September Issue Part Two

Best of the Beach

A profile of our area’s most luxurious homes

to you? You are on the phone taking care of an important work-related matter, and all of a sudden, Fido has a barking fit, or one of your kids starts screaming about something, or the television is blaring. No such distractions here because your private study is located in a secluded area on the 1st floor. Even if you just need an hour one evening to get some serious work done, you could plot the takeover of a Fortune-500 company from this office sanctuary.

What A Pool!

One of the 1st floor bedrooms has sliding Andersen doors with access to the pool outside.

119 So. Sacramento Avenue, Ventnor, NJ NEW, BEACHFRONT HOME HAS EVERYTHING… INCLUDING A PRIVATE POOL, 5 BEDROOMS, 4,000 SQ. FT., AND A VIEW THAT RIVALS ANY RESORT. First, let’s talk about the location of this residence. It is on one of Ventnor’s most charmingly picture-perfect beach block streets imaginable. The address is 119 South Sacramento Avenue and this 4,000 square foot residence is located on a prime beachfront lot. This home, shown above, oozes cub appeal from the moment you drive up. Every signature element of the oh-soappealing beach front estate is in evidence here. Something special is evident here before you ever step inside. The outside is made of offwhite limestone with a maroon terracotta roof.

If you were teaching an architecture class on how to blend design, textures and materials you could use this house when it is time to go on a field trip. The owner spared no expense with the carefully orchestrated detailing and amenities found throughout this masterpiece.

Unique Design Elements If your anticipation is beginning to surge, wait until you step inside. Prepare for sensory overload. You step onto floors made from exotic materials like Coast Life Morning Dew, Hand-scraped antique Elm Cherry, and Ruby ironwood, as found in the 1st floor bedrooms and study. You’ll find rich marble in the laundry room as well as in the foyer. The flooring is so carefully orchestrated that you are left with the question, “Why hasn’t someone thought of this before?” Exquisite.

Tasteful. Remarkable.

The 1st floor has 2 bedrooms, 1 full bath, a study, laundry room and foyer. As you meander through the 1st floor, pay attention to some of the carefully orchestrated details like the flat screen TV’s throughout, as well as the full bath with Kohler and Grohe brands that are polished chrome. If you have teenage girls, the 1st floor is where they can host a slumber party, and if you have a college-bound student the separation provided can be a peacemaker given the odd hours they keep. Or if you have older relatives who will visit, but can’t climb stairs, the layout is private and accommodating.

Here is another elegant solution to a common business-related problem. Has this happened

32 | The Boardwalk Journal

And it should be noted here that this is not just a pool, it is a water element consisting of a saltwater pool with a deluxe therapeutic spa that is 162 square feet with 21 jets and a 10-foot waterfall, with a bench wrapped around the pool. If you need immediate access to the 2nd floor, there is an outside spiral staircase made of aluminum going from the pool deck to the 2nd floor. An ingenious detour for kids with wet feet. The pool is finished in magnificent Quartz and glass tile – fully remote controlled and with LED lighting.

This is a calming environment – a picturesque spot to write a letter, have a talk with a friend, or you can get lost in a book and take a nap. There is also an outside ½ bathroom in the pool area with a unique Stone Forest Chalice Vessel sink.

Each room, the outside deck, and pool area all have a built in audio system. You can truly fill this house with your favorite music – ideal for entertaining or creating a mood. Attention husbands. Live here, and you can do this for your wife. Use some kind of excuse to get her out of the house. Time it so she gets back just as the sun is going down over the ocean. She arrives to a lights-turned-down-low house.

She walks to the back where she sees that you have lined the pool with candles and flowers.

Relaxing music is playing. The table is set for a poolside dinner. Pour her a glass of champagne and ask her to dance.

There isn’t a detail missed in this home. Notice the rich American Cherry stairs with round cherry rails and glass panels as you move to the 2nd floor.

Magnificent and stunning in form and design. If you don’t feel like walking, or for elderly 1st floor boarders, there is the truly one-of-a-kind elevator.

This elevator has a wall made of windows, allowing for an interesting outside view.

Great Room Living As you arrive on the 2nd floor you’ll marvel at the spacious layout and design of the Great Room – which consists of the living room, dining room and family room. Dear reader, you have arrived

September 2009

at the center, the hub, for vibrant entertaining and fun. The 10 foot ceilings and open floor plan powerfully complement the stunning panoramic beach and ocean views. Open, airy, sun-drenched and comfortable. Stop here for a moment and close your eyes. If you listen intently enough you can hear the merry laughter and conversation of friends and family, along with the sound of ice swirling in the glasses.

Check This Out Time to wake up, because, in the case of this house, reality is even better than fantasy. Look up from the family room and you’ll discover the 3rd floor loft area overlooking the family room. You will notice there is also a bedroom on the 2nd level. Don’t forget to check out the wood floors -- they’re Colony Fiery Brown Maple hardwood. There’s also an exquisite Minka Aire ceiling fan, flat screen TV, and a balcony with ocean views on which to enjoy an afternoon tea or your favorite magazine.

A World-Class Kitchen Wait until you see the house when you are standing in the kitchen. This kitchen looks like something you see in a magazine spread.— definitely an area meant to be seen. Adorned with precious Tiger wood natural hardwood floors (matching the Living and Family rooms), as well as Ultracraft kitchen cabinets – thermo foil with solid wood drawers with motion glides—not to mention the rich granite countertop. There is also a 2nd level countertop supported by steel poles with chrome-plated finish which makes the kitchen area guestfriendly, and encourages them to participate while the meal is being prepared. You can talk, laugh, drink wine, chop and mix ingredients, then eat right in the kitchen. Thoughtful design allows electrical outlets to rise our of the granite countertops—a design bound to make visiting chefs green with envy. If that doesn’t do it, the world-class appliances, including a Bosch dishwasher, Sub Zero side-by-side with ice and water refrigerator, Sub Zero wine cooler, Wolf microwave, Wolf oven, Wolf warmer, Wolf gas range top with griddle—certainly will! Wonderful lighting throughout the top cabinets and underneath adds warmth and personality. Not to mention the ocean views!

Imagine starting mornings in the kitchen with the newspaper, fresh coffee and this lovely view.

When it’s time for formal dining, the dining room, adorned with granite floors, is just the right spot.

If you are finding an instant affection from the time you stepped into this home, it is no doubt due to the careful planning that goes into each and every inch of this 4,000 square foot masterpiece.

The full bathroom is breathtaking in form and design. The wall is part glass tile with Silk Blanco Expo walls and floors. Yes, that’s walls AND floors.

Treat yourself to the elegant shower with an upscale black pebble floor. The bathroom sink, faucet, shelf and vanity are all Kohler brand, and all part of the lauded Fountainhead collection.

In fact, the entire bathroom is accentuated with Kohler and Grohe brands. The shower has Water Tile Rain jets on the ceiling. There is a 54-nozzle body spray, all digitally controlled. When is the last time you took a shower with your sweetie? You will want to when you see this walk-in-shower masterpiece. When you need to spin a little slower, this rainforest setting will be your sanctuary.

September 2009

Not Just Another Master Suite The 3rd floor contains a master bedroom and bath, a guest bedroom with private, full bathroom, as well as a loft area overlooking the family room.. Even the loft area has its own hardwood floors—Macchiato Pecan, in this case. The master bedroom will also get high ratings. Gorgeous, traditional Bamboo floors, a flat screen TV, Minka Aire fan, and a Heat-n-Glo Cyclone System, remote-controlled fireplace make this master the perfect get-away after a long day at the office or on the beach.

throughout the master bath. The shower contains a hand shower as well as water tile rain jets on the ceiling, and a 54-nozzle body spray, all digitally controlled. There is also a Kohler sok overflowing bath with ceiling-mount bath filler. This is the perfect place to unwind

and recharge. His and her vanities with Kohler Conical Bell vessel sinks add to the luxury and decadence of this world-class master bath.

Also on the 3rd floor is a spacious guest bedroom with Hnd-Scr Bamboo floors, bamboo wallpaper, flat screen TV, as well as a balcony with ocean views. The bathroom is private to this bedroom. Check out the elegant bathroom Grohe shower system with body sprays. Also, the copper wall and pebble floor. There is a brick stone wall outside the shower. The 24‖ Stone Forest Bronze Vessel Sink adds to the decadent décor.

A Favorable Buy All in all, this home is truly a masterful work of art. There is multi-zone heating and air conditioning, 11 sliding doors to outside decks, a centrally monitored security system with smoke and heat detectors, a full garage with Travertine car port as well as plenty of parking space for 6 cars. The window treatments are top-of-the-line Hunter Douglas luminettes and silhouettes. Each floor has a built-in vacuum system in the walls, including a kitchen floor built in vacuum.

Here is a chance to make a favorable buy on a stunning one-of-a-kind beachfront property. The property is being offered at $3,700,000. The owner is represented by Paula Hartman of Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors at 609. 271.7337. Call today for your private showing!

The master bath is another work of art. Mosaic brick with slate flooring in the shower invite tired feet to luxuriate for a while. The Abete Bianco bamboo-looking ceramic walls are more than breathtaking. The ceramic floors actually appear to be hardwood, and may fool you. Kohler and Grohe brands are used

The Boardwalk Journal | 33

Time is Ticking Away!

Building and Maintaining Quality in Construction and Life with Chris Alexander

By Don P. Hurley If there’s one thing Chris Alexander knows besides building properties, its building relationships.

Chris is the owner and operator of C. Alexander Building and Maintenance Company in Ventnor, New Jersey. His company specializes in new and existing building projects, as well as an array of services to help his customers keep and maintain their properties.

I had the pleasure of meeting Chris in advance of this story and was immediately taken with his passion and enthusiasm, not just for business, but for life in general. And this is with good reason. Chris was fostered immediately at birth when his mother was not in a position to raise him, and for the first three years of his life he lived in no less than five different homes.

Between the ages of three and fifteen, Chris lived in fifteen different homes with assorted adults and children. He rarely stayed in any one place long enough to know where he would be spending the next holiday.

Living out of a suitcase would be rough for anybody, but Chris utilized his life experiences to pick himself up and to become self-sufficient, establishing a thriving building and maintenance company along the way.

Given all the turmoil and upheaval of his childhood, Chris remains firmly grounded and eternally optimistic. In spite of the everchanging family experience of his formative years, he seems genuinely appreciative of what life has given him.

Chris has been working since he was a nine year old boy in Atlantic City. At that time, he was employed by Mr. Pickens, doing any odd jobs the man would give him. He developed a work ethic and the firm belief that only he could make a life for himself. With dogged determination, Chris made his way through myriad jobs in bars, restaurants, delis, and construction companies.

Learning the building trade led Chris into an area of business that would become as big a part of him as anything else he had done before.

