Monday Night Special Edition · THE COAST STAR BRADLEY BEACH — At D’Ar-cy’s Tavern, owner Tom Mc-Gill said he had been using his downstairs dining room for extra storage while

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BAY HEAD y BRICK y LAVALLETTE y MANTOLOKING y POINT PLEASANT y POINT PLEASANT BEACH

Area gyms reopen for indoor workouts Face covering, social

distancing and cleaning rules apply, along with

25 percent capacity limit

BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT — Area gyms and fitness facilities have once again opened their doors to members af-ter months of being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gov. Phil Murphy last week signed an executive order permit-ting gyms and health clubs to re-open their indoor premises to the public on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

“I can't even tell you how I feel. Any little bit is a chance to get back to normal, especially when you are at the point where you don’t even think you’ll be able to reopen, and we were at that point,” said Janice Lauria, of Anytime Fitness.

Following the announcement, another gym, Therapeutic Fitness, posted on Facebook, “Alrighty! Fi-

nally, this Tuesday, Sept. 1, we get to open [our] studio but we have some restrictions and guidelines that we have to follow.”

Under the state Department of Health’s Executive Directive, gyms and health clubs reopening are required to adhere to numerous health and safety standards includ-ing, among others, limiting occu-pancy of any indoor premises to 25 percent of the maximum capacity; conducting a temperature screen-ing and questionnaire of staff and clients upon entrance to the facili-ty; limiting indoor group activities to no more than one individual per 200 square feet of accessible space or less; requiring workers and cus-tomers to wear face coverings at all times; and demarcating six feet of distance between equipment, or blocking off equipment, to main-tain distancing between individu-als.

“Gyms are among the most chal-lenging of indoor environments … but, given where we are in this fight, we believe we are ready to

take this step forward,” Gov. Mur-phy said in a recent briefing.

“I know this has been a long time coming and I thank the many ... re-sponsible gym owners who have done the right things and worked with us over the past several months.”

In its post on Facebook, Thera-peutic Fitness addressed how they would be adhering to the guide-lines released by the state.

“First, we are limited to the number of people in the studio per class, five is our limit and you will have to use our Punch Pass app to reserve space in a class. You will have to sign in and out of the studio per state requirement,” the post reads.

“We will be spaced six feet apart. You must wear a mask, and we will not share equipment and all equip-ment must be sanitized in-between uses. All sanitizing products will be provided for you. We will be do-ing additional cleaning in-between class and the studio is fogged each

DANIELLA HEMINGHAUS THE OCEAN STAR

Graysen Pagan, of Point Pleasant Borough, mask at the ready, cleans off equipment at Anytime Fitness Tuesday.

SEE GYMS PAGE 3

Cautious relief greets approval of indoor dining

25 percent limit tempers excitement by owners in Point Borough, Bay Head


Gov. Phil Murphy’s an-nouncement that restaurants can officially open for limit-ed indoor dining as of Sept. 4 was met with mixed reac-tions from area owners and managers.

“People have wanted this for a long time and I think the restaurant association and the restaurant owners in the state of New Jersey are not happy with the gover-nor,” Mark Bernard, general manager at Charlie’s of Bay Head, told The Ocean Star.

“We were the last state in the country to open for indoor dining. He wants to keep his constituents safe … but it is a long time coming and hopefully it will help our industry, which has been devastated. Hopefully, this helps a little bit to bring it back.”

On Aug. 31, Gov. Murphy announced indoor dining would be allowed to resume Friday, Sept. 4. The deci-sion came a little over two months after he postponed the reopening of indoor seat-ing at restaurants and bars beginning the Fourth of July weekend following surging COVID-19 cases in Sunbelt states that already opened indoor dining, as well as “knucklehead” behavior seen at the Jersey Shore.

“I'm proud that our restau-rants will be able to return to some level of indoor service for the Labor Day weekend,” Gov. Murphy said during his daily briefing Monday. “We have been working hard for several months now to get to this point.”

Under the state Depart-ment of Health’s Health and Safety Standards, restaurants offering inside service must adhere to various protocols including limiting the num-ber of patrons in indoor areas to 25 percent capaci-ty and limiting seating to a maximum of eight custom-ers per table, unless they are

SEE DINING PAGE 3

Brick synagogue adapts high holiday rites to pandemicTemple Beth Or will livestream

Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur services

BY SCOTT YUNKERTHE OCEAN STAR

Temple Beth Or in Brick Township will observe Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kip-pur differently this year, as temple leadership strikes a balance between time-hon-ored tradition and modern technology to ensure the well-being of its congregants during the coronavirus pan-demic.

Services for the high hol-idays in mid-to-late Septem-

ber will be live-streamed, giving congregants the op-tion to participate from home should they prefer to do so, according to Rabbi Robert Rubin. Those attend-ing in person will receive temperature checks, wear facemasks and observe so-cial distancing at all times.

Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish new year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atone-ment, bookend a time of re-flection and introspection for observant Jews.

“These are concepts really all year long, but I consider the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kip-

COURTESY OF TEMPLE BETH OR

Temple Beth Or congregants will have the opportunity to observe Judaism’s High Holidays from home when Rabbi Robert Rubin [above] livestreams services from within the temple.

SEE TEMPLE PAGE 3

St. Andrew’s rummage sale succeeds despite pandemic

Popular fundraiser adapts to COVID-19 safety requirements

BY MICHAEL NUNES AND BRIGID MCCARTHYTHE COAST STAR

SPRING LAKE — The St. An-drew’s United Methodist Church 2020 Rummage Sale wrapped up on Saturday af-ternoon after raising more than $2,000 for charity and keeping faith with its histo-ry.

The rummage sale, a church tradition dating back more than 30 years, is nor-mally held once in April and again in October. This year, because of the pandem-ic, the sponsoring United Methodist Women decided to hold just one sale, which

started on Wednesday and continued through Saturday.

“I think we have to keep some regularity in our lives; I think people are yearning for that right now,” said Mi-chele Neiberlien, president

of the United Methodist Women.

The scenes inside, how-ever, were a departure from the crowds of past years, shopping for bargains at close quarters. Only 10 vis-

itors at a time were permit-ted inside Wesley Hall and face masks were required there as well on the line outside, where social dis-tancing was also the rule. Hand sanitizer was made available upon entry, though gloves were optional.

Those delighted to have the sale underway included Janet Kane, of Belmar, who has been attending the event since 2005 and said she had thought the event would be canceled “for people be-ing fearful of coming in.” “I really love the rummage sale because it brings us to-gether,” Ms. Kane said. “It’s an opportunity to work with our fellow parishioners and that’s what I think the

SEE SALE PAGE 3

DANIELLA HEMINGHAUS THE COAST STAR

Sara King of Spring Lake Heights examines a vase during the St. Andrews United Methodist Church rummage sale in Spring Lake on Saturday.

WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COMPAGE 2 SPECIAL EDITION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 COVID-19 COVERAGE

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Full Produce Market. Open Daily.

Fall Crops, Mums, Grasses, Herbs.

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Friday: Turnpike Mike. Saturday:

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COVID-19 safety stars in school nurses’ video

Point Pleasant school nurses instruct

students on proper hand washing,

face coverings and health protocols BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT — The Point Pleasant School

District nurses have released a special video of

best practices for a safe and healthy return to

school.The “Healthy Steps to Return to School” video

was posted on the district website and YouTube

channel and addresses such subjects as daily

temperature screenings, proper mask wearing,

hand washing and other procedures being im-

plemented to ensure the safety of all students,

faculty and administrators when school reopens

in another week.“The Point Pleasant Borough nurses are here

today to inform all the parents and guardians of

the basic healthy guidelines for the reopening

of 2020,” Deborah Ewtushek, of Memorial Mid-

dle School, said. “The healthy guidelines were

established by the CDC and the Ocean County

Health Department.”Jill Lebret, of Nellie Bennett Elementary

School, spoke about some of the upcoming

pre-screening procedures that will be in place

for the start of school in September.

“Prior to sending your child to school on their

designated days, parents will be required to

complete a short questionnaire regarding pos-

sible symptoms of and exposure to COVID-19,”

she said. “It is important that parents fulfill this re-

quirement consistently and accurately to reflect

your child’s and household health. If your child

is displaying any of the symptoms of COVID-19,

or if you had any exposure to COVID-19 with-

in your household, you will be required to keep

your child home from school.”

Cynthia Barry, of Point Pleasant Borough

High School, spoke about proper mask wearing

and hand washing procedures for students.

“When you come to school, you’ll see the

nurses, the teachers, and all the students with

their masks on,” she said. “To properly wear

your mask it goes behind the ear … and also you

pinch it at your nose and it must go under your

chin. “A lot of people think that a face shield is ac-

ceptable in lieu of a face mask, but it is not. The

face shield will protect you only if you wear it

in conjunction with the face mask. We will also

use a thermal scan thermometer to check your

temperature. We point it at your forehead, press

the button and you are good to go.

“Parents, we would like you to be the gate-

keepers of your children. Please practice with

your children wearing a mask for short periods

of time. Explain to them why it is so important

to wear a mask. We would like to keep all our

Panthers in good health. “Another practice we want to remind you Pan-

thers is proper hand washing … remember hands

have to be wet, wash the front, wash the back,

wash in between your fingers and stay healthy.”

Ocean Road Elementary School nurse Chris-

tine Russell reminded families of procedures

that will be in place when students are sent to

the nurses office.“When a child is sent to the nurses office, we

will of course take their temperature and screen

them for any of the symptoms of COVID,” she

said.“If your child is displaying a symptom of

COVID, they will be sent home and they will

not be able to return for 10 days or if they have a

clearance from their doctor.“Another important part … is the emergency

cards. The emergency cards have to be complet-

ed in full and contain at least one contact that

can arrive at the school within 20 minutes.”

“We are eager to reconnect with your chil-

dren. We are committed to providing not only

the best medical care, but the safest medical

care,” Ms. Ewtushek added.

MARK R. SULLIVAN THE OCEAN STAR

The layout for the fine art show in Centennial Park was reconfigured to assure plenty of space between artists and the public.

Fresh air and art fill Centennial Park

Event brought residents and artisans

out to view and exhibit creativityBY SCOTT YUNKER AND BRIGID MCCARTHY

THE OCEAN STARBAY HEAD — Scores of visitors seeking fresh

air and fine art flocked to the borough’s down-

town on Sunday during the fourth annual “Art

in the Park … and Beyond” sponsored by the

Bay Head Business Association.

The fine art show featured 50 vendors

spread across Centennial Park behind Bor-

ough Hall on Bridge Avenue and surrounding

streets. Previous shows were held in June and

drew up to 80 vendors packed side-by-side in

the park, according to Zsa Zsa Stackles, the

show’s organizer and owner of the ReFind gal-

lery on Mount Street. She said state-mandated

gathering limitations pushed this year’s show

back on the calendar.“Everybody’s dying to do something. I per-

sonally don’t understand why things have

been canceled. I think that if people are re-

sponsible, respectful, mindful and use com-

mon sense, it’s outside,” Ms. Stackles said.

“I’m not holding it in a gymnasium.”

True to its name, Sunday’s event spread be-

yond the confines of Centennial Park. Tents

and businesses hosting artists within could be

found on Mount Street, Route 35 and Bridge

and Lake avenues. This was apparently a hap-

py accident that aligned with social distancing

recommendations. According to Ms. Stackles,

artists were, and have always been, spread

out “not because of COVID. It’s just a way to

spread the wealth for the businesses, also.”

Face masks were recommended but not

required due to the show’s outdoor location,

Ms. Stackles said, apparently citing Gov. Phil

Murphy’s Executive Order No. 163, which

mandates individuals “wear face coverings in

outdoor public spaces when it is not practi-

cable to socially distance and keep a six-foot

distance from others.”Mask use was prevalent at Sunday’s event,

although numerous attendees were seen en-

tering vendor’s tents or congested areas with-

out masks, despite the governor’s mandate.

