“We have an elected mayor in town, then we have an unofficial mayor… he is phenomenal” is the way Atlantic Highlands Councilman Jon Crowley described Police Captain Harry Murtha.
Murtha is retiring September 1, and the police Department will have an official walkout ceremony for him at 3 p.m. August 28 in the parking lot outside the police headquarters door and all are invited to attend.
Councilman Jon Crowley
Council’s resolution honoring the retirement of the longtime officer was scheduled to be one of 18 resolutions approved without being named nor with any public reading. But Crowley asked that Resolution 147-2026 be separated so it could be read in its entirety before being voted on.
Mayor Lori Hohenleitner then read the resolution which highlighted several of the achievements in Murtha’s professional life, from the time he was first sworn in as a police officer in 2001 under Police Chief Jerry Vasto through his retirement effective September 1 “concluding a remarkable career spanning 30 years of dedicated service to the borough of Atlantic Highlands”
The Resolution cited Murtha’s continued advance through the ranks of the department, his promotion to sergeant in 2012, to lieutenant in 2021, and his rank as Captain which he has held since 2022.
The resolution continues that throughout his service, the retiring Captain “has exemplified the highest standards of law enforcement, professionalism, leadership, integrity and compassion, earning the respect and admiration of his fellow officers, municipal employees and residents …”
The resolution also pointed out Murtha was a familiar and trusted presence in the borough, always willing to help others, supports fellow offices and provide exceptional service to the community.
While the resolution officially accepts his retirement, Crowley added his vote to accept it was done “sadly and reluctantly,” and termed the officer a “phenomenal ambassador.
Harry Harry Harry Harry Harry Harry Harry Harry Harry he tent he lived in stood right smack up against the wall of the shallow, dull-colored forest separating his own squadron from Dunbar’ s. Immediately alongside was the abandoned railroad ditch that carried the pipe that carried the aviation gasoline down to the fuel trucks at the airfield. Thanks to Orr, his roommate, it was the most luxurious tent in the squadron. Each time Yossarian returned from one of his holidays in the hospital or rest leaves in Rome, he was surprised by some new comfort Orr had installed in his absence – running water, wood-burning fireplace, cement floor. Yossarian had chosen the site, and he and Orr had raised the tent to get her. Orr, who was a grinning pygmy with pilot’s wings and thick, wavy brown hair parted in the middle, furnished all the knowledge, while Yossarian, who was taller, stronger, broader, and faster, did most of the work. Just the two of them lived there, although the tent was big enough for six. When summer came, Orr rolled up the side flaps to allow a breeze that never blew to flush away the air baking inside.The tent he lived in stood right smack up against the wall of the shallow, dull-colored forest separating his own squadron from Dunbar’ s. Immediately alongside was the abandoned railroad ditch that carried the pipe that carried the aviation gasoline down to the fuel trucks at the airfield. Thanks to Orr, his roommate, it was the most luxurious tent in the squadron. Each time Yossarian returned from one of his holidays in the hospital or rest leaves in Rome, he was surprised by some new comfort Orr had installed in his absence – running water, wood-burning fireplace, cement floor. Yossarian had chosen the site, and he and Orr had raised the tent to get her. Orr, who was a grinning pygmy with pilot’s wings and thick, wavy brown hair parted in the middle, furnished all the knowledge, while Yossarian, who was taller, stronger, broader, and faster, did most of the work. Just the two of them lived there, although the tent was big enough for six. When summer came, Orr rolled up the side flaps to allow a breeze that never blew to flush away the air baking inside.The tent he lived in stood right smack up against the wall of the shallow, dull-colored forest separating his own squadron from Dunbar’ s. Immediately alongside was the abandoned railroad ditch that carried the pipe that carried the aviation gasoline down to the fuel trucks at the airfield. Thanks to Orr, his roommate, it was the most luxurious tent in the squadron. Each time Yossarian returned from one of his holidays in the hospital or rest leaves in Rome, he was surprised by some new comfort Orr had installed in his absence – running water, wood-burning fireplace, cement floor. Yossarian had chosen the site, and he and Orr had raised the tent to get her. Orr, who was a grinning pygmy with pilot’s wings and thick, wavy brown hair parted in the middle, furnished all the knowledge, while Yossarian, who was taller, stronger, broader, and faster, did most of the work. Just the two of them lived there, although the tent was big enough for six. When summer came, Orr rolled up the side flaps to allow a breeze that never blew to flush away the air baking inside.
There are no fewer than 114 youngsters in Atlantic Highlands who had a delightful summer camp experience, Atlantic Highlands Councilman Brian Doughterty reported to the Mayor and Council at its meeting this week.
Atlantic Highlands Councilman Brian Dougherty
Dougherty noted the highly successful Summer Camp program sponsored by the borough in coordination with the Henry Hudson Board of Education ended this week for the 114 campers enrolled in the program.
Doughtery noted the praise of so many residents, parents and children for the program planned and operated under Camp Director Meg Fisher of the borough’s Recreation Department.
The program represented 2,046 camper days, according to Fisher’s report, representing a 71 per cent daily attendance and a 73 per cent attendance rate during the final week. Peak attendance was 83 per cent. The program included 14 field trips which included special visitors and events, as well as 16 hours inflatable water slide time. Only four days were need for indoor activities because of weather, Fisher noted.
