Echoes of LBI Magazine
TM
2013 Spring into Summer Edition
Long Beach Island Arts and Lifestyle Magazine Page 1
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Echoes of LBI
Photograph by: John
Martinelli
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Publisher’s Note
elcome back! We’ve never been so happy to see everyone as we are this year. It’s been a long and weary road, but summer is finally here. Sunshine brings laughter, smiles and sighs of relief. The last issue of Echoes of LBI was a special edition about Sandy. This edition is about all the good times we have to look forward to as we celebrate rebuilding LBI and the entire Jersey Shore. Businesses are back. Some are changed and some are still putting the finishing touches on their new look. All are grateful to be here. You don’t have to own property on the Island to hold LBI in your heart. Whether you come here for a week or a lifetime, you share our love of Island life, bay tides, starry nights, ocean water and beach walks. We know you shared our heartbreak after Sandy. Now it’s time to share the summer together. As the soft June breezes whisper, “Welcome back,” we turn our thoughts to the upcoming LBI events. This is the fifth year for the Lighthouse International Film Festival. Wonderful films, parties and discussion sessions will take place from June 6th through the 9th. The weekend after the film festival is our Island-wide THANK YOU to the first responders who saw us through the storm. There will be concerts, sidewalk sales, festivals and more, all to honor our National Guard, EMS, police and firefighters. We not only thank them, we salute them. I’m still collecting donations until June 30th for the firehouse that began with our last edition. Please send checks payable to Echoes of LBI and write “fire house” in the memo. Mail it to Echoes of LBI, 4th & Blvd., Ship Bottom. On July 6th, all donations will be turned over to the firehouses in need. In this issue we also highlight the generosity of our Rotary and Kiwanis clubs. These service organizations are truly a gift to the Island. Finally, I am happy to announce that Ship Bottom made the Guinness Book of World Records. You did it! You put us there by joining Echoes of LBI and Things A Drift last September when over 253 people showed up to blow a conch horn. We broke the record and will officially celebrate this October during our annual Sea Glass festival. From art shows to shopping to carnivals, dining, drinking and riding the waves, the summer of 2013 will be special. It will be special because we came so very close to losing it all, yet we survived. Strong Beach Island. Say it. Mean it. Love it. As always, I urge you to shop and dine local. Support the advertisers in Echoes of LBI, visit their stores and businesses because without them, we wouldn’t be here. One last note: I am proud to announce our new website, www.echoeslbi.com. The site will bridge the gap between issues and give you more of Echoes along with current events. Keep in contact with us via the website all year round. Good to see you all again…
Echoes of LBI
Cheryl Kirby, Publisher
First In • Barnegat Light
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Nancy Rokos photo
LBI Rotary Club
Contents photo: (left to right)
Pat Angelastro, Carl V. Thulin, Anne Nachman, Russ Hill, Daniella Nobel, Mary Egan, Andrea Driscoll, Bob Stohrer, Harry Drexler, Tom Oakley, Leon Baker, Bob Kiss, Rob Roth, Jeff Wells, Dianne Gove, Reginald Raban, Lydia D’Amore, Don Myers, John Tranchida, Lena Nerrie, Michelle Green, Peter Mascal Marjorie Amon photo
www.echoeslbi.com Page 6
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i n s i d e lifestyle, art, 50 and counting, shore things, marine science, poetry, while you were away, origami, spring into summer, beach reads, looking back, a dock on the bay, film fest, services to LBI
Echoes of LBI Magazine • 609-361-1668 • 406 Long Beach Blvd • Ship Bottom, NJ 08008 All content of magazine & website remains copyright of Cheryl Kirby. No part of publication may be reproduced. Advertisers and Business Owners: Readers collect Echoes of LBI, so advertise with us and your ad has the potential to be seen for years to come! EchoesOfLBI.com for on-line magazine and media kit. Email articles on history, nostalgia, poetry and art to: EchoesofLBI@gmail.com Cheryl Kirby - Owner & Publisher Magazine Designer - Gina Viggiano • Copy Editor - Joyce Hager • Photographer - Marjorie Amon Graphic Designer/Pre-press - Vickie VanDoren • Graphic Designer - Sara Caruso • Science - Ryan Marchese, Sara Caruso Contributors - Maggie O’Neill, Diane Stulga, Rena DiNeno, Karen Korkuch Cover photo: Sara Caruso: See page 70 for Sara’s bio and shell description
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Lifestyle
Ode to Long Beach Island Words by Karen Beier Korkuch (Sing to John Denver’s song “Matthew”) My parents bought a summer cottage. It was on the Jersey shore. Six miles east of Manahawkin, Turn south and drive 3 miles more.
Long Beach Island is the place where family gathers, Swimming, surfing, boating fill our days. Summertime is wonderful together, Sun-kissed island where we love to play.
Long Beach Island is the place where family gathers, Swimming, surfing, boating fill our days. Summertime is wonderful together, Sun-kissed island where we love to play.
Dedicated to all those whose efforts are restoring Long Beach Island after Super Storm Sandy, October 29, 2012
Surfers out so bright and early, Off the waves by 10 am. Children, brothers, sisters, cousins, Come to frolic in the sand. Long Beach Island is the place where family gathers, Swimming, surfing, boating fill our days. Summertime is wonderful together, Sun-kissed island where we love to play. 2012 brought SANDY’s fury, Storm so wild never known. Hurricane became a monster, Wind and water pounded homes. Families lost entire houses, Closed the island for so long. And the saying grew in power, “What doesn’t kill us makes us strong!” Now we’re rebuilding Long Beach Island, Dock by dock and home by home. Though Sandy brought such devastation, From the island we’ll not roam. And so I wrote this for my family, Tell to future kids to come, ‘Bout my folks’ and families memories’, Our Long Beach Island summer home.
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Sisters Cindy Beier Weber and Karen Beier Korkuch. Rebuilding one board at a time.
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Art
Art by Edward A. Luterio Illustrator, fish painter
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Art by Edward A. Luterio Illustrator, fish painter
Lifestyle
My Classroom at the Shore
W
hether you only visit LBI or are a resident here, when school is out this June, make the shore your child’s classroom. Since 1960, the shore has been part of my life and in 1983 I became a permanent resident. My son grew up here with the sea as his playground. Children are born with an innate desire to learn. They are boundlessly curious. Whether an infant or a teenager, what child does not enjoy going to the beach? The beach is a great place for babies to learn to walk. Tiny toes can grip the sand a lot easier than on a slick surface or pavement. Hovering parents need not worry as a flop in the sand usually results in giggles instead of bruises. Once a child’s diaper-cushioned bottom lands in the sand, he can conduct his first science experiment on matter using high tech research tools such as plastic pails and shovels. A bucket of seawater and a hole
in the sand can provide hours of fascination while teaching little ones about solids and liquids. When your toddler is old enough to construct her own formations, her imagination grows even further. As a child, I used to leave the beach with a burnt red back from hours in a hunched-over position constructing a monumental castle. In my adult years, I have seen pyramids, sculpted animals and endless variations of castles surrounded by trenches and canals, possibly the works of our future architects and engineers. Math can also be added to a summer curriculum. Using different shaped tools, triangular, square or cylindrical formations can be formed out of sand. When one of those shapes get washed away by the incoming rising tide we have taught our children their first lesson about the earth’s gravitational pull. Let’s not forget how much fun we can have just writing in the sand with a piece
Teacher, Rena DiNeno; Students (left to right), Andrew, Brielle, Mathew, Hailey, and Malakai
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Marjorie Amon photo
of broken shell: spelling out names, playing tic-tac-toe, or solving number problems. My son learned his alphabet and how to count to 100 writing in the sand. In addition to science and math, we can introduce our children to letters, words and writing. Exploring the treasures of the sand and sea is a wonderful learning experience for a child and parent. When walking handin-hand with grandma and a plastic pail, there’s a good chance the pail will be filled with shells, sand crabs or parts of jelly fish upon the return to the blanketed fortress of chairs, coolers and umbrellas. On a lucky hunt we have returned with large conch shells, sand dollars, and even starfish. Not all the treasures found will be from Mother Nature. One may be fortunate enough to find a rare piece of sea glass or an antique bottle washed upon the shore. Often, such finds can be associated with local history.
So when you take your children out of the classroom this summer, make the shore their classroom. And when doing so, don’t forget to teach them the most important lesson: respect the ocean because it is bigger and stronger than any of us. Observe the rules and regulations of the beach and listen to the lifeguards who are there to help and protect us. No matter how old your child is, and how well guarded the beach is, always keep an eye on them and never let them venture out to sea alone. Lastly, if you are so fortunate to live here year round as I am, the classroom at the sea is open twelve months a year and the curriculum always varies. – Rena DiNeno
Ryan Marchese photo
Sometimes the beach is better than visiting the zoo that has cages and time restraints. Watching a crab burrow its way in the sand can be a fascinating experience to a child of any age. If your child can’t sit still, following a parade of scurrying pipers or running after swooping gulls might burn up some excess energy. If you are fortunate enough, you and your children might see what I think is the most amazing sight: dolphins dancing in the air! This may be a rare experience, but a truly spectacular one. As you go from purchasing inexpensive plastic shovels and styrofoam boards from the local beach store to expensive surf and skim boards, don’t fret, your child is still learning. Soon they will know more about tides, winds, waves, and gravity than we do. Bayside is as important a classroom as oceanside when it comes to wind and tides if your child decides to take on kayaking or sailing. These wonderful activities build strength, agility and balance. Physical health as well as mental health can be achieved at the shore, without your child even realizing it. Art Liebeskind
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50 and Counting
Tom Oakley Remembers I
n his book Kafka on the Shore, Haruki Murakami writes “No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away. They remain with us forever, like a touchstone.” I sat down to talk with Tom Oakley of Ship Bottom about his life and learned that his memories of his life have not been “rubbed away.” Tom, a resident of Ship Bottom for 60 years, shared many memories with me often prefacing his anecdotes about his life with “Now, I don’t know if you’ll find this interesting…” which was then followed by something very interesting. Tom has been designated Ship Bottom historian by the town fathers. Only the lack of a building to house artifacts and memorabilia from Ship Bottom’s past is preventing this past from being shared with everyone. Tom is a member and past president of the Rotary. He is a life member and past president of the Ship Bottom Fire Company #1. He was chairman of the LBI unit of the Salvation Army, a member of the Board at Southern Ocean County Hospital, Ship Bottom Councilman for 15 years, President of the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Planning Board, a Trustee of the Ocean County College Foundation, and a member of the LBI and Southern Regional Board of Education. Obviously, Tom Oakley is a man who cares about others and does what he can to improve their lives.
the store across from the old railroad station that was known as the Ship Bottom Beach Arlington Station. Tom and his younger brother Cliff stayed in the upper loft when they visited in the summers. Here are some of the tales Tom related and prefaced with “Now, I don’t know if you’ll find this interesting…” • Tom’s mother was born and raised in Barnegat and Tom and Jean Oakley as a young girl traveled to Harvey Cedars with her brothers on a “sneak box” made by the old Perrine boat works. • Tom’s brother Cliff used to dress as the Jersey Devil for various occasions and later as Smokey the Bear. • While working at the family hardware store, Tom and other young boys would disappear when it came time to bag and deliver coal to customers. At the time, however, the Bible Conference Center in Harvey Cedars was a YWCA summer camp for girls from the Philadelphia area and when a delivery of coal was needed there was no shortage of willing workers then. • Seaweed and salt hay was harvested and sold for use to protect packaged items. It was also allegedly sold for use as mattress stuffing for prisoners at Sing Sing Prison.
