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Publisher’s Note
I
t’s hard to believe the calendar reads August already! This has been a wonderful summer. As always, I love seeing friends and family return to the Island. I want to thank our readers who have stopped in or called to tell us how much they enjoy reading Echoes. The magazine is a labor of love for all of us — writers, photographers and editors. I was born and raised on LBI, and my contributing staff members are all locals. We bring a level of authenticity to Echoes that readers say is what keeps them waiting happily for each subsequent issue. I take pride in knowing that the magazine is not just a dining and shopping guide, but an eponymous look at the Island — an echo of our past that blends perfectly into present day LBI. We are proud of our history and equally excited for each new season. Copies of Echoes of LBI can be found at any of our advertisers, as well the library, museums, Surflight Theatre, the Arts Foundation of LBI, and other non-profit organizations on the Island. As an arts and lifestyle magazine, we promote all that makes LBI such a special place. I thank each contributor who works so hard to help Echoes achieve its level of excellence. And our sponsors thank you, too! There is a reason past issues of Echoes are kept and proudly displayed in homes all over LBI. As we settle in to the last few weeks of the summer, make sure you check off the items on your “Must Do” list of LBI activities. Ghost tours are a fun night out each Tuesday and Wednesday in Beach Haven. Just call Maggie at 609-709-1425. There is no tour on August 20th, but for a good reason: the library is hosting a Painted Poetry exhibit and it should not be missed. You can read about it in this issue. Late summer is also the perfect time to take a sunset cruise on the Miss Barnegat Light and marvel at the August light as it fades into the water. For a bite to eat that is just swell, try the new El Swell Taqueria fish tacos on LBI. They will be open year round. If you miss one of your “Must Do” items, just come back in the fall. It’s a great time for a long weekend to extend the magic feeling of LBI. And, there is no better event than the Sea Glass Festival at Things A Drift to drink in the golden October sunshine. Enjoy the lingering days of August and plan to experience the slower and sweeter September and October on LBI. Enjoy the Sunset,
Cheryl Kirby, Publisher
First In • Sunrise at Barnegat Light, Long Beach Island, NJ
Tom Lynch/AngryFish.tv photo
i n s i d e Art 8 Photography 12 Poetry 20 Beach Paws 28 Lifestyle 30 Marine Science 46 LBI Sea Glass Festival 54 50 & Counting 60 Our American Hereos 66 Looking Back 70 A Shore Thing 82
Echoes of LBI Magazine • Cheryl Kirby - Owner & Publisher • 609-361-1668 • 406 Long Beach Blvd. • Ship Bottom, NJ • Echoesoflbi.com All content of magazine & website remains copyright of Cheryl Kirby. No part of publication may be reproduced. Advertisers: People collect Echoes of LBI - your ad has the potential to be seen over & over again for years to come! Email articles on history, nostalgia, poetry or art to: EchoesofLBI@gmail.com Magazine Designer - Sara Caruso • Copy Editor - Joyce Poggi Hager Photographers - Marjorie Amon, Sara Caruso, Howard Dion, Tom Lynch, Ryan Marchese, Diane Stulga, and Tonya Wilhelm Graphic Designer/Pre-press - Vickie VanDoren • Science - Sara Caruso, Frank Grasso, Mark Simmons and Derek Yoost Contributors - Marjorie Amon, Pat Dagnall, Rena DiNeno, Carol Freas, Ellen Hammonds, Nancy Kunz, Maggie O’Neill and Diane Stulga New submissions for photography, poetry and stories welcome! Contact cheryl Kirby for more information. Cover and content photo by Sara Caruso, description on page 73
Back row: Elaine Gillen-Stachowicz, Alec Pangia, Rich Dittrich, Stu Walvisch, Pat Walker, Dan Bonanni, Dan Ceretti, John Nistad, JoAnn McNamaro, Chic Ciccolini, MaryEllen Givens Calcaterra, Steve Rabbitt Middle row: Carol Freas, Rena DiNeno, Cathy Hibbend, Carol Marino, Karen Martinez, Vickie VanDoren, Mary Anne Gutchigian, Christine Rooney, Donna Bonanni, Cissy Ceretti, Brandan deMilt, Melinda Decker, Lisa Schaffer, Margeret (Pooch) Buchholz, Fred Schragger, Cathleen Englesen, Jeanne Sutton Front row sitting: Hope Gardiner, Jet Barrett, Arlene Schragger, Faith Dixon, Pat Dengler, Sharon Dailey
Art Artwork featured in this section is available at Things A Drift, Ship Bottom, NJ
If you’d like a mind at peace, A heart that cannot harden, Find a door that opens wide, Upon a lovely garden. (Poem on plaque in the garden)
W
A Peaceful Hour
on’t you step into an oasis of colorful beauty by Barnegat Bay? Come sit a spell amidst coreopsis, rugosa roses, day lilies and sedum. Watch the purple martins dart toward the water to seize a buggie lunch. Now lean into the soft breeze and listen to the lapping of waves against the bulkhead. Here, in Ship Bottom on 13th Street at Sunset Point Park, will be our peaceful hour. Edie Kahl loved to watch the sunset there which is why, in 1988, a memorial gazebo was placed on the empty gravel lot by her family and neighbors. In 1944, her friend Claire Romano had a vision of a garden there. She along with the help of many volunteers, organized the Ship Bottom Beautification Association. Serious Page 8 • Echoes of LBI
work began to make their vision a reality. Initially, 11 separate garden plots were sold, allowing the volunteers to redesign the property. Donated funds enabled a meandering stone walkway, six light posts and eight benches with installation and labor by volunteers and borough workers. The official dedication was August 16, 1995. Today, Bill Bishop and five other dedicated volunteers maintain the garden. Their nimble fingers keep the weeds at bay so that the door to this lovely space will always be open. Come walk the path to read names carved into pavers of family celebrations held here: weddings, engagements and christenings, all to honor life’s special events. Now sit a spell and watch a sublime crimson sunset. —Artwork and text by Carol Freas
Robert Sakson (right) 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.
Pat Morgan (above and right) 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.
Art
Welcome to New Jersey!
New Jersey state bird (above, gold finch) and shell (below, knobbed whelk). Art Liebeskind artwork
Page 10 • Echoes of LBI
Robert Sakson artwork
Photography
Page 12 • Echoes of LBI
Sally Vennel photo
Photography
Ryan Magid tossing Courtney Noone into the Bay. Dave Deblasio photo Page 14 • Echoes of LBI
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Sandy Survivors! These flowers bloomed even after the flooding of Hurricane Sandy. Dick Claffee photo
Least Tern • Sara Caruso photo Page 16 • Echoes of LBI
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Photography
Page 18 • Echoes of LBI
Tonya Wilhelm photo
Poetry
Painted Poetry Exhibit A unique display where eighteen artists and eighteen poets, each inspired by the others work, have created new interpretations through painting and poetry. You can see and read the results on August 1 to 30, 2014 at the Ocean County Library on Long Beach Island, 217 South Central Ave., Surf City, NJ. Meet the artists and poets at a free reception Wednesday, August 20, 2014 starting at 6 pm with Poetry Readings from 7-8 pm. Rain or shine, you won’t want to miss this.
Black and White I do not want to live in black and white. I want to marvel at this world of orange sky, Be breathless at the starry night, Feel purple wind blow through my hair, And fill each moment with joy. If fear or sorrow tint my palette grey, I will change course And steer my ship away, Headed towards a million shades of wonder. I want to tint each minute of time with awe, Sail a cerulean sea, Let the universe paint my soul With mysteries. To live out loud, This day, this journey, this now, And fill my spirit with every color of life – I do not want to live in black and white. —Maggie O'Neill
Jim Cordasco artwork
Fish Head You may be the last To see me Before I am Cut up for bait. I am past dead, Have nothing to gain, So let me share my X-ray insight. Deep inside you, Under your smooth surface, Hurt resides With hope, Linda Ramsay artwork Page 20 • Echoes of LBI
Neither showing, But I see you Harbor Them both. I know the hurt of the hook. Hurts are anchors. Cast them away. Listen to me. Set sail with hope Filling your horizon. Don’t look back. —Richard Morgan
The Entanglement Life’s web of entanglement catches us all. We struggle to escape, but we are caught in the clutches of time – to work, to study, to play, to love, to suffer – But when God’s strength from above comes through, the net melts away Sun and moon shine bright glowing and beaming with life’s challenges. Then we’re riding the crest of a wave to the shore where we’ll stay laughing and happy Our smiles on display! God’s caring and love encircling us as we raise our arms declaring joy and peace taking out on our lives a new lease! Carol Freas artwork
—JoAnne Levine
The Display The banana peppers hang, a series of commas, like pauses in her life, above an array of fruits and vegetables. She, past her vibrant years, stands transfixed before this glossy Gibraltar of fruits… dreams, in her drab dress, of fertile fields, orchards watered, nurtured to bring forth a cornucopia of colors. She longs for the taste of an orange like the one her mother handed her before she went into the garden – so sweet and juicy, the liquid dribbled down her chin when she bit. Perhaps tomorrow – her check arrives – she'll stop, buy one. —Frank Finale
Mary C. Walker artwork
Submissions accepted at echoesoflbi@gmail.com Please include writer’s name
Long Beach Island
The Bridge to LBI
I lift off the mainland over Manahawkin Bay into a gull’s skyway— below the span, small boats plow white wakes on blue waters. Summer. I ride into a land of Kingfishers, Snowy Egrets, and Osprey that nest high in wetland trees. Rising on the bridge’s arc, I leave behind schedules and lists, things to do, I become idle, receptive to tides, windsculpted dunes, white beaches, and the wildlife that whirl around each. I dance to sunsets and moonrises, wake when it dawns on me and walk the tideline into a new day. This bridge transports people into another space— an island with shape shifting dunes and virgin tidelines strewn with radiant treasures.
Over the causeway heading home Glad to return – whenever I roam One of the places most dear to me This lovely island six miles at sea. Leaving cares behind, feeling set free – In a little bit of heaven, letting me be me ! The stars above sparkle, like diamonds in the night The moon on the water shining bright. You can see forever, the view I adore Like a string of pearls are lights from the shore. This stretch of land all alone – And one little corner is all my own. Soon the dawn will come breaking through, The gulls will soar to a day that is new The quack of the ducks, the flap of a sail, Surfers to the beach, tots with their pails. Some with rafts – others just for a swim – Sure beats a day at the local gym ! Feet in the sand – wind in my hair How lucky I am to just be there ! Sand pipers scurry to make most of the day. Fishermen hoping for the fish that got away ! The seagrass, the bayberry, seashells and heather It’s own special beauty whatever the weather. So much to offer on this small strip of land – This beautiful island where I take my stand.
—Frank Finale
—Dottie Turkot
Sally Vennel photo
Beach House Wind The beach house wind makes the seagulls frown because they have to work hard when they fly. They tilt their heads and wings spread wide, and shift their bodies like the motion of a needle on a compass. The patio umbrellas also have a really hard time with the beach house wind. They twist and turn like ballerinas that forgot how to dance. And, the beach towels struggle too. They flutter on the railing like colorful butterflies handcuffed to a web. Me on the other hand, I love the beach house wind. It blows on my face and my arms and makes my shirt flutter like a happy clown and forces me to relax so my worries disappear into the bay and then I can better enjoy my time on the island. Now I understand why nature invented the wind. She wanted us city folks who spend their summer weekends at the beach house to be able to unwind without thinking about how to relax. —Photography and poem by Howard Dion Tom Lynch / Angry Fish photo Page 22 • Echoes of LBI
Poetry
T
hree years ago, the Garden Club of Long Beach Island elected to sponsor students from the Island’s elementary schools for the National Garden Club’s Annual Poetry Contest. The contest is a yearlong process that begins when local Garden Clubs throughout the state submit entries from students in their area to the State Garden Club of New Jersey. State winning poems are sent on to compete with poems from the seven states that make up the Central Atlantic Region (CAR). CAR then sends their regional winning entry to the National Garden Club and one poem is selected at each grade level. The Garden Club believed the contest was a way to show we valued our students’ writing, and it offered the students another opportunity to share their literary work. And did the students ever take advantage of that opportunity! In 2012, the Club sponsored three poets and 6th grade Jackie Unger’s poem Coconuts took 1st Place at the State, Regional and National level.
