No, he's really not worried about skin cancer. The Inquirer's Amy Rosenberg tells the tale of Bruno Battaglia, a 59-year-old unabashed sun worshipper who sits on Ventnor's Newport Avenue beach for eight hours at a stretch, every day. Battaglia is, Amy tells us, "the Jersey Shore's ultimate beach bum, a dude with a California mentality and Peter Frampton hair, who toughs it out in Ventnor because, well, that's where his mom lives." Read the full story here.
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The national real estate market may be sluggish, but agents in Ocean City are bucking the trend, the Press of Atlantic City reports. The resort city’s Board of Realtors can point to a 17 percent jump in residential sales through May 31. Nicholas Marotta of Academy Real Estate, board president, give some credit to a marketing campaign in February targeting Philadelphia. One recent home buyer, Keith Hausknecht of Warminster, Bucks County, told the Press he and his wife wanted to buy in Ocean City because of its small-town vibe and its family atmosphere.

Read the full story.

...They were crowding the lobby of the Tilton 9 in Northfield for matinee showings of Ratatouille and Evan Almighty. Hey, you had your Fourth of July weather on Memorial Day, remember? In any case, for a local like myself, who has weathered the shore movie theaters year round for a decade, it was a pleasant little shock to be in the midst of the movie throng. Forget surround sound. This was surround-people. Usually, I'm one of about 5 people watching the movies down here, and always, the only one to perceive, or care, about the myriad mishaps that have been known to plague your shore movie going experience. Sound off. Blurry screen. Movie starting 20 minutes late. Titanic shutting off before Celine sings. One time, during Amelie, the projection was so out of whack that the subtitles were below the screen, invisible. Still, I was the only one of the dozen or so people in there to get up and point this out to management. We're just not wired down here that way, I suppose. So it's always reassuring when the shoobies come to the movies. Even before Ratatouille began today, the man behind us was on full alert to possible problems. "The sound's low," he said, during a preview. It got better. But I knew this was one time I wouldn't have to be the one to complain. Thanks guys.

Police departments at the Jersey Shore reported a relatively quieter Fourth of July holiday this year, according to the Press of Atlantic City. No significant arrests or confiscations were made last week, a sign that holiday revelers are beginning to heed the state's zero-tolerance policy on illegal fireworks.
Read the full story.
Did you see fewer fireworks freelancers in your town? Let us know. Post a comment below.

Sand sculpting contest - 9 a.m., Wednesday, July 11, at the 6th Street Beach, the first one of the season. Information: 525-9300.

War of the Shore - The 18th annual Ocean/Viking Showdown Sportfishing Competition, known as the “War of the Shore,” will take place from Wednesday, July 11, through Sunday, July 15. The showdown is open to all Ocean or Viking owners, and includes four days of fishing, cocktail parties, and dinners for the captain, crew, and families. Information: http://www.sjmarina.com/

Phillies Home Run Derby - Sunday, July 15, at Dealy Field, for boys and girls ages 7 to 15: 1 p.m. for boys 10 to 12 and girls 7 to 15; 2 p.m. for boys 7 to 9; and 2:30 p.m. for boys 13 to 15. Rain date: Sunday, July 22.

Summer Beachfest 2007 - Saturday, July 14 (Rain date: Sunday, July 15), beginning at noon at the Huntingdon Avenue Beach. Featuring music by D.J. Peter Crook, games, bocce-ball, volleyball, tug-of-war, treasure hunt, face painting, sand sculpting, surfing demonstrations and food. Interested in volunteering? Call 609-823-6658, ext. 371.

Stone Harbor Triathlon - Sunday, July 15. Begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Stone Harbor Yacht Club. This event is closed to entrants. Watch the quarter-mile swim, 11-mile run and 3.1-mile bike.

