a. Special Labor Day concert in the Great Auditorium. Monday, September 6, 7 pm. It is “Jazz and Pizazz” with Gordon Turk on organ plus piano, bass and drums. Tickets are $14.00 and can be purchased on line:
b. The CMA used to have a special meeting on Labor Day morning where they could present reports of their successful activities and where the public could go to an open microphone and ask questions or make statements.
Grovers attend the annual Labor Day meeting in 2017, Tabernacle. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©
I believe the last time this tradition was held was 2018. In 2019, the CMA accepted questions in writing. And 2020 was a washout.
The 2021 Summer Program Guide gives no indication of such an event this year. This is another example of the CMA’s turning its back on the residential community of Ocean Grove.
Here is part of what I said in 2019:
“Most OG citizens won’t care about this change, and those fair minded individuals who hear this news will understand that the CMA is in the midst of redefining itself and that it is not our business to expect everything from this private organization to be transparent.
“On the other hand, surely the CMA understands that some of what they do will generate skepticism because they are in the public arena and what they do may impact all of us who live in the Grove.
“On Blogfinger, the religious beliefs of the CMA are not our concern. But their public policies will continue to be discussed here and we do offer an “open mike” for those who have something wise, tolerant, fair, and useful to say about our friends at the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.”
We also offer an “open mic” on Blogfinger for those who want to criticize the CMA’s policies, and they can respond here if they wish.
c. Blog stats: On September 2, 2021 Blogfinger received 600″hits.” The most popular posts included the nighttime view of the North End, Coaster quotes, and “Ocean Grave no more..” There were visitors from 15 foreign countries including Australia, South Korea, Ukraine and China, but no visitors from outer space.
d.
Bring back secular programming to the Great Auditorium. Paul Goldfnger photo from The Artist . This film was shot in black and white.
e. Ocean Grove artist MaryLou Shipman is featured in a fine arts magazine, fall 2021 edition, called Muscadine. She is interviewed inside. You can read ithe interview by clicking on the link below. Congratulations to MaryLou. We have often published her work on Blogfinger including a recent post linked below
Below the picture is a link to the piece written about her in Muscadine magazine
(“An uncommonly sweet perspective on art, fashion and life.”)
LINK:
Here’s a song for Mary Lou: Yo-Yo Ma “My Favorite Things.”
f. 