The program included the cooperative efforts of local businesses as well as Fisher’s well-organized scheduling and planning, the report showed. Youngsters in the program got to see coffee being ground at one local shop and had the opportunity to make and take their own pizzas home thanks to another local business. Students also learned more about cycling and the importance of proper care for their bikes from yet another business. Youngsters in the camp also enjoyed 480 Kona ices!.
Fisher ran the program which also included a staff of ten counselors and six Counselors in Training.
campcampcampThe tent he lived in stood right smack up against the wall of the shallow, dull-colored forest separating his own squadron from Dunbar’ s. Immediately alongside was the abandoned railroad ditch that carried the pipe that carried the aviation gasoline down to the fuel trucks at the airfield. Thanks to Orr, his roommate, it was the most luxurious tent in the squadron. Each time Yossarian returned from one of his holidays in the hospital or rest leaves in Rome, he was surprised by some new comfort Orr had installed in his absence – running water, wood-burning fireplace, cement floor. Yossarian had chosen the site, and he and Orr had raised the tent to get her. Orr, who was a grinning pygmy with pilot’s wings and thick, wavy brown hair parted in the middle, furnished all the knowledge, while Yossarian, who was taller, stronger, broader, and faster, did most of the work. Just the two of them lived there, although the tent was big enough for six. When summer came, Orr rolled up the side flaps to allow a breeze that never blew to flush away the air baking inside.The tent he lived in stood right smack up against the wall of the shallow, dull-colored forest separating his own squadron from Dunbar’ s. Immediately alongside was the abandoned railroad ditch that carried the pipe that carried the aviation gasoline down to the fuel trucks at the airfield. Thanks to Orr, his roommate, it was the most luxurious tent in the squadron. Each time Yossarian returned from one of his holidays in the hospital or rest leaves in Rome, he was surprised by some new comfort Orr had installed in his absence – running water, wood-burning fireplace, cement floor. Yossarian had chosen the site, and he and Orr had raised the tent to get her. Orr, who was a grinning pygmy with pilot’s wings and thick, wavy brown hair parted in the middle, furnished all the knowledge, while Yossarian, who was taller, stronger, broader, and faster, did most of the work. Just the two of them lived there, although the tent was big enough for six. When summer came, Orr rolled up the side flaps to allow a breeze that never blew to flush away the air baking inside.The tent he lived in stood right smack up against the wall of the shallow, dull-colored forest separating his own squadron from Dunbar’ s. Immediately alongside was the abandoned railroad ditch that carried the pipe that carried the aviation gasoline down to the fuel trucks at the airfield. Thanks to Orr, his roommate, it was the most luxurious tent in the squadron. Each time Yossarian returned from one of his holidays in the hospital or rest leaves in Rome, he was surprised by some new comfort Orr had installed in his absence – running water, wood-burning fireplace, cement floor. Yossarian had chosen the site, and he and Orr had raised the tent to get her. Orr, who was a grinning pygmy with pilot’s wings and thick, wavy brown hair parted in the middle, furnished all the knowledge, while Yossarian, who was taller, stronger, broader, and faster, did most of the work. Just the two of them lived there, although the tent was big enough for six. When summer came, Orr rolled up the side flaps to allow a breeze that never blew to flush away the air baking inside.
When a special Mass at St. Mary’s in New Monmouth is offered at noon on Saturday, September 26, it will be even more than a memorial to staff and graduates of Mater Dei High School who have died over the years.
It will also be the continuation of a practice started by a former history teacher at the school and continued for the past two decades by Mater Dei friends because one graduate made a promise to that teacher and has kept it ever since.
It was the late T.C. Murray, a beloved history teacher at Mater Dei High School, who brought the tradition of an annual Mass or Remembrance for deceased students and faculty members to Mater Dei. He patterned it after a similar remembrance from his own alma mater, Power Memorial Academy in Manhattan back in 2007.
Mari Campanella Kovach
But it was Mari Campanella Kovach, a graduate of Mater Dei in 1978, who has led the team and kept the promise she made to that teacher back in 2008.
Mari had helped Murray in 2007 when the first Mater Day Memorial Mass was offered. So of course she helped him again when he planned the mass for 2008. That was when he asked her if she would promise to make it an annual event. She promised him wholeheartedly. A few months later, T.C. Murray died.
But Mari’s promise has brought hundreds of Mater Dei teachers, graduates, parents of graduates, friends, brothers and sisters and more to the mass each year which, over the years, has grown in the number of people being honored.
This year’s Mass, as always celebrated the last Saturday of September, will be Sept. 26 at St Mary’s Church in New Monmouth, and all are invited to attend. The Reverend Stanley Lukszewski, more lovingly known as Father Stas, a former Vicar at St. Mary’s, will be the main celebrant of the mass.
Mari Kovach was Mari Campanella from Highlands when she graduated from Mater Dei in 1978. The daughter of the late Eileen and Joe Campanella, she is a young woman who always keeps her promises, is always willing to help others, and always remembers her Mater Dei years.
So it is no surprise this was a promise she has willingly kept, living up to the same standards Murray had set, standards similar to those the teacher had also initiated at his own alma mater, Power Memorial Academy in Manhattan which continues today.
