Beautiful Ride in Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta’s Front Row Seat to the Jersey Shore

BY JILLIAN RISBERG STAFF WRITER

AREA - So, you think you know the Jersey shore? Well, in Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta’s new book the author sheds light on the people, places, folklore, trivia and treasures of the region that encompass miles of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean.

This is Christiano-Mistretta’s sixth book and it’s purely historical.

“It was a wonderful experience hitting the shore areas and taking the photos,” the author says the challenging aspect was reminding herself to stop writing at some point and get up and stretch. Drink some water. Go for a walk outside.

“But I just love what I do.”

This book lays out a significant base of knowledge for each community on the Jersey Shore, including famous men and women who have made contributions there.

Christiano-Mistretta hopes readers gauge that there is much more to the Jersey Shore than one would imagine, each seashore town has its own individuality.

According to the author, anyone who loves the Jersey Shore; or New Jersey in general will love the book — but also history buffs.

“If you’re a music fan or a movie buff,” she says. “So many musicians and actors either came from the Jersey Shore, have lived there, or currently have homes there.”

The author’s journey started when publisher Henry Quinlan (So, You Think You Know the South Coast? So, You Think You Know Cape Cod? So, You Think You Know Nantucket?) from Omni Publishing was looking for a New Jersey writer, reached out to Christiano-Mistretta and decided to sign her.

She has always been connected to the Jersey Shore — as a kid, teen and adult she vacationed there with her family.

“I had a fun grandmother who would go on the rides (roller coasters in her 70s) on the boardwalk,” the author also fondly recalls times with friends and her husband loves the shore off-season as much as she does. “My fatherin-law had a place down the shore when he was still alive, and my brother-in-law lives in Cape May.”

According to Christiano-Mistretta, she can’t choose a favorite spot because she has memories from all over — Cape May, Wildwood, Bay Head, Point Pleasant, Spring Lake, Atlantic City, Margate, Asbury Park, Seaside Heights, Ocean Grove, Ocean City.

“It’s all so magical. The air smells fresh. You actually see kids doing stuff; like skateboarding and surfing instead of being on their phones,” says the author. “And there are places to see live music.”

Christiano-Mistretta immersed herself in research (about 80 percent). She says she knew quite a bit about the Jersey Shore, but there was much she didn’t know, which made writing the book even more rewarding.

The author is inspired by almost everything.

“I’m a positive person and live life to the fullest,” she says. “I get excited by listening to music and motivational speakers, reading, exercise, meditation, cooking, being around pets… I make each moment count.”

During the pandemic Christiano-Mistretta became a certified feline behaviorist and is building a clientele as a cat-sitter, looking forward to cat-sitting her first Sphynx this summer.

The author is making the rounds at book signings and speaking engagements, and she is currently writing several other books.

“I have a few hobbies like art and acting,” says Christiano-Mistretta. “I’m always doing something creative so you never know what will come into fruition.”

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Purchase the book: Omni Publishing (www.omni-pub. com/) service as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 170, for over 25 years. Troop 170 was sponsored by Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church of Lincoln Park. Dad led the scouts of Troop 170 through the trails of over a dozen historical trails, along the eastern seabord, all the way from the State of New York to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

One of the most favorite historical trails of the scouts of Troop 170 was the famous Jockey Hollow Trail through Morristown. Back in the 1960’s the trail was 17 miles long. Today, it has been reduced to a 10 mile hike. In many ways the reduced size of the hike is a good thing. It was even tough for a seasoned hiker to complete the trail in one day.

In the last six months of Dad’s life, back in 2006, an amazing and miraculous thing happened. Somehow word got out that Dad was fighting a serious bout with kidney cancer, which led to pancreatic cancer. We were living in the little village of Saint Thomas, Pennsylvania, during Dad’s last year of his life. All through the last six months of Dad’s life, he received all so many cards and letters from the alumni scouts and scout leaders of dear old Boy Scout Troop 170.

What was one of the most common themes of all those dozens upon dozens of cards and letters that Dad received from his alumni scouts? It was a thankful spirit sent out to Dad for teaching the principles upon which the USA was founded upon. And, secondly, were grateful remembrances of the fond memories of walking the many historical trails from New York to Virginia.

The Boy Scout historical trails were much more than outdoor hikes to Dad. During the scout meetings, for about two weeks before each hike, Dad would have one of his scout leaders or a senior scout give talks about the historical meaning of each hike. It always helped the boys to gain a greater insight into the importance of each historical hike.

I’m all for academic learning, acquired through book reading and classroom lectures. But there was something to be said for actually walking along the very trail that General George Washington’s men journeyed upon, in their heart-felt goal to stand and fight for liber- ty and freedom.

My father loved America. He proudly served in the Seventh Army Air Corps, at Hickam Air Field, during World War II. He helped clean up the aftermath of the Japanese air attack of the Seventh of December of 1941. It was something that Dad could hardly ever talk about. It was that devastating. Hold dear the principles laid down upon our Bill of Rights and our Constitution. Their words are timeless and reflect deep human truth. As I grow older, I have come to appreciate the immense genius of our founding fathers. I am immensely grateful to my beloved father for teaching me to hold a dear reverence for the principles of human liberty and represented democratic government. Richard Mabey Jr. is a freelance writer. He can be reached at richardmabeyjr@hotmail. com.