Bayshore Pharmacy was honored as the Business of the Month at the last meeting of the Mayor and Council, with Mayor Lori Hohenleitner presenting the certificate to Richard and Jill Stryker, second generation family owners of the popular pharmacy.
The pharmacy is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and Hohenleitner congratulated the owners for excellence, community involvement and the role they play in the community and for its residents. Bayshore Pharmacy
The Pharmacy was opened in 1964 at the Bayshore Shopping Center where it continues to be a successful and needed business. However, its original location was at the other side of Food Town supermarket, where Salt Water Liquors is now located. Bayshore Pharmacy
It moved again to the end of Foodtown and then once again in 1997 to its present location further down the northern end of the plaza. Bayshore Pharmacy
The firm was started in June 1964 by Rich Stryker and Joseph McDonald. Stryker purchased it 1997 when McDonald retired; he became partners with Scott Eagelton who purchased his partnership from Stryker’s father, former Mayor Richard C. Stryker in 1992.
Currently the pharmacy employees 18 local residents, along with the second generation Stryker and two other pharmacists. It is best known for offering point of care testing to include strep throat, flu and covid testing, vaccination appointments which are open daily for Pneumonia (Prevnar 20), Shingles, Meningitis and TDAP (Whooping Cough, Tetanus & Diphtheria), home delivery, excellent service and a gift shop regarded as one of the finest in Monmouth County.
The Stryker family is planning a 60th anniversary celebration at the Pharmacy on Saturday, June 8 with Mayor Hohenleitner heading a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon. Giveaways and store specials will be offered. The Atlantic Highlands 6th Grade Parents will also be selling hot dogs and water to raise funds for the 6th grade trip. Bayshore Pharmacy
“Sixty years in business is quite an accomplishment and we thank our community for their continued support over six decades,” said Styker, son of the founder. “ We know you have a choice for your healthcare and we are grateful to be a part of your wellness.”
When 22-year-old Jack McDonough came from his home in Glen Beigh County Kerry to New York it was primarily to study computer science here for a semester before returning in August for continuing on to his degree at Cork University. Irish Poet
But few knew until he arrived that he brought with him a huge supply of Irish humor, unlimited friendliness, certainly the gift of gab, and the ability to easily make friends and influence people. Irish Poet
Jack spent several days in Atlantic Highlands and the Bayshore visiting with his great aunt, his grandfather’s sister, Kathleen Sweeney. He was here to share prayers and sympathy with her as both virtually attended the funeral mass for Kathleen’s sister and Jack’s great aunt, Rita Burke. Rita died in Ireland after an extended illness, and Jack did not want her sister here in America to be attending the funeral alone.
The happy-go-lucky yet serious and brilliant Irishman, in the few days since he arrived from Ireland, had already met with his cousins, Kathleen’s grandson and daughter, at the hospitals where one is a doctor the other a nurse; he had already engaged himself in a sandlot baseball game when he saw a group of men playing and asked if he could join. They welcomed him, gave him the bat, and he showed his dexterity in that sport as well.
This is his first visit to the United States, but already Jack knows he loves the people. “Everyone’s so friendly,” he enthused, ignoring the fact it’s his own friendship that brings out the best in others.
His biggest surprise, he said, is “how everything is so large!”, meaning the cars, the roads, the ferry, the meals, and just about everything else he’s encountered so far.
But always, he smiles broadly, it’s the friendship that stands out.
Living in Brooklyn for the few months he is here, Jack already knows his way around, hops on the subway or train with no fears, and knows the best, easiest and nicest way to get from Manhattan to Atlantic Highlands is via Sea Streak. “It’s so easy,” he said, “and then just a short subway ride from the ferry in New York to my apartment.”
Ask him about politics, and the diplomatic Irishman declines…politely, of course….to discuss any United States politics. “This is your country, “he says with a wag of his finger, “I’m not about to get into any discussions about any of your politics here.”
