the JEDSEY JOURNAL

INTRODUCTION

This project revives a Jersey City based newsletter from the late '50s/early '60s, and is dedicated to John White, Bobby Rey and Badd Ladd - holding a spot at the bar for us at that big Joe Crine's in the sky.

POLITICS AS USUAL

In the Spring, a young man from Jersey City's fancy, lightly turns to thoughts of .......... POLITICS! Localy there is a critical race for State Senate, but now the long arm of Hudson County has extended into Monmouth, where a group of ex-Hudsonites has capitalized on the votes from other displaced Hudsonites to take over the government of their little town "by the Sea".

.....................................................................by Moose Mooney - (Shore Correspondant)

(Avon by the Sea) 5/13 - It was a slam dunk for the forces of the Gibney, Kropke, Mahon ticket as the the incumbents were sent packing by a nearly 2 to 1 margin in the May 13 election.

The candidates ran a great campaign going out and meeting the people by walking the streets and ringing doorbells. They received tremendous support from so many, including Sylvania Ave residents Mike and Elaine Donnelly who were interviewed by the Coast Star Newspaper.

The winners were given a rousing welcome by a crowd of over two hundred at the Norwood Inn where the victory party was held. Among them St. Michael's Grads Bob Tarancz, Tony Mandese and Eleanor (Ryan) Mahon also Tom and Nancy Gaynor, Bob and Barbra Phillips, Brian and Kevin Dugan, just to name a few. It was really a night to remember.

(Jersey City) In the main race of this year's local primaries, old friends Glenn Cunningham and Harvey Smith, pair off against each other in the Primary Election race for the State Senate. There are no serious challengers to Tom DeGise who is seeking to be reelected to his first full term as County Executive, but further down the ticket all of the Committeeman/woman positions are up for grabs and Jed and running mate Julia Ulloa try to get the vote out in an district that typically rouses very little voter interest during a primary. Friends Arnie and Rene Bettinger are running on the same ticket in the adjoining district, but friend Emily Condes looks like an up and comer as she makes her first run for Committee on the opposing Row B ticket. Other Committeeman candidates on Row B are Jed friends Franco Rubano and Mike Knapp's son Robert. The election is June 3rd and by June 4th everybody will be back to being friends again.

MY BIG FAT GREEK BARBQUE (AND OTHER LOCAL COOKOUTS)

The unusual weather we are having has allowed the local cook-out season to get an early jump on the summer and was kicked off by Crazy Tissy's Easter dinner of lamb that son Dan prepared on the backyard grill. Although the hors d'vors were served on the rear yard patio next to the grill, CT served up the main course indoors for fear that Gary the Plumber (who ate an entire lamb by himself 3 years ago) was lurking in the bushes behind the house.

The following week was Greek Easter and Jed's neighbor Louis the Barber followed Tissy's lead with another rear yard barbeque of lamb and a suckling pig. Louis opened his private wine cellar for friends and relatives who dropped in and out for food and games all afternoon. The only thing missing was Zorba - to give lessons in handkerchief dancing.

Councilman at Large Mariano Vega held a Brazilian cook out in the rear sculpture garden of his beautiful Jersey City townhouse and then everybody came inside for the music provided by the group Carlos Boyz with Mariano and Tom DeGise joining up with the group for a few tunz.

The Group A ticket in Jersey City held pre election Political barbeque party outside of PJ Ryan's as the rain held off long enough not to dampen the festivities. Carlos Figeuroa of Carlos Boyz was such a hit at Mariano Vega's party (above) that he was tapped to be the DJ for this event.

M*A*S*H REPORT - GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

Jed received the good news that the immunotherapy worked (there was a 50% chance) and will buy him about a year of being free of disease. The plan will be to again use this treatment when indications of Lymphoma return and to keep up this routine until someone comes up with a cure. The bad news is that research on cures that involve gene therapy have been put on hold because of setbacks that have occurred related to this type of research.

The best news is that Dr. Peter Dimatteo somehow convinced his sister Faith to address her medical problem (see last issue of the JEDSEY JOURNAL), and that Faith has agreed to have surgery to take care of her massive breast tumor. Unfortunately the bad news here is that Faith is trying to bargain this concession as an argument for keeping dozens of stray and diseased cats and even regaining the responsibility of caring for her father and she is again causing family problems in these areas.

In other good news Fred Corbalis opted for a radical treatment of his prostate cancer and his doctors have completely removed any trace of the disease. Gene Mead is on the mend after surgery to relieve the cause of several small strokes and Rich Kaminski and Jim Manning (noted Real Estate Attorney) are rehabbing well from recent treatments and setting up for other procedures.