Despite these infractions, compliant attend-

ees and vendors reported feeling satisfied and

safe.“I think the way that they spread every-

thing out is great. I think everyone honoring

the mask policy is good, because there aren’t

tons of signs about it and they’re just doing it,”

said Allison Murray, a borough resident who

attends the event each year.Ms. Murray’s husband, Tim Murray, agreed.

Widespread compliance with social distanc-

ing and use of face masks was “indicative of

Bay Head [and] indicative of people’s hunger

to be able to be out and feel safe and feel a fun,

enjoyable event,” he said.Vendors who spoke with Ocean Star report-

ers also reported heavy financial losses over

the past few months as a result of lockdowns

and cancellations related to the pandemic.

Many said “Art in the Park … and Beyond” was

one of their few regularly-scheduled festivals

that had not been canceled.“All of my shows have been canceled except

for here and Viking Village in LBI,” said Linda

Ramsay, a fine artist from Long Beach Island.

“There’s not as much traffic, so my galleries

haven’t been as productive.”“It’s my first show since early March … Just

before everything broke loose,” Howell pho-

tographer Bob Novak said. “...This was all

signed up and planned months in advance.

“It’s my first show since early March … Just before everything broke loose.”

BOB NOVAK, featured artist

“We would like to keep all our

Panthers in good health.”CYNTHIA BARRY, Nurse Point Pleasant

Borough High School

27 teachers in Point Boro ask to work remotelySo far, 16 requests approved, two rejected, nine pending, superintendent tells BOE BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT — More than two

dozen members of the Point Pleas-

ant School District faculty have re-

quested approval to teach remotely

at the beginning of the school year

on Sept. 8, citing concerns about

the coronavirus.During the Aug. 24 meeting of

the Point Pleasant School District

Board of Education, the board ap-

proved the hiring of several teach-

ers, long-term substitutes and other

professionals, with Superintendent

Vincent S. Smith telling members

he expects several more hires will

need to be approved even after

school begins.“In your packet tonight, you have

the resumes of some staff members

that we are hiring for long-term

positions for your review,” he told

the board members.“One thing I want to mention is

we will probably have some addi-

tional hires coming through … and

that is due to some requests that

we are receiving from some of our

employees, so we are working on

those requests and reviewing each

Most Brick parents opt for in-school instruction Superintendent also says 95 percent of district’s teachers will return to classrooms BY SCOTT YUNKERTHE OCEAN STAR

BRICK TOWNSHIP — Seventy-five

percent of parents with children in

the township’s public school sys-

tem want some form of in-person

learning when school begins in

September, Superintendent Thom-

as Farrell said during the Aug. 20

school board meeting.Ninety-five percent of faculty

will also return to their classrooms,

Mr. Farrell said: “Staff wants to be

back, as this pandemic has been

stressful on them as well.”Brick Township students have

been placed in cohorts partici-

pating in a hybrid A/B model an-

nounced last month. The hybrid

model alternates days of in-person

SEE TEACHERS PAGE 4

SEE IN-SCHOOL PAGE 4

SEE ART PAGE 2

Don’t miss a week of local BAY HEAD y BRICK y LAVALLETTE y MANTOLOKING y POINT PLEASANT y POINT PLEASANT BEACH

$1.00

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

COVID-19 safety stars in school nurses’ video

Point Pleasant school nurses instruct

students on proper hand washing,

face coverings and health protocols BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT —

temperature. We point it at your forehead, press


The layout for the fine art show in Centennial Park was reconfigured to assure plenty of space between artists and the public.

Fresh air and art fill Centennial Park

Event brought residents and artisans

out to view and exhibit creativityBY SCOTT YUNKER AND BRIGID MCCARTHY

THE OCEAN STARBAY HEAD — Scores of visitors seeking fresh

air and fine art flocked to the borough’s down-

town on Sunday during the fourth annual “Art

in the Park … and Beyond” sponsored by the

Bay Head Business Association.

The fine art show featured 50 vendors

spread across Centennial Park behind Bor-

ough Hall on Bridge Avenue and surrounding

streets. Previous shows were held in June and

drew up to 80 vendors packed side-by-side in

the park, according to Zsa Zsa Stackles, the

show’s organizer and owner of the ReFind gal-

lery on Mount Street. She said state-mandated

gathering limitations pushed this year’s show

back on the calendar.“Everybody’s dying to do something. I per-

sonally don’t understand why things have

been canceled. I think that if people are re-

sponsible, respectful, mindful and use com-

mon sense, it’s outside,” Ms. Stackles said.

“I’m not holding it in a gymnasium.”

True to its name, Sunday’s event spread be-

yond the confines of Centennial Park. Tents

and businesses hosting artists within could be

found on Mount Street, Route 35 and Bridge

and Lake avenues. This was apparently a hap-

py accident that aligned with social distancing

recommendations. According to Ms. Stackles,

artists were, and have always been, spread

out “not because of COVID. It’s just a way to

spread the wealth for the businesses, also.”

Face masks were recommended but not

required due to the show’s outdoor location,

Ms. Stackles said, apparently citing Gov. Phil

Murphy’s Executive Order No. 163, which

mandates individuals “wear face coverings in

outdoor public spaces when it is not practi-

cable to socially distance and keep a six-foot

distance from others.”Mask use was prevalent at Sunday’s event,

although numerous attendees were seen en-

tering vendor’s tents or congested areas with-

out masks, despite the governor’s mandate.

Despite these infractions, compliant attend-

ees and vendors reported feeling satisfied and

safe.“I think the way that they spread every-

thing out is great. I think everyone honoring

the mask policy is good, because there aren’t

tons of signs about it and they’re just doing it,”

said Allison Murray, a borough resident who

attends the event each year.Ms. Murray’s husband, Tim Murray, agreed.

Widespread compliance with social distanc-

ing and use of face masks was “indicative of

Bay Head [and] indicative of people’s hunger

to be able to be out and feel safe and feel a fun,

enjoyable event,” he said.Vendors who spoke with Ocean Star report-

ers also reported heavy financial losses over

the past few months as a result of lockdowns

and cancellations related to the pandemic.

Many said “Art in the Park … and Beyond” was

one of their few regularly-scheduled festivals

that had not been canceled.“All of my shows have been canceled except

for here and Viking Village in LBI,” said Linda

Ramsay, a fine artist from Long Beach Island.

“There’s not as much traffic, so my galleries

haven’t been as productive.”“It’s my first show since early March … Just

before everything broke loose,” Howell pho-

tographer Bob Novak said. “...This was all

signed up and planned months in advance.

“It’s my first show since early March … Just before everything broke loose.”

BOB NOVAK, featured artist

“We would like to keep all our

Panthers in good health.”CYNTHIA BARRY,

27 teachers in Point Boro ask to work remotelySo far, 16 requests approved, two rejected, nine pending,superintendent tells BOE BY KAYLA MARSHTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT — More than two

dozen members of the Point Pleas-

ant School District faculty have re-

quested approval to teach remotely

at the beginning of the school year

on Sept. 8, citing concerns about

the coronavirus.During the Aug. 24 meeting of

the Point Pleasant School District

Board of Education, the board ap-

proved the hiring of several teach-

ers, long-term substitutes and other

professionals, with Superintendent

Vincent S. Smith telling members

he expects several more hires will

need to be approved even after

school begins.“In your packet tonight, you have

the resumes of some staff members

that we are hiring for long-term

positions for your review,” he told

the board members.“One thing I want to mention is

we will probably have some addi-

tional hires coming through … and

that is due to some requests that

we are receiving from some of our

employees, so we are working on

those requests and reviewing each

Most Brick parents opt for in-school instructionSuperintendent also says 95 percent of district’s teachers will return to classrooms SCOTT YUNKEROCEAN STAR

BRICK TOWNSHIP — percent of parents with children in

SEE TEACHERS PAGE 4

SEE ART PAGE 2

Your Equity Loan Place

Manasquan Bank. Your Local Lender! No

Application fees. Discounted interest rate

for automatic payment transfer; Choice of

plans. Visit manasquanbank.com for current

rates & loan details. Apply on-line or call

732-223-4450. Equal Housing Lender.

Member FDIC.

HardwoodSanding, refi nishing, installation and

repairs. 732-223-6372, 732-272-2552.

Subscribe Today!

Call us today to get weekly delivery of the

latest local news directly to your mailbox.

732-223-0076.

Seal Coating

Beautify your driveway. H&H Seal Coating.

Free Estimates. Call/Text Todd 908-783-

3007.

Matt’s Farm Market

Jumbo Seedless Watermelon 39¢/lb., Whole

$3.99/ea. Local Sweet Corn, Beefsteak

Tomatoes, Peaches, Plums, Apples,

Grapes, Pears, Berries, Cantaloupes,

Orange Honeydews, Heirloom Tomatoes.

Full Produce Market. Open Daily.

Fall Crops, Mums, Grasses, Herbs.

1740 Hwy. 71, West Belmar. 732-449-5600Leggett’sFriday: Turnpike Mike. Saturday:

Vinyl Trio. Sunday: Mike Dalton.

www.leggetts.us

I’m Looking to Buy a House!

See ad in the Classifi ed Section or call

732-829-2020.

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Visitors to Manasquan’s Summer Festival on Saturday were greeted with signs alerting them to the COVID-19 safety measures.


Demonstrators in Bradley Beach criticized U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy at a “Save the Post Office Saturday” rally.

AVON y BELMAR y BRADLEY BEACH y BRIELLE y LAKE COMO y MANASQUAN y SEA GIRT y SPRING LAKE y SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS y WALL

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Start of Wall schools delayed until Sept. 16Staffing issues cited; Central Elementary opening uncertain

BY SANNE YOUNGTHE COAST STARWALL TOWNSHIP — The start

of schools for students in Wall

public schools will be delayed

until Wednesday, Sept. 16.The board of education at

its Tuesday meeting approved

a recommendation by Superin-

tendent of Schools Tracy Han-

derhan to push back the date

from the previously planned

opening date of Sept. 8. Teach-

ers are now to report on Mon-

day, Sept. 14. While normally the school

calendar is set well in advance,

“given the changing landscape,

we were forced to make these

changes at this time,” Ms. Han-

derhan said. The reason for

the delay is to deal with “staff

and student accommodations,

changing in staffing assign-

ments, staffing of the K-5 vir-

tual school, personnel leave

requests and operational logis-

tics,” she said. To make up for the six missed

days in September, the three

days that had been reserved

as snow/emergency days now

will become school days and

Feb. 11 and 12, when students

were to be off for Presidents

Day, also now are designated as

school days. The Friday before

Memorial Day will be an early

dismissal school day, Ms. Han-

derhan said.

At the Aug. 18 school board

meeting, Gail Maher, president

of the Wall Township Educa-

tion Association, had requested

that the district delay opening

of schools or start virtual-only.CENTRAL ELEMENTARY FLOODING

Ms. Handerhan also gave

an update on the impact of

flooding at Central Elementa-

ry School from a burst water

pipe that damaged hallways and

classrooms about two weeks

ago.In the event Central Ele-

mentary is not ready to open

on time, Ms. Handerhan said,

“I intend to petition the New

Jersey Department of Educa-

tion for permission to begin the

school year virtually for Central

School students and teachers. It

is my sincere hope that Central

School will reopen as sched-

uled. However, I wish to stress

that it is of paramount impor-

tance to the board of education,

for me and members of the staff

that all measures will be taken

to ensure that this building is

safe for students and staff to re-

turn.”Demolition of damaged ma-

terials should be finished by

Friday, and she expects to have

a report regarding the full scope

of repairs and a timeline for

completion from the foreman in

Peddler’s Village concept video stirs comment

in Wall, but little else Plan for lifestyle center to

be downsized, owner says, as town awaits proposalBY SANNE YOUNGTHE COAST STAR

WALL TOWNSHIP — The owner

of the former Peddler’s Village

property on Atlantic Avenue off

the Manasquan Circle has creat-

ed a Facebook page with a pro-

motional video for “The Shore,”

a mixed-use lifestyle center he

proposes for the site.The video has generated

numerous comments, some

positive and some negative,

including some from a group,

Residents Against Peddler’s

Village Rezoning, that opposed

a previous version of the pro-

posal tabled by the Township

Committee last year. The resi-

dents group members said they

planned to contact elected of-

ficials to protest the proposal

again.The Facebook page and video,

posted on Aug. 21, also caught

township officials by surprise;

they say it was premature, be-

cause they have not received a

new version of the proposal.

