Achievement Unlocked: Students Make Video Games Rare Facts About Hindenburg Shared For 86th Anniversary

By Bob Vosseller MANCHESTER –

Who says you can’t play games in class?

For some township high school students it wasn’t so much playing games, but designing them.

MTHS advanced multimedia program students will submit their 2D games to the 2023 GameSalad Video Game Creator Challenge.

During this process, they developed the knowledge and skills to creatively design and implement elements of an original gaming product using various multimedia editing tools and GameSalad’s interactive multimedia online development software. They were also inspired by their own personal favorite video games.

“Pokémon Black and

Prescribed Burns Helped Contain Recent Wild res

By Stephanie Faughnan

OCEAN COUNTY – Authorities believe prescribed burns helped limit the damage caused by wildfires that tore through the area last month. In at least one instance, pro- active measures saved residents from reliving an old nightmare.

“The Log Swamp Wildfi re in Little Egg Harbor occurred on April 15,” shared Trevor Raynor, Assistant Division Fire Warden with the New Jersey

Forest Fire Service. “It burned 1,607 acres and was contained by the following day.”

Raynor credited the quick containment of the fi re to prescribed burns conducted in the area on February (Burns- See Page 7)

White is one of my most favorite games of all time,” student Matthew Borrayo remarked.

Student Jurissa DeOcampo said her favorite video game was “Shovel Knight: Dig, because it’s a very exciting, colorful, fast-paced game that takes a lot of focus. It’s very easy to learn the basics of it, and anything complicated is not necessary to have fun, but (Games - See Page 11)

By Bob Vosseller LAKEHURST – Carl

Jablonski, the longtime president of the Navy Lakehurst Historical Society who is often referred to as “Mr. Lakehurst” knows the detailed history of the Hindenburg disaster including some obscure facts about the famous airship itself. He and his senior vice president, Jennifer Suwak along with other members of the organization have been busy preparing for this year’s ceremony to be held at its regular gathering point, outside of Hangar One at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst on May 6. Each speaker of that annual ceremony brings to life the history of the base, the tragedy of that fateful flight on May 6, 1937 and the courage of those who moved forward to bring mankind into the sky and beyond.

(Facts - See Page 4)

Emergency Crews Lauded After Wildfire

By Bob Vosseller

MANCHESTER – Township officials provided kudos to police, fi refighters, EMS and local businesses who all came together during last month’s wildfire crisis that caused the evacuation of area residents.

Mayor Robert Arace provided his thanks for the efforts made to protect lives and property. “It was miraculous the structural protection done down on Beckerville Road and by Proving Ground

Church in Lakehurst which had 200-foot flames there and see the flames go around structures.”

“It is really astonishing. Thank you for your great work,” the mayor said in regards to firefighters. Councilman James Vaccaro described the April 11 wildfire as historic. “It consumed approximately 4,000 acres of the Pine Barrens and 170 homes were evacuated. Our fi refighters, various EMS units and various police departments, mutual (Crews - See Page 4)

Facts:

Continued From Page 1

“The Hindenburg was the Concord of its day. It flew here from Frankfurt 10 times successfully in 1936. The first trip of 1937 was part of 17 scheduled trips that year and that is the one when the accident took place. During the winter months, because of worrying about icing conditions, they flew the Hindenburg to Rio (De Genaro),” Jablonski added.

“German residents loved to go to Rio for vacation so they went there,” Jablonski said. He noted the Hindenburg made “about seven or eight trips” to Rio. It took two and a half days to fly here from Frankfurt and a little over two days to go back because of the tail winds.”

Jablonski said, “the Hindenburg was 804 feet in length. It was 812 when it was built, they lopped off eight feet so they could fit in the hangar here and she was 15 stories high and weighed over 52 tons. She flew at a speed

Crews:

Continued From Page 1 aid units from Ocean and Monmouth counties and various state and county agencies responded to the need for help.

“Everyone did an excellent job containing the fire in Manchester Township and the fire that was fast moving through Lakehurst. The fire teams saved Lakehurst as much as they could with no loss of life, homes or businesses,” he added.

Councilman Joseph Hankins who has of approximately 85 miles per hour.”

“It only did an altitude of 1,000 and 1,500 feet because they wanted the passengers to enjoy the view of the ocean and so forth. They had large picture windows in the lounge area that they could look out and see the marine traffic,” he added.

He noted, “the Hindenburg was in vogue of the day because a steam ship took six days to cross the Atlantic. They did it in two and a half. The price was very high back then. It was $740. That was considered a lot of money back then.”

“They had a lounge area which featured a baby grand piano which was made out of aluminum so it did not affect the weight. They also carried a nurse, a doctor and a nanny for the children. The accommodations were a small room of bunk beds, a basin for washing and a cabinet to but your materials and clothing in plus a chair and desk,” Jablonski added.

He added a passenger could, “put your shoes out at night and have them shined for extensive experience in firefighting noted “a lot of people think you fight a forest fire with water but you actually fight a forest fire with fire. That is how it works.”

Hankins who spent the night at the Whiting firehouse that served as the command post for the wildfire, commended the Whiting Fire Company’s Ladies Auxiliary.

“They kept us hydrated and caffeinated for 36 hours straight. I got to the fire early and there was food, coffee and the you in the morning. You had community bathrooms. You didn’t have your own bathroom. The Hindenburg was very good to the area because it provided money for the local businesses.”

Last year, May 6 fell on a dreary, gray rainy Friday that caused, for the second time, the ceremony to be brought indoors inside the hangar. The hangar serves as the location of the NLHS museum, a gift shop and a part of a set from the 1975 film “The Hindenburg” which was directed by Robert Wise and starred George C. Scott and Anne Bancroft. The museum has numerous displays from each branch of the service and filled with models of the Hindenburg and other aircraft along with various historic artifacts.

Jablonski has served as president of the organization for 27 years. “I came aboard here in 1991 as a member and became president in 1995 or 96 and here I am. We are a non-profit. We have roughly 200 plus members throughout the United States and even in Europe.” crockpot had pulled pork in it. They did a great job,” he added.

Hankins, Vaccaro, Councilman Craig Wallis and Police Chief Robert Dolan each acknowledged local businesses such as Dicky’s BBQ that opened up all night and the Whiting Wawa store that provided food and beverages to police and firefighters. “They were very important in this,” Wallis noted.

Councilwoman Michele Zolezi echoed the sentiments about the emergency responders who fought the wildfire. “The

He noted that the ceremony, that serves as a memorial to those lives lost that day is the organization’s most important event. This year’s event marks 86 years. “In the events that we have done previously, all at the actual crash site except for two occasions. The Hindenburg was in this hangar on two occasions.”

“The Navy was very skeptical of having the Hindenburg in the hangar because it had 7 million cubic feet of hydrogen which is very volatile. On two occasions, they bent the rules. One time they left it on the mooring mast and there was a storm that had been predicted would have blown it apart and so they let it be docked in here,” he added.

Jablonski said, “the other time was during a crossing from the Atlantic from Frankfurt (Germany) to here and they suffered a tear in the fabric on one of the wing areas and they had to have it sewed and repaired and they couldn’t do it outdoors so they let them put it in here.” communication was excellent. Our office of emergency management along with our police department did an excellent job. We are grateful that there were no injuries or loss of life. We have a great community that works together.”

Council President Roxy Conniff also commended “our police and fire companies, state fire service, all the surrounding fire companies that came to help us. We had very little structural damage and no loss of life. I believe we have the best police and fire departments in the state.”