But ask him about his own, and he’ll tell you the life history of his nation’s newest Taoiseach, or prime minister, Simon Harris and all the reasons why he will be the best thing that’s happened to Ireland and a true leader who will keep the country moving forward.
Harris was recently elected to the post by a vote of parliament and at 37 years of age is the youngest leader the nation has ever had. Without any coaching or coaxing, Jack can tell you about Ireland’s three-party coalition government, the surprise resignation of Leo Varadkar last month, opening the way for Harris, a member of the Fine Gael party like his predecessor, to be to be named, and how devoted Harris is to promoting education at all levels for everybody in Ireland.
Jack can tell you how Harris loves talking to the people via social media and how he is facing the serious and soaring housing costs and influx of Ukraine citizens escaping the war in their own homeland.
But garrulous as he is, Jack declines to opinionate on American politics.
Nor does he talk about the drone he designed, part of a class assignment. Jack loves Irish history as well as its unique nature, and laments the loss of tree species, the Irish oak, that are thousands of years old and rapidly diminishing with the major construction projects that are gobbling up open space. So he chose to design a drone that can film the rare tree forests from above and enable environmentalists to pinpoint their existence in specific areas and work towards their preservation.
It’s a passion for environmental sciences that is now having Jack ponder specifically in what specialty he wants to use his computer science skills.
But there is a quieter, softer, more thoughtful part of Jack McDonough that makes the casual visitor with him remember that it must be true, the Irish, be they serious or political, dramatic or comedic, quiet or verbose, all have the gift of expression in poetry and song.
Jack is also a poet.
A lover of nature, he was moved by the grace and beauty of the animal while watching a group of penguins cavort. Knowing they are birds, and wondering why they don’t fly, it struck him while watching them. Indeed, Jack decided, penguins do fly….they simply do it in the water! And so he wrote
Penguin Tale
By: Jack McDonogh
I see you fly,
But not in the sky,
Outside the box,
Like a cunning fox.
Your wings beat water,
Through shoals of fish,
Natures torpedo,
A bliss display.
You fly in packs,
Through a world of blue,
Through tumultuous water,
You thrive.
Then again, overwhelmed and appreciative of nature in all its forms, he lay back and enjoyed the sunshine of a quiet day, then wrote:
Country Field
By: Jack McDonogh
In a country field I lay,
During the kindness of a spring day,
Lambs playing and feeling free,
Birds chirping as they should be.
I climb a hill to investigate,
The burrow of a badger or fox,
Atop of which I gaze amongst shadows,
Like sparks from a smith,
Sparks of sparrows flying in unison,
A great show.
I then look afar to a land,
A land of smoke and grime,
What could this be,
Surly not a place of our time.
Humans dominate this land,
Scarred of tar and smoke alike,
Big machines operating,
Speeding through the city lights.
Like the sparrows I know,
These humans too move in unison,
People marching amongst the buildings,
Migrating along lines of traffic,
Cluttered and chaotic.
Shocked by what I see,
I again look back,
To a land of green and great beauty,
As I watch the lambs play,
I think to myself,
Oh what magnificence it is,
To live in such a time and place,
As home.
His love for his native land, its nature, its history, its religion and the blend of all that and more is best exemplified in Inisfallen
Innisfallen
By: Jack McDonogh
I set forth on a journey,
To a land of proper and lore,
I set aboard a boat,
To the land of Saints and Scholars.
Into the morning fog,
To a mystery I set forth,
Aboard a boat we traveled an ancient path,
Along the gables of cliffs,
Along the story of earth.
Where great elk once trod,
Great deer do roam,
A seal in the lake,
Plenty of trout to chase.
A sanctuary of time,
Once the pride of Killarney,
Now a museum,
In which the heart of Ireland is kept.
After mass in the monastery I look to a mighty oak,
As I touch its bark I live,
I live a time in which still exists today,
A time of saints and scholars,
A majestic time of joy.
In his poetry, Jack also can express his sensitivities and the pain he feels for those who fall, fail, or simply choose the wrong path in life. He does not criticize, merely, lament, grieve, and offer consolation.