Chris learned that there were many people who needed someone to look after their needs after construction. Whether they were individuals with summer properties that needed tending in the winter months, or other homeowners who

34 | The Boardwalk Journal

just needed someone to help out with various projects, Chris was there to service their needs.

“There’s nothing we won’t do for our customers,” Chris said. “Whether someone needs a new home built, or repairs to their existing properties, or someone to look after or stock their homes with food, we’re there for them.”

It’s been twenty years since Chris began his business of building and maintenance, and the maintenance part of things has become the busiest segment of his company. “No two days are ever the same, and that’s the fun of it,” said Chris. “You never know what the next call will be for help or service, so it really keeps things fresh and exciting.”

C. Alexander Building and Maintenance Company offers all building, construction, and maintenance services with an emphasis on the service. Its owner demands and delivers.

Chris is now married with a son attending college. His pride in being part of a family is visible - the complete family that he never had as a young person. This warmth and feeling transcends into his business practices, and this was evident as I watched Chris interacting with customers and fellow employees.

As we were closing out our interview, I asked Chris if he had ever reached out to meet the mother he never knew, the woman who had given him up for adoption as a newborn.

“I finally met my mother when I was thirty years old,” he said. “At that point, we were both reaching out for one another. We knew it was time that we should meet.”

There is no bitterness in Chris Alexander, no feeling of abandonment. He genuinely seems to understand that his mother did what she felt she had to do at the time. And he seems sincerely happy to have now made the connection with his birth mother. In fact, he’ll be seeing her again the first week of September for a family reunion.

It’s safe to say that Chris Alexander has lived many lives already, and he appears as happy as a man can be, helping others and being part of a close-knit family.

It seems to be his best life yet.

Chris Alexander can be reached at (609) 823-9200, 125 N. Lafayette Avenue in Ventnor, New Jersey, or calexanderllc@verizon.net

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Time is slipping away, and so is the summer.

This means that there are only three months left until the November 30, 2009 deadline for the Often imitated, $8,000 New Homebuyer never duplicated: Top area realtor tax credit. Settlements Paula Hartman must occur prior to that date to take advantage of it. By definition, however, the very homebuyers who this credit is targeting may be novices at the process.

So Boardwalk Journal reached out to Paula Hartman of Prudential Fox & Roach’s Hartman Home Team to help clarify the tax credit and to give some guidance to folks wading into the real estate market for what may well be the first time in their lives.

The tax credit is specifically designed for firsttime homebuyers. Are you eligible? And what’s the rush? Here’s what Paula says: • W ho is eligible to claim this 2009 tax credit? Paula tells us that only first-time homebuyers are eligible, but this is defined loosely. “If you haven’t had any ownership interest in a home in the last three years prior to the day of your 2009 purchase, then you’re considered eligible,” she said.

• How does a tax credit work? “I’m not an accountant,” Paula cautioned, “but the way it was explained to me, every dollar of a tax credit reduces income taxes by a dollar.

The credits are claimed on your individual income tax return. So you would fill out all your exemptions and make the necessary calculations to figure your taxes due. Then, once the total tax owed is calculated, the tax credits are applied to reduce that tax bill. If you have a total tax liability of $10,000, an $8,000 credit would leave a balance due of $2000. There are a number of exceptions and stipulations that you’ll want to address with your accountant or bookkeeper.

But basically, the tax credit is equal to ten percent of the home’s purchase price, up to a maximum of $8,000.”

• Are there any income restrictions? “I’m glad you asked that,” Paula said. “There are, and they’re based on your tax filing status. If you’re filing as single or Head of Household, you’re eligible if your income is no more than $75,000 a year. However, if you’re married and you file a joint return, then your combined income can be up to $150,000 per year.”

• There was a tax credit last year, in 2008, that had to be repaid. Is this one like that?

“The good news is NO!” Paula told us. “In 2008, that “credit” was little more than an interest-free loan. This one doesn’t have to be paid back.”

• How is the credit claimed? Do homebuyers have to fill out a form or application? Paula assured us that the process is so easy that…well; even her husband could do it. “You just claim the tax credit on your Federal tax return,” she said.

“You have to complete the IRS Form 5405 to determine your tax credit amount, and then you claim this amount on Live 67 of the 1040 return for 2009. And that’s it. No other forms or applications are required.

It’s that easy, assuming that you qualify for the credit under the income limits and you pass the first time homebuyer test.”

• We keep hearing the term ‘principal residence’. What exactly is that? “The principal residence is where you spend most of your time,” Paula explained. “The term includes single-family housing, condos, townhomes, or any similar type of new or existing dwelling.”

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So that’s it in a nutshell. The credit is for homebuyers who haven’t owned a principal residence in the past three years. It doesn’t have to be repaid. It’s equal to ten percent of the home’s purchase up to a maximum of $8,000. You have to buy the home on or after January 1, 2009, and you have to close on it before November 30, 2009. Single and Head of Household taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 qualify, and so do married couples with a joint income up to $150,000.

Paula also pointed out that interest rates continue to be at record low levels, and that makes pursuing the tax credit even more affordable. “It’s a great time buy,” she said. “You shouldn’t let this important deadline slip away.

And you should keep in mind that Truth in Lending laws require a waiting period of at least seven business days between the day disclosures are received and the day of settlement, so that adds to your timeframe. In addition, a buyer must receive the disclosures within three business days of applying for a loan. So these new restrictions will impact the settlement date of all purchases.”

Tick…tick…tick.

Paula Hartman and the Hartman Home Team of Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors, 822-4200 x134 or 609.271.7737

September 2009

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The Boardwalk Journal | 35

Simply

By Tina Leonard

Dee-Light-Ful

Well, there we were, my husband and I. We were about to become what our serious boating friends call ‘boat show victims’.

Over dinner, my husband announced that he wanted a boat!

While he talked of things like making memories with our children and grandchildren, I was half-listening as my head started to spin with all the design possibilities a boat could offer. It soon became apparent that our respective visions of boating were completely different. My husband was thinking of fishing rods and radar equipment, and I was dreaming of pillows. The discussion soon shifted to the type of boat we would look for. To me, a bathroom seemed reasonable. I also wanted a place to get out of the sun and read, so a cabin would be good. My husband stressed that we should be focusing on the engine size and ample seating, reminding me that with a boat, practicality rules. It soon became obvious that my husband and I were on totally different wavelengths.

We gathered our grown sons, our daughtersin-law, and our grandchildren, and off to the boat show we went. We had wandered into a Sea Ray showroom on an earlier occasion and had boarded everything from the practical to the sublime. Hopefully, we could agree on something in between.

If you’ve never gone, the boat show is a well-orchestrated event that makes buying a boat hard to resist. The marketing is genius! There are photos of families, not to mention the family pet, all gathered together, smiling gleefully aboard ‘the boat’.

Arriving at the boat show, we all scattered in different directions. We were amazed by the size and amenities that some of the boats offered. The larger boats made my requests for a bathroom and small cabin seem downright sensible.

We soon gravitated to a model we had seen earlier in the Sea Ray showroom. It had a small bathroom, a small cabin, and enough seating for our family. It was the end of the season and the price would be negotiable. We suddenly looked like that family in the picture - minus the dog, who was at home sleeping on the bed. We held our breath while my husband went off to do the negotiating. He came back saying that it looked good, but perhaps we should sleep on it. Then our daughter-in-law shared with my husband that some of the happiest memories of her childhood were fishing with her grandfather, and the deal was sealed. The negotiations stopped and we were the proud owners of a 25-foot Sea Ray Amberjack.

We celebrated with the kids, toasting our new purchase, longing for summer’s return.

Then we went home and reality set in. We realized that we knew nothing about boats.

We’d both grown up at the beach, but our experience was limited to sand with the occasional dip in the ocean.

Fear started to overtake us as true boaters began to tell us that we were out of our league. The consensus was that we should have gone for a smaller boat since we know nothing about boating and the water. Advice started to flow freely, as did the installment payments for the boat. We now needed to think about a dock, storage, insurance, and the price of fuel.

While my husband signed up for boating courses, I started to plan my decor for the cabin. Since the boat was black, tan, and cream, I had endless options to bring in color. I kept thinking tropical, so I decided to introduce coral, brown, and lime green. I chose Sunbrella fabrics, knowing their durability in sunlight and their

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resistance to damp conditions. Pillows, throws, books on the Jersey Shore, batteryoperated beeswax candles, wooden shells, and starfish were now ready to dress the cabin once the boat arrived.

We counted down the months until the end of March when our boat would officially go in the water. March would be good, my husband said. We could practice docking before summer came.

The boat was now ready to board, and I quickly went to work executing my design for the cabin, thrilled with the cozy result.

My husband hooked up gadgets and made charts with maps. We were ready to go!

Time passed, and most days and nights found us sitting on the boat, looking at each other, not wanting to admit that we were both scared to death to untie the ropes. Him being the captain made sense, but me being the first mate was downright frightening.

We choose the name Dee-Light-Ful, finally set sail - and we have not looked back.

Never could we have imagined the true memories we were about to make. Our ocean excursions introduced us to families of dolphins, seals, and birds we had never seen before. Suddenly, a whole new world revealed itself to us. Soon we were coming home to share with our family the stories of dolphins surrounding our boat and showing off their babies as they weaved in and out of our wake. We would turn the engine off so they wouldn’t get hurt, and then the real show would begin. Their water display was amazing and the more we squealed with awe, the more they seemed to offer. We would run home to look on the

Kay DiGiacinto and Ann Leonard aboard Dee-Light-Ful

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ujob!mfpobse !qipof!71:/712/1664 !effefdpsAbpm/dpn As we entered the ocean my husband and I both looked at each other, hoping to share with our moms all the dolphin wonders we had experienced. We passed through Ocean City, Longport, Margate, finally arriving in Ventnor, and there they were! It was as if they knew we were coming.

The show they provided for us was simply amazing.

Our moms ran from side to Interior cabin of Dee-Light-Ful side, watching the dolphins computer and learn all we could about their dance. When it was over, my existence. Never wanting to interfere with mother-in-law wiped tears from her cheeks. nature, we respected the fact that we were She finally had seen her dolphins. in their space - but how wonderful to have a We laughed that the boat should have been front row seat! named ‘The Dolphin Finder’ because they My husband’s eighty-year-old mother was seem to come whenever we’re around. Our fascinated by our adventures. She would latest meeting was just a few weeks ago as tease my husband that dolphins really we passed the Margate Pier, only to see didn’t exist, since she had spent a lifetime a dolphin on the starboard side with the standing on the boardwalk hoping to catch number 56 printed on its dorsal fin. He a glimpse of one, only to be disappointed glided along with us for quite a while as we time after time. So on a gorgeous afternoon, looked with fascination at his numbered fin. we boarded the boat with my mother-in- Dolphin 56 seemed a little different from law and my mom (who was a spry 89) and the other dolphins we had seen. He was out to sea we went.