Tom is a veteran of the United States Navy and served from 1943 through 1946. Tom raised three daughters with his wife Jean of 64 years. They married the same year he graduated from The College of William and Mary with a degree in Business Administration. Tom moved here originally with the intention of working at his grandfather’s (Charles Conrad) hardware store. You can see in the accompanying photo Page 14
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Tom Oakley was Rotary Club President in 1957
Tom’s daug
hters Patric
ia, Deborah
, and Caroly
n
akley, 1981
m and Cliff O
Brothers To
• Tom witnessed the Hindenburg fly over many times on its way to Lakehurst and remembers the day it went down. He mentioned that at the time no one was aware of what the swastika on it signified. • Tom was around for the Great Atlantic Storm of 1962 and remembers how it almost destroyed the island. And of course Tom remembers Sandy well and how, fortunately, his home was spared any significant damage. • One time while playing Santa Claus for the fire department, a “little old lady sitting there” asked him if she could sit on his knee, because she hadn’t sat on Santa’s knee for 75 years, since she was five. • Tom recalls a traffic cop at the corner of Rt. 9 and Bay Avenue in Barnegat who’d stand out in the street directing traffic and giving out speeding tickets, which could conveniently be paid at the local judge’s court set up in his living room just up the block. The fine was $3.00. At no point in our conversation did Tom complain about his health or anything else, criticize anyone or make any political comments. He expressed no regrets about his past and just displayed an upbeat, disposition. I hope someday Tom gets a building that can store some memorabilia of Ship Bottom so he can share some of the stories that he’s “not sure you’d find interesting.” I’m betting you will. – Frank Grasso
Tom and Cliff with mother Martha
Lifestyle Marjorie Amon photo
A House by Any Other Name
G
iving vacation homes a name is a time-honored tradition, like naming a boat. The name should reflect your personality, passion and humor. When I bought my house on LBI, I was so excited. The little cape was just right for me. In its honor, I needed to christen it with the perfect name. My passion has always been the moon and the ocean. Hmm, I thought, what would incorporate both of those along with a touch of my personality? I played with phrases and words for a while until I hit on the perfect match. The name of my new home would be LunaSea—Luna for the moon, Sea for the ocean and a bit of lunacy for my personality. I had a hand-
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carved wooden sign made with a crescent moon over waves, and LunaSea etched in gold leaf. It hangs in my living room and is one of my favorite possessions. When my sister bought a duplex in Brant Beach, her son and a daughter were in college at the same time at MIT and Drew. As graduation drew near, she christened her home, Tuitions End. That said it all. Over the years we’ve had many laughs about our chosen house names. Did you name your LBI home? If so, send an email and share the story of how you determined the name for your beach escape. – Maggie O’Neill
From left to right the girls are: Laura Haase, Natalie Miele, and Alyssa Falcone.
Summer Days of a Half-Islander Teen
W
hether you wake up to the sound of seagulls beckoning you toward the beach or you wake up to the early morning darkness beckoning you toward sunrise, Long Beach Island is the best place to be during summer. The shore is very special to me as a “half-islander.” A half-islander is someone who was not born on the island but feels a close connection with it and loves every square inch of it. Like many early risers, my day starts with a criminal-like creep through the upstairs hallway and down an extremely loud staircase that opens up into a white dining and living room decorated with reminiscent pictures of the beach or “punny” beach sayings. There’s usually an uncle or two eating their post-run toast with cereal and hunching over their laptops (still working even though it’s summer). A quick whispered hello is sufficient before I head outside to the porch where the sun is blinding. I stretch, yawn, and kick out my legs to shake them awake then head down the street, dodging those nasty little pebbles, before landing on the chilled sand of 113th street in Haven Beach. Just the feel of the cold sand jolts my whole body and brings me to full attention. The jolting continues as I tell myself, “Don’t test the water temperature, don’t do it, your feet will get all sandy and you’ll waste time washing them off.” But I always do it anyway, skipping down the tiny hill (which is now a large and steep dune, thanks to Sandy) and stop at the ocean’s edge. I figure the water will come to me so I stand and wait. It doesn’t reach my feet, so eager me flies into the ocean knee deep now and almost get pummeled to the sandy floor when a wave crashes to shore. I hastily brush off the wet sand and scurry back to the house to eat breakfast before my early morning bike ride to Bay Village. During my ride, the smells of sea salt, freshly watered flowers, and the slight aroma of sunscreen invade my nose. Sea salt falls on my tongue-and sunglasses. Unlike other places I’ve been, on LBI you can say hello to complete strangers, smile or wave at little children, even stop to pet dogs through a fence – all without people pulling their sunglasses down at you. Late morning, the beach-goers start trickling onto the sands of LBI. Most teenagers lay out their towels or slap open chairs and dig their feet into the sand. People like me like to get really
Patty Haase photo
hot under the sun then hop up from our towels and grab our friends, siblings, or cousins to play some beach volleyball. Sometimes, we Usain Bolt-it into the ocean to escape the initial cringe of the seemingly sub-zero water. Once I’ve made it through the shock of the freezing water, my heart stops for a second and starts pumping again when a wave crashes over my head. When it’s time to get out of the water, I try to do that Baywatch slow-mo run but immediately realize I look ridiculous and that run quickly turns into an awkward brisk walk. By the halfway point of the trek back to our stakeout, I begin to sprint to the warmth of my sun-baked towel and flop onto it. The rest of the beach day is filled with playing paddle ball, taking quick dips in the chilled ocean, and making trips back and forth from the beach to the house for a quick snack or to catch a break from the beating sun. The nighttime darkness washes over the island and teenagers and young adults crawl out of the woodwork and walk, bike, or board to either Bay Village or their favorite hot spots. After my family’s traditional “LBS” or “London Broil Saturday,” I have the choice of staying in and watching late night television with my father or going over to Bay Village with my siblings. Although staying in is a tempting option, my sisters Natalie and Dana, and I usually head over to Bay Village. I love that place because it never becomes dull or boring. We could go to the Country Kettle Fudge Kitchen or the Dollar Parlor every night and still find it interesting; there are so many families together, teenagers having fun, even siblings putting aside their “Um, isn’t that my shirt?” feuds and joining up to have a night on the town. When I arrive home, I get ready for a warm night’s sleep and walk back up to the beach and say goodnight to it – just me and the beach. We don’t need a crowded promenade to have fun on LBI. We just need a friendly town with lots of neighborly people and plenty of lively things to do. I look forward to spending the remainder of my teen years as an LBI half-islander and maybe even buy a home here someday. – Jenna Miele Jenna Miele is a freshman at Haverford High School in Havertown, PA.
50 and Counting
What’s It All About, Alfie?
“T
hey’re not going to bother you boy!” This is a favorite memory of Alfie Stevens. As a boy he used to clam in shark-infested waters in the Tuckerton and Great Bay with his grandfather Raphie and his father Archie. It was a simpler time and a difficult lifestyle but Alfie knows he wouldn’t change one thing in his past. Alfie has lived on Cedar Street in Tuckerton his entire life. The house where his parents, Raphie and Anne Stevens, raised him still stands across the street from the home he built 45 years ago. As he reminisces and remarks that not once did those sharks ever bother any of them while they were in the water with them every day. Clamming was done treading by foot. There were no rakes or clam tongs used. Raphie used to toe lift the clams behind his legs to get them to the surface.
Cheryl Kirby photo
Raphie clammed six days a week. He had nine children and never owned a car or a motorized boat. Each morning he’d pull his boat out to the bay to clam. Occasionally he would be offered a tow from another boat and he never refused. Archie and Alfie would also clam along with him. Alfie would use the money he made to afford new school clothes. Parson’s Seafood on Tuckerton Creek purchased most of these clams. Special treasures were found throughout the clamming years. They were far and few between. There would be times when a clamshell had an irregular lip. When these were opened very often there would be a pearl inside. In 1940 they started to collect these pearls. When Alfie was in 10th grade, he made a walnut jewelry box for all the pearls. He still keeps them in this jewelry box today, with some that are more than fifty years old. No two pearls are alike. Their colors range from purple, pink, white and occasionally a deep purple. Many clammers clammed for their entire life and never found a single pearl. The biggest pearl that Alfie’s family found measured ¾ inches in diameter. All of Alfie’s life’s lessons were learned in his home and on the bay. His parents and grandparents set the foundation for his lifelong survival and social skills. He was taught about the importance of religion, family and hard work. His parents were very active in the church. His dad did the income taxes there for years and his mom cleaned the altar linens. The hall in the basement of their church at St. Theresa’s is still called Stevens Hall. His Dad did the lettering for RANDS roof (boat rentals) on Seven Bridges Road. Alfie’s other grandparents, the Matyus family, had a chicken farm in Mayetta, New Jersey where Alfie was given a red rider beebee gun and learned to shoot. Despite having been given instructions not to shoot the windows or the chickens, that’s what he shot since that was all there was to shoot!
These Barnegat Bay pearls range from 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch in diameter.
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Hubert L. (Ub) Driscoll and Arch Stevens working for Henkel and McCoys Electric Company after 1944 hurricane
Fishing, hunting, shooting and survival were the lessons he learned as a young boy. Fishing poles were made with 14-foot Calcutta plat poles with string wrapped around the poles. Fly tying and lure building are two hobbies he still enjoys and his collection is outstanding. Neighborhood children and adults frequently come to him for advice and he is always ready to help. He is a great resource for his community. He was a supervisor for The Pinelands Regional High School and also served on the school board for many years. What’s it all about, Alfie? It’s about living a life that you love. It’s about taking the time to listen as a boy and build your life on a foundation that is made up of excellent values, hard work and determination. It’s the memories on the bay and in your heart that will last a lifetime. It’s growing up and never leaving the block and town that you’ve loved and cherished your whole life. It’s those holidays spent around the table with the ones that you love. It’s the treasured pearls in the
Hubert L. (Ub) Driscoll and Arch Stevens Long Beach Island
walnut jewelry box made by you and so much more! It’s that “Yes, Ma’am” and “Yes, Sir” responses you learned as a child and still carry with you that makes you the man you are today. – Diane Stulga
Shore Things
Sea Star Brielle
Future Lifeguard Cecilia poses with Jensen sisters Krista and Kelsie.
Marjorie Amon photos
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SHOP ONLINE
PURAKAI.COM Page 21
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50 and Counting
Honoring a Local Tin Can Sailor
T
his year marks the 71st anniversary of the day a young eighteen-year-old from New Jersey joined the Navy to fight for his country. Michael Bak, Jr. is a testament to his generation. Reflecting on his story, one can see how we walk through life passing those who have come before us. They built our towns, shaped our industries, and molded our way of life. I discovered this in 2008 when Mike Bak walked into my life.
A few weeks later, though, Mike was thrown into his first naval battle and the tropical paradise seemed long gone. As 1943 closed, the USS Franks had already participated in one campaign – the Invasion of the Gilbert Islands. 1944 was quite a year for Mike. He and shipmates made it through another five campaigns and were credited with helping sink the Japanese sub, I-176. In October, they took part in one of the largest naval battles in history – the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Mike closed the year surviving one of the deadliest storms in history – a typhoon in December of 1944 that swamped the fleet under Admiral Halsey. Several ships sunk and numerous others were damaged in the storm. On board the USS Franks, praying could be heard as the ship rolled up to seventy degrees.