Although retired as Associate Director for Technology and Strategic Plan in headquarters at the US Army RDECOM at Fort Monmouth, Mari is now co-owner and co-CEO of an engineering services firm, General Technical Services (GTS) headquartered in Wall.
She had joined GTS as the Director of Programs, then after the death of the company president, she and her business partner bought the company. The firm partners with U.S. defense agencies to research, develop, and deliver next-generation technologies that enhance awareness, precision, and readiness across the modern battlespace primarily in the Power and Energy, navigation and sensing technical areas.
She and Kurt, who will be married 37 years this November, have one daughter, Rachel, a graduate from TCNJ with a BS in Biomedical Engineering . Rachel currently works for Booz Allen.
Another Mater Dei graduate, Cathy Daniels , one year behind Mari, and her friend who has also been keeping Murray’s annual event a tradition. A graduate of the class of 1979, Cathy was elected President of the Mater Dei Alumni Association in 2007 and helped organize that first Mass when the Alumni Association held a breakfast in the cafeteria after the Mass.
Not many years later, another alumnus, Tom Dooley, added his own energy and affection for Mater Dei and its faculty and join Mari and Cathy in ensuring TC Murray’s promise would not only be kept but would include all wanted to precipitate in the annual remembrance.
For Mari and her parents, choosing Mater Dei after she graduated from our Lady of Perpetual Help grammar school in Highlands was an easy decision. Her parents wanted to be sure she continued her catholic education, and Mater Dei High School seemed the perfect place, a bus ride away on the Boro Bus and joining with other OLPH graduates and friends. Today she still recalls she liked everyone of her teachers at Mater Dei, but TC Murray certainly stands out, along with her biology detach “Doc” Keiber, as well as George Hansen, Bob Kitson and her religion teacher, Sister Catherine Tronolone.
The sponsor of the annual Mass of Remembrance is the Mater Dei High School Alumni Association, with Ray Brush Mari’s liaison for the association and the administration.
Mari also reaches out for volunteers for the musical parts of the liturgy, and former classmates, brother, sisters and parents of those being remembered at the mass red the list of all those for whom the mass is offered each year..
Almost 20 years in remembering and having special mass also shows how important it is to families and alumni, Mari noted. “Many family members of people who we remember at this Mass attend the liturgy and have expressed their appreciation that we celebrate this Mass every year,” she Sid. “We do it for them as well as for TC Murray and ourselves.”
This year it is even more important, Mari continued, With the school now demolished, and the property now part of the Middletown Township parks system preserving green acres for the community, “this Mass gives our community another opportunity to gather and celebrate our friends, faculty and staff and to remember our shared experiences at Mater Dei.”
This year, close to 600 people will be remembered at the mass, including deceased faculty, and staff; there are 446 alumni of Mater Dei who will be remembered this year, an increase of more than 25 since last year’s mass.
When you step in the door on West Garfield Avenue with coffee on your mind, you get more than the most delicious brew ever. But that isn’t all. You get an education in geography, history and agriculture, Perhaps even a little bit of art. You get a comfortable seat in a chair upholstered with burlap bags from fresh coffee beans. And you get conversations with others that make you feel happier, smarter, and more relaxed. Plus you can still purchase pound or half pound bags of a variety of freshly roasted organic coffee to keep the excellence going back home.
Steven Almante is the genial owner of the shop, located at 171 First Avenue, Atlantic Highlands, with an entrance on West Garfield ave. He has been delighting customers for the past four years, after approaching owners Greg Lewis and Barb DiBenedetto who had opened the shop few years previous. Greg and Barb wanted to be certain, when they were ready to retire, that the excellence and pride they took in the business would continue. Steven worked with him, learning their procedures, processes before taking over the popular business and adding his own. He’s a native of the Dominican Republican and now also owns a second location for Fair Mountain in Peapack.
But Steven hasn’t always been in the coffee business. In fact, there were years here that he didn’t even drink it. He was in the pharmaceutical business and chemicals for 13 years and was fascinated by the intricacy of the process that ensures organic coffee is truly organic coffee That means the coffee bean and its production cannot be contaminated any step along the way from seed in the ground to finished roasted beans in the bag on the shelf.
It was going back to his native country for a visit and having coffee with family there, that Steven remembered all the fond memories he has … the time he spent with his great grandmother, his cousins, and the joy they all shared over coffee. He came back and began drinking coffee again, and wanted to be involved in producing a high quality of the brew for others.
Steven is quick to admit the perfection he demands means a higher cost and an incredible about of paperwork. It’s for these reasons that he also believes he owes the customer perfection … both the customer who can easily afford the $21 a pound or so some bags cost as well as the one making a purchase even though it might be pushing the limit of his budget but worth the extra dollars.
Fair Mountain gets its coffee beans from 40 different farms in several countries in South and Central America, Indonesia. Latin America and more. He has 11 employees, all trained in each of the processes of taking the green bean through the roasting process to its brown finish.
The shop is open seven days a week, opening the doors for the early morning customers at 8 a. m., and selling coffee until 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, 4 p.m. every other day of the week. In addition to purchasing individual cups of any of the varieties of coffees and flavors, or attractive white bags of freshly roasted beans, Steven is generally on the scene himself and delighted to talk about the importance of certification to ensure it is organic.
