The Bay Head Beacon

Sting, the Grammy winning, superstar recording artist from England, performed on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant this past weekend. When he wasn't on stage, however, he and his wife Trudie really enjoyed their visit to the area. Locals reported that for big celebrities, Sting and his wife were just "regular folks." Sting was seen at a local diner having breakfast. "When he came into the diner, I couldn't believe it was Sting," said server Leeva Tipp. "I offered him coffee and he said, 'I don't drink coffee, I take tea, my dear. I like my toast done on one side.' Then he had pork roll, egg and cheese on a roll, just like a local! Good tipper, too!" Later, Sting and Trudie were sighted on the boardwalk. Their first stop was the aquarium. Sting, who is known to be a nature lover, seemed particularly enamored with Lucy the seal. As he watched her swim, he was overheard saying, "What a beautiful creature. Every little thing she does is ...

If there are three things people love it's drinking, gambling and riverboats. In the past, steam powered riverboats would cruise the muddy Mississippi River while card players drank rot-gut whiskey and gambled away their life savings. Now, a local entrepreneur wants to bring back those great days of yesteryear by bringing riverboat gambling to the Jersey Shore. Chip Kounter of Point Pleasant Beach is the man behind the floating casino. "I love to gamble, but I don't always want to drive to a casino. People say, so why not use a gambling app? Those are great, but it's just not the same as being in a casino. I wanted to be able to sit amongst other gamblers while I enjoyed a drink and lost a lot of money. Now I can do just that and so can other local gamblers!" Kounter purchased a sightseeing paddleboat and re-fit the entire vessel. It features a bar, a buffet area, and, of course, gambling machines. He named his riverboat the Lucky Lady. Some may question how Kount...

Edsel Studebaker has loved cars his whole life. He got his first car, a used Ford Model T, in 1940 when he was 16. "I loved that old wreck." he says. "I practically had to rebuild the whole thing, but it taught me a lot about engines and got me where I needed to go." These days he's driving an immaculate 2014 Chevy Malibu, but he still loves driving. It was only natural that he would become an Uber driver. "During World War II, I was assigned to the motor pool. I would keep the jeeps running and serve as a driver for officers," Studebaker explains. "One time I even got to drive General George Patton around when his usual driver was ill. It was quite an experience. I remember he came up to the Jeep and I was standing at attention, saluting, and he slapped me in the face. He said, 'You call that a salute, soldier?!' He was always slapping me for one reason or another, but he slapped everyone. A guy would bring him coffee and he'd get sla...

Anyone who has ever used the drive-thru at the Point Pleasant Beach CVS has seen them: stickers from various local businesses. All around the pick-up window, people have placed ads for stores, web sites, organizations, radio stations, etc. The display is haphazard, but apparently the stickers are proving to be one of the best ways to advertise. Bob Ayega, owner of John Wick Candles in Bay Head , says his business has almost doubled since he started advertising at CVS. "People come in all the time and say, I saw your sticker at the CVS drive-thru. I've put ads in newspapers and Facebook, and they did squat. This CVS thing is a goldmine!" The owner of the vegetarian restaurant,  Burgers and Dogs Without Cows or Hogs , describes similar results. Tom Otto said business jumped when one of his stickers was placed on the CVS drive-thru sliding drawer. "It was great. People would sometimes come straight from CVS to try one of our burgers. Unfortunately, some fake news web si...

The Ocean County Director of Essential Information, Sally Pimienta, is advising all residents to boil their water. "I cannot stress enough how important it is that you boil your water," said Pimienta. "Believe me, you will regret it if you don't." "Please be sure to fill a four-quart pot with water, bring it to a boil and salt to taste," continued Pimienta. "Then add your favorite pasta and cook until al dente. However, should you fail to boil your water, your pasta will not be tasty at all. So, listen to the advisory and boil your water!" Sally Pimienta, a former chef, says it is imperative everyone heeds her warning. "I cannot stress enough how much better your dining experience will be if you just boil your water," said Pimienta. "Take soup for example. Unless you are into Gazpacho, without boiling your water first, your soup will be disgusting! And don't even think about hard boiled eggs. That's not happening."...

