609) 898-8080 yarnsrus.net

A premier knitting shop, Fiber Arts is stocked with gorgeous exotic, organic and natural yarns from all over the world. Shop for the knitter in your life, or perhaps gift someone (yourself?) with knitting or crochet lessons and learn to make next year’s holiday gifts!

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315 Ocean Street, Cape May (609) 884-9230 celebatecapemay.com

130 Park Boulevard, West Cape May (609) 884-2760 theflyingfishstudio.com

Merry Fishmas from our friends at Flying Fish! Anyone who loves Cape May (this means you) will appreciate something from this spot. You can’t beat their original, hand-printed apparel – they’re the clothes all the locals are wearing. Put some funky fun under the tree.

my perfect day SHARON FLANAGAN, CO-OWNER, BIRD HOUSE OF CAPE MAY

Doing it all, from birds to boats

O ALARM clocks – my perfect day allows me to wake when I’m ready. But Laughing Gulls have found something hilarious on the bay beach so now I’m up at first light. Friends from Manayunk are in town, so Ken and I schedule a day off and a friend covers the store – it can’t be a perfect day if you have to work. A short walk down our street leads us to the Villas Wildlife Management Refuge for our daily walk. We have the trails to ourselves, and today we spot Eastern Bluebirds, Baltimore Orioles and Flickers. And the Red-Headed Woodpecker pair is back: a wonderful birding day. Off to breakfast at the YB Eat Place for Peter’s French toast, but’s okay because

we walked off the calories in advance. Then the men go fishing and the women shop! Starting in West Cape May, we stop by Flanegan’s to see Rich’s new painting. Diane tells us about her new stained glass lamp at the West End Garage, so we head over there. The Artists’ Co-op has so many unique treasures it’s hard to choose. We continue on to Flying Fish Studio and every shop along the way, through the Washington Street Mall, and end up at A Place on Earth, where I load up on Canyon’s soaps and sugar scrubs. Time to meet with our better halves! We agreed on Westside Market for hoagies for our picnic at State Park beach. The sky is clear, the sun warm, but there’s a cool breeze, so we don’t overheat while we dolphin-watch. I nap between reading – or is that read exit zero

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RELAXATION IS THE KEY “I nap between reading – or is that read between napping? We stay at the beach as long as we can,” says Sharon Flanagan, co-owner of The Bird House of Cape May Aleksey Moryakov

2011

between napping? We stay at the beach as long as we can. A call from the store tells us it’s been a busy day there and that lots of favorite customers send their ‘hello’s. Before heading to Miss Chris Marina for an evening boat trip, we stop for appetizers at Seaside Cheese – wine, cheese and a Cape May sunset. The clouds (which mysteriously appear on cue) change colors as they reflect on the water. All this beauty makes us hungry! So it’s off to George’s Place and are seated right away. Incredible! We order our new favorite, baked feta with fried egg and eggplant. We eat and laugh and eat and laugh and close the place. We reflect on the day as we enjoy nightcaps on the Virginia Hotel porch. The street is quiet. A fog moves in on a warm breeze. We can hear the breakers. We did

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musthaves

from the shops of cape may

Good Scents

Henry’s Fine Jewelry 407 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-0334

510 Carpenters Lane, Cape May (609) 884-2300

600 Park Boulevard, West Cape May (609) 884-6181 katesflowershop.com

Gift idea central right here, folks. You don’t stick around for 25 years unless you know what your’re doing, and when it comes to fragrances for the body and home, Good Scents knows what they’re doing. Incense, candles, oils, plus home accents, jewelry, and CD’s, too! Start your holiday gift shopping right here.

You say you have a Cape May lover in your life? Of course you do. Give them a perfect Cape May reminder: an original Cape May Hook Bracelet from Henry’s. They’ll think of Cape May – and of you – every time they put it on. Or pull out all the stops with their selection of rare yellow diamonds – the largest in the area.

Good gift-giving can be a touch of luxury our special someone may not think of for themselves. Check out the stockingfriendly selection of hand and body treatments, oils, perfumes, cleansers, bath foams, as well as shelf after shelf of luxurious L’Erbolario soaps, lotions and creams appealingly displayed here.

Established in 1984, Kate’s Flowers is a true small-town treasure, offering professional service with a friendly and helpful next-door-neighbor touch. Let Kate’s dedicated staff help you decorate your holiday table and home, or select the perfect living gift for your loved ones this season, and say it with flowers.

Madame’s Port

Mary Ann’s Jewelers

Original Fudge Kitchen

PATRICIA JACKSON JEWELERS

327 Carpenters Lane, Cape May (609) 884-0014 sensia.com

311 Washington, Cape May (609) 884-5858 madamesport.com

511 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 898-8786

This is not your grandmother’s seashore gift shop. Eclectic, thoughtfully selected, gifts, jewelry, home accessories and more abound in this unique spot with a browser-friendly, laid-back vibe. And you simply cannot beat the prices for the quality you will find at Madame’s Port.

Talk about bang for your buck. The tiniest store in town boasts one of the most stunning jewelry collections around, with a sparkling selection of contemporary and estate gems to suit every taste and budget. They buy diamonds, gold and silver, if you need some holiday cash.

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Italian Garden

513 Washington and 728 Beach Drive (800) 23-FUDGE fudgekitchens.com

The holidays are here – eat fudge with impunity! The Original Fudge Kitchen will ship their delicious creamy fudge – or any of their other confections – anywhere in the world. So ingratiate yourself with everyone on your list with some sweet morsels for the holidays.

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Kate’s Flowers

414 Bank Street, Cape May (609)884-0323 patjacksonjewelers.com Slip something under the tree from the creative minds at Pat Jackson and be a gift-giving star. We’re especially fond of their sea life collection of gorgeous, whimsical pieces inspired by the sea: horseshoe crabs, scallops and starfish. A Cape May institution since 1980.

ARTS THREE DYNAMIC ARTISTS GRACE THE GAIL PIERSON GALLERY

New talent for a new season

HE Gail Pierson Gallery will be open and in full swing yall year, with a full schedule of events planned for the holiday season. Located in a renovated Victorian house at 658 Washington Street in the heart of Cape May’s historic downtown, this gallery is now in its third successful season of operation. With two shows planned between November 1 and New Year’s Day, the gallery will introduce three new artists to Cape May – Jack Bingham, painter and pastel artist, Dressler Smith, art-

Technicolor Sunrise Jack Bingham’s “Orange Glow” presents a pastel wonderland of rich reds and oranges descending into a lush, grassy green

ist, colorist and painter, and, Frank Smith, photographer. Incidentally, the two new Smiths are not related... Jack Bingham Born in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, Jack Bingham now resides and works in his studio and home in downtown Lititz, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Pastel Society of America, the Central Pennsylvania Pastel Society, the Pennsylvania Arts Experience and The Professional Picture Framers Association. Jack works with soft pastel on paper and oil paints on canvas to pro-

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duce drawings and paintings of the Lancaster County landscape. With color as his main interest, his largescale landscapes are painted with vivid colors and border on abstraction. Most of his ideas for paintings begin from drawings, pastels and photographs he takes while riding his bike around northern Lancaster County. In addition to painting scenery around the Lancaster County area, he also travels with his family to Vermont for two weeks in the fall to work on painting studies. When asked about his work, Binham replies, “I believe the paintings should speak for themselves.”

