Tent Village in Ocean Grove. July, 2018. Paul Goldfinger photo. © Blogfinger.net. Click to enlarge.
BETTE MIDLER:
Archive for the ‘Ocean Grove tent village’ Category
Lifestyles in the Grove: Exploring Tent Village.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove summer time, Ocean Grove tent colony, Ocean Grove tent village, tagged Ocean Grove tent village on May 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The gentle end of summer…. Tent Village, 2017.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove feature article, Ocean Grove tent village, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photographic Gallery: Ocean Grove, Photography: Faces at the Shore, tagged Ocean Grove tent village on September 14, 2025| 2 Comments »
Friends let friends enjoy the Grove when they’re away. August 28, 2017. Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net ©
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor. Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, N.J. USA.
As I passed this young woman, she was watering the flowers along the edge of Tent Village in Ocean Grove, NJ, taking her time while her two small children played nearby. She and her family are here, occupying her best friend’s tent, during one of the loveliest times in the Grove—the end of August. They are from Pennsylvania, and they seemed so happy to be here.
Sometimes we have to look around through the eyes of visitors, especially those who get to stay here for awhile.
The temperate weather now is so pleasant: the light is soft, the breezes gentle, and there is no humidity. As we have pointed out, there is something ethereal about the Tent Village when it is occupied by soft spoken people, children, flowers, and, oftentimes, by the sweet sounds of the Hope-Jones organ or the voices lifted high coming from inside the Great Auditorium with glorious choral harmonies sometimes accompanied by symphonic ensembles.
But the effect is sustained mostly by the voices of those who are chatting on porches, kids on skateboards, or parents relaxing within the protective safe-zone of the Village.
Abraham visits our backyard pond. He loves to see the fish. Paul Goldfinger portrait. 8/30/17. ©
When I went home and stood in my own garden near Heroes Park, a tiny boy, 3 years old, approached me and said hello. His name was Abraham, and as he stood there with me, his mom caught up. I invited them in to see our pond fish.
Abraham and his family are from Yonkers, NY, and he has been visiting the Grove for the last 3 years, while his parents have been coming for the last 7. His Mom is originally from Sweden, and aside from Abraham’s enthusiasm and a three year old’s natural cuteness, he is bilingual. He pointed to a flying insect and said, “Dragonfly.” He was correct, and his mom took it all in stride. Abraham and I conversed in Swedish/English for awhile , and then he went home to sleep.
So, a couple more visitors caught up in OG’s gentle end of summer.
THE BAND PERRY: “Gentle on My Mind” this version won a 2015 Grammy nomination. It also won Grammies in 1968 for the composer and for Glen Campbell.
“Ever smilin’ ever gentle on my mind
Gentle on my mind
You’re gentle on my mind.”
Tenters gone. Silence remains.
Posted in Ocean Grove lifestyles, Ocean Grove tent colony, Ocean Grove tent village, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photographic Gallery, Photographic Gallery: New Jersey, Photography by Paul Goldfinger, tagged MUSIC: Another Winter in a Summer Town.", Tenters gone in winter on December 9, 2024|
Quiet tents. Winter in Ocean Grove. 2014. Paul Goldfinger photo
DISTURBED: “The Sound of Silence.”
The Frisbee Kid at twilight, amongst the tents…
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove tent village, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photographic Gallery: Ocean Grove, Photography Nights in Ocean Grove, tagged Ocean Grove tent village, The Frisbee Kid, Twilight Time in Ocean Grove on March 7, 2024|
Ocean Grove tent village. Twilight. Click on photo to appreciate this image as night approaches. August, 2019. Paul Goldfinger
Composer Pietro Mascagni: “Cavalleria Rusticana , Intermezzo” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Performed by the Slovak Radio New Philharmonic Orchestra.
What if you had “move-in day” for Tent Village, and no one showed up? May 30, 2020 remembered.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove tent village, tagged Ocean Grove tent village on May 14, 2022| 2 Comments »
Tent Village on Move-in Day. Ocean Grove. Saturday, May 30, 2020. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©. Only a few people were there. One family was sitting together on a porch. Fear of COVID. Ocean Grove, NJ.
JUDY KUHN. from Just in Time. Judy Kuhn Sings Julie Styne
Night vision at Tent Village. #4
Posted in Ocean Grove tent village, Photography Jersey Shore, Photography Nights in Ocean Grove, Photography: Black and White gallery, tagged Ocean Grove tent village on July 27, 2021| 1 Comment »
Mysteries abound in Tent Village. Ocean Grove. September 2, 2018. Paul Goldfinger © click to enlarge
BEN WEBSTER (tenor sax) AND OSCAR PETERSON (brilliant jazz pianist): “In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning.”
Tent Village, 2017. #5
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove tent colony, Ocean Grove tent village, Photography at The Jersey Shore, Photography: Jersey Shore Gallery, Photography: Ocean Grove Gallery, tagged Ocean Grove tent village on June 19, 2021| 1 Comment »
Tent Village, Ocean Grove. July 29, 2017. By Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger.net ©
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net
It must be great fun to be a kid living in a tent during an Ocean Grove summer. Instead of bicycles to zoom around the sidewalks of the Village, there are now skateboards and scooters.
