OG Funeral Home undergoes demolition. Blogfinger.net. Paul Goldfinger MD
Two Grovers purchased this property. After a delay, demolition has begun. We have no specifics, but we suspect an impressive single family home will result. They have a big lot. Or maybe a medical facility?
My former office was a funeral home in its past life. Our practice could offer quick service. Later we sold it to a law firm. Chiropracters took over after that.
BOBBY DARIN
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A beautiful summer so far: bikers and teens abound. Paul Goldfinger photo. Ocean Grove. Click once to enlarge.
Auditorium Square Park. Blogfinger@verizon.net
In our North End neighborhood there are so many renters, many from out of state. They are finding vacation lifestyles and especially loving not only our beach, but our porch culture. Despite the hazards of bike riding, cyclers are all over town including young parents with little kids in little bike seats.
The weather has been sunny and cher, and it seems that beach goers from our part of town are relishing walking the long distance east. As always, parking is a challenge. Other specifics that attract visitors include visits to Tent Village and exploration of Asbury Park including restaurants just across the bridges from the Grove.
Compared to when we came here,the CMA is not so obvious with their religious programming. I wonder if the young renters are even aware of that historic factor in town. In addition the secular programming in town fails to feature our history other than house tours
Last night I attended the Silver Screen concert which combined movies and movie music. As usual, the Mid-Atlantic Philharmonic Orchestra was superb led by Maestro Jason Tramm, The movie part was a bit disappointing. I was hoping for a big screen showing movie clips with segments of original movie scenes.
I loved Ben Hur with music from the chariot race. I think my ancestors were there, but if it were me, I would have bought a Lexus.
Anyhow, I surveyed the audience and found few young people. And there were perhaps several hundred in the audience. The CMA fails again to promote their special secular shows . I continue to wish that they would invite high school music students kids to their concerts like this: it would be a win-win idea.
And as for girls in their summer clothes, the style this summer features short shorts with tuggable hems. Also there are flowing long light dresses or kaftans, and long rayon or silky pant suits–all quite beautiful matching up with long straight hair does. Are these pants too tight? Well who’s to say–it’s the fashion. For the boys it’s beards and baseball hats worn backwards. What will they do if a fly ball emerges from in the sun?
And the eateries in town, some of which are new—send us a short review: Blogfinger@verizon.net
LOVE THEME FROM BEN HUR
LOVE THEME FROM CINEMA PARADISO:
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Ocean Grove youth movement at the beach. Ocean Grove, NJ, USA. July, 2026. Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net
Frank Sinatra in a duet with Charles Aznavour. It his Frank’s “Duets” album :
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Paul Goldfinger. The Great Auditorium. 2026. Searching for a prince. Click once to enlarge. Ocean Grove, NJ. Blogfinger.net
ETTA JONES. From The Best of Etta.
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Sitting in our OG pond is Blogfrog— about 2 inches long. He must have strolled over from the Wesley Retention/Detention Basin. PG photo. July, 2016. © It’s Christmas in July. Let’s make frognog.
This frog can do a fine impression of Elvis. Here is his recent recording with Martina McBride:
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Paul Goldfinger, MD. Editor Blogfinger.net
Eileen and I went to a Veterans Day tribute at Ocean Township Town Hall last month. There were veterans, Ocean Twp officials, Boy Scouts, citizens and speakers, but there also were children. I was wearing my Jewish War Veterans hat, and as we entered, some kids spotted my hat and a small girl handed me a folded piece of paper. I gave it to Eileen for safekeeping, and we forgot to open it. Yesterday, Eileen found it and handed it to me.
It was cleverly folded, like one of those paper constructions, and I cautiously opened it, and here it is. (above).
Zeezee signed it “love” and she called me a “hero.” Of course, I never thought of myself that way, especially since I was based in Portsmouth, Virginia (Naval Hospital) during Viet Nam. The only danger I experienced was when some docs and corpsmen played basketball at lunchtime in the medical base gym, and I was in danger of being fouled while shooting.
But ZeeZee reminded me of those heroes who never came back from our wars. And they never got to enjoy another Christmas. But their families get to remember them during this holiday season. And I’m sure Zeezee was also honoring all those who did come back.
Among those millions was Eileen’s Dad Bernard Harkavy of Brooklyn, NY and then later, of Dumont, NJ. Of course, Bernie got to enjoy many Hanukkahs when he came home, although he was away when Eileen was born. When I met her, Bernie was around to make sure I was behaving. And then in 1984, at his insistence, we all went to France to visit Normandy. It was like a scene from Saving Private Ryan. It was the 40th anniversary of D-Day.
Sgt. Bernard Harkavy. He was in Europe during WWII.
BAND OF HMS ROYAL MARINES: Theme from “Saving Private Ryan.”
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Deal Lake. Taken from the Loch Arbour side. Paul Goldfinger photo. July 12, 2016 © Click for maximum glitter.
DEXTER GORDON. Recorded July 7, 1970 in New York City “The Christmas Song.”
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Ocean Grove near Wesley Lake. Free parking is allowed for Asburians who leave their cars in front of Paul’s house. Blogfinger photo July 2018. Click image to read the signs.
I like the part about “cleaning up after your dog.” It is an oxymoron, and the idea of it, to clean yourself up once your dog is done, says something about the importance of dogs in Dog-town New Jersey—ie Ocean Grove.
Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net
DAVID CHRISTMAS AND BERNADETTE PETERS. From the off-Broadway original cast of Dames at Sea
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Seaside Heights. October 12, 2015. Paul Goldfinger photo. Click once to grab the brass ring and enlarge the photo.
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger (Re-posted 2026 from October 2015)
This carousel horse, photographed after the season in Seaside Heights, reminds me of Broadway—sometimes happy and sometimes sad. I’m thinking of the show Carousel which proclaims, “June is busting out all over.”
The Fantasticks has a song called “Round and Round” which begins as a gorgeous fantasy—-“Life is a colorful carousel,” but later the song becomes dark, sad, and scary.
However, for the most part, Broadway brings us joy as in “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma.
I see this carousel, devoid of riders and seemingly sad because the season is over, and yet the scene, like a Broadway set, is bursting with vivid colors and, in a way, with memories of life itself.
So, in wondering about this photograph and how to see it, I decided that it is joyful and not sad, and if the horse could talk he would say, ” Please sir, I want more oats” (sorry for the Oliver joke, such as it is.) I wonder how a child would view it.
And certainly now, in 2021, with Broadway (and even the London stage) mostly dark for an indefinite period of time, we will have to wait to experience the joy of the musical stage.
Of course, we can still hear the music. We try to keep that music alive on Blogfinger. It’s easy to forget, but we won’t. (Thanks Mom!)
Here is MIMI HINES from a show called “The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd.” It is a happy song full of the sort of vivid optimism that we often find in Broadway musicals and, sometimes, in life.
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Barbara (L) and Michelle at Seasons General Store in OG. Barbara cracks herself up. 2014. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©
You’ve gotta have friends. Grovers Heidi (L) and Eileen on Main Avenue. Undated photo by Paul Goldfinger. Click once to time travel.
LOUIS PRIMA :
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Paul Goldfinger photo. 2022
Flower Drum Song:
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Scotrun, Pennsylvania. Hunting dogs: Ashley (l), Gilly (c) and Piper. Photo: Paul Goldfinger. Click once to enlarge.
ALABAMA:
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Old Time Police
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ. OG is no Kansas City.
We will post any crime, even those that seem trivial. They will be posted by date, with the most recent on top, and we can add information to an item if more details come in. If the NTPD and Neighborhood Watch post an incident on BF, we will not repeat it here.
We believe that the citizens of OG will benefit from knowing what’s going on. Of course, not everyone in town reads BF, so we make no claim that this is comprehensive. Even the police don’t know it all, because some crimes are not reported. — Editors @Blogfinger
1. October 16, 2012: From “Mighty Mad.” “We had a garden ornament stolen yesterday.”
2. October 15, 2012. From “Gosh.” Hanging carved angel stolen from arbor.
3. October 15t, 2012. From Empress: Bicycle was stolen from behind house on McClintock. It was reported to police. Later, a man was seen trespassing on McClintock properties, roaming from one house to another looking around front, side, and back. Bicycle never recovered.
4. October 9, 2012. From Jean Bredin. The Halloween bandit struck 94 Heck Avenue. A ceramic jack o’ lantern with light was plucked from our porch last nite. We even had the porch lite on!
5. October 6, 2012. From “Two Incidents.” I was speaking to a neighbor today and she related two recent incidents. First her shiny new grill went missing, then a ‘vagrant’ was just sitting on her porch and wouldn’t leave. She did call the police and he left, but she said the trespasser just didn’t seem to care. Brazen break-ins and entries, stolen property, car theft, numerous petty crimes and now some residents actually talking about getting guns. Just how long before something truly tragic happens?
6. October 6, 2012. From “Anonymous.” A car was broken into on Seaview Avenue last Thursday. Minor items were stolen including a small Louie Vuitton purse. Reported to police.
7. October 3, 2012. From “Agree.” A week and a half ago or so a garden ornament was stolen from my front porch on Cookman Avenue in OG. It’s wasn’t worth anything, but the fact that someone came on my porch to take the item certainly gave me pause. I didn’t think much of it until I read the other comments here on Blogfinger.
8. October 3, 2012. From Ted Aanensen: “Yesterday, a neighbor corner of Abbott and Pligim Pathway was resting on her couch when an intruder cut her screen door and tried to break into the house. Fortunatetly, her screams chased the intruder away. Police were called but the homeowner was so shook up she could not give a terribly accurate description, other than thin, white and in a tee shirt.”
9. October 2, 2012. From “Gosh.” One Saturday night while on patrol for the Citizens Patrol, we had found 2 bikes in the street within a block of each other. We reported to base the finding and waited for police to come and collect the bikes. Two hours later, after no response from the police, we had to bring them by Thornley Chapel to the police sub station.
10. October 2, 2012. From Larry McKeown. “We too have been the victim of lawn ornament thieves (thief?). Our multi-colored gazing ball was discovered missing several days ago from our home at 107 Embury Avenue. Do ya think that the thief is holding it for ransom? By the way, I enjoy the “Blog” — move forward.
11. October 2, 2012. From Ann Yannell. “Ann Horan just told me that a woman in O.G., today, noticed missing items from her yard and spotted a white van but did not get the license plate. I would like to know more details because I have a plate number of a white van I saw this morning that seemed suspicious to me. Please let me know.”
WILBERT HARRISON:
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