In case You Missed It:  Thunder Road Thursday’s 40th Anniversary Born To Run Celebration   BAR A  Lake Como  Thursday Aug 13^th   bY Calvin Schwartz

I  often write about New Jersey having arrived at the pinnacle of American Pop Culture. Just look at the proliferation in media; The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Jersey Boys, Jersey Shore, Garden State, Jersey Girl. The Jersey shore is a frequent topical theme and rightfully so; President Obama was here several times after Sandy as was Prince Harry and so was American Pharaoh, Triple Crown winner, yesterday at Monmouth Park along with 63,100 fans. There is a magical quality to the Jersey shore; the shore embodies senses of family, history, Americana, fun, reverence, loyalty, food, music with the Atlantic Ocean as backdrop.

Thus it is fitting and proper to be excited about a very special concert at the epicenter of the Jersey shore, at BAR A in Lake Como, close to Belmar, Asbury Park and miles of boardwalks. The lineup for the concert is iconic and kudos to Jesse Warren and Terry Camp for putting it together at the Jersey shore. Of note is the serious side of the concert; to raise awareness for the heroin epidemic here in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

If you meld all these elements together, the night promises to be hugely memorable. Get thee to the shore a few hours early for dinner, boardwalk and ocean air inhalations.                                                                                                                                                                                                             Calvin Schwartz

Event details and frequent updates will be on the Facebook Event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1524147801165369

 THUNDER ROAD THURSDAY

CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF SPRINGSTEEN’S “BORN TO RUN”

Lake Como, NJ – On Thursday, August 13, 2015, the Jersey Shore celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Bruce Springsteen’s legendary album, “Born to Run,” at Bar Anticipation in Lake Como, NJ. The event will honor this 40-year milestone and the pop culture influences that helped create the distinctive “Jersey Shore” sound. With this special event, the Thunder Road Thursday Series also aims to raise public awareness of the heroin epidemic facing Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Producer Jesse Warren of Jesse James Productions lost his brother, Scott Warren, to a heroin overdose on March 26th, 2015. Warren states, “The heroin addiction crisis in Monmouth and Ocean Counties has been building for many years and has, unfortunately, received national note. A few months ago, it hit home – my home. We are all responsible to keep the issue front and center in our communities.”

The show will feature a house band of All-Star New Jersey musicians backing featured performers. Springsteen’s “Born to Run” album will be covered and celebrated. The night will also feature artist collaborations and jams for which the Shore is famous. Bar Anticipation hosts as part of its own “Throwback Thursdays” series and offers a variety of drink specials all night long.

Assisting Jesse Warren is attorney and long-time member of the Jersey Shore music community, Terry Camp. Camp and Warren last collaborated on last January’s 3rd Annual “Big Man’s” Birthday Bash at Bar Anticipation, celebrating the late E Street sax man, Clarence Clemons. Camp adds, “We’re thrilled to again be working with Tom Jannarone and his Bar Anticipation team. That place is cream of the crop for a diverse and quality entertainment experience – and a natural venue to carry on the legacy of Jersey Shore rock and roll.”

 The full line-up of popular Shore artists will include:

Max Weinberg ( E Street Band)

Eddie Testa (from The Eddie Testa Band)

JoBonanno (from JoBonanno and the Godsons of Soul)

Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez (original E Street Band drummer and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer)

“The Philly Elvis” Nick Ferraro (who has performed with Springsteen)

Bob Polding (from The Bob Polding Band, as regularly featured on “The

FAN,” WFAN-AM radio)

Killer Joe ( From Killer Joe and The Lido Soul)

Pat Roddy (from The Pat Roddy Band)

Sean Loughlin (from The E Street Shuffle)

Joe Cartwright (from Bent Mushroom)

The All Star House Band features:

Mark Leimbach (Gary U.S. Bonds)

Kevin Gilmore (Eddie Testa Band)

Dennis Miele (Godsons of Soul)

Vini Lopez/Dave Halpern (John Eddie)

Joey Stann (Springsteen, Jukes)

Tony Perruso (Jukes)

Tommy Miers (Jukes)

Tony Aiello (Joe Jackson, Jukes)

Joe Arminio

Ken Latawiec (Eddie Testa Band)

David Turner

Sheri and Lori Gilmore

Doreen Arminio

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and live music begins at 7:00 p.m. The show is expected to end by 11:00 p.m.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15.00 day of show.