Page 24 • Echoes of LBI
In 2013, participation plans for Beach Haven Elementary were interrupted by Super Storm Sandy. Debbie Harkness, the coordinating teacher, reported that her students’ poems had been lost in the storm. Fortunately, Julie Oldham, the coordinator for the LBI Grade School had rescued 28 poems for submission. Leah Kowalski and Hannah Skimmons were announced as the 5th and 6th Grade, 1st Place winning poets. How exciting it was to have that honor bestowed on our students two years in a row. Teachers are doing something very good and students are responding. Last year’s contest drew 58 entries from both the Beach Haven School and LBI Grade School. At the state meeting held in Bridgewater, NJ last June, Beverly Reitenger, president of the Garden Club, was presented with three state and two regional 1st Place awards. State awards went to Beach Haven School’s Alivia King (4th) and Alexander Conklin, (6th). LBI Grade School’s Tommy Deakyne, won for 5th Grade. Regional 1st Place went to Hannah Skimmons and Paul Adanatzian both from LBI Grade
School. Their poems will now go on to be judged by the National Garden Club. With the success of the Poetry Contest program, the Garden Club decided to add the National Garden Club’s High School Essay Contest to their list of community projects and reached out to Southern Regional High School. English teacher, Kathleen Carr proposed the contest to her 11th and 12th grade classes and 54 students responded with journalistic professionalism. How proud Mrs. Carr was when Nadia Kuti (11th grade) and Joseph Levy (12th grade) were awarded 1st place in their respective grades. In addition to the State Essay Award, Nadia and Joseph were also awarded the Watchung Garden Club’s Essay Contest Award. The motto of the Garden Club of LBI is “Watch Us Grow.” It has been an honor and a pleasure for the members of the Club to watch our young writers grow, to feel part of their experience and share the joy of their success. —Nancy Kunz For questions, contact Nancy Kunz at nkkagain@comcast.net or call (609) 494-8085
Photos supplied by Kathleen Carr: Opposite page: Kathleen Carr and her students preparing for contest. This page, clockwise: Essay winner Joseph Levy (12th grade) and Kathleen Carr; Winners Hannah Skimmons and Leah Kowalski; Kathleen Carr and winner Nadia Kuti (11th grade); and winner Tommy Deakyne with Julie Oldham. Winning Poetry featured on page 26
Poetry
National Garden Club’s Annual Poetry Contest Winners Start Today to Save Barnegat Bay
Our Aquatic Friends
Barnegat Bay is very important to us you can get there by riding a bus. Many species live here some throughout the whole year.
Watch the trash a float in the bay I wish it would stop if I screamed HEY! What do you think could happen to that trash You don’t think it could make a dolphin thrash? It could ring a dolphin’s neck And make it flail like heck I don’t want this to happen, not at all But everyone could help by doing something small like… Cleaning up the beach it sure would help us a lot Cut the rings on six packs Filter all the storm drains It sure would help when it starts to rain These are all things you can do So the fish can roam In this place they call home
Diamond back terrapin claim this place to stay and come up for oxygen often everyday. Many other species live here too like blue heron, but not a kangaroo. Many plants also grow here in Barnegat Bay they absorb runoff from the roadway. Fiddler crabs come out at light And scurry onto their burrows at night. We must protect Barnegat Bay before it’s too late this must be done at a very fast rate. We must work together to get this done And in the end we can have some fun/ There are many ways to clean up the bay, But this cannot be done in just a day. —Alexander Conklin, 6th Grade 2013-2014 1st Place New Jersey State Winner Theme – Protecting and Preserving Our Natural Resources
Indescribable Water We need fresh water to survive, Animals need it, too. The water keeps us from dehydration, Every lake is a basin River water is divine, but if you pollute, you’ll get a fine! —Alivia King, 4th Grade 2013 and 2014 1st Place New Jersey State Winner Theme – Protecting and Preserving Our Natural Resources
Page 26 • Echoes of LBI
—Paul Adanatzian, 6th Grade 2013-2014 1st Place Central Atlantic Region (CAR) Winner Theme – Protecting Our Aquatic Friends
My Coconut hard and furry round and brown filled with milk watch your head one’s coming down! look it broke what’s inside? soft white mush let’s try it fried hit the deck one’s going to fall roll it like a bowling ball monkeys grab them to play some more I’ll go buy mine in a grocery store as I look I also spy coconut milk and coconut pie! Yum! —Jackie Unger, 6th Grade 2011-2012 1st Place - State, Regional and National Winner Theme – Colorful Fruits or Tasty Vegetables
Cow Water Plump, Slow, Liquid, Moist, Walking, Milking, Waving, Soaking, Shark Eating, Making Milk All Wetting, Home To Many Bunny Blue, Fast, Day, Eating With Sharp Teeth, Creatures, Burns Many White, Fluffy, Swimming, Beach Swimming, Twisting, Chewing, Forests Down, Burning, Hopping, Munching, Hunting, Gliding, Sandy, Yellow, Fierce, Dangerous, Flaming, Spreading, Hiding, Bunny Living In A Cruising In The Ocean, Drifting, Tanning, Shark Hot, Red, Forest, Seahorse Living In Sea, Walking In The Desert, Playing, Crabs In The Bryan K., Fire Swimming, Eating, Wandering, Transporting, Sand, Rabbits In The Trees, 10 Ben A., Floating, Tan, Scaly, Carrying,Tan, Slow Rustling, Foraging, Scurrying, 10 Seahorse Camel Green, Shady, Flower Karen D., Ladybug Gavin S., Forest Wondrous, 10 Spots, Red, 10 Eddie L., Bunny Colorful, Blooming, Crawling, Flying, 9 Gray, Fuzzy, Picking, Growing, Pretty Sight Roaming, Inching Across Hopping, Hiding, To See, Sitting On A Mountain, The World, Exploring The Ice April Munching, Jumping On Rolling, Tumbling, Crushing, Lands, Sliding, Waddling, Showers The Ground, Soaring In The Rocky, Enormous, Swimming, Tuxedo, Fuzzy, Wet, Dark, Sky, Flying, Gliding, Nesting, Boulder Penguin Walking, Sitting, Squirrel Small, Delicate, Cole N., Sami S., Frowning, In Like A Furry, Miniature, Bird 10 10 Lion, Out Like A Lamb, Scurrying, Climbing, Laura L., Cold Running, Swimming, Smiling, Hiding, Scrounging In The 9 Frigid, Snow, Warm, Light, Forest, Tracking Down Its Prey, Freezing, Shivering, May Flowers Eating, Howling, Hunting, Chattering, It Makes Me Jackson R., Dominant, Fierce, Honey Bee Beach Freeze, I Feel Cozy Inside, 10 Wolf Small, Yellow, Sandy, Sunny, Playing, Running, Weathering, Horse Shane E., Buzzing, Flying, Swimming, Tanning, Hot, Burning, Graceful, Elegant, 11 Stinging, Landing On A Fishing, In The Scorching Warm Grazing, Galloping, Flower, Swimming Under A Summer, In The Frigid Winter, Gianna W., Riding, Living On A Ranch, Wave, Swimming, Walking, Hiking, Sledding, Skiing, 10 Working In A Hive, Buzzing, Crawling, Green, Hard, Snowy, Rocky, Wallaby Pollinating, Flying, Sea Turtle Mountains Furry, Fast, Tiny, Active, Karley A., Bunny Hannah M., Hopping, Grazing, Bee Sheep 10 Cute, Fuzzy, 10 Kicking, Carries Baby In Shelby M., Mammal, Plump, Hopping, Eating, Pouch, Lays Eggs Then 10 Leaping, Roaming, Hiding, Hopping On A Leaves, Eating, Traveling, Grazing, A Fury Farm Farm, Waddling On A Farm, Laying, Slow, Swimmer, Animal, On The Forest Floor, Running, Eating, Waddling, Sea Turtle Slithering, Crunching, Sleeping, Bear Adorable, Tiny, Squid Elizabeth S., Reptile, Scaly, Massive, Furry, Chicken Red, Tentacles, 10 Lizard Running, Hunting, Sand Nicholas W., Darting, Inking, Sean W., Climbing, Walking On Toasty, Soft, 10 Eating, Swimming In The 10 The Land, Swimming In The Blowing, Sleeping, Sea, Squirming In The Soil,. Water, Swimming, Leaping, Shimmering, Building Fertilizing, Eating, Squirming, Twirling, Gray, Sleek, Breath Taking Sandcastles, Pink, Slimy, Dolphin Diving Under The Waves, Worm Grace P., Roaring, Refreshing, Daniel D., 10 Swimming, Rough, Salty, 10 Ocean Finn O., 10
Beach Paws
Marjorie Amon photo
Sometimes I hear people say that they don't like cats. Since I grew up with dogs and didn’t care for cats, I never knew what great pets cats could make. I believe that anyone who says they don't like cats has just never had one. Of course, dogs and cats each have their own personality. I can tell you that I have been pleasantly surprised by how cuddly, smart, loyal and fun cats are. Almost 8 years ago, I got my first 2 kittens from a friend and fell in love. I began to volunteer with cat rescue and now have 5 cats that snuggle with me every night. Along the way I found One by One NJ Cat Rescue. Maria Cetrola is an amazing lady who has taught me a lot. She started rescuing animals since she was old enough to climb a fence. She helped me save a 2-day-old kitten that weighed 5 ounces. His name is Chance and I’m happy to say that he is almost 2 years old and weighs over 12 lbs now. —Donna Bradley
Page 28 • Echoes of LBI
Seriously, how cute are these babies? They are beautiful, sweet, silly and completely lovable. Their favorite pastimes are playing with feathers and giving and receiving kisses. They will add lots of love and laughter to any home. The kittens are available for adoption through OnebyOne Rescue in Barnegat, NJ. For information please go to www.onebyonenj.org
Marjorie Amon photos
C
ollecting seashells can be a fun pastime for humans while on summer vacation, but not for dogs. Keep a close eye on your dogs while they are at the beach with you. Swallowing shells or plastics left behind by people can cause seriuos intestinal damage and tears in the stomach lining. However, your dog is not safe from eating shells by staying off the beach. If you collect shells and bring them home, make sure they are out of reach of your pets as they may chew them and swallow the sharp shards. Our pets rely on us to keep them happy and healthy, so watch your dogs carefully for any signs of distress, such as not eating. This could be a sign they ate something they shouldn't have. Always take a bottle of fresh water for you and your pet with you to the beach. Limit your dog's exposure to the sun and apply sunblock to his ears and nose 30 minutes before going outside. Not all beaches permit dogs. Check local ordinances before you begin your excursion to the beach. And of course, pick up after your dog.
Lifestyle
From left to right: Anna Demarco, Brianna Fagan, Nicole Trupia, Amanda Dittman, Brooke Angellella and Keri Fay. Marjorie Amon photo
T
here’s something irreplaceable about growing up near a place as humble as Long Beach Island. As a Jersey girl, I know what it’s like to anticipate the first day of summer and try to make every day count before Labor Day wraps up the season. As I get older, my summers here have become more meaningful. In 2011 when my best friends, Anna Demarco, Keri Fay, Brie Fagan, Nicole Trupia, Brooke Angellella, and I tossed our caps in the air at our high school graduation, we went on many different paths to chase our dreams. Most of us were overjoyed to start the next chapter of our lives. However, I was too nervous to turn the next page. I feared losing a friendship I could never replace. I soon discovered, even though we have all made new friends and obtained our own goals for the future one thing remains the same — our summers here on LBI.
