The maximum capacity has been reduced. Access has been free. But, this weekend, as New Jersey COVID-19 restrictions ease in the second phase of reopening, some of Gateway National Recreation Area’s Sandy Hook beaches will open for swimming and will have lifeguards as of Saturday.
Continue reading Beaching it on Sandy Hook: The COVID Era UpdateTag Archives: Sandy Hook
Pandemic Time Beaching it in the R-FH Area: Access & Rules
With showers washing out most hope for a good beach day on Saturday to kick off a less restricted pandemic time Memorial Day weekend in the Rumson-Fair Haven area, beaches in Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach and on Sandy Hook are open and poised for a sunny Sunday and Monday — with COVID-19 caution.
And barbecues and other outdoor activities are on New Jerseyans’ plates. as well. NJ Gov. Phil Murphy has also called for a cautious easing of outdoor gathering restrictions.
Continue reading Pandemic Time Beaching it in the R-FH Area: Access & Rules
Retro Theatrical RFHers’ Day at the Beach
Photo/courtesy of Rossi
It’s the start of a Memorial Day weekend of a different kind — the pandemic kind.
Continue reading Retro Theatrical RFHers’ Day at the Beach
Scene Around: Soothing Sunrise, Sunset Moment
Photos by Sue Hill-Spakowski
Distancing. It’s a necessity these days. Yet, sometimes a little distance leads to appreciation. A new perspective. A dawn. That promise of a new day. The light that reminds us that it is there as darkness falls. The light that always appears after the darkness.
Solitude can offer solace. Taking several steps back to be drenched in sunlight’s promise, a stark view, uncluttered by fear and confusion. The comfort of isolation. The embracing call of the light, close in the distance.
Sometimes a furry best friend who doesn’t know how to distance makes the view just a little sweeter, too. Rumsonite Sue Hill-Spakowski and dog Nancy took in this sunrise, sunset view at Sandy Hook’s Fort Hancock and its perspective as COVID-19 stats rose and fear enveloped the area.
Call it serenity in a snapshot. And Nancy rose with the sun on this. She just didn’t want to move for the full view. That’s OK. She was stepping into the light. Illuminated Rumson dog.
Look for the light. Embrace it. Stay safe, all!
- Prosecutor: 18-Year-Old Found Guilty of 2022 Murder
- Retro ‘Ho, No!’ Santa Time
- Prosecutor: Former Middletown Cop Indicted on 22 Counts of Official Misconduct, Illegal Firearms and Drug Charges
- Remembering Fair Haven’s Garry Allers: A Lifetime of Relative Kindness Passed On
- Scene Around: Cooper Ley’s Gift of Art Given by His Sister
Scene Around: Rumson Dog Daze of Spring
Photo/Sue Hill-Spakowski
As everyone preps to spring forward in time, Daylight Saving, that is, it was a dog day afternoon of sunshine on the beach for many, yesterday and today.
Rumson dog Nancy (right) took a romp on the beach at Sandy Hook with Winter (left), her dog friend. In the ironic little play date pairing, the two did a little digging and imprinting and found one another’s shadow.
Nancy, the four-legged child of Rumsonite Sue Hill-Spakowski, is quite the poser. She has been seen around the towns making some keen nature observations, having tea and cavorting.
According to Nancy, spring is definitely in the air and in her step. And she’s right.
Predictions for the rest of the week and weekend, according to the National Weather Service, are that, despite a little rainfall Friday after 2 p.m. and a possibility of some snow mixing with it overnight, the outlook for the weekend is a sunny one with temperatures reaching a high of about 53 degrees on Sunday.
Forget the groundhog. Nancy knows all. Where shall we see Rumson dog Nancy next?
See something fun or interesting? Take a snapshot. Send it to us at [email protected] and we’ll include it in our Scene Around feature for the area. Send photos with proper credit only. Focus and find the good little things that count in your community.
- Prosecutor: 18-Year-Old Found Guilty of 2022 Murder
- Retro ‘Ho, No!’ Santa Time
- Prosecutor: Former Middletown Cop Indicted on 22 Counts of Official Misconduct, Illegal Firearms and Drug Charges
- Remembering Fair Haven’s Garry Allers: A Lifetime of Relative Kindness Passed On
- Scene Around: Cooper Ley’s Gift of Art Given by His Sister
The R-FH Area Weekend: Tavernfest, Car Show, Harvestfest, Haunted Theater, Lantern Tour
Rumson-Fair Haven area folks are falling for the spirit of the fall season like kids to a pile of leaves. And the weekend leaves no option but to partake in or at least toss around some activity options. There are many.
Here’s what’s going on in the area this weekend:
Sandy Hook Accident: Motorcyclist Medevaced
An accident at Sandy Hook’s Gunnison Beach parking lot on Thursday evening resulted in an as-of-yet unidentified motorcyclist being airlifted to the Trauma Unit at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, according to Sandy Hook Fire/Rescue.
In the collision of a car and motorcycle that occurred at about 6:30 p.m., the “rider of the cycle” was thrown off the bike and “unconscious with shallow breathing,” Sandy Hook Fire/Rescue’s post on Facebook said.
“Rangers on scene immediately called for mutual aid from Sea Bright First Aid,” it added.
The patient was stabilized for the flight.
There have been no updates on condition or further information.