21 and over

Tickets may be purchased via the Facebook Event page or by contacting Jesse Warren (contact information below).

 Event details and frequent updates will be the Facebook Event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1524147801165369/

Bar Anticipation

www.bar-a.com

703 16th Avenue

Lake Como, NJ 07719

(732) 681-7422

For Press/Media inquiries and access:

E-mail Jesse Warren at sting5890@aol.com

Phone – (908) 309-0426

 A MESSAGE FROM THE PROMOTERS

Proud to announce we are partnering with CFC Loud N Clear Non-Profit to Raise Awareness of the Heroin Epidemic.

http://www.cfcloudnclear.org

Join Us and CFC at Thunder Road Thursday in dedication to Scott Warren August 13th and at Rock The Farm NJ August 29th!

Be aware. Be vigilant. Care

About CFC- CFC Loud N Clear was developed in light of our family’s personal journey through addiction. In 2012 after many IOPs, several in-patient treatment centers and years of an uphill battle, we discovered the gaps in the system and realized a need for diverse programs of extended after care. Daniel Regan developed an after care system for himself with the help of his mother Lynn Regan. After a while people started to want to know how they did it and wanted a recovery plan set up for themselves. They decided from that point that everyone deserves access to an aftercare program and they created CFC Loud N Clear. The first year after treatment is the most crucial year in someone’s recovery. CFC will help guide you through your first year and beyond. CFC Loud N Clear believes in providing many roads to recovery thus giving our members many positive proven options that resonates with them. We also recognized the need for safe sober socialization and create a social calendar filled with fun/ laugh inducing activities. Daniel and Lynn Regan are highly involved in the field of prevention and saw the importance of giving back and preventing others from going down the wrong road. Thus CFC got its name Coming Full Circle, we are proudly more than just a recovery program. CFC provides services for Prevention, Intervention, and Recovery with a seamless integration of the three making it a full circle.

http://www.cfcloudnclear.org/

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS: THE JERSEY SHORE  July 9^th 2015   bY Calvin Schwartz

It’s the old proverbial; who better to write an article on memories of the Jersey shore. My ‘involvement’ begins before I was born, when my parents went to the Buena Vista, a Belmar hotel, for the weekend as WWII was slowly winding down in late 1944. They stayed in the attic; nine months later I arrived. When I was ten, my parents started renting a bungalow in Belmar for August. That first summer of ’55, I discovered the pinball arcade, navigating the dust underneath the machines for lost coins, the Shark River Jetty, its meditative properties and the olfactory sensations of the boardwalk, in part, which smelled like a telephone pole back in Newark.

The essence of the shore begins about six to ten blocks away from the sand and beach.  Somehow only in Jersey, with the flatness of the geography of shore towns, from a distance, you can see the end of New Jersey and America; the vast blueness of ocean and sky meeting. That view is priceless and exciting. It’s that first shore sighting; a giant window to memories and new daily beach badge experiences. Yes, the beach badge, with its convoluted pin affixed to bathing suit. If only a season badge someday.

As I interviewed a diverse group of Jerseyans, many mentioned unique shore smells. Author Karen Kenney Smith, remembering a summer week spent at Asbury Park’s Atlantic Hotel liked the “musty smell of the tired carpet.” Moist ocean air everywhere contributed. Rock on Radio personality Danny Coleman focused on the panoply of boardwalk smells. They were pure Jersey food on boardwalk smells but, “Pizza aroma was everywhere.”  Musician Carmen Cosentino still loves the smell of “peanuts on the boardwalk.” He explained somehow it mixes with the salt air of Jersey’s Atlantic Ocean and has this additive effect of making you want peanuts even more.

