September? Seriously? How can that possibly be? I’d swear it was just Memorial Day weekend – wasn’t it? Where did summer go?

Be sure to stop by the Stone Harbor location of Ocean Galleries over Labor Day weekend for an unprecedented collection of original artwork from returning artists Alexandre Renoir, great-grandson of Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Autumn de Forest, distinguished as the youngest artist to ever have her work featured in a solo exhibition in major U.S. museum.

Summer was fun but hectic. Fall is all about relaxing and unwinding after the busy season. Why not try some new wines, brews and spirits while enjoying time with those you love? Plan a date night or a girls’ trip to visit a winery, brewery or distillery. Cape May County is full of opportunities just waiting to be explored and enjoyed. Here is a list of some of the best venues that Cape May County has to offer for you to fall in love with this season!

Neither hurricanes nor nor’easters could sweep away Villa Maria by the Sea.

Changing times led to the recent demolition of the grand maroon-roofed, white retreat house that was built in less than five months by a remarkable Depression-era workforce in 1937.

Open for Business Hours Fall 2021

Soft-spoken strength, consistency and longevity.

These assets define the leadership of Sandy Bosacco, a South Jersey lifeguard fixture completing his 25th year as captain of the Stone Harbor Beach Patrol and 38th year with the group.

If you’re going to be a paddle-ball star, you’ve got to have a name like Bobo Mangan DeLaney.

DeLaney, who owns a home in Avalon, was born to play paddle ball, or “paddle,” the colloquial name for platform tennis. In fact, she was inducted into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016.

Fall is such a fun season for shopping. It’s time to stock up on back-to-school items, cuddly clothes, and even start on your Christmas shopping if you are ahead of the game. Many of the stores here at Seven Mile Beach stay open through the endless summer and even the holiday season.

This one had special meaning.

The cornerstone of the Avalon Beach Patrol season, beside its safety measures and a possible bonus with individual or team victories at the South Jersey championships, is the Kerr Memorials. Avalon hosts this annual event, featuring about two-thirds of the 15 patrols from Brigantine to Cape May, and places must-win emphasis on it.

Tropical Storm Isaias spawned two tornadoes in South Jersey last August. Early this July, Tropical Storm Elsa had us “frozen” in the middle of the night when two more twisters dropped out of the clouds and touched down along the Jersey Shore.

There is nothing like a glass of good wine. More and more, New Jersey wine drinkers are finding good reasons to choose their vino from their very own state’s backyard. And it all starts with the vines.

You might have read about them in our August issue. A group of guys in their early 20s moved into a rental in Avalon on Memorial Day weekend, 1975. They spent the next eight or nine summers in the house they named “Friday on My Mind.” After all the good times, everyone moved on and went about their lives, although they all remained friends and Avalon always remained in their hearts.

There was a time not so very long ago on the Seven Mile Beach when “summer kids” made up one of the largest portions of the summer population. These were kids who lived for the last day of school in June. That’s when their parents already had the car packed and they immediately headed “down” to Avalon or Stone Harbor for the summer. That meant that they were on the island, barring a special circumstance, until Labor Day – or better yet, the day after Labor Day.

For more than 50 years, The Wetlands Institute (TWI) has worked tirelessly to understand and act to address the challenges affecting the health and well-being of our area tidal marshes and the wildlife that depend on them.

If you spent Sunday nights in April and May drawn into the always compelling, sometimes comical, and ultimately devastating events in the life of Delco detective Mare Sheehan, you won’t be surprised to learn that HBO’s “Mare of Easttown” has been nominated for 15 Emmys.

The Avalon Stone Harbor Schools is bidding a fond farewell to two friendly faces this summer: secretaries Jackie Bradley and Fran Richardson, who worked in the Avalon office and greeted students, parents and staff throughout the school year.

St. Brendan the Navigator Parish celebrated the Feast of the Assumption on Aug. 15, and the Wedding of the Sea. For the second year in a row, the surf was a little rougher than might be ideal, but thanks to the Stone Harbor Beach Patrol, everything came off perfectly. The outdoor Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption was a huge success.

The importance of organic farming and production remains high in the wine industry.

With the knowledge that customers are more informed than ever and more inclined to purchase green and clean products, it is important to understand the differences in how grapes are farmed and produced.

One industrious local family recently lost its matriarch.

Ellen Byrnes, mother of Mary Ellen Ford and Kate Nestor, and mother-in-law to Avalon Coffee founders Sean Ford and Mike Nestor, died Jan. 4 at age 96. She will be warmly remembered for her self-determination, strong will and generous nature.

July & August Events