In addition to the law enforcement rangers on Sandy Hook and Sea Bright Fire Rescue, Ocean Rescue and First Aid, Highlands Fire Department and Fire Police, MONOC, NorthStar & the Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office Communications Division assisted at the scene.
This post will be updated when further information becomes available.
Sandy Hook Concert Series Starts Season with The Nerds
A sure sign that summer is on the cusp is when the now traditional weekly Sandy Hook concerts start. And they start on Wednesday.
Continue reading Sandy Hook Concert Series Starts Season with The Nerds
Sunday Water Sporting Off The Hook
The sun was out on Sunday and so were water sports enthusiasts.
It was day for windsurfing, paddle boarding and some local summer sunning and lounging on the bay side of Sandy Hook.
Kayak rentals and windsurfing lessons were in full swing.
Take a look to get a glimpse into the day and mood. Enjoy!
And don’t forget to click the lower right icon on the slideshow to enlarge.
— Elaine Van Develde
Sunken Boat Located off Sandy Hook
As the search continued for a fishing boat that was reported to have capsized off the shore of Sandy Hook Tuesday afternoon, NJ State Police on Wednesday morning announced that a submerged vessel, not yet determined to be the same one, was found.
A search was launched Tuesday afternoon, by state police, U.S. Coast Guard, NY Police and Fire departments and local emergency response units, for the 40-foot fishing boat named El Jefe that was reported to have sank at about 4:30 p.m.
Coast Guard reported in a release that debris purportedly from the sunken vessel was found in the water Tuesday night.
The search was called off last night, due to lack of visibility and prohibitive conditions, and resumed in the morning, when a sunken boat was located in Sandy Hook Channel near the spot where the El Jefe was reported to have gone down.
The El Jefe’s captain was known as a fisherman out of the Belford Seafood Co-op in Middletown, near where the boat was found.
The statement from NJ State Police Marine Services Bureau …
The New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau has located a sunken vessel in the Sandy Hook Channel.
A State Police vessel, commanded by Staff Sgt. Christopher Wozniak, located a sunken vessel at 8:55 a.m.
The boat was located near buoy 14 closer to the beach, using side scan sonar. State Police T.E.A.M.S. Unit divers are on scene to further investigate.
A vessel “Jefe” was reported missing last night and is part of the State Police investigation. At this time, we cannot confirm that the sunken vessel is the missing boat.
New Year’s Day with Nature on Sandy Hook
As the American Littoral Society sees it, New Year’s Day is the time to take a walk on the natural side.
That walk is a unique way to ring in the New Year, honor the memory of a local environmentalist, get some exercise and soak in some nature in a national park. It’s the Jan. 1 American Littoral Society’s 39th Annuual Dery Bennett Memorial Walk on Sandy Hook.
The longstanding traditional walk starts at 11 a.m. at the Littoral Society’s headquarters, 18 Hartshorne Drive, on the north end of Sandy Hook, or Fort Hancock.
Walkers, asked to bundle up and bring binoculars, will proceed to the end of the Hook where they will try to meet up, across the bay, with a group doing the same thing.
Upon completion of the walk, hot chocolate and lunch will be served at the Littoral Society’s office. Participants are also invited to bring a dessert. There will also be a rain barrel project presentation by a Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) student.
Derry Bennett, whom the walk has been named after since his death in 2009, was a Fair Haven resident and longtime director of the American Littoral Society (1968 to 2003).
The Littoral Society, founded in 1961 by scientists, fishermen and scuba divers, is a champion of marine environmental education and conservation.
What’s Up This Weekend: Beach Sweeps, Blood Drive
By Elaine Van Develde
There are a couple of things going on this weekend that involve learning and giving.
Friday
• Calling all war history buffs! Friday night at 6:30 p.m. there’s unique lantern tour going on at Sandy Hook’s Fort Hancock Museum. All dressed up as authentic U.S. Army coast artillery soldiers, volunteers from the Army Ground Forces Association will lead people on a historic tour of the Fort, featuring Battery Gunnison.
Saturday
• Get your gloves and hard-soled shoes on and help sweep the beaches you frequent clean of debris with Clean Ocean Action.
The organization, headed by none other than Rumson native and current resident and RFH grad Cindy Zipf, is slated to start at 9 a.m. at various locations throughout the state. The sweeps run through 12:30 p.m.
In the R-FH area, the closest meet-up points are, Sea Bright Public Beach, Borough Hall and Gaiters Restaurant (in Sea Bright), Sandy Hook/Lot D, Monmouth Beach Bathing Pavilion and Maple Cove at the foot of Maple Avenue in Red Bank.
For a full list of locations, click here.
• And on the same day, Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Fair Haven Business Association is asking people to “starve a vampire, feed your neighbor.” The group is sponsoring a blood drive for the Central Jersey Blood Center at the Knights of Columbus Hall at the foot of Third Street (200 Fair Haven Rd.).
Donors must be at least 17, healthy and weigh at least 120 pounds. ID with signature must be presented at the door. Oh, and drink water before you donate.
Sunday
• If you’re in the market for some unique crafts and/or food, hit the Red Bank Farmers Market before the season comes to a close.
The market is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Galleria parking lot.
And, while you’re there, don’t forget to check out Fair Havenites Melanie and David Stewart’s Handmade Haven tent. Read their story here.
If you can think of anything else that’s going on this weekend, let us know at [email protected].
In the meantime, I’ll see you on the beach, giving blood or around the towns somewhere else!
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