Page 30 • Echoes of LBI
Despite our diverse routines throughout the school year, once it hits 70 degrees and the street lights on the boulevard go back on, it’s unbelievable how abrupt we “Jersey Shore girls” take over our town. We live for the little things like biking around on our cruisers or gathering around a bonfire. By the end of the day our feet are sandy and our hair is salty, due to hours spent together soaking up the sun. Our days are followed by racing to the bay just in time to catch a glimpse of another exquisite sunset. We treasure our summers because it’s a piece of our childhood we relive every year. Regardless of the bumper to bumper traffic, you can find us going over the bridge to make the most of our days. It’s comforting to know that no matter where life takes us there’s an eighteen mile long island we can all call home. —Amanda Dittman
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Lifestyle
T
he vocabulary of a hurricane like Sandy — the second costliest in U.S. history — sounds like this: broken, mangled, scarred, shattered, fractured, shredded, battered. You would never know it today, 20+ months afterwards, but all these descriptors applied to Carolyn Dorfman and Greg Gallick’s home in North Beach, one of the hardest hit areas on LBI, where the ocean blew out their first floor and garage with four feet of sand. Two weeks after the storm hit when Dorfman was first allowed to see her home, crews had been working relentlessly to secure the area and create one serpentine access lane down the island. Those crews included her longtime landscaper, Reynolds Landscaping. On the short road to the ocean on which the Dorfman/Gallick home sits, Reynolds services five out of the eight families, many of them for decades. And all of them Page 32 • Echoes of LBI
Supplemental plantings and hardscaping repairs help restore this North Beach residence to its pre-Sandy condition. Copyright: L.J. Hepp
called Mark Reynolds and his company to help them recreate their beloved properties. Carolyn Dorfman remembers it all, but three visions encapsulate her memory of those days: huge mountains of sand, the now duneless view of the raw ocean from her home, and the dozen or so men from Reynolds Landscaping digging with shovels to get all the sand out of every crevice for weeks in cold weather. Yes, there were backhoes and excavators and dump trucks, but Dorfman remembers the people and their “integrity, the humanness. Everyone at Reynolds has always been that way in every encounter but the contrast through those days made it so clear.” When Dorfman told Mark Reynolds that they only had half their pavers, Reynolds replied, “Well, then, let’s come up with a design that uses them.” Dorfman describes Reynolds as having “enormous respect, not just for the economic aspects but
respect for the preservation of as much as was.” Dorfman, who is the founder and artistic director of Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, and Gregory Gallick, an orthopedic surgeon, have been on LBI since 1997, and had never had a storm do any damage at all. With the intense work schedules the family has, their summer days on the Island — about half of each week — have been a respite. They bike and walk, take Pilates classes down the street, visit with friends, and sit outside with a cup of coffee watching the morning unfold. But a lot of work was necessary — and where to begin? — before any of that seemed remotely possible again. First, Reynolds says, they had to get rid of what didn’t belong to “get to the truth of the property;” then time had to pass, and the builders came in. Landscapers must be patient and open: they had no idea what they would really have to work with once they could work. For many of Reynolds’s clients, their vegetative infrastructure had been created over many years, some decades. Now, most of their landscaping was wiped out, but a few things were so hardy that they remained. The plant that won the award, in Mark Reynolds’s estimation, was the juniper torulosa (Juniperus chinensis), which assumes a narrow cone shape when it is young and opens up to 6 to 10 feet and grows to 15 feet at maturity. Dorfman had three large ones 12 feet tall, all of which remained “intact and virtually unblemished.” “As we designed the new landscape,” Reynolds says, “we couldn’t create the same
that had been developing for 25 years. But we decided to use the juniper to recapture the ambience. To the eye, it’s definitely a new beginning. But if you were seeing the landscape for the first time, all is well.” For years the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company has been creating and telling stories in movement about life, about relationships and communities. It’s been said that her “connection with the audience is critical to her vision.” Mark and Peg Reynolds and all of their company, it seems, have a similar underpinning to theirs. “They’re artists, too,” Dorfman says. “With landscaping, lighting, arrangements, pots. They stand by their work. It’s their standard everywhere, and so I get great pleasure from what they do for everyone else. They create beauty, and we all benefit.” Prior to the storm, Reynolds says, if he saw a hydrangea that needed water, he’d call back to the office with a sense of urgency to right the problem. “It’s not that we don’t still do that,” he says, “but it doesn’t weigh on me in the same way. Sandy delivered a real sense of what’s important. We had properties with 30 years of plantings wiped out in one day, whole families uprooted, and, honestly, although many of our clients have been able to return to their homes and their lives on LBI pretty much in the same way as before, there are families who have not been able to put their homes back together, and have had to sell their little piece of paradise. That breaks my heart. I am reminded every day of our strength and our fragility.”— Annaliese Jakimides
Eighteen months after Hurricane Sandy left 4ft of sand at the doorstep of this ocean front home, redesigned gardens and hardscaping transform the outdoor living area to its former status. Copyright: Zach Wright
Lifestyle
LBIF offers an amazing and unique ceramic residency program all year long. In the summer, over 15 different ceramic artist use the studio on an almost daily basis. A very strong artistic community has formed as a result. LBIF has over 3 types of firing kilns. A fourth type (salt Kiln) will be constructed this fall. Such an array of equipment is very rare for an art center to offer. —Susan Pohanka, Director of Ceramics
Honey Pot by Lynne Berman
Sandi Kosinski holding her porcelain and stoneware honey pot hand decorated with liquid colored glaze.
H
osting two honeybee hives at the LBIF was an idea met with unequivocal enthusiasm. The Science Committee saw it fitting squarely within the LBIF’s role as stewards of our natural environment, while the Ceramics Committee immediately started discussing honeypot creation. We feel extremely privileged to have met Michael Long, beekeeper, and are excited for him to share his knowledge and experience of honeybees with LBIF visitors. He’ll be joining our Discovery Day Fridays occasionally this summer, and will be a new presence at this year’s Barnegat Bay Day on July 9. Check out our Science Saturdays schedule in 2015 for another demonstration from Michael. Jennifer Begonia Executive Director Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences
Page 34 • Echoes of LBI
Michael Long • Marjorie Amon photo
Cell: 609.661.1586
amybird209@aol.com
Lifestyle
Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens Honored By Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
T
he Edith Duff Gwinn Gardens on the grounds of the Barnegat Light Historical Society received an award in 2013 from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Only four New Jersey gardens were so honored. The selection committee came to the gardens in the fall in the midst of a Monday morning work session by members of the Garden Club of Long Beach Island. The Garden Club maintains the gardens from the last Monday in April through the last Monday in October each year. The gardens’ guru is Betty Frey, who has worked in the gardens for 19 years and overseen them for 17 years. Betty’s gardening skills come to her naturally, as her mother was an avid gardener and formed the first garden club in her hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. As a young married couple, Betty and her husband Bob owned a farm, where her expertise in growing vegetables and flowers was perfected.
Betty Frey in Edith Duff Gardens. LBI Garden Club photo.
Fittingly, Betty attended the awards ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion in Harrisburg on Tuesday, December 10, 2013. Garden Club President Beverly Reitinger and her husband Carl accompanied Betty. The weather was dreadful. The ride to Harrisburg was marred by the first of many snowstorms that occurred over this past winter. They decided to drive through the storm and managed to make their appointment for a tour of the Pennsylvania Statehouse on time. Although the Garden Club of LBI had to travel the farthest, it was the only club from New Jersey to make it that day. After the Statehouse tour, Betty and the Reitingers attended the awards ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion. Pennsylvania First Lady Susan Corbett is an avid gardener herself and personally presented Betty with the award. A reception followed the ceremony. The mansion was beautifully decorated for the holidays, and there was a screening of the winning gardens for all to enjoy. How proud Long Beach Island should be of the beautiful gardens in Barnegat Light, the hard work of the Garden Club members and especially the dedication of the gardens’ shining star, Betty Frey! —Kay Binetsky and Bonnie Korbeil Page 36 • Echoes of LBI
Edith Duff Gardens. LBI Garden Club photo.
Lifestyle
William, Leonel, and Mary at 8th Street beach in Surf City, NJ
The First Day at the Beach
A
s we dig through the drawers searching for our lost suits, a sense of urgency rushes within. Tomorrow our hearts will fill when the first day of beach brings the promise back again. Time spent yearning for this forgotten friend melts away like the winter’s ice as we race towards the coast. The crisp sand against our feet and cold soaked sleeves remind us of what has begun and
what shall end. Shells of treasure scattered over the land appear untouched guarded only by the passing sun and the turning of tides. A ship’s sail on the horizon, a dolphin’s tail in the crest of a wave enlighten our thoughts of a future as we let go of a drifting past. Our nights will now be as good as the mornings that follow. We will know how it feels to be truly thankful, lucky and alive. This is what keeps us coming back. —Photography and text by Amy Jenceleski
What You Need:
1 1/2 pounds of Viking Village sea scallops
Instructions:
Drain and thoroughly dry 1 1/2 lbs. Viking Village sea scallops. Marinate in coconut oil on each side for 5 minutes in the refrigerator. Sprinkle with black pepper and rosemary. Pierce four scallops per skewer using double skewers (makes them easy to turn). Grill for approximately 2 minutes on each side. Lay on a bed of baby spinach. Garnish with fresh rosemary. Serve in a seashell for a beautiful presentation. Page 38 • Echoes of LBI
T
hroughout the years, Rick Baldt has had a special bond with LBI and always hoped he’d be able to live here. This year his dream came true when he and his wife purchased the Life Saving Station on Ship Bottom Ave. in Ship Bottom. Rick’s great grandfather Frederick Baldt, Sr. was the inventor of the Baldt Anchor. Frederick and his wife Charlotte used to camp out on the beach in a safari tent in 1930s in North Beach. In the 1940s, they bought a house in Brant Beach on 32nd St. and Ocean Drive, which began decades of family fun on LBI. In 1956, Frederick served as the Commodore of the Brant Beach Yacht Club. Frederick’s responsibilities included yacht club operations and overseeing financial planning. The popular program for juniors was expanded and the clubhouse was renovated as membership increased. The BBYC, founded in 1947, offered yachting, water sports, social functions and membership camaraderie. Although small in size, it staged the first Duster National Championships in 1948. Frederick’s daughter Charlotte, better known as Bitsy, sailed Dusters and Lightnings
there and was a regatta winner in both classes. She is the proud owner of a second place handmade sailboat painted on wood panel from 1953. Bitsy met and later married her husband Dick Hearing. He sailed a Blue Jay, a smaller version of a Lightning. Bitsy is in her eighties now and remains very active. She enjoys swimming and boating. Thanks to a small group of good men in the 1940s who worked hard to keep the club alive, Brant Beach Yacht Club is what it is today — a place that promotes yachting, boating, socialization and, above all else, friendships that have lasted a lifetime. When Rick’s father Ted served in the war, he spent a lot of time on the Pacific Ocean and his letters sent home stated that he never wanted to see the ocean again. However, he quickly changed his mind when returning home. It’s a good thing because his family has kept ties to LBI for decades. Each time Rick drives west over the Causeway he looks in the rear mirror and says to LBI, “I’ll be back.” —Diane Stulga
Seattle to LBI
O
n August 1, while returning to the island after running some errands, I saw a guy riding a bike on Rt 72. Bikeriders are common on and around LBI, however, this bike had a sign on the back that read “Seattle 2 LBI.” I got excited for this individual knowing he would soon reach his destination. I stopped just before the bridge and waited for him to catch up to me. As I saw him approach, I got out of my car and signaled for him to stop. We had brief conversation about his trip. I shook his hand (he hugged me) and told him that he was only two miles from his destination, and welcomed him to LBI. I asked him to stop at Things A Drift in Ship Bottom so I could take his picture. Ken Fuirst decided to celebrate his 50th birthday by taking the approximately 3500-mile trip cross-country on his bike. He was fortunate to be able to take the time off to pursue this adventure. He had all of his supplies and gear shipped from his home state of New York to Seattle, WA. His bicycling adventure started on June 16. Ken camped, or stayed at friends or friends of friends’ homes along the route. He arrived on LBI 48 days after he started — well ahead of his anticipated arrival date of August 16. Ken’s website, KensBikeRide.com, chronicles his journey across the country. I feel fortunate to have met Ken and to welcome him to his final destination – our beautiful LBI. —Vickie VanDoren
Lifestyle
As one of the survivors of the notorious Super Storm Sandy, I was forced to rebuild and elevate my home. After almost two years and endless red tape, I am now living high and dry. Settling into my home, I’ve discovered that aside from being high means being dry, there are lots of other advantages to living fourteen feet above the flood line. First and foremost, I sleep better at night — safer and quieter — and then there’s the view. Sitting at my dining room table each morning, I have a splendid view of the sunrise to my east. Then, at the end of my day, I can look out either my kitchen or living room window and see an array of different sunsets: orange-pink, bluish red, and yellowy orange, with no two being the same in a given week. My house is not as musty or damp as it was. It is a lot warmer, too. I always had to wear a sweatshirt or sweater when I lived at ground level. Now, the temperature is always warm and comfortable, especially during the winter, which was considerably cold and snowy this year. And of course, everything is new: new cabinets, floors, walls, rugs, window treatments, furniture, even a new vacuum as my old one floated away. New things are always easier to clean, and who wouldn’t vote for easier cleaning. I am truly in a much better place, not just physically, but mentally than I was a year ago. One way I coped with the stress of being out of my home and rebuilding again was by walking the beach. This has always been settling for me, however, after the storm, it served another purpose. In fact, it became a mission. That mission has been to collect enough shells to replace the stones that I had in my yard and driveway. I am not sure what happened to my stones, but when I returned to inspect my home after the devastation of the storm, I had nothing in my driveway but parts of other peoples’ homes. After having the debris removed, all that remained was mud and garbage. I am not sure if my stones got buried below or if they just washed away. Either way, I made it my mission to get back from the sea some of what the sea took away from me. Page 40 • Echoes of LBI
Rena's driveway covered in shells
I decided to replace my stones with shells. This was not only productive, but very therapeutic to the stressful rebuilding effort. With every trip I made to the beach, even on cold winter days, I would be sure to bring bags to collect shells. Some friends thought I was crazy and saw it as a fruitless effort while others thought it was a great idea. I called it my “get-even-with-Mother-Nature” scheme. In December of 2013, I started traveling down to Holgate since I heard it was the place to find shells. Was it ever! Instead of getting bags of shells, I got trunk loads. I scoured the beach for hours until I had no more room left in my car to pack shells. People would ask me, Are you and artist? Do you do crafts? or Are you selling them? Occasionally, someone might offer to help me carry up a bag or two, which I was very grateful for because gathering the shells wasn’t as hard as toting the heavy bags up the long sandy roadway. In addition to shells, I found other great treasures: sand dollars, flawless conch shells, sea glass, and assorted pieces of debris from afar. Now as I look out my window, I also have another pleasing view — my yard filled to capacity with shells. It looks great and feels very rewarding. I even started doing my neighbor’s yard. After the traffic lights get turned on, I stopped going to Holgate but, come October, I will be returning so I can finish my neighbor’s yard. I am sure many area residents will agree that it has been a long road home, and some are still traveling that road. I still have a lot to do before my home is completed: emptying boxes, organizing my belongings, shuffling funds, replacing items lost in the storm; but at least I am doing everything from the comfort of my home. In addition to my therapeutic shelling trips, I am also grateful for those responsible for helping me to rebuild: my architect, Vince Sibona from Manahawkin, and Jim Bockin, my builder and his terrific crew from Barnegat. I’m home and living high and dry, happy as a clam. —Photography and text by Rena DiNeno
Next to Howard's Restaurant
Lifestyle
Jane Aitken in Class Picture of Scandanavian Program.
