National Democrats added U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s South Jersey district on Friday to a list of their target races to flip, signaling they’re taking Cape May Mayor Zack Mullock’s candidacy more seriously than before.
Van Drew has comfortably warded off challengers in recent years. He was first elected as a Democrat in 2018, but then declared his loyalty to President Donald Trump and switched parties a year later.
The designation was a long time coming for Mullock, as mail ballots have already begun to come in 32 days before the Nov. 3 election.
Still, it came as a surprise to him. He learned on Friday he made the cut at the same time everyone else did, through social media, he said.
“We may be purplish-red, but you know, we are not a just ‘go with whatever the president says’ kind of district,” Mullock said in a phone call. “We voted for Obama twice. We voted for Jeff Van Drew as a Democrat.”
Local Democrats have been optimistic that Mullock is their best shot yet at ousting Van Drew, but the race had flown under the national radar. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the party’s main campaign arm in House races, had excluded the district from its “2026 Districts in Play” map until Friday morning.
The announcement likely indicates that the national committee will send resources to Mullock’s campaign, such as staff support, but it does not come with the funding that the most competitive “Red to Blue” seats get.
Still, it serves as a nudge to donors to take the race seriously.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew speaks next to President Donald Trump at a Keep America Great campaign rally in Wildwood, NJ on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020.HEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer
Van Drew’s district was one of eight districts across the country added to the battleground list, showing that Democrats see a blue wave as increasingly likely as Trump’s popularity suffers amid the Iran war and inflation.
National Democrats are now targeting a total of 66 House races, which they say is nearly double as many as in 2024 when Republicans maintained control of the chamber.
Van Drew’s campaign spokesperson Ron Filan, in a statement, said Democrats make the race seem competitive every cycle as a “fundraising ploy,” and that Van Drew “proves them wrong” each time.
“We predicted back in June they would follow this same playbook and appreciate them proving us right,” Filan said. “The DCCC has about a third of House Republicans on one of their silly wish lists or another.”
Van Drew has been thrusting out attack ads as Mullock campaigns across the district, showing that he sees the local mayor as a threat. Filan noted that Van Drew “doesn’t take anything for granted and will continue to campaign as hard as he always has.”
Previously, the only seat in the Garden State on the DCCC’s battleground list was U.S. Rep. Tom Kean’s 7th District in Central Jersey, which is still the only oneon the “Red to Blue” list. Kean, who was absent from Congress for months without explanation until he revealed it was for depression, is viewed as highly vulnerable as Democrat Rebecca Bennett tries to oust him.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the 7th District as leaning toward Democrats, but Van Drew’s “solidly Republican” seat will be a more difficult challenge to flip.
The Cape May lawmaker’s closest challenge was in 2020 from Amy Kennedy, who still fell nearly 6 points behind him. He was reelected in 2022 by 19 points and in 2024 by 17 points.
National Republicans cite a double-digit win for Trump in the district in 2024, but Democrats note Gov. Mikie Sherrill came within single digits of her Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli in the district last year as she reversed red shifts in the state while consistently attacking Trump.
Mullock said he thinks constituents are becoming disillusioned about Van Drew’s support of Trump.
“I think people are realizing what I realized … I thought Jeff was a moderate Democrat that became a moderate Republican, and that is just not what he has become,” the Democrat said.
The 2nd Congressional District spans several South Jersey counties, extending from the Jersey Shore to rural farmland and the Philadelphia suburbs.
DCCC chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement that voters will send Van Drew “packing” because he “prioritizes tax breaks for the wealthiest few while gutting healthcare and raising costs for his constituents.”
The National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), meanwhile, is focused on defending Kean’s district, the only Jersey seat on its “Patriots” list.
NRCC spokesperson Maureen O’Toole said in a statement that “Democrats are living in a fantasy.”
“New Jersey families know Jeff Van Drew delivers results, they trust him, and they’ll proudly reelect him in November,” she said.
“I had a tape recorder I would sing into,” said the South Jersey jazz vocalist.
“I was one of those kids holding a brush in the mirror, singing Billy Joel songs. I was that kid.”
But it was a roundabout route to the stage for Farnese, whose debut album, Oh No, I’m in Love Again, was just released on Philly jazz pianist Orrin Evans’ Imani Records.
First, he followed his father, Aldo Farnese — the star of Philadelphia children’s television shows Dickory Doc and Adam Android in the 1960s and 1970s — in pursuing an acting career. After a stint in Hollywood working in production and scoring some small movie and TV roles, he came home to Philly in the mid-1990s.
Since then, Farnese has had a day job — actually, usually a night job — as a TV camera operator for the Phillies, first at Veterans Stadium and, since 2004, at Citizens Bank Park. He operates a super slo-mo camera from the left field power alley in front of Ghost Energy Deck (formerly Harry the K’s).
By 2012, Farnese was long settled into that job, and also working Sixers and Flyers games for NBC Sports Philadelphia. In 2012, he won an Emmy for his work on the World Series.
But then he felt — as he puts it speaking via Zoom from his home in Woolwich Township, Gloucester County, while his golden retrievers Bailey and Oliver lounge on a sofa behind him — “a tap on the shoulder.”
The cover image to Greg Farnese’s album “Oh No, I’m in Love Again.”Courtesy of Imani Records
“When I was a kid, my father would sing throughout the house. We would say ‘Dad, you’ve got a great voice, you should be a singer,’” Farnese said. “And he would go, ‘Meh,’ and kind of blow us off.”
Then one day, he said, “I was singing while putting my son’s air hockey table together.” His wife, Laurie, said “Greg, you’ve got a beautiful voice. You should sing.”
“I started to go ‘Meh …’ — and then I stopped myself. Because I remembered that as a child, I thought my father was wasting his talent.
“So I said: ‘Get me a karaoke machine for Christmas, and I’ll start working on my voice.’ And that’s what I did.”
Farnese, who will perform at Tim McCloone’s Supper Club in Asbury Park on Oct. 4 and the Exit 0 Jazz Festival in Cape May on Oct. 23, is a poised vocalist and skilled song interpreter. Oh No! I’m in Love Again features two originals, including the title cut, both written with Alan Gardner, a former collaborator with Farnese’s father.
Greg Farnese, a television cameraman and musician, is photographed Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2026, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where he works as a camera operator in left field. Farnese, a crooner, recently released his debut album, “Oh No, I’m in Love Again,” on Grammy-nominated Philadelphia pianist Orrin Evans’ Imani Records. Farnese also works as a Phillies television cameraman for NBC Sports Philadelphia, stationed nightly in the left-field power alley.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
‘The magician canceled, can you come down and sing a song?’
The album, whose polish belies that it was recorded in a single day at MorningStar Studios in Montgomery County, features Philly jazz players like drummer Leon Jordan Sr. and horn arrangements by trumpeter Elliot Bild.