Global warming may spawn more flooding at northeastern U.S. beaches unless heat-trapping emissions are curbed, scientists said in a report, according to Bloomberg.com. Atlantic City could experience the equivalent of a once-in-100-years flood as frequently as every year or two, according to the report by the Union of Concerned Scientists and a team of more than 50 researchers and economists.

Read the full story.

One big difference between Bookbinder's new outpost at the Jersey Shore and the Old Original operation in Old City is the lower prices, reports Inquirer Table Talk columnist Michael Klein. The restaurant, in Linwood, has entrees in the $20s. There some other differences, too.
Read the Table Talk column.

The Jersey shore is known for its beaches and boardwalks, but don't sell it short as the home of some great surfing, according to the Press of Atlantic City.
Read the full story.
Hey surfers, tell us your favorite surf spots on the south Jersey coastline.

Don Wilno, who writes the Watering Hole column in the Asbury Park Press, has selected his favorite shore bars and taverns in a two-parter. He started with places in Monmouth County and wrapped up with watering holes in Ocean County.
Monmouth County | Ocean County

Have your own favorite watering hole at the shore? Share it with us. Leave us a comment.

The Ocean City Pops will perform a Lollipop Concert with the Youth Opera of South Jersey at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 19, at the Hughes Performing Arts Center, 6th Street and Atlantic Avenue. The production is H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan. Admission: Adults, $5; children free. For tickets, call 609-525-9248 or order on-line at www.ocnj.us. The event is sponsored by Gillian’s Wonderland Pier.
And there's plenty more events this week at the shore.

A French bistro in North Wildwood? This shore town is known for several things — its annual Irish festival, its profusion of Irish pubs, its proximity to the doo-wop-and-honky-tonk extravaganza that is Wildwood — but fruits de mer isn’t one of them, writes David Corcoran of the New York Times. Yet he found it - at a sprawling yellow Victorian with a huge rooftop sign: Claude’s Cafe. The well-heeled diners who pack those rooms every night in season are on to something: in ambition, pricing and execution, this is no mere cafe, Corcoran writes.
Read the full story.
The restaurant Web site is at www.claudesrestaurant.com.

Surfing is bigger than ever at the shore this season, Philadelphia Weekly reports. And it's just swell after Labor Day. In Ocean City, N.J., surf culture is a year-round sport ingrained in the indigenous community.

Read the full story.

The amusement park on the Steel Pier of the Atlantic City boardwalk, facing closure last year when Donald Trump indicated he would develop the property across from his Taj Mahal hotel-casino, received a one-year reprieve in the spring. Now, with the project far from a done deal, there is hope the amusement park may see many more summers, reports Robert Strauss of the Daily News.

Read the full story.

State amusement ride safety inspectors Monday examined a log flume ride one day after an accident injured five people at Gillian's Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, N.J., the Newark Star Ledger reports. The accident occurred when a car on the Canyon Falls Log Flume that was being pulled on a conveyor belt to near the top of a steep ramp unexpectedly slid backward and struck a car at the bottom of the ramp.
Read the full story.

Known as "The Bread Man" to customers, Joe Lombardi brings a little taste of North Jersey and New York to the Jersey Shore, reports the Asbury Park Press. He visits six or seven Jersey Fresh markets weekly and operates his new store, Italian Cucina in New Hope.
Read the full story.

If you're headed to Wildwood before the end of summer, chances are you'll hit the boards for some fun. Well, Morey's Piers has a cool, interactive tour of its three piers on its Web site.


http://www.moreyspiers.com/flash/flashtour.htm

Police divers in Ventnor, N.J., recovered the body of a Sicklerville man early this morning, the Inquirer reports.

Investigators say Ventnor Police received a 911 call just after midnight, saying that a man was diving into the water at Princeton Avenue and the Bay, and that he was not resurfacing.

Search and rescue teams found the body of Jeremy Williams, 24, of Sicklerville.

Police are investigating the events leading up to William's death.

When you're on vacation at the shore, a parking ticket can be a real turn off. But Cape May business owners are trying to help one quarter at a time, NBC 10 reports. They search for those who have parked without paying. But instead of wings, these angels come with quarters.


