Times Talk
AHLOA President Tony Newshel (third from right) with (from left) Council president Mari Coskey and council members Sam Wierman and Barbara Juzaitis, Mayor John McCorristin, Chet Johnson.
AHLOA MEETING DRAWS A CROWD
Approximately 175 people attended the annual Avalon Home and Land Owners Association meeting Aug. 10 in the Avalon Community Hall. The event featured a state of the borough address delivered by Mayor John McCorristin as well as a Q&A session with the mayor, Business Administrator Scott Wahl, and Police Chief Jeff Christopher.
The meeting also included a new board member election in which Francine Del Ricci was added to the board.
“We host an annual meeting where the Avalon Mayor, the business administrator, and the police chief offer in-depth remarks and take questions from the audience,” board member Liz Thomas said. “We greatly appreciate the time they put into this. Our members gain a whole lot of information, and it gives them a deeper appreciation for Avalon.”
For more information on the Avalon Home and Land Owners Association, visit ahloa.com.
Father Gormley participates in his first Blessing of the Sea in Avalon.
Father Gormley was taken out on a lifeguard boat to bless the sea.
HUNDREDS ATTEND WEDDING OF THE SEA
The St. Brendan the Navigator parish hosted the annual Wedding of the Sea celebration Aug. 15. The event was held to commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The morning began with an outdoor Mass at the Stone Harbor Recreation field, followed by a procession to the beach. At the beach, Father Raymond Gormley boarded a lifeguard boat rowed by the Stone Harbor Beach Patrol. Once in the ocean, he blessed the sea and tossed a wreath into the water with an estimated 800 parishioner and visitors looking on.
ABP ADDS 22 DEFIBRILLATORS
Units lined up for Avalon Beach Patrol roll call on an August morning.
There’s no question, minutes matter. Research has shown that speed is of the essence during a cardiac emergency. The chances of survival for an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are only about 6%. If you can get the pads of a defibrillator onto the patient’s chest within 3 minutes and they are in a shockable rhythm, the chances of survival jump to 74%. This drops by 10% for every minute’s delay in using the machine.
So, it should be comforting to know that the Borough of Avalon reacted so quickly to a request from its beach patrol to better equip them with state-of-the-art defibrillators.
“We have to give credit to the Stone Harbor Beach Patrol,” says Avalon Beach Patrol Chief Matt Wolf. “They had them at every stand and it seemed like a really great idea.”
One of the 44 Philips Heartstart FRx AED units used by the Avalon Beach Patrol. The state-of-the-art units are designed to be easy to use, reliable and durable.
The ABP was already trained in the use of the two units that were carried in their beach vehicles, but as research has shown, speed is of the essence. With that in mind, conversations began between Wolf and then-Borough Council President Jamie McDermott last year.
Wolf notes that while the beach patrol is most usually associated with ocean or waterside emergencies, “We’re seeing more and more back beach emergencies every year,” he says. Back beach emergencies might occur on beach paths, the soft sand, or even on Avalon’s boardwalk. “They seem to become more frequent each summer.”
So, for the summer of 2024 the Borough added 22 defibrillator units. There’s now a unit at each lifeguard stand on Avalon’s beach – 24 units in all. “Obviously our goal was to increase the odds of survival for a patient in need,” Wolf says.
Borough Administrator Scott Wahl says more than $40,000 was budgeted to acquire the units that are carried in water- and sand-tight Pelican cases to each stand after roll call every morning.
“This has been a transitional summer,” Wolf says. “We put procedures in place for the distribution and storage of each unit.”
And education continues with all patrol members. The primary purpose of the beach patrol has never changed in more than 100 years: Protect the lives of those enjoying Avalon’s beaches. The role, however, continues to evolve and thankfully for those enjoying all of Avalon’s beaches, the lifeguards have even more ability to assist those in need.