Rick Aitken
Building Homes and Relationships
M
ost special places on earth have a story that begins with its settling inhabitants and Long Beach Island is no exception. Did you know that many of the earliest settlers arrived on LBI from Scandinavian countries? One of the proudest among these descendants is a man well-known to LBI long-timers. His name is Rick Aitken, owner of A. Richard Aitken, Jr., Builder-Contractor, LLC. In 1929, Rick’s grandmother, Ingeborg, and grandfather, Ingvald Dalland, arrived on a boat from Norway and settled in Brooklyn, New York. Ingvald was a carpenter in New York City, but because the country was in the midst of the Great Depression, there was no work available which meant no Page 42 • Echoes of LBI
food for the family. He and his wife heard about a Scandinavian community on Long Beach Island where they could fish for food and survive. So the family moved to Barnegat City, now Barnegat Light, where Rick’s grandfather became a commercial fisherman. He worked hard to buy his own lobster boat, depicted in the stained glass window located at Rick’s office in Ship Bottom. Ingvald and the other men of the community built the church, Independence Dock — now known as Viking Village — and the firehouse. Rick’s grandmother, Ingaborg, taught the children Scandinavian songs and dances. Through the Depression and war, Barnegat Light remained a close-knit community filled with love,
laughter and celebrations of their heritage and of life. The photo (opposite page), taken in the Barnegat City firehouse shows Rick’s mother, Jane, at age seven, among the other Scandinavian children dressed in authentic heritage garb, along with Ethel B. Jacobson (standing at center of photo), who was the local teacher at that time. The elementary school in Ship Bottom bears her name. Now, more about Rick, the builder, shown in the photograph at approximately age four with his sister, Christie. A. Richard Aitken, Jr., has been building quality custom homes on LBI for more than 30 years. Rick’s artistic eye, love for design, and knowledge of what is architecturally accurate is what drew him into the construction industry. His heritage has helped him over the years to establish a company built on hard work and honesty. It is not all about building one house then moving on the next, but rather about building both a home and a relationship with its occupants that will last generations.
One of the key contributors to Rick’s success is his sister Tracy, who sadly passed away from breast cancer last year. The memorial in front of Rick's office building is dedicated to Tracy. Tracy will be forever remembered for her positive attitude and courage in the face of adversity. The memorial is located on Long Beach Boulevard and celebrates her life, the Aitken family heritage, and our strong community here on Long Beach Island. If you have pass by Rick’s office in Ship Bottom, feel free to stop by and take a look at the memorial and stained glass window. You will then begin to understand what this heritage and sense of community is all about. Inspired by Tracy, one of Rick’s favorite quotes from Vivian Greene is written on the memorial plaque: “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” —Heather Aitken.
Stained glass by Lisa Boyd
Helping LBI residents recover & rebuild after “Sandy”
Military Trained • OSHA Certified • NJ Licensed & Insured Air quality and mold testing Mold remediation using eco friendly solution Asbestos abatement & removal Home maintenance
Fred Giberson 609.891.6100 Asbestos Lic #01207 • HIC #13VH07469800
Lifestyle
Jenna Miele in Ship Bottom, NJ. Joe Miele photo
Bicycling to the Bridge
I
t was a perfect day for a bike ride. The sun was out but it wasn’t too harsh on the eyes and there was a cool breeze to keep my fellow bike rider (Joe, my father) and me from becoming overheated. Our mission: ride from Haven Beach to the bridge without hitting the busy boulevard for too long. We set out on our journey at 9 a.m. I went shoeless (personal preference) with one sweating bottle of water in my basket. When the occasional car on Beach Avenue cruised by, we felt a bonus breeze roll over us. My daredevil father was able to pay attention to the road while holding up his phone to snap a few pictures of the two of us from his bike. The morning ride was off to a great start. “And that used to be…” or “an old buddy of mine used to live in that house right there,” was basically all that came out of my father’s mouth the whole time. He even told me about one of his old girlfriends who owned a 1975 Triumph that they used to ride around in back in the day. I probably learned more about my father’s past in an hour and a half than I ever had in my entire life. It was time to hit the boulevard for two streets. We looked both ways, and kept doing so the whole fifteen seconds we were on the boulevard. We made it across safely and continued on towards the bridge. I’d never seen this part of the island before; it had more grass than my side of the island. We rode along the bayside of the boulevard with the wind pushing us on our way. The two of us finally arrived at the Shore Road and 10th Street Page 44 • Echoes of LBI
park we were looking for on our vague, hand-drawn map and the bridge was right there, just as the map had indicated. We rode toward it, excited to see what the underside of this monstrous bridge we had been driving over for decades looked like. My father led and I trailed behind. With his phone’s camera ready, we slowly pedaled under the bridge and stopped dead center. We looked up and all around at the sites of the belly of the bridge. It was definitely cool but also a bit scary due to my fear of bridges – even though we weren’t on it, we were under it, inferior to its size. The bridge’s underside was more beautiful than I expected despite the rust. The brown and burnt orange colors of the beams showed its age. I imagined punk teenagers in Chuck Taylors and wet hair running underneath the bridge throwing rocks and carving words into whatever they were strong enough to chisel through. My dad snapped a few artsy pictures and we headed out to the other side where the sun, even though behind a thin cloud, was blinding. We staged a couple photos and headed back to start our 45-ish minute trek home to 113th Street in Haven Beach. My father and I always do things together, from long car rides to volleyball tournaments in the middle of nowhere to throwing stacks of paper plates at each other in the grocery store. But this bike ride was something new and special to both of us. Long Beach Island has been in his life since 1959 when he was born and 15 years and counting for me. —Jenna Miele
Family owned for more than 54 years!
Walters Bikes is LBI’s only full service bike shop. Check out our huge selection of mountain and road bikes, hybrids, cruisers, townies, and BMX bikes. All in stock. Famous brands like Trek, Schwinn, Giant and Eastern and more. Open all year with sales, service and smiles! 418 Long Beach Blvd • Ship Bottom, NJ 08008 • 609-494-1991
Marine Science
Page 46 • Echoes of LBI
Flight • Tonya Wilhelm photo
Marine Science
F
or most LBI visitors, eating seafood is synonymous with coming to the shore, especially crabs. And when it comes to crabs, there is no finer delicacy than a fresh caught soft shell crab. Many visitors and native LBIsanders as well, enjoy crabbing and will agree; however the window of opportunity when one can catch a soft shell crab is limited. During a crab’s lifespan, which could be as long as three to four years, it will shed its shells between 18 and 21 times; 18 for males and 18 to 21 for females. Each time, they increase their size by 25 to 30 percent. They are referred to as shedders or peelers at this phase. When they get so big that the back of their shell begins to crack, they wiggle their way out and back out of their snug fitting shell. They leave behind claws, legs, swimmers and the exoskeleton structure of the shell. We call them busters when they are laboring through this task. Once out of their shell, they pump themselves with water to puff out and expand their compressed body, thus renewing their shape. The whole process is very strenuous and some crabs may die going through it. Once emerged, they are soft and will remain so for at least 12 hours. That’s when they are most desirable to eat. During the next 12 to 24 hours, they start the process of hardening, called the paperback phase where they are flexible and somewhat crinkly. They are still pretty tasty at this point, but not as tender. The following 24 to 36 hours, they will get a complete hard shell. Still enjoyable, just a bit more work to eat as humans don’t digest hard shells very well. If you happen to catch a crab when its shell is still soft, it will remain that way as the hardening process stops once they leave the water. Page 48 • Echoes of LBI
However, not all crabs should be captured and eaten. Catching male crabs, providing they are large enough, usually a minimum of 4 1/2 inches is acceptable, but catching female crabs is another story. To determine if the crab is male or female, look at the crab’s underside, a male crab retains a point that resembles a rocket and that never changes. The female crab has a diamond shape on her underside until her last shedding when it changes to a half moon shape with a small crest on the center circular side of the half moon. With this change, she is able to reproduce. A male will sense this and cradle the female to protect her. When you see this couple joined together, it is called a doubler. The male wraps his legs around the female leaving his swimmers free to move and his claws out for defense. The male will continue to protect or cradle the female until her shell is hard and she can safely hatch her eggs. Once she lays her eggs, she dies. While males can always be kept when caught, it is a good practice to return mature females back to the water to preserve the species. In fact, it is illegal to capture a female if she is bearing eggs, which is evident by her orange underside, or orange sponge bag. As a visitor or a local, enjoy your crabs as well as your days crabbing. Hopefully, you will seize that window of opportunity and be able to sauté a soft shell crab for dinner soon. —Rena DiNeno
Marine Science
S
hark! One word that can strike fear in beachgoers and scare them out of the water. If sharks could talk, however, and say “human,” now that would be a more appropriate warning. The truth is that an average of one fatality per year in the US is caused by a shark attack, and yet about 100 million sharks are killed by humans worldwide per year - many of these for their fins to make shark fin soup. Thanks to Peter Benchley and his book Jaws, this fact is often ignored and replaced by fear of a creature that would prefer a seal to a human for its dinner. The inspiration for Jaws came from a real shark attack in none other than our own state of New Jersey. Over an 11 day period in 1916, events unfolded that to this day still resonate and strike fear or at least apprehension in many beachgoers.
The film g
rosses $90
Page 50 • Echoes of LBI
million in
the first 53
days
The first attack happened in the waters off Beach Haven and resulted in the death of a young man from Philadelphia on vacation. Despite this attack and the fact that seamen along the coast had reported seeing large sharks nearby, beaches along the coast remained open to bathers. Just five days later in Spring Lake, another fatal attack occurred, this time taking the life of a young man working as a bellhop at a local hotel. Even if a widespread panic had occurred, it probably would not have spread to the location of the next attacks. That’s because the next two attacks happened in Matawan Creek which is about 45 miles north of Spring Lake and about 16 miles inland. It was July 12th and two more lives were about to be lost. The first was an 11-year-old boy who was playing in the creek with friends when they spotted what they thought was a big log. They saw a fin and realized too late that it was a shark. One of the boys could not get out of the water and was pulled under by
Steven Spie
lberg in 19
75
the shark. His friends ran into town to get help and a local man that answered their call also died after diving into the creek to look for the young boy, actually being attacked and killed in front of the other townspeople. The body of the 11-year-old was found a few days later. The final recorded attack happened a half mile away and only about 30 minutes later. That victim, a 14-year-old boy, was severely injured but survived and fully recovered from his injuries. Keith Holley has a few connections to this story, both the real and the fictional one. He came across photos taken during the filming of the Steven Spielberg movie in a Connecticut thrift shop. Keith’s great aunt was eight years old and worked in the area where the Matawan Creek attacks occurred. She recalls that residents used to throw trash and food remains including bones into the creek and that people had seen sharks in the creek many times prior to the attacks. It’s very possible that the food thrown into the creek could have attracted the sharks. Keith’s grandmother and great aunt were also in the area and recall the attack on and killing of the first victim.
Working with "Bruce," the mechanical shark used in the film
Richard D. Zarnuck and David Brown with Roy Scheider and their People's Choice Award
Of course many years have passed since the actual attack and the movie and so much has been learned about the real and imagined dangers related to sharks, but as Keith would tell you: you might still want to keep a look out for a fin when you’re cooling off in the water because a shark can still appear out of nowhere. Only in Jaws would you hear this warning: "Dum-dum-dumdum-dum-dum-dum." —Frank Grasso All images provided by Keith Holley. ©1979 Universal City Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
People flee
from the sh ark in the famous bea ch scene.