See the report.

Nothing reflects the change in Avalon - to a quintessential family-oriented town - more than the renovation last winter of the Princeton Inn, the New York Times reports. Since 1971, when the Princeton Hotel added a vast barroom, “the P” had been the quintessential shot-and-beer shore bar. When the Princeton reopened in the spring, however, it had marble bar tops, served mussels and dainty salads. The transition was lamented by few.
Read the full story.

Monitoring blogs is the newest tactic in Belmar's long-running effort to keep its notoriously rowdy group rentals under control in one of the Jersey shore's last true party towns, the Associated Press reports.

Read the full story.

Ocean City police may have closed the bizarre case of the toe-sucker, NBC10.com reports. On Friday, officers investigated a reported sighting of a man who harassed a juvenile on June 25. The man, who police said matched the description of a man who allegedly sucked and licked a 12-year-old girl's foot after helping her untangle her kite, fled police. He was taken into custody after a short chase.

Read the full story.

After a two-year hiatus, the Philadelphia 76ers' “Beach Bash” will return to the Jersey Shore on Saturday, Aug. 4, from 4 to 7 p.m. The event, to be held at La Costa Lounge at Landis Avenue and JFK Boulevard in Sea Isle City, will benefit Sixers Charities, which assists organizations that focus on youth recreation, health and education.

The fun will include outdoor carnival-type games, inflatables and appearances by Sixers mascot Hip Hop. Inside La Costa Lounge, fans will be served by celebrity guest bartenders like Hugh Douglas, Marc Zumoff, Tom McGinnis, Big Daddy Graham and Keith Jones. Sixers alumni will be on hand to sign autographs. A yard sale and silent auction is also planned.

At the same time, the Sixers organization will unveil its 2007-08 Sixers Dancers, who will show fans what they can expect during the season.

So I really meant to blog during my vacation. Truly. I brought my laptop, took a ton of photos, and had the best of intentions. But there's something about the Shore - or vacation in general, I suppose - that saps the urge to do work right out of you. So instead of dispatches from Sea Isle, you're getting a dispatch from my desk at Philly.com. (My excuse is that there was rarely a wireless signal, but really, it was Vacation Brain.)

I spent nearly two weeks in a rented house in Sea Isle City. For that stretch, I lived with my parents, my sister and brother-in-law, and my niece. I have an army of aunts and uncles and cousins, and lots of them were there. (Some rented a house a few blocks away, others camped out in the house directly behind the one we rented.) And yes: it is expensive to rent a house, upwards of $1,500 a week for any sort of place at all. I could have gone to an all-inclusive resort for cheaper. And yes: I did share a room with my two-year-old niece, and shared a bathroom with several other people. And yes: we did cook most of our meals, so that meant that we were not immune to chores, even on vacation.

And yes: there were seaweed and shells and murky water, and I swam in it, just the same. Loved it, even.

And yes: summer wouldn't be summer without a trip to the Shore. And not a daytrip, mind you. You need at least a week to properly relax, and to eat enough Mack and Manco's Pizza to satisfy your cravings for a while, until you get the urge in the middle of winter and drive back just because.

I know it's corny, but I feel lucky to have grown up with this particular tradition.

Here's a view from the deck of Aunt Jane's bay-facing house. Boy, it's hard to be back at work today.

The Ocean City Arts Center will present its 45th Annual Boardwalk Art Show this weekend. One of the largest summer art shows on the East Coast, the event will be held Friday to Sunday on the Ocean City Boardwalk, between Seventh and 14th streets. The show will feature the work of artists from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and 10 other states will offer oils, acrylics, watercolors, pen and ink, photography and mixed media. The show is limited to fine arts only and does not include three-dimensional art such as pottery, carved art, glass or sculpture.

Artists begin setting up at dawn Friday and judging begins at 10:30 a.m. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.