Jersey Shore Views...: October 2008

Lions and Tigers and Bears…

No, it’s not a screening of the Wizard of Oz, but the Barnegat Library Halloween Parade. It’s scheduled this Friday at 10:30am (No school Friday!)

Children are invited to join the Friends of the Barnegat Library and the Youth librarian for Halloween fun.

Come in costume, hear some stories, eat some snacks and march in the Annual Barnegat Library Halloween Parade!

You can contact the Library (at the corner of East Bay and Burr Street) for more information. 609-698-3331.

If you're looking for an evening of Halloween fun, check out the Toms River Volunteer Fire Company #1’s Halloween Parade Friday evening at 7pm. This is said to be the biggest Halloween Parade in New Jersey, and it takes place right here in Ocean County!

Check this Toms River Halloween Parade link for more information and registration. 

Keller Williams

Atlantic Shore

Laura Giannotta

Homes for sale in Waretown, Barnegat, Manahawkin, Eagleswood, Long Beach Island, Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton and northern Atlantic County!

www.JerseyShoreViews.com

It's Ocean County County Day!

The Barnegat Branch of the Ocean County Library will host the County’s 13th Annual Ocean County Day, Monday October 27th. The library is located at the corner of East Bay and Burr Street.

The event, which begins at noon and runs til 4pm, features more than 2 dozen county government agencies. There will be exhibits and loads of educational information. In addition there will be several give-aways, raffles and snacks provided by the Friends of the Barnegat Library and the Ocean County Vo-Tech School.

Flu shots will be available in the Meeting Room (a nominal fee may be requested for those not covered by Medicare), between 1:30pm and 3:30pm.

The event is sponsored by Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders and the Ocean County Library.

It’s a great opportunity to find out what Ocean County has to offer and to meet your neighbors, county employees and elected officials.

See you there!

Keller Williams

Atlantic Shore

Laura Giannotta

Homes for sale in Waretown, Barnegat, Manahawkin, Eagleswood, Long Beach Island, Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton and northern Atlantic County!

www.JerseyShoreViews.com

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP’s ADOPT A TREE PROGRAM

Manahawkin, NJ (Stafford Township) has been a member of the Tree City USA® program for 19 years. The program provides direction, assistance, attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs in thousands of towns and cities that more than 120 million Americans call home.

New Jersey has more than 500 municipalities and only 148 have this designation, sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.

A tree is a gift of life and beauty that will bloom with brilliance each and every year and can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Waretown’s Albert Music Hall has been home to the music of the NJ Pinelands for decades.

Every Saturday night you can hear the sounds of the Pines…tonight (October 25^th) offers one small change…an Adult Halloween Costume Party!

Tonight’s line up includes Parker & Edgerton, Ann Leyland and the Basement Musicians and Cindy Giejda and the Pour Boys. Don’t forget the jam session in the Pickin’ Shed.

The doors open at 6:30pm and the music at 7:30pm. Admission is $5. And soft drinks and snacks are available.

The Albert Music Hall is run by the Pinelands Cultural Society (PCS).

The PCS is dedicated to preserving the cultural history of the NJ Pinelands, including the “traditional” weekly music gatherings in the likeness and spirit of those begun over half a century ago at the Albert brother’s cabin deep in the Pine Barrens of Waretown. 

See you there!

Keller Williams

Atlantic Shore

Laura Giannotta

Homes for sale in Waretown, Barnegat, Manahawkin, Eagleswood, Long Beach Island, Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton and northern Atlantic County!

www.JerseyShoreViews.com

Get ready for Halloween Friday and Saturday night (October 24^th and 25^th) at the Tuckerton Seaport!

Sea captains and pirates, long lost to the Atlantic, will wander the Seaport’s Boardwalk for an evening of scream filled fun! The Haunted Seaport begins at 6 and runs to 9pm. Admission is $5.

If some members of the family are too young for the screams and scares, there’s a fun pumpkin patch!

While you’re there visit the Seaport’s Jersey Shore Folklife Center. The Center researches, documents, supports and presents the diverse communities and traditions of the Jersey Shore and the Pinelands.

The Center provides professional oversight for folk art programs and exhibits at Tuckerton Seaport. Through daily demonstrations, educational programs, classes and exhibits the Jersey Shore Folklife Center celebrates the creative spirit of the Jersey Shore and Pinelands region, its traditional arts; and its occupational and recreational folklife.

Keller Williams

Atlantic Shore

Laura Giannotta

Homes for sale in Waretown, Barnegat, Manahawkin, Eagleswood, Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton and northern Atlantic County!

www.JerseyShoreViews.com

Watch the skies and listen…

Halloween is my favorite time of year! And the reason is not only the numerous showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The primary reason these days is the Jersey Devil, who makes (made) his home in the NJ Pine Barrens!

Never heard of him? Well he’s also known as the Leeds Devil, and is rumored to be the 13^th child born to old Mother Leeds.

The story goes like this…

Mother Leeds had 12 children and after giving life to the dozen, she said if she had another it would be the Devil.

In 1735, her friends gathered round as a storm rolled in and Mother Leeds went into labor for the 13^th time. The child was born normal, but then changed form.

It changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a horses head, bat wings and a forked tail. It growled and screamed, some say it killed the midwife, before flying up the chimney. The Devil then circled the village and headed toward into the pines.

Those who’ve seen the Jersey Devil almost all say the devil has a long neck, wings and hooves. The creature is often said to have the head of a horse and a tail. Its reported height varies from about three feet to more than seven feet. Most say the creature has glowing red eyes, and that it utters a high-pitched, humanlike scream.

In 1740, a minister exorcized the devil for 100 years. There were no more reports of the Jersey Devil until 1890.