Sergeant Matthew Ardelean
LET THERE BE (BIKE) LIGHTS
Throughout the month of July, the Avalon Police Department provided free bike lights to members of the Avalon community. The program, which was held in collaboration with the Avalon Yacht Club, Avalon Hardware, and the Avalon Home & Land Owners Association (AHLOA), targeted the problem of individuals riding throughout the borough at night without bike lights.
The bike light initiative was generated by a donation from the Avalon Yacht Club Women’s Auxiliary. One of its members, Lisa Booth, joined Police Chief Jeffrey Christopher to purchase a number of bike lights from Avalon Hardware. In addition to the purchased lights, AHLOA also donated some more bike lights, and the police department received an anonymous donation of 200 lights. The final amount totaled 350 lights.
“We started the program in July 2024, and quickly gave out all of our lights already,” Christopher said. “We plan to seek out additional donors and continue the program next year.”
If you are interested in contributing to the program, more information can be found at avalonpolice.org.
LIONS PRESENT DONATION TO DILLER VACATION HOME
Members of the Avalon Lions and Diller Blind Home (from left): Nancy Wolgemuth, Doug Heun, Dan Donohue, Mike Sowers, Monica Coskey, Kelly McHugh, Patrick Murphy, Linda Murphy, and Loretta Finnegan.
Members of the Avalon Lions Club gathered at the Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children on Thursday, Aug. 15 for their annual end-of-summer barbecue.
At the event, the Lions Club presented a donation of $24,000 to the Diller Vacation Home from the proceeds raised by the club’s annual Charity Golf Classic. Diller Home board members attending were Doug Heun, Mickey Coskey, Kelly McHugh, and Mike Sowers, who also serve as Lions Club members.
“We just finished our 52nd season and hosted 117 campers,” said Heun. “Donations like this not only help us fund an all-expense-paid camp for our campers but also help fund all the improvements that we need to make on an annual basis for the home. We would like to thank the Lions Club for their continued support. None of this would be possible without our community organizations.”
The Lions Club’s upcoming fundraising calendar includes the 7 Mile Island Pickleball Tournament from Sept. 13-15 and the Greaseband Dance Party on Sept. 21. For more information and tickets, go to avalonlions.com.
LOCAL VIETNAM VET FEATURED IN ‘THE LADS OF SWAMPOODLE’
Edmond Cubbage
Edmond Cubbage, a Cape May County resident, grew up in Philadelphia’s Swampoodle neighborhood and went on to serve in the Vietnam War. He wrote a book about his experiences and was featured along with several other Swampoodle veterans in a documentary that premiered in April, “The Lads of Swampoodle.” Cubbage said that “the lads” still get together regularly, meeting about once a month.
The documentary comes four years after Edmond published the book detailing his experiences, from his early years in North Philadelphia to his time overseas. The book, “Just a Kid from Swampoodle to Vietnam,” begins with Cubbage’s childhood in Swampoodle, his old neighborhood near 21st and Lehigh Avenue. It also tells of Edmond’s years in the service, 1965-67.
Cubbage’s wife, Elaine, inspired him to write the book. Over a three-month period, he told his stories aloud while his wife transcribed them.
“COVID came, and we weren’t allowed outside,” he recalls of the book’s genesis. “My wife said that I always told good stories about my childhood and Vietnam, so she got me a tape recorder and had me sit down every day for an hour and talk. Each day, I would think of more stories about my time in Vietnam, good and bad stories.”
He added that his time overseas helped shape him into the person he is today.
“My parents were very proud when I was drafted,” he said. “I ran into people from all over the country. I met people from South Carolina, Florida, and Minnesota. All people that I never would have met, and I learned a lot. After, I realized that I wanted to do something and make something of myself.”
To learn more about Cubbage’s experiences, check out his book. “Just a Kid from Swampoodle to Vietnam” is available for purchase on Amazon.
AVALON HOLDS PUBLIC SESSION ON FLOOD INSURANCE
Flooding along Ocean Drive during a noreastern in November 2009.