He explains that while stiff rules and regulations from all countries demand a close watch to ensure the bean is organic and absent of any synthetics, and inspectors visit each of the sites from farm to shop on a regular basis, it is up to each shop to produce its own system for proving excellence. For Steven, this includes a stack of ordinary composition books, one for each farm where purchases are made. In carefully written, precise handwriting and columns depicting times, dates, locations, amounts, and other details, this shop owner is able to pull up the individual record of every bag of coffee in the shop, including the date it was roasted. The paperwork is time consuming, he admits, “but necessary to ensure that every customer receives what he expects and deserves.” Inspectors visit the shop unannounced, and the fastidiously kept records are ready to present on any given moment.
At Fair Mountain, it’s more than simply enjoying a great cup of coffee. Steven said in many ways, coffee drinkers are similar to wine drinkers, where taste, color, and temperature are important, and where the type of coffee changes with the menu with which it’s served. He laughs when he admits he calls his wife to see what’s for dinner so he is sure to bring home the proper coffee for the meal.
Since he only sells high-quality coffee for adults, and Steven doesn’t think youngsters enjoy an espresso or strong coffee, his shop also includes high quality chocolate from farmers in the Dominican Republic for cocoa for youngsters. “When parents want the best for themselves, they also want it for their children,” he smiled. But because making it is time consuming, he declines to make it for adults, preserving the high-quality chocolate simply for the youngsters.
There is more than simply perfect coffee at Fair Mountain. Ordering a cappuccino at the store means also seeing the excellence of Chris, who designs latte art in the steamed milk. Cappuccino is an expresso-based coffee made with high quality steamed milk which leaves a layer of milk foam on top, the easel for spectacular artistic designs. Chris, who makes the designs at Fair Mountain, is also involved in a national competition for latte art in Los Angeles later this month.
Nor does Steven waste anything at Fair Mountain. The coffee waste after roasting is delivered to the farm at Oasis, the vocational working farm for adults with autism that produces fertilizer and top soil for home gardens among a variety of other products.
Since he is an Artist himself, Steven has also designed tee shirts with some of his coffee designs that are also available for sale at Fair Mountain
Fair Mountain offers more than simply the purchase of a cup or pound of coffee. It’s an education in learning more about the health reasons for drinking organic coffee, a geographical lesson on the wall that depicts all the nations from where the coffee beans come, and perhaps the purchase of a unique tee shirt, a cappuccino with a floral design or a pound or two of coffee to take home and brew for the aroma and taste.
Lately, I’ve been noticing how my sentences have a tendency to keep going when I write them onscreen. This goes for concentrated writing as well as correspondence. (Twain probably believed that correspondence, in an ideal world, also demands concentration. But he never used email.) Last week I caught myself packing four conjunctions into a three-line sentence in an email. That’s inexcusable. Since then, I have tried to eschew conjunctions whenever possible. Gone are the commas, the and’s, but’s, and so’s; in are staccato declaratives. Better to read like bad Hemingway than bad Faulkner.Length–as we all know, and for lack of a more original or effective way of saying it–matters. But (ahem), it’s also a matter of how you use it. Style and length are technically two different things.Try putting some prose onscreen, though, and they mix themselves up pretty quickly. This has much to do with the time constraints we claim to feel in the digital age. We don’t have time to compose letters and post them anymore–much less pay postage, what with all the banks kinda-sorta losing our money these days–so we blast a few emails. We don’t have time to talk, so we text. We don’t have time to text to specific people, so we update our Facebook status. We don’t have time to write essays, so we blog.I’m less interested by the superficial reduction of words–i.e. the always charming imho or c u l8r–than the genres in which those communications occur: blogs, texts, tweets, emails. All these interstitial communiques, do they really reflect super brevity that would make Twain proud? Or do they just reflect poorly stylized writing that desperately seeks a clearer form?
What started out to be a celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary while at the same time delving into the past history of his family in another country ended up being all of that and more for Don and Mary Lea Burden of Shrewsbury.
Last year, the couple learned that the Queen Mary 2 had a special cruise set up that started with passengers aboard the Queen enjoying a close-up view of the Tall Ships at the base of the Statue of Liberty in the nation’s 250th parade and culminated in a cruise to Halifax, Nova Scotia the birthplace of Don’s ancestors who had made been a part of history in the early in the 20th century.
It was an opportunity too good to miss, especially when their nephew, his wife, and three friends joined in. The trip included a stop in Newport, Rhode Island before sailing on to Canada.
“There were so many reasons why we knew this would be a wonderful trip,” Burden said. “We wanted to experience a cruise on the Cunard Queen Mary 2, see the parade of tall ships, view the air show from the deck of the Queen, watch the Macy’s Day fireworks, and visit the city which had a long association with my family! This cruise fit the bill perfectly.”
The view of the ships from around the world under sail in New York Harbor was the first spectacular part of the cruise, Burden continued. While some of the cadets aboard waved to all of us on the cruise liner as they passed, we could see how proudly they stood in formation on the deck atop the sails and riggings.
