Blogfinger

May 2024. It’s time to pay attention to cultural shifts in the Grove. Paul Goldfinger photo.   (Mom was there)

Paul Goldfinger, MD, Blogfinger.net.    2024

Blogfinger.net  is the only entity in town which pays attention to cultural shifts in the Grove.  Yet changes are occurring, and it is very obvious to those who are alert.

When OG was founded, it was monochromatic  where  everyone was Methodist and white. But that baseline didn’t last very long, and within a few years of the founding, new people were moving in who were different.  And some clashes occurred early like a secession, law suits over taxes, and secular shows in the GA.

Change has been slow, but it is definitely occurring even though established entities such as the CMA and the Home Owners Assoc. have not taken notice. And if we are blinded by the light, some changes may go backwards.

But Blogfinger  focuses on people rather than law suits. In 2000, OG had a Jewish mayor in Neptune, and women were involved in governance. Mary Beth Jahn stood up for the people of Ocean Grove over the North End plan.

Recently Blogfinger reported on the “Ocean Grove Underground” which featured more young people. Last week some twenty somethings from NYC rented a place on Mt Hermon.  They looked like they arrived from the lower East Side  complete with piercings and tattoos.  And they felt at home here.

Our reporter met a NYC policeman who was heading a program to help cops who had been traumatized from violent events. He likes to relax in OG and stay in a hotel.

And take a look at the varieties of folks on the boardwalk:  Asians, Sikhs, Orthodox Jews, African-Americans,  teen-agers, young couples with toddlers who live here, and more.

And more and more cross currents can be identified here this summer. Today is an example.  We went to Days for treats, and a lively diverse crew was waiting to wait on us.   I said, “I want the best sundae maker,” and all stepped forward.

After that we went over to Auditorium Square Park where cultural varieties were surprisingly easy to find.

First we met Judea and Honestii who had just graduated in the GA last night from Neptune High School. But somehow they felt deprived, lost in the crowd, so they returned to Ocean Grove today to photograph each other as individuals rather than members of a clan.

These young ladies will soon start college.  So I offered to photograph them for more of the  individual attention that was missing for these two friends last night at the Great Auditorium.

Honestii Brown on left, and Judea Thomas. Paul Goldfinger photo 6/21/24. Ocean Grove, NJ.

Honestii. Class of 2024. Neptune High School . Paul Goldfinger photo.

Judea. Neptune High School Class of 2024. Paul Goldfinger photo.

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