I’m not sure how I started talking about the hair-do of the Jersey shore but maybe we have our own home-grown style. Insurance industry analyst Susan Michelle’s grandmother’s friends always had their hair in a net sitting on the beach with cigarettes dangling from lips. A card game was always going on. Carmen’s thought on hair, “Jersey women had the strangest hair-do; it looked like a bee-hive.”   Kathy Sinnott’s grandmother left the beach every day at 3PM to prepare for happy hour.

“And what happened when you left the Jersey beach to go back to your houses?”   Kathy showered outside in the backyard in unique wooden showers with plank floors. It was to get rid of the sand fast. Susan used outside showers too or sometimes just a quick hose down on the back lawn covered with neatly manicured weeds and occasional crab grass.

I drifted into a serious line of questioning; parents and kids. Yes the Jersey shore fostered a special life-long bond and memory pool with relationships of kids to parents. Back then, people knew you as a kid and who you belonged to. Kathy remembered long talks with her Dad sitting on a porch or backyard before heading to the boardwalk. You always saw kids with parents hanging together. The shore was built for kids and parents. Retired Pharmacist Jack Cobin told about grandmothers sitting on benches and watching kids carefully and mother’s telling you not to go into the water for an hour after eating. “Kids in the neighborhood hanging out was like the Wonder Years; a naïve innocent time,” Kathy added. Writer and blogger Kevin Cieri thought, “Family time was playing Skeeball together.” Billie Jo McDonald, with more recent memories of the shore, would walk her children to the beach in November and wait for storms. For the homeschooling kids, they’d spend the first day of school on the beach.  “It got to be that the kids could read the riptide. The Jersey beach was a grounding spot.”

Food is Jersey definitive. Everyone remembers. It was the Good Humor ice cream truck. For me in the 50’s, it was a bakery truck driving up and down the beach streets with bread and cake stuff out of the rear.  I heard recollections about Syd’s, Vic’s, Zelbe’s, Max’s and The WindMill for hot dogs.  Despite the admonition of Thomas Wolfe that you can’t go home again, The WindMill is still purveying hot dogs today.  Also mentioned as a memory were soft-shelled crab sandwiches and salt water taffy right out of the local ocean; it tasted better indigenous. Kohr’s Custard in a cone; Karen once dropped her cone and to this day it’s always in a cup for her. Sandwiches were always taken to the beach, sometimes packed in shoe-boxes. French fries came in brown paper bags with small wooden forks and vinegar instead of ketchup.

Amusements on the beach boardwalk were endless; every town from Asbury Park to Point Pleasant had pastimes. For me, if I behaved during the week and watched my infant sister Hildy, the family would go to Asbury Park on Saturday. The merry-go-round was mostly magical. I never grabbed the brass ring.  Pinball in the arcades was prolific on boardwalks, Ocean Avenue or in memory. Today, the Pinball Museum in Asbury Park captures the particulates with vintage games like the Gottlieb and Williams machines. And back to the future with an original game, the baseball pinball where you can even adjust the pitch speed. Susan remembers the ‘Grabber Machine’ which she played all summer long trying for that elusive big prize; one year she won and still talks about it. Ironically, the other day, a local television news story focused on that machine. They reported the machine is programmed (fixed) to not yield a winner until all the prizes inside were paid for. Bingo had its fans in Bradley Beach. And of course Palace Amusements and Tillie and Seaside stirred memories.  Music wise, it’s easy for me to write about The Upstage Club in Asbury Park, open from 1968 to 1971 (I’ve been researching it) where the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, Vini Lopez and Steven Van Zandt started out. And you played volleyball on the beach even under the light of the silvery moon.  Film maker Chris Eilenstine remembers, “There was always something to do.”

