The Bay Head Beacon

Like many people, Bay Head resident Sally Minella ("Sal" to her friends) found she had extra time on her hands during quarantine. "Working from home, I had at least two extra hours a day that used to be devoted to commuting and ironing pants. I realized that I should try to use the time to do something that I had always dreamed of." said Minella.  "As long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a farmer," she said. "My grandfather owned a small farm and I loved spending time there as a girl. But now, after spending 30 years in a career in finance, I realized that the lure of  a farm never left me." Minella decided to setup a coop and get two chickens. She called them Lucy and Ethel and in no time they were providing fresh eggs. Minella was ecstatic. "It may only have been two chickens, but every time I collected an egg, I felt like a real farmer!" Minella loved the experience so much that she decided two chickens weren't enough. S...

Joe King has lived in Point Pleasant Borough for 19 years. However, if you ask people who know him, they would likely tell you that he lives in Bay Head. Why? Because Joe King tells everyone that he is a Bay Head resident. "It's a shame that in this day and age this is still a problem for some people," said King. "My neighbor, right next door, is in Bay Head. The houses across the street are in Bay Head. The people who live in those houses get to call themselves Bay Headers.  Is it such a crime that I self-identify as a Bay Header? I spend most of my time with Bay Headers. I dress as a Bay Header. Inside my house, I just feel like a Bay Header. It wouldn't bother me if my neighbor from Bay Head called himself a Point Pleasanter." While it may not be a crime to claim you live in another town, King has managed to draw the attention of the Point Borough authorities. He has made an official petition requesting that his home be re-assigned so that it will be in B...

A year ago, the Brick Reservoir walking paths were forced to close for health and safety reasons. Now, the Brick Municipal Utility Authorities (MUA) announced that they will be reopening the path on March 17. This is great news for many people from Brick and surrounding towns who enjoyed walking or jogging around the scenic reservoir. Unfortunately, the MUA has decided to charge a fee for use of the walking path. "We wish we could have kept the walking path free of charge, but it just wasn't feasible," said MUA spokesperson Avaro Wasser. "The reservoir is not like a park. It's purpose is to provide water for Brick and other municipalities. The walking path was just a bonus. Unfortunately, we need to collect usage fees to meet the rising cost of maintenance." Wasser said that visitors will be charged based on the number of times they walk around the reservoir. "We felt this would be more fair than just paying an entry fee. The cost will be 50 cents for e...

New Jersey recently approved expanding coastal wind farms. Rows of large, three-finned windmills could soon be installed in the ocean along the Jersey shore. Advocates praise the move as one of the best ways of providing cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy for our state. However, there are many in New Jersey, especially those who live at the Shore, who oppose the wind farms. They make the compelling argument that windmills are kind of ugly. They believe that people would rather see lovely oil tankers cruise along the horizon than view hideous white windmills closer to shore. In an attempt to address this controversy, the state has commissioned a proposal by Hide In Plain Sight (HIPS), a company that specializes in beautifying unsightly outdoor technology. "Our goal is to make things invisible," said Jack Griffin, spokesperson for HIPS. "You probably have never seen our work because when we do the job right, there's nothing to see."  Until recently...

When someone needs our help, we'll be there on the double! When someone's being bad, we're there to stop the trouble! We're always on the job, every night and every day, Unless it's after 6:00, or our moms say we can't play. - Creed of the Bay-Point Avengers You may have seen them around Bay Head or Point Pleasant, two young super-heroes guarding the safety of local residents. They call themselves the Bay-Point Avengers. Their motto is, "Keeping you safe from six feet away." Their true identities are unknown, but their super-hero names are Bay Girl and Point Boy and they say those names have nothing to do with where they live. "It is imperative we keep our identities secret," said Bay Girl. "We wouldn't want some nefarious villain to endanger our families!" "That's right, Jenny... I mean, Bay Girl," added Point Boy. "My mom would kill me if she found out I was Point Boy."  "She would not, Brian,...

Valentine's day can be great. It's a holiday with long stem roses, heart shaped boxes of candy, and romance in the air. All you need to celebrate is someone special in your life. Unfortunately, if you are someone who has yet to feel the sweet sting of Cupid's arrow, you're out of luck. For you, Valentine's Day stinks. It's just a reminder of what is missing in your life. Many people turn to dating sites and apps in the hopes that technology can help them find love, but that doesn't work for everyone. So what are the lovelorn supposed to do? Point Pleasant Beach resident, Mary Mee, believes she understands the problem with dating apps. "I tried a lot of online dating sites when I was single," she said. "What happens is that you end up answering a lot of questions that are supposed to match you with an ideal mate. This is a flawed approach! There's a big difference between what people want and what is actually out there that would be willing...