It’s the Irish way and Jack McDonogh brought it with him to America.;
Lost souls Irish Poet
By: Jack McDonogh
To see your presence, Irish Poet Irish Poet Irish Poet Irish Poet Irish Poet
Makes me sad,
A lie being lived,
Of only the bad.
An overused body,
Abused by mental stimulation,
Your mind corrupted by the freedom of indulgence,
A freedom trapping pit of despair.
You are greater than this confliction,
An addiction to viewing lowly forms of life,
A form of life which revolves around ignorance,
A form of life which creates nothing but shame and sadness.
Democrats will see a new kind of ballot in the primary June 4, and should be aware of the change before either filling out their absentee ballot or voting at the polls.
Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon advised Democratic voters that the ballot will appear in a new format as a result of a federal court order indicating the new Democratic ballots are now in “block” ballot design.
In this new design, candidates for each individual office are listed in random order in separate ballot boxes as opposed to being “bracketed”, where candidates for different offices were grouped together in a column and appear as a “ticket.”
This change does not apply to the Republican Primary Election, as it was not affected by the court order, the county clerk said..
“It is always recommended for all voters to review their sample ballot prior to voting to become familiar with the ballot as well as the names of the candidates,” Hanlon said. “ This allows for a smoother process at the polls.”
Sample ballots for all 53 Monmouth County municipalities will be sent to voters according to New Jersey law and will also be available online at MonmouthCountyVotes.com and on the County Clerk’s free Monmouth County Votes mobile app.
For questions about the Primary Election, contact the County Clerk’s Elections Office at 732-431-7790.
The Office of the Monmouth County Clerk is comprised of five divisions handling property recordings, elections, archives, passports and records management. The County Clerk’s Office also provides resident, veteran and Gold Star Family identification cards to county residents, administers oaths to notaries and public officials and performs wedding ceremonies.
The Monmouth County Clerk is a constitutional and administrative officer elected to a five-year term by the voters of Monmouth County. Christine Giordano Hanlon, Esq. was elected Monmouth County Clerk in November 2015 and was re-elected to a second term in November 2020.
Classic Boat Rides, the locally owned fleet of watercraft, will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony and Open House aboard the Mariner docked at the Atlantic Highlands Yacht Harbor on Sunday, May 26, between noon and 3 p.m. The public is invited to attend and no reservations are necessary. Light refreshments will be served.
Mayor Lori Hohenleitner will be part of the ceremony cutting the ribbon for the Mariner, the second of the Classic Boat Rides fleet docked at the Harbor, at noon. Following the ceremony, the public is invited to board the craft, the addition to the fleet of Capt. Dan and Vicky Schade’s fleet, to tour the boat, enjoy refreshments and see the offerings for reservations or arrangements for private parties for groups up to 50 persons.
The Mariner, the mid-size vessel in the Classic Boat Rides fleet, has been docked at “Headboat Row,” adjacent to Sissy’s Restaurant, and the fleet of fishing charter boats, since the beginning of the year. The boat is available for rental for private parties for weddings, parties, anniversaries, rehearsals, office outings and other private activities as well as Burial at Sea services for families seeking that solace following the death of a loved one.
The boat was built in 1991 in Florida and is formerly the Eco lab for the University of Connecticut. In reconditioning the former classrooms for a pleasure craft, the Schades preserved the blackboards that were on the boat as well as the stories of the importance of the craft as a research vessel.
The New Mariner is equipped with a full-service bar for adult beverages and soft drinks, as well as an open air second deck. The boat offers a soft and stable ride and a comfortable cruising platform for private events or celebrations. It has a clean restroom and a generator for shore power underway, along with a booming stereo with IPOD capability.
Capt. Dan’s other craft at the Harbor, the Navesink Queen, offers an open-air top deck with a full canopy roof and heated cabin main deck. With both decks open, she can carry 150 persons.
Navesink Queen
For further information on Classic Boat Rides, visit classicboatrides.com or call 732-337-9292.