Dressler Smith A painter and pastel colorist who favors tranquil landscapes and ethnic images, Dressler Smith credits the inspiration of her art to “the beauty of things created by God and not by man.” The artist’s paintings and pastels have found their way into private collections and a number of corporate exhibitions, including Johnson & Johnson, Dow Jones, Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute and the Atlantic City “AirPort” Gallery. In addition to her work as a painter, Dressler is developing recognition for her stained glass church windows. The First Navarene Baptist Church in Camden, New Jersey is the home of two designs, and St John Baptist Church in East Camden, New Jersey has 21 windows designed by the artist. A resident of Pennsauken since she was a toddler, Dressler received a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Moore College of Art. She is an adjunct faculty member at Camden County College and a charter member of the New Jersey Pastel Painters Society.

Sun and sky At left, Dressler Smith’s “In The Midst” presents a romantic vision of an alley of sunflowers bending toward the viewer’s approach. At right, Frank Smith’s “Marionettes” cut stark poses against a cloudspotted sky.

Frank Smith A photographer who takes his artistic inspiration from Shibui, a Japanese word that refers to a particular aesthetic of simple, subtle and unobtrusive beauty, Frank says, “I strive to create simple and elegant images. I think I’ve made progress on the ‘simple,’ the ‘elegant’ may require a lifetime.” Frank’s photographs have been published in Rangefinder magazine and were recently selected by New Mexico magazine. He has won numerous awards for his work. He was one of four artists whose work was chosen for the Himmelfarb Gallery of the Tai Sophia Institute in 2009. Frank Smith was born in Philadelphia and holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from Drexel University. He also received an MBA from New York University, the Stern School. He and his wife spent two years in Cali, Colombia as Peace Corps volunteers. Following a successful career in international business, Frank began this new venture by taking intensive photography courses at the Santa Fe

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Workshops in New Mexico. He has studied with renowned photographers Jay Maisel, Eddie Soloway, John Weiss, Arthur Myerson, David Scheinbaum and Janet Russek. He currently resides in Ocean City, New Jersey. There are several seasonal events at the Gail Pierson Gallery you may want to add to your schedule. The Second Sunday Gallery Walk, taking place on November 13, affords art lovers the chance to explore many of Cape May’s fine galleries, including the Gail Pierson Gallery, which will be open and serving drinks and refreshments. There will be a Thanksgiving Open House on November 25 and 26, where guests can snack on some savory seasonal dishes and enjoy wine and Champagne. There will also be a Holiday Party and Artist’s Reception on December 10, and a New Year’s Day Open House on, you guessed it, New Year’s Day. The Gail Pierson Gallery is open daily, 11am to 5pm. They are closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information call (609) 884-2585.

musthaves

from the shops of cape may

Pink

33 Perry Street, Cape May (609) 898-1113

305 Jackson Street, Cape May (609) 884-8578 swainsacehardware.com

405 West Perry Street, West Cape May (609) 898-4832 teaincapemay.com

Tea By the Sea

Toy Shop of Cape May

Knock their socks off at the office holiday party when you let your inner fashionista out to play in a frock from Pink. And don’t worry about shoes, handbags, scarves, jewelry and other accessories – the folks at the little pink house have got you covered there, too. Happy holidays to your fabulous self, darling.

Okay, so you may not have ‘hardware store’ on your Christmas list shopping spots (unless your favorite elf is especially handy). But trust us when we tell you – if they don’t have it at Swain’s, you probably don’t need it. This is not just tools and paint – you’ll find home accessories, small appliances, décor and more.

When a tough night of caroling calls for a piping hot cup of tea, we defy you to beat the selection you’ll find at Tea by the Sea. Or put a twist on the annual holiday gathering by hosting a tea party, complete with wassail (because they’ve got that too, along with complete tea sets).

Well, duh – Christmas equals toy. Any 8-year-old knows that! And we can’t think of a much better reason to ‘shop local’ than this place – it’s full of wildly imaginative, inspiring and fun toys and games that you won’t find up the road at any chain store. A Cape May fixture since 1992 for a reason.

Victorious

Swain’s Hardware

West End Garage

Whale’s Tale

510 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-0442

Zoo Company

251 Beach Drive and 315 Ocean Street (609) 898-1777 victoriousantiques.com

484 Perry Street, West Cape May (609) 770-8261 thewestendgarage.com

312 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-4808 whalestalecapemay.com

421 Washington Street, Cape May (609) 884-8181

If it’s the wow factor you’re looking for in this year’s gift selection, look no further than Victorious. Specializing in stunning estate jewelry, they also have lovely furnishings and antiques. Look for that spectacular crystal ship (it is for sale, but best not to try fitting it under the tree).

Serious shoppers, your mothership awaits. Assemble a list, grab your credit card, and head to the Garage, where a day’s worth of browsing and shopping is yours. This co-op market of artists and shops has become a local favorite. Cross everyone off that list in one trip!

Anyone who really knows Cape May knows the Whale’s Tale is the place to find fabulous greeting cards, gorgeous ornaments, toys, puzzles and books, not to mention jewelry, shells and other home accents under one charming roof. They’re at 36 years and still going strong.

Holiday shopping got you down? Walk into Zoo Company and put a smile back on your face. Whether there is a child on your list or not, this place is always worth a visit. Old favorites like Raggedy Ann coexist peacefully with new classics like Hello Kitty and Ugly Dolls. Smile!

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A stunning new coffee table book about the remarkable story of The Chalfonte Hotel

THE NEW CAPE MAY HISTORY BOOK YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO OWN! A 256-page, full-color hardcover book packed with great photos and stories. Available at select local stores and at www.chalfonte.com exit zero

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ARTS EAST LYNNE THEATER COMPANY RECALLS CHRISTMASES PAST

Holiday favorites shine on stage

N MARY Wilkins Freeman’s Jimmy Scarecrow’s Christmas, Santa Claus explains one of his lesser-known concerns. “Scaring away Arctic explorers from the North Pole is much more important than scaring away crows from corn. Why, if they found the Pole, there wouldn’t be a piece left in a week’s time. They’d whittle it all to pieces, and carry it away in their pockets for souvenirs,” he says, trying to convince a scarecrow to move in with him. This is just one of the delightful tales that are part of the award-winning Equity professional East Lynne Theater Company’s Christmas Presents from the Past, performing on November 25 and 26, and December 4, 9 and 10 at 8:30pm at The First Presbyterian Church at 500 Hughes Street in Cape May, where the company