Along with a delicate version of Johnny Mercer’s “Dream” accompanied by guitarist Paul Bollenbock, the album includes Green Day, Oasis, and Tears for Fears songs, all artfully rearranged to make familiar sound fresh.
It’s been a long road of confidence building for Farnese to work with a musician as accomplished as Evans, a three-time Grammy nominee who this spring was named artistic director of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. (He’ll split his time between Seattle and Philly.)
Speaking between innings during a recent Phillies-Astros game — an 11-7 win, thanks to a Kyle Schwarber grand slam — Farnese calls Evans “so smart and honest, and a great pianist. It’s like having Quincy Jones in my corner.”
Greg Farnese (center) performs at the World Stage in University City on Sept. 18, 2026. Farnese just released his debut album, “Oh No, I’m in Love Again.”Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
“I started out singing in pizza parlors,” said Farnese, 62. “My wife is a psychologist and she used to work at nursing facilities. She called me one day and said, ‘The magician canceled, can you come down and sing a song?’
“I told her no, I’m not ready yet. She said, ‘Get the hell down here, just do it!’ I was afraid, and I was so self-conscious about being good.”
But as Farnese sang the 1940s standard “Moonlight in Vermont” to an elderly audience in Egg Harbor Township, he had a revelation.
“The two ladies in the front started crying. I was bringing them back to when they were young. That moment I realized that it wasn’t really about me. It was about the effect the music had on the audience. I saw them crying and I thought: This is what I want to do.”
Since then, Farnese has surrounded himself with first-class musicians and sung in area jazz clubs and private events, while also traveling for gigs in New York and Chicago.
Working with the Phillies suits his ambitions. Knowing his schedule months in advance, he books shows when the team is on the road.
“We’ve brought him on a couple of times to sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’” said Phillies TV play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy. “I love his energy. He just brings so much professionalism and creativity and knows how to get the crowd involved. He’s an entertainer.”
Farnese put an exclamation point on one of the Phillies most memorable wins this year.
‘What would Ray Charles do with a Green Day song?’
Evans wasn’t all that familiar with Farnese’s music before he decided to produce Oh No, I’m in Love Again and put it out on his label, home to artists like Philly keyboard player Luke Carlos O’Reilly and Los Angeles drummer Tina Raymond.
Choosing who to work with isn’t about “it has to be the best vocalist, or the best saxophonist. It’s if somebody asks me to help them, and I believe in them as a human being.”
Though he “wasn’t super-duper familiar with Greg’s singing,” Evans said, “I knew some of the people he was playing with. So I know this person doesn’t play with slouches, so he can’t be a slouch.”
The key to success in recording, Evans says, was trust.
“I just like working with people I like. And I know that if we can vibe off the bandstand, there’s no way we’re not going to vibe on the bandstand.
“One of the best things I can say about Greg is his desire and ability to learn. He has an inquisitive spirit. He’s not done evolving. I really love this record, and I’m excited for the next one because of him.”
“I love jazz and swing music,” Farnese said. “You know, Bennett, Bublé, Sinatra. That’s my wheelhouse. But growing up I was exposed to all these different styles. Everything from Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles to Curtis Mayfield and Puccini.
“So I’m creating a vocal style that combines songs I really love in jazz arrangements. What would Ray Charles do with a Green Day song? What would Duke Ellington do with a Blood, Sweat & Tears song? I want to be my own artist that creates my own music in my own style.”
“I have a great job at NBC Sports Philadelphia. But when I got that tap on the shoulder, that was God saying. ‘This is not what you’re supposed to be doing.’ And being a middle-aged man, this is not a dress rehearsal. This is it. Now’s the time.”
Greg Farnese will perform Oct. 4 at Tim McCloone’s Supper Club, 1200 Ocean Ave N, Asbury Park, timmcloonessupperclub.com and Oct. 23 at the Exit 0 Jazz Festival, Cape May, exitzerojazzfestival.com.
During the whirlwind spectacle of his daughter’s Sept. 1 wedding, business leader Duvi Honig noticed his guest, Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, was sharing his business card and private cell phone number with everyone he met.
Honig said he told Caldwell to stop — he was there as a friend and he wanted him to relax and have fun. Caldwell assured him that in his role as Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s liaison to the business community, he was happy to help anyone in need, Honig recalled.
So when Honig read the news days later that Caldwell, a minister, was the subject of a monthslong ethics investigation for allegedly giving business cards to women he wanted to date, among other claims, he said he had to defend the lieutenant governor. No one else seemed to be speaking up for him, he said.
“I thought, ‘What the heck is this?’ What I witnessed — him being overly nice to everyone — is being used against him?” said Honig, a Lakewood resident and founder of the national Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce. “He is a special person. He is accessible to anyone and he has no agenda.”
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell plays with a soccer ball at the Collingswood World Cup fan fest on July 19.Courtesy Camden County
Now that Caldwell’s name and political future are tied to an investigation — which Sherrill will not confirm but is privately being carried out by a former state attorney general — some of his friends and colleagues are rushing to his defense to answer the question: Who is Dale Caldwell?
Before the investigation became public, Sherrill, a rising star in the Democratic Party, had been hitting the road for the party’s candidates in key congressional races, transferring the gubernatorial powers and responsibilities to Caldwell when she left the state.
But she has since curtailed her travel while the investigation drags on amid Republican criticism and concerns from members of her own party, according to three veteran Democrats who were involved in her campaign or have ties to her administration who were not authorized to comment publicly.
“She is failing at the most important time” by not being able to campaign, said one veteran adviser.
The governor recently made trips to New York City for a 9/11 memorial event and a live interview with the Atlantic, but she did not make Caldwell acting governor because of an exception that allows travel across the river.
“We’re not going to speculate about the Governor’s schedule, but her priorities are always guided by the best interests of New Jerseyans,” Sherrill spokesperson Sean Higgins said in a statement.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill (right) stands beside New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the National September 11 Memorial in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2026. Hiroko Masuike
Democratic power players have privately expressed frustration that Sherrill has left them in the dark about the probe while Republicans call for Caldwell’s resignation. Sherrill said in a statement days after the news broke that “any credible report must be fully examined and addressed.”
The veteran campaign adviser, who is close to both Caldwell and Sherrill, said the two have not spoken directly with each other as the investigation proceeds.
A senior campaign adviser, impressed with Caldwell’s resuméand “unblemished public record,” recommended the pick. It dramatically raised his public profile to new heights in a role that would entrust him to lead the state in Sherrill’s absence.
The 66-year-old divorced minister with degrees from Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania previously served as the first Black president of Centenary University. He worked as deputy commissioner of community affairs in former Democratic Gov. James McGreevey’s administration more than 20 years ago.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell embraces his daughter Ashley Caldwell after she introduced him at Sherrill’s election night party in East Brunswick on Nov. 4, 2025.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
He also held a seat on the New Brunswick Board of Education for nearly three decades and founded charter schools in Asbury Park and Trenton.