The program, which is offered at no cost either in person or online,will be presented by Dr. Richard Veit, Interim Provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs for Monmouth University as well as the university’s Professor of Anthropology.
Richard Veit, Ph.D.
Students from Monmouth University spent several months last year exploring the history of the twin Lights with a focus on the original lighthouse built in the 1820s. Excavations during the annual archaeological filed school revealed the remains of one of the original lighthouses and provided new evidence about the structural problems that led to its demise. Archeology
Dr. Veit was the director of the excavation and will speak on the work and the findings at the site. The professor is also the author of several books and numerous articles in various publications on New Jersey history and archaeology. Archeology
No registration is necessary to attend the program at the library on Tindall rd., Middletown. To register for the ZOOM presentation, visit MiddletownNJhistory.org
Interested persons can also join the Society online and be part of the Society’s initiatives, which include the monthly series of well-known speakers on a variety of subjects about Middletown and New Jersey history. Persons can also volunteer for the Society, working in social media content creation, fundraising, grant writing, and coordinating with the county and states’ 250th birthday initiative as well as researching and writing applications for historic registers. Archeology
The Historical Society also has an exhibit at the new Town Hall on the first floor, which includes numerous photos and a painting of Kings Highway which depicts landmarks and events from earlier eras. Archeology
Cheers to Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon for not only believing the people have the right to know, and the right to decide but also for providing them with lots of opportunities to learn so they can vote with knowledge. Cheers
More than a hundred residents turned out at Henry Hudson to hear the Army Corps of Engineers’ latest report on how they plan to stop flooding in a borough that has grown up with it through centuries. Cheers
The mayor had asked them to come back one more time, inasmuch as they haven’t been here with their plans in years. And she remembered that she and the rest of council promised way back then it would be up to the people to decide whether they want to completely change the look and feel of their hometown in the name of winning the battle over flooding. She’s the only member of that council still in office, but she is keeping the promise of all of them. Cheers
The experts were honest in their responses to the people’s questions last week, showing plans on the screen and answering every question they could. They admitted when they did not know things, like what would the wall do to taxes or insurance, or if property owners don’t like what happens to their own particular property. Cheers
But they were thorough in showing the flood wall, where it goes, properties it impacts, what it looks like. And all their plans are on the borough websiteso be sure to check them out. There are a couple more council meetings still on tap before borough council decides the precise wording for the question on the ballot in November. Check out the entire plan on the website and be sure to vote in November. Cheers
In addition to all the benefits of this public hearing last week, was the extra unexpected bonus .
That is now so many more people know the frustration of the few who regularly attend board of education meetings at Henry Hudson. The acoustics are terrible in the gym and the school board doesn’t appear to give a hoot about whether the people who attend meetings can hear every word.
Regular attendees have been complaining for months they can’t hear board members make reports or answer questions; it’s only recently they have added a couple of microphones to make it a little easier, certainly very little help for anyone with impaired hearing ability.
At the Army Corps hearing there was a lot of moving things around and jiggling mics before the engineers got the system up to at least a decent level of hearing.
Even then, however, check out the recording of the meeting; it isn’t that great either, what with background noise and distance from microphones.
There is a major fault to complain about shared with the governing body and the board of education, however.
That is, whether in the multi million dollar borough hall or at a meeting as important as a town wide flood wall, or a school that is one of the highest points of land in the town and where more money is spent than in the rest of the borough itself, no meetings are virtual.
So if folks can’t make it to a meeting, they simply are out of luck if they want to have their say, want to ask questions or want to express opinions. And that’s no way to run an expensive school system or a borough.
It’s a shame the borough spent millions of dollars on a building that can hold fewer people at a meeting than live on a single block in town. Virtual meetings would solve that problem inexpensively. But absent that easy fix, it would seem to make more sense to use that other building on the highway that can accommodate a crowd….the Elementary School. Or rent the vacant school at Our Lady of Perpetual Help which has had well over a hundred present at their events, and where the acoustics even let you hear what’s going on.
