Time laspse video of Jet Star removal #STTS

Courtesy of Casino Pier via facebook

• Tweet

Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, May 17-19, 2013

SPONSORED BY SEASTREAK

By Greg Kelly

 Friday, May 17

 • Red Bank Art Walk – MORE INFO

• Spring Garden Day Sale (Freehold) – MORE INFO

• Sea Bright Firemen’s Fair – MORE INFO

• Sicilians in the Basement at First Ave Playhouse (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

• Paint the Town Pink 2013 – MORE INFO

• The Cocktail Hour by South Street Players (Spring Lake) – MORE INFO

• Center a la Carte (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• The Sound of Music at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO

• An Evening with Paul Anka at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• Latin-American Film Festival (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Little Silver Sidewalk Sale – MORE INFO

• Natural Horsemanship Demonstration (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• Law Enforcement Career Fair (Lincroft) – MORE INFO

• Hitman Murder Mysteries at The Grange Playhouse (Howell) – MORE INFO

*     *     *

Saturday, May 18

  Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

New Jersey: Stronger Than The Storm #STTS

Have you seen the ad?

New Jersey’s tourism campaign, StrongerThanTheStorm, featuring the Christie family, is airing on network television during prime time.

Here’s the radio ad:

• Tweet

Melissa Maria Festa: A contestant we can all support

Melissa Maria Festa, ‘Mrs. Highlands’ will be competing for the ‘Mrs. New Jersey’ crown this weekend at the annual Mrs New Jersey United States pageant in Mays Landing.

A 2006 Monmouth University graduate, Melissa is one of eight married New Jersey women competing to represent the Garden State in the Mrs. United States pageant this July in Las Vegas.

Melissa Maria Festa teaching Spinning class.

A fitness instructor and model, Melissa, 31, is competing in her first pageant.  After Superstorm Sandy destroyed so much of her hometown, Highlands, she was moved to find a vehicle from which she could contribute to the rebuilding and recovery.  Her platform is Restoring the Shore: Hope for Highlands.

Melissa was WRAT 95.9’s 2011 RAT Rock Girl.  She teaches Spinning at Eastpointe Fitness in Atlantic Highlands and is a Red Carpet Host for Jersey Shore Premiere Events.

Since Sandy hit, Melissa has been hard at work bringing happiness to the lives her Highlands neighbors who have suffered mightily. She promoted Operation Prom to make sure Henry Hudson Regional High School female students will have nice dresses to wear at their prom this weekend. Melissa and her sister Amanda appeared in an Anderson Live segment, Do car dealers rip off women in March.

The Mrs. New Jersey pageant is on Saturday, May 11, 7PM, at the Walter Edge Theater  at Atlantic Cape May Community College.

We’re pulling for Melissa Maria!

• Tweet

Monmouth Poll: 73% are satisfied with Sandy recovery efforts

facebook photo by Amanda Haddox

A Monmouth University Poll released this morning indicates that 73% of New Jersey residents are satisfied,  (31% very satisfied and 42% somewhat satisfied) with the state’s effort to recover from Superstorm Sandy.

78% say they have fully recovered or were not impacted by Sandy.  67% of those from the areas hardest hit by the storm say they have fully recovered.  15% of those in the hardest hit areas say they have barely recovered or have not recovered at all.

• Tweet

Christie: The Jersey Shore Is Open For Business

Governor Christie meeting with business owners at McLoone’s Pier House in Long Branch, April 18, 2013. Photo by Art Gallagher

After meeting with business owners in Long Branch yesterday, Governor Chris Christie told the press that the businesses’ biggest frustration is the amount of phone calls they get asking if they are open.  “They’re happy that at least the phone is ringing,” said Christie, emphasizing that the perception that the Shore is not open has to be impacted.

Christie said that there would be a multi-media ad campaign launch by the Economic Development Authority next month to promote Jersey Shore Tourism.  It has not been determined if Christie will appear in the aid. “I haven’t been asked. If I’m asked and I think it is appropriate I will consider it,” the governor said in response to a reporter who asked if he would appear in the state funded ad during the gubernatorial campaign season.

The governor said that EDA would be announcing a working capital grant program for businesses impacted by Superstorm Sandy in May and that the Department of Community Affairs will be administering a grant program for homeowners who can apply for up to $150,000 in federal money, over and above what they have already received from FEMA and their insurance companies to rebuild their homes.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Rible, Arnone Launch Initiative To Attract Super Bowl Visitors To Monmouth County

By Chris Fotache, Jersey Shore Vacations

Yesterday (April 8th) I attended a press conference at The Breakers in Spring Lake, organized by Assemblyman Dave Rible and Monmouth County Freeholder Director Tom Arnone, which addressed initiatives to bring 2014 Super Bowl travelers to the coastal Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Super Bowl XLVIII will take place on February 2nd, 2014, at the Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, which is within an hour of most of Monmouth County. “Monmouth and Ocean counties are closer to the Meadowlands than people realize,” said Dave Rible. “Our state’s excellent transportation network and first class hotels and dining facilities offer people a chance to take in a part of New Jersey that will play an important role in next February’s most watched event.  Our rebound from last year’s superstorm is well under way. The beach communities don’t close after Labor Day. The partners we have assembled will make sure visitors are aware of the Shore’s year-round attractions and are worth a visit during their stay leading up to the Super Bowl.”

Tom Arnone, who spearheads initiatives to strengthen Monmouth County’s economy and create jobs stressed the importance of tourism to the local economy: “A vibrant tourism industry is an integral part of our economy in Monmouth County and being involved with the Super Bowl will be a tremendous boost for our local businesses. I look forward to working with local merchants to use this historic event to bring more tourism and more business to Monmouth County.”

The event was attended by local politicians (also including Freeholders Serena DiMaso and John Curley, and Asbury Park Economic Development Director Tom Gilmour), business leaders (Evelyn Mars and Adam Puharic from the Southern Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, Bob Hilton from the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chris Fotache from Jersey Shore Vacations) and tourism officials (NJ Tourism Director Grace Hanlon and Monmouth Tourism Director Jeannie De Young). Special guests were two-time Super Bowl winner with the NY Giants, Lee Rouson, and former NY Jets star Joe Klecko.

• Tweet

Christie on Restoring the Shore: We have to do it together

Halloween Inflatable

• Tweet

Freeholders Promoting Jersey Shore Tourism

By Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arone

It is now February and the question on Monmouth County residents’ minds is what is The Board of Chosen Freeholders doing to help restore the shore since undergoing the wrath of Super Storm Sandy. Let me begin by saying that the Board’s primary goal at this time is to get the word out to as many people as humanly possible that the Jersey Shore is thriving and up and running. How is this being accomplished? To mention just a few things, for starters our  Department of Tourism is pulling out all the stops in one enormous effort to ensure that we can expect to see not only the usual visitors that frequent the shore communities in Monmouth County  but engage and encourage new visitors to see what Monmouth County has to offer.

For instance last month a Tourism Representative attended the Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show in Valley Forge PA.  There were over 200 vendors present at the show. Attendance at the show which was held Saturday-Sunday January 26^th and 27th was estimated to be well over 2,000 people. The Monmouth County presence was aimed at letting people know we are still the place you want to be. This past week our Department of Tourism was present for the Atlantic City Boat Show at the Atlantic City Convention Center.  Attendance at this 5-day show was estimated to be over 3,000 people. A concerted effort was made by our stellar tourism team to make sure that everyone present was made fully aware that Jersey Shore is flourishing and Open for Business.

Read the rest of this entry »

• Tweet

Sea Bright Going Long and Strong

• Tweet