Trinity Church, AP. Paul Goldfinger photograph. 5/2/26. Click once.
CZECH PHILHARMONIC
The Paul Gary Quartet. We were college kids—headliners in Lavalette: “The Red Rail.” I played tenor sax; Charlie (L) was on upright bass. His girlfriend followed us around. We were the only band around Seaside Heights that didn’t play rock and roll. Our pianist was “Bunny.” She had long black hair, and she could sing only one song, “Willow Weep For Me”. We weeped about her singing.
This the sort of music we played—right before closing time:
The McGarrigle combo:
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Lake Avenue OG. Stephen Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net. 5/2/26
BETTY CARTER:
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Chicken Road. Fairmont, North Carolina. Paul Goldfinger photo 2020 Click once enlarge.
THE BAND. “I Shall Be Released.” bvConcert version. 1976
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Thornley Chapel 1889, Ocean Grove. By Jack Bredin. 2021. Photograph by Rob Bredin.
“All Things Bright and Beautiful” by John Rutter, C.F. Alexander and The Cambridge Singers.
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Beersheba Well undergoes restoration . Paul Goldfinger photo 1/1/26. This well was first dug in 1880.
DAVID GILMOUR. “Smile.”
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37 Atlantic Avenue: Winner of a Homeowner Beersheba Award. Photo by Paul Goldfinger.Blogfinger.net. Click left for larger view; then back arrow.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ, USA.
Michelangelo Cappabianca (“all A’s”) and Tom Nero are from Short Hills, New Jersey, but before they purchased their Ocean Grove get-away home, they had been vacationing in Belmar and Asbury Park for many years. However, in 2003, when they decided to buy a “beach house,” those two communities did not seem to be quite right. They wanted a quiet, beautiful second home where they could relax year round.
They came into the Grove to see what they could find, and they saw the c. 1870 house at 37 Atlantic Avenue, sitting on the corner opposite Founder’s Park. It needed a lot of work, but they looked around and said, “It’s heaven.”
It is a small place with porches all around and up and down. They saw the beautiful park, and to the right, was Wesley Lake. The most important element that captured their imagination was “the location.” They knew very little about the town, however they didn’t need to know. “This was “it.” The house was under contract, but they would not be denied — they would pay whatever was necessary.
According to the Historical Society/HPC presentation at the Beersheba Awards ceremony, “37 Atlantic is a standout: an essentially intact, nineteenth-century cottage.” * When the reconstruction began, the goal was to preserve as much of the original components as possible. The result was a “true restoration of this gem, carried out beautifully by the Sullivan Brothers.”*
The HSOG description said, “Remarkably, the original porch structure and decoration remain….every single piece of this delicate ensemble was painstakingly removed, restored , and reassembled.”*
Jim Sullivan told us that the porch was a complicated and difficult job. Just the craftsmanship required to save the 120 decorative vertical “panels” necessitated a “massive” amount of time to do the dipping, stripping, sanding, priming, and painting.
There were many other elements and obstacles, but in the end “this meticulous restoration puts the spotlight on a typical—though now rare—example of Ocean Grove’s early vernacular architecture.”*
As far as Michel and Tom are concerned, they couldn’t be happier. They love to sit on the porches facing the park, catch the breezes, and enjoy the people happening by. When they want exciting fun, they go to Asbury Park, but they also enjoy the events in the Grove such as the Great Auditorium Saturday night shows.
Their wish is to see the historic fountain in the park restored. A fund has already been set up by the HSOG, but these two homeowners plan to organize a spectacular fundraiser to give the project a boost—details to be announced.
* Many thanks to Jenny Shaffer of the HPC/HSOG for her quotes above. She presented the Homeowner Award to the owners of this very special historic house.
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Thornley Chapel, Ocean Grove, undergoes restoration. Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net. 5/1/26
Here is a 2017 post about the Chapel’s color.
Thornley Chapel 2017 color discussion.
Eva Cassidy. “Summertime”
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Paul Goldfinger © May 25, 2019. Members of the Atlantic Wind Ensemble get ready for the evening concert. Wet those reeds and blow some scales. Blogfinger.net photo.
BENNY GOODMAN from the soundtrack of the movie The War. The song is “On The Alamo.”
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Tabernacle. Ocean Grove, New Jersey. 2012. By Paul Goldfinger © Click for full view.
May 1, 2026. The Bishop seems to have a sparkling white roof now. Paul Goldfinger photo Click once to enlarge.