There is a life cycle to the Jersey shore. Many towns had pavilions where little kids hung out, sometimes with arts and crafts. Then teen dances sprung up in those VFW or religious halls after a day of listening to transistor radios on the beach. Jack reminded that Loch Arbor beach, adjacent to Asbury Park, became a college hang out.  Shore towns sometimes mirrored different ethnic enclaves. Humorously, Carmen told me that his father bought a house in Bradley Beach and when he dated a Bradley Beach girl, he was instructed by the date to hide his crucifix under his shirt; a scene right out of the movie ‘Goodfellas’ (celebrating a 25^th anniversary) Chris, to this day, says “I love the diversity, the great culture play, small town feel and originality of the Jersey shore and you can hop on a train and be in New York City in an hour.”

Pondering a good visual to portray the Jersey shore when I was listening to the Everly Brothers sing ‘Bye Bye Love’ in 1955, I just thought of the movie ‘The Summer of ’42.’ Jersey shore was small towns, simple beach structures, like on the island in the movie. Stores were basic and general. Painted paper sale signs hung on windows; beach chairs and umbrellas on the sidewalks creating impulses to buy. Movie theaters boasted they had air-conditioning, were mostly double feature and had that beach dank damp smell.  I want to say I saw ‘Now Voyager’ starring Bette Davis down the shore one summer.  Some towns were regal with their Victorian architecture; I’m thinking Ocean Grove and Spring Lake. Jersey shore is old and historic.

There’s a paradox to the crowds and long lines of summer; the solitude and introspection of the winter months at the Jersey shore. Some towns turn off traffic lights in winter. Back in college, I used to get the key to my friend’s beach house in Bradley Beach and go there to study. It was cold but eerily quiet and productive. David McMahon, from 40 Foot Hole Studios, would rent a shore house for the winter for its ultimate peace and solitude. “I love the winters down there. I’d just bundle up and sit by the ocean.” That’s the other side of the shore; the down winter time; something which provides a unique identity. You can be in a state with eight million neighbors but find this spiritually special desolate shore place in a world all by itself with few winter neighbors and even fewer year-around pizza establishments.

And finally what is that common denominator that makes the Jersey shore unique, memorable and passed down from generation to generation?  It’s the people of Jersey who’ve won their independence from New York and Philadelphia these past years. New Jersey is hot culturally and media wise. Just look at national pop culture; The Soprano’s, Boardwalk Empire, Jersey Shore, Jersey Housewives, Garden State, Jersey Boys; and of course Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi globally. What really is that bond that puts the whole state together then and now; that matrix of shared pride and experience; that place we all rushed to re-build after Sandy and showed our resilience to the world? It’s the Jersey shore. And I still remember it like it IS yesterday.

COMING JERSEY SHORE ATTRACTIONS: Friends for Danny  Federici Benefit at Bar Anticipation on  Saturday May 9     By Calvin Schwartz    

When I was told about this event, it was one of those “have to be there “experiences for several personal reasons.  Of course it’s Danny Federici, a Jersey native and part of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.  In 2014, Federici was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band. Danny died on April 17, 2008 in New York City after three years fighting melanoma.  So the benefit is to raise money for Melanoma research. The Danny Fund, part of The Melanoma Research Alliance was founded and named after him.

Melanoma personally hit home for me 15 years ago when a dear friend, a powerful, black belt karate, part time bar bouncer and gentle giving soul had a small sore on his arm which became the entry point of this horrific disease. He passed away within a few months, devastating his family and friends. I had never been that close to melanoma. I saw his family unravel and his father soon pass away seemingly from the overwhelming loss and tragedy.

So the fund raiser for Danny Federici , in Belmar, close to E Street is the perfect place and time to celebrate his life and to raise consciousness and funds to fight a terrible disease.

Calvin Schwartz   April 27, 2015

For more info please check the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1587321221482975/

Friends For Danny is a fund Raising Effort Featuring The Jersey Shore’s most popular bands coming together to raise monies for the Research Of Melanoma. The Danny Fund part of The Melanoma Research Alliance was founded and Named after The Late great Danny Federici,keyboardist for Bruce Springsteen’s E. Street Band. Please join us to celebrate the life of Danny Federici and support our effort to raise money and awareness for Melanoma in the hopes of someday finding a cure.

