The Bay Head Beacon

Excitement has hit a fever pitch as everyone waits for the Moon to pass between the sun and Earth.  Although this actually happens every single month, today will be an eclipse, meaning we will be in the dark shadow of the moon for a little while. In the past, people might descend into madness as the day unexpectedly would turn to night. For us, the madness has come in the form of desperation to get protective glasses. People are reporting that eclipse glasses are selling for $500 or more. Brielle resident, Lou Kinnup, says he paid $1800 for five pairs of protective glasses. "I wish I had gone to the library sooner when they were giving out free glasses, but I totally forgot," says Kinnup. "I didn't see that I had any choice. I didn't want my wife and kids and dog to miss this thrice in a lifetime event." Officer Pat Youdown of the Brick Police Department advises everyone to avoid buying eclipse glasses from price gougers. "I advise everyone to avoid bu

With the success of the Oscar winning film, Oppenheimer, a new generation has become familiar with the Manhattan Project and the efforts to create the first atomic bomb. The most brilliant minds in America gathered in Los Alamos, New Mexico and created the weapon that they believed would bring an end to World War II. It was hard work and very serious business, but one scientist managed to bring a lighter side to the project. He was a twenty-two-year-old graduate student from the University of Chicago named Adam Bahm.  "I wasn't the greatest physicist," says Bahm. "I was probably the dumbest guy at Los Alamos, but Enrico Fermi, the genius scientist, wanted me there because he said I made him laugh. He told me, 'if I gotta work with Oppenheimer, I'm gonna need a wisenheimer.' Fermi warned me that Oppenheimer was kind of grim, and it was true. He really took the fun out of making weapons of mass destruction." Bahm delighted in teasing Oppenheimer. He s

Americans have always liked a good smoke. Ever since early settlers shared a pipe of peace with native Americans before stealing their land so they could grow tobacco, smoking has been a part of American life. Sadly, in recent decades, doctors have realized that inhaling smoke into the lungs is not conducive to good health. Luckily, a slightly less toxic option is available now.  It's called vaping, and it's become the second most popular way to inhale dangerous substances. "Vaping is great!" says local entrepreneur, Nick O'Teen. "I smoked for years, and the smell drove me nuts and I couldn't stand the ashes and stuff. Vaping has been a great option for me because the only thing that comes out is vapor, and I still get the satisfaction of having a smoke." Nick O'Teen liked vaping so much that he started his own vaping business. "I have a couple of vaping shops, but what I'm really excited about is my new vaping truck. I call it the Vapem

After what seems like forever, Brick is finally getting an Italian grocery store. When Corrado's dropped the ball, Livoti's Old World Market stepped in to pick it up and run with it. The grand opening of Livoti's in Brick on March 7 promises to be a big event with plenty of food and fun for everyone.  For those who are fans of Italian food, and Italian quarterbacks, there's a good chance they may see former NY Giants quarterback Tommy "Cutlets" DeVito. DeVito's agent, Sean Stellato, made the arrangements for his client to be at Livoti's on opening day. "Ya know, everybody loves Tommy 'Cutlets'. After his three and a half game career with the Giants, Tommy became a superstar," said Stellato. "I been gettin' offers all over the place, Corrado's was beggin' him to come, but Tommy said no way. He told me, it was Livoti's or nothin'!" Macon Pastah, the general manager of Livoti's, had nothing but praise fo

Children everywhere will be saddened to learn that Santa Claus will not be coming this year. "I know the children will be disappointed, but have you seen the weather forecast? Right now, the North Pole is like the tropics compared to what's out there." Old St. Nick is right about the weather. In the United States almost every area will be hit with rain or snow and bitter temperatures. Some places are expecting wind chills of 40 below zero. "Do you have any idea how reindeer react to sub-zero temperatures?" Santa asked. "Let me tell you, it's not pretty. They can become so stiff that they can barely move. Their antlers will shatter if they bump into anything. And you can forget about flying. They can barely walk so don't expect them to get airborne." "Even if I did get the sleigh up in the air, navigating will be almost impossible," Kris Kringle continued. "Just imagine flying through a blizzard in a giant, open vehicle. There'

 With great fanfare and joy, Royal Farms in Brick has finally opened. After years of waiting, area residents can finally enjoy the crispy chicken corpses that made the store famous. For two friends who consider themselves "superfans" of Royal Farms, the wait was an eternity.  Bruce could hardly contain his excitement.  "Ya know, ever since my glory days on streets of Philadelphia, I've loved Royal Farms chicken," he said. "I've done a lot of travelling in my life. I could never stay put and my family said I was born to run. But I was so happy so settle down in my hometown at the Jersey shore. The only thing I was missing was Royal Farms chicken. Now that I can get my favorite chicken right here, it's like Santa Claus is comin' to town." John was just as excited as his friend about the grand opening. "I've been waiting since the they tore down the store that was here and I saw the walls come crumbling down," John said. "Th

