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The tourists are leaving, and it's time to look at all the great institutions and local impact as summer winds down in what we call "Locals' Summer."If you had any doubt that fall was here, the closure of the remaining seasonal businesses still open into October might be a hard-to-deny sign. You have a final chance to drive into Stewart's Root Beer on Fischer and Route 37 East through this weekend, and then it's a winter of tracking down which boardwalk and summer-thriving businesses hold off-season hours among the many steel shutters. Though Stewart's and Rich's Ice Cream remain open now, many other businesses used last weekend's Columbus Day traffic to prolong their season before closing. Park Seafood on the Seaside Park boardwalk uses …
Summer is drawing to a close and the beaches and boardwalks around the area slowing down, but at the Ocean County Historical Museum in Toms River, summer memories of the beach and boardwalk can last throughout October with the Stroll The Boardwalk exhibit. Through donations, loans and their own archived collection, the Museum has gathered items from and related to the Boardwalks of Ocean County spanning the late 1800’s to the present. “The bathing suit collection is probably the most talked about section of the exhibit,” said Mary Lou Unger from the acquisition team at the Museum. “The women’…
Seafood, wine, live music and pony rides and games for the kids are among the offerings at the Festival of the Sea in Point Pleasant Beach on Saturday. The event, known locally as "the seafood festival" and sponsored by the Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with Sunday scheduled as the rain date. The “Festival of the Sea” is a street fair located in the heart of downtown Point Pleasant Beach, on Arnold and Bay avenues, where visitors sample dishes by 25 of the area’s finest restaurants (from clam chowder to lobster to steak). There will also be: …
You may think it ugly. You may wonder what automotive manufacturers were thinking. But to me, the El Caminos, the Rancheros, the Caballeros of the world are things of beauty. A V-8 under the hood in a Chevelle front end. The back hauling some cargo in its pick-up bed. A perfect mash-up, in my mind. It's party in the front and business in the back, it would seem. The curves, the muscle, and yet, some practicality — but none at all, at the same time. My favorite vehicles. I spot several fine specimens of the so-called "ute" variety of vehicle driving around Toms River. Me, in my jalopy Nissan …
Area beaches remain guarded for weekend hours as a summer tourism season winds down after Labor Day, but the hurricane season is already creating big waves. On weekdays in September, it's swim at your own risk. In Ortley Beach, the mile-long bathing beach was guarded daily from July through Labor Day. Lifeguard stations will be guarded this weekend, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Red flags along the boardwalk in Seaside Heights mean there's no swimming, and are flown when the conditions are rough or the beaches are unguarded, before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m. Beach badge checkers are also not staffing the …
There will be a small cranberry harvest at Double Trouble State Park in October, now that the state Department of Environmental Protection has issued a special use permit to a private company. The owners of Honest Berries approached Area Supervisor Ray Bukowski this summer and asked about the possibility of working the bogs, with an October harvest as the goal. "They signed with me about eight or nine days ago," said Bukowski, who oversees both Double Trouble and Island Beach State Park. "They do blueberries and cranberries in other locations." The acres of bogs at the park off Pinewald-…
Government offices, courts, schools, libraries, post offices and many banks will be closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday. All county facilities other than parks will be closed. All branches of the Ocean County Library are closed. Toms River's recycling pickup is canceled on Monday. If your collection day falls on one of these days or after, your recycling and garbage will be collected one day later. This will follow through for the whole week, until Friday's collections are completed on the next day, Saturday. Garbage collection today is also canceled. Town hall is closed but municipal …
An estimated 10,000 ice cream lovers will converge on downtown Toms River for today's New Jersey Ice Cream Festival. Here's the complete schedule and some tips to help you navigate one of the biggest events in Toms River. Tasting kits may sell out, and the People's Choice tasting lasts until 3 p.m., though the event itself is 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. So don't arrive too late to count yourself among the judges. Admission is free. So is parking, though it may be hard to come by. Try the lots on West Water and Irons Street, near the post office, for a short walk to Washington Street. If you are trying …
The bounty of the fall harvest...the last day to buy it downtown is Oct. 26, which is the final day of the Farmer's Market weekly event. Last week's Farmer's Market was canceled due to weather, and this week's is the final installment before the series ends. The popular events happened every Wednesday, all day, in Huddy Park in downtown Toms River. Participating farmers this year: DeWolf’s Farm, E.R. & Son Organic Farm, Farmer Al's Market, and Krowicki's Farm Market. As the market winds down, spring produce made way for fall mums and late-season produce. But the event also features plenty of …
It’s Columbus Day weekend and everyone’s Italian. That's because, locally, it's again time to celebrate Italian heritage and Columbus Day with the Italian Festival in Seaside Heights all weekend. The large scale celebration of all things Italian will culminate with the tremendous Columbus Day parade in Seaside Heights on Sunday. There's live bands, food, dancing, music, culture, vendors ... Tante cose! (That's Italian for "so many things!") Time to wave the green, white and red. Cindy Vetrulli takes decorating her home for the festivities to the max. (That’s “massimo” in Italian.) The front …