The worst news involves Billy Madden whose health problems led to strokes and the eventual decision to remove life support from him. Billy remains in a New York hospital where Ben Schlossberg is among the old friends who visit and keep a vigil at his bedside.

RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE IN A RACE AGAINST TIME

Dr. Peter Dimatteo competed in his 5th Boston Marathon and posted his best time although falling short of his goal of breaking 4 hours when he developed heat cramps at the 20 mile mark and stopped in at a Starbucks for a mocha-java before finishing. The real winners in this race were those suffering from Leukemia and Lymphoma cancers and will all benefit from the research that is funded by the sponsors of Peter's Team in Training. Jed's oncologist, Dr. Andy Zelenetz of Sloan Kettering is a bicycle racer for Team in Training and he reports that that the team's marathoners, bicycle racers and tri-athletes have raised over $300,000,000 since the program to sponsor research was begun 10 years ago. The immunotherapy drug that Jed is being treated with is a product of this research.

Jed used another road race to enhance his own immune system through exercise, as he took part in the Stephen P. Gaffney Memorial 5k - the major fund raiser for the Scholarship Fund that honors the son of Ed and Mary Ellen Gaffney. This year Ed's participation was in administrating the event, but Mary Ellen got out there and did the entire distance. This beneficiary of this year's $1,000 scholarship was Verona High School student-athlete Philip Landolfi.

• (click here to see scenes from the Stephen P Gaffney Memorial 5k - 5/31/03)

JEDSEY JOURNAL 2003 GRADUATION ALBUM

A TOURIST'S GUIDE TO JERSEY CITY

Jersey City hosted some historic preservation tours in recent weeks. The first of these was a well conceived tour of the Lafayette section that Joe Hajcak and his former classmates from Assumption grammar school used as and excuse to come back from as far away Maryland and Pennsylvania to hold a reunion and take a nostalgic tour of their old neighborhood. When they attended mass together before all going to dinner on that night, Joe was given the honor of lighting the altar candles at Assumption RC Church where he had formerly served as an altar boy.

The following week a tour of the West Bergen section pointed out homes and buildings that Jed and other returning former residents of the area had passed many times without noticing. Joe Harkins who now lives at the Fairmont Hotel served as a tour guide and Wayne and Suzanne Anderson opened their beautiful townhouse art gallery for viewing. Another highlight of the tour was a visit to Frank Hague's former apartment at 2600 Boulevard. Among other former residents of this area who came to join the tour were Marybeth Mackin, Dave Mischel, Mary Golden (along with brother Larry's oldest daughter) and Michael Donnelly.

Cyclist Chip Jahnke showed up in town to take a bike tour of the Jersey City section of the Liberty-Water Gap trail with Councilman at Large Mariano Vega who helped design the route. Chip was cycling his way from Maine to Washington DC to bring attention to the fact that bike trails and greenways are needed and require backing from the government.

• (click here for more photos of Jersey City tours)

ALL AROUND THE TOWN

The next time you view one of those short features on an in-flight video screen, you may be seeing Jim and Peggy McLaughlin showing you how to sell your house. - - Also on local TV, Brittany Godish is doing voice over on a bowling commercial that was produced by the firm she is working for. - - And if you hear the Verizon radio commercial for Shields MRI, you are hearing Dr Peter Dimatteo's buddy Jack Shields hyping the company that he is President of . . but the most amazing thing about Jack is that this former Notre Dame line backer got himself back in shape at 40 to play as the oldest player on a Notre Dame alumni team that went to Germany to beat a professional European Pro Football team. - - Bernie Sweeney again hosted Snyder HS students formal award dinner at his Casino in the Park, but this time he tripled last year's attendance as over 400 students came and showed Bernie that he had a reason to be proud of his former school. - - Jim Manning attended his Brooklyn Prep (now closed for 30 years) reunion with former schoolmates Joe Paterno and Peter Blatty - - Marie Laski kept one of her honeys hidden and incommunicado and then whisked him back to Connecticut after his quick visit, because she feared Jed would do a Howard Stern type interview for this issue of the JJ - - Robbie did well in his current Little League season but is going to a few weeks of baseball camps followed by a week of Billy Driscoll's basketball camp. When the Nets and Governor McGreevey visited Robbie's school last week, Robbie was getting his ball autographed while Jed was trying to pose him for a photo with the Governor. Robbie explained that he had been getting one of the Net's VPs to sign his ball. All was forgiven when Jed looked down and saw the autograph: "Willis Reed". - - On hearing the story of Jason Blair at the NY TIMES, Jugger Donnelly applied for the same position at the JEDSEY JOURNAL. Who could be better at making up stories? Jugger reports playing golf with actor John Goodman (that has a 55% probability factor) - And Melanie Donnelly was unable to obtain any photos of herself and Oprah from the meeting they had at the woman's convention in St Louis. Melanie suspects it has to do with Oprah being measured with a smaller breast size. - - Actually Dr Joe Ilvento and wife Dr Judy Dean report that Oprah is a pretty nice lady. The TV personality has just bought the 350 acre property next to them in Montecito and they have had dinner at each others homes. - - Pooh Pooh Daddy had a wonderful 94th birthday week which included clubbing at the Havana Bay until 11pm, dining in Bellville where Danny Stiles congratulated him and then receiving a standing O at the Dickinson HS Hall of Fame ceremony (he is the oldest living alumni). Also during the same week he had a changing of the guard as Helena went home to Czech Rep and was replaced by Basia a mountain climbing college student who may use ideas developed on her project with PPD as the basis of her Masters Degree. - -Gabe Nazziola had just retired when his wife Camille passed away a few weeks after being diagnosed with a most aggressive tumor. - - In Jersey City, Frank Holler also succumbed to an illness that Tony Figarelli, his morning coffee buddy at Ann's Bakery, said he had been battling for a while. Frank was not a Jersey City native but he had played ball for St Peter's Prep before going off the Seton Hall to play on those great teams with Walter Dukes and Harry Brooks. Frank also had been editor of the "Daily American" in Roma, but perhaps most interesting was his dad who had been the manager of the Stanley Theater for many years after it opened. - -