My school librarian put me in touch with Mike because she knew I enjoyed learning about World War II. I contacted Mike and set up a meeting with him one day after school. He came dressed in a suit complete with a Veterans of Foreign Wars hat. On the hat were pins representing different parts of Mike Bak when he was in the Navy his Navy service. For a middle school student to hear stories about being on a destroyer, In 1945 there were yet another three was very exciting to me. I learned a destroyer has a nickname of campaigns for the crew of the USS Franks, notably those of Iwo “tin can” because they were small ships that could bear the brunt Jima and Okinawa. It was at Okinawa where they were attacked of an attack. by Japanese suicide bombers, known as kamikazes. During the Each time I met with Mike after this, I’d hear a new tale and was able to put his amazing life story together. He was born on March 14, 1923 in Garfield, New Jersey, the son of Russian immigrants, Michael and Anna Bak. He grew up during the Depression and worked hard in school. Mike was involved with the Boy Scouts and became very good at signaling with signal flags. This knowledge would later prove useful while he served in the Navy. When Mike graduated Garfield High School in 1941, he had been captain of the baseball team and a member of the varsity basketball team. After the war broke out on December 7, 1941, like most of his generation, he wanted to enlist. On December 10, 1942 he was formally inducted into the United States Navy. Mike found himself being positioned on a newly launched Fletcher Class destroyer named the USS Franks. He would serve as a quartermaster, in charge of logging events in the ship’s log and sometimes steering the ship. Growing up during the Depression made him appreciate his “good fortune” in the Navy because he had food, clothing and was paid. When he arrived in Hawaii, he met up with his cousin, Danny, who was in the Army. Danny gave Mike got a tour of the island in an Army jeep which was an interesting experience for a young sailor.
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war, the USS Franks rescued a total of 22 downed flyers.
Off duty on the night of April 2, 1945, Mike was awoken because of a “sudden jolt” and he rushed up to the top deck. The USS New Jersey’s anchor had sliced into the bridge of the USS Franks. Even though the ship was basically intact, the USS Franks’s captain, Commander David Stephen, died of his injuries shortly after the incident. The war in Europe ended that May, but the war in the Pacific would go on for several more months. The USS Franks would be temporarily out of service for repairs in the States. When the ship arrived in Washington, Mike got a chance to fly home and visit his family and the girl who would become his wife. When Mike arrived in New Jersey he wore his combat ribbons, signaling he had just returned from the war zone. He noticed in many window service stars hanging representing a family member serving. Mike’s older brother had enlisted in the Marines and his younger brother would join the Navy shortly after the war. After returning to his ship, Mike and shipmates left for the Marshall Islands. During the journey they learned the atomic bombs had been dropped and that the war was nearly over. The
As I go through my senior year in high school, many of my classmates are talking about their futures. I am taking this moment, though, to honor a man who inspired me to be where I am today. He will continue to inspire me, and others who meet him. As the son of immigrants, he had to work hard in school, volunteered to serve his country, married, and raised a family. He continues to live life to its fullest on Long Beach Island. Men like Michael Bak made this country great. – Russell Risden
Mike Bak (center) in a window working on a display for his company
USS Franks would take part in the occupation of Japan before returning to the United States for the last time. Having spent three years on that destroyer, Petty Officer First Class Michael Bak was one of the first to be honorably discharged on January 10, 1946. He would say good-bye to his fellow crewmates, having survived a war, laughed together, and shared many memories.
“Men are the Navy, yet they live in ships. On the far spaces of the sea they become knit together; crew and ship forge into a single powerful unit to serve the United States in peace and war. The ship is their home, their weapon, their faith, and their pride. Men who have served in a ship are always interested in her. When they have trained and fought for their country in a ship, it becomes a part of them and they, in turn, a part of her forever after.” – Mike Bak’s favorite epilogue by Rear Admiral E. M. Eller
Cheryl Kirby photo
When Mike came home from the war, like most of his generation, he picked up where he had left off and went out into the world making a difference. He married Anne Gudzon in 1947 and together they raised three children. By 1959, he had a job with the Olivetti Underwood Corporation and would rise to a director’s position. When he retired from Olivetti USA on February 1, 1990, he had served an outstanding 41 years with the company. Mike and his wife, Anne, had been married 54 years when she passed away on January 21, 2001. Mike says they had a wonderful and loving marriage. Mike made many contributions to our local community. He is a past commodore of the Surf City Yacht Club, a member of the Barnegat VFW, and a member of the Long Beach Island Kiwanis Club. He also has given presentations about his naval service. Mike has six grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren. He has a friendly manner about him and has an impact on everyone he meets.
Mike Bak and family members on October 28, 2012
Marine Science
veryone remembers sitting in chemistry class and studying the periodic table of elements. Atoms and molecules would fill our minds and notebooks as we waited for the class bell to ring. Today, most of us don’t remember the lessons we learned, and most of us can’t name all the elements. However, sea glass hunters tend to know more about the elements than the average beachcomber. It is almost a requirement for a sea glass collector to know how each color is created and the chemical processes that heating glass can cause. A few hours of research can bear much fruit on the subject, like how copper goes into creating teals and gold into red. Even more rare than those colors is neodymium sea glass. The average sea glass hunter has probably never heard of this form of sea glass and few have likely found it. Few glass items are made using the element, so it would seem unlikely to find any rolling around the sea floor. Discovered in 1885 by German chemist Carl F. Auer von Welsbach, neodymium is used in a variety of everyday items. If you have a pair of headphones on your head while reading this, there are neodymium magnets inside. Microphones, speakers and even nuclear reactors also rely on the element. The magnets made from neodymium are strong enough to withstand the vibrations sound equipment would have to endure over a lifetime. Neodymium “doped” glass is used in powerful lasers for nuclear fusion found in reactors which in turn create electricity for cities. It’s used as a calibrator for spectrometers, welder’s masks, glass-blowers goggles, colored enamels, incandescent light bulbs, and the rear-view mirrors of cars. Neodymium is even present on the hard drive that this article was saved to and that you are possibly using right now to read this. It’s even under our feet. Though considered a “rare earth” element, neodymium is everywhere and is fairly common in
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earth’s soil. Most of the world’s neodymium supply is mined out of China. Perhaps what makes the glass so popular is not rarity but it’s most infamous trait. The word “neodymium” comes from the Greek words neos and didymos, which translate to “new twin.” Indeed this is fitting because the glass version can actually change color in front of your eyes! Depending on the light, neodymium glass can be a fuchsia pink under sunlight, violet under indoor light, and a dull aqua blue under fluorescent and CFL light. It also can glow a luminous turquoise under a black light. The most common color it is viewed in is purple which turns into a dull blue under fluorescent light, while pink turns gray. It’s fun to hold a piece in your hand as you walk through the sunlit living room and then as you turn a corner into the kitchen watch it change color under the artificial light. It’s the stuff of grade school science experiments. Neodymium is highly sought after as art glass. Even more unlikely is finding a piece of sea glass in this form, since the few items it was used in are unlikely to end up in the ocean. If found as sea glass, it will likely look like a pale violet color similar to manganese tinted (sun-colored or irradiated) glass, but has even shown up in dark teal and blues. Pink and gray have also been found, but either way they are all incredibly rare. Until it is held under a fluorescent light, it will hide its true form. So who knows, you may have a piece in your collection right now! It’s just another reason to keep looking down when you go to the beach. – Photography and article by Sara Caruso
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50 and Counting
Our Past is Prologue
“H
as the electrician finished yet? When’s the plumber coming?” These were questions my mother, Jane Smith, and I were discussing – questions hundreds of other harried, post-Sandy homeowners were seeking answers to. From our conversations these past weeks, I’ve learned this was not the first storm to have blown through my mother’s life. In September 1944, she was working the counter at the old Beach Haven Laundry on Marine and Bay Avenue. Usually business had slowed down by then, but customers were in a rush to pick up their bundles of linens. Because of the war, German U-boats were close to shore and the radio airwaves were kept silent so nautical flags at the post office and coast guard station would give weather forecasts. This day the pennant was bright red with a small black square in the center for a hurricane. Jane said all the locals scoffed, “We never get hurricanes here!” But the flags gave the true warning and the storm was a doozy! Mom said during the worst of the storm at her house on Pearl Street, the basement filled with ocean water and large sections of the boardwalk were coursing by. By 8pm, the storm had passed north, leaving an amazingly beautiful moon and starlit night. The Japanese couple who owned a shop on the boardwalk were digging in the sand the next day searching for any bit of merchandise left. Everyone was in shock. I researched this unnamed hurricane and learned it was 30 to 50 miles off shore with 96 mile per hour winds and huge waves that carried many homes into the bay. Soldiers were sent from Ft. Dix to prevent looting and help move tons of sand. Beach Haven decided not to rebuild the boardwalk, so salvaged timbers were sent south to Atlantic City for their boardwalk. Neighbors were helping neighbors. No money ever came from Washington. Time heals all wounds, it is said, and we forget past tragedies until the next one. It was 1962. My mom was still working at the Beach Haven Laundry and living in an apartment upstairs. The weather forecast for Monday and Tuesday, March 5 and 6 was a chance of rain, clouds, cool. Who knew there would be a three-day collision of storm fronts, a new moon aligning with the sun, the equinox with perigean tides? Who expected each high tide to cause more devastation to the Island along with an arctic blast? “Where you scared,” I asked? Page 26
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Old photo of Jane Lathbury Smith supplied by her daughter Carol Freas.
“You bet! During daylight, I watched the water rise on my neighbor’s outside wooden steps. Oh, that’s the fourth step; an hour later the seventh and then the whole frame was gone. Alone in the dark, I heard the water from the ocean and bay swirling below in the laundry. There were overhead garage doors on the front and side of the building, opened in the summer for ventilation as the big dryers made the place an oven. That night, the rushing water was raising and lowering the doors at will.” Finally, by Thursday the National Guard evacuated her to her sister’s house in Manahawkin. I found photos showing how 25-foot waves had battered each town eventually damaging 80 percent of the buildings on LBI. There never were any official printed statistics as the weather equipment on Steel Pier was lost. Those were not the worst storms to hit our coast. Before accurate tools were developed to measure wind velocity, a behemoth stormed up from the South in 1821, later named the Great September Gale. Gale? Whoa…winds were estimated at 200 miles per hour, bringing a tidal surge of 13 feet to LBI. It destroyed all the first growth cedar forests and small fresh water lakes here. And so it goes. Over the years we are accosted by hurricanes. It’s the nature of our coast. As this October 2012 storm has shown, we are dealing with rising sea levels. Rebuilding to work with Mother Nature will help…Replenishing the dunes… Raising our homes… “When our satellite-tuned weather forecasters predict a big storm,” I asked my mother, “will you stay?” “No way! Will I git? You bet!” – Carol Freas
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Poetry
Advice From A Laughing Gull
A Visitor on Shore
The stars on LBI are unbelievable on a clear night step away from the keyboard come enjoy the great outdoors sometimes skipping is the right thing to do
Tides come in , then draw back, Birds swoop down, searching for a snack, Naked beaches- barren since fall, Screeching gulls tell a story to all.
Unbelievable the stars over LBI this cloudless night away from the keyboard skipping is the right thing to do revel in the sanctuary of light
A sudden movement-something large, Could be driftwood, maybe a barge ? An anchor from an ancient ship, Forgotten for years after one final trip. – Lynn Reebe
Skip and step away from the keyboard on a moonless night the stars on LBI unbelievable come rejoice it’s the right thing to do – Frank Finale Art Liebeskind
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Count To Sixty Three My magical number has always been sixty three, Because that exit off the parkway is where I long to be, Long Beach Island has my heart and it also has my soul, Without its beautiful sandy beaches, I wouldn’t be whole.
Whether a good or bad day, the ocean and warm breeze in your hair, Take deep breaths, relax, and take time to just sit in your beach chair.
