Dear Readers:

Let me be the first to wish you the very best of this 2024 holiday season. We try to make sure that every issue of the Seven Mile Times is entertaining and informative, but this issue is PACKED! If you are planning to spend any time on the Seven Mile Beach between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, be sure to check out this issue.

Thanksgiving is a time for cozy gatherings, hearty meals, and gratitude. It’s a season that invites kindness and generosity, and renews traditions that bridge generations. So many families have come to love the ritual of spending Thanksgiving weekend in Avalon and Stone Harbor, and this year promises to be the biggest celebration yet.

Hit the ground running on Festive Friday and burn those Thanksgiving calories in support of a great cause! Sign up today for the Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children Turkey Trot 5K Run/1.5M Walk. Day-of registration and bib pickup will take place 8-9:30am at Avalon Community Hall prior to the race at 10am.

Several years ago, Bob Ashman created the Risley Award, honoring individuals with unselfish dedication to Stone Harbor.

This year, the award came all the way home – to him. It is given annually by the Stone Harbor Museum, where he served for 12 years before leaving in January to honor its term limits.

There’s nothing like a restored, recharged Christmas tradition. Hence the buzz in Dennisville as the town’s popular Christmas House Tour returns from a six-year hiatus.

The 2024 tour runs on Saturday, Dec. 21, from 3-7pm. It is presented by the Dennisville Historic Homeowners Association, a nonprofit group promoting the preservation of the town’s historic buildings.

The holiday season is upon us and that means it’s time to shop, shop, shop! Still searching for the perfect gift? Skip the mall and look no further than right here in town. With so many boutique stores to choose from you can find that perfect, unique gift for everyone on your list. We selected a few to help get you started.

There used to be a waiting list to get in.

That is how sought-after a spot in the Avalon Book Club was at one time. Today, there is no longer a waiting list, but the book club is no less esteemed as it celebrates its 50th anniversary on the island.

In the ebb and flow of summer, the days surrounding the July 4th holiday are undoubtedly some of this island’s most busy, crowded, and raucous. With fireworks blasting from beach to bay, and parties popping up around every corner, church seems far from most people’s agenda.

Dan Ryan came aboard Labor Day Weekend. After being operated by the Vassalotti family for six summers, Capt’n Chucky’s Avalon, at 3011 Dune Drive has changed hands. Dan is a full-time resident of Avalon and says that he plans to continue to cultivate the business with the same passion that the Vassalotti’s poured their heart and soul into.

After enjoying a late afternoon lunch on our dock, we decided that we’d make a return trip to Black Cactus in Avalon for a light dinner. We’d already dined at “The Cactus” earlier in the summer and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. Not sure what its plans were for the off-season, we decided to return if it was still open.

Editor’s Note: The following account was related to Dave Coskey by Honor Bright Allen in February of 1975 from her home in Dennis Township. At the time, Ms. Allen was a former teacher and principal in the Avalon School on 26th Street. She taught at the school beginning in 1924 and then again in 1933.

Atlantic City’s casino industry began in May of 1978 when Resorts International Hotel and Casino first opened its doors. Part of the overall experience at Resorts included fine dining at Capriccio, long considered the first and finest casino restaurant in Atlantic City. Capriccio would quickly become a favorite of both casino customers and casino headliners such as Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti.

A woman gets up in the dark to go to work. She’s living with her sister and her 4-year-old daughter. She is estranged from her partner, and as she gets ready for work that morning, her daughter is on a weekend visitation with the child’s father. The woman leaves for work but never arrives.

Avalon, the mythical resting place for King Arthur, has become the most heavenly place for pickleball players on the Jersey Shore.

Already known for decades as an elite seaside summer resort destination for visitors from Philly to New York and the Pennsylvania-New Jersey region, Avalon residents have embraced the now-worldwide phenomenon of pickleball as its year-round sport of choice.

The Wetlands Institute is resolutely focused on serving our mission to preserve, protect, and steward our marshes and coastal ecosystems. We have been true to this mission for more than 50 years, but our present and future work has taken on even greater importance.

It’s obvious that Richard Dean, or Dick, as he was known to his many friends and family, must have been a proponent of that age-old proverb, “Home is where the heart is.” How could he have been anything but?

The holiday season brings with it a special kind of magic, transforming our world into a wonderland of joy and anticipation. For many, including myself, this time of year ignites a passion for gift-giving — a chance to express our love and appreciation for those dear to us.

The annual fundraising Spaghetti Supper hosted by American Legion Post 331 of Stone Harbor on Sept. 8 attracted 325 guests, the largest turnout the event has ever had.

Welcome to the holiday season on the island! Isn’t it a magical feeling as you cross the bridge and are greeted with a display of lights and Christmas décor? No matter how many times I see it, it always gets me in the holiday spirit, and that has me thinking that it’s time to gather with friends and family for a little celebration.