September 2009

alone, and when his body arced out of the water and he looked at us, I thought I could see wisdom in his eyes. He was quite the gentleman as he followed us, appearing to enjoy our company as much as we did his.

Once home, we quickly entered our dolphin sighting with the number 56 into the computer. We were thrilled to learn that we had just met a 45 year old legend!

My husband called the Marine Mammal Stranding Center and our sighting was logged. They were happy to hear that Dolphin 56 was still swimming our local waters and appeared healthy.

When all was said and done, yes, we were boat victims. And no, we never quite looked like the family in those boat ads. Our grandson suffered terribly from sea sickness and our golden retriever fell into the water while trying to board the boat, only to be pulled out by four men. But truth be told, we wouldn’t trade a moment of it. It was well worth our trip to the Boat Show! Ahoy!

Tina Leonard is a decorator and proprietor of Dee Decor & Design.

She resides with her family in Linwood.

All photos provided by Tina Leonard

The Boardwalk Journal | 37

Dolphin ‘56’: Who Are You? I’ve always loved dolphins. From growing up watching the TV show Flipper in its first run, to visiting SeaWorld and DisneyWorld in Orlando many years later, I’ve always had an affinity for these interesting and beautiful creatures.

I recently learned of a very famous mammal named Dolphin 56. Dolphin 56 is a wondrous bottle-nosed creature whose legend has continued to grow since the original date of his capture by scientists of the SeaWorld Institute in the Indian River Lagoon in northeast Florida.

On August 28, 1979, this team of marine biologists captured five dolphins for purposes of tagging them and studying their habits. They were named with numbers from 55 through 59. The dolphins were “freeze-branded” with a brass iron that had been super-cooled in liquid nitrogen. In the case of our storied creature, the number ‘56’ was permanently placed on both sides of his dorsal fin.

At the time of his capture, Dolphin 56 was no different from any other dolphin. Until 1986, he stayed put in the Florida lagoon where he was tracked, and even re-captured on a handful of occasions, to study his growth, condition, and other habits. In the early days, Dolphin 56 teamed up with another dolphin who he hung out with for several years, and then he went out on his own. It’s uncommon for this species of dolphin to go solo as Dolphin 56 desired to do. Dolphins generally travel in pairs, or perhaps groups of three, known as alliances. A fond name associated with this type of mammal and its behavior is ‘Lone Ranger’. It’s not completely known how or why it develops, whether by accident, through outcasting by the species for some reason, or for some personal choice.

For unknown reasons, Dolphin 56 decided to go it alone in the dolphin world, and he proceeded to adopt the human race as his choice of company and personal contact. Sometime in the mid 1980’s, he began to approach boats, cargo ships, and other vessels to beg for food and personal touch, such as a pat on the head.

For the rightly-situated boat, with its engines down or turned off, Dolphin 56 would rise up and peer directly over the side or transom at unsuspecting riders of the sea.

It’s believed that at this point, Dolphin 56 put together an act of flips, tail-walking, and other acrobatic maneuvers that he would perform

38 | The Boardwalk Journal

in exchange for food from his loyal audiences of sailors. Dolphin 56 was quickly earning a title from those who knew of his legend: the ‘Ambassador of the Atlantic’.

In the 1990’s, this adorable creature began making his way up and down the East coast, performing his aquatic act for those who were now either actively seeking him, or encountering his grace and beauty by sheer happenstance. This is another behavior considered rare in the species. Scientists who have tracked bottlenose dolphins have learned that few travel far during their lifetimes.

There have been many sightings of Dolphin 56 through the years, and while he’s become quite a legendary mammal, there still remains a bit of mystery about him. Many fisherman and

By Don P. Hurley

announcingSHORE TOMORROW

THE CAMPAIGN FOR SHORE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

all recent accounts report that Dolphin 56 is in very good health and full in size. He’s been observed with the effects of a probable broken jaw that occurred somewhere through the years, and he’s believed to be missing half his teeth. But other than, he’s been looking fine.

I spoke with James Leonard, Sr., a retired Atlantic City policeman who inspired this story, about Dolphin 56 last week. Jimmy is one of the few who have ever personally observed him. The encounter occurred while he was boating with his wife, Tina, in the vicinity of the Margate Fishing Pier two weeks ago.

“I thought I was seeing things when he got close enough and we noticed the number ‘56’ stamped on his fin. The crazy thing is, I had a digital camera and video right in the boat, but I couldn’t look away from him to go get them. I was mesmerized,” said Leonard Sr.

Jimmy Leonard had never heard of Dolphin 56 before and had no way of knowing that he and his wife were witnessing a piece of history and Image by NJsaltwaterfisherman.com something few have ever seen. “If I had known the history, I would certainly have gotten some pictures, other boating enthusiasts have set sail in search but it all happened so fast,” he said. of him, their own ‘white whale’ of sorts, not in hope of capturing the physical body of Dolphin I immediately wanted to go back out with the 56, but rather by recording him on film or video. Leonard family and try to find this magnificent By all accounts, if you’re one of the lucky few to creature again. I wanted to do what no one has encounter Dolphin 56, you’ll spend an inordinate ever done before: get him on video. There are some still shots of Dolphin 56, but no one has amount of time trying to see him again. ever captured him moving. But I had forgotten The most interesting aspect of this unique the cardinal rule of Dolphin 56. As seafarers creature is that he engages you, not the other say, you don’t find him. He chooses to find and way around. He’ll make himself known to you if interact with you. you’ve followed his rules - that is to say, if you’ve turned your engines down or off, and possibly As a friend of mine said the other day, made known your ability to feed him after he encountering Dolphin 56 is a rarity, like seeing performs his famous act for you. It should be a friendly Loch Ness monster. Or maybe it’s noted here that it’s illegal to feed mammals like finding your own rainbow or unicorn. It’s in the wild, and boats are very dangerous for a big ocean out there, after all. You can only creatures such as these who place their trust in hope that if one day you’re on the waters of human beings. There’s always the potential for the Atlantic, you may be among the lucky few the dolphin being hit, or making contact with chosen by Dolphin 56, as the Leonard family was in Margate just two weeks ago. the blades while interacting with you.

Dolphin 56 was twelve years old when he was It seems to me that Flipper has some first captured in 1979. That makes him 42 competition for the affection and imagination years old today, and that, too, is remarkable. of the human race. Hopefully, Dolphin 56 will The species has a general life expectancy of make the one thousand mile journey back to between 20 and 25 years, with a maximum us next year. range between 35 and 50 years. This puts our I’ll be waiting with my camera and video in hand. boy right here in the twilight of his life, although

September 2009

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unique surroundings. In that respect, maybe the casinos and The Walk aren’t much different - they’re both focused on human nature when it comes to finances. We love and always will pursue the idea of money for nothing, and its human nature, too, to want to spend as little as possible of we had to work our tails off to earn.

Atlantic City is the empress of money for nothing.

And captured within its streets is this Mecca that enables us to part with that money gently and enjoy ourselves tremendously in the process.

by beverly bird They said it would never fly - not in Atlantic City where excitement, enthusiasm, and quality are rumored to stop once a visitor sets foot out of our casinos. Aren’t we the town that sent two independent professional sports teams limping toward the Expressway with empty wallets in hand? Nonetheless, the Cordish Company of Baltimore, Maryland and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority were not intimidated. They hatched the crazy scheme that they could create a shopping Mecca here, something well above and beyond the scope of the average American mall, that they could plunk it down right smack dab in the hustle and heat of the city’s midtown district, and it would actually draw in hometown folks and visitors as well, even those with no interest in gambling.

Guess what? They were right.

The fruition of their plan - Atlantic City Outlets, The Walk - lays claim to more than a dozen city blocks beginning at the end of the Atlantic City Expressway and extending to Trump Plaza, Caesars, and Bally’s Casinos.

And it’s not only flying. It’s thriving.

40 | The Boardwalk Journal

Where once there was a local diner on Michigan Avenue that served the best ham and cabbage I’ve ever eaten (but was way short on class and atmosphere) now stretches a scenic scape that both pulls from the city and gives back to it.

It doesn’t jar visitors tunneling into town from the Expressway who happen to glance to their left, although first-timers may well expect to see something else here entirely, something much less enticing. The Walk is like a little city unto itself, merging with the rest of the urban sprawl and improving it even before the visitor’s gaze lifts to all those casinos up ahead.

Kim Butler, General Manager of Atlantic City Outlets for the Cordish Company, pointed out that The Walk isn’t just about shopping, great prices, and great brands. Cordish and the CRDA have created an environment. “The sidewalks are extra wide,” she said. “Then there are the wave patterns, and the painstaking details of the landscaping. We get compliments on the landscaping from throughout the city.

Everyone waits to see what we’re doing before starting their own projects.”

The end result is excitement – single story buildings shaken up a bit with a series of twostory masonry facades, with the rest wisely left to the venders: colorful signs, storefronts, and endless shopping opportunities.

In 1910, Teddy Roosevelt famously pronounced, “If you build it, they will come.”

People are doing just that at The Walk, and they’re doing it in droves. They come with families, in couples, and with friends. Butler said that she’s discovered that men actually prefer this outdoor shopping experience to being cooped up in the average mall. “They’ll come with their girlfriends, with their wives, with their children. It’s not just a matter of going shopping. They make a day of it.”

It doesn’t hurt that the venders are, to a name, all nationally and internationally known retailers. Tourists may first be drawn to Atlantic City because they want to gamble, but the success of The Walk tells us that people really love to shop, too, and they’ll come here to do it. The Walk offers quality merchandise at a good dollar in appealing,

September 2009

For the most part, these are outlet stores. What this means is that the venders offer top brand name merchandise at discounted prices. To some extent, these stores serve as clearing houses for merchandise from the venders’ main hubs that for one reason or another did not clear the floor the first time around.

And this is not a bad thing. The main hubs are glued to a seasonal schedule. In July, when we’re finally getting around to freeing money up from the budget to buy a swimsuit, we head to the main hubs and we find that their floors are already decorated with fall fashions. Merchandisers are necessarily married to the season ahead of them by the laws of sales. But that doesn’t mean that what didn’t sell before the season change wasn’t absolutely great. It just means that those swimsuits have to go elsewhere to make room for the fall fashions. And it certainly doesn’t mean that you have to go slumming to find those swimsuits, not now that The Walk is here. You can relax, dine, have an espresso, and browse, all in the finest style.

That’s not to say that The Walk’s vendors only offer yesterday’s news. On the contrary, they carry everything that their main hubs are carrying as well. There’s merchandise available here that can only elsewhere be found by traveling to New York or Philadelphia.