Interpreting the greats At left, artistic director Gayle Stahlhuth performs her rendition of Christmas Presents from the Past, featuring dramatic interpretations of stories by American authors like Mark Twain and Louisa May Alcott (pictured at right) Lee O’Connor

is in residence. Other tales include two by Mark Twain: “Susie’s Letter from Santa Claus,” where Twain writes to his daughter as if he were Santa and “The Story of the Bad Boy Who Didn’t Come to Grief,” about a boy who should receive coal for Christmas – but doesn’t. Two other stories are about what people will do to get money to buy Christmas presents: “Tessa’s Surprises” by Louisa May Alcott and “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. These classic tales were adapted by ELTC’s artistic director Gayle Stahlhuth, who also performs the 30-some characters in storytelling fashion. Her past solo Christmas performances of stories by L. Frank Baum, Louisa May Alcott, O. Henry, Edward Everett Hale and Bret Harte have been praised by reviewers and audiences alike. With the flick of

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a wrist, the bend of the waist, the turn of the head, and a change in the tone of voice, she brings a character to life in a heartbeat. Gayle is in her 13th year as ELTC’s artistic director, and as such, has directed over half of the 61 different shows she’s produced, including Why Marry?, the first play to win the Pulitzer Prize, and the time-travel adventure Berkeley Square. She’s appeared in Off-Broadway, regional, touring productions, and on the Chautauqua circuit, and she and her husband, Lee O’Connor reside in West Cape May and Manhattan. Tickets for Christmas Presents from the Past are $25 for general admission, $15 for full-time students, and, as always, anyone under 12 is free. For information and reservations, call (609) 884-5898 or go online to eastlynnetheater.org.

During the winter, ELTC has several productions that go on the road, anywhere from Maine to Texas, has artistsin-residence teaching playwriting and performing in South Jersey schools, and is involved with special events. For example, on March 2-3, ELTC will present a “Ten-Minute Play Workshop” hosted by The Henry Sawyer Inn at 722 Columbia Avenue in Cape May. Cost of the workshop is $100 plus accommodations. For information, contact the Inn at (609) 884-5667 or henrysawyerinn. com, or ELTC at (609) 884-5898 or eastlynnetheater.org. The Henry Sawyer Inn is also partnering with ELTC for several exciting Murder Mystery Weekends in March and April, headed by Frank Smith, who was a detective in Philadelphia before becoming an innkeeper in Cape May. ELTC will be back on the boards in Cape May for another Sherlock Holmes Weekend with its radio-style production of Sherlock Holmes Adventure of the Norwood Builder on March 16 and 17. All the evidence points to a young lawyer as the murderer. But is he being set-up? Don’t know what to give someone for

the holidays? ELTC’s 2012 season tickets are available. See four fun-filled shows for only $80, and celebrate next year’s theme: “American Ingenuity.” Edgar Allan Poe wrote the first detective stories before the word “detective” was even created; Langdon Mitchell had fun with the new American trend of “divorce,” and Roi Cooper Megrue and Walter Hackett wrote a screwball comedy about advertising a product that may – or may not – exist.

Mystery in the Airwaves A previous production of ELTC’s much-lauded Sherlock Holmes performances. This year the mystery is The Adventure of the Norwood Builder.

The Poe Mysteries, based on detective stories by Edgar Allan Poe, adapted by James Rana, is a world premiere. ELTC first produced Mitchell’s The New York Idea in 2002 and 2003, for a total of 16 performances, and it was one of the company’s biggest hits. It Pays to Advertise was a hit when it opened on Broadway in 1914, and was adapted for a film starring Carole Lombard. Season tickets may be purchased at the box office, through ELTC’s website, by phone, or by sending a check to the office: 121 Fourth Avenue, West Cape May, NJ 08204. Season tickets are flexible, even allowing patrons to use all four for one performance if they wish. Ticket prices next year are $30 for general admission and $25 for seniors. East Lynne’s production season would not be possible without season sponsors Curran Investment Management, Aleathea’s Restaurant, and La Mer Beachfront Inn; The NJ Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism; NJ State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; and the generosity of many patrons.

Exclusive Local Headquarters Exclusive Local Headquarters

“Original” Cape May Hook BraceletTM Mars & Valentine Holly Yashi MarahLago Larimar Tahizea -- Perles de Tahiti

Henry’s...

Your Bridal Headquarters Since 1972!

HENRY’S... Cape May’s Landmark Jeweler! 407 Washington Street Mall • (609) 884-0334 exit zero

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Wishing you the joys of the season and a Happy New Year

Please visit our newly redesigned studio this spring! 6 7 0 WA S H I N G TO N S T R E E T C A P E M AY, N E W J E R S E Y 609-846-3326 w w w. D r a g o n f l y I n t e r i o r s L LC. c o m exit zero

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Cre ati n g yo u r ow n b a c k ya rd h e ave n? We c a n h e l p.

i ndoor & o utdo o r fur niture | c a n d l e s | d e c o ra ti o n s | c u s h i o n s | s ou v e n i r s

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The snows of the Delaware Bay

NOW in Cape May? That’s right. Beginning in November, the marshes of the Delaware Bay are blanketed by Snow... ...Geese. Snow Geese crossing the skies in arrow-head shaped flocks. Snow Geese in numbers that blanket marshes like wind-driven – well, snow. Nesting in the Canadian Arctic, Greater Snow Geese head south before winter claims the north. They relocate here, in comparatively temperate southern New Jersey, where winters are more forgiving. Human visitors exploring the marshes of Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland and Salem Counties can be treated to the sight and sound of thousands of geese,

Story by Pete Dunne Photos by Mike Crewe

Pilgrim’s progress The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on the planet in its hunting dive, the stoop. It soars to a great height and then descends steeply at speeds over 200 mph. Jonathan Wood

along with the eagles that hunt them. The open, uninhabited marshes of New Jersey’s Delaware Bay alone are worth the price of admission. But the added element of rising geese and hunting eagles makes a day on the Bayshore truly memorable – worth a blog post or journal entry at least. It wasn’t always this way. A little more than half a century ago, Snow Geese in New Jersey were much less common. In Days of Old Back when your grandfather was learning to drive, there were less than a couple of thousand Snow Geese in New Jersey – almost all of which were found in the marshes of Egg Island Point. The New Jersey Audubon Society used to charter a boat and do a tour of Egg Island Point. Hugging the bay, by boat. Rounding the tip of the second most promi-

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nent peninsula in Delaware Bay was the only way for Snow Goose aspirants to get inspiring views of these evocative birds. Rising from the marsh in an ascending avalanche of forms and sound, the birds would beat the air with their wings and make a roar like thunder. Writer Paul Gallico once wrote a novella about a single, lost bird whose pinioned wings bridged the gulf between an artist and a young Saxon girl. If one bird can constitute a story, imagine how inspiring a sky filled with geese can be. The Audubon boat trips were run in the ’50s and early ’60s. They ended because Snow Geese numbers rose to a point that a boat trip was no longer necessary. Today, visitors can simply drive to strategic locations. In Cape May County, the marshes of southwest of Dennisville host thousands of birds. The best vantage

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Never has history been so irresistible. oh say, can you see Our second-largest bird of prey, Bald Eagles are common residents along the Delaware Bayshore, more often seen in winter Peter Dunn

point is afforded by Jakes Landing Road, just off Route 47, about 45 minutes north of Cape May. In Cumberland County, Turkey Point, Fortescue, and Newport are prime geese-watching locations. In Atlantic County, it’s hard to beat Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, just north of Atlantic City. When you set your sights on Snow Geese, you are traveling off the beaten path. But that’s what adventures are all about. Besides, you’re in Cape May in November – doesn’t exactly make you the average seaside resort tourist, does it?