Friends for Danny Benefit at Bar Anticipation on

Saturday May 9th 1:00 pm to 9:00pm

with friends Tommy Byrne , Bobby Mahoney , Projex Band , Strumburry Pie, The Eddie Testa Band, Sandy Mack “Band” , Alex Julia, StoneBaby , The Nick Clemons Band , JT Bowen, Jo Wymer , Slim Chance & The Gamblers , Bob Polding, Dawg Whistle with Rock N’ Roll Hall of Famer Vini Lopez and Ryan Maher

Produced by:

Marta Elena and Jersey Music Live Productions LLC

Associate Producer:

Jesse James Warren of Jesse James Productions

Creative Consultant:

J Robert Stanton – Creative Music Marketing Group

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE:

http://friendsfordanny.bpt.me/

HOLIDAY COMING ATTRACTIONS: 9th Annual Beach Music Studios Holiday Concert Party to collect toys for Manna House & Belmar kids. Sunday Dec. 14th Stone Pony       by Calvin Schwartz

There are unique events that take place at holiday time and give back especially to the kids in need. Danny White and Beach Music Studios do exactly that in a festive, musical and purist fun party for such a good cause. I’ve had a great time; its the genuiness and spirit of the hosts that make it a worthwhile Sunday afternoon. As I see it, there isn’t even a reason to stay home and watch local football so come on down to Asbury Park. It’s the holidays!!   Calvin

BEACH MUSIC STUDIOS 9TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY CONCERT PARTY December, 14th 2014 1:30pm at The Stone Pony.   Danny White, owner of Beach Music Studios in Belmar, NJ, will once again host the BEACH MUSIC STUDIOS ANNUAL HOLIDAY CONCERT PARTY. This will be the 9th year for the party and will once again be held at the legendary Stone Pony (913 Ocean Ave. Asbury Park, NJ). The concert will feature the Beach Music Rock Band Kids (Beach Music students aged 7-18 years old), individual Beach Music Students and the Danny White Band with special guests.

Each student from Beach Music Studios will have the opportunity to perform on the Stone Pony’s world famous stage! Beach Music Studios will be collecting toys for Manna House. Manna House is a transitional housing program for women and children who would otherwise be homeless. They provide the opportunity for women to move from dependency and homelessness to self sufficiency and hope. Beach Music Studios will again this year collect a portion of the toys for Belmar children/families in need. This event is open to the public and is an all ages holiday party!

Hopefully, Santa will stop by for a visit again this year! Tickets for the event are $10 each when you bring one new unwrapped toy. Tickets are available at Beach Music Studios and The Stone Pony the day of the event. Door prizes, Give-Aways and Fun! FOR MORE INFO PLEASE CONTACT BEACH MUSIC STUDIOS AT: 732-280-1181

Coming Attractions and Recommendations: 2nd Annual BELMAR Music and Arts Festival!!  Tues Aug 27th

On a personal note, I went to the First Annual BELMAR Music and Arts Festival last year. Of course I love the music of Danny White. I love listening to the legend, Jerry Pashin taking on two trumpets at a time. I love Belmar, NJ. Some folks know about my strong attachment to this special Jersey shore town. I’d even go as far to say that it approaches nirvana to be sitting on the beach, the ocean a few hundred feet behind you, the setting sun glistening in your face, music on the boardwalk with gentle breezes stirring. (Hey, I’m a writer so I’m supposed to be describing things like this )  It’s a great setting and an even better way to usher in the Labor Day weekend and summer’s slow slip sliding away.  Calvin Schwartz   11:54am 8-20-13

Tuesday August 27th 2013  from 6 to 9 PM

In our series Jersey Benefits, Cal & TaraJean travel across New Jersey discovering the amazing people who give back to their community.

This segment called “Take What You Need” is filmed in Union Beach and Belmar.

