Ocean County 4th of July Celebrations

Come out for the Ocean County 4th of July Celebrations this weekend and enjoy the fireworks and other festivities along The Jersey Shore.

 

Saturday

MANCHESTER: 6 p.m. concert; Harry Write Lake, Lake Drive; free children's rides and music by Nicholas King and The Fabulous Grease Band; 732-849-4536.

TUCKERTON: 10 a.m. Parade and fireworks; Tuckerton Seaport, 120 W. Main St.; the parade will begin at the Village Shoppes at 10 a.m. and head down Route 9 to the Tuckerton Seaport, where there will be vendors and music; children's activities begin at 5 p.m.; fireworks at dusk at the Tip Seaman Park; rain date is Sunday, July 3; 609-296-8868.

WARETOWN:9:30 a.m. historical program; Olde Cemetery, 25 Main St.; program includes a vocational prayer by Rev. Terry Martin of St. Stephens Episcopal Church, the Color Guard from the Barnegat American Legion Post 232 and a performance by the Ocean County Emerald Society Pipes and Drums band; resident Allison Jakeman will sing the National Anthem and Stan Anderson will portray a Civil War soldier. Adele Shaw, president of the Waretown Historical Society, will portray Mary Todd Lincoln while Bob Costello will portray Abraham Lincoln and read the Gettysburg Address; 609-693-5407.

Sunday

BARNEGAT LIGHT: 7 p.m. parade and concert; Bay Dock Area, Ninth and 10th Streets; parade will assemble at E. 16th St. at 6:30 p.m. and begin at 7 p.m.; awards ceremony and concert by The Liberty Band will follow; in the event of rain the concert will be held in the Firehouse Social Hall; 609-494-9196.<!--Saxotech Paragraph Count: 10<br>-->

LACEY:7:30 p.m. fireworks; Lacey High School Athletic Field, Haines Street; msuic by Jersey Shore DJ's DJ Mike; bring lawn chair.

LAKEWOOD:8 p.m. music and fireworks; Lake Carasaljo, Route 9; DJ JR Mash at 8:00 pm in the amphitheater on North Lake Drive followed by fireworks at 9:15 ; 732-905-3405, ext 6001.

LAVALLETTE: 8 p.m. fireworks and music; Bay Bouleavard and Arnold Avenue; Patriotic Band by John Luckenbill, musical performance by area resident Amanda Ramirez, and American Idol contestant; fireworks at dusk; rain date is July 10.

Monday

BARNEGAT: 7:30 p.m. celebration and concert; Municipal Dock, East Bat Avenue; Hi-Five band will perform at 7:30 p.m. followed by the fireworks at dusk; 609-698-0080.

BEACH HAVEN:9:15 p.m. fireworks; Bayfront, Taylor Avenue; sponsored by the Red, White and Blue Committee; rain date Tuesday, July 5; 609-492-2800.

BEACHWOOD:7 p.m. fireworks; beachfront, Bayside Avenue; there will be a fundraiser at the beachfront; fireworks at 8:45 p.m.; 732-286-6000, ext: 200.

JACKSON: 10 p.m. fireworks; Six Flags Great Adventure, 1 Six Flags Blvd.; fireworks at the Great Lake Grandstand; 732-928-1821.

LAKEHURST:11 a.m. car show and fireworks; Lakehurst Elementary School, 301 Union Ave.; the Vintage Automobile Museum of New Jersey in partnership with the Lakehurst Historical Society will hold an antique car show along with a town parade at noon, and fireworks will be at dusk over Lake Horicon; 732-797-1456.

LAKEWOOD:7:05 p.m. BlueClaws game and fireworks; FirstEnergy Park, New Hampshire Avenue and Cedar Bridge Road; sponsored by Toyota/Scion World of Lakewood, the fireworks will take place after the game against Hagerstown; 732-901-7000, option 2.

OCEAN GATE:10 a.m. parade; Ocean Gate Avenue; registration for participants begins at 8:30 a.m. in Adrian Hall, where flags for spectators will also be handed out; parade begins on Ocean Gate Avenue ; prizes will be awarded at noon at Wildwood Avenue Beach followed by games and contests; 732-269-3166.<!--Saxotech Paragraph Count: 5<br>-->

PINE BEACH: 9 a.m. parade; Pine Beach Firehouse, 525 Prospect Ave.; sponsored by the mayor and council of Beach Haven; parade will form in front of the firehouse at 8:15 a.m. and begin at 9 a.m. heading through town to end at Vista Park located at Riverside Drive and Midland Avenue; awards and games to follow; 732-349-6425.

POINT PLEASANT BEACH:9:30 p.m. fireworks; Jenkinson's Boardwalk, 300 Ocean Ave.; fireworks to begin at dusk and can be viewed from the boardwalk or Jenkinson's beach.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS: 9 p.m. fireworks; Seaside Heights Boardwalk; sponsored by Coca-Cola; the display can be viewed from anyplace on the boardwalk; 800-732-7467.

SEASIDE PARK: 9:30 a.m. bike parade; Fifth Avenue Pier; the parade begins at the Fifth Avenue Pier and ends at the 14th Avenue Pier; 732-793-3700.

July 6

 

BERKELEY:6 p.m. concert and fireworks; Veteran's Park, Tinton Boulevard; sponsored by Berkeley Township Recreation Department; The Infernos will perform along with a fireworks display after the show; 732-244-7400.