• (click here to see additional photos from all around town and beyond)

BEST OF JEDSEY - KEVIN CRANE'S EPIC BASEBALL RESEARCH

Early in 1996 Michael Donnelly had initiated a revival of the Badd Ladd Day Celebration and a small group gathered at Brennan's in Jersey City to remember the old days and chat about what was new. At that event Maaarrk Clarkin encouraged Jed to use the Internet to bring back his erstwhile JOURNAL. This column will be featuring the best items from the first five years of the new JEDSEY JOURNAL.

This is part 3 of Kevin Crane's award winning series about professional baseball in Jersey City.

(The following is from the July 2001 issue)

JCNJ REDUX - (Feature) - JERSEY CITY'S ROOSEVELT STADIUM

Plans are active toward constructing a new road that will route traffic around the western (bay side) perimeter of Jersey City and this roadway will be called Roosevelt Boulevard in honor of Roosevelt Stadium which once stood in this area. Roosevelt Stadium was the site of those famous Dickinson-Prep Thanksgiving day football classics and many more diverse events. This beautiful piece of art-deco architecture represented the largest WPA project, and although it has passed into history its memory is being preserved by Kevin Crane's fantastic 5x6 foot scale model, which is now nearing completion. Check out the photos of this model in the attached link and note the remarkable attention to detail. The model represents the Stadium during the era that the Brooklyn Dodgers played a portion of their season in Jersey City.

• (click here to see photos of Kevin Crane's model of Roosevelt Stadium)

BOB LEACH'S HISTORIC JERSEY CITY - (feature) - DEMON RUM

From 1850 -1860 the population of Jersey City swelled from ten thousand to thirty thousand under an onslaught of Irish Catholic immigrants. Up until this time, the town was populated largely by native born Americans of British or Dutch ancestry and of the Protestant religion. A corner- stone of the old Protestant culture had been a quiet prayerful Sunday. But the Irishman brought with him a strong pub tradition and often his favorite pastime was a Sunday afternoon and evening spent down at the corner saloon, in violation of the law. The saloons were energized by a pioneer morality and much more raucous than the barrooms of today. Mayor James Gopsill, an evangelist, called these immigrant saloons, "the resort of prostitutes, thieves, and pickpockets." He automatically vetoed new saloon licenses issued by the Common Council. Since the saloons doubled as political clubs, any attempt to curtail their activity was resisted by Irish political leaders such as Alderman Charles H. O'Neill who led the Council in overturning each and every veto. O'Neill said, "As long as one man is willing to pay for a drink, there'll be another man looking to sell it.". . . "when people want rum they are bound to have it and if not through the front door, they will find a side door very soon."

Gopsill taunted O'Neill; "It is pitiful to see (you) bow down to the moloch of Rum. It is humiliating to see how (you) sell (your) religion for the vote of the grog shop and the cock-pit!"