Over the years this is the one place I had no worries, Thanks to family vacations filled with wonderful stories, Watching the waves continuously roll both in and out, Wondering what new opportunities would come about.
Enjoy the sand between your toes no matter what time of year, No fears or regrets, count to sixty three and allow your mind to clear, Long Beach Island offers great memories for both you and me, Every day is a gift when you spend part of it by the sea.
The beach just like a friend I know will always be there for you, It is there to help us think through everything we plan to do,
– Chelsea Stulga
Poetry
Changes
s not too late to escape! May sunshine brings the first hint of warmth in the breeze, Gentleness in great need after our storm. We look around with questions, and expectations. Are we the same? Will it matter if we are not?
For better or for worse we have pledged our life to Island tides. We are here, and still standing. Different in many ways, but still alive. Shells are still free and the beach still whispers to those who can hear. The sea apologizes for its fury with blue-green water and translucent waves, capped in white. I am not the same as I was when I first tread upon these shores. For nothing remains untouched by time. But change is part of the journey. For us and for the sea. I smile, one more line etched upon my face. The warm May breeze is comforting, and the sound of the waves set me free. – Maggie O’Neill Ryan Marchese photo
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Poetry
Rebuild Ashley was four years old The summer I went to war. She was an architect, Engineer, builder Of grand sand castles. Detail and proportion Were her expertise. The first morning her mother Took her to the ocean’s edge, Ashley, armed with bucket And butter knife performed magic Creating a castle built For a prince and princess. After dinner, her grandfather Escorted her on a walk to the beach. She pulled his arm hurrying him Toward her creation. She found The spot where her castle Once stood. Little was left, Only a wet round mound of sand.
“Why, Grandpa? Why?” He pulled her close and hugged her. What good was explaining Wind and tides, sun and moon, The eternal turning of the spheres, But he tried. She protested, “It’s not fair.” He replied, “It’s not trying to be fair. It’s just the way it is.” He paused. “You can build it again tomorrow.” She did. And again the tide took Her castle. All summer long She never stopped building.
She never said it, but She showed me: Don’t let the It’s-not-fair-it-doesn’t-care Beat you. Slowly, She rebuilt my faith. – Richard Morgan
I returned home. I had survived My year at war. I had lost buddies, Buddies had lost arms and legs. I had abandoned all hope of normal. I watched as Ashley spent her Summer building castles. Marjorie Amon photo
Lost Pirate Gold I wanted to be a pirate Since the 4th grade production of Peter Pan. All my closest friends played lost boys, but I was a pirate, one of a lawless, loathsome crew. The boy who played Captain Hook Was the coolest kid in the entire school. He danced around swinging his arms. Why couldn’t I be him? I came home and told my parents I wanted to be a pirate. They agreed on the condition I didn’t run away from home. I said okay and my mother redid my room with pirate wallpaper. When my parents made me take dance lessons, I went, as long as I also learned how to do a sailor’s jig. In high school when my friends and I used fake IDs To go to bars two towns over, they’d order beers. I only drank rum. In college, fraternity boys were too tame. I spent my time in bars down by the docks Listening to sailors tell yarns of exotic places. I graduated with honors as my parent wished And gave them my framed diploma. My mother told me, “Do some good with your life.” My father made me a deal. Go to law school, Pass the bar and he’d buy me any car I wanted. I went. I passed. I bought a bright yellow Mustang With a black stripe down its length. I named it “Polly.”
Check out the Guinness World Record video on Facebook – the “Most People Blowing Conch Horn” record belongs to Ship Bottom, Long Beach Island, New Jersey, USA
www.echoeslbi.com
Echoes of LBI
I joined a crew of lawyers that specialized in bankruptcy. It was a natural fit for me. We could take a company down, Cut its contractual obligations to shreds and turn A substantial profit before the wind changed direction. We were so good, I made more money than any thirty year old Knew what to do with. I had a gorgeous, golden-haired girlfriend. We cruised to distant islands and drank daiquiris In dark bars. She loved the jewels I gave her. That relationship didn’t last, but each Christmas I went home, showered my parents with gifts, Treasures from around the world. I think they liked them. They didn’t say much. I’d spend a lot of my visit in my old room Staring at the wallpaper, picking out My favorite pirates like I use to, Recalling the 4th grade play, Being a pirate. Now I wonder, When did I become A lost boy? – Richard Morgan from Sea Glass Soul
Picture Window Streaked with Rain Picture window streaked with rain– orchids on pine sill stretch toward sky. Wet limbs of beach plum curve out and up. Brooding Sol lies in abeyance. – Norma Paul
Poetry
Dreamland I live in a world of shimmering light, where the vibrant colors glow, the breeze softly whispers, and on sapphire, I float, all year ‘round, the meadow blooms, a sea of lilac, yet calm and still. My hands are creamy white and still, a reflection of the pale moon light, as I patiently wait for the sun to bloom, so I can bask in its warm glow. In my head, my thoughts float in the form of hushed whispers. I strain to hear those whispers, muffled by reality, unchanging and still. I watch my airy gown float. The radiant yellow cloth billows, like rays of sun light. Luminous roses blush a silver glow, as glittering dew falls from the blooms. “Tell me a story,” the blooms beg in a chorus of whispers. Far away, the horizon begins to glow. I try to use my words, but my lips remain still. I gaze as an orb of blinding light comes my way, in the air, afloat. Gingerly, I reach one hand into the brilliant float, and from it, a golden pen blooms. My ideas explode with kaleidoscopic light, in loud shouts rather than whispers, and nothing will ever be still. I now beam with a dazzling glow. How will I use this glow? With this power, I can either float or drown. Even still, I am finding ways to bloom. The meadow engulfs me while it whispers secrets, writer’s secrets, helping me find my own light. In this world, imagination blooms, and creativity whispers. This place exists in everyone, they just have to follow the light. – Taylor Bak Sestina (14 years old) Page 34
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Forsythia! You sing the song of spring so well, you bright, golden bells. Just as I thought the gray of winter would go on forever, you appear, as if by magic, to soften the eye with bursts of yellow blooms that have returned to life once more. Like an asteroid shower, you awaken the earth with your bouquets of sunshine. Forsythia, you give me hope that summer is just around the corner. Let my heart beat and awaken to your song. Let me smother myself in your billowy, yellow blooms of hope. – Dianne Alvine
[Header Goes Here]
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Poetry
The Captain Of My Heart And together we taught them to deal with everyday happiness and strife, Our parents and their heart-wrenching illnesses, we survived together, If not for you, those dark times I faced, I would not have survived ever!
I knew that you were the one for me, from the very first time we met, It’s a day in my life, that I will cherish forever and never ever forget, Before there was you, I really didn’t believe in love at first sight, But’ now it is real, and something I believe in with all of my might. You’ve built us so many things, mostly our foundation on which we stand, Your talents are as endless as the oceans waves and beaches grains of sand, As we sit in our jacuzzi at night, and make our wishes upon a shooting star, I always knew in my heart that our wishes would someday take us this far. We’ve been blessed with three girls with whom to share our life,
You’ve been my anchor through so many storms we’ve had in our life, And everyday I take time to thank God for making me your wife, For the chances of sharing so many things with one person is slim to none, And I want to thank-you and say the best of our years have only just begun.
For where else but in our hearts could we feel our best that we could be, Connected as one as we walked the beach and dreamed of our life by the sea. Thanks for making each and every one of my dreams come true, They wouldn’t have the same meaning if not shared with you, I wake up and feel I’m living in a dream, and I vow in silence to try, To be thankful everyday, for our new life, together forever in LBI. – Diane Stulga dedicated to my husband Vic
I knew that I wanted to be a part of your life right from the very start, And I knew from day one you were the only “The Captain Of My Heart,”
Shells Are My Game. Natural Nautical Design by Cheryl
Things A Drift, 406 Long Beach Blvd , Ship Bottom, NJ, 609 361 1668 • Reopens April 30, 2013
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Artifacts, Consignment and Container Garden Vintage Coastal Decor/Eclectic Mix of One of a Kind Painted Pieces for the Home
Now two locations 11117 Long Beach Blvd. Beach Haven and 414 North Bay Ave Beach Haven 609-661-1586 or 609-492-4002 Mon-Thurs by appt. Fri-Sat-Sun 11am-4pm
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Lifestyle
19th Street Block Party
Marjorie Amon photos
The original 19th Street block party planners and friends.
W
hile sitting with Meg Neff in her home on 19th Street, she reminisced about the origin of the block party. Peggy Robertson, Mary Luking and Lil McCurdy lived on 19th Street in Ship Bottom back in the ‘90s and could usually be found sitting on their porches. They had been connected since their youth and lived through World War II together. John Gross, who owned Surf Unlimited at the time, visited them frequently. Each day he made his way to the beach to check the waves. Before phoning in the surf report
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to Southern Regional High School, he would stop and chat with these senior ladies. For more than three years he tried to persuade them to have a block party on 19th Street. John’s persistence paid off, because twenty years later, four generations of families still gather to share food, prayers, laughs and traditions that seem stronger than ever. John had that special ability to talk to and connect with the elderly – one of his many fine traits.
Seventeen people attended the first block party. John Gross had donated a bushel of crabs. Rich Neff, who was a clammer, went out and treaded a few hundred clams. Neighbors brought their own meat and cooked on the grill. All the ladies brought a homemade dish and they shared a meal together. This tradition continues today! Bea and Jim Schanklin attended the first block party. Several people remembered Bea with a big plate of crabs in front of her. Bea is now 95 and attended this year’s party as well. Peggy Green and her husband Bud attended the original party, too. “Greenie,” as he was called, is remembered today for all of the funny things he did throughout the years. Cindy and Wilson Bradley were in charge of the beautiful table decorations and started the Art Taylor Memorial Horseshoe Tournament that is still a very popular event. Tommy Redman and his wife Kathy, who have an official sandpit, are now in charge of the tournament. It is open to all and starts at 2:00 pm. The tradition of planning each block party has been passed down from generation to generation. This signifies a wonderful tradition and is a testimony to the original three senior ladies. Lessons in camaraderie, loyalty and bonds of friendship abound. There’s also the shared passion for LBI and all of its beauty. LBI had been referred to several times during this year’s party as 19th Street’s “little bit of heaven.” Approximately 60 people now attend the 19th Street block party. More food, games, prizes and memories are made each year. Marsha has been in charge of the door prizes throughout the years andhas done an outstanding job. The children can be seen running throughout all of the backyards playing old-fashioned games all day long. The youngest child this year is 14-month Maya and the oldest adult is Bea Schanklin.
The next generation of 19th Street party planners.