Last year, the state comptroller’s office interviewed Caldwell, a founder and then-board president at the College Achieve Greater Asbury Park Charter School, as part of its ongoing investigation into whether the school had violated public contract laws and misused public funds.
Caldwell is the first man and third Black person to serve as lieutenant governor. He quickly embraced the opportunity to be Sherrill’s No. 2, a campaign adviser said.
“Their dynamic [between Sherrill and Caldwell] was terrific. Reports coming back on his appearances were all very positive and they got off on a strong start on inauguration day, as far as I knew,” the adviser said.
One person close to the campaign, however, said after the election Caldwell asked others how he should do the job.
“You are there as the governor’s person. You report to the governor and chief of staff,”the source said. “He laughed. I think he was trying to do his own thing.”
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell celebrate their victory on Nov. 4, 2025, in East Brunswick.Kevin R. Wexler, Kevin R. Wexler
The investigation, sparked by at least one anonymous complaint, began more than four months ago, according to the campaign adviser.
The complaint accused Caldwell of bringing uninvited women to events andhanding his business card out to women he wanted to date. And a state employee accused him of making inappropriate comments, the New York Times reported.
Caldwell declined a request for an interview through a spokesperson. His attorney, Thomas Calgagni in Newark, did not respond to requests for comment.
Caldwell denied the allegations and suggested racism was a factor in a May 28 letter to the state’s chief ethics officer, noting that he is “the first single Black man to serve at this level in government,” and that “in this current political environment, false accusations, especially against people of color, seem to be commonplace,” which was first reported by BINJE.com.
“I have never asked anyone out on a date, ‘hit on,’ or pursued anyone romantically while conducting official business as Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State,” his letter said. “Throughout my career in government, higher education, nonprofit leadership, ministry and public service, I have consistently conducted myself professionally and respectfully.”
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell (center) applauds as Gov. Mikie Sherrill finishes her budget address March 10 in the Assembly Chamber at the New Jersey State House.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Former congressional candidate Tim Alexander, an Atlantic County-based civil rights attorney, got to know Caldwell while working on the campaign trail for Sherrill in South Jersey last year. He sang Caldwell’s praises and said he believes he is “good for the state.”
Alexander, a former detective, said Caldwell supported his congressional bid but stepped away to avoid a conflict as the new secretary of state, which he called a “testament to his character.” The former candidate, who is Black, said he cannot believe race is a factor in the allegations without knowing more.
“Dale has impeccable credentials, and he also has Black skin. So there’s a lot that I could opine on, but when it comes to investigations, I got to leave it out. … If we have confirmation bias, it turns the investigation to trash,” he said.
Fighting back, with help
Last week, a small band of friends and colleagues spoke out to condemn the vague allegations, the snail’s pace of the investigation, and the permanent harm to Caldwell’s reputation no matter the outcome.
Felicia Simmons of Asbury Park was one of several friends to rush to Caldwell’s defense last week by questioning the legitimacy of the investigation. She helped organize one of the events in question — the Whitesboro Black History Gala, an event in April recognizing the preservation efforts of the state’s first planned Black community, located in Cape May County.
Simmons said she invited the lieutenant governor to hand out proclamations to honorees. She said she saw no questionable behavior on his part.
“It was very meaningful for him to be here,” she added.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell walks with Collingswood Mayor Daniela Solano-Ward in Collingswood on July 19 before reports of the investigation.Courtesy Camden County
Caldwell’s staff alerted her prior to the event that he would be bringing guests, which is not unusual because many dignitaries seldom travel alone, Simmons said.
And after all these months, no one from former Attorney General Christopher Porrino’s law firm, which is leading the probe, has spoken to her yet — even after she issued a statement criticizing investigators for not contacting her.
“I feel highly offended,” she said.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell (third from the right) attended the Whitesboro Black History Gala in April, at the invitation of Felicia Simmons (center). He is the target of an ethics investigation after an anonymous complaint said he acted inappropriately around women, including at this event. Simmons denies the allegation.Courtesy of Felicia Simmons
Caldwell “comes from a line of men with integrity,” noting his father marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., she said.
“I truly believe Gov. Mikie Sherrill made the right choice picking this man and we can’t just sit back,” Simmons said. “These awful allegations could follow him for the rest of his life.”
Albert Stark, from the Philadelphia- and Marlton-based law firm Stark & Stark, also came to Caldwell’s defense in an interview, calling him a reliable friend and public servant. Stark said Caldwell, a pioneer in bringing tennis to young Black youth, helped establish the National Junior Tennis and Learning network in Trenton.
When he first heard about the scandal, Stark said, he wondered: “Who was setting him up?”
They haven’t spoken since the investigation was publicized, he said, but he offered this advice: “‘Just be yourself. You’re a terrific guy.’ He has got nothing to be ashamed of.”
‘They are trying to destroy his integrity’
Before the investigation leaked, Caldwell spent his summer visiting with business leaders and elected officials throughout the state, including in South Jersey. Local leaders did not comment on the accusations but said they appreciated Caldwell spending time in the region.
Collingswood Mayor Daniela Solano-Ward said Caldwell visited her small borough for the second time for its World Cup fan fest. Caldwell kicked a soccer ball around with the mayor, thanked volunteers, and fist-bumped Deputy Mayor Amy Henderson Riley’s daughter. He posed with local vendors, smiled in front of a “giggle juice slushies” menu at Racoon Taproom, and chatted with kids at the All Fired Up! pottery studio.
Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell poses at Racoon Taproom in Collingswood on July 19.Courtesy Camden County
“He was kind and respectful, and seemed like he was very engaged in the things we were saying,” she said, noting that their interactions were limited.
As acting governor he visited Campbell’s and the Philadelphia 76ers training facility in Camden for an economic development tour in August, and he returned later that month for a Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey resource fair alongside Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen, a Democrat who declined to discuss Caldwell.
Thank you to @ChooseNJ and Camden Community Partnership for showing me some of the great work the City of Camden is doing to strengthen its economy and expand opportunity.
The Governor and I are committed to making sure Camden – and every community across the state – thrives. pic.twitter.com/95zIkO3KNy
— Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell (@LtGovCaldwellNJ) August 21, 2026
New Jersey Democrats have not been rushing to defend Caldwell, who has become a complicated topic for them with the extent of the allegations against him unclear.
Gerard Cleaves, a professor at Pillar College, a private evangelical Christian school in Newark, said he was angry at the Democrats who, he believes, are “out there fanning the smoke” by leaking tidbits of the investigation and not offering public support.
“They are trying to destroy his integrity,” he said.
