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.
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.
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.
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.
By Eileen and Paul Goldfinger, Editors. Blogfinger.net
We have been bird watching in the Grove for many years, but today we saw a Baltimore Oriole land in our back garden for the first time, look around for a few minutes, and then fly off. This bird has astonishing markings. They like the northeast and they enjoy eating fruit. This visit may have to do with the forthcoming Yankees vs Baltimore series starting May 1 at Yankee Stadium.
We also had a pair of ducks visit last week. They have reappeared for years, checking in at our small backyard pond. Missed the photo. But below are a pair of 2025 ducks in our garden identical to the ones from a few days ago–in fact we believe them to be the same pair as before.
Purple Finch. We put up our feeder yesterday 4/29/26. We filled it with sunflower seeds. Later that day, finches appeared. They are very common in this area. Maybe we will see a Yellow Finch—the state bird of New Jersey
House finch in our yard. The feeder sits on a pole, and if a squirrel jumps onto the ring, the portal will close. Beneath the cardinal rink is a large seed catcher for shells. Photo Paul Goldfinger. Ocean Grove
SOUNDTRACK: “Pachelbel’s Canon” from Pachelbel’s briefcase—also from the film Ordinary People which won the Best Picture Oscar in 1980.
Johann Pachelbel was a 17th century German Baroque composer. His Canon in D opened the film, and Robert Redford, the director, was responsible for making Johann famous once again and for having everyone who saw the film stay at the end to find out about the music.
By Paul Goldfinger MD, Editor Blogfinger.net
The recording below is by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (“RPO”) which is the most famous orchestra in England:
John Legend and Cynthia Erivo perform a spare Beach Boys tune. Internet photo. 2/12/17
Brian Wilson and Tony Asher wrote “God Only Knows” in 1966. This version was performed at the 59th Grammy Awards to honor artists who died in the past year.
Tony Bennett. Saturday, August 13, 2011. Photos by Tracey James, Blogfinger staff photographer
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor. Blogfinger.net. Great Auditorium. Ocean Grove, NJ.
I’m speechless!
The empty space here is for the indescribable wonder of Tony Bennett’s performance Saturday night in the Great Auditorium. Mr. Bennett’s voice is as wonderful as ever, complete with a full range of emotions, volumes, textures, rhythms and key changes.
He wore an off white sport jacket, a white shirt and tie, and black pants. He was animated and he even sang and waved to the folks in the cheap seats on the lawn. Nearly 4,000 tickets were sold, but it seemed like the place was packed. Tony Bennett did not let the crowd down; he performed many of his hits and he received a few standing ovations. He seemed genuinely happy to be in this venue. As expected, he arrived with four first rate musicians: piano, stand-up base, guitar and drums.
Mr. Bennett, as gracious as always, complimented Ronald Naldi on his performance of the Star Spangled Banner and he told the audience that the Great Auditorium was a treasure, unlike any other theatre in the world. He said that we should protect and support this unique building.
Recalling a prior performance in the GA over twenty years ago, he sang “The Shadow of Your Smile” without any amplification.
For those who witnessed the performance, it will be something unforgettable. It was musical perfection by a star unlike any other.
Here is a song that Tony Bennett performed on Saturday that captures the feeling of something magical that happens and then eventually vanishes.
Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor Blogfinger.net Click once to enlarge.
2021 re-post (The original question posited in the headline is still valid.)
There are multiple factions in the small town of Ocean Grove (pop 3,700,) and these organized groups are largely isolated from each other. Woven into the fabric are homeowners and renters who live here but do not belong to any organizations, thus becoming, by default, a faction of their own.
According to social scientist Steve Valk, whose family has lived here for several generations, it would be important for these factions to find ways to appreciate and cooperate with each other. For example he cites the religious groups and the secular groups which ought to find common ground for the benefit of the town. One example of such cooperation is the recent interaction, since Sandy, between Ocean Grove United (OGU) and the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association (CMA); however we have recently seen how tenuous that relationship is when we recall the recent clash about Sunday sermons.
The CMA ran the town from 1869 to 1980 as a tax paying part of Neptune Twp.—-111 years.
Neptune Township treated OG as a sort of gated community. The CMA made the rules and imposed blue laws until the N.J. Supreme Court put a stop to that in 1980 when Neptune took over active governance in the Grove (although the Neptuners were technically the governing body almost since the town’s founding.) Since 1980, the CMA has continued its mission and it has largely kept out of the way of Neptune Township.
But we now see the CMA and the Township working together on the North End Redevelopment Project, but suspicious elements have been revealed, and that project does not seem to be designed primarily with the town’s best interest at heart. By 2021, the CMA, OGNED, and the Neptunites seem to be on the verge of going ahead with the NERP.