“We haven’t seen a revised

proposal,” Mayor Carl Braun

said on Monday.

Bradley Beach joins nationwide protests

during ‘Save the Post Office Saturday’

Residents cheer for neighborhood mail carriers

BY SCOTT YUNKERTHE COAST STAR

BRADLEY BEACH — Dozens of borough residents joined

hundreds of protests nationwide demanding the res-

ignation of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy this past

weekend, during a local “Save the Post Office Satur-

day” demonstration held outside the Bradley Beach

Post Office on Main Street.Demonstrators raised concerns regarding mail slow-

downs and other controversial changes to the United

States Postal Service [USPS] implemented by Mr. De-

Joy months prior to a presidential election that will see

an increase in mail-in voting due to the novel corona-

virus pandemic.“We’re really concerned about keeping the local post

office functioning, and of course, we’re concerned about

the vote. Even though DeJoy has said they’re going to

prioritize the vote, then what happens to everything

else, like the medication and the social security checks

Squan enjoys community, six

feet apart at Summer Festival

Downsized Chamber of Commerce event still draws hundreds downtown

BY SCOTT YUNKER ANDBRIGID MCCARTHYTHE COAST STAR

MANASQUAN — The borough Chamber of Commerce’s

Summer Festival brought hundreds downtown through-

out Saturday with live music, cold drinks and rows of

vendors set up in Manasquan Plaza.

This year’s festival was downsized to an estimated 30

vendors to accommodate social distancing and gathering

limitations due to the novel coronavirus, according to

event organizer and Chamber board member Pam Pat-

tullo, who said Summer Festival has averaged between

40 and 50 vendors per year in the past.

Other precautions taken by the chamber this year in-

cluded hand sanitizing stations set throughout the Sum-

merfest grounds and numerous signs reminding attend-

ees to wear facemasks at all times.

“Attendance is good today. We get people, we don’t

get huge crowds,” Ms. Patullo said. “Of course, a lot of SEE FESTIVAL PAGE 2

SEE POST OFFICE PAGE 3

SEE VIDEO PAGE 4

“We haven’t seen a revised proposal … Something will get

built at Peddler’s Village, someday. I probably

won’t be here [in office] to participate in that decision.”MAYOR CARL BRAUN, Wall Township

SEE WALL TOWNSHIP PAGE 4

Safety measures to greet Spring Lake Heights students this week

After a spring and summer of uncertainty, school year finally here

BY PATRICK REILLYTHE COAST STAR

SPRING LAKE HEIGHTS — This week, Spring Lake Heights Elementary School students will return to school for what is likely the strangest first day of school they’ve ever experienced.

Instead of meeting up and hanging out with their friends in the gym or outside the building before school, they will arrive at school, masks on, and directly enter through one of three differ-ent entrances. Then they will pass through a tempera-ture test machine before walking to their homerooms.

In their classrooms, they will be happily greeted like always by their new teach-ers, who now will also be wearing masks, before tak-ing a seat behind a clear plastic barrier at a desk six feet away from their nearest classmate.

This is the first time stu-dents and staff will return to the SLHES school build-ing since schools were shut down for the first time as a result of the pandemic in March.

Back then, the school’s staff and students [and their parents] quickly adapted to a virtual learning environment from home for the final four month of the school year be-fore ending the school year with an air of uncertainty at what the following fall would bring.

Over the summer, the school’s board of education and administration were left to come up with a plan on how they could best safely and effectively educate the district’s students during the coronavirus outbreak all while changes and updates to state guidelines changed by the week. Governor Phil Murphy decided by execu-

tive order that each of the state’s school districts could self-determine how it would reopen: in-person, remotely or a hybrid.

Ultimately, the school de-cided to completely reopen full time, five days a week for in-person learning after polling parents, with nearly 80 percent voting in favor of returning. When students return to school next week, 77 percent of the school’s students will attend class inside the building while 23 percent attend school vir-tually for at least the first marking period.

“The hardest part of the reopening planning has been navigating the constant changes that come down from the State level,” Heights Superintendent John Spal-thoff told The Coast Star on Tuesday. “It has also been difficult to accept that not all community members will agree with your plans and processes but we hope that they understand the deci-sion making process.

“We've made decisions that we feel are in the best interest of the majority of our community and hope that in the process we hav-en't fractured relationships with those opposed to our plans.”

Students that will attend in-person will have a litany of new rules to follow when they return next Thursday. Since most classrooms do not provide enough space for social distancing, most students will wear masks at their desks. However, there are several large areas or classrooms where wearing a mask may not be necessary, such as the gymnasium.

Students will enter the school through one of three doors, determined by the lo-cation of their homerooms. Instead of gathering in the gym in the morning, stu-dents will go directly to their homeroom. All students and staff entering the building will have their temperatures checked by a SafeCheck

walk-through body scanner, akin to a metal detector, and any individual with a tem-perature over 100.4 will be sent home.

Signs reminding students to socially distance them-selves and to wash their hands have been posted throughout the school’s hallways, classrooms and bathrooms. The board of ed-ucation agreed to hire three part-time staff members to monitor the hallways and gymnasium during lunch-time for proper social dis-tancing among students.

Despite the changes, Mr. Spalthoff said he is most looking forward to the sense of normalcy that having stu-dents and teachers in the building will be after seven months, as well as maintain-ing a feeling of community with those students who will attend classes remotely.

“I'm most looking forward to having the students and staff in the building each and every day. Students social-izing safely, staff interacting in-person with their stu-dents and moving forward in a positive direction,” he said.

“I'm also looking forward to working to make sure the students who are on remote instruction have a positive experience and still feel part of the SLH community that we are so well known for.”

Spring Lake Heights Mayor Chris Campion also reminded residents to be mindful of students walk-ing and biking to and from school while driving, he said in his weekly public address to residents on Facebook.

Patrick Reilly can be reached at [email protected] or 732-899-7606 Ext 110.

MARK R. SULLIVAN THE COAST STAR

Some Spring Lake Heights Elementary School students helped Superintendent John Spalthoff create a video explaining new procedures to students on Tuesday.


Spring Lake Heights Elementary School students and staff will pass through electronic temperature scanning stations upon entering the school when they return on Sept. 8

Number of coronavirus cases per

townMONMOUTH COUNTY

[SUNDAY, SEP. 5] 11,192

• Aberdeen: 263• Allenhurst: 13• Allentown: 16• Asbury Park: 349• Atlantic Highlands: 44• Avon-by-the-Sea: 21• Belmar: 59• Bradley Beach: 73• Brielle: 82• Colts Neck: 116• Deal: 54• Eatontown: 357• Englishtown: 49• Fair Haven: 49• Farmingdale: 17• Freehold Borough: 460• Freehold Township: 813• Hazlet: 380• Highlands: 48• Holmdel: 356• Howell: 858• Interlaken: 5• Keansburg: 240• Keyport: 114• Lake Como: 18• Little Silver: 55• Loch Arbour: 2• Long Branch: 704• Manalapan: 614• Manasquan: 79• Marlboro: 579• Matawan: 230• Middletown: 973• Millstone: 117• Monmouth Beach: 32• Neptune City: 80• Neptune Township: 702• Ocean: 458• Oceanport: 81• Red Bank: 333• Roosevelt: 10• Rumson: 86• Sea Bright: 12• Sea Girt: 39• Shrewsbury Borough: 73• Shrewsbury Township: 12• Spring Lake: 39• Spring Lake Heights: 56• Tinton Falls: 244• Union Beach: 43• Upper Freehold: 75• Wall: 517• West Long Branch: 93• Unknown: 0

OCEAN COUNTY[SUNDAY, SEP. 6] - 11,420

• Barnegat Light Borough: 7• Barnegat Township: 313• Bay Head Borough: 9• Beach Haven Borough: 16• Beachwood Borough: 166• Berkeley Township: 839• Brick Township: 1423• Eagleswood Township: 25• Harvey Cedars: 2• Island Heights Borough: 20• Jackson Township:1003• Lacey Township: 366• Lakehurst Borough: 41• Lakewood Twp: 2964• Lavallette Borough: 14• Little Egg Harbor Twp: 225• Long Beach Township: 36• Manchester Township: 905• Mantoloking Borough: 1• Ocean Gate Borough: 24• Ocean Township: 66• Pine Beach Borough: 24• Plumsted Township: 65• Point Pleasant Beach Borough: 38• Point Pleasant Borough: 298• S e a s i d e H e i g h t s Borough: 39• Seaside Park Borough: 14• Ship Bottom Borough: 16• South Toms River Borough: 89• Stafford Township: 358• Surf City Borough: 13• Toms River Twp: 1970• Tuckerton Borough: 23• Address Not Reported: 8

mailto:[email protected]










http://www.starnewsgroup.com


WWW.STARNEWSGROUP.COM MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2020 SPECIAL EDITION PAGE 3COVID-19 COVERAGE

church is all about: working together. It means a lot to me and it does raise money for our mission.”

Not surprisingly, the event raised less than previous years, but Ms. Neiberlien said organizers were pleased with the estimated $2,500 taken in.

“We haven't done as well as we would have liked to — I think COVID has a lot to do with it — and we never hold this in the sum-mer," said Ms. Neiberlien, a resident of Manasquan. "We raised a couple of thousand

dollars for the church and we could do a lot of good work with that.”

Peggy Fulton, Ms. Neiber-lien’s mother, worked with her through the four-day event.

“We’re just happy for ev-eryone who came,” said Ms. Fulton, who lives in Spring Lake Heights. “We real-ly appreciate anything. It’s going to benefit us … and then we’ll go on and benefit someone else.”

Funds raised from the rummage sale go toward the church's charitable missions. Unsold goods will go to oth-er charities.

“They all go to people that are in need or that we can help,” Ms. Fulton said.

The rummage sale items, which include clothes, shoes, kitchen equipment, toys and books, are donated every year by the congrega-tion of St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, which is located on Fourth Avenue.

The organizers still hope to hold their annual Christ-mas bazaar, another of their most traditions, Ms. Neiberlien said, adding that it draws people from as far away as New York City.

evening to assure your safe-ty and health.

“We are excited to have you return to the studio and we will be expanding our class schedule as need-ed.”

Ms. Lauria said she is also working to ensure her members abide by all the guidelines.

“Everybody has to come with a mask and I have masks here if needed. I have the thermometer for temperature checks, I have a COVID questionnaire, the front door will be manned and it will be locked so it is members only, this way we can have a record of every-body that comes through the door, and of course, I

have signs everywhere and things like that,” she said.

Ms. Lauria said the an-nouncement that gyms could reopen for indoor workouts was met with a mixed reaction from mem-bers.

“A lot of my regulars have already contacted me with excitement to come back and some have said they are going to wait a couple of weeks and see what hap-pens, so there is definitely a lot of mixed feelings,” she said.