The USS Eagle, the US Coast Guard ship that led the parade was definitely their favorite in the lineup, he continued but noted the Esmeralda from Chile and the Americo Vespucci from Italy were high up on their list of favorite ships, though all were impressive. There was an added bonus to this part of the trip too, Don launched. “Identifying the country of origin by their colorful flags provided a lesson in geography as well. “
Don had learned that his grandfather, whose family immigrated to Nova Scotia from Scotland, was an embalmer in the province. A lot of family information was handed down by family members, he said, especially when he made annual visits during the summers with his grandfather in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
One of the stories he remembered was that his grandfather had embalmed the body of John Jacob Astor, one of nearly 1,800 passengers and crew who lost their lives when the ship struck an iceberg and broke apart in April 1912. He had also always heard that his grandfather also embalmed Alexander Graham Bell when he died in Nova Scotia in August 1922.
But the Burdens, learned so much more on this trip, especially when they spent a day visiting both the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic and the Canadian Museum of Immigration located on the Halifax Harbor waterfront.
“I was able to debunk the information that my grandfather both embalmed Astor and Bell,” Burden explained, happy he now knew the full story. “My grandfather, Neil A. Beaton, was an undertaker, embalmer and engraver and was responsible for overseeing logistics while embalming 84 victims. He oversaw cataloging personal effects, building and preparing coffins and arranging the final transport or burial of the Titanic victims,” he learned. And he confirmed his grandfather only oversaw the funeral arrangements at Bell’s summer home near Baddeck, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Bell was not embalmed.
Don and Mary Lea also took the opportunity to visit the former funeral establishment where his grandfather performed his services. It is now one of Halifax’s top restaurants, “The Five Fishermen.”
It was the Depression of the1930s that caused Burden’s grandfather to immigrate to Massachusetts where he continued in the funeral business before retiring and moving back to Canada.
There was still one more adventure for the Burdens, a couple who have traveled extensively in Europe and seem to have unusual adventures on every trip.
This time it was meeting Tim Houston, the Premier of Nova Scotia.
They happened to be walking in the area in front of the Province House in Halifax. At the gate to the government building, a young man engaged the couple in conversation, pointed to Houston, and asked if they knew who he was. Burden, who had probably met just about everyone who lives in Shrewsbury during the years he was mayor as well as at the Shrewsbury Historical Society, admitted he did not know the man. “The young man then told us who he was and that he was the Premier. He then asked if we would like to be introduced to him.”
Not a couple to turn down any invitation to meet any friendly face, they accepted, and the very genial Honorable Premier Houston, not only engaged them in lively conversation, but also agreed to a photograph of the three of them. Once the premier learned Don had been a municipal mayor, he was interested in knowing about that experience before also asking more questions about Don’s family roots in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
What was surprising to the Burdens was the lack of security surrounding the Premier. Rather than the Secret Service, guards and other personnel usually surrounding political leaders in this country, Premier Houston had one security person, no limos with flashing lights, no evidence of overprotection or interference with his enjoying a conversation with strangers. “It was all very casual.”
Every part of the trip is memorable, Don said, but he was most impressed by his grandfather’s work, his impact on the families he helped, and sharing so much with tales on his own experiences in Nova Scotia.
But the Burdens also learned more about the province that will keep it forever close to their hearts. Don said he learned at the Museum that “Halifax was practically devastated when two ships laden with ammunition collided and blew up blew up in the Harbor in 1917. Nearly 1,800 people were killed and buildings were leveled. My grandfather embalmed more than 70 bodies from that disaster,” he added sorrowfully.
On the other hand, far happier takeaway from this cruise to the land of his ancestors was the existing friendship and respect that is alive and well between the United States and Canada.
What’s next? “Well, “Don laughed, “there is a cruise coming up in October. We’ll be cruising from Barcelona, Spain to San Juan.”
The 26th annual Mark Spatola Blood Drive. Will be held tomorrow, August 11, at the Robert Wilson Community Center, 22 Snug Harbor Avenue, Highlands.
Mark Spatola
The annual event, one of the largest blood drives in Monmouth County, is held annually and honors relatives of Kim Spatola, Loretta Gluckstein and the late Joseph Hawley, all of whom have worked on the drive since its onset after the death of Spatola’s brother -in-law, Mark Spatola , in 2003. The drive is also in memory of Cletus Abnke, the father of former Atlantic Highlands Mayor Loretta Gluckstein, who died from leukemia. Hawley will always be remembered at the blood drive for his tireless work towards its success every year.
Joe Hawley
Routinely held at the former Mother Teresa School in Atlantic Highlands, the drive was moved to Highlands this year when its sponsors were unable to secure the Charles Hesse building at the school due to a prior lease agreement.
The drive will be held from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. To make an appointment, 877-258-4825.
A ribbon cutting commemorating the Battle of Navesink at Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook will be conducted by the Middletown Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution
The ceremony will take place at Saturday, August 29, at 10.am. and all are invited to attend.
Descendants of patriots from the American Revolution will be present for the ceremony and honored by the DAR, said Middletown DAR Chairman Michelle Donnelly.
Local artist Steve Schreiber’s artwork on the wayside panel depicting the Battle will be unveiled during the ceremonies.