Real estate agent, May Kunnawfer, says that, right now, the real estate market is as hot as summers on the sun. "Everything is selling at a record pace and for record prices, but this has led to a shortage of housing inventory," she says. In an effort to improve the situation, many towns have turned to "creative zoning." Kunnawfer says this is a game changer for real estate. "Simply put, property owners are being permitted to easily sub-divide their land and develop it. Rules regarding construction have also been relaxed so that new dwellings can be raised quickly with limited regulation. This means there are some great bargains out there!" Area towns such as Bay Head, Brick, and Point Pleasant have already instituted the new zoning guidelines. As a result, many new and interesting properties have been appearing in listings. * * * * * New Listings: 1) Point Beach Cottage Location: Point Pleasant Beach Price: $479,000 MLS #: JENEE-867-5309 Your chance to ow...

Local police are reminding everyone that this year it will be illegal to celebrate April Fools Day.  April 1 was traditionally the day when people were allowed to make jokes and play tricks on others. While some people thought it was a great day, others felt that the jokes often went too far. One such individual is State Assemblyman Vick Timuvpranks.  "Last year was the last straw," said Timuvpranks. "I came out of my house on April 1st, and my lawn and trees were covered in toilet paper! The windows of my car were totally obscured with soap! There was a package on my doorstep that was filled with... well, I don't really want to say what it was filled with, but it wasn't funny! And why was mine the only house that was hit?!" When Assemblyman Timuvpranks got to his office and found that someone had glued down his phone handset, and replaced his coffee with dirt, and put white pepper in his tissue box, and turned his parking space into a loading zone, he decid...

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...

Point Pleasant Borough has become one of the first cities in the country to outlaw all left turns. Anyone driving in the borough will have to navigate using only right turns. Drivers who violate this law will face severe penalties. "After careful consideration, the mayor and I felt it was the right thing to do," said assistant to the mayor, Holden DeLine. "I mean no one likes left turns, right?" DeLine said the idea came to him when he had to wait over five minutes to turn into the Stop & Shop parking lot. "The mayor and I often enjoy a rotisserie chicken for lunch, so I'll drive over to the supermarket and pick one up with some coleslaw, or maybe potato salad. If you ask, they'll even cut the chicken in half for you, which is great when you want to share. But the last time it took so long because of the left turns that the mayor got really annoyed. We realized we had to put things right"  The transition to right turns only will begin on March ...

Point Pleasant Beach resident, Kent Standawgs, was recently saved from a blistering inferno by a heroic dog. When Standawgs became trapped in his home by the blaze, the dog's loud barking alerted neighbors of the peril. Fortunately, with the help of his neighbor, Standawgs was able to put out the fire and emerge safely. Now, the stray pooch is rightfully being hailed as hero.  Kent Standawgs still can't believe what happened. "How did everyone start thinking that this dog is a hero?" he asked. "Let me tell you what really happened. I had just started cooking some porkchops and suddenly this monster dog jumps through the screen door! Went right through it like it wasn't there. And this dog was really big! More like a small horse than a dog. Then it comes into the kitchen and starts growling at me. It was terrifying! The dog knocks over the pan and starts eating the porkchops, but grease on the stove started burning. I tried to get to the fire extinguisher, but...

Bay Head realtor, Ward Jameson, is training to swim the length of the Point Pleasant Canal to raise money for charity. "This beautiful canal, with its recently upgraded bulkheads and bay views, is perfect for anyone interested in swimming," said Jameson. "With its ideal location and excellent flow system, all you need to do is jump in!" Molly Jameson said she is very proud of her husband Ward, "He's a great husband and father; plus, he's a topnotch realtor. I know raising money for this charity is very important to him because he also suffers from SLARS." SLARS, or Speak Like A Realtor Syndrome, is a rare condition that affects some realtors. Those who suffer with SLARS find that they can only express themselves by speaking like a real estate listing."Ward can't help it," said Molly. "It's just become the way he talks now. He might be passing the mashed potatoes at dinner and say, 'These potatoes, with their fluffy textur...

Point Pleasant Borough has been given a grant of $3.2 million for much needed bulkhead work on the canal. The work will make the canal safer for structures along its banks as well as for boat traffic. An unexpected aspect of this work is that $1 million of the grant will be used for beautifying the bulkheads. "It's great that repairs will be made, but it's even better that we will have the opportunity to improve the appearance of the bulkheads," said assistant to the mayor, Holden DeLine.  The metal bulkheads have always been considered the least attractive aspect of the canal. The top is an orange that looks like rust. When the water level is low, the ugly, brown parts of the bulkheads are visible. Thanks to the grant, this unsightly view of the canal will be remedied. "We are holding a contest that will allow children to display their creativity on the bulkheads," said DeLine. "We've already received over 200 entries, and 10 talented children will...