During Gopsill's one year term in 1867, Sunday drinkers and sellers were summarily arrested. Although the city was a transportation center, hotels often were not allowed to serve travelers drink on Sunday, and at times even food service was interrupted. Even some of Gopsill's supporters were dismayed by this vigorous crackdown. Many of them turned to Charles H. O'Neill who ran against Gopsill in 1868 and won, becoming Jersey City's first Irish-Catholic mayor. For decades after, the Sunday closing law was irregularly enforced and hotly disputed. By 1907 the Catholic Church had joined the battle against saloons opening up on Sunday. There are legendary stories of parish priests routing men out of Sunday barrooms with sticks. In a Jersey Journal report of August 16, 1907, Father J.C. MacErlain of Sacred Heart Church says, "I am an old man looking out for my parish. I have a stout blackthorn stick and I shall not hesitate to use it." The Catholic Church favored strict control of alcohol use, including a Sunday Closing while the Protestant Churches favored total Prohibition which finally became the law of the land in 1920.

Even before it took effect in New Jersey, Prohibition was already skewered by the successful gubernatorial campaign of Edward I. Edwards of Jersey City. During his campaign Edwards declared, "I am from Hudson County and I am as wet as the Atlantic Ocean."

WHERE ARE THEY NOW - FRED CORBALIS HAS JUMPED TO NEW MEXICO

Fred Corbalis who first jumped into our world holding a basketball, has now jumped all over the country and has finally landed in New Mexico. Fred honed his hoop skills at Audubon Park, where legend has it that he developed his great leaping ability by training in combat boots instead of sneakers. He was on that St. Al's team that won the State Championship by beating Bobby Verga and his great St Rose team on their home court in Belmar. Fred went to college at NCE for a year where he starred on the basketball team before jumping to Bullis Prep for some PG work prior to getting his appointment to the US Naval Academy where he again starred and used his remaining 3 years of basketball eligibility. In his last year with no eligibility Fred became an assistant coach and helped an underclassman from NJ who never forgot and years later sent Fred an football autographed, "Roger Staubauch". Fred married his fiancé Elaine Greene from Avon and had 4 children. The Corbalis family lost their youngest son Christopher to Leukemia 14 years ago.

After graduation from the Academy, Fred took his commission in the Air Force and obtained his Maters degree in Engineering at Oklahoma State University. During his Air Force career, Fred jumped all around the country for courses and project responsibilities which were all defense related. Among the states where he has been stationed were Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Montana, Massachusetts and New Mexico, and he has worked on SAC, the Minuteman, high altitude balloon research and many other aerospace and defense projects.

Fred retired from the Air Force as a well decorated Colonel and went to work as an Engineering Manager for Honeywell (and whatever companies they merged with and ultimately became) in New Mexico. There he continued to work on aerospace projects similar to those he had worked on in his service years. In his spare time Fred has become an experienced fly fisherman, and as mentioned above, Freddie is recovering from surgery which his doctors assure was completely successful. If you want to send him your good wishes, his name has just been added to our email listings. The album link below has photos from Fred and his family.

• (click here to see Fred's Family Foto File)

THE WAY WE WERE - GOING TO THE MOVIES- JERSEY CITY STYLE

In Jersey City everything was a big game - getting into the movies without paying was not a crime, it was a contest. The movies were cheap enough for us to afford as little as 12 cents for a double feature with cartoons and shorts but the status value and notoriety of beating the house was immeasurable. It was the Sir Edmund Hillary "Because it's there" philosophy. One day in 1956, Robert McLoughlin and I were off from school for some holiday, but we ran into Ed Bowler at Journal Square on his way home from his new job in Manhattan. When we told him that we had just come out from sneaking in to see "Niagara" at the State he was incredulous, because we had just seen it the day before. Robert's explanation was that we had "just done it for the practice". When Tina Myers got her big old Cadillac it was obvious to us that the huge rear trunk was specially designed to conceal two people and a case of beer when entering a drive-in movie. Franny Yeck was the grand master of the art of sneaking in. We noticed that the Pix sent the usher crew home after the last ticket was sold for the night and we began just walking in the door until one night the manager happened to see us and stationed an old man, who sold the tickets, at his sales desk in the lobby to serve as a watch dog. The man was a distant relative of my father. Franny noticed that he would simply nod off after a few minutes at the desk, so he stood in the outside lobby and waited for someone to leave the theater and caught the door before it shut so there would be no sound of opening it, and then he fell to his knees and crawled the entire length of the lobby to the open door of the theater. He crawled close to the desk where the man slept so there would be nothing to notice if my relative opened an eye. Once Franny proved how simple it was, we used this method for many months, even "taking" people like Art Fredman to the movies with us (Art was then a Senior at St Peter's College). All went well until the fateful night when we crawled to the entrance door and there on the floor in front of our hands were a pair of highly polished shoes with the Manager standing inside them with folded arms. You could see he wanted to laugh but he bit his lip and said "Big babies!!!". Franny and I did the only thing we could do, under the circumstances as we turned around and crawled all the way out. A few weeks later the story had gotten back to my father from the old man at the desk who told him that I had gotten him into trouble for sleeping at his job.