A drum and bugle corps will be on hand throughout the ceremony
Both Sandy Hook and the Highlands, Atlantic Highlands area played major roles in the Revolution when the British controlled not only New York City, but also many of the surrounding waterways as well as Sandy Hook itself.
In the instance being honored by the DAR’s wayside panel, Colonel Nathaniel Scudder led the Monmouth County Militia’s first regiment in 1777 and was camping in the Highlands hills overlooking the coastline. A detachment of his men were unloading cargo from a British ship that had run aground in fierce weather in February 1777. Local Loyalists, Americans opposed to the revolution and in support of the King, alerted the British to the militia’s activities.
The British then contacted its 26th regiment of foot soldiers encamped at Staten Island and designed plans for an ambush of Scudder’s encampment. Picking up local guides at Sandy Hook, the British came ashore at Highlands and attacked the surprised militia. Monmouth County militiamen Lieutenant John Whitlock and Privates Alexander Clark and James Crawford were among those killed in the ensuing battle, and another 70 other patriots captured.
About 40 men were able to retreat, while the British lost one soldier, making this one attack to be considered a victory for the British.
Among the names of those captured by the British are names still prominent in Monmouth County today, including Burrows, McClees, Clark, Hendrickson, Mount and Morford.
The Middletown DAR planned and designed the panel and ceremonies in conjunction with the Monmouth County Park System who maintain Mount Mitchill.
Organizations in the borough of Highlands are joining together to present an extravaganza celebration of the 100th anniversary of the success of Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to ever swim the English Channel.
Ederle has a special connection to the borough where she summered and always attributed her success to learning to swim in the Shrewsbury River, notably near the Highlands-Sea Bright, now the Captain Joseph Azzolina Bridge.
“We are very excited to celebrate this amazing milestone by such an accomplished woman,” said Highlands Mayor Carolyn Broullon. “The entire community is pitching in to make this August 15th, 2026 a day to remember. The many organizations that fuel our Borough will be there to share in the merriment.”
The Highlands Business Partnership, the Historical Society of Highlands, and local civic organizations invite the public to celebrate her remarkable legacy at Trudy Fest Saturday, August 15, from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Veterans Park, 51 Bay Avenue
Courtesy of the Bahrs Family
Ederle’s inspiring story was recently introduced to a new generation through Disney’s Young Woman and the Sea, and now the community where her journey began is commemorating the 100th anniversary of her barrier-breaking achievement with an afternoon of history, entertainment, and family fun.
Known around the world as the “Queen of the Waves,” Gertrude Ederle forever changed the landscape of women’s sports on August 6, 1926, when, at just 20 years old, she became the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. She completed the crossing in 14 hours and 31 minutes, beating the previous men’s record by nearly two hours and establishing a mark that stood until 1950.
Although born in New York City, Ederle’s story is deeply rooted in Highlands. Each summer, her family stayed in their bayside bungalow in Highlands, where her father taught her to swim. She later trained in the challenging waters of the Shrewsbury River beneath the Highlands Bridge, developing the determination and endurance that would carry her to Olympic glory and international fame. The current under the bridge at the time was judged to be the eighth strongest current in the world.
Gertrude with Former Mayor Neil Guiney
Between the ages of 15 and 19, Ederle set 29 national and world swimming records. At the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, she won a Gold Medal as a member of the United States 400-meter freestyle relay team, along with two Bronze Medals in the individual freestyle events. Her accomplishments made her one of the most celebrated athletes of her era and inspired thousands of women to pursue competitive sports.
Representing the Trudy Ederle Foundation in Germany will be Founder Rainer Frase and Executive Director Hannah Hubert, who will share the Foundation’s efforts to preserve and promote Gertrude Ederle’s extraordinary legacy. Hannah Hubert will also serve as one of the event’s featured speakers.
Joining them will be Mary Ederle Ward, Gertrude Ederle’s niece and author of America’s Girl: The Incredible Story of How Swimmer Gertrude Ederle Changed the Nation, and Rachel Griffin, an accomplished open-water swimmer from California who successfully swam the English Channel in 2025 on the anniversary of Gertrude Ederle’s historic crossing. Rachel will offer a modern-day perspective on the remarkable challenge Trudy conquered a century earlier.
Also attending will be Cindy Casson, Director of Community Relations for the Lexington School for the Deaf, where Gertrude Ederle devoted many years of her life teaching deaf children swimming after losing much of her own hearing.
Trudy Fest will honor Ederle’s extraordinary life with live music by DJ Johnny Jonze, delicious food trucks, a wine and beer garden, specialty vendors, historical displays, Trudy-themed merchandise, guest speakers, and family-friendly activities throughout the afternoon.
Children ages five and up can enjoy Trudy’s Kid Zone, where they’ll create an Ocean-in-a-Bottle craft and receive a temporary tattoo. The Arts Council of Highlands will present an exhibit of artwork created by local artists celebrating Trudy Ederle’s legacy, while also hosting Color with Trudy and coloring contests for children of all ages.
Additional activities include Trudy’s Treasures Scavenger Hunt, Jellyfish Jiggle Toss, and the Sea Sponge Relay. Guests can also enjoy the festival’s wine and beer garden, delicious food trucks, specialty vendors, and beautiful waterfront setting while celebrating the extraordinary legacy of Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle.