Seven-year-old Abbie Genessee from Brielle has a very special pen pal. She met him when her family visited Italy two years ago and since then the two have been emailing each other regularly. "His name is Francis," Abbie said. "He's really old. but really nice. He's kind of like another grandpa." "I met Francis when we visited some kind of church. He was sitting up front and he waved at me so I went up to say hello," said Abbie. "He spoke English pretty good and told me he worked there and lived there, which I thought was pretty cool. He asked me my favorite thing about my visit, and I said all the food we had tried. Francis said he really liked pizza and I said it was my favorite too." The two friends exchanged emails and started writing each other regularly. "I told him about my school and stuff I was doing. He told me about his busy days and about his work. He taught me a lot about religion, too." Abbie got a surprise when Fra

Many years ago, one of the Presidents, maybe Truman or Kennedy, started pardoning Thanksgiving turkeys. These lucky birds would end up in a petting zoo or friendly farm instead of on a platter covered in gravy. Over the years, other local governments, including Point Pleasant Borough, have adopted the tradition. In a ceremony at city hall that kicks off the holiday season, the mayor pardons one bird that would otherwise get cooked and eaten. This year, things didn't go as planned. "After careful consideration, the mayor and council have decided to deny a pardon to Tony the Turkey," said assistant to the mayor Holden DeLine. "Tony has been a particularly naughty turkey and does not deserve a pardon. Instead, a pardon will be granted to very well-behaved turkey named Kate."  Somehow, Tony must have realized that his pardon would not be granted because early this morning he escaped. "When the time came for the turkey to be prepped for the Thanksgiving dinner,

It's finally happening! After years of waiting, area residents finally got some good news about the Royal Farms in Brick. Circle the date December 8 on your calendar because there is a strong possibility that there is maybe a bit of a chance that Royal Farms could quite possibly be considering that it may almost be time to open their doors to the public. "This is such great news," said assistant to the mayor, Annie Daynow. "All of us in Brick have been waiting for this day for years. I can't believe that we are so close to maybe having Royal Farms open. I know that they have promised to open many times before, but you know what they say, 12th time is the charm!"  Frita Poyo, spokesperson for Royal Farms, said that the public has nothing to worry about. "Really, this date of December 8 is almost certainly a pretty good possibility that we will be opening," she said. "It's been a long road getting to this point. We've had a lot of hardsh

When Pete Zuhria opened Pete Zuhria's Pizzeria in Point Borough, he knew that there might be times he would have to deal with difficult customers, but he never thought he'd be haunted by one. The property was previously leased to Tom Aitopy who ran Tom Aitopy's Tomato Pies. It is believed that the ghost was once a customer of the former establishment. "I've got nothing against ghosts," said Zuhria, "The problem is that in life this ghost was a Karen." A "Karen" is a person who has an extreme sense of entitlement. Karens feel they deserve special treatment and become angered when they think they are being slighted, even when they aren't. It can be quite annoying to encounter a Karen in the wild. Zuhria says that his ghost Karen can be just as annoying. "We never know when the ghost will pop up, "said Zuhria. "I could be getting a pizza ready for someone and she's suddenly screaming, 'I said no pepperoni! Where'

In what has become a common occurrence in Brick, a popular restaurant chain will not be opening. The zoning board rejected a proposal for a new Shake Shack franchise. However, this rejection opened the door for another restaurant. The board granted approval to Pickin' Chicken which hopes to open by December. Pickin' Chicken is the first restaurant chain in America to offer patrons live chickens. "It's kind of like the lobster tanks at seafood restaurants," said company spokesperson Tyson Broiler. "Just the way customers can choose their lobster while it's alive, our customers can choose their chicken from a special coop."  As Broiler explained, once the chicken is chosen, it is placed in a patented machine that gently kills the bird, plucks it clean, and delivers it to the chef for preparation. Their fast cook techniques mean that a chicken can go from coop to table in only 20 minutes. "I guarantee that we serve the freshest chicken anyone has

No one could have predicted it, but since it premiered on the History Channel two years ago, the show America's Next Top Psychic (ANTP) has become one of the network's most popular shows. The show is a contest that pits psychics against each other to determine who has the greatest psychic ability. The winner receives $100K and the title America's Top Psychic. This season, a local clairvoyant from Point Pleasant, Crystal Bawl, will be trying to earn that title. Crystal, whose professional name is Miss Fortune, is a natural for the show. For the past seven years she has been using her special abilities to help locals communicate with spirits and prepare for the future. She even helped the police solve a crime, although that was just because she reported seeing a car being stolen. Nonetheless, her supernatural gifts cannot be denied. "I knew that I would be chosen for the show," said Miss Fortune. "I am no stranger to seeing the future, ya know." She said t

Minnie Simmons has been surfing the Jersey Shore since she was six. Now at the ripe old age of 27, she considers herself an old-timer. She is a respected member of the local surfing community with a unique distinction, "I'm one of the few people who has surfed the canal three times," she said. "A lot of board buckaroos think canal surfing is the ultimate ride of the Valkyries. It really is one of the best summer squashes you'll ever have." Simmons, who is also an expert in surfer slang, is considered the best canal surfer by her peers.  Only a few people have experienced "surfing the canal." Surfers already know that storms on the Atlantic can produce some gnarly waves, but locals occasionally see fast moving water pushed into the canal. "It's pretty awesome," said Simmons. "When you got a nature tantrum pushing the salty soup up the Point gap, you get a really rad ride." It's a special challenge to surf the canal. The c