Times Talk
CARNEY, CASPER WIN stone harbor BOROUGH SEATS
Newcomer Tim Carney and incumbent Robin Casper won the two seats up for grabs in the Stone Harbor Borough Council election June 6.
More than 400 votes were cast, and Carney won easily with 212 votes. Casper, meanwhile, edged fellow incumbent Reese Moore by collecting 110 votes to 109 for Moore.
Carney is a member of the Stone Harbor Zoning Board and is active in the Sons of the American Legion. He’s also a member of the Stone Harbor Fire Company, and the lead singer for The Seabillys band.
Casper previously chaired the Natural Resources Committee and represented the council on the Go Green, Shade Tree, Museum, and Bird Sanctuary committees.
AVALON HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS
Sharon Fletcher’s “Sunday Newspaper” took Best in Show honors in the Avalon Historical Society’s 19th annual Photography Contest, but there were other entries that caught the judges’ eyes as well.
From among the 51 entries, co-chairs Rose Marie Chew and Carol MacFeat announced the winners of the contest’s four categories, as judged by Al Campbell, Scott Prince, and Suzanne Dagit Sennhenn.
Here are the top three finishers in each category:
AVALON:
George Wallace, “Fishing Pier Surprise.”
Wallace, “Coming Through.”
Judi Rogers, “Pier at Sunrise.”
NATURE:
Janet Martin-Aylam, “One Hop Out of the Nest.”
Wallace, “Get My Good Side.”
Fletcher, “Through the Trees.”
PORTRAIT & PERSONALITY:
Fletcher, “Chef.”
Bob Otto, “Best Seat in the House.”
Fletcher, “You Ain’t Nothing but a Hound Dog.”
SCENIC:
Janet Martin-Aylam, “One Foam Line.”
Judi Rogers, “Jetty Reflections.”
Wallace, “Beach Path Sunrise.”
The winning photographs were scheduled to be displayed at the Avalon History Center through June 27.
Rebuilding the beach at 108 on June 20.
STONE HARBOR BEACH FILL ONGOING
It’s a tale of two boroughs when it comes to Avalon and Stone Harbor’s beach-fill projects.
As planned, Avalon’s beach fill was the first to be addressed by the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co (GLDD). That project was completed on May 12.
Meanwhile, the Stone Harbor beach fill started on May 21 but experienced a delay due to mechanical issues. The work resumed June 6. GLDD resumed on the north-end beaches from 80th to 87th Street. The second stage will target 89th to 115th Street, and finally 119th to 127th Street.
Based on the current pace, the Stone Harbor beach fill is estimated to be completed by mid-to-late July.
Flyers legend Bernie Parent signs an autograph for a fan at Surfside Park.
BER-NIE, BER-NIE!
Bernie Parent, the legendary Flyers goalie and Hockey Hall of Famer, kicked off the Avalon Free Public Library speakers series on June 17 at Surfside Park. The man who inspired the 1970s bumper sticker, “Only the Lord Saves More Than Bernie Parent,” spoke about his experiences while helping bring the Stanley Cup to Philadelphia in 1974 and 1975. He also discussed the Flyers greats who joined him in the quest. At the end of his appearance, Parent posed for photos, signed autographs, and signed copies of his book, “Unmasked.”
COUNTY DISTRIBUTES GRANTS FOR WATER PROJECTS
Each of the 16 municipalities in Cape May County is receiving $400,000 to be used for priority drinking water, stormwater, and sanitary sewer infrastructure projects. The subrecipient grants come from a $6.4 million total granted by the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio, acting in his new role as director of the county’s board of commissioners, spent much of May presenting the subrecipient grants to the municipalities.
“Coming in as the new Director, it was a goal of mine to establish closer relationships with each of the municipalities of the County, which encouraged me to implement quarterly Mayors Roundtables with the Mayors to discuss shared issues in our local communities,” Desiderio said in a press release from the county.
