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This Weeks News 3/25/2021
Spring is here, and that makes some of us happy enough to do cartwheels
on the beach!
BEACH TAGS AVAILABLE ONLINE! Avalon and Stone Harbor beach
tags are now available for online purchase! Tags have been traditionally
sold only in person, or payment could be mailed in advance, with tags to be
picked up in person. Many have asked for the ability to order tags online,
and that option is now reality! Tag maker Jersey Cape Tags has partnered
with Avalon and Stone Harbor to offer seasonal beach tags from each town via
their online store.
ORDER: JERSEY CAPE TAGS ONLINE STORE - AVALON 2021 SEASONAL BEACH
TAG
ORDER: JERSEY CAPE TAGS ONLINE STORE - STONE HARBOR 2021 SEASONAL
BEACH TAG
THE TOP TWO SPOTS on a NJ.com list of the towns with the
highest median single-family sale prices are held by Avalon (1) and Stone
Harbor (2). The NJ.com article reports that the median single-family sale
price in Stone Harbor was $2,500,000 last year, while in Avalon the median
single-family sale price was $2,578,750. (The median is the middle datapoint,
with half being lower and half being higher.)
DID YOU KNOW that there are still affordable properties in
Avalon & Stone Harbor, despite the pricy reputation each town has? Check out
this week's new listings, as well as what's recently gone under contract or
sold, down below. Name your price range and let me help you find the perfect
place!
WORLD WAR II ORDNANCE FOUND: two unexploded artillery
shells were found in a back yard in Cape May. Local police and fire
departments secured the scene, while the Atlantic City Bomb Squad was
dispatched. Bomb squad technicians removed the ordnance and safely detonated
it on the beach. Cape May played an important part in monitoring the
coastline during World War II; the lookout tower on Sunset Boulevard and the
remains of the gun embankment on the beach near the Cape May lighthouse are
two prominent reminders of the role the city played in protecting the
coastline, and the entrance to the Delaware Bay.
TIME FOR DUNE GRASS PLANTING! Avalon's Spring Dune Grass
Planting event is just around the corner. Volunteers are invited to help
plant dune grass on Saturday, April 17th, and should report to Avalon
Community Hall at 30th Street and Avalon Avenue at 8:30am. A brief planting
demonstration will be conducted, and special utensils for planting will be
provided, as well as a box lunch after planting. To sign up please contact
Chuck McDonnell at Community Hall at 609-967-3066 or Sue Keen at
609-967-5924. In the event of rain, the planting will be moved to Sunday,
April 18th.
NEED A SUMMER JOB? The Stone Harbor Job Fare is scheduled
for Saturday, April 10th from 10am to 5pm. Local businesses invite you to
stop in to ask questions or request an application for employment during
that time.
This Weeks News 3/18/2021
A clammer works a mud flat at low tide behind Stone Harbor.
THE HOUSING BOOM...THIS TIME IT'S DIFFERENT: The Wall
Street Journal reports that the current real estate market "is the inverse
of the previous boom...in nearly every meaningful way." (WSJ, March 15,
2021). Among the factors cited are larger down payments and tighter credit
standards than before; limited supply of housing versus too much new
construction last time; demand this time around is driven by Covid and a new
focus on where we live, including renovations for more space or vacation
home purchases. Read the full article here:
THE PANDEMIC IGNITED A HOUSING BOOM-BUT IT'S DIFFERENT FROM THE LAST
ONE
ROCKET LAUNCH IN FLORIDA? CATCH IT AT THE JERSEY SHORE!
Yes, the recent SpaceX rocket launched from Cape Canaveral was visible from
the Jersey Shore and caught by photographer Jennifer Khordi as it passed!
Six of Jennifer's incredible photos are here:
SPACEX ROCKET LIGHTS UP THE JERSEY SHORE SKY IN AWE-INSPIRING
SPECTACLE
WHERE CAN YOU FIND A SNOW LEOPARD, a black bear, an African
bison, and an elk? Right in Cape May County, of course, at the Cape May
County Park & Zoo! An 8-year-old female snow-leopard named Maliha is the
latest addition to the zoo, joining an enormous variety of residents. The
zoo is widely regarded as a local treasure, open 10am to 4pm daily, and is
free to visit (donations are appreciated!) Spend an hour or spend a day, at
any time of year--and be sure to bring your camera!
AVALON, THEN & NOW: Those who enjoy Avalon's history will
enjoy this two-minute video showing old Avalon scenes, overlayed with the
views from the same locations today. Some vintage structures are still
visible today, while others have been overtaken with newly constructed
homes. Check out the video:
AVALON THEN & NOW - THE AVALON
FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY & THE AVALON HISTORY CENTER
THE STONE HARBOR SHIVER takes on a new format this year,
reincarnated as the Virtual Shiverrr & Shake. Sign up and then jump in the
ocean between March 20th and May 2nd, then post your selfies to the event's
Facebook page. Registration is available from $25 to $45, depending upon the
type of entry and whether you prefer a long sleeve tee or a hoodie to wear
to keep warm after your plunge! Register here:
STONE HARBOR SHIVERRR & SHAKE, then post your selfies
here:
STONE HARBOR SHIVER ON FACEBOOK.