“Trudy wasn’t just a champion swimmer; she was a trailblazer,” said Sheila Weinstock, President of the Historical Society of Highlands. “She broke barriers for women in sports and inspired generations to believe that anything is possible. Trudy Fest is our community’s way of celebrating her incredible legacy 100 years later.”
Today, nearly a century after her historic swim, Highlands proudly continues to celebrate the hometown heroine whose courage, perseverance, and determination inspired millions around the world.
Whether you’re a history enthusiast, a sports fan, or simply looking for a memorable summer afternoon, Trudy Fest offers a unique opportunity to celebrate one of America’s greatest athletes in the very town that helped shape her extraordinary journey.
As Trudy herself once said,
“When somebody tells me I cannot do something, that’s when I do it.”
For more information about Trudy Fest, visit www.highlandsnj.com or contact the Highlands Business Partnership at 732-291-4713.
You could tell it was getting late and everyone was a bit tired. The usually genial Planning Board chairman in Atlantic Highlands, John McGoldrick, got a bit sharp with a couple of residents just short of an hour before midnight, on a week day night, reminding them that one portion of the public hearing was reserved for questions, and there would be plenty of time at the next meeting to give comments. Besides, he went on, “we’re all volunteers.”
Me thinks he was more than one of the board members frustrated and feeling both tired and perhaps annoyed about some of the history of the Carton Brewery company.
Martin Hawley, because he’s always been an astute and interested knowledgeable resident and member, remembers everything about past very long meetings; he wants more attention paid to whatever is permitted whenever this variance gets approved. He pointed out that the same company asking for this year’s variances didn’t even fulfill the ones they’ve gotten in the past. Talk about wasting volunteers’ time! That as a great question, too …
What happens to those past conditions?
Is anyone responsible for insuring that the conditions are actually met?
Do they still exist or does new approval erase those old variances?
And Ms. Depasca, one of the very highly educated and very wise women on the board, wants to be sure the residents of the borough are not given second place in consideration when it comes to parking places. They face that problem every day, she pointed out, and having three more apartments, each with two bedrooms and probably, if it goes by the norm these days, more than two vehicles for each, doesn’t sound like the residents are being considered.
But the board itself had to take a bit of a scolding from Mark Fisher, who doesn’t miss many meetings … He researches every little thing, and even writes down all his questions so he’s sure to remember them all, back-up included. As good-natured and friendly as they all are with this resident, they also know he knows what he’s talking about and likes to be sure things are done right. Certainly hope, after hearing Mark’s questions on safety, the board also reaches out to the fire chief for input and approvals as well. Loved how Mark had photos of the trash pile outside on the Carton property, then pointed out that in one of those earlier variance approvals they got, they promised to keep it all inside.
So that brings up the question. Who is it exactly that checks to be certain that the conditions given with so many variances are actually followed through? Doubt it’s the code enforcement officer, since he doesn’t attend planning board meetings and probably doesn’t have to read each approval and check a few years later to see if conditions like the trash location are being taken care of.
It certainly isn’t a planning board member since they’re all volunteers.
Doubt it is the engineer, not only because he doesn’t live in town, but it just doesn’t sound like it should be his job.
So is there actually a particular person or position that is assigned to keep track of variance approvals once they’re granted?
And that doesn’t even touch on the tasting room. Stories at the meeting about busloads of people coming, loud music, entertainment, big wedding receptions … none of these things sound like a tasting room idea of having a few ounces of beer in two hours to taste the quality of a variety of products. Has anyone enforced or know the difference between a Tasting Room and a great tavern in the middle of town?
There are some more questions that need to be answered.
For instance, the principal use of the building. With statements at the meeting that the Brewery is cutting back its brewing operations by thousands of barrels, and all these new uses … a restaurant, three apartments, an event space for private parties … Is brewing still the principal use of the Carton Brewery building?
And if the smaller building is scheduled to be used for storage only, wouldn’t that make it an accessory building to the principal use? The plans show there are two lots included for this application. Yet the borough codes dictate that an accessory building must be located on the same lot as the principal use. It does appear there will be an awful lot more questions when the hearing continues next month.
It took a lot of complaining about parking and the lack thereof at the meeting before the board decided to ask the firm for a traffic survey. However, they did not stipulate how or when it was to be done, or how many times a day or weekend it should be done.
There’s certainly a difference between both parking and driving along First Avenue whether the survey is taken when Sea Streak customers are hastily making their way home from the ferry after a day’s work and 10 a.m. in the morning. As well as a big difference in parking in that area of Carton Brewery on a weekday morning or a Friday night or Sunday afternoon when the live theater on First Avenue has an exciting show or program going on.
That’s not even counting Jaspen’s Hardware where, besides being so well supplied with every possible thing any home might need, the staff is always so nice and friendly. Will purchasers who would be vying for the same spaces more people are now going to want really to continue to shop here if it means toting their paint cans or wheelbarrows or other heavy supplies a few blocks further?
There is no doubt the Cartons are a great local family and have been a part of the community for generations. But when they first opened the First Avenue building, they didn’t take any steps to beautify it like they want to do today. They say they are reducing their business from 25,000 to 5,000 barrels a day and that’s one of the reasons for the changes and additional businesses in the building.