Butler believes that one of the keys to The Walk’s success is that its outlet stores are a “destination within a destination”. The Cordish Company and the CRDA have provided visitors with another type of destination - top brand outlet stores - inside of the draw of Atlantic City. “We’ve really created an opportunity for people to want to come into Atlantic City,” said Butler. “Here are brand names that people can’t get anywhere else without driving an hour or two. And now visitors from out of state can take the train, and it will drop them off right here at our doorstop.”

So you can travel to Philadelphia or New York and drop top dimes for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger or Perry Ellis, or you spend half of what you might have

there and come to The Walk, where you can make an occasion of your day in the process. The marquis of names here is truly impressive: Aeropostale, American Eagle, Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Calvin Klein, Eddie Bauer, Liz Claiborne, and Polo, to name just a few. There are retailers who cater to kids: OshKosh and The Children’s Place. There are shoe stores and specialty items, including Yankee Candle.

There are accessories, jewelry, and luggage.

As I was scouting the internet in preparation for this story, I found some very telling posts on Yelp.com.

“Definitely a breath of fresh air,” said Andy H. of Brooklyn. “When I arrived in AC two years ago, I was shocked to see this place. It is a few streets of all the best shopping.”

Winnie from Charlestown, Massachusetts, said, “The blocks seem very lively because of the proximity of the stores to each other, yet it doesn’t feel cramped.”

That, I think, would be courtesy of those extra-wide sidewalks that Butler mentioned.

Harper J. from Cherry Hill posted, “The Outlets just keep growing and growing. Each visit, there is something new. Great stores. Great deals.”

“It really does make the city look a lot nicer in that area,” said Daniel from Ventnor.

Apparently people who don’t necessarily blog and post their thoughts on the internet also agree. Last year The Walk was voted the Best Shopping District in South Jersey Magazine’s Best of the Shore 2008 edition.

What this means is that more than a million readers contributed their thoughts, votes, and say-so on the topics of dining and shopping, and The Walk was top dog in their opinions. Not bad for a project that few believed could work here.

Butler credits the visionaries who conceived the idea for The Walk in the first place - Cordish and the CRDA. “CRDA had long wanted to do something that would connect the Convention Center to the Boardwalk,” she said. “They talked to several developers who, for one reason or another, were not able to execute.

Cordish’s prowess is their ability to go into urban areas that are underperforming and turn things around.”

At the time of The Walk’s official grand opening in 2004, the Cordish Company offered more than thirty retail outlets and restaurants. Phase II launched two years ago, in the summer of 2007, and brought in even more top names, the likes of J. Crew, Nike, Adidas, and Skechers. A year later, in 2008, the St. John Company Store arrived.

“We now have a hundred factory outlets and restaurants,” Butler said. “Three new stores just opened in July. The New England Hot Dog Company is a brand new franchise and it has a local owner. America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses has opened and it’s one of the first service-type establishments that we’ve been able to introduce. A Donna Karan New York store has also opened. Even in this economy, we’ve attracted some phenomenal companies.” Cordish is hoping to make some announcements soon regarding Phase III of the development, which will add even more retail stores and which they hope will be a great compliment to the new CRDA garage.

OPEN 7 AM

The Walk has the singular distinction of being the only outlet mall in South Jersey, and in Atlantic County. It covers a gross leasable area of over 440,000 square feet.

What it offers that outlet malls in other areas simply cannot compete with is the experience it gives buyers. Here you can you shop ‘til you drop, then top off your day with a visit to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, voted “Best Steakhouse at the Jersey Shore” by MyFoxPhilly.com. There’s also The Melting

Pot, Amici Pizza, an Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesday, the Longhorn Steakhouse, and Cavo Crepe Café. If you just want to sit for awhile and chow down in your jeans, if you don’t feel up to anything fancy, The Walk also offers New England Hot Dog, a full service Subway, and Auntie Anne’s. Need a cup of prime coffee? The Walk has a Starbucks.

Butler said that The Walk has spurred a whole new side of the education process as well.

Atlantic Cape Community College has now launched a retail training program in response to Atlantic City’s need for qualified retail help, which began at The Walk.

Gift certificates can be purchased at the Mall Management office at 1931 Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City, and they’re good for every store in the mall. Keep it in mind as the holidays approach. I can’t think of anything a woman would love more than to be turned loose on The Walk with money to burn. As for you guys, there’s plenty here to keep you occupied while she enjoys herself, and I’m betting she’ll reward you.

H.E.R.O.’S Throughout southern New Jersey, the green T-shirts of Harrah’s H.E.R.O.’s have become a familiar and welcome sight lately to non-profit groups, civic organizations, and charitable events.

The acronym stands for “Harrah’s Entertainment Reaching Out”, a dedicated team of members from Harrah’s Entertainment’s four Atlantic City properties and the Atlantic City Country Club.

These people donate their time and talents with the singular goal of making their communities better places to live.

Harrah’s H.E.R.O.’s feeding the homeless at Sister Jean’s Kitchen in Atlantic City

Boogie Nights, the ultimate 70s and 80s Dance Club at Resorts Casino Hotel, to become the grooviest venue for high school & college class reunions, corporate events and private parties.

ATLANTIC CITY OUTLETS – THE WALK

Ph: (609) 344-1080

NOW OPEN

NE HOTDOG EXPRESS ATLANTIC CITY, NJ

Right next to the Harley Davidson store!

DOLLAR DOG NIGHT EVERY MONDAY 4 PM-CLOSING

42 | The Boardwalk Journal

September 2009

Harrah’s H.E.R.O.’s helping to clean the Boys and Girls Club

In 2008, Harrah’s H.E.R.O.’s contributed over 4,000 hours to the betterment of our communities.

That’s the equivalent of 166 complete days – nearly six months – of volunteerism.

Harrah’s H.E.R.O.’s have prepared and served food at Sister Jean Webster’s Kitchen in Atlantic City. They’ve collected food and stocked shelves for the Community Food Bank and strolled the Ocean City Boardwalk in support of the American Heart Association. They were on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, too, to support the Alzheimer’s Association. They cleaned up Fisherman’s Park in Atlantic City on Arbor Day, served Thanksgiving

“Party planners will also be able to generate additional buzz for their events on our social media network myresortscasino.com,” added McSweeney. “As part of their package, we will create a designated forum at which attendees can RSVP for the party, see others that are planning to attend, and chat with one another about the upcoming event.”

A Burger’s Worst Nightmare!

2014 Baltic Ave., Atlantic City, NJ

“Giving back to our communities is something we take seriously,” said Joe Domenico, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Caesar’s Atlantic City and Bally’s Atlantic City. “It’s the first thing that’s mentioned in the Code of Commitment that our company enacted nearly a decade ago.”

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – August 25, 2009.

Resorts Casino Hotel’s Boogie Nights Dance Club - the nightclub that brings the ultimate 70s and 80s party to Atlantic City every weekend announced that it is opening its doors as a venue for class reunions and private parties.

“If you graduated high school or college in the 70’s or 80’s, Boogie Nights would be the ideal venue for your class reunion because the theme, decor and music are already built in,” said Kathleen McSweeney, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Resorts Casino Hotel. “All the signature features that make Boogie Nights a great party every weekend will be available for these reunions and private events. Party-goers will instantly be brought back in time, reminding them of all the fun they had back in high school or college.

September 2009

Boogie Nights celebrates the music, style and pop culture of the 70s and 80s. The retro theme is reflected in every aspect of the club, making guests feel as if they have been transported back in time from the moment they enter. Boogie Nights DJs play only the best dance mixes from the 70s and 80s. All Boogie Nights staff is dressed in retro styles, from afros to polyester to platform shoes. The Boogie Nights Dancers consist of sexy go-go dancers, pop and lockers, and hula hoopers. Boogie Nights “characters” include Mr. Boogie the emcee, Roller Girl the pig-tailed roller skating beauty, the Michael Jackson impersonator who performs perfectly lip synched and choreographed numbers by the 80’s era “King of Pop,” and Lucy Diamond, the eight foot tall stilt walking disco diva in white.

Boogie Nights features retro-style furniture surrounding its signature feature, a lit up dance floor that pulsates and changes colors with the music. The spectacular light show consists of a variety of colors and movements reflected off the giant mirror disco ball.

dinner to the homeless, and spruced up the Atlantic County Women’s Shelter.

“OurH.E.R.O.’saretheheartandsoulofourcompany,” said Jay Snowden, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Harrah’s Resort and Showboat The Mardi Gras Casino. “Many times, they’ll put in a full day of work at one of our properties, and then spend another four hours or more volunteering at a community project.”

Harrah’s H.E.R.O.’s program is a company-wide initiative. Collectively, the H.E.R.O.’s have volunteered hundreds of thousands of hours and raised millions of dollars, all for the betterment of the communities where their company operates and where its team members live.

In addition to class reunions, Boogie Nights welcomes corporate events and private parties of all kinds, with packages for every budget. Many of the Boogie Nights characters will be available for private events on an a la carte basis. Party planners can choose from a variety of décor and audio/visual options, including customized video loops on the club’s video walls and television screens, a designated videographer and/or photographer, confetti cannons, bubble machines, and more. Planners will have a variety of food and beverage options to choose from so they can create an unforgettable event. Boogie Nights will be available seven days a week.

Events on Fridays and Saturdays will be available until 10pm.

Those interested in booking or finding out more information about booking a private event at Boogie Nights can call the Boogie Nights hotline at 609.340.7698.

Boogie Nights is located on the Dining Level between The Ballroom and Capriccio. Doors open at 9 pm every Friday and Saturday. Table reservations, VIP seating and bottle service available. To reserve a VIP table, guests can call the Boogie Nights Hotline at 609.340.7698.

For more information, contact Brian Cahill or Alicia McMackin at 609.340.6432, or David Pena at 917.690.8144.

The Boardwalk Journal | 43

Positivity In Business

Chart a New Course

By Gary Hill Community Relations (MBCA)

We all know that these are tough economic times for small and large businesses, and we need to readjust our attitudes and become more positive! Positive thinking, planning, and responding can help businesses survive these economic blues. We all know that things are bad and that things need to change, but being consistently negative and depressed about it doesn’t help the outcome. Sometimes you can’t do too much about outside forces, but you can try to promote a positive and uplifting attitude within the workplace, with your fellow employees/colleagues and your customers.

No one wants to go out for a romantic or family dinner and see sad faces on the staff or managers. You’re spending hard-earned money in their establishment, so they ought to put smiles on their faces and do their jobs with professionalism and positivity.

When you go out to purchase new clothing or furniture, you want the salespeople to be courteous and helpful, not stressed about economic problems.

Instead of complaining about how bad things are, consider telling customers

WELCOME

how you’ve streamlined your business or became more efficient in an effort to provide them with a better product for a lesser fee. Make your customers aware that your staff and your management team are working tighter than ever to survive these hard times. You might even get some new ideas or suggestions from them.

