Tag Archives: Sea Bright

Business Buzz

DIVE!: A Business Valentine Story

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By Elaine Van Develde

It was a dank, dreary day back in October of 2012. Steven Graniero and Christina Dilorio stood at the bottom of bleachers overflowing with sanguine Hurricane Sandy victims at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School.

The weather gave them an eerie embrace as if to get in another jab as they held onto one another, wiping away tears and trying to comprehend what had just happened.

The engaged couple had just lost everything but one another to Sandy. After earning their stripes bar tending and waiting tables, the two, who met at work, had saved all their pennies to make a dream come true and open a small beachy bar/restaurant of their own in Sea Bright.

Continue reading DIVE!: A Business Valentine Story →

Local Life

Going Back to Post-Sandy Days with the Governor and Rumson Ladies

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NJ Gov. Chris Christie and Rumson women at a press conference announcing Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long's endorsement of the governor. Photo/Elaine Van Develde
NJ Gov. Chris Christie and Rumson women at a press conference announcing Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long’s endorsement of the governor.
Photo/Elaine Van Develde

Our Retro Pic of the Day takes us back a couple of years to post-Hurricane Sandy days when Republican Gov. Chris Christie was endorsed by Democratic Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long and it was news.

A press conference was held at Woody’s in Sea Bright. Once it was over, the governor posed for photos with many people, including these two Rumson ladies.

We won’t tell you who they are. Do you know?

Local Life

Sea Bright in Sandy’s Wake

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Hurricane Sandy damage in Sea Bright. Photo/Elaine Van Develde
Hurricane Sandy damage in Sea Bright.
Photo/Elaine Van Develde

Our Retro Pic of the Day features a glimpse of what downtown Sea Bright looked like a couple of years ago about this time of the year.

Storefronts were torn and boarded up. Debris was knee-deep. Damage was being assessed.

And, among those assessing the damage was a Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School graduate.

Do you know which grad at work in the featured (never seen before) photo?

Hint: He’s in the party photo gallery above.

News

A Soggy, Flooded West Park, Sea Bright

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By Elaine Van Develde

The Nor’easter remnants have hit the Rumson-Fair Haven area.

And, as predicted and history has shown, the combination of torrential rains, wind and high tides have produced some flooding on Ocean Avenue in Sea Bright and into the low-lying West Park section of Rumson.

In Rumson, Mayor John Ekdahl said in the late morning that “tides are running three feet above normal and is over the bulkhead in parts of West Park and Sea Bright.”

Continue reading A Soggy, Flooded West Park, Sea Bright →

Local Life

Doing the RFH Reunion Dance

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RFH's Class of '78 parties. Photo/Elaine Van Develde
RFH’s Class of ’78 parties. Photo/Elaine Van Develde

By Elaine Van Develde

The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Class of ’78 has a problem.

Classmates have no concept of the passage of time — ahem … their age. They partied for three days without skipping a beat. The party started on a Friday night in August of last year with some cocktails and dancing at Woody’s then Even Tide in Sea Bright.

 

What 70s dance do you think this trio was doing? What song were they dancing to? Was there even a song?

Local Life, News

A Little Sea Bright Patriotism Post-Sandy

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A little patriotism stands tall after Sandy flattened everything around it. Photo/Elaine Van Develde
A little patriotism stands tall after Sandy flattened everything around it. Photo/Elaine Van Develde

 

By Elaine Van Develde

When the Atlantic Ocean met the Shrewsbury River two years ago and obliterated Sea Bright, remnants of the superstorm named Sandy included everything from cars and torn up homes to furniture and jewelry.

On a side street in Sea Bright, among the debris, a flag was anchored in front of a devastated home, truck still in the driveway.

Remember?

Local Life

Voting in 2012 in the Wake of Sandy

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By Elaine Van Develde

Two years ago, voting in a presidential election in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy became historic for many reasons.

One of those reasons was just the logistics of where displaced people whose towns and selves were handicapped by the storm were voting.

Then there was the notion of getting people out from under their Sandy-plagued circumstances to vote at all.

Well, the turnout was much higher than anticipated. This is how it looked at one polling place in Fair Haven — the firehouse — that took in its Sea Bright neighbors to vote.

Remember?

Two RFH area girls helped out at the polls at Fair Haven Firehouse during the 2012 elections in the aftermath of Sandy. Photo/Elaine Van Develde
Two RFH area girls helped out at the polls at Fair Haven Firehouse during the 2012 elections in the aftermath of Sandy. Photo/Elaine Van Develde
Local Life

The Start of Sea Bright Rising

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By Elaine Van Develde

It was about this time two years ago that Woody’s Ocean Grille Owner Chris Wood and Head Chef Onofrio Muscato saw an immediate need to help the hungry, cold and displaced in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

So, they just pulled out the grill and started flipping burgers, eggs and anything else they could to serve up some comfort to the superstorm’s victim. Before long, the U.S. Army National Guard was sent to set up camp and help. Word spread and soon there was a parking lot full of mess tents, food trucks, clothing bins and more.

Sea Bright Rising was born.

Two years later, Sea Bright Rising has brought in $1.3 million and distributed $1 million of it, Wood said recently. And the organization is not done yet. Many more of Sandy’s victims are still displaced and Sea Bright Rising wants to help.

Check out the non-profit’s website at seabrightrising.org.

Back Camera Back Camera Back Camera

 

Local Life

Looking Back at Sandy Sights

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Sandy's block from the bridge to Sea Bright. Photo/Elaine Van Develde
Sandy’s block from the bridge to Sea Bright. Photo/Elaine Van Develde

By Elaine Van Develde

It was two years ago that Sea Bright and low-lying parts of Rumson were ravaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Even after the wind and rain stopped and the Shrewsbury River and ocean parted and drifted back to where they belonged, people were put out of their homes and there was no getting into or out of Sea Bright.

The U.S. Army’s National Guard was called in to help.  Sea Bright residents lined up for a shuttle to take them for a small window of time to grab integral belongings from their ruined homes.

Rumson police and the guardsmen blocked the bridge and food, hot beverages were served as emergency clothing was doled out.

It was a surreal scene for all involved.

Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect will feature Sandy photos for the next two weeks, until the lights came back on at the time in the Rumson-Fair Haven area.