The response to this contest has been tremendous, but I may have mis-communicated what we were looking for in the best story. First place and an award of a Jersey City Movie House T Shirt goes to (who else?) Franny Yeck and the second prize of Stanley Theater post cards goes to Charlie Trainor. The prizes are awarded for the most unique methods of sneaking in, and although some of these stories did not win a prize, they are so good that they are now candidates for the 2003 Verbal Snark Writing Award. Anyway - here we go ���.. welcome to the movies, Jersey City style. - - - (Editor)

I love the theme.
I grew up on West Side Avenue.  Our neighborhood theater was the Rialto (more 
commonly known as the Rat Hole).  Two of us would pay and go inside.  One 
would then cause some distraction for Johnny the usher, while the other one 
would go to the side door and open it for everyone else to sneak in.  When we 
got a little older (and of course, more sophisticated) the favorite "sneak 
in" place was the Roosevelt Drive-In.  We did that in two different ways: 
1)  with a couple of people under a blanket in the back seat, or in the 
trunk.
2)  go in the exit with the headlights off (thinking back now, that was 
pretty stupid, but we always had fun doing it).
I can't wait to read what some of the others did.
Anne Kanaly, Fort Lauderdale

(I almost forgot this one) - the time when young Simon Eastwood visited 
us from Europe and you decided that as part of the cultural exchange he 
should not only go to a drive in but do it by sneaking in.  We were in you 
brother Peter's old station wagon and we put down the back seat with 
Simon hidden underneath, but just as we got to the ticket window Baby 
Bernard looked around the car and shouted out loud, "Hey John-John, 
where Simon went?" 
 - from Dietra Wright - Jed's decent ex wife - Seattle

When my sister Claire was an usher at the Loews, she used to get us all 
in for free, but she got caught doing it and lost her job.  
Jugger Donnelly - St Louis

What I recall about sneaking in the movies was the Drive-In out behind 
Spring Lake Heights - we used to drive in the exit with the lights out on 
my old car, but the only problem was the horn mechanism would jam 
when you turned the wheel too much and it invariably gave us away just 
at the critical moment.
Peter Murphy - Santa Barabara

It wasn't exactly sneaking in, but the best story I can recall was going to 
the movies with my head all wrapped in gauze like a mummy - I had really
 dark glasses on my eyes and Pete Murphy guided me and led me 
through an entire row of people, disrupting the whole show.  People felt 
sorry for me not being able to see and they got up and gave me their 
seats.  Finally when we were all settled, it dawned upon us that there 
would be no reason for someone who could not see to go to a movie!!!  - 
So we just got up and made an even bigger disruption as we exited.
Ben Schlossberg - Asbury Park

Two friends and I went to the movies at 440.  We chipped in a paid for one.  
He went in and opened the door for my other friend and I.  We went to see Dog 
Day Afternoon.  About 8 of my friends and I tried to sneak in the Stanley but 
we were caught.  You wins some and lose some.   I always send my kids to the 
movie with their Uncle he pays for one and gets them in to see 3 movies.  It 
gives them something to do when the weather is bad. 
Jerry McGrellis - Spokane

JC Movie Theaters.  I remember quite a few.  The
Tivoli in Lafayette, the Monticello near Communipaw Ave., the Strand near
Bergen Ave., and naturally the Bergen theater too.  There was the Palace
downtown and the Cameo on Ocean  Ave.  The great ones at Journal Square 
Loew's, the State, and the Stanley too, saw many  a great film there.    
                                                                         
             I remember one Friday nite when I was about 12 years old
when I was at the Tivoli for over four hours with a couple of my buddies.
 Finally,  walking home  about 11:30 pm the three of us were puffing away
on Lucky Strikes and horsing around like 12 year olds do.  We saw a man
walking towards us and continued playing around and smoking.  Before we
knew it the man was in front of us.  Guess who?  My father............he
had come looking for me because it was so late.  Needless to say, I can
still hear the thunder from his voice and feel the shoves to move along. 
That was only the half of it.  When I got home I got the real punishment,
remember the "Belt", I can still feel the sting of it.  You'd better
believe, I did not get to a Friday nite at the Tivoli for a very long
time. Memories of Days Gone Bye.
Mike Phillips - New Jersey

I have a story to contribute about the Loew's Journal Square:

A Summer at the Movies - Chris Lucas

       While I'm a little to young to have seen the glory days of the Journal 
Square theaters (birthdate 1968), I do have fond memories of one summer as 
the glory began fading.

       In the summer of 1977, I believe it was, the Loews Journal Square 
decided to  boost sagging attendance by having a Disney double feature 
festival. The plan was to show two different Disney movies back to back each 
Saturday afternoon for 14 weeks (28 great films in all.) This was before the 
advent of videotapes, so some of these classics had not been seen in years.

       Each week, my dad would take my older brother Eddie and I to the 
Square on the # 9 bus, and we would be treated to two hot dogs and a lime 
rickey at Boulevard Drinks before the 12PM start of the first show in the 
double feature. I got my education in all things Disney, seeing all the 
animated classics from "Snow White" to "The Jungle Book" as well as live 
action greats like "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Swiss Family 
Robinson." We even saw the now banned film "Song of The South."  After the 
two films (usually only 1 1/2 hours each) were done, we would head over to 
the Canton for a memorable dinner before hopping on the # 9 back to Union 
Street.

       This was a great bonding experience for the family, and it instilled 
in me a love for animated films and the performing arts, both of which are 
now part of my profession. (I am a working actor and voice-over artist) In 
addition, I gained a lifelong affinity with all things Disney, the 
culmination of which will be a one man show about Walt Disney that I will be 
appearing in Off-Broadway later this summer. (Wouldn't it be great if I could 
make the circle complete and perform onstage at the Loews?)

       As I said earlier, I wasn't able to experience the heyday of the 
1940's and 50's, but I am glad to have spent a magical summer eating hot 
buttered popcorn at Jersey City's magnificent silver screen palace.

P.S.: One funny story that came out of that "Disney"summer: My dad is Ed 
Lucas, the sportswriter for the Hudson Dispatch and Jersey Journal who, as 
many of you may know, is totally blind. The week that "Fantasia" was playing, 
we got to the theater a little late (my brother insisted on his lime rickey, 
even though it was 12:05PM) When we got to our seats, the film had already 
begun, and my brother and I sat fascinated by the visual images of dancing 
hippos, broomsticks, mushrooms and the other colorful images set to classical 
music with virtually no dialogue. About 45 minutes into the film,  my dad 
leaned over and said, "Hey Chris, when is the movie going to start?" (This 
was long before commercials and 25 minutes of promos were the preshow 
entertainment, and classical music played instead.) He still tells this story 
25 years later in his speeches, and it usually gets biggest laugh of the 
night.

Thanks for letting me tell my story Jed - (Actor) Chris Lucas - New Jersey

Stanley (i believe that's what it's called). The one that's a Jehovah's
witness shack now.  
In the late 70s, my father took me to see a movie. i don't remember the
name, but it was the scariest thing i ever saw in my young life. It was
about some guys hunting Bigfoot in the forest, but then the monster
turned around to become the hunter. i was terrified. So much so that i
thought i'd pee my pants (i was eight). i asked my father to take me to
the men's room pronto, but he was so into the movie that he sent me on
my own (note: it was a different world back then that you could send a
child somewhere alone). Anyway, i got LOST. i wound up i the basement
somewhere, wandering about. It was like a dungeon, like the Labyrinth
i'd read about in school. i snuck around for a half hour trying to
escape it. It was ghosty silent and every little sound was hauntingly
creepy. i started thinking about the damn Bigfoot. Through the darkness,
i'd made it to the boilerroom and a tiny salvation of some light.
Then...  it had to happen. A big fat RAT ran right by my foot.  It
wasn't until then that i'd bloody remembered i had to pee! i "dampened"
my underwear. i had to hustle and "use the floor" to relieve myself of
the majority of it. At long last, i discovered an escape route. Dusty
old stars at the back of the building that also smelled like urine.
Didn't stop me though. i was all too happy to climb them. The problem i
now faced was...  i'd left the building. With no ticket stub on me, i
just waiting outside till the audience filed out. i waved my father down
through the glass door. He said "Where were you? Did you take a dump
too?" i scarcely knew where to begin with explaining.
Robert Harney - Bayonne

 As for movie stories, how about the days that we drove backwards 
into the drive in movies. If the operators only saw red lights they did 
not expect free loaders.
       
        Also the day my brother Joe took us to MSG to see the circus. We 
thought he had tickets, but, he had us walk in backwards at a casual 
rate, again only to see the back of heads aroused no suspicion.

Rich Kaminski - Pennsylvania

I remember wanted to sse two movies at the square.  My buddy and I 
had enough money between us so that we could go to the movie at the 
State and still let one of us get into the Lowe's after we saw the movie at 
the State.  We went to the state and I talk my buddy into giving me the 
money to pay for my ticket.  I told him that I would open one of the doors 
that lead in the alley by Liss'.  I got into the movie and then went over to 
the doors by the Alley.  When I opened the doors I found an usher 
waiting for me.  They found him waiting outside and because he was 
honest about what he was doing they they him in for nothing.  In the 
meantime, they were actually nice to me and I got yeld at but they let me 
stay for the movie.
Dan Beards - Randolff

You know how the old story went.  You chip in to pay for one ticket, the 
bearer of which is obligated to go to the side door of the Strand on Fairmont 
Ave and allow his friends to sneak in. Being one of maybe three or four guys 
who each chipped in four cents, you sort of felt like a guy buying a stock on 
an inside tip.  Waiting with great excitement on the outside was the best.  
It seemed like an eternity waiting for the door to burst open.  The plan was 
to rush the door as soon as it opened and then scatter throughout the 
theatre.  There was, however, an element of surprise, because sometimes the 
door would fling open and you would plunge into the darkness directly into 
the waiting arms of the manager but, alas, that was the risk you took.
Even more fun was the feeling of extraordinary competence and ontopofitness 
when you were sitting safe and sound in your  seat as you began to watch the 
first of three features which might be three Tarzan flicks (my favorites as I 
fancied myself as Jimmy of the Jungle) or perhaps three horror movies.  Let's 
not forget the cartoons and the newsreels which preceded each showing.  What 
a deal !  So there you are.  Safely ensconced in your seat watching the movie 
when suddenly a blinding flash of light destroys your night vision and makes 
your eyes close.  This flash, of course, is accompanied with the simultaneous 
and unmistakable clang of the big metal door.  Shadowy figures become visible 
in the aisles as they scurry to find "their" seats.  Two minutes go by and 
the theatre settles back to normal as this whole scene is repeated again. And 
again !  At some point a threshold is achieved and the whole theatre begins 
to ignore the movie as the side door is opening and closing so fast, and 
there are so many kids running around and laughing that it's now impossibe to 
focus on the screen.  The manager and the ushers with their flashlight beams 
darting from face to face desperately trying to determine who just opened the 
door and who didn't buy a ticket.  Just as they think the have somebody , the 
door opens again and six more kids dart in.  Occasionly they apprehend a 
suspect and lead him out of the theatre but that never seemed to be a very 
effective deterrant.  What could be more fun ?  As I recall the tickets were 
only 16 cents, but that was beside the point.......I've been going to movies 
for fifty years since then.  Now I pay, most of the time.
Jim Nation - Vero Beach

Jed,
   One time it seemed like the whole neighborhood sneaked in the Rialto(which 
we called the"Rathole") We counted 48 kids,so myself and Jack Shaeffer went 
out the front door and sneaked in the side door again to make it 50. Its a 
record that will stand forever now that kids don't sneak in anymore.  
Joe Leach - Toms River

Memories of the Rialto - by Ken Schark as told to Pat Schark (Missouri)

My early movie theater adventures never made it as far as Journal 
Square.  I and my partners-in-crime never made it beyond the Rialto on 
West Side Avenue, and for a very good reason: we lived closest to the 
Rialto and even then were a bunch of lazy clods.

Speaking of partners-in-crime, I can't remember all their names.  That's 
not surprising, though, considering there are a lot of things I don't 
remember.  I do remember Larry Malone, Charlie somebody-or-other, and 
of course Jack McDonough.  It will be a sad day when I forget Jack 
McDonough stories.

I don't remember who first suggested that we skip the ticket office on our
 way to the theater, but we all agreed it was a great idea.  Besides, 
everyone else was doing it too.  Our m.o. was simple, as we were not 
capable of complex thoughts.  Some things never change.


But I digress.  Our plan was to pool our ready cash (10 cents each) and 
choose one person to buy a ticket.  He would then come around to the 
side exit door and open it for the others.  We'd furtively sneak in, being very 
careful not to be seen by our nemesis, an old eagle eyed usher (about 35 yrs old) 
who was bound and determined to evict us.  But we were quicker than 
he was - at least we were then.  Now is another story.

Besides, as I said before, everyone else was doing it too.  What choice 
did we have when our parents were either unwilling or unable to give us 
entertainment money on a regular basis?  We were too young to work at 
a paying job - 8 to 11 year-olds were not in great demand - and Jersey 
City didn't have too many lawns that needed mowing.  So you might say 
that circumstances forced us into a life of crime.

