The Bay Head Beacon

Red Pandas have been called nature's jesters by my friend who knows nothing about them. They are cute, cuddly creatures from China, not to be confused with the Giant Panda. The Red Panda is red, while Giant Pandas are black and white. Everyone loves Giant Pandas but are somewhat ambivalent towards the red version. Nonetheless, seeing this exotic creature is something you might expect at a zoo or if you are in the Himalayas. Imagine the surprise when a wild Red Panda was sighted in Point Pleasant. Point Pleasant resident, Faye Kanooz, first saw the creature in her backyard last week. "I was flabbergasted," said Kanooz. "I looked out my window and there was this red bear of some sort. I didn't have a chance to grab a camera, but I immediately made a sketch of the wild animal and called the police." After viewing the drawing, the police referred the case to Muskox Bob, a local animal expert and trapper. "To be honest, I wasn't convinced by the sketch.

A 9-year-old girl from Bay Head, Patty O'Furniture, has created a new St. Patrick's Day mascot.  "Shamrock Man," is a delightful little character that will soon be festooning many St. Patrick's Day celebrations.  "When my mom told me that soon we wouldn't be able to decorate with leprechauns, I was pretty disappointed. That's why I decided to create Shamrock Man," said Patty. Earlier this year, greeting card giant, Hallmark, was able to successfully trademark both the image and term "leprechaun". A representative from Hallmark, Erin Gobrah, says that it was a good business move for the company. "Trademarking of this sort has become a common practice," said Gobrah. "For example, the  National Football League makes sure that their championship game is called the "Big Game" and not that term that rhymes with 'Blooper Soul'. The NFL goes to great lengths to protect their trademark. Violators can face penalti

Several businesses, including chic retailers and beloved restaurants, have announced their intentions regarding Brick locations. In recent years, Brick has become one of the hottest areas for corporate expansion. Examples include the much anticipated Italian market, Corrados, and fried chicken emporium, Royal Farms.  Assistant to the mayor, Annie Daynow, said she is excited about all the great new stores and restaurants coming to our area.  "I have great news," said Daynow. "Both Corrados and Royal Farms have informed me that they are on track to open sometime in the future. Corrados believes that their opening is guaranteed before the return of Haley's Comet. Royal Farms said that they will open as soon as they can hire enough staff, test their fryers, order more chicken, repaint the interior, test the fryers again, bring in a Feng Shui expert, and make sure the napkin dispensers are full. So that's good news." Annie Daynow then discussed the future of othe