Amongst the rubble of Union Beach, we discovered a family who has opened up their home to help those in need.

The O’Hea Family and their three children, along with many volunteers, work tirelessly to create a place where neighbors can come for coffee, to charge their phones and find something warm to wear. They have stocked donated supplies in their front yard making it accessible to anyone who stops by.

In Belmar the town’s volunteers band together to help gut homes, replenish needed home goods, and provide meals to families who are still struggling with rebuilding their homes.

Singer Michael Grant had written and song called “Our Town”. Michael says it is “a tribute to all my friends on the Jersey Shore. 100% of all proceeds received from downloads of this song will go toward helping those affected by Hurricane Sandy!”

All proceeds from the sale of his song “Our Town” go to “Hurricane Sandy Helping Hands”, A grass-roots organization dedicated to helping the residents of NJ repair, rebuild, and restore their lives. Visit his website for more information www.michaeltgrant.com.

Please contact tarajean@njdiscover.com if you have a story you would like us to share.

All Sponsors for the Jersey Benefits TV Show please contact tarajean@njdiscover.com

NJDiscover – We are a Production Company, Website Magazine and Cable Television Show. We specialize in TV commercials, Website Commercials, Events and Reality Shows.

Flash Mob Belmar N.J. 2012

A great way to kick off the Memorial Day Weekend! The Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau planned a flash mob to kick off the season on the Belmar Boardwalk on Ocean Avenue. Attending the exciting event was Mayor Doherty, local shop owners and many energetic Jerseyites! With the music pumping the crowd danced to a choreographed “Flash Mob” performance!  Check out the Video!!

Tara-Jean Vitale Reporting

DANNY WHITE:  From Belmar to the National Stage:

Danny White has managed to steer his musical craft past the dangers of second guessing musical trends, sidestepping unimaginative pop mentality and laying down original rock and roll with smart intuition and sound.

DANNY WHITE:  From Belmar to the National Stage: NJ Discover Featured Musician. by Cal Schwartz

Through the magic of Facebook, I found Danny White late last summer and as synchronicity would have it, our concentric circles of commonality overlapped. I eventually listened to Danny’s music from his new CD, “A Beautiful Crazy.” And I liked it a lot. Then a luminescent light bulb: why doesn’t NJ Discover TV, which is omnipresent all over Monmouth County, begin to devote energies to musicians and artists in a featured format?

A month ago, Danny and I hung out in Belmar, found a place for fresh sweetened caffeine beverages on Main Street and talked an afternoon away. A wall in his music studio in Belmar is a bit of a who’s who in music. Two weeks later NJ Discover TV hooked up with Danny at a CD launch gig at the Saint in Asbury Park. And here is the video history! Enjoy!

DANNY WHITE:  Bio

In an ever-changing industry, steadfast vision can sometimes take a back seat to flavor of the month style. New Jersey artist Danny White has managed to steer his musical craft past the dangers of second guessing musical trends, sidestepping unimaginative pop mentality and laying down original rock and roll with smart intuition and sound.

Danny White is a consummate songwriter and has experienced much when it comes to interaction with the best in the music industry. White has shared the stage with such luminaries as Bruce Springsteen, Journey, North Mississippi All Stars, Pete Yorn, Foreigner, Live, Guster, Goo Goo Dolls, Lifehouse, John Mellencamp, Andy Summers of The Police, The Avett Brothers and so many other well-known artists. Whether touring as a solo act or with a full band, Danny White maintains an enthusiastic and fresh sound for listeners everywhere.

White’s immediately likeable sound has helped make him the artist to watch in the television and recording industry today. White’s compositions, “You Got A Good Thing Going” and “Ooh Yeah” have been used on at least two different MTV shows including The Road Home & Making The Tour. Danny White’s new song “Prisoners Of Hope” (from his latest CD titled, A Beautiful Crazy) is featured in the film Just Around The Corner. He also has an original song “Holiday Home” featured in Hwy 50 film’s Nothing For Christmas. Danny has been featured in numerous prestigious publications including The New York Times, Billboard Magazine, Philadelphia Inquirer and many others.