“I will be continuing my outdoor workouts as well. I figure if the nonmembers’ gyms haven’t opened up or aren’t opening up as soon as I am, at least they have a place to come. I don’t think I’ll ever reach capacity here though.

“I actually lowered my maximum lower than what

capacity was to be sure. I don’t ever think there’ll be a line outside, but if some-body is uncomfortable they can work out outside and can start there and then come in when they’re ready.”

Ms. Lauria thanked her members and other com-munity members for their support throughout the pandemic.

“I want to thank all my supporters throughout all of this. People have been great. They’ve messaged, they’ve stopped by, people have sent cards and mon-ey, and it is amazing the amount of supporters that I have in this town,” she said.

Kayla Marsh can be reached at [email protected] or 732-899-7606 Ext 116.

GYMSFROM PAGE 1

DANIELLA HEMINGHAUS THE OCEAN STAR

Trish Kaelblein, of Point Pleasant, and [in back] Kelsey Florzcak, of Manchester, worked out at Anytime Fitness as it reopened for indoor use Sept. 1.

Gyms get the OK to reopen

High holidays to be live-streamed

Church rummage sale goes on

Restaurants begin indoor service with hopes for further easing

from a family from the same household.

In addition to restaurants arranging seating to achieve a minimum distance of six feet between parties, pa-trons will be required to wear face coverings while inside the indoor premises of the establishment, except when eating or drinking at their table.

“We’re all trying to do our best to get back to normal,” said Frank Gullace Jr., of The Shore House Bar and Grill in Point Pleasant. “I really feel very happy for the establish-ments that weren’t able to do outdoor seating that they are able to get back inside and start making a living again, because it has been a long [couple] months and this is going to stimulate a lot of business back in New Jersey and hopefully get the restaurant industry back on its feet and prosper into the future.”

“We renovated the inside completely when we got shut down, so we have been sitting here for a few months with a newly renovated place that we couldn’t use, so we’re excited to show off what we did,” Mr. Gullace added.

“We are following all the guidelines that were put

forth, so we have tables all six feet apart inside,” he said. “We’re going to be doing in-door reservations at night time from 6 o’clock on. The way we are doing it is we will be giving hour-and-a-half time blocks for seating with a 15 minute buffer in be-tween the two reservations so we can sanitize and clean the area and prepare for the next person. That way, we can control the amount of people and make sure we are sticking to the 25 percent or under limitations we have right now.”

Jim Scarponi, of Half Moon Point in Point Pleas-ant, was also excited to wel-come guests back inside the establishment once again.

“We’re pretty much ready to go and have our COVID policies in place and the spacing between tables and whatnot,” he said. “Being at 25 percent occupancy, we are just going to be keep-ing tables in place and just kind of putting separators between the tables to mark which ones we’re not seat-ing at and such. We have a lot of sanitizing stations in the restaurant and a lot of signage reminding about the social distancing.

“Overall, I think it is defi-nitely long overdue. We have been in a position to open at a limited occupancy for a lit-tle while now, not necessar-ily back to normal business,

but opening at some level inside. I think the guests are ready and I know some peo-ple are going to have appre-hension, but I think overall it is going to be well received.”

Charlie’s of Bay Head has made alterations to ensure the health and well-being of all patrons and employees.

“We are going to be open-ing part of the first floor din-ing room and the bar area. All of the bar area will be socially distanced at six feet and we’re actually taking out our lounge and putting in a couple of tables in the bar area because the lounge is not socially distanced cor-rectly, so we’re removing that,” Mr. Bernard said.

“Everything is going to be by reservation, including the bar, so we’re going to have time limits on how long peo-ple can spend at the bar and tables. At the bar, we’re also requiring that you purchase food, whether it be dinner or an appetizer.

“We had also put in a UV system in May into the inte-rior so the entire restaurant is UV protected. Obviously, at Charlie’s, we are going to do everything as we have always done to keep all of our clients safe. We will be giving the people the choice if they would like to eat in-doors or outdoors because a number of people still do not feel safe coming in.”

While pleased with the news, Harry Typaldos, own-er of The Grenville Hotel and Restaurant in Bay Head, said he thinks more can still be done to support an indus-try that has been devastated amid the coronavirus pan-demic.

“Obviously, our seating in-side is much larger than our seating outside, but because we haven’t been able to use it all summer long, we have literally used our dining room almost like a stockpile warehouse because we had to retrofit everything to try to make the system smooth-er outside,” he said.

“People are going to be inside and outside, and we have always had that before, and I think in all likelihood most people are still going to want to sit outside be-cause it is nice this time of year. There is so much that has to be done, that has to be prepped ... and we’re happy about it but ... I don’t fore-see restaurants being able to

survive the fall into the win-ter at 25 percent inside.

“I am ecstatic that we are finally starting to open up. I just wish it was more and I wish that … they would look at the economic impact of everything across the board for a lot of businesses. It is devastating for a lot of them.”

While all of the restaura-teurs spoke of the success they have had with outdoor dining, all said the ability to welcome customers back into their restaurants was a long time coming.

“I would like to mention how amazing the outside setup has been. We’ve had a tremendous response,” Mr. Gullace said. “We have put in a lot of time and effort into making outside as nice as it could be and we had a great response from that, but we are very excited to go back inside.

“We have been preparing for this for a while. We al-ready thought we were go-

ing to be back inside in July, so we’re ready to go, we’re excited, and we can’t wait to see everybody back inside again.”

Mr. Scarponi hoped the capacity limit continues to increase in the future.

“I think a lot of the restau-rants have already been fol-lowing everything, so now it is just a matter of allowing us to have a few people in-side,” he said.

“I feel like a lot of people have been eating out this summer and we’re fortunate this summer has been as good as it has been, so this is definitely going to be nice and hopefully they move forward ramping it up from 25 to 50 [percent capacity] as it gets colder so we’re not losing the ability to serve. It is important things continue to move forward and move quickly.”


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pur to be the booster shot,” Mr. Rubin quipped. “Be-cause ultimately, we should be thinking of repentance and improving our behavior all the time.”

Mr. Rubin and the syna-gogue on Van Zile Road are affiliated with Conservative Judaism, a centrist move-ment in contemporary Juda-ism.

“We try to blend tradition and change, in some ways,” Mr. Rubin said. “Some things we want to change, some things we don’t … Every gen-eration has to work through that.”

Right now, changes mean a parking-lot shofar service during Rosh Hashanah and abbreviated services for both holidays.

“We didn’t want to do ser-vices outside, in general. It’s too weather-dependent. But we did pick one service, the Sunday after Rosh Hasha-nah, to be in our parking lot,” Mr. Rubin said. During that service, self-isolating con-gregants can tune their car radios, drive-in movie style, to hear the rabbi blow the shofar, or traditional ram’s horn, over an FM radio sig-nal without entering the syn-agogue.

“[This way] people can hear it live, rather than through a computer. It’s bet-ter if you hear it live,” Mr. Rubin said.

The holidays’ services will be shortened while retaining the essential liturgy, to avoid the discomfort associated with longterm mask use or screen time.

“We’re trying to weave to-gether the traditions of what

we want to do and the reality we’re up against, virus-wise, and come up with some sort of synthesis that works for our community,” Mr. Rubin said.

To learn more about the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at Temple Beth Or, call the synagogue in advance at 732-458-4700.

Scott Yunker can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 23.

TEMPLEFROM PAGE 1

SALEFROM PAGE 1

“We’re trying to weave together the traditions of what we want to do and the reality we’re

up against, virus-wise.” ROBERT RUBIN,

Rabbi of Temple Beth Or



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Indoor dining welcomed in Bradley Beach and BelmarRestaurants scramble to take advantage of green light from Gov. Murphy

BY MICHAEL NUNESTHE COAST STAR

BRADLEY BEACH — At D’Ar-cy’s Tavern, owner Tom Mc-Gill said he had been using his downstairs dining room for extra storage while table service was limited to a tent in the parking lot.

So when Gov. Murphy an-nounced that indoor dining could resume as of last Fri-day, Mr. McGill said he re-alized he would need more time to clean house and take full advantage of the green light.

“It kind of came up on us fast,” he said of the an-nouncement.

“The infrastructure of the building is not up to par; we have used the main bar as a storage area for the longest time.”

While the upstairs din-ing room was ready to go, and has enough ventilation to allay state concerns, Mr. McGill said his restaurant would offer indoor seating by reservation only for now. Outdoor dining will remain available, however, just as it has since June 15.

“Outside has been great for us and we appreciate the governor letting us do that back in the beginning of the summer,” Mr. JcGill said. “So that is what we are going to do now.”

The announcement from Gov. Murphy came a week ago, on Twitter: Restaurants will be allowed to reopen for indoor seating on Sept. 4 with limits.

On Twitter and in a brief-ing that followed, the gover-nor said that as of 6 a.m. last Friday New Jersey restau-rants would be permitted to begin offering indoor table service to patrons, limited to 25 percent of an establish-ment’s capacity.

.

“Reopening responsibly will help us restore one of our state’s key industries while continuing to make progress against #COVID19,” the governor said in his tweet.

Previously, Gov. Mur-phy had announced that restaurants would be able to open for indoor dining on July 2, but those plans were scrapped and the reopen-ing date postponed, when COVID-19 case numbers did not indicate it was safe to proceed.

At his Aug. 31 news brief-ing the governor said that restaurants will be allowed to start indoor dining at 6 a.m. on Sept. 4 and ex-pressed cautious optimism that there would be no turn-ing back this time.

But while he said he was “proud that restaurants will be able to return to some level of indoor service” there will be “strong limits,” including on capacity.

“As we all know, this pan-demic isn’t over yet and our goal is to ensure this step is to be done to prevent the types of spikes we saw in other states that allowed their restaurants to reopen too fully, too quickly,” the governor said.

Restaurants will be al-lowed to open at no more than 25 percent capacity, with party size limited to eight people. A six-foot dis-tance must be maintained between tables.

All staff must wear face masks at all times and din-ers must wear masks when they are not seated. Food and beverages are to be con-sumed while seated.

Diners are also asked to wear a face mask when they are not eating or drinking, the governor said.

Bar service will be al-lowed as long as patrons maintain social distancing. Groups seated together at the bar may have no more than four individuals.

Restaurants with windows must open them to allow

fresh air flow into the din-ing area and air condition-ers must be turned to allow for the maximum amount of outdoor air and set so air re-circulation is as low as pos-sible.

Signs must be posted at the entrance, inform-ing patrons that those with COVID-19 symptoms should not enter. Physical guides on the floor and sidewalks should also be placed to

keep patrons six feet apart. Hand sanitizers should also be available to patrons.

Restaurant owners must also screen staff to make sure they do now show symptoms.

Buffets and salad bars are not allowed to operate.

Ed Dollive, the owner of Vic's Italian Restaurant — one of the largest employ-ers in Bradley Beach with around 100 employees in

the summer — said that the state’s guidelines should not be difficult for most restau-rants to follow.

“Restaurants are always cognizant of cleanness and sanitation. We get inspect-ed regularly by the state and restaurants are pretty much on top of this,” he said. “We know what to do to keep the place germ-free and safe.”

Usually the restaurant seats 220, but with restric-

tions will be able to seat around 50 patrons.

Sanitizing and wearing gloves was already common practice at his establishment before the pandemic started.

Ventilation, he believes, will not be an issue, either. The restaurant has fresh air ducts and fans suck in fresh air from the outside. They will also open doors to im-prove air flow.

The governor’s announce-ment came after calls from the restaurant industry and local politicians to allow restaurants to reopen for outdoor seating.

Last week, Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas Arnone issued a statement urging the gover-nor to allow restaurants to open for indoor dining.

“Our restaurant industry has suffered for nearly fif-teen weeks with no solid plan on when they can re-sume welcoming patrons in-side,” he said."