“When do you close for the season?” is the inevitable question customers ask of boardwalk businesses. For Park Seafood in Seaside Park, this year the answer is October, and that gives big fans of the fresh seafood eatery a whole month longer than many other September-shuttered businesses offer. However, the popular counter-service boardwalk stop is expanding this fall. There's a new location coming, with a liquor license and a full menu in a sit-down venue. In addition to its seasonal location across from The Sawmill on Seaside Park boards, Park Seafood owners are bringing a year-round …
It’s no secret how locals feel every summer once the crowds of tourists and vacationers leave our shores and we’re able to move about town with less traffic and lines. The bars and clubs cut back their summer entertainment and daily specials, seasonal businesses scale down their staff and hours of operation, and boardwalk attractions go into hibernation. But for the locals, the months of September and part of October are some of the most enjoyable months. Moderate climate and quieter beaches result in some of the best weeks of summer.In honor of “locals summer”, one of the most popular clubs …
Some of the sights during Labor Day Weekend on the boardwalk and boulevard of Seaside Heights and Seaside Park. It's Friday night and it's not packed as the season draws to an end. No traffic over the bridge from Toms River into the evening. Plenty of room to walk along the boardwalk and plenty of seats on the rides and in the pizzeria. After Irene, some of the signage of the boardwalk arcades and bars is a bit battered, with some neon or lightbulbs out and some marquee signs bent. The fireworks were postponed due to high tide continuing to come up abnormally high on the beach, leaving not …
All our stories to help you plan your Labor Day Weekend in Toms River. Events: Nightlife Toms River area events Around the Jersey Shore Throughout September Traffic: Live updates Beach and boardwalk info: Complete beach guide to all beaches Island Beach State Park Seaside Heights Ortley Beach Seaside Park Local Parking Lifeguard Hours Top boardwalk rides and prices News and Features "Benny Go Home" "Local's Summer" stories Township Pool closes Tuesday
If you are itching to take a dip in the township pool, you won’t be able to scratch it after this weekend. The municipal pool at Snug Harbor will close immediately after Labor Day weekend, said Toms River Recreation Director Eric Schubiger. That’s the case every year, as Labor Day is picked as the official closing day of the pool. “We close that down, Labor Day weekend, that’s it,” he said. “The beaches are still lifeguarded for a couple more weekends and we just sort of watch the situation, watch the weather for staffing needs there for the beach.” The township pool is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m…
The "last" walk on the beach, shore-house barbecue and drive down the Garden State Parkway; these are all hallmarks of a typical Jersey Shore Labor Day Weekend. But there is another time-honored tradition enjoyed by those beach-side vacationers seeking a more cultural outlet: the 39th annual Seaside Park Selected Arts and Crafts Show. Held each year on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend on the lawn of Seaside Park Police Station at Central and Sixth, the event was started in 1972 by a Toms River art teacher, Kathy Larkin. In 1989, Anne Moyes took over its organization and has been doing so …
The season's final Summerfest concert will be held at Windward Beach Park tonight. Rick Larrimore, who puts on a Rod Stewart tribute show, will perform. There will also be an extended fireworks display after dark, since the last fireworks display was canceled due to strong winds. The park was closed earlier this week due to downed trees and power lines resulting from Hurricane Irene, but reopened Wednesday after crews were able to clear away debris and repair the damage caused by the storm. Shuttle buses to Summerfest will run from 5 to 8 p.m., departing from Brick Township High School, …
It’s the time of year where we say goodbye to the barbecues, close the pool, and say hello to the leaves changing colors. But as the summer ends, we can’t be happier to say goodbye to the “bennys”. It is officially our time to enjoy what is ours, the Jersey Shore. To ensure nothing but happiness, local events raid the post-labor day calendar. “The people know that the best time to come is in September and October,” said Barbara Steele, Ocean County Director of Public Affairs and Tourism. The “best time” she refers to is that of the mass variety of events in September and October that …
The Carousel of Music concert series has been rocking, serenading, jazzing and orchestrating all summer long. But this week, it’s the final installment of the popular free concert series. Your last chance to drag a chair to the two main concert spots is this weekend. Check out: Aug 26, 7 p.m., Toms River Municipal Band, Ocean County Library, Toms River. The band has played multiple times in this concert series. The popular local performers return for the final weekend. Aug 27, 7 p.m., Lakewood Jazz Ensemble, Ocean County Library, Toms River. This 20-member band can really swing. Featuring …
They’re leaving. Once Labor Day hits, thousands of locals breathe a collective sigh of relief. They look around and see what some folks colorfully describe as the throngs of tourists going back to whence they came. The tourists have left, and we are left with ourselves, for better or for worse. Route 37 on the weekend is suddenly drivable (for the most part). The only place to find Snooki is on television, where avoiding her is a remote control click away. And, it’s still plenty warm. Everything is still open (and less crowded!) Instead of encountering hordes of potentially rude and oblivious…