White’s ongoing success is also based in his ability to give back as much as possible. An active alumnus of The Light Of Day Foundation to fight Parkinson’s disease, White is also active with Musicians On Call, a music therapy program where artists play for children at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in NYC. He was the first musician to begin the program and to play for children at the hospital. He has also donated stage time for The Food Banks of Monmouth & Ocean Counties of N.J. and Manna House, a home for abused young mothers.

Danny White’s latest CD is titled, A Beautiful Crazy and was co-produced and mixed by C.J. Eiriksson (U2, Incubus, Phish, Live, Matchbox 20) as well as Mike Wanchic, John Mellencamp’s longtime guitarist & co-producer (who has also produced Bob Dylan, Black Crowes, Dave Matthews) Mellencamp’s band also backed White on some the CD tracks.

Other material has been produced & mixed by Shelly Yakus. A legend in the industry who has mixed and or engineered on John Lennon’s Imagine & Walls & Bridges, Music From Big Pink by The Band, Tom Petty & U2.

Fresh, Americana based rock and roll is what Danny White brings to the table on this latest and immediately likeable disc. For further information on Danny White and his latest CD A Beautiful Crazy, please go to www.facebook.com/dannywhitemusic or www.reverbnation.com/dannywhite

By Calvin Schwartz

First of all let me explain the article title which is a stream of consciousness derived from the book and 1973 movie ‘The Paper Chase,’ about a first year law student at Harvard; his love of law, a girl and the difficult journey presented by both. One of my favorite movies; it may’ve forever dissuaded me from studying law; a long hard consumptive undertaking. I like the word ‘chasing.’

We all pass by cemeteries and I’ve never given much thought until my parents were being settled into a local one. Once I took my eleven year old son to see his maternal grandparents in a Newark cemetery. The front gate looked locked so I climbed over a metal picket fence, cut my arm and leg while my son pushed open the gate. It wasn’t locked.

Six weeks ago, my co-producer and writer at NJ Discover, Tara-Jean Vitale and I were coming back from covering a Seaside Heights event and were near Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital and the cemetery across the street. We decided to visit the solemn place, so I followed Tara-Jean down a dirt road to the edge of an expansive field of grave markers. The hospital closed down years ago not before 924 people died from 1920 to 1960 and are buried with just numbered markers from 1 to 924 as the only form of identification of a human’s life.  Separately we walked around, absorbing and pondering people with misfortunes of being diagnosed with mental illness and hospitalized probably for and with their lives. I wondered about women buried there and how much they had to endure above and beyond because they were defenseless. A clump of trees in the distance provided shade for a concrete structure which memorialized the names and passing dates of all 924 people. I stared, occasionally letting my finger trace the outlines of a few names. We both felt something but didn’t verbalize to each other. Reluctantly I took pictures; didn’t want to disturb the silence with the click of a camera.  Did Trenton (NJ State Capital) have any information on these people?  Proportionally did more people pass in 1942?  I wondered why. This place of solemnity is a few miles (or two traffic lights) from my house.  I’ll be back, I thought.

There was something there. Even now I feel strange, empty and curious. A few weeks later Tara-Jean and I were coming back from a preliminary meeting with officials at  Regal Pointe, a senior living complex in Middletown, New Jersey where we were planning to interview Emily Cook, a spirited and wondrously charming 102 year old resident. On the way back, Tara-Jean yelled, “Stop. Look at that old cemetery across the street,” which reminded me of little Natalie Wood in the movie ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ yelling near the movie’s end, “Stop.” I made a U-Turn and we entered an old Revolutionary War cemetery where some markers indicated passing before America was born in 1776. How strange I thought. And it was cloudy, cool and unusually quiet. The cemetery is the “Presbyterian Burial Ground circa 1684” and it was adjacent to the Hendrickson Family Burial Ground 1798-1913. What haunted the most is that many buried here did not know what happened to the colonies and America; near one marker, I tried to send something communicative about how amazing America is today and thanks.  Heading home, we passed a few more old looking cemeteries but decided to save for another day. It hit me; we have been engaging in Cemetery Chasing which was perfect for NJ Discover. By definition and business plan, NJ Discover discovers and explores a plethora of institutions and people here in central Jersey.