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ANTIQUES EMPORIA

405 West Perry Street, Cape May • (609) 898-3332

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Big Black Birds and Snow White Geese You usually hear Snow Geese before you see them. Social birds, their “gabble” travels in the cold, still air. You can also tell when there are eagles in the area. The sound of geese will rise first, then the birds follow. Look to see which direction the birds are heading and then look the other way. Chances are you’ll find a big, black bird flying with deep, slow, wing beats, closing the distance on the fleeing birds. What you are seeing is a Bald Eagle. They are common yearround residents of the Bayshore and in winter, there are more eagles here than during summer. Just like Snow Geese, wintering eagles like open water. New Jersey’s resident

WHERE YOU SH

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Available at the Exit Zero Store for only $15! 109 Sunset Boulevard, Cape May • (609) 770-8479

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Bald Eagles are augmented by birds from farther north. North America’s second-largest bird of prey (second to the California Condor) feeds on fish, deer carcasses and waterfowl. Snow Geese are actively hunted and, as is typical of predatory interactions, injured or weakened birds are targeted and most commonly taken. But you would be uncommonly fortunate to actually see an eagle capture a goose. Most of the interactions between geese and eagles end in a draw; which means that the geese go about their business and the eagle goes hungry. Raptor Rich Eagles are not by any means the only, or even the most common, bird of prey wintering on the marshes of Delaware Bay. Northern Harriers, or “Marsh Hawks” are common. These lanky, slow and low-flying “mousers” patrol the marsh. In the morning and late afternoon, when birds are feeding heavily, you may enjoy the sight of a dozen or more in view at once. The record number of birds from one place in a single scan is 50. All aloft and hunting at the same time. Other common raptors include the Red-tailed Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk. Red-taileds commonly perch along the woodland edge

overlooking the marsh. Cooper’s Hawk sometimes hunt on open perches right out in the marsh. Northern Rough-legged Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Golden Eagle – all of these species are possible. Even before these diurnal predators call it a day, the night shift comes out. New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore might be the Great Horned Owl Capital of North America. On still evenings, it is possible to stand at strategic points and hear as many as six pairs of Great Horned Owls calling. What are they saying? A simple translation is: “Here I am.” “Me, too.” Birds sometimes start calling before the sun sets. When the sun drops below the horizon the birds fly out and land on the trees flanking the marsh. You’ll be led by their calls and you can find them in your binoculars or spotting scopes. Another owl worth looking for is the Short-Eared Owl. Jakes Landing is a particularly good spot for this winter resident. The marshes flanking the Tuckahoe River in the northern part of Cape May County are another excellent location. What you will be looking for is a large, pale “moth-like” bird that often forages in

watching in the woods New Jersey’s Delaware Bayshore could possibly be the Great Horned Owl capital of North America. Listen for their call, a low-pitched “Ho-ho-ho hoo hoo hoo.” Mike Crew

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Stuffed Animal Super Store! Hello Kitty • Safari Animal • TV Stars Smurfs • Puppets • CUTE! Open Daily 10-5, Later on Weekends

421 Washington Street Mall, Cape May • (609) 884-8181

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Want a tattoo?

tell-tail marks Red-tailed Hawks are easy to identify in flight – less so when they’re perched along the woodland edge overlooking the marsh Robert Lego

broad daylight (but is particularly active on dark, cloudy days and just after sunset). You will be reminded of Northern Harrier. At dusk, owls and harriers often spar over the marsh. Hint: the owl will be the one above the harrier. Short-Eareds are more buoyant and more nimble than harriers.

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Back to the Geese Late November through early April is Snow Geese prime time. If the region becomes blanketed by snow or a prolonged cold front freezes the marsh, Snow Geese commonly depart until a thaw sets in. If you’re in search of geese and other Delaware Bayshore wonders, be sure to dress warmly. No matter the air temperature, the wind blowing across the open marsh will make you feel colder. Binoculars are a must. A spotting scope, mounted on a tripod, is made for open country like that which you will find on the Bayshore. In winter, over 100 species of birds may be seen on the marshes, woodlands and fields of the Bayshore. It’s a wild area. Not at all the image that most people have of New Jersey. The region is dotted with villages, but gas stations (and restaurants) are few. Set out with a full tank (both you and the car). New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory has a free checklist to the birds of the region as december

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well as a birding map offering directions to local birding hotspots. Bill Boyle’s book, A Guide to Bird Finding in New Jersey, also available at the CMBO, offers detailed directions to all the top birding locations on the Bayshore (and throughout New Jersey). If you find your self short of a spotting scope (or binoculars), the CMBO has the state’s finest selection of quality birding optics in stock. Check out everything the CMBO has to offer when you stop by to pick up the winter schedule of events, or go online (BirdCapeMay.org) to see what’s happening this winter. The Cape May Bird Observatory is located at 701 East Lake Drive overlooking Lake Lily in Cape May Point. It is open 9:30am-4:30pm every day except Tuesdays throughout the winter. They can be reached at (609) 884-2736, or online at birdcapemay.org. Pete Dunne is New Jersey Audubon’s Chief Communications Officer and Director of the Cape May Bird Observatory. Pete uses his talents to make the natural world real for others. Author of several books on and about nature (available at the Cape May Bird Observatory) he has written for virtually every birding publication, for The New York Times, and has a weekly column in Exit Zero. Pete knows birders and birding instinctively. His books are available at the CMBO and if he’s in the building he’ll be happy to personalize your copy.