Before the party got started everyone gathered around and held hands for a prayer. They felt blessed to be part of a twenty-year block party tradition. – Diane Stulga
Lifestyle
A Kite for Every Occasion:
Lisa Willoughby Takes Kite-Flying to New Heights
Bruce Flora photo Page 40
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Qater, Doha Flying an indoor single line kite at the Cultural Center in Doha
W
e see all kinds of kite-flyers on LBI. Many stick to windy weather and single line kites, letting their brightly-colored shapes – boxes, diamonds, parafoils – hover so high above the dunes for boulevard passerbys and bayside barbecuers to see. Other beach-kiters take the toy more seriously. Instead of aiming simply to climb the air until their spools are bare (or the wind has dropped), these flyers give dual and quad line kites the agility and daring of actual birds. With their rapid swoops and gutsy dives, well-guided stunt kites can grab and hold our attention for minutes on end, often longer than it takes an outlier sweep of rising water to sneak off with our sandals. Especially entertaining are the choreographed maneuvers of multiple skilled flyers who swivel their “revolution” kites (the kind shaped like a couple of triangles side by side) in a sequence resembling rows of airborne dominoes. Then there are the kite surfers, who take aerial to a whole new level, careening over waves into leaps and somersaults at jaw-dropping heights. According to Lisa Willoughby, year-rounder and international kiting champion, not all kite-flying happens at the beach or even outdoors. “Indoor flying,” says Willoughby, “is much more physical. You are using your body to make the kite move, because there is no wind involved at all. How you move away from the kite creates that lift you get with wind.” The result of this constant motion is a gliding, smooth-stepping ballet that takes your breath away. Willoughby has won both national and international competitions in more styles of kiting than most Americans know to exist. She loves Rokkuku, six-sided Japanese fighter kites originated by the ancient Samurais. “It’s short, quick and strategic like chess,” she says. Lisa defends her right as a woman to play in order to win. “I’ve been told, ‘You’re usually so nice, but when you’re flying your kite you’re so aggressive.’ I’m like ‘Yeah, but you’re aggressive too. Why is it okay for you but not for me?’” Willoughby first began her kite-flying career in her teens when the owner of a kite shop in Chincoteague asked her to give lessons on the beach. Although her family was only vacationing in the area for a short time and the pay was a dollar per hour, Willoughby jumped at the opportunity. Then when her family returned to LBI she offered the same services to her own local kite shop. In return for these lessons and for helping to run the store, Willoughby received top-notch kites – an arrangement that paid off big. Members of the Washington DC kite club “Wings Over Washington,” whose weekend meets she attended during graduate school, suggested she start competing.
Chengdu, China National TV Awards show for International Puppertry Convention April 2012
With her outstanding abilities and her grade-A equipment, it wasn’t long before Willoughby started making a name for herself. Five months after her first east coast competition in 1999, Willoughby was sponsored by the kite company “Ultra” and paid to give flying demos throughout North America and Europe. Willoughby is now a member of the American Kite Flying Association Rule Committee, a position that led to her adjudicating at the World Sport Kite Championships in France last year. The championships attracted over 200,000 spectators. For Willoughby, kiting isn’t just about competitions and top scores, as certain members of the predominantly male sport have been awed into suggesting. Willoughby is a kite fanatic in the happiest sense of the word, and she shares her joy at events and in everyday life. As a speech pathologist, Willoughby often incorporates kites as a theme into her lessons. “We always have a kite day in the classes that I teach. Teaching special needs kids how to fly is pretty amazing. They feel really proud of what they’ve accomplished.” As a member of the “Dare to Dream” team, Willoughby often travels across the continent to uplift special needs individuals by drawing attention to their potential to achieve. This past year she helped choreograph Scott Weider’s indoor kiting performance for the televised program “America’s Got Talent.” Weider, a teenager coping with severe epilepsy since infancy, placed eleventh on the show and touched the hearts of millions of viewers. Willoughby recently returned from the Dieppe International Kite Festival in New Brunswick, Canada. She is headed to Indonesia for the Kai Pei Kite Festival to share more of her talent and enthusiasm. “It’s amazing because kiting brings people together. Everybody loves to see a kite. In any country I go to, even the really poor people will look up and just smile, and it brings them joy.” – Bridget Sprouls
Service to LBI
Kiwanis Club of LBI
T
he president tolls a brass bell to bring the meeting to order. The group stands and sings God Bless America. Then they recite the Pledge of Allegiance and bow their heads in prayer. Thus starts the meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Long Beach Island. Every Wednesday at 9am, a diverse group of men and women meet to discuss how they will promote the mission of Kiwanis International: Serving the Children of the World. As Joanne Kranch, president of the local chapter, says, “Who wouldn’t want to be part of an organization that’s dedicated to helping children?” Chartered on October 4, 1975, the organization is made up of local business people, retirees, islanders, residents of Manahawkin and more. They are complemented by members of the Key Club at Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin. Since 1989, every year approximately 20 high school students volunteer in the community. The Easter and Christmas breakfasts for special needs children are popular events where the Kiwanis and Key Club work together to bring joy to children who are disabled.
In addition to the holiday breakfasts, Kiwanis supports local chapters of Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and youth softball. Every Thanksgiving, they donate turkey dinners to families in need. At the end of every school year, they award a scholarship to the Outstanding Student of the Year at three area schools: Ethel Jacobsen School, Beach Haven School and Stafford Intermediate. Teachers select the award winner based on citizenship, leadership and service. Kiwanis then present the student with a plaque and gift card. The organization hosts several highly successful fund-raisers every year: flea markets, Texas Hold ‘Ems and 50/50 Raffles. Joanne Kranch states the LBI chapter’s greatest success is “the people. These people just give their hearts and their souls to this organization. Nothing is ever too much.” The Kiwanis Club is actively seeking new members. If you’d like to learn more, call Faith Dixon at 609-405-2834 or email her at xwebsbf@verizon.net. – Joyce Hager Cheryl Kirby photo
Front Row: Sal Frisina, Bud Dixon, Faith Dixon, Joanne Kranch, Ed Toriello, Helene Morizzo, Bill Larkey, Pete Rossi Back Row: Wally Mianowski, Rev. Donald Turner, Babe Poggi, Pat Counihan, Richard Doyle, Roy Ravenfeld, Betty Waterfield, William Appelget Page 42
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photo [Header Marjorie GoesAmon Here]
Emily Pagnotta, Emily Becket, Olivia Pagnotta
Into the Mystic Ghost Tours Come join us on a fun, lantern-lit, 90-minute walking tour of Beach Haven to explore some the legends and haunts of Long Beach Island. Tours are held every Tuesday and Wednesday starting June 18th through August 28th, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children under 12. Children under 5 are free. A portion of the proceeds goes to the LBI Museum. Reservations are required. Call 609-709-1425. Tickets go on sale 6:30 pm at the museum. Cash only. Tours meet at the Long Beach Island Historical Museum, Beach and Engleside Ave., Beach Haven. Wear comfortable walking shoes. If unsure about weather conditions, call ahead to confirm.
Marjorie Amon photo
A Shore Thing
The Red Bottle
E
mma stood amazed, looking at the piece of sea glass she pulled out of the waves. It was the top part of a bottle, and it was red. She ran her fingers over its edges, washed smooth by time and sea. A red bottle! After years of searching for even the tiniest piece of the rare, ruby-colored glass, finding a treasure like this was a sea glass hunter’s dream. The bottle, well seasoned by the ocean, was split on a diagonal, the bottom half missing. The top still held a cork, adding to the magic of the find. After years in the water, time had not diminished the deep, rich, red color. It glistened in the morning light, still wet from the sea. She placed it very gently in her bag then danced with joy. “Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she repeated as she twirled around in jubilation on the empty beach. “I can’t believe it,” she whispered to no one as she marveled at her find. That morning, Emma had felt a sense of expectation – a hint that today may be different, special. She never expected to find a red bottle, the holy grail of sea glass. She grinned from ear to ear thinking about the treasure and headed back up the dune, stopping for a final glance at the ocean. The sky had turned dark and threatening. “Storm all you want,” she laughed, “my day is complete!” “You must have found quite a rare piece of glass,” a voice said. Emma jumped at the sound. A grey-haired, elderly gentleman was standing on the porch of a small, oceanfront bungalow, overlooking the beach entrance. He had a kindly expression and a twinkle in his eye. He smiled at her surprised expression. “My wife used to collect sea glass,” he said. “I’ve often seen you walking the beach. I recognize your telltale, head down, deep concentration stance as that of a true sea glass hunter. And the yell of glee, hands pumped up to the sky, usually means a very good find,” he laughed. “Let me guess, you found a piece of red?” Emma smiled, relaxing as she realized he was not actually reading her mind, but was experienced with the nuances of sea glass searching. “I thought I was hearing the voice of God,” she laughed.
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“Nope, not God, not by a long shot,” he grinned. “Just Matthew. Matthew Howard.” “I’m Emma, Matthew. Nice to meet you. Did your wife ever find a piece of red?” she asked. He turned his head and looked out at the ocean. Emma thought he might not answer, but he did. Turning back, he nodded, “Yes, Emma, she did. Would you like to see it?” She didn’t hesitate a second before walking up the stairs to the porch. “I have a feeling you will appreciate this,” Matthew smiled. Emma stepped through the door of the small cottage. The knotty pine walls in the living room held a field stone fireplace with shells decorating its mantle. The floors were hardwood and polished to a high gloss. The kitchen, still tiled in harvest gold with matching appliances, held a small table for two. It was neat as a pin and beach cozy. Matthew walked over to a large shelf in the living room. On it was the most beautiful assortment of colored sea glass Emma had ever seen. “Fantastic,” she whispered, more to herself than to Matthew. She walked over and gazed at the collection. Kelly green, cobalt blue, pink, aqua, teal, white, and brown pieces of glass from the sea were displayed like the crown jewels. And there in the center was the red. Emma’s eyes grew wide as she gazed at the rare find. “Matthew, this is not just a piece of red, it’s a bottle!” she said, shock filling her voice. “Yes, well, at least it’s half a bottle. It was Mary’s most treasured find. She searched years before finding that piece of glass. It was about four years ago. I remember that morning as if it was yesterday.” His eyes held a faraway look as his memory flashed back in time. “I was sitting on the deck, watching her walk the beach as I did just about every morning. She bent to pick something up. I swear her shout of joy could be heard from one end of the Island to the other. She started dancing around on the sand, like you did today. When she looked up to the porch and saw me, she walked as fast as any 84-year-old could, up the beach. I knew right away what she was going to show me.” Emma was speechless. Not just with the story, but with the bottle itself. Impossible as it seemed, the bottle on Mathew’s shelf looked like it could be the missing half of the bottle she found today. She collected her thoughts as she walked over to her bag. “Matthew, I want to show you something. I could be wrong, and in fact, I must be, but you really have to see this.”
Emma gently removed the coveted piece of glass from her bag. She looked at him, eyes shining. “Does this match the bottle from your wife’s collection?” He stared at the glass in silence. Turning, he walked over to the shelf and brought the bottom half of Mary’s bottle over to the table. They looked at each other for a moment before he picked up the two pieces of glass. It was a perfect match. “Oh my God!” Emma whispered. “That’s not possible.” She looked at the bottle, now whole, and marveled at its beauty. It was a small, rectangular shape with a long neck and glob of glass at the top, cork still intact. The water had smoothed the edges, but the broken pattern matched. Matthew watched as she gaped at it, a bittersweet smile on his face. “This is truly remarkable, Emma. In fact, you have no idea how remarkable it is. I didn’t think I would ever see the other half of that bottle. Mary passed away a year ago. She had searched every day, hoping to find the top. She always had faith that someday she would.” He was quiet for a minute, then continued, “I guess it is time. They say if you wait long enough, and believe hard enough, whatever your heart needs, it will find.” Matthew put his hands on Emma’s and looked into her eyes. “Thank you, Emma.” He then placed both pieces of the red glass bottle carefully in her bag. “Matthew, what are doing?” Emma asked, her voice reflecting disbelief. “Emma, I’ve watched you search the beach many times. It reminded me of my wife, and made me smile. I always hoped you find what you were looking for. Mary said the best part of collecting sea glass was sharing it with others. She believed we should always share the gifts the ocean gives to us. Since I don’t believe in coincidences, I think she wants to share this gift with you.” “Thank you, Matthew. I wish Mary was here to see this.” “So do I,” he whispered. Emma’s eyes were filled with tears of joy and wonder as she left the house, the two pieces of precious red glass tucked away in her bag. Just as she got home, rain and sleet began to fall. Over the next few days, a nor’easter rolled in and Emma did not have a chance to get back to the beach. By mid-morning on the third day, the weather cleared and she headed out on her beach walk. As she passed Matthew’s cottage, she saw a car in the driveway. A woman about Emma’s own age was stacking up boxes on the porch. She looked up as Emma approached. “Hi,” Emma said. “I’m just stopping in to see if Matthew made out okay in the storm.” The woman looked skeptical. “I’m Matthew’s daughter. May I help you?” she asked.
