The Coaster

Downtown merchants in Asbury Park will celebrate Rocktober, a tribute to the city’s musical heritage on First Saturday Night Oct. 4.

The event will take place from 6 to 10 p.m. and beyond.

“The city of Asbury Park has very deep musical roots” said Michael Evans, Chairman of the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce’s Special Events Committee. “To celebrate, we will have live entertainment throughout the downtown.

“What’s great about the entertainment we have lined up, is that they play a lot of your favorites but also play their own original music as well. They’re not your usual cover band” Read the rest of this entry »

By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
An eviction notice lead Marj Conn, a Massachusetts native, to the Jersey Shore but after only two years here she has made her creative presence known.

Conn had spent 16 years in Provincetown on Cape Cod running her own theater company when the apartment building she and 11 others were living in was sold.

“It was horrible,” she recalled. “We were all depressed.”

With the increase in property values and rents, she said staying on Cape Cod was not an option. Read the rest of this entry »

The Historical Society of Ocean Grove will hold its fourth annual October Antiques and Collectibles Show Sat., Oct. 11 at the Ocean Grove Youth Temple from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets are $3 and parking is free.

Twenty-eight dealers are expected at the sale including those selling china, linens, vintage jewelry, textiles, folk art, sports items, kitchenware, quilts, pottery and posters.

The event is an important fund-raiser to benefit and support the programs of the historical society.

For more information call 774-1869.

By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
Bradley Beach officials and residents showered outgoing Bradley Beach Borough Administrator Phyllis Quixley with words of praise at her last meeting Tuesday night.

Quixley has worked for the borough for 40 years, the last 16 as the administrator.

At press time, the council was holding a special meeting where Gail O’Reilly was expected to be named as Quixley’s replacement.

Council President Lori Marchak-Ortiz held back tears as she recounted Quixley’s many years of service in the borough. Read the rest of this entry »

By JOANNE L. PAPAIANNI
Metro Homes, developers of the now defunct Esperanza on the Asbury Park beachfront, hopes to unveil the project’s redesign soon.

According to Dean Geibel, a managing partner of Metro Homes, his company and city officials are in discussions about what the new project will look like.

Geibel did say, however, it will remain a condominium complex with the same number of units, 224. Read the rest of this entry »

By DON STINE
A face-off over state-imposed parking requirements is taking place among some Ocean Grove residents with one resident saying it’s time to stop overbuilding the historic district and creating more serious parking problems.

Mayor Randy Bishop, who owns a bed and breakfast in the historic district, and Ocean Grove resident Joseph Krimko last week attended a meeting of the New Jersey Site Improvement Advisory Board to seek relief from parking requirements imposed by the Residential Site Improvement Standards (RSIS). The parking regulations affect Ocean Grove.

The RSIA standards were imposed in 1997. Read the rest of this entry »

By DON STINE
A township-wide ordinance limiting the hours for construction projects on Saturdays in the summer is being considered by the Neptune Township Committee after a similar proposed ban for Ocean Grove only was presented at a previous meeting.

“I think we should make any such ordinance township-wide and not just for Ocean Grove,” said Deputy Mayor Michael Brantley at the beginning of a discussion on the matter at Monday’s Township Committee meeting.

Brantley said many residents in other parts of the township have the same concerns as Ocean Grove residents regarding noise and traffic generated from construction projects on Saturdays. Read the rest of this entry »

Deal Lake will be the scene of the inaugural Deal Lake Regatta, “Light up The Lake” on Sat., Sept. 27 which will feature illuminated boats in a loop around the western portion of the lake.

In addition, fund-raising house parties are being scheduled beginning at 5 p.m. at private homes on the lake to raise funds and awareness in support of the lake. Deal Lake has seen marked deterioration in the past several years.

Mark Fleming, Wanamassa, one of the organizers of the events said, “After attending several meetings hosted by the Friends of Deal Lake, we were inspired to create a fun way to help the lake and include as many people as possible from the surrounding communities.” Read the rest of this entry »