But it was in January, 1909 that pandemonium broke out in and around the New Jersey Pinelands. Thousands of people claimed to witness the Jersey Devil during the week of January 16 – 23, 1909. Eyewitness accounts were published in newspapers nationwide. And the reports continue to this day!

So if you’re traveling the back roads of southern Ocean or northern Atlantic counties, do not be surprised if you see a shadowy figure flying above your car, or hear a bone chilling scream…it’s just the Jersey Devil.

Keller Williams

Atlantic Shore

Laura Giannotta

Homes for sale in Waretown, Barnegat, Manahawkin, Eagleswood, Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton and northern Atlantic County!

www.JerseyShoreViews.com

It’s the 25^th Annual Cranberry Festival in the heart of the NJ Pine Barrens, Chatsworth. Chatsworth is located just off Route 72, west of Barnegat!

This is a celebration of all things CRANBERRY. New Jersey ranks third in the nation in cranberry production.

There will be antiques, classic autos, crafts and food of the Pinelands. Music will be provided by the country rock band Jersey Bound. The 2 day event begins Saturday, October 18^th at 9am and runs through 4pm. Same hours on Sunday!

If you arrive early breakfast will be available each day at the Chatsworth Volunteer Fire House from 6am till 11am.

Proceeds from the Festival benefit restoration of the White Horse Inn atthe center of Chatsworth. The ‘White Horse Café’ is set up in front of the Inn during the Festival to sell assorted cranberry jams, jellies, breads, baked goods and of course, cranberry ice cream.

So stop by enjoy the sights and bites of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Don’t forget to visit the information booth for the Chatsworth History Brochure and stop by Buzby’s General Store and say hi to the store’s celebrity resident, Pumpkin the Cat!

See you there!

Keller Williams

Atlantic Shore

Laura Giannotta

Homes for sale in Waretown, Barnegat, Manahawkin, Eagleswood, Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton and northern Atlantic County!

www.JerseyShoreViews.com

Hi, we’re from the government and we’re here to help! A scary statement for New Jersey taxpayers.

While many problems require government assistance I’m not here to debate when and where state or federal action is needed.

Here in New Jersey, a panel of legislators has approved a measure to make mortgage lenders pay $2,000 before taking a homeowner with a sub prime mortgage into foreclosure. 

Is it too little to late, or too much all together? 

The proposal was part of a bill designed to slow a surge in foreclosures hitting the state because borrowers cannot afford their sub prime loans amid the wider economic damage inflicted by a dramatic tightening in credit availability.

The Fund would then be distributed first to non profit groups qualified to counsel people facing foreclosure. Any remaining money would be used to help homeowners facing foreclosure with emergency assistance loans.

Foreclosure filings by New Jersey mortgage lenders rose 22 percent from a year ago to over 44,000 in the January-to-August period, while the number of completed foreclosures rose to 1,862 in the second quarter from 1,117 in the first three months. 

The bill was one of a number of items taken up recently by a group of NJ Legislative committees.  Unfortunately this bill was introduced last spring, yet many questions remain unanswered.

· What are the administrative costs associated with this ambitious plan.

· How long will this program take to be up and running.

· Once a home is converted to affordable housing, will current affordable housing guidelines be enforced.

· Perhaps most important, how will this affect those home buyers now coming into the market…higher mortgage costs?

I don’t have the answers to the difficult questions facing our nation.

Bit I do have some advice for the New Jersey Legislature...

Work on economy in government..lighten our state and local tax load.  You’ll be suprised at the results.

We might be able to afford to pay our mortgages!

Keller Williams Atlantic Shore, Laura Giannotta 609-384-6121

Fall has arrived at the Jersey Shore! The fall/winter clothes are out of storage and the comforters on the beds.

Being close to the Ocean, we enjoy a few extra weeks of warmth here at the Jersey Shore. But temperatures are cooling.

Summer is my favorite season, though the crowds at the Jersey Shore can be trying at times.

What I’ll miss most…

· The first Jersey corn at the farm stand

· The first Jersey tomatoes at the farm stand

· The warm sun that you can feel in your bones

· Cook outs and long days

· Fresh Italian Ice

The fresh vegetables at the farm stand have now been replaced by pumpkins and gourds.

The warm sun is now tempered by a chilly breeze.

The grills’ in the shed, and the plants from the deck have their indoor windows.

It will soon be dark at 5pm and the Italian Ice stand closed a few weeks back.

Summer is over, and I haven’t even had my fill of Jersey corn and tomatoes!  So can anyone tell me...

When do the beach badges go on sale?

Keller Williams

Atlantic Shore

Laura Giannotta

609.384.6121

Homes for sale in Waretown, Barnegat, Manahawkin, Eagleswood, Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton and northern Atlantic County!

www.JerseyShoreViews.com

Thanks Jim Frimmer, San Diego Realtor, for the Invite to the 'Inspired by Nature Group'! 

This is not a political point of view. It is a reminder for all New Jersey residents to register to vote for the upcoming November 4th Election. The deadline is tomorrow October 14th. In addition to the Presidential race, we have one US Senate candidate to elect and all 13 seats in the House up for grabs.

New Jersey also has two ballot questions to decide. One of the State constitutional amendments would require future state borrowing be approved by the voters.

and the other would allow local judges to serve in more than one municipality.

If you think that one vote during these challenging times might not make a difference, remember voting is a privilege and necessary in any democracy.

Many voter registration sites will be open tomorrow evening. You can check for your community here.

"Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."  Sir Winston Churchill.

Or as we used to say in NJ, register, so you can vote early and often!

Keller Williams

Atlantic Shore

Laura Giannotta

609.384.6121

Homes for sale in Waretown, Barnegat, Manahawkin, Eagleswood, Little Egg Harbor, Tuckerton and northern Atlantic County!

www.JerseyShoreViews.com