While outdoor dining has helped, it does not bring in nearly enough revenue for our restaurants to survive much longer. Not to men-tion, no one is going to want to dine outdoors in colder weather. This current oper-ation is not self-sustaining.”

According to Mr. McGill, if restaurants have to con-tinue to operate at 25 per-cent capacity into the winter months, when outdoor din-ing is no longer an option, restaurants like his own are going to have to think out-side the box.

“We are going to have to reinvent ourselves again,” he said. “This has been a stress-ful time and it changes so fast. … Turning about to de-livery and 25 percent inside is not going to really cut it from a profit standpoint.”

Michael Nunes can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 26.

NJSIAA releases crowd guidelines

BY LEN BARDSLEYTHE COAST STAR

ROBBINSVILLE — The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association issued a statement this week re-garding rules regarding spectators for the upcoming fall season.

The NJSIAA made it clear schools are required to obey the outdoor gathering limit in place which is 500 for outdoor gatherings. The NJSIAA also made a point of saying that 500 count will not include participants that are on the field of play, [coaches, players, officials and trainers.

The NJSIAA also released guidelines for spectators, which requires all spectators to wear masks at high school sporting events and spectators following social distancing guidelines set by the host school district or facility.

The NJSIAA will also allow students to transfer schools without the 30-day wait period if they are com-ing from a school that cancels or postpones an athletic program due to the pandemic.

The transfer deadline, however, was Sept. 1. Any stu-dent athlete who transfers after Sept. 1 regardless of the reason will be forced to sit out the 30 day transfer peri-od, which would take up the majority of the season this year.

“Our primary focus has and will continue to be pro-viding student-athletes as many opportunities as possi-ble to play the sports they love,’’ said Colleen Maguire, the NJSIAA chief operating officer. “So whenever nec-essary or appropriate, we’ll revise regulations to ac-commodate the peculiarities of this unusual year. That’s what we’ve done today and that’s what we’ll continue to do as needed.’’

Len Bardsley can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext. 29. Follow him on Twitter @LenBardsley

FILE PHOTO THE COAST STAR

Until last Friday, restaurants like this one in Spring Lake, had to limit table service to sidewalks, parking lots and other outdoor spaces.

Questions loom with return of indoor diningLavallette restaurant

owners wonder if patrons will come in


LAVALLETTE — Borough eat-eries have reacted to the return of indoor dining on Friday, Sept. 4 with skepti-cism and hope. Some restau-rateurs who spoke with The Ocean Star on Tuesday re-ported an eagerness to re-set their tables, while others announced their decision to remain pickup-only.

New Jersey restaurants have been unable to seat guests indoors since March in the state’s effort to curb the spread of the novel coro-navirus. Restaurants were permitted to open outdoor dining areas in mid-June.

Anthony Festa, of the Sand Dollar Pancake House and Restaurant on Grand Cen-tral Avenue, looked forward to once again serving guests at sit-down tables.

“There’s a lot of people who can’t handle the heat … it will be easier for them to sit inside in the air con-dition,” Mr. Festa said. “And it’s a restaurant, there’s sup-

posed to be dining inside, you know? It’s what we do.”

Mr. Festa does not know if the Sand Dollar will see a corresponding increase in revenue beginning Friday.

“I feel like a lot of people are still a little iffy about it,” he said. “It’s a choice thing. If they feel it’s safe, they’ll be here. We’re going to do ev-erything possible to ensure they’re separated and every-thing’s nice and clean. We’ll do our part.”

Another borough restau-rant owner, speaking off the record, will not reopen their business this Friday, express-ing skepticism at the state’s change in policy.

The Music Man Sing-ing Ice Cream Shoppe on

Grand Central Avenue will split the difference and only offer indoor dining during inclement weather, accord-ing to owner Aggie Roberts. Like Mr. Festa, he’s unsure if patrons will return with re-newed indoor dining, even as business owners do their best to ensure safe indoor eating environments.

“That’s the biggest ques-tion right now,” Mr. Roberts said. “The customer’s per-ception, or feeling of safe-ty, of going inside. Besides opening the doors … are they even going to want to be in-side at this point?”


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Saturday Zumba event to raise funds for Team Shamrock

Wall event to support Tunnel to

Towers Foundation

BY SANNE YOUNGTHE COAST STAR

WALL TOWNSHIP — A Zumba fundraiser to benefit Team Shamrock is set for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Wall Municipal Basketball Courts, 2700 Allaire Road.

Team Shamrock was start-ed by Spring Lake Heights resident Kathy Robertson Cunningham, whose brother, Don Robertson Jr., was killed in the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. In the years since, Ms. Cun-ningham has held a variety of fundraisers in the local area, working to keep her brother’s memory alive and give back to the soldiers who went to war because of the attacks.

Funds donated will go to the national Tunnel to Tow-ers Foundation, which helps catastrophically injured veterans, families of fallen first responders and Gold Star families. Past Team Shamrock fundraisers have supported the foundation’s Smart Home Program, which constructs specially adapted, technology-enabled homes for wounded veterans.

“Join us to honor all those we lost on September 11, 2001, and to honor our police force, firefighters, first aid and military that serve and protect us each and every day. Let's come together as a community and dance, sing, sweat and never forget!” Ms. Cunningham said.

“We’d love to have every-one come out and partici-pate,” she said, noting that it will be the first official fund-raiser the group has held since the COVID-19 pan-demic lockdown.

“We have been distant for so long. We need a little lightness on these dark days. It’s always fun to come out and dance, and what better way than for a super great cause,” she said.

A $20 donation is request-ed, and participants may give at the event or register on EventBrite at team-sham-rock-zumba-fundraiser-tick-ets.

“But you don’t have to do Zumba. Just come out and support Team Shamrock,” Ms. Cunningham said.

Brayden Morgan, 9, of Brick Township, will sing the national anthem at the start of the event, which will of-fer prizes, refreshments and giveaways. It will feature DJ Frankie Perez and Zumba in-structors Tara Romano, Jack-ie Shaheed, Gina Velaquez and Amanda O’Neill.

The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 13.

Beach season won’t continue in Belmar past Labor DayOther shore towns are keeping summer staff

during September

BY MICHAEL NUNESTHE COAST STAR

BELMAR — Belmar will not join several other shore communities in extending its summer bathing season past this Labor Day Week-end, due to a lack of staff and “minimal” lifeguard cov-erage, officials said Tuesday night.

Borough Administrator Ed Kirschenbaum Sr. said the borough cannot contin-ue to operate its beachfront past the unofficial end of summer.

“We do not have staff available after Labor Day to properly take care of the beach,” Kirschenbaum told members of the bor-

ough council and the public during the council’s meeting on Sept. 1.

While shore municipal-ities usually cease beach-front operations — lifeguard services, gate attendants and badge sellers — some towns have opted to extend their seasons further into September. Due to the im-pact COVID-19 has had on normal life, from schools starting later for students to adults working from home, some municipalities expect larger-than-usual beach crowds as summer nears an end.

“The lifeguards have a minimal staff that they are going to keep down there to try to watch the water, so it's going to be a challenge and we know people don’t have anywhere to go,” May-or Mark Walsifer said. “With the nice days in September, they come down [Interstate]

195 and they are coming to the Belmar beach. We have seen it all summer long.”

Mr. Kirschenbaum said that beachgoers coming past Labor Day is to be expected, so the borough will continue to have a police presence on the beach. The Department of Public Works will con-tinue to maintain the beach-front. Restrooms will also remain open and cleaned.

While there will be some lifeguards present to ensure beachgoers are safe, the bor-ough will not have enough gate attendants or badge sellers to fully maintain its summertime operations.

“If we had the staffing to open up the beach, it was discussed we would charge for the weekend after Labor Day and the following week-end, but we do not have the staff,” the borough adminis-trator said.

“It’s a tough decision. We are trying to do the best we can with unprecedented times but we are working through it and we are talking with the other towns in try-ing to make sure everyone is safe,” he added.

Council President Tom Brennan asked if it would be possible to continue the summer season with limited staff, with a couple of gate attendants and booths sell-ing badges.

Mr. Kirschenbaum said if the borough charged for the beach, it would need to pro-vide the same level of ser-vice it has over the summer, which is not possible.

“If we charge and we don’t have enough lifeguards, peo-ple can wander the beach-es that are unprotected,” he said. “If we are charging people, the services have to be there.”

Heading into the last sum-mer weekend, the borough has collected more than $1 million more in beachfront revenue than it collected last year, despite the pandem-ic and a borough policy of closing down sections of the beach that got too crowded.

According to a beach re-port published on Aug. 30, the borough has so far made $4,834,210 from the sale of beach badges and beach locker rentals. Last year, the borough made a total of $3,683,035.

Season beach badges in-creased by more than 6,000, with the borough selling 19,786 badges. Daily badges have also increased signifi-cantly this year compared to last year, from 279,955 to 355,130.

The borough sold fewer senior badges this year, sell-ing 4,575 badges compared to 6,166 badges last year.

Beach badge prices stayed stable over the past two years, with season badges costing $70, senior season badges costing $30 and daily badges costing $9.

Some nearby shore com-munities will continue to sell beach badges and have lifeguard services.

Last week, Bradley Beach passed a resolution to con-tinue normal beach opera-tions every weekend in Sep-tember.

Avon-By-The-Sea an-nounced on Aug. 25 that its beaches will be open two additional weekends in Sep-tember — Sept. 12 and Sept. 19. Only some beaches will be staffed with lifeguards — Norwood Avenue, Sylvania Avenue and Washington Av-enue.

Michael Nunes can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 26.


CLASSROOM PROTECTIONThe classrooms awaiting students at Spring Lake Heights Elementary School now feature plexiglass screens at every desk, one of several adjustments recommended by state health education officials to reduce possible exposure to COVID-19 virus. Story, more photos on page 2

2,000 Brick students opt to go fully remoteE-Learning number ‘fluctuates’ daily,

school official says


BRICK TOWNSHIP — More than 2,000 Brick Public School District students will receive full-time remote in-struction during the new school year as of Wednes-day, according to Susan Mac-Namara, the district’s direc-tor of planning, research and evaluation.

The estimated “2,000 or slightly [more]” students represent approximately 23 to 24 percent of families with children in the Brick Town-ship School District, said Ms. MacNamara, who said that number “fluctuates, as it will continue to do during the pandemic era that we’re in … That’s a moving num-ber on any given day.”

The numbers shared by Ms. MacNamara jibe with recent public comments made by Superintendent of Schools Thomas Far-rell. During the Aug. 20 school board meeting, he

announced 75 percent of district families “want some form of in-person instruc-tion.”

Students receiving in-per-son instruction will still spend a notable portion of their school year working remotely, as student co-horts alternate between at-home and in-school learning throughout the school week, per the district’s “Brick and Click” hybrid model. All stu-dents will receive remote in-struction on Fridays.

Mr. Farrell also said 95 percent of Brick Township school teachers will return

for in-person instruction when school begins next week. However, the remain-ing five percent of teachers, which comprise an estimat-ed 40 individuals, will not necessarily work exclusively from home, according to Ms. MacNamara.

“They’re doing a number of things,” she said. “That doesn’t mean all those teach-ers are teaching remotely … as would be in the case in any district, whose teachers chose not to come in per-son. They have a number of paths to pursue, to accom-modate them.”

Ms. MacNamara declined to describe the alternative roles mentioned.

“That is a personnel mat-ter. I can’t speak to that,” she said.