She doesn’t take after her father, Emma thought, noting the chilly reception. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Emma. I collect sea glass, and your father showed me your mother’s collection a few days ago.” Emma was not getting a good feeling at the way this woman was staring at her. “You must be mistaken,” she said, turning back to stacking up boxes on the porch. “Mistaken about what?” Emma asked, perplexed. The woman turned back to her once more, weariness replacing the coldness in her voice. “Miss…” “Call me Emma, please,” she said, trying to be friendly. “I don’t know what you are referring to. Yes, my mother collected sea glass, but I don’t think my father showed it to you. He passed away three months ago. The house has been closed up until today.” The smile froze on Emma’s face. Matthew’s daughter pushed a piece of hair off her cheek. “I really need to get back to packing up and clearing out the house. Is there something else you wanted?” she asked. “No, no,” Emma stammered. She turned and walked back to the beach. Sitting on the bench at the top of the dune, her mind was in a whirl. Finding the top half of Mary’s bottle should have been impossible, but it happened. She pictured the glass on her shelf; the two pieces nestled together after years apart. Did I ever really talk with Matthew? I must have, she thought. I have the bottle to prove it. But that’s not possible! Either my mind is playing tricks on me or the universe is much, much stranger than we know. There was no rational answer. Sighing, she stood, and noticed a dedication plaque on the back of the bench. The inscription read, “This bench is in loving memory of Mary Howard, my other half - Matthew.” She remembered his words from the other day: “They say if you wait long enough, and believe hard enough, whatever your heart needs, it will find.” Maybe finding the other half of the bottle freed you, Matthew, to once again be with your other half, Emma thought. A profound sense of comfort filled her. The golden morning light reflected off the crest of the waves as Emma started walking down the beach. Glancing up at the house again in awe, she slowly smiled. Touching her hand to her heart, she whispered, “Godspeed, Mary and Matthew,” and began her search for sea glass. – Maggie O’Neill
Sara Caruso photos
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50 and Counting
Tar On My Feet
I
lift up my small size two foot, horse style, sole extending behind me. My mother removes the glob of tar that has oozed between my second and third left toes. Nostrils stinging from the smell of kerosene, I endure this cleaning off procedure on a daily basis. Such was the life of beach children along the New Jersey Coast during and for a few years after World War II. A rag is kept along side a screw-top mason jar in our shower in Beach Haven. Tar-covered bare feet are not allowed in the house. The bottoms of my feet must be checked before entering. Summering on a barrier island was part of my life starting in the mid 1940’s. Before the days of amusement parks, shops, and other activities, my life consisted almost solely of walking the beach and splashing in the breakers. Being a child covered with tar was a daily occurrence. I was never told exactly where it came from. “Maybe just some ship changing its oil” was the usual explanation.
As a young child I was protected from the realities of the war. Fathers of friends were either away or home with their families. Others, sadly, would never return. My father was too old to be part of the war effort. Nothing was ever mentioned in our family about what had been going on. I was an only child, living in my own world while my parents went to cocktail parties and socialized with their friends. World War II was not a term I was familiar with until I studied it in school a few years later. I had no idea that tar washing up from the Atlantic Ocean had anything to do with a war. Wartime Regulations were posted along the ends of the ocean blocks during the war citing no cars on the beach, lights must be extinguished, and no binoculars permitted. The threat of German and Japanese ships was real. Blimps patrolled along the New Jersey coast. The beacon above the Barnegat Lighthouse was turned off for the duration of the war,
Stokes Carrigan photo Coast Guard Reserve lined up on dock at Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club, Beach Haven. Page 48
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as were those of some of the other coastal lighthouses. Blackout curtains for all homes facing the ocean were strictly enforced. Since the attack at Pearl Harbor, everyone was afraid of an attack from the sea. Army, Coast Guard and the New Jersey National Guard protected the beaches. On Long Beach Island, hotels were being used as barracks while servicemen patrolled the beaches and inlets by boats. Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers patrolled both Beach Haven and Barnegat Inlets. Enemy submarines sank ships. Bodies washed up along the shore, sometimes with cork life preservers still strapped on, the everpresent tar a sign of the war close to our shore. Jeeps and Army convoys were everywhere along Long Beach Boulevard. A Long Beach Island Service Club was founded and other local organizations devoted time and effort to help in the war. This turned into the local USO. The Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club had a floor for wounded servicemen, sure that some time in the sun, and away from the hospital at Ft. Dix, NJ, would improve both their injuries and their spirits.
After VE Day in 1945 the military presence left. Yet tar was still everywhere: it coated all flotsam and jetsam that washed ashore. Standing in the breakers it would hit my feet; sitting down in the sand along the shoreline was a hundred times worse. Cotton bathing suit bottoms could never get rid of the dark gray spots. It washed in and lay in globs in the sand, unrecognizable in childish eyes. Tar from torpedoed and sunken commercial and military vessels, submarines, and the remains from blimps and airplanes continued to wash in for a good ten years. It wasn’t until years later that I realized the cost of all that tar. And I don’t mean in cotton bathing suits, cut off jeans, Ked sneakers and shirts. Many men and women gave their lives during World War II in defense of our country. As I walk the beach in Beach Haven today I still look down in the sand occasionally thinking of the tar and worldwide loss. – Gretchen F. Coyle
Stokes Carrigan photo Coast Guard headed out in ocean.
While You Were Gone
A Time to Rebuild While you were gone for the off-season, Sandy decided to visit us in late October. Most of what you missed relates to the storm. While you were gone, piles of memories were put out on the curbs, echoing the destruction inside so many homes.
While you were gone, businesses opened up, one by one, remodeled and shining like new. While you were gone, the sound of hammers and saws filled the air as we rebuilt our homes and our Island.
While you were gone, National Guard trucks rolled down the boulevard, and the Red Cross served up hot meals from their vehicles, parked right in the middle of Ship Bottom.
While you were gone, Long Beach Island’s nickname became Strong Beach Island, and we learned that we can survive without The Shack, but not without the kindness and courage of the people of LBI.
While you were gone, neighbor helped neighbor clean up and hold on.
Welcome back! It’s been a long winter and we are so very glad to see you.
While you were gone, we gathered at fundraisers for our first responders, to hug, cry, laugh and support our emergency service people.
– Maggie O’Neill
Equipment moving sand on the beach.
Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans – John Lennon
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Donna Bradley photo
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t is interesting that last summer I shared in Echoes Magazine some family photos from the March 1962 Nor’ Easter that hit Long Beach Island. The pictures and stories of that devastating storm have always fascinated me even though I was not yet born at that time. I have been through some storms but nothing like until this past October when Super Storm Sandy hit LBI. I love this island that I call home and going through the pictures I have still bring tears to my eyes 8 months later. It was too dark to see the highest tide & storm surge that overtook our town during the storm because this picture of 17th Street in Ship Bottom was taken at about 12 noon on Monday October 29th which was several hours before the storm made landfall just south of LBI that evening. – Donna Bradley
keeping watch
Photo by Marjorie Amon; aerial flight by Jim Lonergan
While You Were Gone
Ready to Make a Big Splash
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ersonalized and individual attention is of utmost importance to the entire staff at Hutchison’s Pool, a family-operated business in Surf City. Loyal customers vary from those with a pool installed thirteen years ago to those having had a pool installed the day before Sandy struck.
There was no price gauging. All phone calls were answered (even those at 2:00 am). Everyone was promised their pool back as soon as physically possible and treated like their pools were Hutchison’s own. Joe and Laura are proud to say that they saved every pool.
Joe, Joe Jr. and Laura Hutchison have been faced with multiple pool repairs since Super Storm Sandy wreaked havoc on more than 170 of their clients. After the storm, Joe was assessing the damage to their clients’ pools and came upon a backhoe operator removing sand in a yard in North Beach. As he approached the worker, Joe informed the driver that he was driving over a completely sand covered in-ground pool. Joe discovered other homes in bad shape as well: pools filled with baitfish and other fish from the ocean and bay, gallons of salt water, and tons of sand.
Hutchison’s Pools is taking a one day at a time approach to resuming their business. Honesty is their best policy and they are busier than ever. They are working double time to ensure everyone enjoys a pool that is sanitized, fresh water filled and ready to enjoy.
Joe didn’t know where to begin. After tirelessly researching the cleaning process with manufacturers, engineers and chemical experts, he started the long and in-depth cleanup.
Joe Hutchison photos
Working to clean out a pool to get it ready to be refilled.
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Thanks to all at Hutchison’s Pools. LBI customers are ready to make a big splash and enjoy the summer of 2013 now more than ever. – Diane Stulga
“oh give me a house by the shining sea,
The Ride of its Life
by the waves and the sand and the sky...”
K
enny, the owner of Surf City Marina, stayed at the marina until the mandatory evacuation when he left LBI prior to Super Storm Sandy. When he returned weeks later, he noticed the marina took on four feet of water. Damaged windows, doors, furniture, walls, electric, phones and computers all had to be replaced. In addition to damaged boats and jet skis, he lost fifteen new boats that were still in their crates. One demo WaveRunner jet ski from the marina was found in Barnegat, all the way out in the Forsythe Wildlife Sanctuary, three miles into the marshes from the water and a two mile walk from the street. It gave a whole new definition to the name WaveRunner. That ski must have had the ride of its life. Loyal customers and staff all came together after the storm to help rebuild. New docks and bulkheads are completed. Kenny and his staff are here to stay, stronger and ready for the 2013 season. Kenny hopes islanders and visitors will enjoy riding the waves again. Here’s to your best season ever, Kenny! – Diane Stulga
The Boulevard under water.
Maggie M. O’Neill Real Estate Sales Mary Allen Realty, Inc. Ship Bottom, NJ 609-494-0700 Lunasea32@gmail.com Page 53
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Service to LBI
Long Beach Island sunrise
Service to LBI
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he Long Beach Island Rotary Club was founded in 1950. Our club is committed to the motto of “Service Above Self.” The organization is made up of local business owners, professionals and community leaders from the island and the mainland. We meet weekly for fellowship and to raise funds for the many organizations we support. Our biggest fundraiser each year is our annual Holiday Auction. The auction consistently nets our club over $50,000 each year. In addition, we will be selling rotary calendars; purchasers will have the chance to win $100 a week every week of the year! Our fundraising efforts support the local high school with scholarships to deserving students seeking a higher education. Over $400,000 has been given in the nearly 20 years that I have been in Rotarian. Our club supports other school activities such as Project Graduation, Interact, NHS, Autism/Greenhouse Project,
DARE program, Dictionary Project, Children’s Christmas Party, Cape May Zoo trip and more. We also support organizations like St. Francis Center, David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation, Dottie’s House, ALO, Our Gang Players, and the Spirits of LBI/ Make a Wish Foundation. In all, our efforts support more than 50 deserving organizations and donate more than $60,000 a year! The LBI Rotary recently dedicated $40,000 to aid in Superstorm Sandy relief efforts. If you are interested in learning more about the Long Beach Island Rotary Club, come to one of our meetings every Thursday at Kubel’s Too in Brant Beach or contact me directly. John Tranchida President, LBI Rotary ’13-‘15 609-597-3240 jtranchida@vandykgroup.com
Summer of Fun! 2013
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Cheryl Kirby photo
LBI locations For Sales, Repairs, Slip Rentals Surf City Marina • 325 S 1st St, Surf City • 609-494-2200 Surf City Marina Boat Sales • 337 W 8th St, Ship Bottom • 609-361-5200 Bombardier Dealer • Sea-Doo personal Watercraft • Showroom in Ship Bottom Page 55
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Marine Science
Blown Out of Proportion
T
hey’ll huff and they’ll puff, but it’s not all for show. Pufferfish and their relatives, porcupinefish and burrfish, get their names from the ability to inflate, increasing both their size and shape. This unique skill, possessed by members of the families Tetraodontidae and Diontidae, is engaged as a last resort when faced with immediate, unavoidable danger. Inflation of these fish is achieved by rapidly swallowing water or gulping air. The swelling in size turns the sluggish, small pufferfish into a larger, globular, and potentially harmful prey. Spines, which may be concealed depending on the species, become erect when the body swells, adding further determent to any predators considering the pufferfish as its next meal. In the event that the pufferfish is caught off guard and is not inflated or is only partially inflated, the predator risks choking. Should the pufferfish be ingested, its attacker may face yet another threat – poison.