As for the Neptune Township governance, you have seen the results of our recent poll which shows that 80% of respondents mistrust the Neptune Township Committee. Interestingly, over the years, there were times when the citizens rose up against Neptune control resulting in law suits and even a failed referendum to allow the Grove to become a separate town which it did for one year in 1925.
The other organizations here also tend to have their own agendas and to be run like private clubs. Such groups include the Homeowners Association, the Historical Society, Ocean Grove United, and the Chamber of Commerce.
They don’t work together very much for the good of the town. They are busy with their own agendas. For example, the Chamber of Commerce runs big events to try and drum up business for the merchants. But what do they do for the benefit of those who live here? We asked them to take over sponsorship of the Town-wide Yard Sale, but they refused.
When we introduced a new idea for the town—the Blogfinger Film Festival—a benefit for the boardwalk—-only a few of the members would be sponsors for the program, and hardly any attended the event.
When we think of factions in town, we can see the visible ones, but how about the invisible ones such as families that have lived here for generations and are part of networks that act in concert with each other, with the CMA, and with the Township governance, especially where land use, zoning, and parking are concerned. Let’s call that “the OG network of special interests.”
For them the town of Ocean Grove seems like a gift that keeps on giving. This network never speaks publicly, shows its face, or identifies itself, but what it does and has done will impact all of us and will determine what the town will be in the future. Take a look at all the Grovers who are involved with OGNED and will gain financially from that North End project; to the detriment of those of us who live here and pay taxes.
We have seen the results of favoritism for those special interests in the Greek Temple and Mary’s Place. The North End Redevelopment Project is a good example to keep an eye on. Who will be the winners, and who will be the losers?
Because of indifference by the public, organizations, and special interests, Ocean Grove may become an at-risk town which could end up a failed historic place without focus and character, such as is seen in other shore towns—unless the public pays attention and the organizations here begin to work together for the overall benefit of the town and not just on their narrow pet projects, like the Homeowners Association which is currently circulating a simple-minded parking survey while ignoring the improprieties and illegalities around town regarding land use issues. The HOA has teamed up with the Neptune Committee ever since 2008 when it supported 165 residential units, mostly condos, at the North End.
In 2002, a professor* at Monmouth University published an academic paper about OG history, emphasizing the powerful way that the activist HOA of 25-30 years ago fought for the town and saved its life. Below is a quote** from that research about that era.
Contrast the conclusion below with the current HOA which now is failing Ocean Grove through impotence, inaction, and lack of focus towards the issues which currently threaten our town the most.
The Home Groaners need to step up and save the town once again, but this version appears to so far be hopeless in that regard.
** 2002: “The HOA has maintained or reconstructed the carefully planned infrastructure of the founders, and even as Ocean Grove is being reborn as a contemporary tourist site, the HOA has worked with the CMA to preserve its sacred foundations. Just like the CMA, the HOA has been outstanding in its ability to secure what it wants and what it believes the community needs. Property values have risen, the community is again a safe place, tourism has been revived, an enormous amount of social capital has been generated, and the Victorian charm of the town has been restored.”
By Karen Schmelzkopf* in the Journal of Historical Geography, 2002
Vic’s. Paul Goldfinger photo. Bradley Beach. Most say that Vics has the best pizza in the area. Click once to magnify the buzz. Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ, USA.
By Paul Goldfinger MD. Blogfinger.net
Vic’s is now run by the 4th generation of the Giunco family who originally came to Bradley Beach from Genoa, Italy in 1933. They started with a “Tap Room.” In 1947 they opened their Italian restaurant in the current location. Vic’s was crowded on a Sunday evening. Yet we were seated within 10 minutes, and our waiter appeared soon after.
Their thin crusted pizza was truly excellent, served in a place which appeared like it was still 1947.
They have a bar, so no BYOB. They don’t deliver, but they are ready to have you pick up and be on your way quickly. And their menu is full of Italian specialties. We will be back to try something other than pizza.
EDITH PIAF. From her album “The White Cliffs of Dover.”
Warsaw Ghetto. May, 1943. Paul Goldfinger still image from Israel.
5/16/43. Armed resistance collapses at the Warsaw Ghetto. Nazis kill or remove over 56,000 Jews. Nazi forces burn the ghetto. This freedom fighter crawls out of a basement to be greeted by massive numbers of Nazi attackers. All resistance fighters are murdered. A small number manage to escape and bear witness.
Jews hide inside while Nazis set the Ghetto ablaze with artillery and flame throwers. Hidden photographers. During the 26 day resistance, writers chronicled the events and buried their observations. These items were dug up after the war to prove what occurred. PG. Blogfinger.net