“I am an old, white male Republican conservative who worked very hard to get [Sherrill’s GOP opponent] Jack Ciattarelli elected,” said Cleaves, who said he met the lieutenant governor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where Caldwell taught from 2018 to 2023. When Caldwell joined Sherrill’s ticket, Cleaves said, he told his colleagues they “would be hard to beat” based on Caldwell’s resumé and character.
Caldwell has not missed their Wednesday morningBible study lessons since news of investigation broke earlier this month, Cleaves said.
“He doesn’t appear stressed. He knows in his heart who he is. He has told me he will not resign. He is not going to give up,” he said.
The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor, N.J., has been a research and education stalwart for decades, instructing thousands of visitors annually on the importance of salt marshes and the marine world.
Starting this week, though, the nonprofit’s staff will pack up and move to a temporary headquarters, so its main trail can be raised to stave off sea-level rise.
The existing headquarters will ultimately be razed, with a new, elevated building rising in its place. The current wooden headquarters was built in 1972 and was originally intended for short-term seasonal use.
Sea level“is rising fast enough that it’s outpacing the ability of the marshes to keep up,” said Lenore Tedesco, executive director of the Wetlands Institute. “They’re starting to drown.”
“You can see that even right at the institute, where there are more open-water pockets and mud flats, instead of the grasses,” she added.
Much of the institute’s 34-acre campus sits on low marsh and has become increasingly at risk due to flooding.
In 2000, the Salt Marsh Trail flooded twice a year. Now, it is flooding up to 70 times a year, Tedesco said.
For now, staff will move from the Stone Harbor Boulevard location to the New Jersey Coastal Conservation Center on North Delsea Drive in Cape May Court House.
All programs have been paused as of Tuesday, but the Wetlands Institute will reopen Nov. 7 at the temporary location.
The Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor plans to raze its existing building and replace it with a larger, more resilient, expansive structure big enough to house growing levels of research, conservation, and education. This is a rendering of the back of the structure.The Wetlands Institute
Salt Marsh Trail
Most of the 31,000 annual visitors to the Wetlands Institute walk the quarter-mile Salt Marsh Trail looking at the bountiful birds and wildlife.
About half of it and the surrounding ecosystem will be considered unstable low marsh by 2030 if nothing is done. The surrounding marsh sits at about two feet of elevation, while the Salt Marsh Trail, built on an old 1950s road, ranges from three to four feet.
Tedesco said dredge material from Avalon will be spread on the trail to raise it and surrounding land to create a new high marsh. It will have more vegetation to help buttress the area from storm-driven waves and provide habitat for diamondback terrapins and at-risk coastal birds.
Tedesco expects trail work to start in October. It will be paid for through a $3 million grant from New Jersey’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Natural Climate Solutions program.
The work will not affect the existing elevated metal boardwalk, which will remain as is.
The institute undertook a similar project last year with state and federal officials to save the adjacent Scotch Bonnet Island, which was drowning.
About five acres of Scotch Bonnet Island was raised with dredge material to keep it above rising seas.
The island is situated in Scotch Bonnet Channel, a waterway that cuts through the bay to connect the barrier island to the mainland. The channel has widened by 70 feet since 1970.
Scientists say sea-level rise in New Jersey is running at twice the global average. They estimate the sea could rise 2 to 5 feet along the coast by 2100.
New Jersey has 200,000 acres of tidal wetlands, valuable habitat used by shore birds and other wildlife. The Wetlands Institute abuts those tidal wetlands.
Tedesco said the lessons learned on Scotch Bonnet Island are being used to reimagine the institute’s campus.
Construction on the Salt Marsh Trail is expected to continue through spring before sensitive wildlife returns.
File: A snowy egret flies over the salt marsh at the Wetlands Institute in Stone Harbor where dredged material was used to raise the height of the marsh at Scotch Bonnet Island.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
A new building
Tedesco said architects and engineers are working with the institute’s board of trustees on a proposed new building.
Those plans call for both the building and grounds to be elevated, while maintaining the “coastal character” of the current institute.
She said federal, state, and local permits are needed given the sensitive area.
The Wetlands Institute is getting construction bids for the new building but does not have a final estimated cost or timeline. Tedesco said the institute is still raising money.
The new headquarters would be built using sustainable methods, such as mass timber construction that uses engineered wood panels, columns, or beams.
The facility would have more indoor and outdoor classroom space for educational programs, a new lecture hall, modern labs with twice the space, outdoor decks, an aquarium enlarged by 50%, and new exhibits.
Tedesco said the institute worked with experts to explore keeping the existing building, which was designed by Malcolm Wells, a mid-20th-century designer famed for his “gentle architecture.”
The structure was used as a biological research station by Lehigh University from 1972 to 1986. It has been expanded multiple times over decades.
Tedesco said it became clear that it is not feasible to continue using the building because it is so outdated and cannot be raised. She said the institute has expanded into “world-class” research and the facilities are at capacity.
“We’re in a 55-year-old wooden building in the marsh that was built to residential standards for seasonal use,” Tedesco said. “But you have to give kudos to the building. Nobody expected that a wooden building in a marsh in 1972 would still be functional today.”
The Jersey Shore is like the old joke: Nobody goes there anymore, and also, it’s more crowded than ever.
It is true that many Shore stalwarts have been priced, or annoyed, off the beach. And that towns feel busier and sometimes tenser than ever: more cars, not enough parking, canopy-to-canopy beaches, prohibitive housing costs, that occasional rudeness.
Not to mention rising sea levels, nuisance flooding, and seemingly regular tornado watches.
To move from complaining to solutions, we racked our brains, asked experts, and solicited ideas from our readers for ways to improve the Shore experience for everyone.
A car with a parking ticket on 96th Street, the main shopping and dining street in downtown Stone Harbor on July 12, 2023.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Leave the cars off the island
So many of the suggestions had to do with reducing traffic and the sheer number of cars in beach towns during the summer.
Wrote one reader: “We need fewer cars on the island so bikers can safely travel — need to open lots on parkway and run shuttles.”
This reader proposed giving every homeowner two parking passes. “I live in Sea Isle,” the reader said. “Too many cars.”
Kara Cumiskey said that tenants brought seven cars to her four-bedroom rental in Ocean City.
“I think that there should be a ‘beach tag’ for cars,“ Cumiskey wrote to us. “Or some type of ‘congestion pricing’ for bringing your car onto the island. Something that gives people some pause for bringing a car for every person.”
While a mandatory ban or limit on cars seems unlikely, giving people the option of leaving their cars off the island and shuttling or Jitney Guy-ing into paradise seems like an interesting idea. The golf cart and e-bike rental business would definitely pick up. Fewer turtles would be squashed.
A NJ Transit train en route to Atlantic City is shown at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia on May 12, 2019.JOSE F. MORENO / Staff Photograp
We need more trains
Relatedly, there were calls to increase and improve public transportation to the Shore. The current NJ Transit train is fantastic to take (and from the Shore end, NJ Transit riders can park their car for free at the A.C. Convention Center), but man, is it slow.