“The first Mayors Roundtable included the announcement of this first of its kind grant opportunity for the County, touching each of our 16 municipalities at once. I am grateful for the support of my colleagues on the Board of Commissioners that understand the critical needs of each of our towns to make storm sewer, sanitary sewer and drinking water improvements for the health and safety of our residents.”
Avalon Garden Club Flower Show
FLOWER SHOW WINNERS ARE THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE
The Avalon Garden Club hosted its 39th Annual Flower Show on June 10 at the Avalon Community Hall, and the attending public served as the judges.
The show featured seven Artistic Design classes and 12 Horticulture classes, all judged by the attendees by placing one penny in their coin holder of their favorite exhibit in each class. Children were given 19 pennies to vote.
Each class had a blue-ribbon and a red-ribbon winner, for first and second place, respectively.
Among the blue-ribbon winners were: Gail Quinn, Carol Szabo, Sandy Finley, Serena Smith, Myla Miller, S. McLaughlin, Pat Freshman, Leslie Branda, Cathy Elsey, Karen Dechert, and Donna Rothman.
Mayor Martin Pagliughi was on hand to award the blue-ribbon winners, as he has done since his first year in office, 32 years ago. At the end of the show, the Garden Club awarded the outgoing mayor with a retirement gift.
There was also an exhibit by the Stone Harbor Elementary School’s third-grade class, as well as one on terrariums by a Rowan University professor. The Garden Club also hosted a raffle sale, with baskets donated by businesses on the island. All donations went into the club’s fund for beautification projects.
POST 331 SALUTES FLAG DAY
Members of the Stephen C. Ludlam Post 331 of the American Legion teamed up for the Flag Day ceremony in Stone Harbor with the Middle Township Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps of Cadets and its instructor, U.S. Coast Guard veteran Lieutenant Commander Susan Blood.
The day’s events kicked off with a medley of patriotic music and welcoming remarks from Post Commander Tom McCullough. The ceremony also featured the American Legion’s unserviceable flag disposal ceremony; a narrated flag-folding demonstration by the cadets; and the installation of Post, Auxiliary, and Sons of the American Legion (S.A.L.) officers by Department of New Jersey Executive Committee member Joe Bisbing.
The Navy Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets were a nice addition to this year’s event. During the flag folding demonstration, Cadet Aleida Bernat described the importance and meaning of each fold of the flag. The cadets also provided a color guard for the ceremony.
The participating Middle Township High School cadets were: Bernat, Brett Mikolajczyk, Tatyanna Moffitt-Ivens, Robert Walker, and Philip Woodrow. The national anthem was sung by Bob Rullo, Post 331 Finance Officer. Post 331 is located at 117th Street and Second Avenue in Stone Harbor. It serves as the base for Avalon and Stone Harbor veterans while servicing veterans’ needs throughout Cape May County.
GEORGE’S HOUSE GALA SET FOR AUG. 5
Individual tickets and sponsorship opportunities are now available for the inaugural George’s House Gala on Saturday, Aug. 5. Hosted by Stephen and Gina Harbaugh of Harbaugh Custom Homes, the event will feature dinner, cocktails, live music, and an auction at ICONA Avalon. All proceeds from George’s House Gala will be allocated to build the first physical George’s House right here in South Jersey.
Founded in 2021 to honor the life and legacy of Stephen’s father, George Harbaugh, George’s House is a nonprofit organization that helps families in need of housing get back on their feet. The mission at George’s House is that every child deserves a toy at Christmas and a home to spend it in.
It started with a holiday light display imitation of “Christmas Vacation” and toy drive at the Harbaugh’s home in Mullica Hill and has grown considerably since then into George’s House, which is funded by Harbaugh Village in Mullica Hill. To date, George’s House has successfully transitioned three families from being displaced and living in hotels to now living in homes of their own.
Tickets, sponsorship opportunities, and more event information are available at georgeshouse.org/gala.