Amity Beach fishermen set out to capture the shark
Marine Science
Howard Dion photo Page 52 • Echoes of LBI
The Bay View Room at Shelter Harbor Yacht Club
C
reated as a marina condominium in 1986 on the site of marinas for about one hundred years, Shelter Harbor Yacht Club, at 12th Street and North Bay Avenue in Beach Haven, is a spectacular facility. The marina includes 206 owned and rented boat slips of varying sizes on seven docks, a twobedroom rental apartment, indoor and outdoor showers, ample parking, a picnic area, and a clubhouse housing an outdoor pool with hot tub, an indoor hot tub, and a large party/event room.
Super Storm Sandy did significant damage at Shelter Harbor, including loss of power for almost six months, water damage to important mechanical equipment, and loss of much outdoor equipment. The winter of 2012-2013 was a busy one of repair and refurbishment, culminating in a functioning facility by Memorial Day 2013. While not damaged by Sandy, this year the third-level event room with kitchen and clubhouse exterior continued the refurbishment project begun by Sandy. Recently completed, The Bay View Room at Shelter Harbor Yacht Club is the perfect setting for parties and events with accommodations for up to one hundred guests. Overlooking the marina and bay with two walls of windows, there are one-of-a-kind views of boats, sunsets, and 4th of July fireworks. The Bay View Room, with its caterer-friendly kitchen, is now the perfect place for a sit down, cocktail or casual birthday, baby, anniversary, graduation, retirement, reunion, rehearsal and wedding celebrations where you can bring your own caterer or we can recommend one. For details call the Marina office at 609492-8645.
Top: View of the marina from the Bay View Room. Center: Looking down to common area. Bottom: Seating area in common area. Photos by: Ryan Marchese
This year, the annual Sea Glass Festival will include a contest for objects created from items found along the wrack line along the shores of Long Beach Island. The wrack line is the uneven line of natural and manmade debris that washes up on the beach after the last high tide. The word comes from the Middle Dutch word “wrak” meaning something damaged. From the comfort of their beach chairs, visitors to the island have watched sea birds scavenge the line for food. This year, beachgoers may be motivated to walk the line in search of treasures. Then they can create something from those finds, functional or non-functional, and enter their unique object into the contest. Bring your trash or treasure found on the shore to the Sea Glass Festival to be judged in categories for children (ages 4-12), individuals, and civic groups. Prizes will be awarded on creativity and imaginative use of the find.
Gourmet chocolate and rum cake sampling will be available throughout the festival. All products are available to purchase at Things A Drift.
Page 54 • Echoes of LBI
Tie Dye is the theme!
Waiting For Summer: A Jersey Shore Romance by G.G. Lourie G.G. Lourie is originally from Rockaway Borough and raised her family in Mount Olive Township. Here on the coast she has found the ideal place to create her characters, imagine their story and determine their destiny. Waiting for Summer: A Jersey Shore Romance, is her debut novel. Other projects in progress are also based in her beloved Garden State. She enjoys writing poetry and is a member of Romance Writers of America.
Cindy Bilbao has been a photographer of the natural world from a young age. After attending many sea glass festivals—with increased infatuation—she focused her photography on sea glass and her first book, Sea Glass Treasures from the Tide emerged. The Official Sea Glass Searcher's Guide: How to Find Your Own Treasures from the Tide Cindy Bilbao's spectacular photographs and helpful guidance will transform your everyday visit to the beach into a passionate treasure hunt. You'll learn where to go, when to go, what to look for and more.
Derek Yoost, our fossil expert, returns and will lecture about New Jersey fossils and collecting along with Doreen Rhoads-White and her amazing Holgate find. Plus Sara Caruso, local sea glass hunter, will be on hand to help identify glass shards.
A huge jar of sea glass is up for grabs in this contest. Whoever guesses closest to the total number of shards in the jar wins the whole jar! All glass was collected in New Jersey.
Sea Glass Treasures from the Tide We may never find message in a bottle, but most of us have fond memories of collecting beach glass. Let the images captured in Treasures from the Tide bring you back to a simpler time and the joy of discovery. This unique photo keepsake celebrates the simple beauty of found objects.
Our best of the best sea glass competition to decide who will be named "Shard of the Year" and a picture of the winners will be featured in Echoes of LBI Magazine. Contestants can enter two pieces. They can be sea glass, river glass, or sea pottery of all varieties. Pieces are judged by rarity, quality, and color. This contest will be held on Saturday and Sunday, October 4 & 5.
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his is a fossilized molar tooth of the American Mastodon, Mammut americanum, a type of prehistoric elephant that lived in New Jersey during the Ice Age (Pleistocene – about 1.8 million to 10,000 years ago). From the shape of the tooth pictured we can determine that the American Mastodon roamed the open spruce woodlands, usually in low-lying areas such as valleys and swamps; their grinding molars easily tearing through the tough vegetation. Being covered with a shaggy hair coat, it was well adapted to the cold environment of the Ice Age. You may be wondering: “Why is a large land mammal’s tooth found on the beach?” During the Ice Age, there was so much water locked up as ice spread over the entire span of the northern continents (up to a mile thick), that the level of the ocean was a lot lower. The shore would have been about 50 miles farther away than it is today. Once the Ice Age was over, the ice melted and flooded the land to its present level.
Doreen Rhoads-White shows off her mastodon tooth found in Holgate Cheryl Kirby photo
Lorraine and her prehistoric shark tooth. Cheryl Kirby photo Page 56 • Echoes of LBI
The next thing you may be wondering: “Why are there elephants in New Jersey?” Elephants originally evolved in North America and migrated across the Bering land bridge into Asia and then Africa. The mastodons, along with the mammoths, are now extinct possibly due to over hunting by Ice Age man coupled with their slow breeding rate. This estimated eight ton animal was among the largest in New Jersey at that time. It stood about six feet at the shoulders and about 15 feet long, not including the tail or the six foot long tusks. You can see two of the 13 New Jersey mastodon skeletons that were found in Sussex County presently on display at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton. -Derek Yoost
Pieces found by and photo by Sara Caruso
Natural Nautical Design by Cheryl Bring the beauty of the ocean into your home with Natural Nautical Designs by Cheryl. Celebrating 40 years in business, Things A Drift in Ship Bottom has the largest selection of high-grade shells on the East Coast, including a perfect specimen Queen Helmet and a 575-lb. Tridacna. Cheryl’s expertise has been sought by shore-loving homeowners locally and nationally. She will gladly consult with you to customize a nautical design suitable for your living space.
Decorating a mantel, living room, poolside or patio with gifts from the sea brings serenity to the home. Stop by to select a precious treasure of your own. For more information call 609.361.1668 • 406 Long Beach Blvd., Ship Bottom, NJ
Marine Science
Top and bottom view of a knobbed whelk with egg casing. Page 58 • Echoes of LBI
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s visitors to the beach, we often think of seashells as mere souvenirs of our trip. Young collectors get a kick out of finding a whelk shell on the beach. However, few of us understand the animal that once lived in that shell, let alone the energy that went into making this hard calcified shield. The most common one seen on Long Beach Island is the knobbed whelk (Busycon caricais). Known as the state shell of both New Jersey and Georgia, the knobbed whelk flourishes in the cool Atlantic waters from Florida up to Massachusetts. To most of us collectors, finding a whole one devoid of cracks or holes is becoming harder and harder, not just because there are more people on the beaches than ever before, but because this animal's very existence may be in jeopardy. A member of the family Melongenidae and one of roughly fourteen known species of the subfamily Bucyconinae, it is one of the largest marine gastropods along the eastern coast of the United States. Whelks are by far one of the strangest creatures when it comes to mating. They are protandric hermaphrodites, meaning they initially function as males and then change into females as they age. Knobbed whelks lay their eggs September through October and April through May. So if you are walking along the shoreline and you see a weird, long, tubular, yellowish thing that looks like plastic medical waste rolling in the waves, that's the egg casing of a whelk. Inside each “packet” along this egg casing are hundreds of baby whelks. They are so small that about fifty of them can fit on a US dime. As the egg casing rolls in the waves, it releases these numerous little whelks into the sea. They are born with their shells already attached and, as the animal grows, the shell grows with it. By the time we find it on the beach, the animal may be anywhere from three to five years old. Scientists are unsure of how long this snail can actually live since most tend to be eaten before they have the chance to grow much
beyond three to five years. The largest knobbed whelk studied measured eighteen inches. Knobbed whelks are not the only whelks found in New Jersey, but collectors can spot the differences with some simple knowledge of the animal. Knobbed whelk shells are known as “right-handed” because when you flip it over to look inside the shell, the opening or aperture is on the right side. Another species of whelk found on our beaches, the lightning whelk, faces to the left. Knobbed whelks get their name for the chunky “knobs” or spikes protruding from the shell wall. Scientists aren't too sure what purpose the knobs serve other than possibly as a defense mechanism. The extreme end of this defense would be the knobbed whelk's distant cousin the venus comb, whose long spines make it look like the skeleton of a dead fish, and therefore, not an appealing meal to predators. Other whelks found in New Jersey, such as the commonly found channeled whelk have no knobs when they are adults, but do have tiny bumps when they are young. However, the knobs are no defense against the fishing industry, as knobbed and other whelks are harvested for consumption. Unfortunately there is little information about how fishing affects the whelk population. Since 1995, the number of whelks caught and the number of fisheries have decreased. There are now less than thirty-five fisheries participating in harvesting the whelks and roughly 4,000 bushels collected annually — quite a drop from the 30,000 bushels collected in the early 1980s. Conservation efforts are being made to preserve these animals. Those efforts are still in the planning stages. Our oceans and the creatures that live in it are an important part of our existence. Perhaps the whelk can help us learn more about the mysteries that lie in our coastal waters. —Photography and text by Sara Caruso
50 & Counting
Jack Lamping at the street sign bearing his and Virginia's names.
JACK LAMPING
Mr. “MAGIC” Maker
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he promotion and development of LBI will always be closely associated with the creativity and perseverance of John "Jack" Lamping, the Board of Trade’s first Publicity Director. Lured here by promises of “sunshine and fresh salty air, good health for everyone, and pollen-free sea breezes,” initially this position did not seem like a logical choice for an individual with his educational background. Born in 1915 and raised in Pennsylvania, Jack received his Master’s Degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1936. Though his mother, Alice Lamping, wanted him to be a doctor, Jack was torn between the sciences and the theatre. In 1938, he took a sabbatical from teaching collegiate biology and working on his Doctorate. Concerned about the possibility of war, his mother did not want him to go to Europe for his studies, so Jack opted for a return to LBI. Jack was familiar with LBI having spent at least a month each summer enjoying the famous healthy air to relieve his asthma and hay fever. While Jack and his mother stayed at the Engleside Hotel, his father worked as a brakeman for the railroad. Jack would tell the story of how in 1921, he and his father climbed to the top of Old Barney where his father carved Jack’s initials all the way up at the top. (I wonder if they are still there today!) Page 60 • Echoes of LBI
Luckily for LBI, he joined his best friend from Temple University, Wm. Penn (Bill) Lodge while vacationing. Bill suggested that Jack consider taking a newly created position at the Board of Trade. So on June 1, 1939, Jack began his “official” association with LBI as the first Director of Publicity for the Board of Trade. Jack loved his job, and he loved what he always called “Magic Long Beach Island.” Consider, though, the challenges that he faced right from the beginning. For example, in 1940 when the Board of Trades opened its first information office in Ship Bottom, less than 5,000 people lived on the Island. The road to Loveladies was planks! However, this did not deter the man colleagues described as a “creative genius” with “unbelievable energy” and a “zany touch of genius.” One such imaginative idea was using the beautiful sands of the Island beaches. He felt that if you left the Island with sand in your shoes, you would always return. Thus, he sent out postcards with little packets of sand stapled to them as a handy reminder of these sentiments. The Post Office did not share his enthusiasm for this promotional idea and put a stop to his mailings due to the sandy residue left behind! However, Jack’s passion for the Island was a family affair that began in Colorado at the Youth Methodist Council Conference. Eyeing Virginia Pederson, a pretty choir member from Iowa,
he asked a friend for an introduction. They spent time together over the weekend, and embarked upon a long-distance romance, mainly through letters. Virginia headed East whenever she had time off from work and, finally, on Christmas Day in 1940, they were wed in her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa. Their partnership was ideal. She drove while he rode in the back seat writing while surrounded by papers. Throughout their marriage, their Sunday night tradition was to sit down with their calendars and coordinate their activities. When they were heading out of the house, Virginia would get ready and then sit down and wait for Jack. He would be running around the house handling all kinds of last minute details. When their daughter Joy Lamping (Milano) arrived, road trips entailed checking out the billboards while family projects involved making and decorating marketing giveaways. The arrival of World War II brought gas rationing, a shortage of monies, and no electricity on the Island after 7:30 at night. Ever resourceful, Jack secured gas waivers for those coming to the Island. His timely ads included a quote from President Roosevelt that “The Nation and the war effort will be improved, not hampered, by sensible and healthy recreational pursuits.” The Island could provide both. Meanwhile, when Jack tried to enlist in the Army, he was rejected due to his asthma and hay fever. So he enlisted in the Coast Guard and served at the Holgate Station from 1943 to 1945. It helped that Jack never did lose the acting bug, and that Virginia was an amazing singer. As a team, they wrote, directed, and produced dramas for Atlantic City radio stations through the 1940s and early 1950s. The magic of LBI was exalted by Jack on his weekly radio shows. The couple also performed live shows on the Steel Pier and were active in the USO, hosting recuperating soldiers at their homes and putting on plays at the Beach Haven movie theater. In the midst of the War, LBI was struck by a destructive act of Mother Nature on September 14, 1944. Known as the Great Atlantic Hurricane, Long Beach Island suffered major devastation. The causeway was lost. Over 300 homes were destroyed, and 390 lives were lost. After this tragedy, Jack had the monumental task of drawing people back to the place he always called “Magic Long Beach Island.” Just two years later, at the end of 1946, Jack left his position as Publicity Director for the Long Beach Island Board of Trade to become the publicity director for all of Ocean County. According to his daughter, Joy, though, LBI remained #1 in his heart. Over his lifetime, Jack helped establish this area’s location as a great place to raise a family or just to bring your family to vacation. His list of accomplishment and firsts is seemingly endless. His energy was phenomenal. He arose at 4:00 a.m. and ended his day at 11:30 p.m. after working all those hours in between. Today we should thank all the early Board of Trade members who made this Island, as Jack Lamping would say, “Magic LBI.” —Pat Dagnall and Ellen Hammonds. Photography courtesy of Joy Milano, daughter of Jack Lamping.
