The giant “fall” flea market is over. Soon to occur: Another craft show, dog parade, trolley tours, Cabaret on Main, Harvest Festival–close down Main Avenue on October 5, Victorian house tours, and then Commercial Christmas will reappear, done large.
The Chamber of Commercials is currently driving the bus, promoting down-town businesses. They don’t care about residential OG. CMA is taking a break, but not for long. The Home Groaners don’t wonder about these things, but they don’t wonder much about anything having to do with lifestyles in the Grove. And the elected officials don’t care.
So what will define Ocean Grove in the future? Will it be behaving like a historic village in small town America.? It looks like it will appear as a sort of junior Disneyland where bored outsiders can come and do this or that, and investors can exploit the real estate market with rentals and condos.
The events and crowds keep multiplying, and, in addition, we are becoming a bedroom community, an appendage, for Asbury Park where they know who they are. And the CMA infrastructure will continue to enlarge its mostly religious calendar.
The beach scene is welcome and expected and is a given–not part of this conversation.
Next summer the CMA-sponsored classical music will be great again—with tiny audiences. And the town will be burgeoning with religious events and tourists. Maybe the CMA will get its wish to restore the old predominant religious focus here, even though the town’s residents are largely secular. The residents don’t exactly know who they are.
At the end of this month, Red Bank will have an Oyster Festival on one day, September 29, from 12 to 6 . Otherwise they have no large events. And what they have through the summer are for the residents, such as jazz and movies in the park. They have a large downtown and a bigger town, but they keep the spirit of the place for the sake of their residents.
And Neptune is soon having a concert at the Shark River for the River area residents. When did Neptune offer a musical program for Grover residents? Why do they ignore us?
So, again, what is the point of this constant barrage of tourists in Ocean Grove–a town with an identity challenge?
–Paul Goldfinger
GUY LOMBARDO AND HIS ROYAL CANADIANS From the soundtrack of Woody’s movie Zelig.
I agree with LTL and Rory this is a genuine lethargic type of town and they like it that way. So the phrase, “What do you expect” is certainly appropriate.
The CMA needs to move into this Century and act as a body of folks who care about not letting “outsiders” including the township walk all over us.
Some song from Les Mes might be inspiring but this is not France.
“A bedroom community.” Gee, all this town does is sleep through everything, letting the CMA or anyone do what they want here? Wake up Grovers and take back your town.
PG: Yes, yes and yes. All of your aforementioned points. Sigh…… we want our solace, our peace, our serenity, our scenery. We want our town! OUR TOWN!