TRANSPORTATIONBrick Township school

buses are equipped with mask, hygiene and social distancing signage and will be regularly disinfected be-tween runs and at the end of each day, according to the district’s restart and re-covery plan available online at www.brickschools.org. The number of student pas-

sengers will also be limited to 27 per bus “to the extent practicable,” according to the plan, which requires stu-dents to wear masks at all times while utilizing school transportation. Students will also be supplied with sani-tizer when boarding.



http://www.brickschools.org



Most Lavallette Elementary students set to return full-timeOnly 10 opted for remote learning


LAVALLETTE — Nearly all of Lavallette Elementary School’s students will partic-ipate in the school’s fulltime in-person learning model, according to information

released by school business administrator Patricia Chris-topher.

Ms. Christopher said Wednesday that only 10 of 150 students had chosen to

receive fully-remote learn-ing.

She declined, however, to say how many, if any, of the school’s teachers have re-quested to work remotely,

citing personnel confiden-tiality. Twenty teachers, in-cluding “a couple” of long-term substitute teachers, currently work at Lavallette Elementary, Ms. Christopher said.

The administrator also discussed the Lavallette school district’s transpor-tation protocols. Borough students are transported to Lavallette Elementary on Seaside Park School District buses. “Since we are stagger-ing start times, very few stu-dents [will be] on the bus at any time,” Ms. Christopher said.

Lavallette’s high school students and special educa-tion students will be trans-ported to their respective out-of-district schools us-ing transportation secured from the following, in or-der of preference, accord-ing to the Lavallette restart and recovery plan available at www.lavallettek12.org: Jointures with other school districts, MOESC transpor-tation services, parental transportation contracts and contracted services through transportation services. All transportation providers must affirm the availability of sanitizer at bus entranc-es and routine cleaning and disinfecting practices for their vehicles and school buses.

Social distancing and face-masks must be worn while

on school buses, according to the restart plan. Students boarding buses will also fill the rear seats first to limit possible physical interaction and exit in the opposite or-der, according to the plan, which states hand sanitizer will be available at bus en-trances and “cleaning and disinfecting practices for vehicles/school bus trans-porting students [will be] confirmed with bus provid-er.” Athletic and class trips requiring bus transportation have also been suspended.

Each grade of in-person students will constitute a co-hort kept separated from all other students at Lavallette Elementary. Lunchtime and recess periods will be stag-gered to maintain the integ-rity of the cohort model, and only one cohort may pass through the school’s one-way hallways at a time “as much as possible,” according to the restart plan.

Other precautions in-clude, but are not limited to, a shortened school day for children in grades kin-dergarten through four, the required use of face masks, temperature screenings and a litany of new cleaning reg-imens throughout the build-ing.


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Manasquan rejects plea for change in school reopening

Petition from elementary school parents gets

meeting with officials but plan remains

BY HOPE PATTITHE COAST STAR

MANASQUAN — A petition signed by 70 parents chal-lenging the district’s plan for reopening schools next week prompted a meeting Monday between two of the petitioners and a group of school officials. However, Superintendent of Schools Frank Kasyan, who con-firmed the session, said the reopening plan will remain unchanged.

The petition urged the district to start the school year with half days only at Manasquan Elementa-ry School and to conduct a new survey of teachers and parents. Mr. Kasyan said that he and the district of-ficials in the meeting then decided that both ideas “would cause more confu-sion than it would anything else.”

Mr. Kasyan said the meeting included himself, Eugene Cattani and Fred Sorino, president and vice president of the school board; Jesse Place, the as-sistant school superinten-dent and Peter Crawley, the district’s business admin-istrator, as well as Justin Thompson and Cathy Rose, who represented the 70 pe-titioning parents.

“I think their biggest premise was that they want-ed to walk before we run,” Mr. Kasyan said.

The superintendent said he thought the meeting, which was held in-person and lasted about an hour, “went well.” Mr. Cattani added that the administra-tion explained the reason-ing behind the district’s plan to the parents and the safety protocols that would be im-plemented.

The parents who met with school officials have declined to comment on the petition and meeting.

Mr. Thompson and Ms. Rose “came in with a lot of questions and I answered all the questions that they asked,” Mr. Kasyan said. Then, in a separate virtual

meeting, the officials, who are members of the dis-trict’s Restart and Recovery Committee, rejected the pe-titioner’s requests.

“At the end of the day we decided that the plan we put together is probably the best for the education and the safety of our students,” Mr. Cattani said, adding that the restart committee had “considered every option” to reopen schools.

According to the superin-tendent, the petitioners had also challenged the mem-bership of the committee, which was formed in July and also includes Lesley Kenney, director of school counseling; Rick Coppola, director of curriculum and instruction; Colleen Gra-ziano, elementary school principal; Robert Goodall, high school principal; Me-gan Manetta, middle school principal; board of educa-tion members Bruce Bol-derman and Joe Loffredo; parent Anne McGarry; and Ryan Basaman, teacher and Manasquan Education As-sociation [MEA] co-presi-dent.

The committee also cre-ated an email for members of the school community to send questions to, Mr. Kasyan said, adding that ad-ministrators had answered 160 questions.

In an interview with The Coast Star on Tuesday, Mr. Kasyan said “it’s not the time” for changes in the re-opening plan, which he said has been under develop-ment since June and tested in practice with the extend-ed school year program, summer skills program and freshman orientation.

“I’m very confident to say that those who agree with it are at a higher percentage than those who disagree,” the superintendent said. “Nobody is right or wrong in this. They’re only doing what they feel they have to do for their family.”

“It’s very important that we meet all our challenges in a very positive way. With that, the end of the line is fo-cusing on what’s best for all our students, and the best thing for our students is to be in front of instructors for the longest periods of time that I can afford them.”

According to Mr. Kasyan, parents who signed the pe-tition were also concerned about how the school will conduct lunch as well as with the requirement that children wear masks for ex-tended periods of time.

As recommended by the Centers for Disease Control [CDC] and Gov. Phil Mur-phy’s Restart and Recovery Plan, the district will offer serve-and-go lunches and will separate tables and seating to maintain social distancing in cafeterias and other lunch spaces.

State guidance also man-dates that school staff and visitors wear face coverings at all times, and suggests the same for students. Mr. Kasyan added, however, that students will be per-mitted to take mask breaks throughout the school day.

In a video, posted on the district’s Youtube channel, school officials discuss the plan to reopen school as well as the safety precau-tions that have been imple-mented at both the elemen-tary and high schools.

The district’s current plan for the elementary school includes students attending full-day sessions daily and following the normal bell schedule; however, classes will be self-contained.

Mr. Kasyan said he ex-pected members of the Manasquan school commu-nity to have different opin-ions regarding the plan, and acknowledged that each parent has to make the best choice for their child.

TEACHER SURVEYTeachers had also ex-

pressed concern about re-turning to school through a survey conducted by the MEA. When asked about this survey on Tuesday, Mr. Kasyan said that he antici-pated some anxiety from his staff.

“As we get closer [to re-opening] it’s just natural for anxiety to rise,” he said.

Mr. Kasyan said the sur-vey asked teachers’ about their level of comfort with returning to school and asked about any issues they had with returning.

“I think there was a high percentage of teachers that exhibited a lack of comfort,” Mr. Kasyan said. He add-ed, however, that the sur-

vey was conducted before teachers had a chance to see the district’s safety proto-cols and review the admin-istration’s answers to their questions.

Mr. Kasyan said he met with MEA co-presidents Kirt Wahl and Ms. Basaman to discuss the results of the survey. They “have really represented their teachers well and have been working very closely with us to make sure everything is done,” he added.

Following their meeting the MEA met and solicited questions for the district from teachers, according to the superintendent, who added that 120 follow-up questions were sent to the administration and an-swered.

Both Mr. Wahl and Ms. Basaman declined to com-ment.

The Coast Star has filed an Open Public Records Act request with the school district for a copy of the full survey, and is awaiting a response. A request was also made for the petition as well as the questions and answers sent via the restart committee’s email.

Copies of a document emailed to teachers in ear-ly August, have been inde-pendently obtained by The Coast Star. It posed eight questions about the school opening plan and tallies of 152 total responses.

It included the question: “After reading the plan, how do you feel about returning to school in September?” There were 85 responses of “Uncomfortable,” 49 of “Unsure” and 18 of “Com-fortable.”

Another apparent survey, sent out on Tuesday, includ-ed the same question. This time the tallies were 72 “Un-comfortable,” 32 “Unsure” and 18 “Comfortable,” in a total of 122 responses.

According to Superin-tendent Kasyan, 12 teachers have requested accommo-dations from human re-sources as an alternative to in-school teaching. Of the 12, he said, two have been approved for leaves of ab-sence.

Hope Patti can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 49.

Outdoor production of ‘Frozen Jr’ to cast spell

on Windward Beach Park Organizers staging

show before weather really gets cold


BRICK TOWNSHIP — The Brick Children's Community Theatre [BCCT] announced its second production of 2020 with “Frozen Jr,” a stage adaptation of the 2013 Dis-ney film to be performed at Windward Beach Park in late September.

“We’re excited to perform it again and be able to do one more theater in the park,” said Kendra Zarilli, BCCT’s president. The group first produced “Frozen Jr” in-doors in December 2019, and has invited that show’s cast to return for a revamped production that takes social distancing and the challeng-es of performing outside into account.

“The show has a lot of magic and stage tricks in it, so we’ve been working on how we can reinvent a few of those stage tricks, to keep some of the magic,” she said.

“It’s a lot of fun. That was a great show, too, so the kids are excited to perform it again,” Ms. Zarilli said.

The production will fea-ture “all of the memorable songs from the animat-ed film,” according to the group’s website. “A story of true love and acceptance between sisters, ‘Frozen Jr’ expands upon the emotion-al relationship and journey between Princesses Anna and Elsa,” promotion for the show reads. “When faced with danger, the two discov-er their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sister-hood.”

“Frozen Jr” will mark BCCT’s second-ever appear-ance at the Windward Beach Bandstand. The nonprofit organization first used the park as a venue for its ren-dition of “Moana Jr” in late July and early August of this year, due to the coronavi-rus-related closure of The Strand Theater in Lakewood.

Performances of “Frozen Jr” have been scheduled for Sept. 24, 25 and 26 with a Sept. 27 rain date. Tickets are $25 per four-person site [a marked area distanced from adjacent sites] and must be purchased in advance at www.bcct.org, according to an announcement.


COURTESY OF BRICK CHILDREN’S COMMUNITY THEATRE

The Brick Children’s Community Theatre will stage three perfor-mances of ‘Frozen Jr’ at Windward Beach Park later this month. Earlier this summer, the nonprofit organization performed ‘Moana Jr’ at the same venue.

http://www.lavallettek12.org:


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http://www.bcct.org




Crimson Knights took advantage of every momentBY LEN BARDSLEYTHE COAST STAR

WALL — If there is one thing Wall High School foot-ball coach Tony Grandinetti has learned during the coro-navirus pandemic it is never to take anything for granted and make the most of every opportunity when it pres-ents itself.

That was the thinking for the Crimson Knights, who used the full time allotted by the New Jersey State In-terscholastic Athletic Asso-ciation to practice and train during the summer session.

The final summer ses-sion ended on Friday and any casual observer at the Wall football practice would think there was nothing out of the ordinary. The Crim-son Knights had helmets on and were running plays as they prepared for the sea-son opener on Oct. 2 against Point Pleasant Borough.

Wall started the first day it was permitted by the NJ-SIAA on July 13, so by Aug. 28, the Crimson Knights had moved past Phase 1 and Phase 2 and could work in bigger groups and on much more football related drills, compared to just condition-ing and fitness.

All teams and all high school sports in the state are now in the two-week frozen period when no practices are permitted. All football teams are allowed back on the field to practice on Sept. 11.

“My main thing through-out all of this was when we were allowed to meet we started meeting,’’ said Grandinetti. “With the un-certainty, every opportunity to get together we made the most of it. We are very pre-pared right now.’’

The Crimson Knights are following all the protocols and clearing equipment and will be looking to hit the

field running when they get back to practice.