An hour and 34 minutes at best between 30th Street Station and Atlantic City? Two hours between trains? Connections to the PATCO high-speed line only help a little. Still, I’ve noticed a lightness in the steps of the people who get off in Atlantic City with their suitcases and sunglasses. They’re onto something.
Others noted that train service once ran down to various towns in Cape May County. Wouldn’t that be lovely.
The Ocean Sands Motel at 3710 Ocean Ave. in Wildwood, N.J., on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Convert old motels to affordable housing
Ariela Rutbeck-Goldman, senior staff attorney at Fair Share Housing Center, says the Shore’s housing crisis is “increasingly a threat not just to affordability, but to the Shore economy itself.”
“The Jersey Shore can’t remain a place where the people who work in restaurants, hotels, shops, and other local businesses can’t afford to live,” she said.
Belmar, for instance, is “repurposing dilapidated motels and other underutilized properties to increase their housing supply,” she said.
“The goal shouldn’t simply be to create “employee housing,” so that workers can make it through the summer,” she said. “The Shore needs enough homes that teachers, nurses, service workers, young families, seniors, and other people who make these communities work can afford to live there year-round.”
A shore home is under construction along the boardwalk by the Ventnor City Fishing Pier in the Jersey Shore town of Ventnor City, N.J., on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021.HEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer
‘Stop the monster houses’
As one reader wrote, “Stop the monster houses being built. The charm of the shore is getting bulldozed one lot at a time. These new builds are ugly!”
Another noted the homogeneity of the new construction, in particular the white boxes with the black roofs and trim. In a lot of Shore towns, this ship has sailed. Sea Isle City, for example, is almost totally built out. But there is some hope for others, where the old Shore houses, whether they are the big turn-of-the-century Dutch colonials or the small ranchers of the Wildwoods, are hanging in there.
Fair Share Housing is advocating for programs that help nonprofits acquire and preserve older homes to protect housing for year-round residents, as well as expanding tenant protections to prevent evictions.
“Monmouth Beach, one of the Shore’s wealthiest communities, recently authorized the purchase of a two-bedroom condominium that will be deed-restricted and sold to an income-qualified household,” said Rutbeck-Goldman. “That’s a relatively small investment, but it demonstrates that municipalities don’t have to wait for a large development project to create affordable homes.”
Shanna Killion, of Northeast Philly, works as a beach tag inspector in Avalon, N.J., on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022. Killion said among the interesting items she has seen people carrying to the beach was an inflatable bed.DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Eliminate beach tags (or at least make them reciprocal)
Lots of people urged New Jersey beach towns to do away with beach tags. Dream on. Strathmere, one of the last three free beaches in the Philly area of the Jersey Shore, just voted to start charging $10 a day, $45 a season, or $30 if you buy a tag before Presidents’ Day. That leaves just Atlantic City and the Wildwoods beach-tag free.
One interesting idea was to make the beach tags reciprocal to other towns. Some towns, like Ventnor and Margate, do have reciprocity, but readers imagined a Cape May County beach tag, for instance, that would encourage exploring.
Related, a bill that would require towns to be transparent about where their beach tag revenue is actually going has stalled in the New Jersey legislature.
Bike riders on the promenade boardwalk in Sea Isle City at the Jersey Shore on May 24, 2023.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Make the Shore better for bikers and pedestrians
Many towns have expanded bike lanes and redesigned roads to calm traffic. More of this, please! No matter the pedestrian laws, the reality is, it’s still a miracle if the cars stop for you as you start to cross, or if the bike lane isn’t clogged with runners going in the opposite direction.
Roads one block from the beach should be one lane in each direction, with traffic calming measures like flashing pedestrian lights and bright flags for the pedestrians to carry across. It will require a lot more patience than Jersey is known for. It’s OK! There should be a safe way to commute to jobs by bicycle and return home at night.
A flight at Behr Brewing in Cape May in 2023.Jenn Ladd / Staff
Let Ocean City BYOB already
I know this is not going to happen. But what a wonderful restaurant renaissance might follow! A mini Cape May! As one reader wrote, “I have had a place in OC for 25 years and other than [Ocean City Yacht Club], have never eaten dinner in OC because can’t even have a glass of wine!”
A backyard with access to the bay, at a Beach Haven, Long Beach Island home on June 13, 2024.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Embrace ‘coastal naturalization’
Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action, worries that the entire Jersey Shore is becoming more high-end resort, less natural coastline.
Zipf advocates a concept known as “coastal naturalization” and says residents and visitors must rally against the “overdevelopment and citification” of Shore towns. That includes expanding parks with native plants and trees, which Zipf says will increase both quality of life and resilience to storms.
Zipf advocates an end to “the unchecked paving and urbanization that erodes community character while contributing to increased flooding, polluted runoff, and litter.”
A snowy egret flies over the salt marsh at the Wetlands Institute on May 19, 2025, in Stone Harbor, N.J. Dredged material was used to raise the height of the marsh in the Scotch Bonnet Island project.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Increased marsh restoration and flooding mitigation measures
Speaking of increased flooding: The Wetlands Institute announced that it’s temporarily retreating from its half-century headquarters on the Stone Harbor Causeway to rebuild its trails and building because of increased flooding.
The institute focuses on coastal resilience and marsh restoration, with nature-based solutions. It is elevating and widening its Salt Marsh Trail and creating a new high marsh designed for diamondback terrapin nesting and coastal birds.
Lenore Tedesco, the institute’s executive director, says marsh rescue is critical for storm-risk reduction.
“By elevating the Salt Marsh Trail, we are also creating a barrier to storm waves but unlike many coastal protection features that wall off people and wildlife, we are doing it in a way that benefits marshes and wildlife,” she said.
The Wetlands Institute is hoping other coastal communities learn from the approach.
Dogs and their owners enjoy the sand and water at the Malibu Beach Wildlife Management area in Egg Harbor Township at the Shore during the Memorial Day weekend, on May 28, 2023.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
More dog beaches and dog hours
Are dogs so bad? What if every town, or every island, had a beach dedicated to dogs and their owners? What if there were dog hours … on the boardwalks? What if all the towns allowed dogs to run free on the beach before, say, 8 a.m. in the summer? As Bob Dylan wrote, “In harmony with the cosmic sea / True love needs no company / It can cure the soul, it can make it whole / If dogs run free.”
Fans pack the beach for blocks as Phish performs a beach concert in Atlantic City, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021.VERNON OGRODNEK / For The Inquirer
Fully fund A.C. concerts
There’s been a welcome uptick in big-name acts booked to A.C.’s estimable Boardwalk Hall, including Shakira, Phish, and Goose (also, Disney on Ice). Rüfüs du Sol performed on the beach this year. But the sophisticated and intimate Thursday night jazz concerts on the Atlantic City Boardwalk only started in August this year. In previous years, this popular tradition ran all summer long. There were a few A.C. beach concerts this summer and a couple jazz nights at Gardener’s Basin, but nothing like in past years.
