Arguably the best month of the year to be at the Jersey shore is September. The crowds are gone, the weather is great and the water is the warmest it will be all year. I was able to spend this weekend and a few days during the week at the beach. My seven month old son is enjoying himself here too, but then he seems to always have a good time where ever he is.

The ocean has been quite rough for most of this past week though. There was a hurricane that passed by the coast, way offshore. It definitely had an effect on the tides and the waves here. I enjoyed watching the 8 foot plus waves breaking just offshore. Things have calmed down some today, although the water and sea breeze had a distinctive odor to it. It smelled a little like the bay. The best I could figure was that the storm had churned the water so much that it stirred up a lot stuff that normally does not come up to the surface.

Low tide during a bit of a rough September day. New Jersey beach.

The next time I get to return to the shore here will likely be in the spring. That means a lot of things. The long cold winter is coming. Shorter days and a lot more nighttime, which will mean going to work in the dark. All of these things will make dreaming about returning to the shore, and pining for warmer weather, something that will grow as the next half a year goes by. What will I miss about a warm day at the beach? The birds, the sun, the sand between my toes, the feeling of dried salt water on my skin after a swim, the soothing ocean breeze, and lots, lots more!

The AVP volleyball tour is returning to Belmar.

Officials have kept a vow they made last year to bring the national volleyball tournament back to borough sands.

“This year the economy is tough and sponsors are hard to find, but by next year the situation will improve, and the AVP plans to return to what it considers one of the top five beaches in the country,” operations vice president Dave Williams had said when last year’s tour was in Ocean City, Md., instead.

While the Northeast leg was in Seaside Heights in 2006 and 2007, it was held in Belmar for 16 years, including 2008.

The June 25 return to Fifth and Ocean avenues will include a commitment from ESPN to televise the women’s finals at 2 p.m. June 27.

“Why we ever decided to leave Belmar, I’ll never know,” Hans Stolfus said in written statement releasing the 2010 schedule. “It’s easily the most beautiful city for volleyball on the Jersey Shore. I don’t care what (cast member of MTV’s “Jersey Shore’) Snooki says.”

Karch Kiraly to Serve as Chief Volleyball Officer for Nationwide Tour of Beach Volleyball Festivals

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CHICAGO, March 17 /PRNewswire/ — The Corona Light Wide Open, one of the nation’s leading grassroots beach volleyball tours, will bring its popular beach volleyball festival to nine US cities in 2010, opening with a May 15-16 stop at South Beach Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

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Created in part by volleyball legend Karch Kiraly, who will be the Chief Volleyball Officer for the 2010 tour, the Corona Light Wide Open will hit some of the nation’s most legendary beaches and popular beach volleyball venues.  The inaugural tour in 2009 drew more than 3,500 beach volleyball players competing in up to 16 different divisions of play.

Following the opener in Ft. Lauderdale, the tour moves to Galveston, Tex. (May 22-23 on Stewart Beach); Siesta Key, Fla. (June 19-20 at Siesta Key Beach) and Huntington Beach, Calif. (June 26-27 at Huntington Beach Pier).  In July, the tour returns to Santa Cruz, Calif. (July 10-11 on Main Street Beach) and on July 31 and August 1, the event will be on North Avenue Beach in Chicago, Ill.

August brings the Corona Light Wide Open to Long Island, N.Y. (Aug. 7-8 at Long Beach) and then makes its first appearance in Colorado, August 14-15 at Carter Park Beach in Breckenridge, Colo.  The tour closes on the east coast with an Aug. 21-22 stop at Point Pleasant Beach in Point Pleasant, N.J.

The Corona Light Wide Open is the official qualifying tour for the 2010 US Open of Beach Volleyball, a USA Volleyball-sanctioned national championship, which will be played Sept. 17-19 in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

“The Corona Light Wide Open is one of the few beach volleyball events in the world that captures the true essence and vibe of the beach; it’s all about playing the sport and living the lifestyle,” said three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Karch Kiraly.  ”Last year we quickly saw how people wanted a top-shelf, competitive beach volleyball tournament and a package of activities on the beach that allowed them not only to compete for a spot in the US Open, but have some fun and really let loose.   This year, we are taking the Wide Open experience to a much higher level.”

Volleyball on the 2010 Corona Light Wide Open will be contested in up to 16 different divisions of play and the number of divisions offered will vary from event to event. Winners in up to eight of the two-person divisions will earn an automatic berth into the 2010 US Open of Beach Volleyball.  All events will feature draws for two-person teams in men’s, women’s and co-ed divisions.  Among the divisions that may be held at the nine Corona Light Wide Open sites are Men’s Open, AA, A, BB, B; Women’s Open, AA, A, B; and Co-ed Open, A, B.

At select sites, draws also may include four-person and/or six-person divisions as part of the overall Corona Light Wide Open weekend.  However, winners of these divisions will not earn an automatic berth in the US Open draw.