Positive reinforcement goes a long way toward making your customers feel welcome. They have a right to feel appreciated. They should feel happy about buying your product or patronizing your casino, hotel, restaurant, or business. A thank you and a positive attitude go a long way!

The”main street press” also has a responsibility to report not only the bad news and the horrible outlooks, though they do that well. They also need to report the good things that are happening, and the positive approaches to success that many people and businesses are attempting. We all need to be more positive about Atlantic City, our casino industry, and the average hard worker who helps make South Jersey run smoothly.

Positivity can grow in the workplace, in the home, and in personal and working relationships. Don’t be a “naysayer”. Be a

TO

Set sail with Atlantic Cape for a successful career.

“YES sayer”. It’s easy to complain, but try a little positivity in your business and home life instead. It will benefit you in so many healthful and financial ways! So give it a try.

What do you have to lose?

• Over 45 transfer & career associate degrees • Culinary arts and casino career programs • Short-term and customized training • 11 degrees through distance learning

Here at the Metropolitan Business and Citizens Association (MBCA), a non-profit civic/business organization in existence for nineteen years, we try to be positive in all our correspondences to members and to our communities. Check out our summer newsletter online and see how positive we are about education, business, and the Greater Atlantic City region. We have over 750 members, small and large businesses, casinos, non-profits, and residents. Great networking is available at all our events, and we also try to give back to our community. We’ve donated over $200,000 since our inception to area charities and events, thanks to the generosity of our members and to friends of MBCA. We thank them for their continued help. Have a Great Summer Ending!

Learning for

Life www.atlantic.edu

Mays Landing • Atlantic City • Cape May Court House

More information about MBCA is available at www.mbcanj.com.

ACCC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution

ATLANTIC CITY

To all our Atlantic City visitors, the members of UNITE HERE! Local 54, the hotel and restaurant employees union, extend a warm and sincere welcome. The members of UNITE HERE! Local 54 are professionals in Atlantic City’s hospitality industry and we take our responsibility of making you feel welcome and comfortable very seriously. We hope that your stay here will be enhanced by good service and, if you’d like to reward an employee for that good service, here are a few guidelines you may wish to consider.

Bartenders & Cocktail Waitresses:

Most casinos offer free drinks to players at tables and slot machines. A tip of $1-$2 is the norm for good service.

If you get a round of drinks (four or more), you might add a few extra dollars.

Bell Captain, Bellman & Doorman:

The usual tip is $1-$2 per bag. The bell and door staff are also a valuable source of information and can perform many services, such as arranging for shows or travel, so tipping an extra $5 is not unreasonable. Also, give $1 or $2 to the doorman who calls a cab for you.

Maids/Housekeepers:

$2 a day per person is suggested, usually left at the end of your visit.

Showroom Servers:

$5 to $10 for a party of two to four at a cocktail show only; $10-$20 for a dinner show for the same size group depending on service.

We thank

Showroom Maitre d’s & Ushers:

In a few showrooms where seating is not reserved but remains at the discretion of the Maitre d’, a tip of $5 to $20 helps you get your desired seating. You might want to tip the usher a few dollars ($2-$5) for his or her courtesy even if you have pre-assigned seating.

Restaurant & Room Service:

Waiters and waitresses usually receive 15-20% of the bill, depending on the service.

Valet Parking Attendants:

A tip of $1-$2 each time the attendant takes or brings your car is appreciated.

you for staying with us and hope that our service encourages a return visit in the near future.

Buffet Severs:

A few dollars per person for drink service and busing the table during the meal is appreciated.

A CENTURY OF EXCELLENCE

UNITE HERE! LOCAL 54 September 2009

The Boardwalk Journal | 45

Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery The newest of the South Jersey wineries, Hawk Haven opened the doors to its tasting room in May of 2009. But don’t let their newness fool you. Owners Todd and Kenna Wuerker have been growing grapes on their family farm for the past twelve years, selling their fruit to other wineries to produce blends.

Who Needs Napa?

By Danielle Davies

S

everal years ago, I lived in San Francisco.

Whenever family and friends would visit me, we’d spend a day touring the incredible California wineries of Napa and Sonoma Counties.

It was a reasonably inexpensive way to spend an unforgettable day.

Bay, both of which provide a temperate growing climate for vines in our region. By moderating land temperature and preventing the types of freezing temperatures that kill grapes, the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay provide South Jersey with an extended growing season.

Now that I’m back in South Jersey, we have different ways to spend our days with visitors. We generally hit the beach, the Boardwalk, maybe a casino. We don’t really think about wine. Why should we? After all, how many wineries do we have in New Jersey?

The third advantage is our water-borne breezes.

They contribute to the area’s moderate temperatures and also help to maximize the character and flavor of the grapes.

Surprisingly, quite a few.

Here is a little known fact: according to Rich Small, Marketing Consultant for the Garden State Wine Growers Association, New Jersey is the fifth largest producer of wines in the United States, after only California, Washington, Oregon, and New York. New Jersey is home to over thirty licensed wineries, with more slated to spring up annually. Add to this the fact that there are eight licensed wineries between Cape May and Atlantic Counties alone, and it’s hard to believe that most of us are unaware that we’re living in our very own wine country.

As it turns out, most of the northeast is inhospitable to growing grapes due to a wet and cold climate.

But there are carve-out regions here where the environment is just right. South Jersey is one such region. Al Natali of Natali Vineyards in Cape May Court House explained, “Grape vines don’t really care about good soil. They care more about the drainage. Vines don’t like standing in ‘wet feet’.”

While we usually think of wine being produced in mountainous regions like the Napa Valley where the sloped terrain provides adequate drainage for vines, South Jersey’s mostly flat land boasts a comparable advantage to preventing those ‘wet feet’ - - sand. The sandy soil of South Jersey provides excellent water drainage and is one of three characteristics unique to our area that result in an ideal growing environment.

The second advantage is our proximity to two large bodies of water. Cape May County is nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware All winery images by Ginny Leith

While many of our local wineries are fledgling endeavors, they are nonetheless part of what is becoming big business in the State of New Jersey.

A huge agricultural state, New Jersey wants to encourage its farmers to keep farming. And while some are giving up their farms because it is such a difficult way to make a living these days, others - like Hawk Haven’s Todd Wuerker - have made the move away from produce into grapes and wine production. As a fast growing segment of the agricultural economy of our state, winemaking and winemakers are supported by both the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and Garden State Winegrowers Association.

Both work to promote the wineries through the Jersey Fresh Initiative, the expansion of retail outlets, and the sponsorship of festivals, wine passports, and event promotion. The goal is to bring more attention to our award-winning New Jersey wines, and more revenue to the State of New Jersey.

Smart entrepreneurs are also benefiting from the increased production of wine in our region.

Mike Curran, owner of Arrive in Style Luxury Limousine, Inc., is one such individual. Inspired by an article in ‘Limousine Digest’ about wine tours in Napa Valley, Curran and his wife, Eileen, expanded their family-owned limousine service two years ago to include New Jersey wine tours.

The tours generally last four hours and include visits to four New Jersey wineries. Prices vary by season but are very reasonable, running from $250 to $325 for a six to eight person limo, to $325 to $400 for a shuttle bus. Arrive in Style also provides a complimentary keepsake gift of custom-made wine glass charms for each customer.

Cape May Winery and Vineyard Curran said that his biggest challenge is the fact that people don’t realize that wineries exist in New Jersey. He’s eager to help educate them, offering to have passports stamped for customers and collaborating with vineyards.

When taking a wine tour with Arrive in Style, customers avoid paying the usual tasting fees at wineries, a savings of $3 to $7 per person per winery. Curran also encourages his customers to attend wine festivals throughout the state.

One of these is the Third Annual Cape May County Wine Festival, sponsored by the Garden State Winegrowers Association. It’s scheduled for the weekend of October 10th and 11th.

Held on a grassy field overlooking the Cape May Canal and the Delaware Bay at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal, this two-day fest includes live music, crafters, food, activities for children, and of course, wine. For a tasting fee of $20, visitors will be able to sample wines from over 25 New Jersey wineries. They can choose from over 275 local and top-quality offerings.

Held from noon to 5:00 PM each day, shuttle service is available to and from Victorian Cape May, and parking is also available at the site.

While wineries from all over the state will be participating in the Cape May County Wine Festival, some won’t be traveling far at all. All the Cape May County wineries are located within sixteen miles of Cape May. And while sampling their wines at the Festival will certainly be enjoyable, scheduling a visit to these local tasting rooms will provide an even more in-depth opportunity for wine-lovers to get to know our vintners.

September 2009

Merlot grapevines at Natali Vineyards

Self-educated in wine production, Wuerker spent time with several local as well as California wineries. While supportive, the Napa vineyards were incredulous of the notion of New Jersey wineries. “They basically thought we were crazy,” said Wuerker, who feels that Hawk Haven is “producing some good quality wines, not just for New Jersey standards.”

Visitor Adam Hannan of Philadelphia agrees. “We’ve been here about an hour or two, and it’s been very good,” he said. “The wine was very good and reasonably priced. The staff was knowledgeable and attentive and we thought the setting was quaint and comfortable, especially for a family like ours. We like to sit and relax, have fun.”

Visit Hawk Haven at 600 South Railroad Avenue in Rio Grande, or on the web at www.hawkhaven.com. Wine tastings are available daily from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Check out Sangria Sunday for live music and homemade Sangria every Sunday. Music starts at 4:00 PM and sangria is $5 a glass.

Natali Vineyards Al Natali is an inspiring guy. Growing up on a farm in Gloucester, Natali was the son and grandson of amateur winemakers. As he neared retirement from his position as a network engineer, he pursued a new course - - learning about wine agriculture. After attending classes and workshops and finally the University of California Davis Wine School, Natali became a vintner and a winery owner in 2000 when he started Natali Vineyards. Natali was joined by business partners Ray Pensari and Tony Antonelli in 2006.

Bottling mechanism at Cape May Winery & Vineyard

Motivated partly by nostalgia, Natali also enjoys the connection to his labor. “The real challenge is to make a commercial product that you control from beginning to end, and to not

The Boardwalk Journal | 47

be alienated from your labor,” he said. Though he can no longer take care of the entire vineyard by himself due to the growth of the winery, Natali still personally tends to 20% of the 5,000-plus vines.

Wines here range in price from $13 to $22 and include over fifteen varieties. Natali’s favorite?

The Dolcetto: a young, fruity, and delicate wine grown in the maritime alps of northwest Italy, near his father’s birthplace. I personally enjoyed the Viognier, a French varietal with a fragrant and aromatic nose of apricots and honeysuckle, compliments of Mr. Natali.

