Much Ado About Nothing:  The organizers  of big events in the Grove aren’t fooling anyone. They are about money for themselves.

The June Giant Saturday Flea  Market in 2016. Who benefits from this? Find us one other Jersey Shore town which does this sort of obnoxious programming. Paul Goldfinger photo.  Blogfinger.net

Who benefits from this springtime Saturday monkey business filled with mediocrity.?

Paul Goldfinger Editor Blogfinger.net  April 20, 2023

When I say “nothing” I am referring to events that bring nothing affirmative to the community of residents and tax payers of Ocean Grove. We should look at the  schedules of the OG Area Chamber of Commercials and the Camp Meeting and see if you can find  any events or happenings that bring positivity, joy, and enhanced quality of life to all we Grovers.

What can we find that we might consider beneficial  for all the people, by the people and of the people?   We can identify some current  positive examples including  recent efforts to bring about parking solutions, the planned town-wide yard sale, the  planned porch art event,  a community group working to improve parks such as the Boswell Park improvement group,  Beautification, Blogfinger, events for the locals  by the Women’s Auxiliary such as book sale and fish fry, and  volunteers who join groups such as the Wesley Lake supporters  and others,  but these examples include  initiatives by we the people;  they  are not about seducing thousands of tourists and making money as we see on the current calendar.    We don’t find big deal events as  flea markets on our list of heroes.

If we look at the events already posted for prime Saturdays this season,  we find the schedule to be dominated by groups that bring tourists into town for events that do nothing for those of us who maintain our homes and gardens so the visiting gawkers can be entertained and so the sponsoring entities can make money, exploiting the town of Ocean Grove and occupying our parking reserves. Their themes do nothing for us but drown our wonderful town with visitors.  Do you really care about British cars?  I had a Triumph—it rusted and broke down even when new. Who needs it?

And why are we intimidated regarding scheduling events on Sundays?  The Town-wide Yard Sale and the Porch Art Fest have both put our toes in the water by making the next Sunday as rain dates.    Some “for the people” events should be scheduled on Sundays starting now!

Meanwhile, Sundays in the Boardwalk Pavilion are filled with religious events, and with the sides open, everyone coming by has to be exposed to all that including singing, preaching and musicians. Isn’t that usually done in churches?

Similarly, there are now loudspeakers in Auditorium Square Park, and certain GA events last summer were broadcast loudly to be heard in the park.  We don’t know if that will continue in 2023, but if it does, there will have to be a discussion about this sort of  religious crossover into public spaces.  The definition of public spaces has nothing to do with who owns the land.

The Chamber consists of businesses in and out of the Grove, and the CMA attracts thousands into our town for religious events, and the Township is totally in the  bag for the CMA and not for secular citizens in the Grove.    And the Chamber closes our most important streets for their activities including even for foreign  cars and heart-unhealthy foods.

Independent neighborhood groups need to form to promote events and  lifestyles that are specifically for us–the secular residential  community.  That is how it is at most Jersey Shore Towns. (eg Bradley, Belmar, Avon, etc).

Do you see anything on this list that would benefit Ocean Grovers?

See the plea below.  The Chamber claims to want to  “enhance the  downtown” but they want this program to help retailers while getting us to pay for it.  They say, “Take pride in our business district.” What are they doing to take pride in the rest of town? Let them provide their own money and see if they will help.

I grew up in a small Jersey town where the CC did everything for everyone: parades, Little League, Boy and Girl Scouts  team sports, decorate town for holidays, summer band,  etc.  They were for we the people.

And, how about a farmers market here once per week.  Also poetry readings, dog contests, fishing demos for local kids off the pier, live plays in the parks, chamber music downtown or in the parks, etc etc. Consider organizing an event for us–the way Katy and Betsy have done with.  “Art on the Porch”.   Let’s have activities where money isn’t the central issue!

So, think about it.  What’s it all about? Alfie?