On the upside, there is a robust food truck scene at the A.C. Seawall and at O’Donnell Park, and new housing construction projects in places that have long been vacant. And no beach tags. But the city is under increased pressure from expected job losses due to New York casinos. Will Atlantic City put the pieces together?
Have more ideas? Email us at downtheshore@inquirer.com!
Frank Spagnuola, 85, formerly of Philadelphia, one of the original American Bandstand dancers, 1957 Chalypso dance champion, longtime interior designer, and gourmet home cook, died Monday, Aug. 17, of congestive heart failure at the Complete Care at Court House nursing center in Cape May Court House.
Born and reared in South Philadelphia, Mr. Spagnuola was lifelong friends with performers Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon, Fabian Forte, James Darren, and Jerry Blavat, and dozens of other singers, dancers, musicians, and disc jockeys from the neighborhood. He enjoyed socializing as well as music and dancing, and, at 15, became one of the original dancers when the old WFIL-TV station hosted Bandstand and then American Bandstand in the 1950s and ’60s.
The TV station invited local teens to dance to the latest hits in its Studio B on Market Street in West Philadelphia, and Mr. Spagnuola did just that on many afternoons from 1955 to 1963. In 1957, he and partner Dottie Horner finished first in American Bandstand’s first Chalypso contest, spotlighting an original Philly dance that combines the cha-cha and the calypso.
“We would cut classes” to dance on Bandstand, Mr. Spagnuola, a graduate of the old Bishop Neumann High School, said in a 2017 video interview. “We had eight or nine classes, and we would leave, like, the sixth class. Father would say, ‘Where are you going?’ Well, you know where we’re going, Father. The priests watched the show. I mean, everybody watched the show.”
Mr. Spagnuola graduated from the old Bishop Neumann High School in 1958.Courtesy of the family
It was downstairs at Studio B, Mr. Spagnuola said, that he encountered Bandstand guest stars Pat Boone, Bobby Darin, and Sal Mineo. As a teen in the neighborhood, he performed in local skit shows with Rydell and played football and double-dated with Fabian.
On Facebook, Fabian called Mr. Spagnuola “a gentleman and talented dancer,” and said: “Frank Spagnuola was one of the most popular and beloved regular dancers on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand during the show’s iconic Philadelphia era.”
Mr. Spagnuola is profiled at history-of-rock.com and bandstand.cafex.biz, and he and Dottie Horner are on the cover of the 1997 Dick Clark’s American Bandstand souvenir collectors’ magazine. He is featured in the 1997 New Jersey Network documentary Bandstand Days and called the show “part of American history.”
Over the years, as Bandstand’s popularity ebbed and flowed, he routinely reconnected with other original dancers — they were called the Bandstand Regulars — at reunions, public events, and celebrations in the region. American Bandstand went off the air in 1989.
Mr. Spagnuola and his dance partner, Dottie Horner, were on the cover of this 1997 souvenir collectors’ magazine. Courtesy of the family
“Everybody loved Frank,” said longtime disc jockey and music director Tommy McCarthy. “He had an infectious smile. He was a guy you just liked.”
Friends on Facebook called Mr. Spagnuola “movie star handsome,” “a rock & roll soldier,” “a Bandstand pioneer,” and “one of the nicest gentleman you could ever meet.” One said: “Wonderful dancer, wonderful person, wonderful friend.”
After graduating from Bishop Neumann in 1958, Mr. Spagnuola worked in a high-end carpet store, studied interior design, and earned an associate’s degree at the old Philadelphia College of the Arts. He became an interior designer, worked for Sears at the Moorestown Mall for 25 years, and was active with the American Society of Interior Designers.
On his own, he did private design work for Muhammad Ali, former Eagles assistant coach Jon Gruden, and other local notables. “He cultivated an eye for beauty and design,” his family said in a tribute, “shaping spaces with elegance and functionality.”
Mr. Spagnuola (left above) stands with his wife, Janet, and Bobby Rydell. Below, he is flanked by Fabian (left) and Frankie Avalon.Courtesy of the family
Francis Michael Spagnuola was born Nov. 2, 1940. The oldest of three brothers, he liked to hang out at the Jersey Shore and dine on Italian food.
He married Janet Moretti, and they had a son, Stephen, and a daughter, Carrie, and lived in South Philadelphia and Center City. His wife died in 2005.
Mr. Spagnuola moved to Cape May later, became an accomplished home cook, and was known for his crab salad dip. He was passionate, upbeat, and funny, everyone said, and his children called him “a steadfast anchor and a lifelong source of support.”
His family said: “He leaves behind a memory as warm and enduring as the summer shore and the Wildwood days he so dearly cherished.”
Mr. Spagnuola enjoyed time with his children (above) and grandchildren (below).Courtesy of the family
His son said: “He loved life. He loved people. He loved characters.”
In addition to his children, Mr. Spagnuola is survived by three grandchildren and other relatives. Two brothers died earlier.
Sitting on a skiff on the bay in Sea Isle City, chef Liz Grothe slowly pulled up a submerged string from the lapping waters while holding onto a half-eaten Wawa hoagie.
On the string, a blue crab emerged, clinging to the severed fish head at the end of the bait holder, called a handline. The crustacean was too small for New Jersey’s recreational size minimum (3 inches long), Grothe and her companions determined. With a sigh, she dropped the crab back into the water.
It was an hour into Grothe’s Sunday crabbing expedition, and her crew had already caught a handful of crabs.
Chef Liz Grothe washing the day’s catch of grabs in the laundry-room sink of her partner’s family home in West Cape May, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Grothe spent the afternoon crabbing out of Sea Isle City and was making dinner for the family Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
With bright skies and calm waters that day, she rented two skiffs from Bay Breeze Marina with her partner, Jacob Lance, and Lance’s family to embark on her favorite Shore hobby: crabbing on the bay — and later, cooking up her catch in Cape May.
“We get all our ‘beach’ time down the Shore at the bay,” Grothe, who owns the Italian-ish Queen Village restaurant Scampi, said. “[The bay] is more like Oklahoma-style waters, where it’s just a shallow lake rather than like the rough seas of the ocean. So this is more my speed.”
Grothe grew up catching catfish in the creeks of Oklahoma. But it wasn’t until six or seven years ago that an ex-boyfriend introduced her to Sea Isle City’s bay and its crustaceous inhabitants. “He took me on his boys’ excursion, which was crabbing,” she said. “We broke up later — being the kind of girl I am, I stole it. I go to the same place they rented their boats; we do it in the same way I learned.”
