Sophia and Paula Giglio of New City, New York, have a second home in the Grove. They decided to come down this weekend and lend a hand to the group that was busy shoveling sand off the grassy area just east of Ocean Avenue, opposite Main.  They brought two wheelbarrows along, which they donated.  Dad was in New York City working as a physician.

But most of the workers, about 40 of them, showed up this morning in a large green bus that had been hired by the Calvary Baptist Church of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  These church volunteers were working side-by-side with members of the OG Beautification Project who were determined to eliminate the sandy berms  (ie piles of sand) that were burying the beach roses (rosa rugosa) and preventing spring planting.  Connie Ogden, wearing a bright red OG sweatshirt, had a shovel in her hand while giving me the rundown  (no, not rubdown.)  I needed that because the cast of characters was like an anthill, busy as bees  (sorry for the insect analogies.)

You could see the problem because the roses were starting to bloom, and only their little rose heads could be seen sticking out of the sand.

A very special group of workers, from the American Fence and Flag company  (see post below) were concentrating on the pier and the South End.  There were about six of them, and they also came on the same bus.  Mr. Bill Bailey of the OGCMA took me over to see what was going on.  The CMA engineers had decided that 167 feet of the pier could be salvaged and safely used. Mr. Bailey viewed this project as being important for the morale of the town—“to give hope for the future.”

A group of Pennsylvania carpenters were up on the pier replacing damaged board planks with reclaimed boards from the Sandy mess. Those boards look like new, because they are new, having been placed last year after Irene. Other volunteers from that Pa. company were installing, sanding and painting the metal railings.

We met the Clarke family from Sterling , New Jersey. They were watching the work, impressed with all the activity.  They happily posed for a photo and told us that they often visit the Grove, and they feel good about the restoration effort unfolding in front of them. The Majestic Hotel is their home base  this weekend.

Mr. Bailey busied himself walking around and interacting with the workers, trying to help expedite the situation. He has lived in Ocean Grove for much of his life, and this volunteer effort was deeply impressive to him, but not surprising. He also admitted that these volunteers are saving the CMA a large amount of money that can be used for the ongoing storm recovery.

—text and all photos by Paul Goldfinger

TO THE VOLUNTEERS—-  THANK YOU— YOU’RE  TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS: