In a long letter in Thursday’s Coaster, the head of the group that organized last week’s Asbury Park Oysterfest apologized to Ocean Grovers who were charged money to cross the Heck Street foot bridge into Asbury.
There was a $3 charge to enter the Oysterfest area last week, and some Grovers who weren’t interested in that event but were just strolling across the bridge were accosted and asked to pay the fee.
Richard Tarzian, president of the group that produced the Oysterfest, wrote: “We apologize to the residents of Ocean Grove (and Neptune Township) for any misunderstanding…”
— CL
Wasn’t this event run by Asbury Park-based The Passion Group? If so, its the same group responsible for, and generating income from, Neptune’s Riverfest in 9 days. Being Asbury Park based they should have known that there are many other reasons to go into AP besides just oysters. This was bad execution by a supposedly savvy event planning group.
My husband and I bike across the footpath every Saturday morning to buy goods from the Asbury Park NJ Fresh Farm Market. On this particular morning we were greeted by an attendant who told us we must pay $3 a person to cross over the footbridge. I responded that this was public land. He responded that I had two choices–to go down the boardwalk to the area or make a left to the next footbridge. We took the path to the other footbridge. We bought our farm goods and headed back to Ocean Grove.
This was an obvious error by the department that issues permits and the event planner. Sometimes you have to just roll with it!!!!!
Nope.
That is a nice start. But, has anyone offered to refund the illegally-collected $3 fee?