Grothe named her restaurant after a seafood dish, so it’s no surprise she has strong feelings about crabs, the scavengers of the sea. Don’t expect these to show up on her menu, though — they are for personal eating only. The once-a-summer hobby lets her “touch grass, so to speak, and have something to do that’s not the harrowing day-to-day that we deal with in the kitchen,” she said.
Being close to water was always a priority for her family — Grothe’s mom is originally from the Philippines. Her interest in seafood, however, comes from the love of catching and cooking it. “Eating is just the secondary part of the fun,” she said.
“I’m in it for the love of the game, not the catch,” she said, while tossing the handline back into the water.
Bay Breeze Marina rents a boat for $109 for four hours, including gas, cushions, anchor, paddle, cutting board, and a net. The rental also offers a map of the best areas to catch the crabs. It was a no-brainer for Grothe and crew.
Around 10:30 a.m., she and Lance took one boat, and Lance’s brother and sister-in-law hopped into their own. (Grothe and Lance’s boat didn’t have a bucket, so they improvised, throwing their crabs into a cooler.)
For four hours, the crew tossed their baited handlines in various areas of the bay — deep waters, shallow areas, just off the coast — to catch as many crabs as they could. They found that chunky pieces of bait — like the trout head — were the best lures.
Chef Liz Grothe (left) as her partner Jacob Lance preps the corn at his mother’s home in West Cape May, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. They spent the afternoon crabbing out of Sea Isle City and were making dinner for the family Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
“What kind of music do crabs like?” Lance asked the group. “They don’t seem to be digging country.”
“Crabs are chaos; try house music,” Grothe said. “I could see them vibing to it.”
But Daft Punk and Prince were the “certified crab bangers,” as Grothe put it.
By the end of the excursion, the crew caught more than a dozen crabs of varying sizes. After docking their skiffs, Grothe assessed which crabs were too small to keep and dropped those back in the water.
Left with 14 crabs,the crew decided to supplement their haul with other catch for a big boil. They stopped by the fish market at the Lobster House in Cape May to pick up mussels, shrimp, and clams before heading to Lance’s mom’s house in West Cape May, where the live crabs were washed and tossed into the boiling water.
The key to cooking a crab boil, according to Grothe: a lot of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. “Maryland and up, people use Old Bay. But if you go south, those who know reach for Tony Chachere’s,” said Grothe, shaking a big container of it into a pot inside the Lances’ kitchen. “Tony is a saltier, spicier, better Old Bay,” Lance added.
Family members fill their plates at dinner by Liz Grothe, of Scampi, at her partner’s family home in West Cape May, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, after an afternoon crabbing out of Sea Isle City.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
By 5:30 p.m., the table was set with plates of steamed mussels, poached and steamed shrimp with a sungold tomato broth, calamarata pasta, boiled crabs and clams, gluten-free and regular cornbread, and tomato salad. The menu was prepared with leftover ingredients, including sungold tomatoes, basil, and butter from Scampi — “things that were going to go bad and that we had excess of, just a little something to share with the crew.”
After an almost seven-hour expedition, Grothe and the Lances settled down on the backyard patio, cracking crabs and enjoying the fruits of their labor.
“If you’re gonna go crabbing, that’s gonna be your activity for the day — you catch them, and then you gotta deal with them,” Grothe said.
“Doing something that is very labor-intensive, sharing a part of me with other people that’s fun and interesting — even if it’s not the most industrious or profitable thing — is what I love about cooking,” Grothe added. “Just bringing the family together and showing them that I care via doing this stuff makes me feel good.”
Chef Liz Grothe of Scampi (rear, center) and her partner Jacob Lance eat dinner at his mother’s house in West Cape May, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. At left are Lance’s brother and sister-in-law Shmem Rose and Zachary Rachelle, and on the right is his mother, Christina Johnson.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
The 60-foot-by-100-foot plot on her Cape May property boasts about 200 varieties of native plants, which she estimates have drawn roughly 135 wildlife species. Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, cardinals, gray catbirds, moths, and a host of other creatures suck nectar from her flowers and drink water from the small waterfall that flows into a pond.
Once she even saw a black-billed cuckoo, a rarity in Cape May.
“During spring and fall migration, millions of birds fly through Cape May County, and every blade of vegetation is critically important for them when they need to stop for food,” Rettig said.
Rettig owns Cape NativeScapes in Cape May. After a 30-year career in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she is sharing her knowledge and passion for managing wildlife habitats by helping clients create native gardens.
Virginia Rettig photographs a bush of bee balm and Eastern swamp milkweed outside her home.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
She’s found plenty of customers who live at the Shore and want to help — not hinder — native species with their own landscaping choices. Nearly 80% of self-identified gardeners incorporate native plants into their outdoor spaces, according to gardening consumer research organization Simple Spring. And over a third dedicate a quarter to half of their garden to local flora.
“People love nature and are itching for good information and support so they can provide these habitats for wildlife,” Rettig said.
Areas once covered by native vegetation have been lost to development, replaced by ornamental landscapes, manicured lawns, and invasive species.
But this increasingly popular practice of replenishing native plants serves the environment, birds, and wildlife, while growing roots to hold off erosion and conserve water.
Types of plants at the Shore
Native plants adapt well at the Shore where the conditions include wind, sandy soil, and salt spray, said Andrew Bunting, vice president of horticulture for the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society.
Popular varieties include native grasses, such as American beachgrass, coastal panicgrass, and little bluestem varieties, which have a steely blue-green color in the summer and a coppery red hue in the fall.
Butterfly milkweed, a favorite of monarch butterflies, blooms in Rettig’s garden.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
“Butterfly weed is one of the most iconic of all the pollinator plants,” Bunting said. It “has vibrant orange flowers and is especially a magnet for the monarch butterfly, which is a threatened species.”
It’s important to have perennial varieties that bloom at different times in the season to consistently provide nourishment to wildlife, Bunting said. For example, early spring might include a beach plum shrub, butterfly milkweed in midseason, and goldenrod late in the season.
Native species are very hearty, need full sun, and require little care once established. They need to be watered when first planted, but once they take hold, rainwater is usually sufficient. Native plants can be mixed with non-native varieties as long as they have similar sun and water requirements.
Attracting wildlife
Pat Sutton, a working naturalist since 1977 for the Cape May Point State Park, and then the New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory, hopes education will encourage more people to move toward native gardens.
“There has been a lot of focus for too many years on instant gratification — pretty things that are forced to be in bloom well before nature intends,” Sutton said. “The focus on native plants is a focus on making sure wildlife can persist.”
A bumblebee pollinates a bush of wild bergamot in Rettig’s garden.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
Sutton’s website includes resources for native plants that attract birds and insects. For example, the coral honeysuckle vine and southern arrowwood shrub are especially attractive to moths when laying their eggs.