Last week's powerful storm unearthed a surprising relic from the past. On an eroded patch of beach in Bay Head, residents discovered the skeletal remains of an 18th century sailing ship. The vessel has since been identified as one of the ships that successfully fought off pirates along the New Jersey coastline. Nautical historian, Dr. John Madden, who identified the ship, said it is an extraordinary find from a time in history few people know. Piracy was not very common off the Jersey Shore in the 18th century, but there was at least one pirate who became the scourge of the northeast coastline. His name was Captain Thomas Braidee, but he was known to everyone as Handsome Tom . At first he wasn't considered a pirate. In 1735 a royal contract was given to a private shipping company giving them license to harass and confiscate vessels belonging to enemies of the crown. Under the direction of unscrupulous manager Billy Chek, the company used a broad definition for "enemies of ...

The Jersey Shore just experienced its first bout of extremely cold weather this year. Below freezing temperatures coupled with biting winds created some truly uncomfortable conditions. Warm weather fans were left wishing spring would hurry up and get here. But for those people who like winter weather, Mother Nature provided an amazing surprise. Local residents awoke Saturday morning and discovered that the Point Pleasant Canal had turned into an outdoor skating rink. Dr. Sven Ranedere, Professor of Climatology at Stockton University, said that the freezing of the canal is very unusual. "I checked the records and it has only happened 4 other times in the last 75 years," said Dr. Ranedere. "The reason it is so rare is that it takes more than cold air to make this happen. The water in the Manasquan River has to be frigid to begin with. That doesn't happen too easily, but when it does, and you get a blast of arctic air, it can be magical." Many local residents would...

The first time that Werfen Hakilo went to a hatchet throwing bar in Chicago, he thought it was amazing. "What could be better than a place where you can drink beer and throw axes?" he said. "It was such a blast that after only one visit, I knew I had to own my own hatchet place one day." Now, after almost five years, Hakilo's wish is about to come true. Later this month he is opening his own pub called Ye Olde Hatchet Catch-it!  in downtown Point Pleasant Beach. This is not Hakilo's first foray into trendy bars and eateries. Four years ago he opened a barbecue and billiards restaurant called B-B-Cue Stick . "The idea was that people could play pool while enjoying barbecued meats served on a stick," said Hakilo. "It seemed like a great idea, but we didn't count on how messy and greasy all of the pool cues and tables would get from the barbecued food. We couldn't keep the place clean. We wound up closing after six months." "The...

When the Centennial Park playground re-opens this spring, there's going to be a BIG surprise. The little park in Bay Head will be home to the highest playground slide in New Jersey. "It's going to be amazing!" said Recreation Department spokesperson Joy Spielplatz. "The slide will be 60 feet high! The tallest playground slide in the state and maybe even in the country." When the Recreation Department realized they had some money left in the budget, they wanted to find an interesting way to use it. They got the idea for the epic slide when they started doing some online searches for unusual playground equipment. "The slide we are getting is almost identical to one that already exists in New Zealand, although ours will be quite a bit taller," said Spielplatz. "There will be a 60 foot central tower with two tube slides coming down. When kids go down the slide, they can achieve speeds of up to 25 miles per hour. It should be really exciting!"...

Point Pleasant Borough Councilman, Dominic Asino, believes that his town does not get the recognition it deserves. "Being next to Bay Head and Point Beach, we sometimes get lost in the shuffle," he said. "I'm not taking anything away from our neighbor towns; I just think that we're a great town in our own right." Asino has spent a lot of time trying to figure out ways to promote his borough, and he believes he has come up with a great idea. "What we needed was a mascot! Something that is instantly recognizable and that people will associate with the Borough of Point Pleasant." "I was reading a news story about a petting zoo in Pennsylvania that was closing," said Asino. "They were looking for people who would adopt their animals. The article said that they had a donkey that they described as a 'pleasant burro.' Something clicked in my head when I saw that. I knew a burro would be the perfect mascot for our borough!" Coun...

When Mrs. Kelly O'Kelly started teaching in the Point Pleasant Borough School System, she didn't realize that she would become one of the most well-loved teachers the town has ever known. Principal Ann Dinterest has nothing but praise for Mrs. O'Kelly. "In all the years that I have worked in education, I have never seen any teacher who inspired her students the way Mrs. O'Kelly did. She had a way of reaching the children that was truly unique." Mrs. O'Kelly remains humble about her career. "It was simple. I showed up to work every day and did the job. But in all my 47 years, I never liked it. Not at all. I've just never been crazy about kids. I see them as 'unfinished' people. Like a sandwich with one piece of bread and no mayo. Or a couch without any cushions. Who would want that? And that's what kids are, until they become adults. It was only the thought of my pension that kept me going." In 1973, when she started her career, Mr...

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...