This Weeks News 3/11/2021
The last of the sun sinks over the wetlands on a summer day.
AVALON HARDWARE reopens Friday, and that's a sure sign that
spring is around the corner! Whether you need batteries for your smoke
detector, screws or other fasteners, or tools for larger jobs, it's time to
attack your spring to-do list! In addition to Avalon Hardware, Seashore ACE
on 96th Street is a convenient location on the island for all kinds of
house- and hardware-related items.
BEACHSIDE SCIENCE is on the agenda this summer at Surfside
Park in Avalon. The Wetlands Institute will host five sessions this summer,
broadly titled "Secrets of the Beach: Creatures Who Share Our Barrier
Island." The free programs will be held on the third Wednesday of the month
at 6pm, beginning May 19th. Topics include seashells, shorebirds and
migration, and diamondback terrapins. More details to follow!
PHILADELPHIA TO AVALON: $3.80! That was the 1958 one-way
coach fare aboard the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. The fare to Stone
Harbor was $3.59; Sea Isle City was $3.39. The P-RSL was the result of the
1933 merger of the South Jersey operations of the Pennsylvania Railroad and
the Reading Railroad. Rail traffic to shore towns had already peaked by the
time of the merger, and scheduled service continued to decline for decades.
In later years buses were used for the final connections to many
destinations, as rail lines were pulled up. In the early 1980s the last of
the regularly scheduled passenger trains left Cape May County.
DR. PAUL OFFIT conducted an interesting Q&A session on the
science behind the Covid vaccine, during Stone Harbor's first edition of
"Stone Harbor Connections." The hour-long session covered a broad array of
topics centered around the virus, vaccine development and administration,
post-vaccine immunity, and much more. Watch the session here:
STONE HARBOR
CONNECTIONS 03-03- 2021 | DR. OFFIT (YOUTUBE)
ANOTHER SIGN OF SPRING: SHOP-A-HOLICS WEEKEND is on! Visit
your favorite participating stores for deals and discounts, Thursday, March
11th through Sunday, March 14th! View the list of participating shops:
SHOP-A-HOLICS WEEKEND - LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
ICYMI: VILLA MARIA GARAGE SALE! This is the final weekend
of the Villa Maria By the Sea garage sale. The iconic Stone Harbor retreat
will eventually be demolished to make way for a smaller, more modern retreat
at the same location. Stop by to find the perfect trinket or treasure from
Villa Maria. The garage sale runs from 9am to 3pm this Saturday & Sunday.
This Weeks News 3/4/2021
A yellow crowned night heron finds a small crab for breakfast while walking through the
marsh grass early in the summer.
INTEREST RATES have inched up over the past month, and
while they're still low, it's caused buyers to take notice. Here's why it
matters for buyers: at the current rate of 3%, borrowing $100,000 for thirty
years costs $422 per month. If the interest rate is increased to 4%, the
cost rises to $477 per month, while a 5% rate pushes it to $537 per month.
For each percentage point the interest rate is increased, the amount of
mortgage a borrower will qualify for is reduced by about 13%, affecting the
affordability of properties. Buyers, take advantage of today's great rates
and make your purchase now. For sellers, consider selling now to capitalize
on strong demand and affordable interest rates.
SEVEN MILE ISLAND was once served by two major railroads.
If you missed the talk that Jim Talone of the Stone Harbor Museum and Bill
Mengle of the Avalon History Center gave a couple of weeks ago, it's well
worth watching. Talone and Mengle discuss how the two railroads first
connected to the island, the train stations, and the challenges faced by the
railroads during their tenure here. If you don't know already, you'll learn
why the landscaped islands in the middle of Dune Drive and Second Avenue
exist! Watch the talk on Facebook:
STONE HARBOR
MUSEUM - THE HISTORY OF THE RAILROAD ON 7 MILE ISLAND
SHOP-A-HOLICS WEEKEND GOES ISLAND WIDE beginning Thursday,
March 11th and running through Sunday, March 14th. Nearly three dozen stores
are participating and offering a variety of discounts and promotions. View
the list of participants:
SHOP-A-HOLICS WEEKEND - LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
SUNDAYS AT SURFSIDE begins June 27th! From "Jimmy and the
Parrots" to "Beatlemania", Sunday evening concerts return to Surfside Park
in Avalon this summer, with nine different performances scheduled. All
concerts begin at 7pm and are free, as is parking in the adjacent parking
lot. Beach chairs or blankets are recommended, and all Covid protocols will
be followed.
THINKING SPRING! After the cold winter weather, we're all
ready for a taste of spring. That means it's time to get your shore property
ready for the upcoming summer season. Hire the painter, schedule the
landscaper, and have the carpets cleaned now! Beat the rush and have your
projects completed now, when contractors aren't quite so busy. If you offer
your property for rent, it's especially important that it be clean, fresh,
and in good condition before your first tenants check in. Need contractor
recommendations? Call or email me!