There are still a lot of questions to be answered, a lot of promises to be kept. In the end, Carton Brewery will probably get the variances they are seeking, but with lots more changes then they have shown so far.
Because that’s what planning boards do.
They’re designed to give property owners the right to break the laws the governing bodies have set up to keep the borough looking like the Master Plan designed to keep it like it is. They just make what is presented to them a bit more in keeping with that Plan and a bit easier for the residents to accept. That is, until all of a sudden, people who have lived here a few years suddenly get the idea it isn’t the old town it used to be.
After a more than three-hour presentation lasting to 11 p.m., the Atlantic Highlands Planning Board continued the Carton Brewery application for a variety of changes and variances until its next meeting September 3. At that time, more information will be given on the proposals, a traffic survey will be submitted, and both board members and the general public will have the opportunity for more questions and comments before action by the planning board for approval of the variance application.
Prior to the start of the Carton Brewing application, the board did grant a bulk variance for the Domanski property at 102 Center Avenue to allow for creating a third floor, and reducing the bedroom from five to four. The change does not change the surface size of the building nor were there any objections from neighbors for the construction for the family. The owners requested the variance to enlarge individual space as their children grew older.
The planners also gave final approval to three previously approved variances, one at 342 Ocean Boulevard, one at 24 Harborview Drive and one at 95 East Garfield Avenue.
The board dismissed without prejudice the continuation of a subdivision application sought for the Paris property at 22 Prospect Place after the owner withdrew his request for a continuation of that hearing which began last month.
When the Carton Brewery application got underway at 7:25 p.m., Dante Alfieri, attorney for the applicant, noted the purpose for the variances requested was to beautify the building and reconfigure it for additional uses, including both a restaurant and three two-bedroom apartments. The application also includes moving the tasting room to the larger building and reserving the smaller building for storage alone.
Engineer James Watt said plans call for changes to the two buildings on the property owned by Carton Brewing LLC by eliminating any use of the small building other than for storage.
The building facing First Avenue, across the street from the Borough Hall, would be changed to replace the first-floor exterior wall with glass to make it more attractive, continue the brewery at a smaller work load, and include a restaurant which would be leased to another person for its use. The second floor would be space for private parties. A mezzanine would be added with bathrooms, and the third floor would be an office for the Brewery as well as three two-bedroom apartments. The roof top would be restricted for use by the apartment leasees alone, with fences separating each of their three sections.
Although application submitted for the hearing included an elevator at the roof level, extending the height of the building, Alfieri and Watt both indicated that it is now changed, and there would be no elevator to the roof, with access by stairs alone from each of the three apartments, and a fourth from the elevator on the third floor to the roof.
Local interested resident Mark Fisher, known by the planning board members for his in depth research and pointed questions in many hearings, noted that as a volunteer fireman and emergency team member, he has serious concerns, asking questions on access to the roof in the event of emergencies or fires on the roof, access for tenants to their apartments if by accident they locked themselves out while on the roof, and access for necessary repairs or upkeep to the roof area. Fisher pointed out the change in design of the building which was originally planned built by Carton Brewery is a good thing, and questioned why the third-floor office is equipped with a tub in the bathroom. He did not receive a response to his question on whether there is a future plan to convert the office to an apartment.
While the drawings submitted with the application appear to show trees on the roof, in his presentation following Watt, architect and planner Andrew Stockton said there are no plans to plant any trees other than possibly shrubs or trees in planters at other locations.
Board member Martin Hawley, who noted he has been resident and served on the planning board long enough to be present for each of the other four applications Carton Brewery has had approved since 2010 for the premises, pointed out that approvals at other hearings were never fulfilled for other uses and questioned several items, noting “we’ve been through this before.”
Watt said the restaurant, which would be leased to someone else, would probably have a capacity of no more than 15 people.
Stockton. during his presentation, fielded a number of questions concerning parking, noting several times there is ample parking in the surrounding area to accommodate the new businesses. While the planning board had not required a traffic survey in preparation for this meeting, Board Chairman John McGoldrick directed the applicant to submit a traffic survey at the next meeting.
Stockton, who said he believed from his studies that the uses for the building only require approximately 50 parking places, Board engineer Doug Rohmeyer made it clear his studies show 81 parking places, possibly 82, are needed to meet borough regulations. Rohmeyer also noted each of the residential parking places must be identified and stipulated for their use only.
Board member Lynette Ruffo Deepika also questioned the lack of parking places, noting that even two spaces per unit might create a burden in view of today’s standards where many two-bedroom residences have “two cars and a truck.” She said the application presented a problem, creating a burden on residents and termed this part of the application “a big issue.”
Several residents in the Carton Brewery neighborhood, both on line and in person at the meeting, questioned the parking, the proximity and appearance of rear windows on their properties to the rear of the First Avenue building, the movement of vehicles for deliveries, and the hours and use of the tasting room for more than tastings and tours.
While Stockton indicted there was “easily parking along First avenue” in the area, as opposed to space near the harbor at the other end of First avenue, and the fact that the Carton Brewery hours of highest parking use would not be during school hours at the nearby elementary school nor when many other businesses are open, he said he could identify 105 off street parking spaces that could be available. It was these questions that prompted the Chairman at the close of the meeting to call for a traffic survey for the continued hearing on Sept
