Coral-colored sunrises, waves in every shade of blue, and sunsets that shift from lavender to indigo to night … Seven Mile Beach is a festival of color, nature, and light. This summer, its beauty will be celebrated with a special exhibit when world-renowned artist Josef Kote returns to Ocean Galleries in Stone Harbor on Aug. 7, 8 and 9.

Liz Dougherty remembers the afternoon of Aug. 1, 1970, like it was yesterday.

After all, what 10-year-old wouldn’t recall being accidentally left at a gas station by her family, and then a short while later being crowned Queen of the Little Miss Avalon pageant?

This story started by chance, based on a memory. Late one evening, I was reading through some Facebook posts when I noticed that a person by the name of Morgan who probably lives almost 2,000 miles from Avalon mentioned “The Wharf” in one of her posts.

Every now and then, the right thing comes along at exactly the right time. This summer, the Lazy Bass Bayside Bar & Grill is that thing. Not only is the new establishment Middle Township’s first and only bar and restaurant on the water, it also happens to be an ideal destination for this socially distant summer.

Around the Seven Mile Beach, you almost have to go out of your way to not hear live music. Performances are often enjoyed from restaurants, bars, farmers markets, and outside store fronts. For many of us, our dream of becoming the next pop sensation stops at belting at the top of our lungs over blaring music (which masks our voice) with our windows down, riding through the island.

Cean Bloss is the picture of altruism.

That’s the sentiment of perhaps 50 Avalon surfers, who relish the efforts of this kind stranger, a visiting digital click-master from central Pennsylvania.

Some of my favorite memories of all time happened on warm summer nights. There’s just something about spending the day at the beach and the night out on the town. Every summer night at Seven Mile Beach feels like you are on vacation. There are so many great places to enjoy dinner and entertainment.

Well, I thought I knew the name of every street in Avalon, but it’s never too late to learn something new in your own backyard. “Dick’s Dead End” is the eponymous nickname for the street on which Dick Herb calls his home.

Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Environmental sustainability is one of the three pillars of sustainability along with economic and social sustainability.

The Avalon Free Public Library and History Center bid a temporary farewell to their faithful patrons this past spring as the governor released executive orders to close amid COVID-19. And as the town slowly reopens at some sort of capacity, so too does the Library and History Center with new restrictions and virtual programming to maintain the connection so valued by patrons and visitors.

Summer, sweet summer, oh how we love you so! Once August sets in, everyone is in their summer routine. This routine most likely includes a lot of beach, bay, pool, sunsets, then repeat. One thing everyone can admit is that it is hot, very hot. You are probably searching far and low for new ways to keep cool. Here are some of our favorite ideas.

We are in the dog days of summer which means it is hot, hot, hot and you probably can’t wait to get into the ocean. Unfortunately, there have been a lot of lifeguard rescues on our beaches so we thought it was a great time to remind everyone of the hidden (and not so hidden) dangers that are out there.

Summer nights usually call for a casual outfit, especially when it’s hot out. Whether you are entertaining at home or decide to head out on the town, it’s nice to have a few go-to outfits in your closet that are easy. You can throw them on, they work for pretty much any occasion, and you always feel and look good. This is one of those outfits.

While general-membership fitness facilities are still closed, personal training studios are allowed to be open again!

I’m writing this over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. It seems like the world is still in chaos. The novel Coronavirus is spiking again, most sharply in our Southern states. We are seeing governors closing their beaches and bars as they try to rein in the spread of the virus.

1. Where did you receive your training? Under Chef Jeremy Otton.

2. Where do you get your inspiration from, when creating a new dish? My father, Kasimir.

We are now well into grilling season. Are you still pairing your grilled foods with beer? It’s nice to switch up your beverage and try some wine pairings to take your grilled meals up a notch. There are so many flavors to consider that pairing your meal with the right wine can be a bit of a challenge, but let’s keep it simple.

There was a time when the Seven Mile Beach had three movie theaters. While COVID-19 is currently keeping us from attending movies in theaters, we thought it might be fun to look back at the movies showing at the Avalon Theatre 70 years ago this month, during the summer of 1940.

Knowledge is power. There has never been a better time to optimize your immune system. As an M.D. who specializes in wellness and true preventative medicine, I know well that the human body has an innate and incredible ability to heal itself.

It’s August already. Summer is waning, and I’m tired of cooking. After several months of a houseful of grown kids and grandkids, Gigi needs a break. We’ve done months of quarantining and now a couple months of social distancing, and everyone in my family has been a model citizen, but the kids are getting antsy and the adults are just plain tired.