Hurricane Sandy

Jersey Shore Summer 2013: Beach Guide

Planning a vacation or just a day trip? Patch has all the information on the Shore's best beaches

More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused unprecedented damage to the Jersey Shore region, the beaches will be open for Memorial Day Weekend and the summer. While certain access points and facilities might be closed as municipalities continue to work on restoration, for the most part, the beaches will be operational. The only beach that remains off limits to the public is Mantoloking. The borough was home to a breach that split Ocean County's northern barrier island in half and was one of the hardest hit communities in New Jersey during the storm. So as you prepare to stick your toes in the sand, are you wondering what will be accessible after Sandy? Need to know how much it will cost to buy badges to your favorite beach? Curious …

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Hurricane Sandy

Christie Helps Reopen Belmar's Boardwalk

Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty: 'We're Back!'

Gov. Chris Christie, local officials and thousands of residents were on hand Wednesday morning to christen Belmar's rebuilt boardwalk. The 1.3 mile-long boardwalk, which spans the length of the borough, was destroyed Oct. 29 during Superstorm Sandy. Mayor Matt Doherty said crews began working to rebuild it in January and remained on schedule so it could be reopened by Memorial Day weekend.

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Maureen Fitzgerald

3:58 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013

Barbara, I'm sorry that your in-laws lost all. A lot of people did, including my nephew and family, and a lot are still living in housing and motels. This has nothing to do with Belmar's accomplishments, or losses. Ride down the streets of Belmar, and you will see houses with the big red X and others still cleaning out. This isn't about the Governor, it's about people who had to go through red-…   more ›

Demolition of Jet Star Roller Coaster Gets Underway

Seaside Heights amusement ride has been an international symbol of Sandy's destruction

JERSEY SHORE -- Crews from Weeks Marine have started dismantling and demolishing the Jet Star roller coaster, which has sat in the ocean off Seaside Heights since Superstorm Sandy struck Oct. 29. The demolition got underway prior to Prince Harry's visit to the borough Tuesday morning, and will continue for about 48 hours straight, said Toby Wolf, spokeswoman for Casino Pier, where the ride was formerly located. Wolf said a piece of the ride will be kept and made into a memorial once the pier fully reopens. Construction on the pier, she said, will continue through the summer and rides will be added as the pier grows. One new ride, called "Superstorm," a thrill ride named for the storm that destroyed the Jet Star, will launch this season. …

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Paula Larson

4:10 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013

The owners didn't make the mess, Mother Nature did. Send her the bill! AND, if it's your city, you should pay to clean it up! That's what you pay city taxes for.   more ›

Easter Egg Hunt, Parade, Rides and More on Point Beach Boardwalk

Events at Martell's and Jenkinson's today and tomorrow

  There will be an Easter egg hunt, an Easter parade, discount ticket sales, rides, games and more on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach this weekend. The free egg hunt will be at Martell's beach on Saturday. Those who wish to participate should arrive by 10:30 a.m. to register in time for the 11 a.m. start. There will also be two local face painters coming from Party Central in Point Beach. (See attached PDF for details.) At 1 p.m. Sunday, there will be an Easter parade on the boardwalk in front of Jenkinson's. Also, the annual two-for-one Jenkinson's ride ticket sales started Friday and continue through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. on the boardwalk and online.

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Christie: 'Belmar Is Leading The Way To Recovery'

Governor on hand for first phase of boardwalk rebuild

Gov. Chris Christie and a host of elected officials stood amid a still recovering Ocean Avenue in Belmar Wednesday to kick off the rebuilding of the borough’s boardwalk 73 days after Hurricane Sandy. Flanked by Mayor Matthew Doherty and U.S. Reps. Chris Smith and Frank Pallone, Christie gave a decidedly upbeat speech to a crowd of more than 200 assembled in front of a massive pile driver as construction on the $6.6 million boardwalk commenced. Calling the Jersey Shore “the heartbeat of our state,’’ Christie said that Belmar was on the vanguard of shore towns rebuilding after the devastating storm. "Belmar is leading the way to recovery,'' Christie said. "Today is one of the great, great first moments of the rebuilding of our state, and, …

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Hurricane Sandy

PHOTOS: Seaside Oceanfront After Hurricane, Nor'Easter

Amusements, dunes, boardwalk sustain damage

More than a week after Hurricane Sandy and days after a Nor'easter, media toured the Seaside Heights and Seaside Park boardwalk as Gov. Chris Christie surveyed the damage. Piles of debris pushed from construction equipment sat in the Seaside Park beachfront parking lot. Dunes had vanished near the lifeguard house. Amusement piers had partially crumbled into the ocean. Elsewhere delicate signs remained apparently unscathed by the high winds and waves that had pelted elsewhere. Here are pictures from Friday Nov. 9 of the oceanfront area.

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Hurricane Sandy

Christie Schedules Press Conference in Seaside Park

1:30 p.m. today

Gov. Chris Christie is scheduled to host a press conference in Seaside Park today at 1:30 p.m. The governor and his cabinet are expected to discuss the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts while at Stockton Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Seaside Park. Christie has made almost daily stops to some of the areas ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, such as Long Beach Island and coastal Monmouth, but this is his first stop at Seaside Park since the storm. Many communities today began allowing limited, hour-long access over the closed Route 37 bridge for full-time residents to grab essential supplies. Bellcrest Plaza on Fischer Boulevard in Toms River has been set up as a registration area for those seeking access. Check back to this article after the press …

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Locals' Summer

Final Days, Changed Hours for Businesses Mark Undeniable End of Season

Though many open year-round, other businesses shutter until warmer weather returns

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 parade day to mark its official final day. Other boardwalk and barrier island mainstays have converted to off-season hours, such as Ryan's Deli, Bum …

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Locals' Summer

Summer Memories at Ocean County Museum

Extend summer memories of the boardwalks and beaches by visiting the Ocean County Historical Museum's latest exhibit: Stroll the Boardwalk covering decades of beach and boardwalk fashion and fun.

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’s bathing suits at the turn of the century were made of heavy wool and were worn into the water along with stockings and shoes,” said Unger “Of course…

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Hector Logan

11:13 am on Tuesday, October 2, 2012

I wonder why all that stuff wouldn't go to the Ocean County library instead? It sounds like a redundancy in taxpayer funding? Most of the county's historical archives are kept in a safe place at the library. That building is over 100 years old and would probably go up in flames if somebody sneezed on it on a hot day. I hear they have a lot of very old historic one-of-kind documents squirreled …   more ›