You can visit Natali Vineyards at 221 North Delsea Drive in Cape May Courthouse, or on the web at www.natalivineyards.com. Wine tastings are available daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM from May through September. Fall/winter hours will be posted on their website. Check out the monthly wine events at the vineyard. In October, there will be a fall release event featuring local foods, handcrafted wines, and live music.

Cape May Winery and Vineyard The Cape May Winery and Vineyard is the most established of the Cape May County wineries.

The southernmost New Jersey winery, Cape May Winery opened in 1994 and was taken over by winemakers Darren Hesington and Toby Craig of the Washington Inn in 2003.

Pictures, top to bottom: Jean Quinn and John Focht of Cape May Winery & Vineyard, Ray Pensari and Kevin Celli of Natali Vineyards and the gorgeous entryway to Hawk Haven Vineyard’s Tasting Room.

When I visited the Cape May Winery and Vineyard, the large tasting room was packed with wine lovers who had just returned from a tour of the vineyard and the facility. So busy was the tasting room that I couldn’t even meet with the uber-efficient tasting room manager, Stephanie Busa, who entertained customers while providing them with wine samples and information about the vineyard.

The most striking thing about this facility is the tasting deck, a beautiful outdoor seating area positioned to overlook the vineyard. I spoke with customer Stan Sikorski of northern New Jersey as he enjoyed a bottle of wine and picnic there. “We enjoyed it the last time we were here. Not just the wine but the facility itself,” he said.

Visit the Cape May Winery and Vineyard at 711 Townbank Road in Cape May, or on the web at www. capemaywinery.com. Wine tastings are available year round, from noon to 5:00 PM daily, with extended hours from noon to 6:00 PM daily from June through September. Check out the Blending Party Experience where guests can play “winemaker” for the day. Enjoy making your own combination of Cape May Wine with your friends! Reservations are required.

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Higher Learning: A Look At The Richard Stockton College

By Beverly Bird A generation ago, higher education was the exception rather than the rule. My own mother graduated from high school in the 1950’s and went on to a ‘business school’ where, for all intents and purposes, she was trained to become an administrative assistant. My father dabbled at college, and then went into a trade.

Today, I find it unthinkable that my own son won’t earn a Bachelor’s Degree, and maybe even go on to graduate school, when he leaves high school in two years. Frankly, the alternative in today’s economy is appalling.

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released data indicating that workers with a four-year college degree will earn on average $51,206 a year. Workers without a college education earn on average $27,915. Add graduate school on top of that Bachelors Degree, and you’ll earn roughly $74,000.

4th in the northeast. But more importantly, among public institutions, we’re in the Top Ten. I don’t know that any other institution has moved up that quickly, going from the very bottom to the very top.”

Stockton’s trek from worst to first began in 1968 with a $202.5 million capital construction bond issue partially dedicated to building a new state college in Southern New Jersey. Legislation actually establishing the college was passed a year later, in 1969. Originally named Richard Stockton State College in honor of one of New Jersey’s fives signers of the Declaration

Translation: In today’s economy, it is no longer possible to support the average family of four without at least one of the parents having gone to college.

Atlantic County, however, stands ready to serve. Our own Richard Stockton College of New Jersey began incubating in 1968, at a time when the economic difference between grads and non-grads was nowhere near as disparate as it is today. Stockton’s growth process since that time has been tremendous, and today, when it is needed most, New Jersey residents have access to a superior public liberal arts and professional studies institution right here in their own back yard.

Stockton President Dr. Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr. spoke to The Boardwalk Journal of the college’s odyssey from its humble beginnings to its most recent stellar achievement: In August, The US News and World Report named Stockton in its Top Ten of public institutions in the northeast.

To put this in perspective, it should be noted that the college was in the fourth and bottom tier in 2003 when Dr. Saatkamp came on board. It was essentially unranked.

“The fourth tier is where they put the last of the institutions,” Dr. Saatkamp explained.

“Then in 2005, we moved up to the third tier.

In 2007, for the first time in the history of the college, we moved to the first tier of best schools in the northeast. We were numbered somewhere in the seventies. In 2008, we ranked number 52, and this year we’re ranked

50 | The Boardwalk Journal

of Independence, the institution was later renamed to the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in 1993.

Its physical inception was a bit touch-andgo at first. Though ground was broken in the South Jersey Pinelands to build the campus on December 9, 1970, it rapidly became evident that the facility would not be ready in time for its planned September 1971 opening.

Stockton’s first students actually attended classes at the Mayflower Hotel in Atlantic City.

In December, at the end of that first semester, they made the move to Pomona during the holiday break.

Now fast-forward 38 years. Dr. Saatkamp told The Boardwalk Journal that the institution’s current building projects are significant.

“The largest current expansion is a 154,000 square foot campus center,” he said. “It’s an independent building, the largest project in the history of the school. We’ve also just received

a $3.5 million grant from the Bureau of Public Utilities to complete putting up solar canopies over our parking areas. We already have them up over Parking Lot 7, and this $3.5 million will enable us to put them up over some new parking areas as well. Soon, we’ll have the largest covered solar canopy parking area of any college or university in the United States.”

Dr. Saatkamp added, “Last year, we had sixty building projects on campus. We don’t have quite that many this year, but we have quite a few.”

To be sure, Stockton has undergone burgeoning growth across its 1,600 acre tract since its inaugural years. In October of 1976, a 550-seat Performing Arts Center was added. Additional housing facilities were built in 1981 and 1986.

The Residential Life Center opened in 1987, with the Lakeside Center following in 1988. In 1990, Stockton initiated one of the country’s first Holocaust Research Centers. The Center honors victims and survivors of the Holocaust, and aids in research into holocaust studies, educating in the areas of racism and anti-Semitism. An expanded library was dedicated in 1995, and a year later, a new Arts and Sciences building was opened. The Sports Center was added in 2000.

The end result of all this is that Stockton was ultimately cited as an “architectural treasure”

by New Jersey Monthly magazine for handling its growth with style, and melding its various wings and buildings almost seamlessly into its Pinelands environment. Stockton is an exceptionally environmentally-friendly campus with a geothermal heat pump and photovoltaic panels, as well as an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage project.

Stockton boasts five housing units on campus.

‘Housing II’ and ‘Housing III’ are traditional residence halls. The remaining three facilities offer apartment-style housing, everything from garden apartments to one-bedroom units and two-bedroom units, offering older students an option from traditional collegedorm accommodations.

But what does all this architectural wonder mean for educators and students? Significantly, Stockton’s curricular achievements have kept pace with the institution’s architectural and facility improvements. Stockton has been unconditionally reaccredited for another ten years by the Middle States Association

September 2009

Commission on Higher Education. And the college has attracted a veritable Who’s Who list to its ranks of educational staff, including Stephen E. Dunn, Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing, who received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2001 for his collection of poems, Different Hours. Wendal A. White was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2003.

A whopping 95% of Stockton’s professors hold the highest degrees available in their fields.

“One of the principal advantages of Stockton is that we have the highest percentage of full time tenured faculty members of any institution in New Jersey,” Dr. Saatkamp said. “What this means is that undergraduate students are taught here by full time faculty members.” That may not sound like a big deal, but it is. Dr. Saatkamp explained. “In large research institutions such as some I worked with before coming to Stockton, undergraduates are often taught by part time faculty adjuncts or graduate students. So one of the features that enables Stockton to provide a very high quality education is the fact that we have highly qualified faculty who are dedicated to teaching our undergraduates.”

Stockton awarded its first graduate degrees in 1999 and now offers six nationally accredited graduate programs in Business, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Instructional Technology, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy.

Undergraduate programs include Criminal Justice, Psychology, Environmental Science, Biology, Business, and Literature. Some newly emerging fields are represented as well, such as Computational Science, Tourism, Hospitality Management, and Homeland Security. Stockton’s academic programs have been honored by the likes of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and the National Science Foundation.

and soccer facility was renamed in his honor and is now known as the “G. Larry James Stadium”.

In 1971, Stockton’s inaugural year, approximately a thousand students were enrolled here. In contrast, during the last full school year (fall of 2008 through spring of 2009), over 7,300 students were enrolled at Stockton. Approximately five hundred of these students were postgraduate scholars. The faculty now numbers more than 250.

“I’ve thought of marketing Stockton as the place to go out of state without going out of state,” said Dr. Saatkamp. “Our campus is the largest in New Jersey. We offer ten thousand events per year on campus. Students can be here, can be away from home, without going out of state.” As a parent, I like the sound of this.

“Stockton emphasizes four things,” Dr. Saatkamp said. “Learning, engagement, global education, and sustainability. Where education is concerned, we graduate 25% of all science and math majors among the public state colleges in New Jersey, and our focus on learning for undergraduates is central. Engagement means being engaged not only in the Stockton community, but the larger community of the area we live in. Global education refers to the way the world is set up now. You can be located at Stockton, or in some foreign village, and you still have a connection to the

world. At Stockton, that’s a principal focus for us.

Our graduates can compete on a global market.

In terms of sustainability, we’re known as New Jersey’s ‘Green College’. We have a great focus on the environment, building sustainable energy projects, including research into beach erosion and the back bay fill areas.”

Given all of the above, and in a country where private universities can easily set parents back $40,000 to $50,000 a year, tuition at Stockton is remarkably reasonable. A full time undergraduate hailing from within the state of New Jersey can expect to part with approximately $5,500 per semester if they are carrying twelve to twenty credits. The graduate and doctoral programs run between $500 and $550 per credit. Obviously, out-of-staters can expect to pay a bit more. Twopayment and four-payment plans are available. As with any institution of higher learning, Stockton offsets tuition, fees, and costs with any student loans, parent loans, or scholarships that are available to a student.

As it has grown and gained in stature and recognition, Stockton has obviously become more competitive where admittance is concerned.

These days, 47% of freshman applicants are currently accepted.

And given all that it offers, that’s as it should be.

Not to be outdone by Stockton’s academic credentials, the college’s sports achievements are top-notch as well. Stockton has hosted the World Cup soccer team from Saudi Arabia as a training site, as well as our own national youth soccer team, the Women’s Olympic Basketball team, and a youth team from Argentina. Stockton’s women’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1995. Men’s soccer coach Jeff Haines was named NCAA Coach of the Year for Division III in 2002 when the Ospreys went to a 25-1-1 record and won the national championship.

Student Kim Marino was the 2003 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Women’s pole vault champion and is a record holder. The college’s athletic director for 28 years, Larry James, was a gold medalist at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Recently the college’s track

September 2009

The Boardwalk Journal | 51

College prepares a young adult for many things: graduate school, a firm foothold in the job market...life. The last is perhaps nowhere more true than at multi-dimensional Atlantic Cape Community College.

ACCC is an accredited, co-educational, two-year-public college with campuses in Mays Landing, Cape May, and Atlantic City.

