The Bay Head Beacon

It's the time of year when people start thinking about their new year's resolutions, trying to decide on ways they want to improve themselves in the coming year. Bay Head dentist, Dr. Horton Hoo, is also thinking about new year's resolutions, but he is thinking about the ones he made last year. "I got too ambitious with my resolutions l ast year," said Dr. Hoo. "I don't know why I thought I could do so much. Unfortunately my daughter recently reminded me that of the five resolutions I made, I haven't done any of them!" Dr. Hoo is not one to give up easily. He has decided that he will accomplish all of his resolutions in the few days he has left this year. Dr. Hoo's 13 year old daughter, Cyndy Lou, is skeptical of her father. "There is no way he's doing it. He made five resolutions: lose 10 pounds, learn a new language, clean the garage, be nicer to people, and read ten books. How is he going to get any of those done in just a few day...

Santa Claus was kind enough to sit down with us and answer some questions about his "Christmas Magic." BHB : Thank you for giving us a bit of your time, especially during your busy season. Do you prefer to be addressed as St. Nicholas? Santa: Ho-ho-ho! Please call me Santa! And I'm a big fan of the Beacon! It's my pleasure to talk to you. Ho-ho-ho! BHB:  Santa, I imagine that you have millions of children asking for presents. How do you and your elves manage to produce so many toys? Santa; Ho-ho-ho! This year we got requests from 13,073,211 children. The elves could never produce that many toys. Ho-ho-ho! These days the elf toy production is limited to specialty, handcrafted items. They still do some beautiful work. Ho-ho-ho! But that only accounts for about 7 percent of the toys we distribute. The rest of the toys, Barbies and video games and what not, we get through a series of agreements with toy manufactures worldwide. These toys are kept in a network of warehous...

Felicity Walker lives east of the Point Pleasant Canal in the Borough. Her parents live on the west side of the canal. Their houses are less than a half-mile apart, but to get to each other's homes they have to drive or walk about two miles. "It's so frustrating," said Walker. "If the canal wasn't there it would be like walking down the street to see my family. Instead, I have to walk all the way to either the 88 or Lovelandtown Bridges and once I'm on the other side, it's still about another mile. I realize it's not all that far, but it's such a nuisance to drive there and it's too far for my parents to walk." Felicity and her husband, Alan, have gone so far as to petition the mayor to build a pedestrian bridge. They argued that it would encourage more walking and reduce traffic. The mayor's assistant, Holden DeLine sent a response to the Walkers that simply said, "Are you kidding?" DeLine explains that he and the mayor...

You may recall seeing the Andrews Triplets of Mantoloking when they appeared on America's Got Talent several years ago. The identical sisters, Patty, Maxine, and  Laverne, wowed the judges, and the country, with trick tricycle riding while singing in perfect unison. They finished in third place, but to all their fans, they were winners. Now, two years later, the girls have moved on to bicycles, and their act has become even better. It is so good, in fact, that they have been recruited by the world famous Cirque du Soleil. "It's very exciting to be part of Cirque du Soleil!" said Patty. "We love working with Costello! He's so cute!" Costello is the dancing giant panda that was partnered with the girls' act. When they perform, the girls will ride their bicycles while they sing, and Costello will dance. "Mr. Abbott is the panda trainer, and he's been great," Maxine said. "When we have any questions about working with Costello, we just...