Friday, May 18, 2012
Caitlin Clarke pushing for inclusion in the farmers' market; Chamber says there's enough vegetable vendors already
Raised by an Italian mother, Caitlin Clarke of Barnegat said food has always been important in her family. "What an admirable endeavor it is to try and feed people," Clarke said. She studied zoology, then switched to an interest in plants at a small Pennsylvania college in an agrarian area. She ended up majoring in Japanese, but fell in love with orchards and the idea of growing things, she said. Today Clarke, 25, is seeking to fulfill this mission by growing heirloom vegetables out of the Bay Avenue home where she grew up, an 1872 historical residence across from the Memorial Park with a 1-acre property. In 2010, Clarke started planting tomatoes, beans, lettuce, eggplants, peas and more. Clarke plans to take orders through Facebook, phone…
Friday, May 11, 2012
A state legislative committee approved a bill this week that would bar the practice.
Can an employer force you to reveal your Facebook or other social media password as a condition for getting hired or keeping your job? That issue began to get some attention in March after a statistician in New York reported that during an interview with a potential employer, the woman interviewing him had searched for his Facebook and, upon discovering that it was private, asked him for the password. The statistician, Justin Bassett, refused and left the interview according to the Associated Press. But the story brought to light other instances where employers have sought similar access to social media accounts, and have led several states to consider legislation to ban the practice. California's assembly voted Thursday to approve such …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Ocean Professional Theatre Company, Barnegat's air filtering and senior care businesses and more, will offer information at Southern Ocean County Chamber Business Expo.
For the 22nd year, the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce will kick off the season with its Business to Business Expo, giving new and long-time businesses in the Southern Ocean County area a chance to network. The free event will be held 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 9 at St. Mary's Parish Center, 100 Bishop Lane off of McKinley Avenue in Manahawkin. Lori Pepenella, Chamber Destination marketing director, said a wide variety of small to mid-size business representatives will be attending. "Those who come to the expo will meet local businesses, find the latest trends and how best to utilize services to help growth," said Pepenella. "It will provide additional exposure for businesses to other businesses' decision makers." More than 45 …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Thousands of antiques, collectibles, paper and advertising ttems can be found at a nostalgia business in downtown Barnegat.
Unshredded Nostalgia, 323 South Main Street in Barnegat Township, had humble beginnings -- as a series of garage sales in front of store owner Jim Episale's house. As Episale collected more things to sell, he wanted to know more about the items. "I went to auctions for stuff for the sales and I found that doing the research on the stuff intrigued me most," said Episale. "As I bought more magazines and researched them, I got more enthralled in doing research on old paper." By the 1970s, Episale -- a former photo journalist and newspaper publisher -- graduated to flea markets and soon was traveling around the country doing shows. In 1976, he opened his first store, Summer's Rainbow in Ship Bottom, and then a second shop in Beach Haven, …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Local crews working six days a week to help reach the goal.
Even though a fire just over three weeks ago forced owner Sandra Beninati to temporarily close the Gables Restaurant and Inn in Beach Haven, Beninati said she aims to open her historic restaurant in time to start the summer season during the Memorial Day weekend. Much work remains in order to make this happen, but the construction crews from a local company — most of the workers the same pepole who helped renovate the place just a few years ago — are working tirelessly at the site to make this goal a reality, with the support of the local community also making a tremendous difference, Beninati said. Since it was first built in 1892, Gables Inn and Restaurant in Beach Haven had seen many changes, renovations and expansions. Owned by the …
Friday, April 27, 2012
Martial Arts Academy: ‘I don’t care how many trophies my students have.’
Several martial arts schools have opened and closed in the area in the last few years. At this point, Barnegat is home to two of them, whose owners say they plan to stick around. If you or your children ever considered karate as a way to boost self-esteem, learn self-defense, or stay physically fit and active, find out what makes each of the town's karate schools unique. This article is the second installment in a two-part series about the town's karate schools. A little while ago we profiled “Shotokan Karate.” MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY Address: 34 South Main Street, Barnegat Owner: Master John Holland, 41, of Toms River. Before turning martial arts into a full-time career, Holland worked in corporate sales. "I felt all I was doing with my …
Friday, April 20, 2012
Wedding vendors from all over the area will showcase their products and services Sunday.
Hundreds of brides, grooms, their wedding parties, families and friends from all over the state and country are expected to attend this weekend's 4th Annual Long Beach Island Region Wedding Road Show to help plan their destination weddings. The event is sponsored by the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce and the Long Beach Island Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) and will feature 56 area businesses associated with weddings -- everything from banquet halls and florists to videographers and bands. "We're rolling out the red carpet so people see Long Beach Island as a wedding destination," said Lori Pepenella, Destination Marketing Director for the chamber. "To get on a plane to fly to an island isn't in everyone's budget. You…
Monday, April 16, 2012
Barnegat Patch readers are pretty evently split in their opinion.
Following last week's story about the possibility of Oyster Creek Generating Station being included in a pilot study of cancer risks in populations in close proximity to nuclear facilities, we asked for your thoughts. Do you feel radiation may have adverse effects on local residents? Or do think the worries are unwarranted? A few voters indicated they would wait for the study to come out before forming or finalizing their opinion, but otherwise, the poll results were pretty evenly split between readers saying "no, they aren't worried," and those saying "yes they are," with "not worried" results trumping "worried" by a single vote. The National Research Council will conduct the two-phase study, which was requested and will be funded by the …
Sunday, April 15, 2012
No New Jersey locations affected, retailer announces
Best Buy stores in Ocean County are safe from the latest closures, the company announced Saturday. “This morning, we have confirmed the remaining 42 store locations [out of 50] that will close,” Best Buy said in a news release (attached as PDF). … Employees of these 42 stores have been notified this morning.” In fact, none of the locations in New Jersey are affected by the announcement. Best Buy has two locations in Ocean County: a new store in Manahawkin and the first Ocean County location in Brick. However the list of store closures will shutter 42 locations outside of New Jersey, including 15 in California. Approximately 400 employees are expected to lose jobs. “This was not an easy decision to make,” Best Buy said. “We chose these …
Friday, April 13, 2012
Shotokan Karate teaches the style of the samurai warriors
Several martial arts schools have opened and closed in the area in the last few years. At this point, Barnegat is home to two of them, whose owners say they plan to stick around. If you or your children ever considered karate as a way to boost self-esteem, learn self-defense, or stay physically fit and active, find out what makes each of the town's karate schools unique. SHOTOKAN KARATE Address: 86 Memorial Drive, Barnegat Owner: Sensei Tim Blumensteel, 42, of Bayville. In addition to teaching and operating the school, Blumensteel works for Bugbee Riggs Funeral Home in Barnegat, and for the United Parcel Service. Blumensteel is 2nd Dan in Shotokan, and has been training in the style for more than 20 years. He is also has …
Rick
11:26 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
Dang Bobby, I actually have to agree with you on this one. more ›