It offers the expected selection of Associate Degree programs, but the thing with ACCC is that it doesn’t stop there. It’s all the extra opportunities offered to students that make this institution a gem.

Let’s assume for a moment that a potential student is not necessarily interested in further education, but in career training.

ACCC’s Academy of Culinary Arts is a nationally recognized program. The college has the distinction of educating more culinary students through ACA than any other institution in New Jersey. But here’s where ACCC really earns its kudos: they annually have more job requests for their students than they have graduates to fill those slots.

The ACA isn’t just about just classroom teaching. In a field such as this, more is required for their graduates to be so in demand. For instance, I know the logistics of scrambling an egg, but can I make a delectable omelet? Maybe, maybe not, because knowing is not the be-all-end-all of a kitchen. Creation, results, and handson experience are. ACCC provides all that with labs and with training at Careme’s, their own on-campus restaurant, as well as with externships to various local restaurants.

Tangent to this training offered at ACCC is the Atlantic Cape Community College Restaurant Gala which is held each year. The Gala has raised almost $2 million and all proceeds are targeted toward scholarships at both the ACA as well as for other ACCC students. Annually, the event features various offerings from ACA students, as well as specialties of local restaurants in a

52 | The Boardwalk Journal

progressive dining experience.

The professional chefs at the ACA give back, too. Beginning August 6 and running through October 29 on Thursday nights during the 5:30 news broadcast on WMGMTV/NBC 40, the ACA top dogs provide ninety seconds of tips and instruction.

The ACA offers transfer agreements to some of the nation’s finest hospitality schools and it is accredited by the American Culinary Federation and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Approximately three hundred students attend the ACA each year and are instructed by fifteen full time and part time staff.

As for academics, ACCC offers some unique opportunities here as well. In 2006, the institution teamed up with Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, to offer various baccalaureate degree courses at ACCC’s local campuses. This addresses some pricey and logistical issues for our homegrown students. Now more than ever, it’s not always possible for a young adult to live away from home to pursue a four-year degree.

And it’s not always possible, either, for that student to fund the gasoline prices required to make the drive to Camden several times a week. The way it used to be, a student could start out at ACCC, and then transfer to a four-year institution. That’s still true, but now ACCC has gone one step further.

It’s opened its doors to Rutgers so that the University can provide educational services locally. As part of this program with ACCC, Rutgers is offering baccalaureate programs in criminal justice, hospitality management, liberal studies, political science, psychology,

nursing, and, commencing in the fall of 2010, business management. It also offers graduate courses in education, business administration, and liberal arts.

Not unique to ACCC but still an enticing aspect of all it offers is NJ Stars, a scholarship program available to state residents who graduate in the top twenty percent of their high school classes. In exchange for academic excellence, tuition and fees to any of New Jersey’s nineteen community colleges including ACCC - are gratis, courtesy of the State of New Jersey.

Established in 1964, ACCC was only the second community college to be established in New Jersey. Back in the day, it was known as Atlantic Community College, and then in 2004 the Cape May County campus was added. Full time faculty numbers at about a hundred. The college offers over forty degree and certificate programs and operates on an open admission policy, meaning that all qualified applicants are accepted. Tuition will set you back roughly $93 per credit if you’re a resident of Atlantic or Cape May counties. ACCC also participates in the US Title IV financial assistance programs, so the bottom line is this: whether you want to further your education or prepare for a new career, there is a way you can do it here.

In this era of cutthroat admission policies where even our children’s preschools have to be lobbied and courted, that’s a reassuring statement on the American way.

If you want to, you can...at Atlantic Cape Community College.

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Coach Bob Coffey: A Look Back at 24 Years as Mainland’s Football Coach & A Look Ahead as He Chases the Perfect Season

I

By Chuck Betson

Photos By David Nahad, The Sentinel

Iconic Mainland Football Coach Bob Coffey and his Mainland Mustang football team celebrate a championship win on the field. t was the perfect season and probably the perfect time for a high school football coach to walk away. The 2008 Mainland Mustangs went 12-0. The team won its first South Jersey Group IV title in school history, and that earned them a wild ride on a flatbed truck through the streets of Somers Point, Northfield, and Linwood.

That was in December of 2008.

Now it’s late August of 2009, and Mainland football coach Bob Coffey’s shrill whistle can be heard piercing through the heat and humidity of another waning summer. Coffey is getting himself and his team ready for his 24th season as Mainland’s gridiron boss.

So how does he get the juices flowing again after a perfect season, perhaps the greatest one in school history?

“Good question,” said Coffey, looking as fresh as he did 24 seasons ago. “Actually, it was the kids who did for me. They showed up in the

54 | The Boardwalk Journal

weight room last winter and they were ready to go. They got me going. That really surprised us and rubbed off on us.”

You can’t improve on perfection, but trying to get there again keeps the mercurial Coffey moving. And coaching. And doing what he does best - teaching on the football field.

Yet there’s another factor that keeps Coffey coming back again and again to that football field in August when the rest of the world is on summer vacation.

“I love the camaraderie we have on our coaching staff,” Coffey said. “I have coaches that have been with me all 24 seasons. And we get together and we have barbecues. We had one last night at my house and we stayed up way too late, but it was so much fun.”

It’s rare for a high school to have a coach stay 24 years, and even rarer to keep a staff together.

But coaches like Brian Tetley, Chuck Smith, Brian Booth, and Doug Shiner have been with Coffey forever. This staff continuity has led to the success of the Mainland football machine, a machine that now reloads instead of rebuilding.

“The kids we get here are great also,” Coffey said.

“The community is a big part of the program.”

How Coffey ended up at Mainland is intriguing.

A graduate of Holy Spirit High School, Coffey went to Clemson where he played running back.

But a car crash broke his leg, and he then spent two seasons as a graduate assistant. Coffey was on the sidelines when one of college football’s most infamous plays went down. Clemson nose tackle Charlie Bowman intercepted an Ohio State pass and the Buckeyes legendary coach Woody Hayes slugged Bowman on the sidelines. The incident ended Hayes’ career.

“We saw this skirmish and we weren’t sure what happened,” Coffey said. “After the game, Charlie was trying to stick up for Coach Hayes.”

After Clemson, Coffey ended up at Atlantic City High School for two years, then he was ready for the glitz of the casino industry. But the casino job fell through and Coffey got an assist from Atlantic City Beach Patrol lieutenant Joe Rush. Rush called the Mainland superintendent and Coffey got a new teaching job and joined Ken Williams’ staff.

September 2009

Coach Coffey, flanked by his number one cheerleader, wife Donna (far right), prepares to give out a game ball to his most valuable player.

By 1986, Coffey was the head football coach at Mainland and a star was born.

Coffey’s slick Atlantic City Beach Patrol looks and his subtle approach to coaching combined to form a perfect union. He just seemed to fit the job so well. Neither the shifting political winds at Mainland nor the second-guessing that surrounds every high school football coach could stop Coffey and his staff.

Prior to last season, Mainland won the South Jersey Group III title in 2002. And in the mid90’s, Coffey had players like John Stone and Dave Klemic (both would earn pro tryouts), Marcus Perry, and Dustin Grande. These teams waged wars with Ocean City every season and set the stage for the Ninth Street Bridge rivalry. The Ocean City-Mainland game was a happening year after year in that period as Coffey’s staff matched wits with Ocean City coach Gary Deganhardt’s staff. Now that was something to see and analyze. Veteran high school football fans still talk about the Coffey-Deganhardt match-up, a South Jersey version of Hayes-Schembachler.

September 2009

Coffey and Mainland made their living on offense, running the Delaware Wing T offense.

But three seasons ago, Mainland switched to the spread offense, the offense of the moment in college football, perfected by University of Florida coach Urban Meyer. Coffey and his staff learned the offense from the coaching staff at Gettysburg.

“My staff was just talking about that,” Coffey said. “In some ways, the kids are bigger and stronger than they were twenty years ago. But we find ourselves having to teach the kids some of the basics, like how to catch the football.”

“It was a new challenge for us and we needed it,” Coffey said. “It’s innovative, but it’s also simple.

It’s a lot like the old single wing of the 1920’s.

And I think that eventually you’ll see it in the pros. They might not like it, but every team in college is running it now.’’

“I take it year to year,’’ Coffey said. “I have a great job and I’m in a great place.’’

Last year Mainland QB Brent Caprio ran the spread like Florida’s Tim Tebow, earning him a chance to play at William and Mary this season.

Caprio won the prestigious Jim Henry Award from the Maxwell Football Club presented to the top high school football player in the TriState area. Caprio actually seemed to be an extension of Coffey on the field.

In 24 seasons, Coffey has just about seen it all when it comes to athletes and football. So are the athletes better today than when he started?

Twenty-four seasons at Mainland. That’s more than a cup of coffee for Coffey. So how many more does he have him in him?

There goes that whistle again, cutting through the August heat the way Coffey’s offense cuts up the opposing defense. Twenty-four years doesn’t change the sound of that whistle much.

And it hasn’t really changed Coffey, either, as the coach/father/ teacher/ex-lifeguard gears up one more time for another high school football season.

What will it be like to run onto the field for the opener this September?

“I walk out now,” Coffey said.

Walk, don’t run. That is Bobby Coffey.

The Boardwalk Journal | 55

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2009 High School Football Preview They’re talking tough in the Township that’s Egg Harbor Township - as the 2009 high school football season approaches.

EHT has plenty of talent coming off a 6-4 season, led by Scott Miller who will quarterback. Other players to watch for are Zack Agostino at fullback and Tejay Johnson at wide receiver.

EHT has lost five straight to Mainland on Thanksgiving Day, including last year’s game which they led by 20 before losing 30-27. “It’s one thing to look good on paper and have everybody talking about you,” said EHT coach Tony DeRosa. “But it’s how you finish that counts.” Still, DeRosa admits that he now has the most talent of his 11-year tenure. The pressure will be on DeRosa like never before in the Township this season.

At Atlantic City High School, Coach Bob Weiss will fit his system to the talent he has, which is very young. But the Vikings were 5-5 last season and running back John Marshall Robinson would like to change that. Atlantic City has some veteran linemen, too, in Marcus Evans and Daniel Vasquez. Don’t be surprised if Weiss shows us the wishbone on offense.

Atlantic City’s arch rival on Turkey Day is Holy Spirit, and the Spartans are loaded at running back with Nigel Jones and

Donta Pollock. But Coach Charlie Roman is looking to open up the offense with his passing game and quarterback Joe Callahan. Holy Spirit will be looking to improve on last year’s 7-3 record, which wasn’t bad considering that the Spartans lost eighteen starters. “We lost two games last year by three points,” Roman said. “I like my squad this year.”

Mainland will try to replace seventeen starters from last year’s dream team, which went 12-0.