Jack and Virginia Lamping (Pederson) and Captian Mathis.
Troops visit LBI Chamber during WWII
Virginia Pederson, wife of Jack Lamping, at the crossroads.
50 & Counting
C
rossing over the Causeway Bridge signals the arrival to Long Beach Island. When you travel from the mainland across the causeway bridge to get here, have you ever thought about the bridge’s history? The bridge to LBI, although it has remained in Ship Bottom, has not always been by way of the current bridge. Long Beach Island today is a relatively easy drive from Philadelphia and New York City. We have modern roads with speed limits affording quick and smooth passage. Prior to 1914, a trip to LBI by automobile was reserved for the few who could afford them and was generally not a day trip. Cars moved slower, had a tendency to overheat or got flat tires due to rough roads. And the Parkway and the Turnpike hadn’t been built yet. Dirt roads and wooden bridges made travel an adventure, to say the least. Prior to the automobile bridge there was a branch of the Tuckerton Railroad operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad that ran a train to Long Beach Island. That railroad bridge was completed in the summer of 1886 and was located just north of today’s bridge. The train made its last run to the island in the fall of 1935. In addition to the train, a ferry brought vacationers and goods across the bay to LBI. Both the train and ferry were slow means of transportation, but in the early 1900s, there were only a few cars on the island and the roads were unpaved. Rutted dirt roads with ponds blocked travel to Barnegat Light at the north and Holgate at the south. With the invention of the automobile and the more affordable Model T automobile, travel became more popular replacing the earlier travel by train. Judge Maja Leon Berry, (ex-Ocean County Judge) came up with the idea to build an automobile bridge while traveling across the bay on the train with his friend Charles W. Beck, Sr. A meeting was held at the Hotel Baldwin in 1912 where Mr. Beck donated $500 of his own money forming the Long Beach Turnpike Company. The officers were Charles W. Beck, Sr. (President) Ezra Parker (Vice-President) and W. Mercer Baird (Treasurer). The Automobile Boulevard, as it was referred to, would create a new coastal vacation destination north of Atlantic City. In addition to the three officers, Leon Berry, W. Mercer Baird, Henry B. McLaughlin, Charles H. Eckman, Robert F. Engle, Page 62 • Echoes of LBI
Samuel S. Andrews, James Baird, William S. Darnell, William H. Donahue, Elmer D. Wilt, Dr. Herbert Willis, Rev. Thomas J Wahlen, H. Earle McConnel, James B. Kinsey, Lester Osborne, Joseph Schoners, George W. Paul, J Price Trovillo and a host of others are credited for the realization of the boulevard which became the talk of the island and county for years. These very enterprising individuals raised enough money to finance building a bridge across the Barnegat Bay. The bridge was only a few feet above the water at high tide. The two-lane bridge was built high enough to allow pound fishing boats and salt hay boats to pass under it. A swing bridge was incorporated into the span between Ship Bottom and Cedar Bonnet Island allowing larger vessels to pass. Prior to the road bridge construction project, there had been no good roads through the marshes, meadows and great swamp before Route 72 was built (originally called Route 40). So, gravel roads were built on the island and on the main land to accommodate the anticipated traffic that would cross the bridge to LBI. It is said that LBI is “Six Miles at Sea”. The Causeway Bridge spans approximately two miles across land and water. The six miles was most likely calculated from a point further west near Route 9 rendering LBI 6 miles at sea. On June 20, 1914, with much fanfare, over 100 cars assembled before daybreak waiting for the 10 a.m. opening of the bridge. The procession of vehicles crossed the new bridge and drove down the island to Beach Haven. There was a banquet with an exquisite dinner menu at the Baldwin Hotel to celebrate the opening of the new bridge and Ocean Boulevard to Beach Haven. Many local and state dignitaries attended. Prizes were awarded to the best-decorated car and beach cottage along the route. A hydro-aeroplane flown by a Chicago pilot E.L. Jaquith performed aerial acrobatics over the ball field where an earlier game was played between Beach Haven and Tuckerton. A fireworks display culminated the festive day. Earlier in 1914, the Long Beach Island Board of Trade had been established, headed by Augustus Keil, to bring attention to the desirability of LBI. The Board touted the island as having great beaches, great fishing and the bay offering recreation for motor boats and sailboats.
An 80-page book The Lure of Long Beach by George Somerville with photos by Robert Engle was printed in 1914 by Beck Engraving Company and handed out to each car as it crossed the automobile bridge. After the opening, this book sold for 50 cents. In the 1920s, travelers had to pay a toll to visit the island. The tolls varied, from five cents to 50 cents, depending on the means by which you were accessing the island (on foot, by bicycle, horse drawn carriage, car or truck). Nails would frequently “pop” up causing flat tires; people would often comment “for this I paid a toll.” When a car caught fire while driving over the bridge, it would be pushed into the bay to prevent any long-term damage to the bridge. The first toll collector was Randall Thompson. His wife was well known at the time for her clam chowder. Once the couple saved enough money, they opened a restaurant called Thompson’s on what is now Bay Avenue on Mallard Island. In 1923, the state took over the bridge and in1924 a newer drawbridge was built. Similar to today, there was less traffic in the winter than summer. In the winter, weeks might go by without the need to open the drawbridge. In the summer, local children were hired to close the bridge gates at either end of the span.
The evolution of the Causeway bridge. Jack Perkins photos.
It took about a half hour to open and close the bridge, forcing drivers to wait until boats passed and the process to be completed. Lester Cranmer was the last person to open and close the twolane drawbridge. A padlock was put on the engine control room marking the end of the old wooden drawbridge. The last boats that used the bridge were barges transporting material for the new bridge. The current bridge was built in 1959. Fluorescent lights ran along the span of the bridge lighting the way and welcoming people to LBI. These lights became known as the “string of pearls.” Most of these beautiful lights have burned out. When the latest version of the bridge opens to LBI, we have been told that the old “the string of pearls” will be replaced by a modern more efficient “string of pearls”. On your next trip across the Causeway Bridge to LBI, you can now say Ahhhh as well as Ah ha! —Vickie VanDoren If you have any old pictures, memorabilia or stories about the bridge or Long Beach Island, please send them to EchoesofLBI@ gmail.com. Aerial shots available at www.njcoastalviews.com and at Things A Drift in Ship Bottom, NJ
50 & Counting
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n the heart of the Pinelands National Reserve in Wharton State Forest, surrounded by hiking trails, the scenic Batsto River cuts through like a jagged knife. In the midst of its latest incarnation, a fascinating museum chronicles the rich industrial history of the Pinelands.
phase of its history — agriculture and forestry. Joseph Wharton died in 1909 after various ventures such as cranberry farming and operating a sawmill and gristmill. His properties were subsequently managed for about 50 years by a trust company from Philadelphia until the state of New Jersey purchased the property.
Founded around 1766, Batsto Iron Works took advantage of the abundance of bog ore in the rivers and streams in the area, producing pots, kettles, fire backs and other household items. During the Revolutionary war, Batsto’s furnaces produced cannonballs and other supplies for the Continental Army. Batsto’s furnaces were used to produce glass into the late 1800s. Pine trees, sand and seashells contributed as either fuel or composition to the making of the glass.
The few people that still lived in the Village were allowed to stay as long as they liked, and in 1989 the last residents vacated Batsto.
Iron production lasted for more than 90 years at which time Pittsburgh became the leader in that industry. Unfortunately for the local economy, glassmaking wasn’t a great success and Batsto fell into bankruptcy. Purchased by Joseph Wharton in 1876, Batsto entered into another
Page 64 • Echoes of LBI
Batsto Village, however, is still alive and well. With more than 40 structures lending silent testimony to its rich history, it is not really a ghost town but a town with many stories to tell. From Joseph Wharton's mansion to the simple worker’s huts, from its sawmill and gristmill to its kilns and blacksmith shop, Batsto Village stands as an example of the rich natural resources of our Pinelands and the men and women who put her to good use for centuries. If you feel adventurous, take a kayak up river from Greenbank or down from Quaker Bridge. Either way will lead you to Batsto Village where you may discover pieces of glass and slag from the old furnaces. —Photography and text by Frank Grasso
Sales and Custom Installation 26th Street & the Boulevard Ship Bottom 609-494-2540
Authorized Dealer:
www.IslandAudioVideoLBI.com • IslandAudioVideo@verizon.net • Open all year, M - F 10-5, Sat. by appointment
Our American Heroes
A Salute to Paul Hashagen
Paul Hashagen with his great grandson Paul Stacey
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aul Hashagen Sr. served in the 70th Tank Battalion between 1942 and 1945, and was a part of campaigns from North Africa to Sicily, and the waterfront of Utah Beach on D-Day. His job was driving half-trucks and supply trucks before his superiors discovered his mechanical capabilities and quickly made him responsible for the upkeep of tanks and other military vehicles. Paul’s years of working on equipment on the family farm gave him the mechanical skills he used when he was promoted as a truck a tank mechanic. “When we landed in Africa we were under fire! There were shells landing all around us. Our ship took off and headed further out into the ocean. The men who had already exited the ship were left behind,” Paul recalled in a recent interview. Once in the French Morocco, Paul had seen three days of combat. Their Higgins boats were bombarded with artillery and mortar fire. The U.S. troops tried to overtake an airport when Paul was called to repair a few tanks. While working on these tanks he was under fire again. Shells were flying all around him. He took cover inside the tanks and escaped the attack without injury. The battalion soon over took the airport and moved on. Paul’s battalion travelled from North Africa to Sicily in July 1943. Once again under enemy fire, their tanks had several bombing runs before overtaking the enemy. One bright memory amidst the war happened while Paul was on R&R in Sicily. A Sicilian couple welcomed him into their house Page 66 • Echoes of LBI
to share a home-cooked meal. Paul says it’s one of the rare happy memories he often remembers even today. After the fighting in Sicily and in North Africa, Paul hoped to be heading home but instead was sent to England. On June 6, 1944. Paul and the rest of his group landed on Utah Beach. Paul can still recall seeing the ships. Recounting the scene now with tears in his eyes, he talks about some of the ships on fire. Paul was responsible for taking much of the equipment off of the tanks before they crossed the English Channel. Once on the French countryside, he outfitted tanks with bulldozer blades to gain access through the hedgerows in France. While going through Germany the 70th Tank Battalion was attacked by German fighter jets. An American fighter, a P-38 Lightning, came to the aid of the company but the German jets were much faster and the P-38 sped away. It was here where Paul saw his first fighter plane. Many of the tanks and vehicles were damaged during these attacks. On the Autobahn, he recalls his battalion finding at least six jet fighters in the woods that were left behind by the Germans. Since the airfields had been destroyed, the Germans used the highway as a runway. After three years serving his country Paul was discharged with many service points. He returned home on June 17, 1945, his son’s 3rd birthday! Paul’s mother had prayed for three of her sons in the war: Paul, Harry and George. George was taken a prisoner of war
"Oh give me a house by the shining sea, by the waves, the sand and the sky..."