With no forethought about creating cemetery chasing happenings, I thought perhaps it’s a matter of spiritual synchronicity, our being taken down a road for reasons. A few weeks ago, we had a NJ Discover TV breakfast meeting at a pancake establishment. On the way back, I drove up a rural country road in Colts Neck, Monmouth County, New Jersey, passed this magnificent old church. I made an illegal turn and stopped to read a sign: “Dutch Reformed Church completed and erected in 1856.”

With camera always by my side, I snapped a few and posted the pix on the wall of NJ Discover to which a Facebook Florida stranger asked if there was a cemetery in the back and if so, it could very well be where her mother and grandparents are buried. I didn’t know if there was a cemetery but something (a favorite word) made me respond, by offering if I ever return (which was doubtful) to investigate and try to find her mother’s grave stone.

A few days later, I was down the Jersey shore, a few towns over from my beloved Asbury Park, in Belmar. After a large helping of caffeine sweetened with a dark brown liquid confection, I headed to my favorite jetty in the world and meditated by the Shark River. A fierce seventy degree warm wind blew virginal sand in my face as my feet rested on jetty boulders. I saw a ship heading to Kilimanjaro and the bridge over a troubled Shark River water lifted to let a boat pass under.

Then something (the force) directed me back to that country road and that church, reasonably far out of the way. In the rear was an old cemetery as the stranger on Facebook described. A spiritual quality was there even in the way the trees bent in the wind.  While taking pictures, I forgot the stranger’s name; when I saw that certain headstone, I knew it was her mother’s. A special good deed accomplished, I was about to make a get-away; somehow taking pictures in a reverent place still bothered me. A man of rural authority approached. “I’m from NJ Discover TV,” I quickly spoke and told the story of the woman Facebook stranger. Tom (the caretaker) asked if I’d like to learn cemetery history.

The marker of Ryers Crummal, the last Indian chief from the Sand Hill Nation, part of the historic Lenni Lenape Tribe, was inches away from my shoe, frozen in soft soil, afraid to move closer. Then Tom pointed to the far end of the cemetery where no graves were, yet one lone grave stood. James Miller, an African-American (the only one buried there) without family or friends had died in 1901 and the church provided. “Would you like to meet Reverend Scott Brown now?”  I did meet the Reverend and told him my story. Meeting him was magic too. Later I emailed the picture of her mother’s grave to the Facebook stranger (no more, we’re friends now) who wrote a beautiful emotional thank you message.

A few days ago, I was contacted by another Facebook friend who was fascinated with my cemetery pictures and stories. This friend has unusual abilities and can contact spirits of those who passed a long time ago. I felt like the cowardly lion listening to the pronouncements, thinking “I do believe. I do believe.” And I do. So one warm Saturday in May, we’re going ghost-busting of sorts, but with extreme reverence and curiosity and maybe we’ll take our NJ Discover cameras along for the verification. Indeed this cemetery chasing continues and miles to go before I sleep. We’ll keep you posted. You keep visiting NJ Discover’s site, we’ll do the documented chasing.

In Belmar and Lake Como, the NJ Discover team was on the scene to celebrate the St Patrick’s Day Parade on a brisk Sunday in March.  The parade was led by the Pipers from Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh of the Jersey Shore. Bag pipes, green dogs, beautiful Irish colleens and dashing Irish lads marched down Main Street through the cheering crowds of thousands! This was truly a day to celebrate – Irish style!

All of New Jersey celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at Belmar and Lake Como over the weekend! The wearing of the green and luck of the Irish was everywhere to be seen! Erin Go Bragh!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/QjVaC-WwvZU