Winners in up to eight two-person divisions at each of the Corona Wide Open events will receive a prize package that includes their US Open entry fee and a stipend to cover travel and lodging expenses to Manhattan Beach for the US Open of Beach Volleyball.  The specific divisions receiving the prize package will vary from market to market and details can be found at www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com.   Additionally, players in the men’s and women’s Open Divisions will compete for a total prize purse of $5,000 at each tour stop.

“There are few brands in this country that are perfectly suited for the beach and Corona is definitely one of those brands,” said Daniel Kinghorn, Sr. Manager of National Sponsorships at Crown Imports.  ”The Corona Light Wide Open is an excellent example of our desire to stay true to our commitment to the beach and provide both a competitive and fun experience for our consumers.”

A big part of the Corona Light Wide Open experience is the collection of non-volleyball beach activities that will be featured at each of the nine stops.  Planned events include an Oakley Fashion Show, a stand-up paddle professional surfing exhibition and demonstration from Surftech and a variety of interactive beach games and activities.  Center Court Mania will reign once again at the 2010 Corona Light Wide Open, with events like the Spalding Bubble Wrap Spike Contest (you have to see it to believe it), Oakley’s Serving for Shades and the frantic Wet n’ Wild Relay Race all planned for this season.

As Chief Volleyball Officer, Kiraly, who is currently an assistant coach with the US Women’s National Team and the winningest player in the history of beach volleyball, will oversee the tournament structure and rules development for the nine-city Corona Light Wide Open.   Additionally, he will play a significant role in the advertising and promotion of the nationwide tour, as well as conduct clinics and participate in exhibition matches and retail appearances in select markets.

Registration for the 2010 Corona Light Wide Open is now available at www.CoronaLightWideOpen.com.  Online entry is available until approximately 24 hours prior to the start of each of the nine events.  On-site entries will be accepted based on available openings in a specific division.

The Corona Light Wide Open is produced, promoted and managed by Cleveland-based The Elevation Group.

About Crown Imports LLC — Crown Imports LLC is a joint venture that imports, distributes and markets the Modelo portfolio and other fine beer brands across the entire U.S.  The Modelo portfolio includes Corona Extra, the #1 imported beer in the U.S. and #6 beer overall, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo and Pacifico beer brands.  Crown also imports the St. Pauli Girl and Tsingtao beer brands in the U.S.  For more information, visit www.crownimportsllc.com.  Crown Imports is a 50-50 joint venture between Grupo Modelo, S.A. de C.V. (MX: GMODELOC), Mexico’s leading company in the brewing, distribution and sale of beer, and Constellation Brands, Inc. ( STZ, ASX: CBR), a leading international beverage alcohol producer, importer and marketer.

About Elevation Group of Companies — The Elevation Group is one of the nation’s leading Sports & Music marketing and event production firms.  Founded in 2002 by industry veterans and former senior executives at IMG – Denny Young and Steve Lindecke – Elevation has been named three times (2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009) one of the top event production companies in the United States by Event Marketer magazine.  Elevation works alongside some of the world’s most recognizable corporate brands and personalities in the following areas: Concert & Event Production, Television & Video Production, Digital Engagement Marketing, Sponsorship Planning and Sponsorship Marketing.  Elevation offices are located in Cleveland, Charlotte, Detroit and Los Angeles.  For more information, log onto www.elevationgrp.com.

SOURCE Crown Imports LLC

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The summer season is behind everyone and the end of the lets-extend-the-season a little longer parties are beginning to wind down too. There are still a few events that are upcoming at the Jersey shore but even those will be trickling down to nothing fairly soon.

Columbus Day is the last fling for Seaside, as they will be having their Parade and the weekend long Italian Festival. As usual they will be feature what is called a folkloric group as part of the entertainment. The group, Arlecchino, does hail from Italy  and they will be making their first appearance ever in the United States. The group does dance and singing numbers and will perform Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There will also be other entertainment all weekend long, including the big Parade at 1 PM on Sunday.

A scene from Arnold Avenue at the Point Pleasant Beach Seafood Festival

The 32^nd annual Point Pleasant Seafood Festival took place on September 19. Arnold Ave was blocked off, west of route 35, as was a portion of River Avenue and Bay Avenue. The weather was absolutely great. It was about 70 degrees and sunny. Parking was tough during the time I was there, in mid afternoon, but it was something that just required a bit of walking. All around the train station and on the streets just east of the highway were packed with cars. We simply had to move further away from that area to find parking along the street.

The food booths were all along the south side of the street and stretched up to Bay Avenue. The only break in food stands were the music stage, which was set up just opposite River Avenue. Further along Arnold Avenue and along Bay Avenue were arts and crafts booths and some things for the kids to do. You can find antiques, health information, pony rides and children’s games.

We arrived at around 3:30 PM and the crowd was huge at that time. There were so many people that it was difficult to walk at times. If too many people stopped or there were too many people trying to buy something from any single booth it could cause a traffic jam of people.