The Mustangs are looking for big things from defensive tackle Antoine Lewis and wideout Eddie Irizarry. Defensive back Dan Boudreau is a heavy hitter.

“We have some kinks to work out, but when we do, we should be all right,” said Mainland coach Bob Coffey.

Perhaps the biggest surprise last season was what Coach Dennis Scuderi did with St. Augustine. The Prep won ten games, and with quarterback Dustin Thomas leading the way, the offense should be potent. Wide receiver Gabe Voumard and running back Darnell Laws are players to watch, also. “We have some depth and talent,” Scuderi said. “But we could easily be 5-5 if we don’t work hard and do things right.”

Also, keep an eye on Mailon Demby, Absegami’s lightening fast wide receiver.

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September 2009

Fantasy FOOTBALL

Whenever a new player becomes available, I always ask myself one question. Can he help my team? Normally, I don’t care what he’s done, who he’s played for, or who he’s dating.

But Michael Vick?

My first question was why in the world would the Philadelphia Eagles sign him? Owner Jeffrey Lurie explained this as though it were his own personal social experiment. But I thought 950 AM ESPN Radio host Mike Missanelli put it the best. He compared Lurie and VP Joe Banner to millionaire brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke and their $1 wager on the fate of Billy Ray Valentine in the classic 80’s comedy Trading Places. Missanelli’s got a gift, much like Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin, but funnier.

What Vick has done is unimaginable, and if you refuse to have him as part of your fantasy team, you’ll get no argument here. That being said, does he have any fantasy value?

Obviously, the Birds are very concerned with their backup QB plan. I think they underestimated Kevin Kolb’s arm strength and now they realize that his accuracy can’t make up for it.

Vick probably won’t be eligible until Week 6, so drafting him is a waste of time. However, since Donovan McNabb seems to get injured every other year, it might be a good idea to pick up Vick if you have McNabb as your starter. And who even knows if Vick can regain any of his game-changing, explosive form?

Two years out of the league is a lifetime. It’s a tough call. But he won’t be on my roster.

HE’S BACK I knew Brett Favre would come back, but his interest in the Minnesota Vikings surprised me. Although the Vikes are coming off a playoff year, are strong on both sides of the ball, and have a stud running back in Adrian Peterson, Favre will be forty years old in October and he’s coming off shoulder surgery. He’s also historically woeful inside domes. He’s 6-10 lifetime in his new home, the MetroDome.

September 2009

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APPROACHING STUD STATUS Santonio Holmes, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers: Fresh off a confidence-building Super Bowl performance, the always talented Holmes will cruise past his mediocre 2008 numbers.

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DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: Just getting on the field is always a challenge for rookies in Andy Reid’s complicated system. Jackson not only saw action last year, he excelled to the tune of over 900 yards on 62 receptions and 3 TDs. He can fly and he has fantastic hands, but he’s tiny and injuries will always be a concern. If he can avoid the big hit, he’ll be a fantasy superstar.

Aaron Rogers, QB, Green Bay Packers: The Favre circus is over, at least until the Vikings visit the Packers on Nov. 1st, and Rogers is poised for a breakout year. He has plenty of targets including Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, and should pile up plenty of 300-yard games.

Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans: He’s actually already a stud, even though he’s entering his second year. He has it all - speed, toughness, and good hands. He had over 40 receptions to go along with 10 TDs and 1200 rushing yards in 2008, and he was admittedly underused by Coach Jeff Fisher. The only drawback is that he’ll lose goal line carries to Lendale White.

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But come Sundays in the fall, Oyster Creek turns into Steelers Nation as owners Jayson and Scott Kuppell cheer their favorite team. All fans are welcome, but odds are the brothers won’t be available during Steelers games.

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DJ AM – Dead at 36 On Friday, August 29, Dusk, temporarily, went dark.

There were no thumping club beats. No carefully suspended lighting flashing over the dance floor. There were no requests.

Dusk, which was supposed to be open as usual that Friday night in Atlantic City, was quiet.

The dance floor was empty.

There was no DJ. Dusk’s co-owner and co-creator, Philadelphia native DJ AM, was found dead in his New York City apartment that night. As of press time, the cause of death had not yet been determined, but police allegedly found a crack pipe and prescription pills in his apartment, according to a law enforcement source who spoke to the Associated Press. The DJ had had a history of drug problems.

DJ AM, whose real name is Adam Goldstein, became a celebrity in his own right after his famous spinning skills earned him DJ-ing gigs at the most exclusive nightclubs and celebrity

Atlantic City

By Regina Schaffer

A Place We Call Home

parties. He became a tabloid staple after dating the likes of Nicole Richie, the daughter of singer Lionel Ritchie, and singer-actress Mandy Moore.

He was a frequent visitor to Atlantic City, and was a guest DJ multiple times at both mix and mur.mur inside Borgata, sometimes appearing with his friend, drummer Travis Barker (the pair had formed the duo TRVSDJ-AM). A year ago, the two survived a plane crash that killed four others.

Goldstein decided to create his own space, together with the Red Stripe Plane Group. In July, Dusk, located in the old Planet Hollywood location inside Caesars, opened its doors and featured a parade of celebrities, many friends of Goldstein’s.

The night spot was billed as “the evolution of nightlife.”

The 10,000-square-foot space, with its space-agey interior designed by ICrave, is immediately set apart from other clubs in the always turned on city.

“Dusk is in a league of its own,” DJ AM was quoted as saying when it opened. “Once you spend an hour there, you will know why.”

Goldstein had a hand in just about everything with Dusk – in particular the music, which was advertised as being completely “designed and dictated” by DJ AM himself. Those who have paid to see him spin at Borgata’s mixx and mur. mur appreciate what that meant.

In Atlantic City, night life is always evolving.

The night clubs have grown and matured along with the very casinos that continue to rise.

With Dusk, DJ AM had helped create another place that added to the reputation of the always turned on city.

On Saturday, August 29, the lights at Dusk turned back on.

By Veronica Dudo first husband, Craig Schelske. After signing with RCA Nashville, Evans released her first album, Three Chords and the Truth in 1997.

is like a country song because there was just so much drama! But we’re through that now, and things are awesome.”

But it was with the release of her third album in 2000, Born to Fly, that Evans attained the success she’d always dreamed of. The album went platinum and its signature song, Born to Fly, reached number one on the country music charts.

Evans’ current tour includes an appearance at Harrah’s Casino on September 5. She’s also putting the finishing touches on her sixth album, due out in January. She said her fans will love it. “It’s very much in the ‘Sara Evans style’. I wrote or co-wrote almost every song and it’s got a great mixture of rootsy and pop at the same time. It also has a lot of love songs because of my newfound love with my husband Jay Barker. I wrote a lot of songs about him and about being grateful and so fulfilled and happy.”

But while Evans’ professional life was soaring to new heights, her personal one was falling apart.

Sara Evans has become one of country music’s most popular female artists. This spunky, talented singer-songwriter grew up on her family’s farm in Missouri and began her music career at a young age, performing in her family’s band. Aspiring to be a country music artist, Evans moved to Tennessee where she met her

60 | The Boardwalk Journal

Evans filed for divorce from Schelske in 2006.

During our interview, the 38-year-old admits that, ironically, her life story sounds a lot like a country music song: gowning up on a farm, making it big, having her heart broken, then finding love with current husband Jay Barker.

“It’s truly amazing,” she said. “It takes awhile for stuff like that to fully sink in. It’s only after you’ve come through it all that you go, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe all that happened’. So I just feel like it’s a miracle. It

Even today, Evans remains modest. She revealed that she was shocked when her label approached her about releasing a greatest hits album. “It was awesome to put it together and to think back on all the songs, when I wrote them and what I was feeling at that time,” she said. “It’s a true honor and every night on stage I thank my fans for that greatest hits album.”

September 2009

By Ken Calemmo

I bet you did not know that becoming the Queen of Resorts also meant being the Queen of Great Eateries. Over the years Atlantic City has filled the bellies of millions of visitors. Atlantic City has hosted some of the finest restaurants on the east coast throughout the last 100 years. The City has been a haven for great restaurants – large and small, and a gathering place for visitors and locals alike.

Hackney’s Restaurant, opened in 1912 by Harry Hackney, was located at Maine and Melrose Avenues. Originally composed of four separate buildings, Harry subsequently converted it into one. Later, Hackney’s became the home of the largest seafood restaurant in the world. The main dining room fed 3200 patrons in one sitting, and during peak times of the year there was a waiting line.

Just up the street not only could you enjoy a tremendous meal at Starn’s Restaurant, but in between courses also watch the dolphin show, or take a ride on one of Captain Starn’s Sailboats, Speed Boats or double decker sight seeing cruisers. And if that was not exciting enough, located next to Starn’s was the Curtiss Flying Station (Airboats) where willing customers for $5.00 could take a half hour flight around the island and be back in time for dessert.

On a visit to Atlantic City, you

may have also been treated to the original French Fried Lobster Tail at Carson’s Triangle Restaurant or visited Trench’s Neptune Inn to see the first bank building converted to a restaurant after the bank holiday of 1933. It’s bank vault became the wine cellar.

While many of us have enjoyed White House Subs, which is still serving up some of the finest sub sandwiches in the country (located at the corner of Mississippi and Arctic Avenues) I bet you did not know that they were not the first Sub shop in Atlantic City. That title belonged to Mancini’s located on Georgia and Arctic Aves.

Those of you who were true gastronomes may recall some of these long-gone establishments: Abe’s Oyster House, Jem Restaurant, Kent’s, Venice, Alfred’s Villa, Child's Restaurant, Luigi’s, Orsatti’s, Chinaland, Lido Village, Kings Restaurant, The Flying Dutchman, Jack Guischard’s Steak House, The Ranch House, Sid Hartfield’s, The Flaming Angus, Coachman’s Restaurant, Conrad’s, Stanley Restaurant, Bingham Steak House, Lou Tendler’s, Shumsky’s, Strand, Kornblaus, Benedetto’s, Teplitzky’s (resurrected in the lobby of the Chelsea Hotel).

Those of us who were not fortunate to partake in these delightful dining experiences still can sample some of Atlantic

City’s finest from a few eateries that have endured that test of time.

Knife and Fork Atlantic and Pacific Aves.

Tony’s Baltimore Grill Iowa and Atlantic Aves.

Dock’s Oyster House 2405 Atlantic Ave. Angelo’s Fairmount Tavern Mississippi and Fairmount Aves.

Or, enjoy fine dining at any of the Atlantic City casinos, or at one of nearly 500 restaurants in and around the town.

We would love to hear about other great Atlantic City restaurants.

Please send in your favorite, and tell us why it is Soooo GOOD! I am waiting to hear your story at ken_calemmo@cooperlevenson.com .

Allen “Boo” Pergament “ contributed editorial and

By Don P. Hurley photos for this page.

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