Along with her husband, Clay, Sutton transformed her property into a wildlife habitat containing 205 native plants, including perennials, native trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and ferns. She has recorded as visitors 213 bird species, 79 butterfly species, and 121 assorted other pollinators, including wasps, flies, bees, and beetles.
“When I step outside, it’s like going into a wilderness, and it’s just a tiny yard,” she said. “But that’s what’s possible for people who embrace gardening with native plants.”
Civic responsibility
Strathmere residents have made native plantings a priority in homes and public areas throughout town. Along with N.J. Fish & Wildlife and Upper Township, the Strathmere Improvement Association Native Plant Committee members have erected gardens at several beach entrances, in front of the Schiavo Library, and around the Welcome to Strathmere sign.
“We have a gem of a town and wanted to maximize the beauty of our beaches by cleaning up and planting at our entrances,” said Linda C. Bateman, a member of the committee that began planting gardens three years ago, adding a couple streets at a time.
Native plants, including goldenrod, milkweed, bayberry, elderberry, Virginia rose, and New Jersey-native wildflowers, are labeled to educate beachgoers. The committee has raised awareness by offering talks led by gardening experts, holds native plant sales, and presents garden awards to residents who have dedicated yard space to pollinator plants. The town is a designated monarch butterfly way station.
“Before development, there were areas across the barrier islands that were covered in low shrubs and small patches of forest,” said Chris Konicki, a Strathmere resident who is heading up the Maritime Forest Project with Peter Manzelmann from Belleplain State Forest.
Their goal is to reintroduce native species that are indigenous to the area. Tree species such as eastern red cedar, American holly, black cherry, sassafras, black gum, and pitch pine will be planted, along with shrubs including bayberry, wax myrtle, beach plum, and Virginia rose. Small trees will feature winged sumac, a non-poisonous native species.
A bumblebee pollinates a bush of Eastern swamp milkweed in Rettig’s garden.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
“It’s an ongoing project that will slowly evolve over time and highlight some historical species that are no longer common in Strathmere and the surrounding islands,” Konicki said.
These initiatives are important, Bateman said, as the native gardens do much more than just beautify and unify the beach entrances. Bees, butterflies, moths, and other insects are drawn to them. Wildlife including bats, frogs, songbirds, red wing blackbird, and finches, will feed on the insects.
“We used to have fireflies in town, we used to have frogs trying to jump into our garage, and our windshields used to be covered in bugs,” Bateman said. “Where are they all? Clean air and clean water are not just human needs.”
Farmers markets are more than just an alternative to grocery stores — they offer a direct line to local farmers, bakers, and artisans. Instead of buying a mass-market bag of greens, you can chat with the person who planted the seed and ask them questions about how they raise their vegetables. And what better way to experience the abundance of South Jersey produce and products than a beach-adjacent market?
Here are seven weekly Shore markets worth a trip, from Wildwood to Ocean City.
Margate Community Farmers Market
Every Thursday morning from mid-June to early September, tables filled with fresh produce — cherries, peach cider, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, and more — populate the corner of Monroe and Amherst. There’s fun on offer, too: This year, the market hosted a peach pie contest and dog show.
Thursdays, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Parking lot at corner of Monroe & Amherst Ave, Margate City
West Cape May Farmers Market
Located at the West Cape May’s Backyard Park, the borough’s late afternoon-to-evening farmers market runs June 23 until Aug. 25, rain or shine. While there are a plethora of fresh produce and local food vendors, the market also offers open mic from 3 to 5 p.m., followed by live music performances after 5 p.m.
Tuesdays, 3 to 7:30 p.m.; 732 Broadway, West Cape May
Sea Isle City Farmers Market
From June to September, vendors descend on Sea Isle’s Excursion Park on Tuesday mornings.. Shop tomatoes, peaches, snap peas, and other seasonal finds from Al’s Produce. Pick up a monstera, peace lily, or an alocasia from Petals and Plants. Or grab a treat from Duck Donuts as you walk around. Other sellers at this year’s market include Telford, Pa. ‘s Nutty Novelties, art-kit expert the Crayon Lady, and Petersburg, N.J.’s Salt and Clover Sheep Farm.
Tuesdays, 8 a.m. to noon; Excursion Park, Pleasure Avenue & JFK Boulevard, Sea Isle City
Wildwood Farmers Market
It’s the 13th season of the Wildwood Farmers Market, and this summer there are over 100 vendors attending, including artists and clothing retailers, plus weekly entertainment for the kids in attendance. There’s plenty of produce to choose from and baked goods to try, including gluten-free options. Grab an iced coffee or cold-pressed juice from one of the vendors and get lost among the booths selling hot sauces, jerkies, spice mixes, wines, sea glass art, and more. This market runs Saturdays till Labor Day, so get there while you can.
Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; 3400 Pacific Ave., Wildwood
Brigantine Farmers Market
Rain or shine, the Brigantine Community School parking lot plays host to the Brigantine Farmers Market every summer Saturday, until Sept. 5 this year. Munch on Kismet bagels and Duke’s Dogs hot dogs.Get Pickled pickles, and Maui Joe’s shaved ice as you shop from farm vendors like Nectar Flow Farm with mushrooms and berries, Recklesstown Farm Distillery’s craft spirits, and Sam Mento Farms with Hammonton blueberries.
Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon; 205 Sheridan Pl., Brigantine
Ventnor City Farmers Market
Farmers market season in Ventnor runs from May 22 to Sept. 4. The market, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, takes place in the parking lot at St. James Church. With more than 80 farmers, food vendors, and crafters, this market is a great place for stocking up on fresh-cut flowers from Far & Away Flowers; grass-fed, free-range meats products from Giordano’s Family Farm; smoked salmon and pastrami from South Jersey Smoke House; and fruits and veggies from Peplowski Fruit Farms.
Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to noon; 6421 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor
Stone Harbor Farmers Market
Every Sunday morning from Memorial Day until Sept. 20, vendors set up shop at Stone Harbor’s Water Tower Plaza. Fill up a tote with tomatoes, sunflowers, cherries, peaches, and other produce from vendors like The Potato Homestead, Springhouse Farms, and Brookeberry Farms; coffee bean bags from Harry & Beans Coffee and fresh squeezed lemonade from Twisted Lemonade Beverage Co.; and specialty foods like Pickle Girl Pickles, RSK Doughnuts, and Carlo’s Empanadas.
Sundays, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; 95th St. and 2nd. Ave., Stone Harbor
Ocean City Farmers Market
Wednesdays in Ocean City mean a stop at the farmers market. In the summer, local farmers and vendors sell cherries, peaches, cucumbers, and corn at the Tabernacle Grounds. There are also stalls offering tomato pies. Head to Sixth Street and Asbury Avenue for other items — think baby onesies and framed art. This market runs through mid-September.
Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to noon; 550 Wesley Ave., Ocean City