The food was great this year, at least at the booths that I sampled from. I had lobster, shrimp, scallops and some fresh lemonade. We had visited the Shrimp Box in Point Pleasant Beach the night before. They always have good seafood meals and we did enjoy our dinner. Yet the seafood festival food we had was much better.

This was the first year I was able to attend the seafood festival and I hope I can attend again next year…and that the weather is as nice as it was today!

The annual Island Beach State Park fishing tournament is planned for Sunday October 4. Registration forms can be found here.  In addition to being a great fishing event, the tournament raises money for charity through the collection of registration fees. The funds collected will go towards: marine education, marine restoration work, surf fishing access, access ramps for disabled saltwater anglers, surf fishing instruction programs and equipment and the purchase of beach wheelchairs.

Pre registration (before September 14, by mail) $10
Tournament day sign up – $15

These fees are for those 18 and older. Children under 13 fish for free, those from 13-17 will need to pay $5 (early registration or the day of the event).

Fishing begins at 6:30 AM and ends at 1 PM.

The event is held rain or shine so lets hope the weather is good.

The sponsors for this year include: the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division of Parks and Forestry, the New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Jersey Coast Anglers Association, and the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association.

There is no way to understand how families of police officers that are killed in the line of duty cope with the loss of their loved one. It is also difficult to know what to do for such folks, to honor the memory of their fallen family member and to recognize their loss. This does not mean one should not try to hold out a hand or make a point of saying thank you.

In a very generous and thoughtful gesture, the owners of Jenkinson’s Breakwater Beach and Casino Pier in Seaside Heights did a very nice thing for the families who have lost a family member in the line of duty. Over 275 family members were treated to a day of free fun at the beach. Among other things they were able to spend time playing in the water park located just off the boardwalk. There were also a number of NJ state officials, and fellow police officers, on hand to pay tribute to the fallen police officers.

I not only salute the families but also the Storino family, the owners who hosted the events. It was  quite an act of kindness to offer their facilities in the way they did.

The 48th Annual Long Beach Island Beach Patrol Association Lifeguard Tournament was held on August 7 and 8, 2009.

Barnegat Light was the overall winner, taking the tournament from the defending two-time winners Surf City.

• Barnegat Light – 100 points
• Surf City – 74 points
• Long Beach Township – 63 points
• Ship Bottom – 53 points
• Harvey Cedars – 49 points
• Beach Haven – 43 points

The tournament was made up of numerous events spread over the two days, including (event – winner):

• Mile Row – Barnegat Light
• Women’s Paddle – Harvey Cedars
• Bouy Rescue – Surf City
• Paddle Relay – Ship Bottom
• Surf Boat Rescue – Surf City
• Iron Man Race – Barnegat Light
• Run, Swim Relay – Barnegat Light
• 1,000 foot Open Swim, Men – Barnegat Light
• 1,000 foot Open Swim, Women – Barnegat Light
• Paddle Rescue – Barnegat Light
• Line Race – Barnegat Light
• 1,500 foot Paddle Race – Barnegat Light
• Single Row – Long Beach Township
• 1,000 foot Doubles Row – Harvey Cedars

Now Barnegat Light sets themselves up to be the crew to beat next year. Surf City had a nice two year run before them and was in the lead after the first day of competition. Will next year find these two fighting for the top spot once again or will a new winner emerge? We will have to stay tuned for the 49th tournament.

The Lavallette Heritage Committee is once again presenting their free summer concert series. The shows are scheduled for Sunday evenings and begin at 7 PM. Music from 1940′s to modern day tunes are featured with the musicians playing from the Centennial Gazebo on Barnegat Bay.

July 12 – Wilber Witteman 7 Friends

July 19 – The Kootz

July 26 – Happy Days String Band; Special Time 4 PM

August 2 – A Little Bit of Heaven

August 9 – Fatherocket

August 16 – Fred Lehotay – “Ragtimers”

August 23 – John Luckenbill’s Brass Band

August 30 – Lakewood Jazz Ensemble

September 6 – A Little Bit of Heaven

The concerts provide an opportunity to enjoy a relaxing evening along the shore of Barnegat Bay. If the weather is right you can see one of those spectacular sunsets while you and your companions are being entertained by music that can be enjoyed by all ages.

The boardwalk at Long Branch is  one of the oldest in NJ. The modern day version is an amallgamation of brick, wood and composite materials.

The northern end of the boardwalk begins just south of Seven Presidents County Park, just off of Ocean Ave. The walkway extends a little over 2 miles and is much wider for its initial 1/2 mile or so, where it is made of brick. It then turns to a combination of wood and composite material. There are benches along its length.

Long Branch used to be the place to be in the mid to late 1800′s. President Grant added to the notoriety of the location when he began summering here in 1869. His example was then followed by others: Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Harrison, McKinley, and Wilson.

The pushpin on the map marks the location of the north end of the Long Branch boardwalk. You can click on the pushpin to open up a dialogue box where you will be able to get directions to this location.

View New Jersey Boardwalks in a larger map