“We were able to use equipment,’’ said Grandi-netti. All the cleaning we are doing is adapting to the times. We were able to in-stall some plays and base schemes on offense and de-fense. We made some pretty good strides during this pe-riod.’’

Senior Casey Larkin felt the Crimson Knights made good use of their time on the field.

“We took advantage of our time,’’ said Larkin. “We start-

ed out with Zoom meeting calls doing workouts and stuff. We had 50 guys on Zoom workouts, just waiting to get back on the field.’’

The team really has been getting ready for the season ever since they lost their last game according to Larkin.

“We have been preparing since that Woodrow Wilson game,’’ said Larkin. “Our minds were right back to it. We are ready. We got our helmets on, we got our of-fense going, our defense go-ing. We are a full go, ready to play.’’

Larkin feels the Crimson Knights should have an ad-vantage over teams at differ-ent stages of preparation for the season.

“A couple teams have not practiced yet or are in dif-ferent places,’’ said Larkin. “I think we are ahead of the game.’’

Wall met all five days of the week leading up to Fri-day. Grandinetti was think-ing ahead, figuring some practices could get rained out when they return and there is nothing in place for indoor practices with coro-navirus.

“We wanted to get in as much work as possible,’’ said Grandinetti. “One of the things not mentioned was weather. We didn’t want the weather to hold us up. There is no indoor practice. We didn’t want to lose out on practice time.’’

Wall broke up its varsity and freshman into two dif-ferent groups, leaving the

varsity group about 50 play-ers. Grandinetti had a theme he repeated often to his team during the summer sessions and he is confident they are following his advice.

“My guys, the coaching staff, players and the com-munity and families, we are very excited to have the opportunity to play,’’ said Grandinetti. “We want to be able to have the opportuni-ty to compete. I can’t stress enough, we are being smart at practice for two hours, you have to be smart for 22 hours the rest of the day. They have embraced that. We are really looking for-ward to the season.’’

The Crimson Knights one scrimmage will be on Sept. 24 at Donovan Catholic.

Len Bardsley can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext. 29. Follow him on Twitter @LenBardsley


The Wall football team goes over a play during a recent practice. The Crimson Knights are now in a two-week break and will return to the field on Sept. 11.


A couple of Wall players go through a blocking drill during a recent Crimson Knight practice. Wall started its training sessions on July 13, allowing the team to advance to football drills.

“My guys, the coaching staff, players and the community and families, we are very excited

to have the opportunity to play. We want to be able to have the opportunity to compete. I can’t

stress enough, we are being smart at practice for two hours, you have to be smart for 22 hours

the rest of the day. They have embraced that. We are really looking forward to the season.’’

TONY GRANDINETTI, Wall coach

Algonquin launches Local Summer Series featuring a month of events

Second dockside con-cert featuring Chris

Pinnella set for Sept. 9

BY HOPE PATTITHE COAST STAR

MANASQUAN — Algonquin Arts Theatre kicked off its month-long Local Summer Series with the first of three dockside concerts Wednes-day night.

The Local Summer Series will not only bring entertain-ment to the theater’s patrons and showcase dozens of per-formers, but will also help the Algonquin raise funds during a time of uncertainty due to the coronavirus pan-demic.

The series includes three live outdoor concerts, 24 days of video performanc-es and stories delivered via email and social media, a 50-50 raffle, merchandise and other ways to support the Algonquin.

Wednesday night’s perfor-mance featuring local band Spare Parts, transformed the theater’s loading dock into a stage and the parking lot, a socially distanced seating area.

Spare Parts, formed in 2012, includes Sean Watson on guitar and vocals, Bob Gi-unco on drums, Richie King on piano and vocals, John Perry on bass and vocals, and Tommy LaBella on sax-ophone and percussion.

Live music will return again next week on Wednes-day, Sept. 9 when Chris Pin-nella — a vocalist who has toured with the Trans-Sibe-rian Orchestra — takes the stage.

Mr. Pinnella’s show will feature “new interpretations of classic songs by iconic artists such as The Beatles, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, The Righteous Brothers, Tom Petty, Ray Lamontagne, Elton John, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Simon and Gar-

funkel, and more,” according to the theater’s website.

Concerts begin at 7 p.m. and are free to attend. Pa-trons should bring their own chair. Social distancing and masks are required; squares will be marked on the park-ing surface to help patrons sit separately, and space is first-come first served. Full policies are listed on the theater’s website: algonqui-narts.org.

The series also includes 24 days of video performances and stories, beginning Tues-day, Sept. 8 through Thurs-day, Oct. 1. Daily videos will be posted on the theater’s website, social media and sent by email.

To show support for the theater patrons may pur-chase a Local Summer Club Membership available for $96. Membership includes a T-shirt, the ability to reserve a space for a Dockside Con-cert and one year of Algon-quin membership benefits.

All membership fees will be matched as part of the Lo-cal Summer Matching Funds Drive. Memberships can be purchased online or by call-ing 732-528-9211. T-Shirts are also available for $24 each.

The goal of the match-ing funds drive is to raise $48,000, with each individ-ual contribution matched up to a total of $24,000 — made possible by a pledge from Janice Blanton, of Wall Township.

As part of the event’s fundraising efforts, 50-50 cash raffle tickets are on sale with the drawing scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1 at 3 p.m. via the theater’s Facebook page. Tickets are one for $20, three for $50 or 10 for $150.

Tickets can be purchased on select Wednesday and Thursday nights on Main Street [in front of Book-towne and Jesse Gallery], by phone at 732-528-9211, online at algonquinarts.org or from members of the Algonquin Board of Trustees.

COURTESY OF ALGONQUIN ARTS THEATRE

Chris Pinnella will take the stage at the Algonquin Arts Theatre’s next outdoor concert set for Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.

9/11 ‘Never Forget’ light tribute set for next week

In Wall Township on evenings of

Sept. 10, 11 and 12

BY SANNE YOUNGTHE COAST STAR

WALL TOWNSHIP — Town-ship resident Kevin Oren-der has arranged for a memorial display of twin beams of light in the night-time sky to honor the vic-tims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, as well as the fire-fighters, police and civil-ians who responded.

The “Never Forget” dis-play will be from dusk to dawn on the nights of Sept. 10, 11 and 12 at the Orender Family Home for Funerals, 2643 Old Bridge Road. The first night, the beams will be in red and blue, and on the other two nights, the beams will be white.

“I lost so many friends that died that day,” in 2001, said Mr. Orender, a retired member of the Fire De-partment of New York who now serves on the Wall Township Committee and owns the funeral home.

He said he became “en-raged” when he heard last month that the Tribute in Light held annually at the National September 11 Me-morial & Museum in New York City had been can-celed this year.

“So I immediately began planning to create a me-morial light display here in Wall,” that he has paid for himself, he said.

Although the decision to cancel the tribute in New York City later was reversed, he said, the dis-play in Wall Township will go on to honor the victims, first responders and mili-tary.

“I want the memory of all those who died due to the unforgivable attack on 9/11 to always be remem-bered. Please remember all the firefighters, police offi-cers, K-9 officers, civilians, and let's not forget all the men and women who en-listed in the United States Armed Forces because of 9/11,” he said.

Team Orender also has set up a GoFundMe campaign, https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/cam-paign/team-orender, he said, in which all donations will go to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which helps injured veterans, Gold Star families and fallen first re-sponders. He said $2,000 had already been raised as of Monday, toward the $5,000 goal.

Published reports have stated that the show at first was canceled by the National September 11 Me-morial & Museum because the pandemic health risks were deemed too great for the large crew required to produce it. The museum later acquired the financial support needed to provide additional protection for the crew, and decided to hold the Tribute in Light as originally planned.

Sanne Young can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 17.

“I want the memory of all those who died

due to the unforgivable attack

on 9/11 to always be remembered.”

KEVIN ORENDER



https://charity



Foundation providing 60 iPads for K-2 students

Donations will support 1:1 technology

ratio for K-8 learners


BAY HEAD — The Bay Head School Foundation [BHSF] is helping to enhance the ed-ucational experience of stu-dents at Bay Head Elementa-ry School.

The foundation will pro-vide 60 seventh-generation, 128 GB iPads with 10.2-inch screens, as well as protective cases, Apple care and a stor-age cart to support learning for students in kindergarten through second grade.

“We have a tradition of granting money to the school. That is a part of our mission statement, which is about supporting the edu-cational and extracurricular experience of the kids at Bay Head School,” Trustee Bon-nie Hurley said.

“Annually the teachers will submit grant applica-tions to us looking for things to augment their classroom. Tim Coyle, who is president of the foundation, myself, Larissa Robinson, president of the Home and School As-sociation, and Mr. [Frank] Camardo, the principal, sat down to talk about what needs the school had, partic-ularly in light of COVID-19.

“Mr. Camardo brought up the need for outdoor tents and he proposed purchasing three large tents for outdoor learning and we agreed the [Home and School] Associa-tion was going to fund those tents,” Ms. Hurley contin-ued. “He said a large-ticket item was the purchase of 60 iPads for all the kids in kindergarten through grade two.

“Mr. Camardo recognized a need to have all the stu-dents equipped with the newest and best technology and if he was able to buy the iPads for the young-er children, not only could the faculty access specific programs to utilize in the classroom for learning, but they would go home with the children for homework, and in the event that remote learning was necessary or a possibility, the teachers could be teaching to the chil-dren all on the same technol-ogy which is very import-ant,” Ms. Hurley concluded.

“We unanimously agreed that it would be a wonderful contribution of our funds to have a direct impact on the elementary school students in Bay Head. We were very happy to be able to make it happen.”

According to Trustee Ar-iane Raffetto, the iPads will help put all students at Bay Head Elementary School at a 1:1 ratio for technology in grades K-8.

“ We h ave d o n ate d Chromebooks to the upper classes … and it is just won-derful that all of the students are now on a 1:1 basis with their own technology,” she said. “We were happy to do it for them.

“The BHSF is confident and pleased that this expen-diture of funds, approximate-ly $30,000, is completely in line with the BHSF mission, which is focused on enhanc-ing the global academic ex-perience to assist young learners facing complexities of the modern world.”

Mr. Camardo spoke about how the donation will sup-port student learning and success in and out of the classroom.

“This donation of iPads from the Bay Head School Foundation is a welcomed addition to the grade K-2 classrooms as this now al-lows for all students to have a 1:1 device to use in their classrooms, or if needed, at home,” he said.

“In discussing needs with the lower grade teachers, they shared with me that several of the apps and pro-grams the K-2 students uti-lize in class are more com-patible and easier to assess on an iPad. In sharing this information with the foun-dation, they were very re-ceptive to helping support our technology needs and supporting the student com-munity.”

Mr. Camardo was thrilled with the support from the foundation.

“As the principal, it is so wonderful to have such supportive and dedicated groups such as the foun-dation and the [Bay Head] Home and School Associa-tion to ensure the learning environment and individual needs of the students are not only being met but exceed-ed,” he said.

“It should also be noted that the Home and School Association donated three large outdoor tents to help support outdoor learning for students during this unprec-edented time. Teachers will have the option to take their students outside and teach

in the open-air tents for a welcomed change.”

The BHSF raises money through various fundraising events each year, the largest being its bi-annual Kitch-ens by the Sea tour, which is scheduled for September 2021. The foundation also gives a scholarship to a grad-uating high school student who attended the school, through the Mitchell Shivers Distinguished Citizen Schol-arship program.

“The foundation and the association collaborate on the needs the school has that don’t perhaps fall into the budget of the board of edu-cation,” Ms. Hurley said.

“Our mission is to raise and allocate funds to be used to enhance the academic and extracurricular experience of the students of the Bay Head School. We seek to partner with the school and the community in the con-tinued pursuit of excellence for and by our students.”