Tetradotoxin is a powerful neurotoxin that may be found in all of the fish’s tissues; the skin, liver, intestines, blood, and ovaries often contain the highest concentrations. Sodium ion channels housed within nerves are affected, blocking neuromuscular transmissions. This toxin is fatal to other fish and humans as well. Pufferfish, or fugu, is considered a delicacy within Japanese culture. Fugu chefs must undergo arduous training and be an expert on the laws pertaining to the fish as well as its anatomy. If the toxin is consumed, death can occur in less than twenty minutes. – Ryan Marchese Sources: Poisonous, Venomous, and Electric Marine Organisms of the Atlantic Coast, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean by Matthew Landau; Peterson Field Guides Atlantic Coast Fishes by Robins/Ray/Douglass
Ryan Marchese photo Page 56
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Origami
It Will All Fold Into Place
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is life was forever changed by a fifth grade assignment from his teacher Robert Lang regarding Japanese culture. Evan Zodl’s friend did a report on origami, which means “the folding of paper.” Evan quickly became interested in the art of origami and has been folding for six years now. Evan first did extensive research on origami, beginning by folding a paper crane which he said is the simplest form of origami. Belonging to Origami USA and attending conventions at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York over the past four years has given him the opportunity to meet and share his work with other origami talents. Evan taught a class there on the logarithmic spiral design and has designed many geometrical flowers, scorpions, stars and pyramid trees. He also taught classes at the Loveladies Foundation. The age of his students span from 8 to 70. Each student has had a positive learning experience and it was clear to see why. Evan has a knack for teaching and has a true sense of pride and accomplishment both in his own work and his teaching ability. He has taught origami folding at his old middle school, The Frog Pond Middle School, where he was first introduced to the art of origami. After attending elementary school and Pineland High School from seventh to ninth grade he transferred to MATES – Marine Academy of Technology & Environmental Sciences, a specialized high school developed around the marine environmental science theme.
Origami is done for both entertainment and personal enjoyment. It gives one a sense of calm and produces academic, cognitive, and therapeutic results. It is a focused and rewarding passion. Origami decorations made by Evan are used as both wedding and housewarming gifts. He has made instructional YouTube videos on origami. Pictures can be found on his website helping countless numbers of people get started folding. This has led to him receiving a lot of hits and positive feedback. His goal is to publish a book one day compiled of instructional lessons for origami. Evan has spent most of his life growing up on LBI in Beach Haven. He is the son of Jerry and Caroline Zodl. His grandparents Lorraine and Jerry Zodl own and operate The Sea Village Apartments/Motel, seasonal rentals located on Fairview Avenue in Beach Haven. It is here where Evan learned to surf with his dad and sister Lauren. He also body surfs and sails at The Surf City Yacht Club. He has attended sailing classes and participated in various races between other yacht clubs. Evan is mature, highly motivated and self reliant, destined to do great things. Although he is not completely sure about future plans it’s clear that it will all fold into place. – Diane Stulga See more of Evan’s work at: www.ez-origami.com (website) www.flickr.com/ezorigami (post pics) www.youtube.com/ezorigami (instructional videos)
Marjorie Amon photo
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Art
Spring into Summer
Images at the Barnegat Light Museum Gardens. The Gardens are open to the public and maintained by The Long Beach Island Garden Club.
www.echoeslbi.com [Header Goes Here]
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Beach Reads
Blackbear the Pirate series written by Steve Buckley illustrated by Ruth Palmer
A crew of pirate bears teach lessons in determination, diversity and more in argh-worthy adventures Blackbear the Pirate children’s series was written by pirate historian and father of four Steve Buckley and illustrated by Ruth Palmer. Named after actual pirates from what historians call the Golden Age of Piracy, the series follows Captain Blackbear and his friends as they embark on exciting adventures, meet new friends and explore different places along the way. In addition, the crew of the Annie shares a simple, easy-tounderstand message in each story, from determination and acceptance to friendship and kindness toward others. Page 62
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Call (609) 361-1668 for book signing date.
Sea Glass Soul – Invisible Colors written by Richard Morgan illustrated by Pat Morgan Sea Glass Soul – Invisible Colors (2013) completes poet Richard Morgan’s Sea Glass Poetry trilogy including I Am Sea Glass (2011) and Sea Glass People (2012). Each book combines his personal poetry with paintings by his wife, well known artist Pat Morgan. Their words and watercolors touch the common parts of peoples’ lives: love and loss, nobility and notoriety, parents and children. Richard and Pat live in Beach Haven, where the quiet of winter gives them time to follow their art.
If Beaches Could Talk by Cheryl Tapp and Linda Todd review by Rena DiNeno As an avid beach-goer for most of my 60 years on this planet, I identify with all the scenarios in If Beaches Could Talk written by Cheryl Tapp and Linda Todd, two longtime beach-goers. Its 42 pages consist of poetry, beach trivia and, first and foremost, proper beach etiquette. The book provides do’s and don’ts for beachgoing families in an entertaining fashion.
Books are available at Things-A-Drift, 4th and Blvd., Ship Bottom, NJ. Book signings: June 14, 2013, 12:00 to 2:00 Sea Glass Soul: Invisible Colors, I Am Sea Glass, Sea Glass People by Richard Morgan If Beaches Could Talk by Cheryl Tapp and Linda Todd
Art
Margo’s Robert Sakson
Robert Sakson is one of New Jersey’s most accomplished watercolorists. He is a Fellow of the American Watercolor Society and the New Jersey watercolor Society. Sakson’s love for Long Beach Island is reflected in his art. By portraying local landmarks and historically significant buildings, he shares his love of LBI.
Old Salts Pat Morgan
Pat and her husband Richard have retired to their much loved LBI where Pat’s passion for watercolor and the island will be her constant inspirations.
Shack Carol Freas
Carol Freas, a watercolor artist, captures our shore environment, its history and color with integrity. She teaches locally at Foundation of Arts in Loveladies and Pine Shores Art Association.
All art is available at Things A Drift Page 64
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SATURDAY & SUNDAY OCTOBER 5 & 6 9th St. &Taylor Ave. Beach Haven
Rain or Shine All Events Under Tent! Music! Entertainment! Activities All Weekend! ATM on Premisies
Be an official taster & vote for the best!
Unlimited Tasting... Live Music... 11am - 4pm Shuttle Parking Sunday Only
Chowderfest
Cook-Off
Classic Tickets
Available online @ Saturday, October 5 MERCHANTS MART
services Outdoor Food Court, Sponsored by U.S. Food
Sunday, October 6
ASSIC CHOWDER COOK-OFF CLwde r ing Cho Your Favorite Restaurants Serv Under The Big Top
Sponsored by: Supported in part by a grant from The New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel & Tourism
CHOWDERFEST.COM Adults $20 • Children $10 • VIP $50 (VIP includes T-Shirt & Exclusive Early Admission) To order by phone: 609-494-7211 or 800-292-6372 or pick up at Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, 9th St. Ship Bottom, Also sold at CHOWDERFEST
Art
Art by Pat Morgan
Art available at Things A Drift Page 67
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While You Were Gone
From Negatives to Positives at Howard’s Restaurant
D
espite the storm warnings, Kevin and Lara Sparks, third generation owners and operators of Howard’s Seafood Restaurant in Beach Haven Terrace, decided to ride out the storm and stay home. After the storm, they walked to their restaurant and got as far as the parking lot when they realized the severe impact of the storm. The day before many boats next door had been drydocked. Now the parking lot was empty. Some boats sank in the bay, the lagoons, and some were in the street and one landed on the front lawn of Howard’s Restaurant. During the height of the storm, water rose four feet in the streets in front of the Sparks’s home. The kitchen door inside the restaurant had a two-foot water line. Damaged kitchen equipment, chairs, tables, and wiring throughout the restaurant had to be replaced. Lara decided it was time to renovate and re-decorate. Kevin, his father Kingston, Lara’s father Don, Kevin’s cousin Shane as well as Fran Coleman (from the old Coleman’s Restaurant) in the Terrace all went to work right away. Several previous and current employees of Howard’s and neighbors helped with the demolition. Without water, electric and gas, things were pretty rough for weeks. Kevin and Lara emptied out the restaurant’s freezer
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as well as several of their neighbors’ freezers who weren’t on the island and told Kevin and Lara to use whatever they needed. Kevin grilled everyday and used a Coleman’s stove for heat. Locals who stayed on-island brought their food from home and had it prepared by the staff of California Grill. In the evening, neighbors brought a bottle of wine and food and made California Grill their port in the storm. BYOF (Bring Your Own Food) became the norm and it was here where everyone re-gained their composure and developed strength to carry on. Kevin is motivated and eager to welcome back friends, family and the community to Howard’s. The new dining room looks gorgeous with updated color schemes, chair rails, and lighting fixtures. The atmosphere is warm and relaxing. Lara is creating a new wall in the restaurant. It holds black and white framed photos depicting the history of Howard’s Seafood Restaurant created from old negatives that were re-developed. Howard’s has gone from negatives to positives in more ways than one throughout the years. Its staff is determined and ready to make the 2013 summer the best season ever. – Diane Stulga
Marjorie Amon photo
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Looking Back
Echoes of LBI Magazine
TM
Serendipity
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n a 1754 letter to Horace Mann, Horace Walpole made the first use of the word “serendipity.” Walpole formed the word from the Persian fairy tale The Three Princes of Serendip, whose heroes “were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.” My first use of the word serendipity involves a little story about a big anchor. This year, Baldt Corporation will celebrate its 114th year both as a company and as a Chester, Pennsylvania industry. Since its inception, Baldt has been in the business of designing, manufacturing and marketing anchors and chain. The company was founded by Frederick Baldt, inventor of the Baldt Stockless Anchor. It has supplied anchors and chains for various ships of the U.S. Navy, including the USS Arizona, USS New Jersey, and the USS Missouri as well as many other military, commercial and luxury ships. Frederick Baldt was a prolific inventor and innovator in the steel industry and was known as “Vulcan Baldt.” He developed ways of improving the quality of steel castings and was by all accounts a smart and creative businessman. Moving forward to about 1973, Cheryl Kirby of Things A Drift, in search of items of a nautical nature, purchased an anchor of unknown origin to place in front of her Ship Bottom store. She later noticed that the anchor resembled the one from the Fortuna, which ran aground in 1910 in Beach Arlington, renamed Ship Bottom in 1947. The Fortuna anchor was buried in sand until its discovery in 1983 and is now displayed in front of the Ship Bottom town hall. Rick Baldt has been visiting LBI ever since his youth in the early 1950s. He lived in Ship Bottom in 1972 just before Cheryl bought her anchor. Rick said he’s been walking or driving past Cheryl’s store for over 30 years. One day when the sun was hitting the anchor just right, Rick noticed the raised lettering “Chester, Pa.” Chester was the city where Rick’s great-grandfather Frederick Baldt produced anchors. Rick noted that this was the “old fashioned” anchor type and may have been made between 1880 and the early 1900s in one of his great-grandfather’s foundries.
2013 Spring into Summer Edition
Long Beach Island Arts and Lifestyle Magazine
Cover Photographer Sara Caruso Sara Caruso, a talented photographer and graphic designer, currently works for the Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven. She enjoys going to the beach to take photos where she focuses on natural forms and sea life. She believes all of nature exists in a pattern that needs to be brought out by the artist, in whatever medium, in order to reunite humanity with the instincts they lost long ago. Many of Sara’s photos have graced the pages of magazines, calendars, newspapers and local publications. Her graphic design experience includes commercial ads, posters, banners, logos, and layout designs for brochures and periodicals. Although Sara lives farther from the ocean than she did as a child, she has always been fascinated with how the sea can affect the land and the history of an area. While at the beach, if she is not photographing a fascinating sight, she can be found hunched over, scouring the sands for bits of sea glass.
Cheryl told me she has been wondering for “a hundred years” where her anchor originated. While we don’t know what ship it’s from, Cheryl and I both saw the name “Chester, Pa.” on the anchor very clearly. Although the Baldt name has been worn off, we do know this:
Cover Shell Description Corculum cardissa (common name heart cockle) is a bivalve that, if viewed from the top, forms a heart where the valves meet. The top is slightly concave and the bottom is slightly convex. This is a delicate, thin shell that comes in a range of pastel colors: pink, violet, yellow, light orange and the most common, white, They range in diameter from ¾ inch to 2 inches.
An anchor found in North Carolina, a woman from Ship Bottom, New Jersey, and a man descended from a pioneer in the steel and anchor industry from Pennsylvania all ended up in the same place. Rick Baldt and Cheryl Kirby discovered something by accident because the sun shone on an anchor in just the right way. That’s called serendipity. – Frank Grasso
This cockle is a filter feeder. Water is drawn in and expelled through siphons where plankton and nutrients are ingested. Corculum cardissa are found in the Indo Pacific and live in the sand in shell and coral areas. Because they are covered with algae, they are often hard to find.
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A Dock on the Bay
Lights Over Untroubled Waters
LED piling-cap dock lighting lines the piling structure along a pier walkway. Recessed fixtures provide subtle illumination onto composite decking. Page 72
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Downlighting onto fish cleaning station provides ample lighting in a space specifically designed for cleaning fish.
O
ver 4,000 years ago, the first known docks were built – for work. Pleasure docks, or piers (the terms are synonymous in the United States), didn’t surface until the early 1800s. In the 200 years since then, the dock that the family uses to tie up its boat or enjoy summer swims has changed very little. Until now. Dock lighting, a specialty area that only a few contractors across the country are exploring, is at the heart of this shift. The options are many, but if you opt to include fishattracting lights in the mix, “it’s like having the Discovery Channel out your back door,” says Tanek Hood. “With the right components and the right design, lights can attract and illuminate fish in the most spectacular ways. It’s really amazing.” Hood is the manager of Reynolds Lighting, a division of Reynolds Landscaping & Garden Shop in Manahawkin, and the hands-on designer of all the landscape lighting and waterfront improvements that the company has installed in recent years. Any good design, Hood says, must blend into the dayscape as well as the nightscape. And docks are no different. The wiring and piping are concealed. Only the best materials are used. Family function is the driving force in creating the perfect “over water” space. The goal for both day and night is to extend and maximize how you can use your dock, which up until recently has been merely a way to access water. Once Hood has a conversation with you, he can get an immediate sense of what you want from your dock: boating, fishing, entertaining, late-night access. Then he figures out how to get you the version of that system that is right for you.
Whatever he says he can deliver, he can, even if you’re the first person to have asked for that particular lighting or dock facet in that particular way. He’s proved it time after time. “It’s all about R&D,” he says. “I understand the ins-and-outs of what light can do, the spectrums, and just how to get you what you want in functionality and mood. And I love doing it.” The heavy lifting on the R&D with these innovative products comes from an amazing lighting company, Coastal Source. Their partnership with Reynolds allows for the creation of a majority of these cool “one of a kind” dock designs. Dock life can include a secluded bench near the end of the dock, water lapping gently just beyond your fingertips, or it can provide an extension of the land as you normally experience it. Maybe you want an audio system, a bird-deterrent sprinkler, integrated site lighting, a fish-cleaning station. It’s all possible, including the lighting that transforms the night – and, of course, all those fish on their own nature channel right off your own dock. – Annaliese Jakimides
Green fish-attracting light provides hours of enjoyment for kids and increased attraction of baitfish for the next day on the water.
Odd Duck Art Photography Page 73
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A Shore Thing Anne Tramon photo
Perfect Harmony
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s I entered Anne and Hy’s Barnegat home, I was struck by the beauty that surrounds them each day. Anne displays her magnificent shell collection to be enjoyed by anyone who enters her home. It’s impossible for her to choose a favorite shell, because she says each is unique: the Atlantic Triton’s intricate architectural design, the gorgeous Cameo known for its patterned beauty, the Tunna known for its delicate muted coloration, the Fossil Shell for its historic value, the African Turbo for its stunning color and the Chambered Nautilus for its graceful arch. It is amazing to think these artistic creations were once made by and housed a living creature. Anne’s passion is not limited to shell collecting. She and Hy have been antiquing for the past fifteen years or so. They operate a store in Bogota, New Jersey and regularly host a booth at antique shows in Atlantic City. They own a tremendous collection of sports memorabilia as well. Anne is the vice president of Sound Associates, a New York sound designs company that provides global accessibility to people with special needs. The company develops and implements special services that provide captioning for the deaf, audio description for the blind, and translations for the non-English speaking patrons. In 1979, Anne spearheaded and promoted the use of infrared headsets for theatre audiences, allowing individuals to “see through their ears.” One of Anne’s special projects outside of Broadway is providing audio description at special performances of the Big Apple Circus, enabling children who are blind to “see” the vivid and exciting spectacle of a circus. As a child Anne had a dear friend named Helen, who had special needs and Anne became sort of her mentor. Anne befriended Helen and was very traumatized when Helen’s family found it necessary to institutionalize her. Anne never saw Helen again and it is quite probable that Helen influenced Anne’s career choice because Helen also suffered with hearing and speech problems. Anne may have influenced her son, Carl Anthony Tramon, an actor/director, who writes scripts for audio descriptions for the blind, captioning for the deaf and language translations for foreign audiences. Anne’s other two children, Diana Belkowski and Dan Tramon, are award-winning composer/lyricists, who have written many of their masterpieces right here in Barnegat and on the beaches of LBI. Music seems to be the driving force of this family. They seem to live in perfect harmony, along with their four grandchildren: Carlin, Daniel, Samantha and Gabriel. The family has a tradition Page 76
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Reflections of Anne’s shell collection.
of getting together for family vacations each summer for fun-filled times, boat rides, and memories made to last a lifetime. Hy shared a great story that illustrates his lucky lifestyle. There’s a little brunch spot where he, Anne and the neighbors gather to share a meal and laughter. Once when the owner was going away on vacation, she gave the keys for the brunch spot to a few local guys, so that they could open up everyday and continue to get together while she was gone. In a spirit of community and appreciation, the locals decided to pitch in and install new cabinets for the owners while they were away. Talk about perfect harmony. Anne and Hy share a special passion for life and for LBI. They enjoy walking on the beach off-season, shopping locally, sharing a cup of coffee in a local shop and taking in all of the beauty LBI has to offer. To them it’s more than just a shell collection or antiquing. It’s about family and being together. It’s about making music, about having music in your heart and soul and about providing the ability to extend this love for music and words to everyone regardless of their limitations. Anne said, “Days when we plan nothing are often days when we experience everything.” – Diane Stulga
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Marine Science
Tides
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id you know that twice a day, every day the ocean’s largest waves crash upon the beaches of New Jersey? That’s because tides are actually waves! Tides are shallow-water waves that, because of their massive size, are always present in shallow water (water that has a depth less than half of their wavelength). Waves are defined as periodic, temporary variations in the height of the ocean surface at a specific location. Their unique attributes categorize them as a forced wave, a wave that requires the initiating force to persist in order to stay in motion, as opposed to free waves that do not need the creating force to keep them in motion. A man known for his way with the force once said, “What goes up must come down.” These were the famous words of Sir Isaac Newton. After witnessing an apple fall to the earth, Newton contemplated gravity and thought of how perhaps it was a universal force rather than just acting on Earth. He explained the motions of planets and moons as well as the correlation between objects and gravitational fields. Just as the earth stays in orbit around the sun do to inertia and gravity, our moon stays in orbit around us. As a result of the combination of the sun and moon’s gravitational forces as well as the motion of Earth, our oceans exhibit tides.
tides. When the moon is in its full and new phases, the linear alignment causes the highest high and lowest low tides also known as spring tides. Conversely, when the moon is in its first and third quarter phases it results in the lowest high and highest low tides or neap tides. During Hurricane Sandy, the presence of a spring tide greatly magnified the damage delivered by the storm. With the arrival of the storm surge, an abrupt bulge of water associated with storm fronts, combined with a full moon phase, flooding was inevitable in coastal areas. The additional seawater brought on by the extra high tide allowed the storm surge to transcend the land barrier between the ocean and bay at several spots on Long Beach Island. The presence of landmasses and the shape of the water basin impact the tidal patterns. There are three types of tidal patterns: diurnal, semi-diurnal, and mixed tides. In New Jersey, we have semi-diurnal, or twice daily, tides. We see two highs and two lows that are relatively the same heights. Diurnal tides occur daily, exhibiting one high and one low per day. When a twice-daily tidal pattern has successive tides in a cycle showing significant changes in height of either the high or low tides, it is classified as a mixed tide.
Because the distance of objects in relation to one another determines the influence of gravitational fields, the moon has a greater impact on our tides than the sun. Although the sun has about 26 million times more mass than the moon, it is around 390 times further away from Earth. Water bulges are formed due to the moon’s gravitational field and Earth’s motion; one bulge stretches outward from the center of Earth towards the moon and the other in the opposing direction. These bulges follow the moon as Earth spins on its axis, thus creating a rise and fall of the tides.
The rising and falling action of tides begets an ecosystem known as the intertidal zone. Organisms inhabiting this environment must be well adapted for its hostile and varying conditions including wave action, freshwater mixing, desiccation, and freezing to name a few. These organisms are spread throughout subzones depending on their toleration for exposure to these harsh factors. Moreover, the behaviors of some organisms including feeding and reproduction are linked to tidal cycles. Animals like the mole crab thrive in the discordant climate of the surf zone, moving up and down the beach to feed and seek protection. – Ryan Marchese
Furthermore, the linear and perpendicular alignments of the sun and moon in relation to Earth create spring and neap
Source: Oceanography 5th Ed. by Tom Garrison
Cheryl Kirby photo Page 78
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©2011 Wood-Mode, Inc. • Echoes of LBI
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