OG flea market. 2017. This is the only way Led Zeppelin will get to OG. Paul Goldfinger photo.
Paul Goldfinger. Editor at Blogfinger.net. Updated September 2023.
For many years, the Chester Lions Club ran a weekly flea market. It was held in an out-of-the-way dirt lot and its size was modest. It was a fund raiser by the Lions whose main interest was helping those with visual impairments. It was a treasure for the community and it caused no parking or traffic problems or crowding in the Borough.
In Ocean Grove we have a Chamber of Commercials that will sponsor a “giant” flea market on September 09, 2023 which will have over 300 vendors and lure thousands of visitors. It has other such events in spring and fall.
A great deal of money will be generated for vendors, the Chamber and the land owner—OGCMA. The township also will be feeding at the trough with fees. But how much money will we-the-people make for our town’s needs in exchange for putting up with the mob with its carbon dioxide, babbling conversations, Covid viruses, blocked breezes, $10.00 sandwiches, and an endless supply of crappy merchandise?
What does the Chamber do with the money it gets? Why does the Chamber need to make money? And why are we Grovers the hosts of their fund raising and tourist promotions? We are not a commercial town–we are primarily a residential town.
In Rhinebeck NY, a town much smaller than Neptune, they keep the town wonderful while having events such as flea markets at the Duchess County Fairgrounds about a mile out of town.
We have the East Freehold Showgrounds for such big events: “This is an 81-acre showground for horse shows, dog shows, and special events each year. East Freehold Showgrounds is also the home of the annual Monmouth County Fair. Upwards of 75,000 people enjoy the 5-day late July event. Check the Monmouth County Fair page for more information regarding the Fair.
Let’s free Ocean Grove from the tyranny of excessive tourism. Where are the Home Groaners on this topic? You can go to their web OGHOA.org but if you do, you will find essentially nothing., even though one of their main goals is to “improve the Grover quality of life:”
What do Giant Flea markets do for the community? The answer is nothing. We get crowding, tourists all over town, and parking distress.
The Town-wide Yard Sale and Art on the Porches are much better events for small town America—which we are.
But looking at this topic in a broader sense, we ask the question: How is this event a benefit for our town? There are thousands of citizens who make Ocean Grove their home, and other than creating a spectacle, the event is totally unnecessary—a detriment from the point of view of OG’s citizens and “community.”
Define “community” as those who actually live here.
The Flea Mess is one of many events held in the Grove that are popular because this is a beautiful town on the ocean, and if it weren’t for the care of our historic homes and the friendliness of our citizens, these events would be a lot less popular, or at least a lot more junkier.
Why can’t the Chamber and the CMA host their mega events elsewhere?
The answer is that they profit from our Victorian architecture and gardens, along with our porch culture which is so inviting to tourists. Who says that OG should be a commercial magnet when it is actually a small, residential shore town with a historic and a religious flavor?
Neptune Township should protect us from exploitation, but it doesn’t care–it is part of the “Historic District” band wagon and feeding frenzy coupled with an ancient “one hand washes the other” relationship with the CMA.
The presence of the OGCMA is another related topic because of their many summer-long religious events creating crowds that no other Jersey Shore town has to deal with. They may own the land, but they don’t own the town.
Some have told Blogfinger that anyone who doesn’t like what goes on here should not have moved here, but that assumes that Chamber and CMA events are set in stone and must be continued into the future; but most towns evolve in ways that satisfy the needs of their tax paying citizens. Witness what has happened and still happens in Bradley Beach where they no longer have mega-events.
The idea that OG is a historic place is belied by the presence of such happenings as giant flea markets. Where is the dedication to OG as a recipient of historic designations? Where are historic events such as military recreations.
KAREN ELSON WITH VINCE GIORDANO AND THE NIGHTHAWKS. From Boardwalk Empire. “Who’s Sorry Now.”