A young Paul Hashagen during WWII during the Battle at Lexington in Germany and was later released. The family attributes prayers and the faith of their Mom for all three boys returning home uninjured. “There are no atheists in a foxhole!” says Paul. After the war, Paul raised his family and resumed working with his father at a lumber mill. Paul is now 96 years young. His family includes three children: Paul, Jean and Janice. He has 11 grandchildren, 20 great grandchildren and one great great grandchild. His family is very proud of Paul, affectionately known as Grand Pop. Paul’s daughter Jean and son-in-law Richard have been coming to LBI for more than 50 years. Jean has made photo collages preserving family memories throughout the years that decorate the walls of the home in Surf City. Paul knows how very lucky he is. He has boxes of medals, awards, hand drawn maps of the territory his battalion invaded, and his excursions. He has encouraged and inspired his family and they continue to surround him with love. Two of his great grandchildren, Luke and Katie won VFW writing contests and placed first in their home state of Washington for their age groups. Both essays were written about our nation and patriotism and were influenced by their Grand Pop and all he’s done for our country and his family. Thank you, Paul, for keeping our beaches and our homeland safe. God bless you, your family and God Bless the USA! — Diane Stulga, photography provided by Hashagen family. Submit your Americn Hero story to echoesoflbi@gmail.com
Maggie M. O'Neill Real Estate Sales Mary Allen Realty, Inc. Ship Bottom, NJ 609.709.1425 lunasea32@gmail.com
Our American Heroes
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first experienced LBI way back in the 1970s when my Mom and Dad rented a place on the beach in Beach Haven. I remember sitting on the porch overlooking the crashing waves, fishing off the beach at night, and the wonderful donuts we enjoyed in the morning from a bakery that is no more. Every August for the last ten years or more, my family and I have been blessed as invited guests of friends Tim and Jen Fischer at her parents (Shelly and Dave Koplewiz) home on E. Nevada, a block behind Nardi’s.
On a recent visit to Things A Drift to purchase a copy of The Fighting Hawks At D-Day, conversation turned to WWII. My father George Thomas served on PT171 from July 1944 through the end of the war as a quartermaster. PT boats became legendary due in part to President Kennedy’s experiences in the South Pacific on PT109 and the daring missions carried out often in the black of night. George Thomas
Known as “Plywood Coffins,” much of these vessels were
SUMMER 2 014
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constructed with plywood and mahogany. They relied on speed but could sting as well. The role of PTs changed during the War from primarily a Torpedo Boat in 1942 to a Gun Boat by the time my father got there in 1944. They were considered the heaviest armed boat pound for pound in the US Navy. All kinds of weaponry were bolted to their decks, which served them well in the shallow waters of the Islands of the South Pacific. My father’s campaigns aboard PT171 took him to Halmahera/ Morotai, Borneo/Celebes, and finally the Philippines. In November of 1945, almost all the PT boats were stripped of their equipment and destroyed because it was too prohibitive to return the boats to the States. There are only a few left around the world today. After the war, Dad married my mom, Lillian Kara of New Brunswick, and settled in central Jersey raising a family of two boys and a girl. Dad went on to a career in the NJ State Police where he reached the rank of Captain. He and Mom recently celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary. They now have six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Dad sums up his time served in the Navy during World War II as “the greatest experience of my life.” Not that it was a great time, but that it was so profound and meaningful. —Photography and text by Michael Thomas
George Thomas in WWII
THE NEW SEA-DOO SPARK
Looking Back
Page 70 • Echoes of LBI
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ne morning in September 2012, David Gurtcheff was heading out to the gym when his wife Sharon called him to the computer to check out an email. The email was from Grace Grillet who said that while going through a closet in her parents’ home in Newtown Square, PA, she stumbled upon a fire proof steel box which stored individually filed negatives. On top of the box was written “Alexander Gurtcheff’s Negatives.” She had Googled the name Gurtcheff and David’s Award Winning Long Beach Island Fine Art Photography came up. David is a retired mechanical/ project engineer. He graduated magna cum laude from Drexel University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a Master’s degree in Engineering Management. But his passion as a photographer and printmaker led to the amazing discovery. David’s father Alexander grew up in Ship Bottom and graduated in three years from Barnegat High School in 1927. In 1931, he graduated with honors with a degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, NY. Alexander was the son of Christopher and Margaret Gurtcheff. The Gurtcheff Building was built by Christopher and still stands on the corner of 19th and Boulevard. It houses Surf Unlimited today. While Alexander was working at Philco in early 1940, the engineers produced an experimental TV program, received only by the engineers and their families. The program was to show Alexander’s LBI photos taken by him with a camera he received from his wife Norah on their wedding day in 1935. Norah and Alex had met at a dance at the Kynett Methodist Church in Beach Haven
and were later married there. While building a background set, Alexander cut his finger and three days later he passed away from an infection. David was only three years old at the time. David had a few magazine and newspaper clippings about his father and several original prints but the negatives were lost for 72 years. David has been writing a time line of his Dad’s photos since receiving these negatives. He has been able to see pictures from his first birthday, first Christmas as well as his first summer on the beach and his Mom with long hair! So many of his father’s photos are identical or very similar to ones he has taken, it’s as if he’s looking at his own photos. Each of the 250 rolls of film are stored sequentially in 16 archival envelopes. The time span is 1935 to 1940. Neither Grillet nor David has any idea how the prints got to the house in Pennsylvania . David is still in awe and spends his days sorting out the box and stopping frequently to capture each print. His own photos are displayed at Buckelew’s Restaurant in Beach Haven. Not long ago, a family who is building an oceanfront home in Beach Haven dined in the restaurant and fell in love with David’s work. David shared the story of his recent findings and now the walls of that oceanfront home will be filled with both David and Alex’s prints. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, so many positives developed from these negatives. —Diane Stulga
Looking Back
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ntroducing Bill Kane, an LBI photographer, artist and entrepreneur since the 1930s. The youngest of six children, Bill has been coming to Beach Haven Terrace since he was an infant. His father, JJ Kane, brought the family to an Oceanside summer cottage on Maryland Avenue in 1907. As a sales manager for the Fidelity Land Company of Philadelphia, JJ welcomed visitors off the train with a shoe box lunch and a pitch to buy land in the new resort town. Couples were enticed with this free “Fisherman’s Special” day at the beach. “Not a single mosquito on LBI. No Siree! They’ve all married.” Spending many summers on the Island put sand in Bill’s blood and stirred his creative juices to remain here. George W. Parker, father to 13 children, ran a restaurant and houseboats on Dock Road in Beach Haven. His eldest, Edna, met and married Bill Kane, a dandy in spats, in 1932. Bill and Edna’s home was built in the Terrace on Delaware and Long Beach Boulevard, by Howard Schiffler who would become the mayor of Long Beach Township . One room became the local post office with Edna as mistress from 1936 to 1945, allowing her to be at home with two children, Barbara and Lesley. Being in the center of town was also a perfect location for a convenience store selling soda, ice cream (5 cents a cone) and gasoline at one pump (19 cents a gallon). Bill became a house painter and paperhanger. Communities were small then with less traffic allowing him to return home for lunch — some days even a nap. During off hours, he traded big brushes for small ones to pursue artistic work in watercolor, oil and ink. Ever resourceful, he used the old flagpole from the Engleside Hotel for his ship models in 1944. One of the Fortuna is in the Beach Haven Museum. Bill’s self-taught drafting and lettering skills led to work for Harry Colmer, owner of the Beach Haven Movie Theatre. Each week a big banner would be hung to promote the new movie: Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Page 72 • Echoes of LBI
Bounty or Lucille Ball in Follow the Fleet. Everyone would marvel over Bill’s quick, precise, freeform black lettering and characters on a 4 x 8 ft. piece of muslin fabric. In 1941, World War II changed life on LBI. Because Bill had two young children, he was exempt from active service. He had visions of using his newest talent as an aerial photographer in the belly of a B-29 Bomber. Instead, he became an air raid warden, checking nightly throughout town that no lights were visible to the east. Families were required to use blackout curtains as German U-boats prowled our coast leading to much fear of invasion. Bill traveled to Camden for work at the New York Shipyard each day with Charlie Robbins of Ship Bottom and the Beach Haven Schoenberg brothers. Car pooling in the dark at 40 miles per hour made the 50-mile trip west a grueling day. The unexpected September 14, 1944 hurricane created even a more harrowing trip. Once back on the Island, the fierce ocean waves washed the men out of their car in Brant Beach. Struggling through currents and dodging 14-foot poles uprooted from the pound fishing grounds off shore, they finally were able to break into a rooming house for safety. Late on the 15th, Edna was relieved to see Bill at the door. He quickly gathered his equipment and proceeded to take extensive photos of the storm-damaged towns for the papers. Bill had his own art studio and dark room. Imaginative projects included pen & ink illustrations for a selfpublished book in 1945, 75 Ship Yard Sketches. He also sold historic drawings of the Tuckerton Railroad and other LBI spots, china painting, cartoons for post cards. His photos were used each week in the Beach Haven Times. On summer afternoons, he’d set up a large sign at the charter boats docks, selling 8x10 shots of the happy angler with his big catch. By now the house needed a large room added to create the Nor’easter Shop (on the south side of Terrace Tavern) adding framed photos, more art and post cards.
Time passed leading to a “Mom & Pop” corner store in the 1950s for newspapers, candy and groceries. It became the neighborhood gathering spot with soft spoken and friendly Edna welcoming everyone. The local kids were fearful of serious Bill, who wanted to be in the art studio outback, not patiently waiting for a child to select penny candy. He’d say, “Come on, Son, it’s my dinner time,” whether it was or not. From the 1930s to the late 1970s, he never failed to snap amazing photos of fires, storms and major events here. Besides being a serious businessman, Bill liked quirky things and had a gruff sense of humor. In 1952, while driving Route. 9 in West Creek, he noticed a sign for the Mason Dixon line. Investigating further, he concluded that this imaginary, popular legend separating North and South went through Manahawkin and Surf City. He drew an elaborate map and posted a sign outside his shop lauding this fact — even selling post cards continuing the controversy. Often known as “Citizen Kane,” in 1957 he published a little book celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Beach Haven Terrace. It showed his drawings and photos plus research of the first families of the towns historic past. In 1976, to celebrate our Bicentennial, he painted the fire hydrants to resemble Revolutionary War soldiers. The colorful hydrants weren’t a happy or lawful sight to the fire department. Orders were dispatched to repaint them red ASAP. Bill and Edna sold the Nor’easter in 1980 to retire off island in Manahawkin. Still the creative genius, he saw beautiful art on travel vans and joined this trend by decorating his new, powder blue Chevy Nova. Large images of the Liberty Bell, Abe Lincoln and George Washington in bright colors were painted on the trunk. A monarch butterfly was the bright exclamation point. Bill explained his unusual creation was to help Edna find the car in the Shop Rite parking lot. A large stock of his postcards were eventually used as tickets for the historic trolley tours in the 1990s. —Carol Freas Bill Kane. Lesley Kane Miller photo
About the Cover
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mmonites (Ammoindea) are marine fossils of the extinct cousins of the living nautilus. They became extinct at the same time as dinosaurs. Along with the nautilus, ammonites are related to octopus and squid, and together form the cephalopod (head foot) group. This specimen is from the Cretaceous of Madagascar, Africa and has been cut in half and polished to reveal the yellow mineral (calcite) filled air chambers. These chambers would be filled with air and used for buoyancy to navigate in the water column. These invertebrates had very good eyesight, were exquisite hunters, and have been found on every continent including Antarctica. Ammonites have been found in the Garden State: Atlantic Highlands, Tinton Falls, and Big Brook on the border of Holmdel and Colt’s Neck. However, because the shells of ammonites are made of water-soluble aragonite instead if calcite, they are only preserved as molds and impressions.
Cover Photographer - Sara Caruso
S
ara Caruso is a local photographer, graphic designer and beachcomber who loves living near the beach. Her photographic and design work has been featured in calendars sold at major book retailers, advertising, newspapers, and on billboards. Sara is also the designer, writer and an editor for Echoes of LBI Magazine. She has written articles covering a wide range of topics, including archeology, marine biology, and local history. When not on her computer working diligently on another project, Sara spends her time walking the sprawling beaches of LBI, head down, seeking treasures that have been lost to sea and time. Her collection of beach finds contain sea glass, fossils, rare artifacts and everything in between. Her motto is, "Everything you need you can find at the beach!"
Looking Back
Grandpa Jed in his sneakbox with his granddaughters, MaryLynn and Nancy. Photography courtesy of Audree Ghigliotty.