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the story’s

A TRIP THROUGH COLD SPRING CEMETERY UNEARTHS CENTURIES OF CAPE MAY LEGEND Story by Jon Roth Photographs by Danielle O’Neal

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in the stones

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Nobody Home The intricate, wrought-iron gate to the Higbee burial plot hangs open and swinging in the wind

MET with George Carpenter, superintendent of Cold Spring Cemetery, on a Saturday morning about a week after Labor Day. Summer in Cape May doesn’t end like a light switching off, but as I drove to the cemetery it was clear that the season was over – the tourist traffic was gone, replaced by yellow school buses making their September rounds. The mood turns more somber here in September, and when I meet George at the cemetery, I ask what could have brought him to this line of work. “It was sort of a job, more than anything,” he begins. We’re walking from the parking lot, just to the left of the mausoleum George introduced in 2007. “I was in construction when I got out of the army, and every year I was traveling farther and farther for work. I decided that I would rather work down here than anywhere else, so I picked up this job. It was only supposed to be temporary, but it kind of grew on me.” It can be hard to imagine when your driving past, sights set on a weekend of sand and surf, but the cemetery does offer the kind of tranquility that will “grow on

you” if you give it a chance. First, there’s the scene itself – 50 level acres, lined with headstones, some fresh, some barely standing, anchored by the square, simple church, a red, Federal-style building referred to as “Old Brick.” Then there’s the weight of history – rumors of Indian burial grounds, graves of Mayflower descendants and monuments to the men who made Cape May (men with names Hughes and Higbee). If you find yourself lingering here, don’t be alarmed – that’s George’s design. “My biggest interest is that when you arrive here you feel a sense of comfort and well-being,” he says. Then he tells me he dug up something I might find interesting. A minute later we’re standing at one of the biggest in the cemetery. I’m relieved to find nobody’s been exhumed. George asks me if the name ‘Essen’ sounds familiar, and I shake my head. “I’ll fill you in on something. William Essen was a German baker, and he had several businesses in Cape May, including a candy store near Star of the Sea.” I begin to nod. “Years later he sold it to a man named Roth. Eventually, Roth moved across the street and that business became

Book of the dead At right, the oldest interment record for Cold Spring Cemetery, which George Carpenter calls “the bible.” While the first records were lost in a fire, Carpenter says much early record-keeping was left to the family of the deceased, who would write remembrances in their own bibles.

Roth’s Candyland.” George had brought me to the grave of the man who’d given my great-grandfather his start in the family business, a candy store my grandfather later sold to the Bogles of The Original Fudge Kitchen. I’d never heard of William Essen before. Impressed that the superintendent knew more than I did about my family history, I asked how he’d learned about Mr Essen. “We had a historian here who dug around to find out who’s who.” You get used to this graveyard humor in George’s speech – everyone is always digging around. “Through various land records and sales we were able to put this together,” he says. “Essen has one of the most attractive monuments out here – looks sort of like the Washington Monument.” It does. It’s a tapering obelisk, maybe six feet tall, placed atop a plinth as high as my chest. George tells me that pieces like this, cut from a single piece of stone, are called monoliths. Essen’s grave is easy to spot, but I still ask George how he goes about finding a body in a place this big. “I start with interment records. The oldest one is hand-written, and we call it the bible. Once I find the name there, I’ll

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check it with the index file, which tells me the plot that person is buried in, then we consult the maps, and boom,” he says with a smile. Cemetery records weren’t always this precise. In the past it was the family’s obligation to keep burial records, scrawled in bibles and diaries. George made it his prerogative to catalog as much as possible when he began at the cemetery. He’s since compiled an alphabetized index file of all the souls at rest here, and computerized the modern records. “Being here 35 years, and nobody going anywhere, it was pretty simple to keep everybody in perspective,” he says. *** WALK with George through Cold Spring Cemetery, particularly in the north and south yards directly adjacent to the church, and you’ll be privy to lots of local lore. The north yard largely holds pre-Civil War burials, while the south yard is pre-Colonial. “They were chasing the Indians out of the woods down here,” George says, chuckling. The cemetery may have been used as a burial ground for the Kechemeches, a division of the Lenape tribe. Karl Dickinson,

who wrote A Brief History of Cold Spring Church (1961) claimed there were five Kechemeche encampments sharing the use of Cold Spring. Historian Ben Miller is skeptical of this number, explaining that Native Americans avoided the settlers in Town Bank and gravitated towards Cape May Point, where there was seclusion, fresh water and “diamonds.” If there were Kechemeches here, they would have buried their dead in shallow, unmarked graves lined with grass. Sometimes bodies were interred with a clay pot of food to give the soul of the dead strength for the journey ahead. “They probably had a burials here,” George says. “I find some peculiar artifacts, like a couple of mortars they would use for grinding.” Finding Native Americans may be difficult at the cemetery, but Mayflower descendants abound. There are more buried at Cold Spring Cemetery than anywhere in the country beside Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts. In Mayflower Pilgrim Descendants in Cape May County (1921), Reverend Stuyvesant Howe went so far as to call our town a “lost colony” as he untangled hundreds of years of his-

“Being here 35 years, and nobody going anywhere, it was pretty simple to keep everybody in perspective,” George says.

tory to locate the many threads running between Cape Island and Plymouth Rock. Howe found that Hannah Gorham, a granddaughter of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, both Mayflower pilgrims, married Joseph Whilden and traveled here. By 1690, the couple was situated there with their children, and Joseph served as both county sheriff and justice of the peace. “They came here to whale,” George says. “Eventually the whaling died out but they stayed, and as their family prospered they invited other members of the Plymouth Colony to come down. Those that stayed and had families, when they passed on, would get buried here.” A glance through Howe’s genealogical tome offers familiar local names like Leaming, Schellenger, Hughes, Hand and Eldredge, all related to Hannah Gorham through marriage. While monuments to Hannah’s descendants fill the cemetery, her own grave is absent, most likely washed away from its spot much closer to the shore. A short walk from the north yard is a monument to darker chapter in America’s history: a single tombstone marking a mass grave. This is the final resting place for an unknown number of cholera victims

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stricken here in the 1850s. The disease traveled south from New York City, shuttering business in our area for a period of time. George says contemporary popular opinion was that the illness was a plague brought to rid the world of the indigent and poor. This belief remained popular until the sickness spread to all classes, even killing President Polk a few months after his presidency ended. “It took two or three years for it to finally pass, and this became our potter’s field,” George says. The burials took place in the dead of night to escape the stigma of what many considered an unholy scourge. “They’d put the bodies in here, cover them with lime, backfill it and dig again.” The stone that now marks the grave was donated 25 years ago by Charlotte Bouton Kneipp with the Daughters of the American Revolution, and gives some belated tribute to those buried here. *** IF YOU were to divide Cold Spring Cemetery into sleeping populations – the Mayflower descendants, the cholera victims – then sailors may be the largest contingent. “The cemetery is full, literally full, of monuments erected to lost sailors,” George says. He leads me to one such stone without a body, the grave of Delaware River pilot Joseph Gregory. Gregory, who sailed on the E.C. Knight, was just off Cape Henlopen on the night

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of his death. It was December of 1879, and sheets of ice covered the deck of the Knight. As Gregory adjusted the main sheet a pin broke and he was thrown into the water. He drowned at 16. “There are whole families here where the males lost their lives to the ocean,” George says, looking out across the cemetery. “They made a good living from the water, but they paid a hefty penalty.” Buried beside the Gregory plot is Thomas Higbee, the last of the Higbees. Joseph Gregory’s mother was employed by Thomas at his hotel, the Hermitage, and their connection was so close that both Joseph and his sister Etta had the name Higbee in their (very long) full names. When Thomas died, his will demanded burial beside the Hermitage, so that Etta – the inheritor of his estate – couldn’t sell the land. After Etta’s death, she requested that Higbee’s body be exhumed and buried in Cold Spring Cemetery. It’s said that sand from his beach made the bed of the tomb, so Thomas would still be buried on Higbee soil. While the rest of the clan are buried across the yard in an elaborately fencedin plot, Thomas’ grave stands alone here.