 

The Declaration of Independence: The Will, Wants and Hope of the People

"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

 

 

New Olive Garden in Stafford Twp

Stafford Park's newest addition, Olive Garden, opened its doors to the public, making it the first restaurant to join the variety of successful retailers at the large-scale mixed-use redevelopment in southern Ocean County.

The 7,600-square-foot casual dining eatery was built on a pad site within the retail portion of the complex. The new "green" building features a number of sustainable design elements including recycled building materials and energy-efficient equipment and fixtures. As a result, the building has been awarded certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Italian restaurant is known for its Tuscan farmhouse design offers seating for more than 200 diners, plus a lounge that can seat about 60. This is the restaurant's second location in the southern Ocean County area. There are several locations in New Jersey and more than 700 restaurants in North America. Olive Garden's corporate parent is Darden Restaurants, a Florida company that also owns Red Lobster and four other chains.

"Stafford Park is an ideal location in this market for Olive Garden. It's become an attractive destination for both retailers and local shoppers," said Ed Walters, Jr., founder and partner of Walters Group.

Stafford Park is a LEED-certified redevelopment with the majority of corporate tenants attaining LEED-Silver certification. Currently, the roster of retailers reaping the savings of green building include Best Buy, Costco, Dick's Sporting Goods, PetSmart, Target, AT&T and Ulta. The Vitamin Shoppe reached LEED-Gold certification. In addition, atop the Best Buy, PetSmart and Dick's Sporting Goods there are solar arrays that provide 30 percent of the electrical needs of the stores. The center is situated off exit 63, at the southwest corner of the Garden State Parkway and Route 72 interchange.

(Press Release by Caryl Communications Inc.)

Scrooge, The Musical in Manahawkin

A Christmas Carol turns into Scrooge, The Musical! 

The newly formed Shore Repertory Theatre Company (formerly the Strand Theatre Ensemble), presents their 9th annual production of the holiday musical extravaganza, Scrooge the Musical this year at the 800 seat, state of the art Ocean First Theater at the Stafford Township Arts Center (STAC) in Manahawkin.

Scrooge, previously presented for the last 8 years at The Strand Theater in Lakewood, is now at The Ocean First Theater/STAC in order to provide more family friendly ticket pricing as well as plentiful parking for audience members.

Scrooge is based on A Christmas Carol, the novella by Charles Dickens first published in 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim.

 The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain when it was experiencing a nostalgic interest in its forgotten Christmas traditions, and at the time when new customs such as the Christmas tree and greeting cards were being introduced.

The tale was pirated immediately, was adapted several times to the stage, and has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and somberness. A Christmas Carol remains popular, has never been out of print and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media.

This years Scrooge is directed by New Jersey Association of Community Theaters award winner Jan Topoleski and features viewers favorite Gary Alan Powell reprising his role as Ebenezer Scrooge for his ninth consecutive year.

Scrooge boasts a cast of nearly 50 adults and children. Audience members will be delighted by the same elaborate sets, costumes, and special effects that have made Scrooge an Ocean County tradition for thousands of theatre-goers.

Performances are on December 17 at 7:30pm & December 19, at 1:30 pm & 6:00pm.

The Ocean First Theater/STAC is located at 1000 McKinley Avenue, Manahawkin, NJ. Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 Seniors & Children and $14 for groups of 15 or more and may be purchased online at www.njstac.com or by calling the box office at (609) 489-8600.

If you're interested in buying, selling or investing in real estate in Manahawkin, or anywhere in Ocean County, please go to www.myjerseyshorehomefinder.com

Karl Hess, Your Real Estate Agent on The Jersey Shore

Stafford Twp & LBI Firemen's Turkey Bowl

Firefighters from the Stafford Township Volunteer Fire Company and Long Beach Island fire departments will square off Saturday night in the fourth annual Turkey Bowl football game at Southern Regional High School.

But this year, organizers decided to turn the event into a fundraiser. Stafford Township Assistant Fire Chief Jack Johnson said Capt. Heidi Michael suggested at the end of last year's game that the 2010 event should be a venue for collecting food and funds for local foodbanks.  

What: The fourth annual Firemen's Turkey Bowl

When: Saturday Nov. 20, 7 p.m.

Where: Southern Regional High School varsity football field, Route 9, Stafford Township. Spectators are asked to bring a canned good and $1 for the Stafford Volunteer Fire Company's Scholarship Fund

If you're interested in buying, selling or investing in Real Estate in Stafford Township, Ocean County or along The Jersey Shore, click on TheJerseyShoreHomeFinder.com and get free access to thousands of home listings.   If you'd like to keep up with the very latest real estate market conditions in your neighborhood or anywhere in Ocean County and on The Jersey Shore, click here.  

Looking for something do this weekend in Ocean County or just want to keep up with current events?  The Jersey Shore News will keep you informed with local community information and happenings.

Stafford Township is in Ocean County, New Jersey. The township population was 22,532 and was formed by Royal Charter on March 3, 1750. It was incorporated as one of New Jersey's first 104 townships by on February 21, 1798, and became part of the newly-formed Ocean County on February 15, 1850.

Stafford Township is the gateway to the resort communities on Long Beach Island, with Route 72 providing the sole road access, ending in Ship Bottom as it crosses Manahawkin Bay via the Manahawkin Bay Bridge. The Garden State Parkway and Route 9 pass through the township and provide access to Route 72 which would allow an easy commute of about make at 1.5 hours to Philadelphia and 2 hours to downtown Manhattan.  

Karl Hess - Ocean County, NJ and Jersey Shore Homes and Real Estate - Get free access to all listings with photos in Ocean County including waterfront, beachfront and water-view homes on The Jersey Shore