Bright shiny white Bishop Jane Tabernacle. Paul Goldfinger. 5/1/26
LONDON SYMPHONY “Enigma Variations”
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Tent Village will be occupied this month, and many visitors will enjoy exploring this historic site, owned by the OG Camp Meeting Association. Blogfinger photographers have wandered around here during day or even at night. It is a fascinating place. Occupants lease their tents from the CMA. Go to comments below or email us at Blogfinger@verizon.net. Click once on the photo to clearly read the sign.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. 5/1/26.
Have you ever walked around the Great Auditorium, peeked inside, or even entered to hear a rehearsal or take a tour? Have you ever seen a sign as above in Tent Village? Have you ever walked on the OG boardwalk? That is private property too.
Are the grassy strips around town “private property?” The CMA had quite a time after Sandy claiming to FEMA that the boardwalk is a public thoroughfare and not private property.
Will signs like this begin to appear throughout Tent Village in Ocean Grove, NJ, USA? Or around our residential streets? Is the difference that people are living in the tents but not in the Auditorium? And will “Private Property signs show up in places like Bishop Jane’s Tabernacle?
And since the CMA owns all the land in town, how much of historic O. Grove do they consider to be functionally “Private Property?”
BARRY MANILOW AND PHYLLIS McGUIRE:
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Windows at the top reaches of the Tabernacle. All photos by Paul Goldfinger © Click once on all photographs to enlarge them.
By Paul Goldfinger MD, Editor @Blogfinger.net Original 2014…
The Bishop Janes Tabernacle is the oldest permanent structure in Ocean Grove, built in 1877.
It is an airy, open building consisting basically of one room and a center section on top where a sweep of windows allows light to stream in from above and illuminate the seating below–symbolic perhaps, or very practical, or both.
Light and breezes come inside. ©
Ted Bell, Ocean Grove historian and author, showed us the 19th century ventilation system which keeps the place cool. Downstairs there is a ring of large doors and windows. The latter open in a curious way, but there is a purpose to the design. The window aims the warm breezes upward where they can stream through the top row of windows.
Ted Bell shows how the lower level windows open. ©
Outside, the light trickles and flows through the trees to hit the Tabernacle and creates moving patterns on its outside walls and illumination for the prayer books inside.
BACH: Double concerto in D minor for 2 violins and strings. With Yehudi Menuhin, Alberto Lysy, and Camerata Lysy Gstaad.
—- Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
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This from a “Scoot ‘N Go” ad online, but many companies make these useful devices.
“Lite” by Scoot ‘N Go.” It weighs about 48 lbs. and folds easily into the trunk of your car. It can reach 3-5 mph which is about the speed of a brisk walk. It has 4 wheels, brakes, and a number of safety features.
By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor Blogfinger.net
These mobility scooters are designed for seniors. They are electric/battery powered, and in the Grove, most drivers would probably drive their scooter on the sidewalk. I don’t know if sidewalk driving would be allowed, but it sounds safe to me because most seniors would go slow–the speed of walking. They have baskets, brakes, lights, and comfortable seats. Weight limits vary, usually designed for about up to 300 pounds.
I have been researching these as a convenient mode of transportation in the Grove. Anyone who drives into down-town Ocean Grove in season is nuts.
Walmart has a large selection with a variety of prices, some as low as a few hundred dollars.
You may have seen signs in neighborhood towns such as Bradley Beach on Memorial Drive which say the electric bikes are banned, but I checked with the Neptune Police who tell me that “mobility scooters are permitted in Ocean Grove.” I inquired about registration and insurance and I was told that “We don’t believe that those are required by NJ State Law. More information can be obtained from NJMVC.”
In addition I learned that “There is an update reference to E-bikes that is scheduled to take effect in July of 2026.” Evidently the NJ MVC is working with state legislators on the requirements and actions related to registration and insurance. But these scooters are not usually referred to as “E-bikes”. We know that many cities are struggling with safety issues about e-bikes.
But, so far, I have not seen a single mobility scooter in the Grove. This could be the answer to mobility issues during the difficult Grovarian summer season. You could ride one all over the Grove for the Blogfinger Town-Wide Yard Sale set for June.
Will I get a scooter? My left leg has issues. I don’t have a leg to stand on. It’s probably cheaper than an orthopedist’s copay.
If one of you do get one, contact me so we could interview you and make a video. Blogfinger@verizon.net. There are many videos about this subject on company sites or You Tube.
George Bizet rode his horse around Paris in the 19th century, but here is a new idea for 2026. . Hook up a radio and go the Great Auditorium. George will probably be there this summer. Leave your car at home.
Oh: I can’t find a seller who offers test drives.
“Les Pecheurs de Perles” by George Bizet:
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