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The stone lies flat and curves upwards with an inscription. “This is what’s called a sarcophagus – a special type of entombment,” George says. “The chamber is walled up all the way down.” We make a bee-line over the cemetery’s only crypt and visit the rest of the Higbee family. The iron fence surrounding the plot is decorated with ornate finials and dripping with rusting chains. George shakes his head when we get there. “Somebody went in here,” he says, grabbing the top of the open gate. “You’re supposed to close the gate or everybody’ll get out.” He then has me read the inscription on George Higbee’s grave: Young man as you pass by, Look on this tomb and learn to die. Let religion be your chief concern, Dust thou art, to dust thou shalt return. *** GRAVES of special importance are easy to spot in Cold Spring Cemetery: they’re marked with numbered posts to aid tour guides as they lead groups through the grounds in the summer. Colonel Henry Sawyer’s plot has a post like this, as well as a five-pointed bronze star, a symbol of his

Dust to dust George Higbee died at 25. Says Carpenter, “This always makes me think of all the young people that drive past this grave.”

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involvement in the Civil War. Sawyer joined the Union cause first with a Pennsylvania regiment and later re-enlisted with a New Jersey regiment, when he was captured, incarcerated at Libby Prison, and selected for execution. Sawyer’s wife rushed to Washington DC to meet with President Lincoln, and thanks to her urging and some diplomatic maneuvering, Sawyer was exchanged for a Confederate prisoner: General Robert E. Lee’s son. The colonel continued serving in the army following his release from prison. After his return home, he built the Chalfonte Hotel in 1872 – a stately Southern building that remains a cornerstone of Cape May today. Colonel Sawyer is one of over 100 Civil War veterans buried here – in total, there are more than 1,000 veterans, dating back to the Revolutionary War. In 1992 a veteran’s section of the cemetery was introduced. “It’s for local folks who don’t want to deal with going up to Court House and having a burial by the jail,” George says. On our way out of the cemetery George indicates a tall, white obelisk. He tells me that’s the grave of Thomas Hughes, builder of both Congress Hall

City Fathers From left to right, the monuments of William Essen, Henry Sawyer and Thomas Hughes. Opposite: George Carpenter, superintendent and curator of a 65-acre museum.

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and Old Brick. Hughes, whose hotel was built in 1816, supported the construction of this church seven years later. While detractors referred to both the hotel and the church as “Tommy’s Folly” (they were built from the same Philadelphia bricks), Hughes claimed: “My body will not lay in the grave before the church is full,” and he was proven right. His obelisk is topped with an urn and a veil – the urn symbolizing funerary, and the veil, George tells me, indicating the fabric between this world and the next. “They never believed you really die, you see? You’re transposed from one essence to another,” George says. In Hughes’ case this seems particularly true: the buildings he erected, both flourishing to this day, are fitting examples of the way a life’s work can far exceed a life itself. As our meeting draws to a close, I ask George how the cemetery has changed since he began working here. He doesn’t dig graves by hand anymore, for one. “That took about three hours. There was a sense of

urgency. As soon as I got one done, I got a call for another one.” George says on average there’s a burial every third day now. Cremation has also become much more common. George plans on retiring soon, but he’s unsure who might take his position. He sees it as a job best suited for a local with a sense of Cape May’s history, and doesn’t know many year-round residents like that anymore, particularly who would be interested in his work. He won’t be taking any shortcuts before his retirement. “I haven’t finished everything up yet,” he says. “There’s still a lot left to do, and that sense of urgency has never changed.” He’s become a protector and curator of the land he’s worked for the past 35 years – 65 acres, 18,000 gravesites, with another 18,000 more to fill. He considers Cold Spring Cemetery a museum – a repository of our collective local history, detailing the lives of the settlers, sailors and soldiers who shaped our town. With a charge like that, it can’t be easy letting go. exit zero

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The best of the year ISSUE 30, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

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PO Box 128 | Cape May NJ 08204 | Phone: 609-770-2626 info@capemayforum.org | www.capemayforum.org Cape May Forum is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for Cape May’s visitors and residents by providing public forums on issues of relevance to our community and lives. exit zero

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my perfect day BERNADETTE MATTHEWS, CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ARTS

A fruitful day, ending in song

‘M AWAKE at 5am, thanking God and contemplating the day. My husband, Dan, brings coffee, and breakfast is done by 6am. I review my emails and check Facebook, then it’s into my gym clothes, because at 8am I’m off to North Beach Gym’s ‘Boot Camp.’ The coaches are ruthless, but I love them, and I go from station to station, lifting weights, doing crunches and every other difficult thing they can dream up. Showered and dressed by 10am, I’m off to work at the Center for Community Arts. After checking voice mail and to-do lists, there are letters to write, phone calls to take, and plans to make for the

arts programs. Cape May folks and vacationers come through, asking about tours or just wanting to talk about Cape May. Lunchtime, and I struggle with my decision: spinach salad or BLT from Depot Market, or house salad with grilled chicken and extra dressing from Gecko’s? Both places have delicious food – if only I’d get out of my rut and choose something different! When I phone in my order, they already know it’s me based on the particulars. Art at the Library, Youth Arts Program, Shore Slam, History Exhibit, WCFA… the planning continues! But the highlight of my day is a phone call from my daughter, Kenya, especially when she exit zero

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all in the family “The highlight of my day is a phone call from my daughter, Kenya, especially when she puts my grandsons on the phone,” says Bernadette Matthews, Executive Director of the Center for Community Arts. Aleksy Moryakov

2011

puts my grandsons on the phone. Chad and Cairo tell me about their day, and it brings me such joy. If it’s Thursday evening, I host my radio show, ‘What’s Goin’ On,’ interviewing guests, having discussions, and playing my favorite music. If it’s Friday, I’m dancing at the VFW with a great mix of people, young and old – dancing and sweating, eating and drinking, having a great time. At 10pm, it’s off to the Pilot House, where Barry Tischler and friends have Open Mic Night. Maybe I’ll sing “Summertime” and a few other songs, or just enjoy the talented musicians – what a fun way to end a perfect day. A day in the life in Cape May. What’s not to love?