The Borough of Avalon hosted an informative session on flood insurance on Aug. 15. The tone for the meeting was set by the publication of a statement by Mayor John McCorristin at the start: “Avalon’s culture includes the protection of lives and property through flood mitigation efforts. The CRS [Community Rating System] program validates our continual commitment to coastal resiliency and our relentless pursuit of opportunities to lessen the impacts of storms and other natural threats.”
More than 50 property owners attended the session specifically intended to educate residents and homeowners about the intricacies of the National Flood Insurance Program as administered by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hosted by Council vice president Barbara Juzaitis and Borough Administrator Scott Wahl, the session featured presentations by experts from the insurance and flood mitigation industries.
A recurring reminder of the meeting was the desire to keep the community resilient following any flooding incidents. The presenters also explained, in detail, some of the numbers residents may often hear pertaining to Avalon’s efforts to keep the community prepared. FEMA ratings of communities are based on preparation, education, and ability to be resilient. Avalon currently has a Class 3 FEMA rating. That rating is important to residents because it means that Avalon property owners are eligible for a 35% discount on their annual premium. It’s estimated that Avalon’s rating and resulting discount translates to about $1.6 million a year in premium savings for residents. That’s a substantial savings.
That rating is obviously the result of years and even decades of work and planning by Avalon’s government. The savings are substantial. This might help put into perspective why the savings in Avalon are so great: There are 28,500 communities in FEMA’s CRS rating program. Avalon is one of only 12 communities nationwide that have achieved the status of a Class 3 rating. That’s 12 out of more than 28,000! Maintaining that rating becomes more difficult each year.
Pretty impressive, and it illustrates the amount of work that Avalon has invested to achieve that level of recognition and success. Events like that on Aug. 15, are just a very small illustration of the constant effort by the Borough to maintain its rating.
Property owners had the opportunity to ask experts questions pertaining to their own properties and policies. For those unable to attend this meeting, the Borough has archived a video copy of the meeting that can be viewed at your discretion on the Borough’s website.
STONE HARBOR 2025 BEACH TAG ART CONTEST
The Borough of Stone Harbor is in search of its 2025 seasonal beach tag design and will be launching a contest in collaboration with Stone Harbor Elementary School students.
“This is an opportunity to generate community engagement for our local students and a way to showcase their creativity,” said Jenny Olson, the Tourism and Public Information director.
The contest rules and guidelines will be developed by the Borough’s Recreation and Tourism Departments and will work with the administration from the elementary school. The contest is set to launch in September when school starts and a panel of judges from three community organizations will choose the winner in October.
The winning design will be featured on Stone Harbor’s 2025 seasonal beach tag and the student will receive recognition for their achievement. The student will also receive four 2025 seasonal beach tags and the opportunity to serve as honorary Junior Beach Patrol Captain for a day.
FARMERS MARKET EXTENSION
The community will be treated to an additional two weeks of the popular Stone Harbor Farmers Market. Borough Council approved to extend the market through Sunday, Sept. 15.
“Our regular visitors to the market request this every year and as long as we have enough vendors to participate, we keep the market going for an extra two weeks,” said Jenny Olson, the director of Tourism and Public Information. “The summer of 2024 was extremely busy at the market and our vendors are excited to continue for an extra couple of weeks.”
During the extended weeks, approximately half of the vendors will participate. Customers will browse the goods of 15 to 20 vendors offering fresh and local produce, baked goods, specialty drinks, spices, sauces and more.
The Stone Harbor Farmers Market is held Sundays from 8am-12:30pm at the Water Tower Parking Lot, 95th Street and Second Avenue.
CLASSIC & VINTAGE CAR SHOW
Mayor Judy Davies-Dunhour with one of the classic cars.
Calling all car enthusiasts! Stone Harbor’s Classic & Vintage Car Show is set for Saturday, Oct. 12 from 10am-1pm on 96th Street. The third annual show will feature vintage and classic vehicles of all sorts, 15 years or older.
Attendees will journey through time, celebrating the craftsmanship and design of automobiles that have become cultural icons.
Trophies will be awarded for Best of Show (American Make), Best of Show (Foreign Make), and a Mayor’s Choice Award.