Both are at least within an easier walking distance for the vast majority of residents than Henry Hudson.
The Highlands Business Partnership’s 23rd Annual Seaport Craft Show will begin at 10.am. Sunday, May 26, continuing until 5 p.m.
Admission and parking are free and the show takes place in Huddy Park at Waterwitch and Bay avenues.
“We are excited to welcome old favorites as well as a lot of brand-new vendors at this year’s Seaport Craft Show. We are so proud of having such a wide variety of handmade crafts created by some of New Jersey’s most talented crafters and artisans,” said Diane McIlwaine, the HBP Program Manager.
Among the available merchandise will be handcrafted jewelry, nautical-themed items made from shells, sea glass and driftwood, hand-painted wooden furniture, lawn and garden items, soaps, natural body care products, baby and children’s items, honey, photography and much more.
The Seaport Craft show will feature more than 60 crafters and artisans and a performance by local favorite, Dave McCarthy in the gazebo from noon to 4 p.m.
Personnel at the Highlands Business Partnership booth will hold a gift auction with hand crafted items donated from each craft vendor. After the show, visitors are invited to stay for dinner at one of the borough’s many great restaurants.
The Highlands Business Partnership is a non-profit commercial alliance dedicated to fostering economic growth in Highlands. Generous Sponsors of the programs include Monmouth County Tourism, Montecalvo/Bayshore Family of Companies, Bahrs Landing, Farmacie by the French Market, Dovetail Vintage Rentals, Valley Bank, Feed & Seed, Hufnagel Tree Experts, In the Garden, Off the Hook, Proving Ground, Seafarer, Sandbox at Seastreak, Bridge Marina and WRAT, 95.9.
For more information on the Seaport Craft Show visit www.highlandsnj.com or call 732-291-4713
“This is your town, this is my town, this is our town, you have the say,” Mayor Carolyn Broullon said Tuesday night, opening a special meeting so residents could learn the most updated information plans from the Army Corps of Engineersto build a Flood wall in the Borough.
Broullon promised the question will be on the ballot in November so voters in Highlands can determine whether they want it, but wanted to ensure they had the most updated information from the Corps of Engineers.
More than 100 residents turned out to hear and see the most updated plans. The meeting was held in the Henry Hudson Regional School gym in order to accommodate as many interested people as possible; the new Borough Hall’s largest room can only accommodate 60 people in its largest room.
Bethany McClanahan, an engineer with the Corps for more than a decade, led the discussion and presentation of the visual renderings of the latest plans for the flood wall, which would include land acquisition, construction that would obliterate views and cost millions of dollars, the largest amount paid through state and federal funds, and approximately $13 million by local taxes over a period of several years.
The full updated plans and drawings are available on the Highlands Borough site.
Broullon gave a brief synopsis of the project from when it was first considered in 1990, noting “it’s been 34 years in the making to this point” and added it has been seven years since the Army Corps was in the borough at a meeting such as this one to explain its most updated proposals. She urged residents to give input and become aware of the plans and engaged in them so they can be a part of the decision.
Following the meeting, which will be the last time the Army Corps makes a formal presentation on the project, the mayor said the Council will discuss what was brought up by residents, review the plans, draw up a resolution and approve it by July 31 in order to have the resolution put on the November ballot for a vote.
Engineers at the meeting indicated that should residents turn down the project it is unlikely the federal or state governments would ever approve millions of dollars for a similar project anytime in the future. Should the project be approved by voters, the estimated construction costs would be $84 million from the federal government, and $45 million from non-federal sources, including the state and borough taxpayers.
That is in addition to the pre-construction, engineering and design costs which the federal government is funding at $2.4 million.
Construction would include a detention pond, diversion culverts, raised ground surfaces, flood-wall, floodgate and a pump station for interior drainage, all approved four years ago by the Corps. The flood closure gate would be the first portion of the overall project to be built and it is anticipated the plans and specifications for that portion would be completed by fall of next year.
The project runs approximately 8,000 linear feet along the coast, tying in with high ground in the borough.