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The best of the year ISSUE 34, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011

JUST minutes after receiving a permit from the city, a demolition crew began tearing down the Beach Theatre, a fixture in Cape May since 1950. After several years of controversy and attempts at preservation, the building was torn open and reduced to rubble. The many locals and visitors who knew the theatre are left with only memories. Dan Mathers

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Holiday Fun For All The Family

APE May Stage celebrates the holidays with original work, traditional concerts and our Main Stage production of This Wonderful Life. All are suitable for families and sure to bring some holiday cheer. Larry Daggett returns to perform This Wonderful Life in a newly imagined production directed by Roy Steinberg. Larry, who last performed at Cape May Stage in Souvenir, will perform all of the characters seen in the classic film. The opening night is November 26 at 8pm, with the final gala of the season after the performance. Opening night theatregoers get to meet the artist and enjoy great food at this wonderful party. There is a half-price Senior Matinee on December 10 at 3pm, a Pay-What-You-Can Matinee on December 15 at 3pm, and an ASL-interpreted performance on December 21 at 8pm. This is a play that brings home the message that every life touches so many people. The iconic film has become a staple of holiday television viewing, so see it with new eyes in this fresh production. On December 5, Cape May Stage brings Mary Lauren and Bryan Seastrom with their puppet, Fletcher The Dog, to our stage in a new show called My Shadow and Me. This musical review is the story of two friends helping each other to achieve their artistic ambitions. It is sure to inspire and touch the hearts and funny bones of everyone. It’s a magical show for the whole family. There’s nothing as beautiful as a bell choir at Christmastime, and Cape May Stage has arranged a Bell Choir Concert of carols on December 19. As the year ends, we are busy planning our 2012 season with the same quality productions. Have you considered becoming a season subscriber? Subscriptions also make an excellent gift. Call (609) 884-1341 or visit capemaystage.org to subscribe or see any of these holiday treats.

Above: Larry Daggett returns to Cape May Stage to play every character in This Wonderful Life. Left: Mary Lauren and Bryan Seastrom (and their puppet, Fletcher The Dog) will star in a Second Stage production of My Shadow And Me, a musical review about two great friends.

HERE’S WHAT’S COMING TO CAPE MAY STAGE “This Wonderful Life” Starring Larry Daggett Thurs-Sun 8pm, Sat-Sun, 3pm Tickets $15-$35

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Chrismastime Bell Choir Concert Monday, December 19, 8pm Tickets $10

This column is made possible through the generosity of Second Stage Series sponsors CHRIS and DAVE CLEMANS as part of their support of the arts in Cape May

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Big Sale!

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27 Questions for... Tony Genaro

NE of the greatest charms of living in a small town like Cape May is that you may recognize the guy in front of you at Wawa as a city council member, or a police officer by his face and not just his uniform. For many of the people of Cape May, particularly young ones, that policeman is “Officer Tony,” and they recognize him as not just an authority figure, but a friend. Tony Genaro is a not only a police officer, but a husband, father, Cub Scout Leader, DARE officer, Police

Interview by Kate Chadwick Photo by Aleksey Moryakov

Athletic League organizer, and all around busy guy. When he’s not working, you’ll catch him DJing at some local event or other. Still, he made time to sit down and chat with us, and here is some of what he had to say. Are you a Cape May native? No, I’m originally from the Valley Forge area in Pennsylvania. But this is definitely the place I consider home. My parents vacationed here, and eventually bought the Jeremiah Hand House. I sort of followed them down here in 1991. How long have you been a Cape May police officer? I started out as a summer officer, and did that for three summers. This is my eleventh year now as a full-time officer. What made you want to become a cop? exit zero

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Actually, it wasn’t until I moved to Cape May and got to know some of the officers here that I really started thinking about it. This is such a nice place to live, and I just thought it would be a good job to have in a town like this. So you didn’t come from a long line of police officers? No, nothing like that. When I got out of high school, I joined the army for three years. When I got out, I moved down here. What other types of work did you do before you got into law enforcement? Well, I don’t know if you remember Peaches, but I worked there for a while. I also worked for Val Driscoll, a local interior decorator, hanging wallpaper for a while. I enjoyed the work, but being new in town, it didn’t really give me the chance to

Officer GOOFY At the Cape May Halloween Parade Aleksey Moryakov

meet many new people, unless you count those whose houses I was working in at the time, which I didn’t. If I can interrupt your train of thought for a second – you consider yourself a pretty social person, then? Yes and no. I mean, obviously my job requires a lot of interaction with people, with the public, with city government, with the

kids, etc. But I’m not the guy at the party with the lampshade on his head – I don’t really like to be the center of attention. Okay, so then your job wasn’t giving you the opportunity to meet new people in a new town. What did you do about it? Well, I got a job at Cape Fitness, and that’s where I started meeting a lot of the local people and police officers and

getting to know them. This started me thinking along the lines of getting into law enforcement – it seemed like a good fit, given my military background. It sounds like it was almost a practical decision for you, as opposed to a ‘gut’ one. It’s not as if you knew from age five that you wanted to be a cop more than anything, right? Yes, it was practical. When I looked around it just seemed to me that unless you owned your own business, it could be tough to make a living here. It didn’t seem like there were a ton of opportunities at the time, and it seemed like a nice and relatively safe place to get into police work. I guess it would be hard to compare working as a cop in a small town like Cape May as opposed to a big city? Well, I think it’s safe to say that the same issues exist everywhere, but if it’s a smaller town, they just exist on a smaller scale, and in a bigger place they’re amplified. What’s the craziest arrest you’ve ever been involved in? It was my first or second year, and it was for a domestic case, but the guy took off, and the chase got pretty wild. There was a helicopter involved towards the end, because he bolted into the bird sanctuary, and I remember thinking, ‘What the heck have I gotten into here?’ What are the most common things? Lots of

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substance issues, driving under the influence, drug possession – things like that. And domestic violence issues, unfortunately. Do you think that’s because it’s a resort area, with so many people in vacation mode at one time? Yes, but it’s also because there are lots of locals with lots of time on their hands in the off-season, too. Lots of seasonal work means lots of people laid off in the winter, not sure what to do with themselves. Tell us about your family – you have children of your own, correct? Yes, my wife Maura and I have two boys: Tony, who is 12, and Troy is seven. What do you like to do with the family when you’re off? We love the beach, of course, and we’re very big on camping. Where do you like to take the family when you go out to eat? Lucky Bones is our favorite – it’s a great place for the family to go. What about date night with just you and Maura? Well, date nights are hard to come by – we’re busy people with two kids and a lot going on. We tend to stick with what we know because we always get a good meal and good service at Lucky Bones. Your work with kids is well-documented, between DARE and Cub Scouts. What’s a good quality children have that adults are lacking,

in your opinion? Kids are just all about having fun – it’s kind of their priority. Adults tend to get wrapped up in so many things that they forget to do that. How do you stay in shape? Nothing exciting there – the main thing for me is being consistent. I’ve been watching what I eat and exercising regularly for over 20 years. I mainly weight train, ride my bike, and just stay active with the kids. If you weren’t a police officer, what would you be doing? I’d probably be running a campground, or working as a guide at one. I also have an interest in graphic design. What’s the best thing about your job? The fact that you can make a positive impact on people’s lives when you’re an authority figure is definitely not lost on me. That’s a pretty cool thing. And the worst thing? I guess it would be that police officers are sometimes not viewed in a positive light. People forget sometimes that we are just doing our jobs. What’s your greatest strength? That’s a tough one. I think my dad has given me a very strong work ethic. I remember in DARE training, the instructor said to do something because you believe in it and everything else will fall into place – like money and fulfillment. And the kids I work with can see right through someone who