I saw a teenager coasting down Mt. Hermon Way on a skateboard, in her gravity defying short shorts, maintaining her decorum all the while speaking on a cell phone. It is certain—-someday she will have a tattoo, and her parents will approve. This is the new look of femininity.
But the Village girl, on her scooter, shows no sign of becoming anything but a proper young lady.
JUDY GARLAND from The Wizard of Oz.
“Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow.
Why then, oh, why can’t I?
“If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow.
Why, oh, why can’t I?”
Story-telling in Tent Village: around town with Jean.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove tent village, tagged Around town with Jean in Ocean Grove, Ocean Grove tent village on September 11, 2020| 1 Comment »
Kymme gets ready to vacate. Photo by Jean Bredin. © 9/10/20.
Jean Bredin, Blogfinger staff:
Whenever I take a walk, it seems a story is in my path. Being curious about the tents and the end of the season, I wanted to see how things were: I was greeted by Kymme VanCleef, a 62 year tent resident.
She will be leaving in a week. She shared generational stories and how her three grandchildren enjoy visiting. She wishes she could take her flowering climbing vine home with her.
“Grow For Me.” From the original motion picture soundtrack of A Little Shop of Horrors.
A Kingsley Place: Tent Village
Posted in Ocean Grove tent village, Photographic Gallery: Ocean Grove, Photography Jersey Shore, photography Tent Village Ocean Grove, tagged Ocean Grove tent village on August 8, 2020|
Ocean Grove by Paul Goldfinger ©. October, 2018. Click to enlarge
MEN’S CHOIR from Sex and the City movie soundtrack.
Tent Village report: Bob and Bonnie Harley.
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove tent village, photography Tent Village Ocean Grove, tagged Around town with Jean in Ocean Grove, Ocean Grove tent village on July 20, 2020| 1 Comment »
Tent Village, Ocean Grove. Jean Bredin photograph. July 18, 2020. © Blogfinger.net.
By Jean Bredin. Blogfinger.net reporter/photographer.
Bob and Bonnie Harley have been tenters all their lives. Bob’s father and mother, Jack and Helen Harley, were the occupants to this tent over 60 years ago.
I asked them how has it been in Tent Village this year?
“Very quiet, ” Bonnie replied. Maybe 85-90% occupied, but mostly weekenders. They reminisced about many things. There is much history to be found among the tenters.
Bob said he learned to swim in the Ocean Grove Pool at the North End.
Ocean Grove Choir Festival in the Great Auditorium. Paul Goldfinger photo. Blogfinger.net ©
Jean noted: “Jack Harley was the maestro of the Teaneck Bergen Chorus many years ago. My father was a member. Jack encouraged his singers to join the Ocean Grove Choir Festival, which my father did.”
“The next year I came down to sing. The rest is history. I am a year round resident of Ocean Grove.”
Here’s an arrangement that Jack probably would appreciate. It’s Max Raabe with the Das Palast Orchester performing in Carnegie Hall: “Singing in the Rain.”
Night vision #6. Tent Village woman
Posted in Ocean Grove tent village, tagged Tent City in Ocean Grove on July 11, 2020|
Ocean Grove tent village. Labor Day weekend. Sept. 2018. Paul Goldfinger photograph.© Click to enlarge.
BOBBY SHORT. “Penthouse Serenade.” From his album Songs of New York.
OG tent colony featured on the cover of Jersey Shore magazine, spring 2018 edition
Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Ocean Grove tent village, Ocean Grove Topics, tagged Ocean Grove tent colony at night on June 2, 2020|
“Tents at Nighttime.” A lovely painting by Theresa Troise Heidel, New Jersey water-colorist. Re-post from spring 2018.By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger.net. Re-post from spring 2018.
Theresa Troise Heidel is a New Jersey water color artist who has done many paintings at the Jersey Shore, including Asbury Park and Ocean Grove. As a youngster, she got to stay for awhile at a family friend’s tent. Her parents “sang in the Great Auditorium.”
She was enchanted by the tents. She said, “There was something magical about the way the rain sounded pattering the canvas above me, not to mention the aroma of fresh coffee being perked—-such atmosphere.”
About the painting of the tents at night, she said, “I invented the night life look.”
The Jersey Shore article featured a well-done story about several of the OG tent interiors which the writer got to visit.
But in this magazine, in its index section, where brief profiles of Jersey Shore towns are posted, we find that once again the media got it wrong about Ocean Grove. They portray the Grove as a summer religious enclave where the main aspects consist of the Camp Meeting Association, the Tent Village, and the Great Auditorium.
The article extols the Hope-Jones organ; “spiritual birth, growth and renewal;” “worship;” “praise events,” “the world’s greatest preachers on Sunday, ” and “God’s Square Mile.”
And again, there is little recognition that our town is a diverse place where a wide variety of people live, play and enjoy life.
Is it too much to hope for that the media might actually open their eyes and look beyond the religious trappings and stereotypes and recognize a town with many secular and historic aspects as well as evolving demographics?
Certainly the religious underpinnings of OG are real and admirable, but other dimensions need to be recognized.
The last writer to successfully address these aspects was Ted David in his 2002 book “The Other Side of Ocean Grove.”*
At Blogfinger we make it one of our main themes to portray our town and its lifestyles as they really are.
The song below performed by Beverly Kenny captures the feel of this town.
BEVERLY KENNY:
*Ted David has an updated version of this book coming out this year.