By WILLIAM CLARK
An art show fundraiser in honor of Sarah Stern, Neptune City is being held at Bond Street Basement, located beneath Capitoline on Cookman Ave in Asbury Park on March 25t from 3 to 8 p.m.
Stern was murdered during a robbery in 2016.
The show is being hosted by Stern’s friend Maria Lynch and will display art for sale from Stern’s cousins, Lynch and her brother, and other local artists.
A $5 donation is suggested upon entry but attendees are welcome to donate above that. Funds will go towards the scholarship set up in Stern’s memory and other causes to help provide art programming to youths.
Stern’s artwork will also be on display but not available for purchase. Lynch said the artwork of another friend died shortly after Stern will also be on display.
Lynch is hoping that the event will become an annual event to continue to honor the memory of Stern.
Lynch, 26, and Stern were friends when they attended Neptune High School together. Both were members of the art club and bonded over their shared love of art.
Stern was murdered in December 2016 and her body thrown off the Belmar bridge. Her body has never been recovered. The former high school classmate of Stern, who was 19, was convicted of strangling her and throwing her body off a bridge, with the help of a friend, and was sentenced to life without parole, plus 10 years.
“I feel like when people bring up Sarah, they bring up the two boys,” Lynch said. “There’s a stigma that’s haunting and it just doesn’t feel good. I want her to be remembered for this beautiful person that she was and her art legacy.”