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is not sincere. I think I work very hard at the things I believe in. What about your greatest weakness? I think it’s that at times I take on too much – I guess I believe in a lot of things. It’s tough for me to say no sometimes, which is why those date nights are often hard to come by. How do you feel about donuts? Donuts are second on my list of things you should never eat. The first thing on the list is hot dogs, with apologies to my dad. I do have a sweet tooth, so I can appreciate the taste of donuts, but there’s just way too much fat. The old cop/donut stereotype doesn’t apply to me. Do you think there’s any truth to the adage that women can’t resist a man in uniform? I’m not so sure, unless the woman is just very fond of polyester. I would hope that men and women in uniform would get some level of respect because they are serving their country or community. And my wife agrees that it’s the man who makes the uniform, not the uniform that makes the man. What would you change about Cape May if you could? Besides the parking? Yeah, parking is a pain in the summer, but it’s a few months out of the year. You’ve got to take the good with the bad, and there’s just so much good here.

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   

Contact Jason at (609) 770-8479 or jason@exitzero.us exit zero

    

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GOOD HOUSEKEEPERS Call on Us for All Your Real Estate Needs! 501 LAFAYETTE STREET, CAPE MAY NJ 08204 TOLL FREE: 877-884-8907 • LOCAL 609-884-1007 FAX 609-884-4407 • WWW.WILSEYREALTY.COM

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my perfect day JIM ZEITLER, INNKEEPER, COLUMBIA HOUSE

Autumn chill in Cool Cape May

Y PERFECT day in Cape May begins like any other, waking up next to my beautiful wife, Laura. We both fell in love with Cape May 20 years ago, and we still love it. First on my to-do list is biking to the Point. A crisp, breezy bike ride past the farms and winery gives another perspective to our summer-fun beach town. Cruising down Sea Grove Avenue, admiring Lake Lily and enjoying the tranquility of the Alexander Avenue beach always reminds me that life is good! A quick peek at the concrete ship, and we’re ready to leave the peaceful beauty of the Point, riding our bikes to the “city.” As we roll into the historic district, I notice the streetlights on Beach Avenue are blinking... a happy day for any local!

The fall vibe is mellow, making breakfast at the Mad Batter even more relaxing. Or perhaps red velvet pancakes from the Pier House? Some decisions are just too hard. I even work a little – I check in and chat with our guests at the Columbia House, followed by a visit to Jersey Cape Realty’s office, where I’m told that all of my wonderful clients have had contracts submitted on their properties with full price offers! (Hey, this is my perfect day!) After hearing of my good fortune, I celebrate with friends at the YB Eat Place for lunch. Now it’s time to spend some of that money at the Washington Street Mall shops. The autumn decorations and smaller crowds are a treat as I stroll along, sipping my coffee and watching Laura spend large sums of money at the Free Shop. Then I jump on a whale watcher exit zero

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Fall Chill-out “Autumn and winter sunsets at the Cove are intense, with vibrant colors displayed on the backdrop of the lighthouse. Who needs Key West?” says innkeeper and realtor Jim Zeitler. Aleksey Moryakov

2011

cruise, because I know I’ll have a great chance of spotting one this time of year. And I see one! Off to Lucky Bones to enjoy a beverage and tell everyone about the 65-foot fish that got away… just like the rest of the guys at the bar. I’ll have to hurry to catch the magnificent sunset. Autumn and winter sunsets at the Cove are intense, with vibrant colors displayed on the backdrop of the lighthouse. Who needs Key West? Cape Mayans can watch that glowing ball melt into the water any time! The ramp at the end of Mt Vernon is where Laura and I will enjoy tonight’s show. One last thing: We pick up our kids, Zachary and Olivia, and unwind at Union Park with a first-class meal and a great bottle of wine. As my perfect day comes to an end, I realize… hmmm… I live in Cape May, so I’ll have another one tomorrow!

The Cape May Crossword SO YOU love crosswords and you love Cape May? Great. Sit down, get a cup (or glass) of your favorite beverage, relax and enjoy this puzzle. The answers to this crossword are all related to the holidays or content in this magazine. The solution can be found on our website, exitzero.us. Compiled by Jon Roth. ACROSS 3 . This is the name of an affable snowman, and a frozen drink at Wendy’s. 5. Hanukkah celebrates the victory of this group over the Seleucids. 7 . In Merry Deathmas, it’s up to this private eye to find out who’s been slaying innocents all over Cape May. 8 . In Victorian times, families gathered ’round the fire and told these spooky tales on Christmas Eve. 11 . The three wise men brought gold, myrrh and this to the baby Jesus. 15 . In his story, Scott Langdon explores the similarities between running a year-round business in Cape May and this. 17. This describes a spiced cookie, and the intricate wooden scrollwork found on many Victorian homes. 18 . This is a four-sided spinning top played with during Hanukkah. 20 . This charitable organization donates over $15,000 to local high school students every year. It’s one of six non-profits that are

profiled in this issue. 23 . This place is said to hold more pilgrim descendants than anywhere outside of Burial Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts. 24. She starred in Meet Me In St Louis, and was the first to sing “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” 25. In the stop-motion film Rudolph The RedNosed Reindeer, Rudy and his pals make a stop on the Island of ______ ____. DOWN 1 . According to birding expert Pete Dunne, our area has an extremely high concentration of this imposing, sagacious bird. 2 . It was this type of storm that ravaged Cape May in 1962. You can read all about it in Ben Miller’s historical piece. 4 . George Handel wrote this oratorio, commonly performed during the holidays – it features the instantly recognizable Hallelujah Chorus.

That tree’s not furry at all! 9 Down

6. If you’re snuggled in your bed, visions of these may dance in your head. exit zero

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9 . This German word for “fir tree” has been immortalized in a Christmas carol. 10 . Cape May Stage will offer a one-man show this season based on this popular Christmas film. 12 . He wrote The Night Before Christmas, but originally denied credit for it. 13. Her perfect day in Cape May wraps up with a lobster by the pool. 14 . Diane Stopyra’s piece on the holidays in Cape May mentions this New Year’s Eve bash at Congress Hall. 16 . This British romantic comedy, set during the holidays, features an all-star cast including Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley and Liam Neeson. 19 . This word refers to the hot, mulled cider drink carolers often received in exchange for their song. 21 . This is the liturgical season preceding Christmas. 22 . Counting that red-nosed latecomer Rudolph, Santa has a grand total of this many reindeer.

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