Several residents who asked questions and made comments during the two-hour meeting received applause from an audience comprised predominantly of residents who live below the hill and would be most affected by the project.
‘Tommy’ a resident of Gravelly Point, one of the first to speak received applause twice during his highly emotional discussions with the engineers, telling them that concrete, the proposed material to build the wall “is one of the most polluting substances in the world,” adding….”so right there, there’s a problem.”
Tommy after speaking his piece
But the resident was more incensed at the destruction that any activity of this nature would cause sea life. “we’re a sand tidal town’ he said, ticking off the numerous varieties of sea life who make the river their home. While not refusing him his right to continue talking, the Mayor called on the resident to calm down and acknowledged council is aware of everything he is saying. He continued his objections but reminded the visitors that “we’ve gone through a lot before” and “You can’t mess with Mother Nature,” she’ll find a way to go where she wants. We’ve been through a lot, we got through, it makes us stronger.”
In other discussions, engineers told another speaker there is no Plan B should this plan not be effective, the borough would be responsible for replenishing sand from any erosion,
All beaches would have access with stairs over the wall, the floodgates would be primarily open similar to Port Monmouth, and 80 per cent of the property involved is privately owned.
Residents spoke of their reasons for buying homes in Highlands, to be close to the water and have a view and cited the fact residents have spent money and time reconstructing homes at a higher level after Hurricane. They suggested the flood wall be built in the river or at Sandy Hook, neither of which is feasible, they learned, and residents would have to finance their own attorneys following declaration of taking if they do not agree with the negotiated funds. Corps Corps Corps Corps
The restoration of a Cadet Program with the First Aid Squad was announced by Councilman James Murphy at last week’s meeting of the governing body, in giving his monthly report on the local volunteer unit.
Murphy made the announcement for Squad Chief Lance Hubeny and noted that the unit had been popular in years past when both this unit and one in Keyport were “known as the best along the Bayshore.” The councilman pointed out that many of the previous cadet members went on to become successful EMTs and finding success in other medical professions after their experience in the borough.
Murphy, with the enthusiasm of Hubeny, noted boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 18 are invited to become cadet members, and added one of the benefits in addition to getting first aid experience from professionals in the field is their ability to ride on emergency calls. “These young members are the future of our squad,” Murphy said, “as well as the life blood of our community,” in urging teenagers to join.
Murphy also announced that the squad is continuing to accept bid cards, auction items or items for baskets for the annual PBA Ball which will be held May 25 at the Shore Casino. The First Aid Squad is this year’s recipient of the proceeds from the ball the department holds annually to assist worthy and hard-working organizations in the borough.
Murphy also announced Chief Hubeny’s report that five volunteers have now graduated from the Northern Monmouth EMT School and congratulated Brian Boms, Susa Doran, Amanda Stolte, Brandon DeSourz and Katie Lushekski for their dedication.
In order to be certified, each of the five had to complete 240 hours of class under a grueling schedule that included three-hour night classes twice a week in addition to full Saturdays and “hundreds of hours of study time outside the classroom.”
The May 4 graduation ceremony marked the first time in the history of the 95-year-old history of the borough squad, the councilman pointed out, that five members graduated from the EMT school together.
Murphy noted that the squad’s newly purchased used ambulance, acquired with funds the squad raised itself, has been titled, lettered, cleaned and fully stocked and went into service earlier this month, responding to six calls on its first day of service.
The vehicle, and the second one the squad owns can now respond to mutual aid calls in addition to better serving this community. The squad is making initial preparations to purchase a new vehicle, with the anticipated time for delivery more than two years distant. The squad’s Zodiac boat is also in the water, ready to respond to calls in the Marina to the breakwater.
The squad answered 30 calls during April for a total of 117 calls so far this year, averaging almost one call a day.
Residents desiring membership information in the squad or cadet program or interested in providing donations for the PBA fundraiser can call Chief Hubeny at 732-291-8118 or write info@ahfirstaid.org.
