Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. Adjacent to Firemen’s Park. This is another example of parking games that people play in Ocean Grove. These 3 people parked and walked away.

By Paul Goldfinger, MD, Editor @Blogfinger.net

Why has Ocean Grove become the go-to entertainment venue on Saturdays for this part of the Shore?   Name another Jersey Shore town, besides Asbury, around here with significant weekend event crowding almost every weekend from May through October? 

And don’t forget that those towns have garages and driveways.  For example, Seaside Heights has quite a few parking lots and facilities.

And then there is Asbury Park, our neighbor to the north.  They are hell bent on having one special event after another, but at least they have a stated mission—to promote large scale tourism.  Today they will bring thousands of Zombies to our neighborhood.  They will spill over into the Grove, if the arts and crafts visitors today leave any open parking spaces.

.But they also have small scale events for residents and visitors such as those at the Stephen Crane house, the Saturday farmers market,  the small Sunday market in Kennedy Park, and the porch musicians which appeared last weekend.

OG is perfect for small events such as last weekend’s cabaret, Town-wide Yard Sale, street musicians, poetry festivals, etc.  but the Township keeps granting permits that stifle the lifestyles of those who live here, including street closures and tourist glut.

Don’t let anyone tell you that our parking issues are only in the summer.  That is fake news, promoted mostly by realtors who don’t want potential buyers to understand our problems.

Again, who benefits from these recurrent events?  How many weekends in nice weather do the residents have the town to themselves?   Why are we hosts to so many large scale 5K runs, craft shows, flea markets, car shows, etc?   The expected beach crowds are not part of this discussion.  Every shore town has that.

A few large events are OK, but the number should be significantly limited by the Township.

And don’t forget the CMA which plans to expand its  programs for religious tourists to year-round.

This town is not a square mile, as the slogan says;  it is about half a square mile,  if we don’t count the ocean.  It is too small for all the tourists and their cars.

The Home Groaners should be on top of this, but they don’t care, so they don’t deserve their preferred name of “Home Owners Ass.”

If any if you are planning a small scale event like the Peoples Garden Tour or small outdoor concerts,  then let us know, and BF will promote it.

For example, from Rise Legato:

I’m having a porch sale at 126 Main tomorrow in OG from 10 to 4.
All welcomed

PINK MARTINI      “Donde Estas Yolanda”