Sprague Footprints on LBI When Jeremiah Sprague found his way to Long Beach Island in the 1800s, he had no idea his footprints and those of the family that followed would leave their marks on every part of the island. The family ties to the island continue through granddaughter Audree Sprague Ghigliotty of Barnegat Light, and grandson James (Jimmy) Sprague of North Beach Haven, Audree’s cousin. This family story was influenced by a man who could only be considered a multi-tasker by today’s society. Jeremiah Sprague arrived on the island by boat. Not long after, trains carried people, salt hay for insulating houses, and eel grass used to stuff the furniture in those houses. Jeremiah’s father was the lighthouse keeper at Barnegat Light from 1841 to 1846, and was a whaler out of Harvey Cedars. Jeremiah (Jed) became a fisherman, a salesman who sold oysters, and he established a painting business. His motto was “Sprague & Sprague: We Beautify!” When he wasn’t on a ladder working, he was out in a sneak box hunting for ducks that were plentiful in and around the island. Born in Beach Haven in 1901, Joseph (Joe) Sprague was the youngest of the seven children of Jeremiah and his first wife, and his legacy is perhaps one of the most interesting of all those who were born and raised on Long Beach Island. Joe’s first job, when he was eight, was cleaning fish for charter boat Page 74 • Echoes of LBI
captains. He played baseball, barefooted, on LBI until age 17 and later played against teams in Tuckerton and Barnegat. In 1924, he began playing semi-pro ball for the Piedmont League in Winston-Salem, NC. When Joe was a young man, he took a train to Philadelphia where he worked as a salesman for a few years at Suple Biddle, a hardware store in the big city. When he needed work clothes, he sailed to Tuckerton in his sneak box, which had no engine. He met his future wife Evelyn, who spent her summers on the island. Her father owned the Pound Fishery. Evelyn was from northern New Jersey, and attended Parsons School of Design before her marriage, . She worked at the post office in Beach Haven after they wed. Joe and Evelyn lived in a little house at the back of the family property, where Helen, their first child was born. Some mornings it was so cold the diapers would be frozen to the floor before they could be put on the clothesline to dry. In 1936, the family moved to a house on 6th Street in Beach Haven on property that used to be the ball field where Joe played as a child. Another daughter, Audree was born there where Joe and his wife lived most of their lives. One of Joe’s many businesses was managing the bathhouses at the Baldwin Hotel back in Beach Haven from 1936 until
1944. The area had a gas lit boardwalk and attracted many tourists who traveled to the island for their vacations. Back then the owner of the hotel did not want his guests filling the indoor plumbing with sand, so he built 50+ bathhouses and guests paid by the week to rent these houses. For five dollars, they were given fresh towels and their bathing suits were washed and hung to dry. Joe was the manager and maintained the complex. After the hurricane of 1944, the bathhouses were destroyed and Joe had to look for other employment. Never far from the sea, during the Second World War Joe worked for Ventnor Boat Works where he was in charge of inventory going into Atlantic City for parts for the famous P.T boats.
Joe Sprague dressed in his finest on the beach.
After the war, Joe bought an old diner in Beach Haven and several years later replaced it with a new diner. The new Beach Haven Diner became very popular and Joe eventually sold that one, too. Joe took about a year off from the restaurant business and clammed off Barnegat inlet. He liked that part of the island well enough to buy still another diner which became the Barnegat Light Diner. That diner, which opened in 1959, was also very popular and often Joe was called into service to use his pitcher’s arm to quickly scramble eggs! After it was sold, it gained even more notoriety as Mustache Bill’s. Joe died in 2000 on his 99th birthday. Not long before, his nephew Jimmy had taken him out clamming, reconnecting once again to his roots as a waterman. Audree and her husband Henry still look out across Barnegat Bay from the second floor of their home. She recalls many fond memories of her own growing up on the LBI and her years carrying on the legacy as Joe Sprague’s daughter. —Cindy Andes
This was the home of Joe an d Evelyn Spragu e on 6th St. in Beach Haven with their car parked in fron t of the proper ty.
ree Joe Sprague with daughters Aud ng ndi (in suspenders) and Helen sta h bat in front of one of the ruined 1944. houses after the Hurricane of
Looking Back
M
y family has enjoyed the privilege of vacationing on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, every year for the past 30 years. Like numerous fellow visitors, it has become a rite of passage to scan the south side of the Route 72 causeway to make sure “the shack” survived another year. Since this road provides the only access into the resort community, the sight of the beloved old structure symbolizes arriving at the beach. Unlike officially sanctioned welcome centers, this site offers no restrooms or brochures of local attractions, but serves as a mystique from a bygone era on the Jersey Shore. Built in the 1920s on the marshlands of Cedar Bonnet Island by the Happy Days Hunting Club, the shack originally functioned as a shelter for early waterfowl hunters. Over the years, free spirited travelers, squatters, and adventurous partygoers have sought refuge there. Its popularity is rivaled only by Old Barney, the historic lighthouse at Barnegat Light on the northern tip of the island. The ravages of time and the forces of nature have gradually chipped away at the weathered building. Against all odds, the shack survived the great storm of '62 and witnessed the turn of a new century. The beloved icon served as a comforting presence through the turbulent events of modern America – the Great Depression, World War II, Vietnam, 9/11. In recent years, considerable controversy erupted concerning both the legal ownership of the building and preservation options at the historic site. All of these issues vanished during the early morning hours of October 30, 2012 when Hurricane Sandy pounded ashore. The remnants of the shack floated away unceremoniously in the flood tide that surged across the bay. It seems that no one witnessed its demise. Perhaps this fate is befitting. Throughout the years, the shack has gently reminded us that change, both good and bad, is as inevitable as death itself. As we cling to the warm memories of our past, we must also face the uncertainty of our future. Hopefully, we too can age with grace and dignity and depart from this life as eternal lights of inspiration for those that follow. Page 76 • Echoes of LBI
I wrote this reflective piece shortly after the devastating storm to accompany a 2005 photograph of the shack for an upcoming art gallery show. While I hoped that the sepia toned image would convey a sense of timelessness and nostalgia on its own merits, I thought it vital to include some historical context for those who had never experienced the joy of visiting LBI. Little did I realize that just a few years later these words would take on a much greater significance for my own family with the passing of my father-in-law in December 2013. Although he maintained a primary residence in California, Peter Tonyes spent as much time as he could at his bungalow in Spray Beach. Refined, intelligent, and ever curious by nature, Peter traveled extensively. He could carry on a conversation about many subjects, including history, sports, politics, geography, and literature. Still, his favorite place in the world was the Jersey Shore. It was in this context that we knew him best and his seasonal home here developed into a manifest representation of his identity and values. Following his death, each family member selected an item from the beach house that held the most personal significance. My wife chose a seagull-themed coffee mug that she ritually used during her visits. One of her sisters asked for the brass barometer and tide indicator that hung for years near the front door. I chose a vintage end table. Upon reflection, I realized that the deeper value in these pieces rested in the reservoir of experiences and memories that each represented just as the shack had always encompassed a sense of time and place very dear to us. As I write these words in the spring of 2014, Pete's cherished beach cottage has been listed for sale to settle his estate. I realize more than ever that change is constant and that all of our possessions, and our very lives, are of a temporal nature. It is difficult to imagine a summer, however, without a visit with Pete on Spray Beach. We can only take comfort in the hope that a new owner will lovingly cultivate the family memories we shared there for so many years.—Photography and text by Michael A. Dreese
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Looking Back
Watercolor by Katie Howe, 212 22nd Street, Surf City, NJ
The Bells Ring Out United Church of Surf City Celebrates Its 80th Anniversary
T
he sound of a lone church bell rang out over Long Beach Island. It was a black iron bell, the gift of Mrs. James Neely to The United Church of Surf City. It stood on a wooden tower just south of the new church building on the corner of Central Avenue and Seventh Street in Surf City. In 1934 Mr. & Mrs. Walter F. Pullinger and J. Carrol Wagner donated the land on which the new church stood. In the early 1930s, a group of LBI residents recognized the need for a Protestant church on the north end of the island. On July 9, 1934 the foundation for a church building was laid. O.O. (Crum) Inman and his son, Walter Inman, Walter Pullinger, Wilfred Jones, John Zepp, Sydney Jones, Bill Lohr, Chet Gardner, Ed Neill, The Rev. Mr. Eben C. Brink and others gave their weekends and vacations that summer to work under the direction of J.W. Oliphant to raise the roof. Clinton Macaulay and George Gildersleeve completed the concrete work. Mr. Knock of Ship Bottom supervised the electrical work. All the materials were donated. In September 1934, the Rev. Mr. Brink of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Hawley, PA, led services to lay the cornerstone. Five years later, a Sunday School building was added to the back of the church at a cost of $626. The United Church of Surf City’s black bell rang out faithfully every Sunday during July and August from 1935 to 1941. Children came to Sunday School at its beckoning and worship services were held to glorify and worship God. Mildred Hughes remembers those early years. "I remember large Page 78 • Echoes of LBI
numbers of Amish people coming to the United Church from their homes in Pennsylvania,” said Mildred. “They all wore black clothing. The men sat on the north side of the center isle of the church and the women on the south. I was so impressed. It was so different from anything I had ever seen." Then the war came. Gas rationing made it difficult for people to get to LBI, and so the bell was silent from 1941 to 1942 and the church remained closed during those years. And so, the people of the United Church in Surf City joined with the people at the Union Church in Ship Bottom for Sunday School and worship. In 1942, Rev. Mr. Christian Hansen arrived at the United Church. Mr. Hansen was a Lutheran pastor who served a church in Camden. His church had no evening services so he traveled to Surf City and held evening service at the United Church throughout July and each Sunday morning in August. The church rented a house on the corner of 9th and Central for Mr. Hansen’s use. The largest service in the history of the church was held on the Sunday after peace was declared in 1945. That evening the church overflowed with people from all over the island and the pastor proclaimed, “This is the day the Lord hath made! We will rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24) The little black iron bell rang to call the thankful people of LBI to praise God for peace. The United Church prospered. A parsonage was bought at 122 19th St. Although the house no longer belongs to the church “The Parsonage” is still visible In the eave over the front porch.
Services were expanded to cover June, July, August, September and October. The church used a rotating schedule of pastors. Two services were needed each Sunday to handle the growing number of worshipers. In the late 1950s, so many children were coming to Sunday School that the Surf City Fire Hall had to be used in addition to the church building to hold the scholars. In 1958, the sanctuary of the church was enlarged to its current size. Some time prior to 1960 Mrs. Neely's bell stopped ringing. When Ola Higgins first started attending the church with her husband John, the old black bell was gone. "I never heard it ring." she said. "It didn't work any longer. It had to be taken down." No one who currently attends the United Church can recall hearing the old black bell ring. It was taken down, a useless relic, and stored away until someone decided that it should be resurrected and displayed to commemorate those early years and the faith of the church's founders. Ola remembers the discussion about the old bell. She and John were driving to Surf City from their home in Philadelphia one day in the early 1960s. John noticed a church that had an old bell mounted on a monument in its yard. He stopped and took a picture of that bell. His picture became the model for the monument upon which the old black bell sits today.
Old iron bell on its tower
Today, the original old black bell no longer rings. It stands silent guard on the south side of the front door of the church where its tower used to be. In 1960, the original bell was replaced by a modern carillon, the gift of the Fuller sisters of Surf City in memory of Naomi Taxis. External speakers were placed on the back roof of the church so that hymns could be played over the community to remind its people that God was always there. In 1999, a new Schulmerich Carillon, given in honor of the Rev. Mr. Larry Waltz, replaced the 40-year old carillon. Today it tolls hourly over the community of Surf City calling people of God to remember his goodness and praise his name. This is the 80th year that the bells have sounded from the United Church of Surf City. Each Sunday from Memorial Day Sunday to mid-October services are still held to honor God. This Christcentered, multi-denominational church invites you to enjoy the bells and to join them for worship. When asked why she keeps coming to the United Church year after year Jane Smith explained, "I like the atmosphere! The people are friendly. There is a warmth there." And Viola Hasket added, "I like it! I like the variety of pastors, a different one every week. And it's close to my house!" Kathie Howe, invited the current president of the congregation, the trustees, its 18 pastors, and all those who attend The United Church of Surf City to the July 27 celebration of its 80th Anniversary. She also extended the invitation to anyone interested in attending to come any Sunday through October 12th this year.
Surf City United Church, circa 1935
And when you hear the bells ring, remember the words of Peter Jensen who, as a little boy, would say to his Dad when he heard the bells ring, "Listen Daddy! The bells say commie, commie to Church!" —Photography and text by Rev. Dr. Charles H. Jensen Note: The first bell is now located to the south of the church on a monument. The monument is dedicated to the memory of the Rev. Mr. Christian Hansen, pastor of the church from 1942 to 1952.
Mrs. Walter laying the cornerstone.
Last In • Storm at Sunset • Long Beach Island, NJ
Tonya Wilhelm photo
A Shore Thing
Top row left to right: Kelly Leo and Nancy Leo. Bottom row left to right: Lisa Magno, Debbie Mulvey, Linda Czarzasty, and Tracy Medford Page 82 • Echoes of LBI
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