“The Bay Head School Foundation appreciates all of the hard work and effort set forth in attempting to preserve a traditional school year for 2020-21,” Ms. Raffet-to added.

According to Mr. Camar-do, as officials prepare to welcome students back Sept. 8, at least a dozen have opted to learn virtually.

“For Bay Head School we have been very fortunate that our staff have all de-cided to return to in-person teaching, and understand the situation is difficult, but should be commended for always going above and be-yond for their students,” he said.

“We currently have 12 stu-dents who have chosen to follow the virtual learning platform, and in grades K-5, Ms. [Melissa] Kiss will be in-structing these students. In grades 6-8 the content area middle school teachers will be facilitating both in-person and virtual instruction due to the intensity and rigor of the middle school curricu-lum/content areas.

“This is a situation no one has faced before, but we are very optimistic that the Bay Head School will be success-ful.”


“This donation of iPads from the Bay Head School Foundation is a welcomed addition to

the grade K-2 classrooms as this now allows for all students to have a 1:1 device to use in their

classrooms, or if needed, at home.” FRANK CAMARDO, Principal

Lavallette gym reopens with green light from governor

But workouts work differently in the COVID-19 world


LAVALLETTE — Lavallette Personal Fitness, the bor-ough’s only gym, reopened its doors Tuesday, after months of closure due to the novel coronavirus. The move followed Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order permitting gyms, health clubs and indoor amuse-ment facilities to reopen at 25 percent capacity as of Sept. 1.

“A lot of people are ex-cited. A lot of our members are excited and happy to come back,” Gabriela De-maria, the gym’s owner and one of its personal train-ers, told The Ocean Star on Monday.

Members of Ms. De-maria’s gym and other New Jersey fitness centers may be eager to regain access to a professional, indoor work-

out space and all the equip-ment it contains, but must keep the realities of the novel coronavirus in mind. Gov. Murphy’s executive order requires the spacing of equipment to permit so-cial distancing and the use of facemasks by gym-goers and gym staff at all times, among other mandates.

“All the people at once, on every single machine, it’s not going to happen this year,” Ms. Demaria said. “It’s also a social thing, go-ing to the gym. It’s not go-ing to be this year, because they cannot be there for two or three hours.”

With hygiene top of mind, Ms. Demaria’s 3,500-square-foot gym is now eschew-ing walk-ins and requiring members to book one-and-a-half-hour workout ses-sions in advance. It will also expand its number of week-ly outdoor workouts for clients “not comfortable coming inside the gym yet,” according to Ms. Demaria. “Our clients are always our priority.”

Lavallette Personal Fit-ness’s opening comes at the very end of the gym’s usual busy season. “We usually slow down tremendous-ly after summer, because all the families leave their beach homes and kids go back to school. We go from 40,000 people to 4,000 peo-ple,” Ms. Demaria said.

But 2020 is a year like no other, and Ms. Demaria is beginning to feel more confident that autumn will bring an influx of member-ships.

“I’m glad we made it,” she said.



Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order permitting fitness centers to open at 25 percent capacity beginning Tuesday, Sept. 1. Gabriela Demaria owns and operates the Borough of Lavallette’s only gym, where face masks and social distancing will be required as patrons return to work out.

“A lot of our members are excited and happy

to come back.” GABRIELA DEMARIA, Owner of

Lavallette Personal Fitness

Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show canceledEvent usually draws large crowd to view

dozens of vessels


POINT PLEASANT — The 37th Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show scheduled to take place at the Johnson Broth-ers Boat Works this month has been canceled.

According to officials, the show, presented by the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society [ACBS] and the New Jersey Museum of Boating, was scheduled to take place Sept. 19, but concerns sur-rounding the coronavirus have put a halt on plans for this year.

“Our boat show for this year is canceled. We are hopefully planning a Bar-negat Bay cruise for any of the boats that might be interested in coming but I don’t have any details on that right now,” Joyce Turn-

er, who has helped organize the event for years told The Ocean Star.

“Hopefully things will settle down or they’ll find a vaccine or something will happen and we can have the show next year but it is just too chancy this year.”

According to Ms. Turner, this is not the first year the show has had to be canceled.

“The year after [Super-storm] Sandy it was can-celed because the boatyard was still pretty much a mess and I think somewhere back in the early 1980s, around the time the show was still kind of new and over at the yacht club, I think it might have been canceled because the day was extremely hot,” she said.

“It was not a September date, it might have been sometime in July, and I vaguely remember only one or two boats showing up and I think the then-president canceled the show because of the heat … so otherwise we’re pretty consistent with the show.”

Hundreds of boat owners and nautical enthusiasts of all ages from across the state and beyond come out each year to enjoy the dozens of antique, classic and wooden vessels on display as part of

the show. The event typical-ly showcases the creme de la creme in polished, restored and homebuilt vessels that come into the area by land and sea.

“I don’t know the number of the crowd to expect. If it is a small showing it might have been something that could be done, but if it is a large crowd and with so-cial distancing and the ban

on larger gatherings, I just didn’t want to run that pos-sibility and there is always [the question] am I going to be running around handing out masks to people who don’t have masks on?” Ms. Turner said.

“It just wasn’t worth the hassle and so many of our boaters who are loyal, who keep coming year after year, they are up well in the high-ly susceptible age group and I don’t want anything to hap-pen to them.”


STEVE WEXLER THE OCEAN STAR

The 37th Annual Antique and Classic Boat Show scheduled for Sept. 19 has been canceled due to con-cerns surrounding the coronavirus.

“Hopefully things will settle down … and we

can have the show next year, but it is just too chancy this year.”

JOYCE TURNER, Mid-Atlantic Chapter of ACBS





COURTESY OF LINDA KELLNER

JERSEY SHORE RUNNING CLUB GIVES BACK The Jersey Shore Running Club presented a check for $11,000 to the Fulfi ll food bank in Neptune on Aug. 26, The funds were raised through the JSRC’s Run4Fulfi ll Virtual Race held June 19 to 28. Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in mid-March, Fulfi ll has had a 40 percent spike in the demand for food from people who lost their jobs and experienced other hardships. From left: Carly Alburtus [JSRC], Mike Procopio [JSRC], Robert Galizio [JSRC President], Kim Guadagno [Fulfi ll President and CEO], Linda Kellner [Fulfi ll director of development and external relations], Mike Relli [JSRC] and Dan Napoliton [JSRC].

Point Beach District adjusts schedule for Antrim grades 5-8

Students are set to return to school

district-wide Sept. 8

BY TYLER SPRINGSTEENTHE OCEAN STAR

POINT PLEASANT BEACH — The Point Pleasant Beach School District continues to update and adjust its plan to return students to schools in a safe manner next week, Superintendent William Smith said.

Along with already de-signed staggered entries and dismissals, now students in grades five through eight will have a drop day sched-ule all to increase the num-ber of remote learners.

The drop day schedule has been sent out to the grades aff ected.

Mr. Smith said the new addition allows the school to "ensure that our social

distancing guidelines and our overall population with-in the school building can meet the standards that we had set for ourselves."

The district already set in place its plan for student re-entry into the schools, beginning Sept. 8.

Students and staff will be screened every day be-fore entry to the building. The district will employ a process by which families will confirm that students are free of COVID-19 symp-toms, they say. Face cover-ings will be required during this process.

The district's custodial staff is setting up personal protective equipment for students and staff including separation barriers in class-rooms, masking directions and instruction for walking throughout the building and more as well as instruction for entry and exit of the building.

The school has also al-ready set up a block sched-ule for students minimizing the time spent in the hall-ways and moving around the building. The block scheduling also limits the number of students in a building at one time.

"We always have to pri-oritize the health and safe-ty of our staff and students and we're quite certain that this modest adjustment to our previously announced schedule for grades five through eight only will be an improvement on what we have to do when we open our doors," said Mr. Smith.

The district also offered families a fully remote learning option through the fall. According to Mr. Smith, approximately 85 students district-wide will begin school in a remote learning setting.

The superintendent said the school is experiencing

increased enrollment from Point Pleasant Beach stu-dents as more families move to the borough.

These additions forced the school to add this drop day schedule for fi fth through eighth-graders.

"We're looking forward to seeing our students back in person for Sept. 8, but we also know we have a num-ber of remote learners who will be joining us on that day as well," said Mr. Smith.

Mr. Smith thanked fami-lies, teachers, custodial and administrative staff for all the hard work they've put in to prepare for the year.

"Our first day of school, very excited about it," said Mr. Smith. "We're looking forward to this reopening of schools."

Tyler Springsteen can be reached at [email protected] or 732-899-7606 Ext 114.

Don’t stop moving during freeze period

This is the time of year that high school football teams would

normally be loading up with scrimmages. A coach would be fine tuning his roster, looking at a few fi nal possi-ble position changes.

This year, however, the fi elds will be empty for the next week as part of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association freeze period.

Football teams will be chomping at the bit before going back to the practice fi eld on Sept. 11.

A coach usually loves to talk about accountabil-ity and responsibility, but this season more than ever those words take on an even greater importance when it comes to high school sports in New Jersey.

The most important as-pect, which can’t be repeat-ed enough in this space, is doing the right things off the field, being smart and not taking risks that could cause the spread of coronavirus.

The second important as-pect of the break that is more of a factor in athletic perfor-mance is self motivation.

I have talked to several coaches leading up to the two-week break and it is in-teresting to get a feel for the sense of confi dence in their teams.

It seems football coaches for the most part feel pret-ty good about the status of their teams. The Phase 1 segment of football practice pretty much was all condi-tioning, it sounded like a lot of work.

I would like to think most football players don’t want to lose the strength and fi t-ness they gained during those hard early stages of the training sessions.

It is all about momentum and inertia, bodies in motion stay in motion, bodies at rest stay at rest.

As most coaches have said, the two week freeze on practice is not a ‘vacation,’ it

is not the time to stop mov-ing and stop working.

I would like to think the players have this down by now, for months they were forced to workout on their own hoping to eventually get back on the fi eld togeth-er. They wanted to be ready. They should be used too working out on their own, staying sharp. This time it is for only a couple weeks, they can see the end goal.

I don’t think they are about to blow it now. It is not the finish line, but the starting line is approaching soon and the two week freeze period is not a reason to stop taking the correct steps to be ready to fi nally compete.

I did talk to a coach from another sport, who was ner-vous about the break, not sure if her athletes would follow training plans.

Sorry, to be blunt, but those are the type of athletes that deserve to be left behind when the starting gun goes off at the end of the month. I think for a sport like cross country, the worry should be about runners putting in too many miles.

There are probably plenty of runners, who increased their mileage during the pandemic, using it as a much needed release and escape. I am pretty sure they have hit their stride by now and the two week freeze is not about to slow them down.

It is not the beginning of August, when an ath-lete might have more than a month to get up to speed. When teams return to prac-tice they will have just over two full weeks before jump-ing into a very condensed schedule.

There is really not time to round into shape this season because by the time you do that, the season will be pret-ty much over.

I have a feeling the two week won’t be a problem. The majority of athletes are all warmed up and ready to go and not even a temporary freeze is not about to slow them down now.

Len Bardsley can be reached at [email protected] or 732-223-0076 Ext 29.

THIS WEEK IN SPORTS BY LEN BARDSLEY


SUPPORTING THE SPRING LAKE COMMUNITY THEATRE Patrons of the Spring Lake Community Theatre gathered on the lawn Friday, Sept. 4, to enjoy Concert For Our Cause, an event held to benefi t the Spring Lake Theatre Recovery Fund. The concert featured musical numbers presented by theater company performers.





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Monday Night Special Edition · THE COAST STAR BRADLEY BEACH — At D’Ar-cy’s Tavern, owner Tom Mc-Gill said he had been using his downstairs dining room for extra storage while