 Coaster Photo: Dave and Mike McLaughlin put the lifeguard stand in place at the Allenhurst Beach Club in preparation for the opening Friday. |
By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
Visitors and residents are invited to Asbury Parks beachfront for the Memorial Day weekend to enjoy the sun, sand and live entertainment and to witness the citys biggest construction project in decades.
The face of the citys beachfront changes daily as the multi-million renovation continues with the repaving of streets, installation of new facades and lighting on some existing buildings and construction of new storefronts along the boardwalk
A smattering of businesses, including Casa di Formaggio and the Salt Water Beach Cafe, will be open this weekend and on May 23 the Wonder Bar is scheduled to re-open for the day with a performance by Billy Hector in the evening.
Live entertainment will be provided by Lady LaRanah Phipps and the Doug and Lyle Jazz Trio.
The entertainers will alternate between the First and Fifth Avenue Pavilions throughout the weekend.
Meanwhile, work continued on a glass-encased area on the second floor of the Salt Water Beach Cafe, where Tim McLoones Supper Club is scheduled to open by July.
Megan Oliveira, a representative of Madison Marquette, the citys beachfront redevelopers, said the company is hoping to have the Beach Bar, and the Fifth Avenue pavilion and its businesses open by the first weekend in June.
A new Irish Pub, Caroline OTooles located in the arcade will debut in early June.
On Wednesday the northern end of the boardwalk was a flurry of activity as workers focused intently on their tasks.
Developer Jack Green Jr., toured Convention Hall explaining some of the work completed and some still underway.
One major improvement to Convention Hall is the addition of at least 20 bathroom stalls for both men and women.
We did a bunch of bathrooms, on the second floor all over the place, they will all be done, Green said.
The area where the Beach Bar will be located, on the southeast side of Convention Hall overlooking the beach and ocean, has been renovated to include an area enclosed with green storefront-looking windows matching the arch way entrance of the hall. The walls have been wallpapered with huge palm leaves.
Bar patrons will have the option of sitting in the open air at a rectangular bar that has been built against the outer railing.
Later plans call for a stairway directly to the beach from the bar area.
In the middle of the arcade, a horse from the old carousel sits on a high pedestal wrapped in large yellow paper roses.
Green said work on the Fifth Avenue Pavilion is 90 percent there.
Stores going into the Fifth Avenue Pavilion include Eddie Confettis Ice Cream, Brielle Cyclery, Hot Sand Gallery, LaPlaca Pottery and Style Rocket, a contemporary clothing boutique.
Most stores Green said, should be open July 4th weekend, which Green called the heart of the season.
Thats going to be the big push, he added.
Touring the Fifth Avenue Pavilion Green said the Salt Water Beach Cafe, which is open during construction, now has an elevator installed to the second floor, where a class encased area is being built adjacent to the supper club being built upstairs.
Eddie Catalano, owner of Eddie Confettis Ice Cream, said he plans to have three locations on the boardwalk.
At the Fifth Avenue Pavilion he is opening an ice cream store, with soy ice cream, Italian Ice and espresso.
He is toying with the idea of calling it Brain Freeze, but is still discussing the idea with colleagues.
He said he is shooting for a May 31 opening..
Discussing the progress being made, Catalano, who owns an electrical contracting company, said, If you dont see progress, youre blind.
As work continues along the boardwalk he said he will be opening another ice cream store at the First Avenue Pavilion called Eddie Confettis Ice Cream and Cafe and also Boardwalk Bagels.
It will all be very high end, with granite counters, its going to be astonishing, he said.
 Coaster Photo: Work continues at the Beach Bar at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. |
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