At least, that's the way I recall those years.  Does anyone out there 
remember it differently?

hey jed  you made me think of years  back i would say  about 1945.ww2  my 
aunt and i were at the orpheum ( don't know if it is still there).  somebody 
came in and yelled the war is over so everybody got up to run outside  well  
how many sunk in after everybody was returning to the movies is a good 
question the war wasn't over  yet.

  cy tarantino - lakewood

Sinbad the Sailor and the Loews Theater Runaround

By Thomas Belton

We went to the theatre to see the �Seventh Voyage of Sinbad�, the new 
'claymation' epic with Evil Wizards controlling Cyclopean giants who 
ripped bodices off of nubile princesses shrunken to the size of tiny yellow
 canaries; and evil two-headed Rocs, giant mythic birds whose eggshell 
was needed by Sinbad to bring the pint size beauty back to her normal 
size, so he could get engaged and then abandon her for some other 
adventure. The Movie was premiering at the Loews Theatre at Journal 
Square in Jersey City, and as the gang got off the Central Avenue Bus 
we saw that the line extended from under the Marquee, past Boulevard 
Drinks and all the way up to the front entrance of Liss' Drug Store.

My brother Jack, like a good general, took up a position at the end of the
 line, but sent me forward to the box office to reconnoiter under the 
running lights, and find out what the chances were of getting in. Like a 
sacrificial lamb to the wolves I strolled past the milling minions of fantastic
 filmography, dollars clutched in my sweaty little hand; and as I 
approached the front of the humming line I began sidling to jump the line, 
the ability to walk sideways into a crowd and not be seen, as if you were
 really just there all along. 

Didn�t work. Regardless of my subterfuge and my small size, 
unobservable to most adults, I was pummeled by a number of toughs,
 most appeared to be from Triangle Park up in Greenville based on the 
strange accent they had, a sneering lisp that only a Henry Snyder High
 School education could create. 

I repaired back to Jack, beaten but not broken and gave him the bad 
news. At that moment an Usher from the Theatre came walking down 
the line chanting, in a death knell voice, �Show�s sold out.� A sigh like a 
punctured balloon went around us as we realized that our afternoon�s 
chance to see sword fights and flame-breathing dragons was at an end. 
But as we wandered up to the broad intersection across the Square and 
on to the Concourse, where we intended to spend our movie money on 
Nedicks hot dogs and orangeade, Jack noticed Johnny C. in the front of 
the line. A kid we knew from the Arlington Gardens projects by The 
Junction.

Jack quickly cased out the fact that Johnny had a ticket and was well 
on his way to being the only kid from The Junction to see Sinbad do his 
thing that morning; but Jack ever full of ideas, made Johnny an offer he 
couldn�t turn down. He slipped him half of the money he collected from 
the five of us, and then he shooed us all up around the corner and up 
the alley behind the Loews, to wait on the far side of the building in the 
shadowed recesses.

After about fifteen minutes when I was beginning to believe that Johnny 
C. had stiffed us and was going to get a legendary beating once we got 
back to the Gardens, the Theatre�s steel exit door swung open with an 
earth-shattering clang, revealing Johnny's grinning face flushed with 
felonious, blinking surprise. 

"Go," he shouted. And we went.

The door slammed shut behind us as we penetrated the sacred, 
darkened hollow of the Loews and scattered in all directions, a muffled 
cheer going up from the full house as the ushers moved in for the kill. Cut
 off by one approaching usher Joey N., my best friend, tried to push 
through an aisle but the people only pushed him back the harder, so Joe 
nimbly crawled up onto one of the armrests and attempted to tightrope 
walk across the screaming patrons who laughingly pushed him off 
balance from below. 

I followed Jack who made a dash out through a small side door, which 
led to the lobby. Seeing more ushers descending on us, we ran upstairs 
then out onto the mezzanine promenade that overlooked the lobby 
proper; a circular pathway suspended above the opulent entrance hall. 
We booked into it not realizing that it was a shortcut to nowhere, sending
 us back the way we'd come, pursued by a screaming usher, and looking
 down I noticed a Cop come running in through the swinging front doors. 

Putting on a flash of speed I followed Jack, who lapped the mezzanine 
and kept right on going, up into a darkened balcony where the opening 
scenes from the movie illuminate a thousand faces of screaming kids, but
 no seats to plop into, so we kept running right out the other side and 
back down the stairs again, and into the theatre proper, where looking 
up at the silver screen I saw a Wizard in evil black robes threatening 
Sinbad with a magic staff; but not to tarry I kept right on running. 

I saw Joe and our other friends being dragged up the isle by the Cop, as
 Jack and I made our way down towards the screen where ushers 
pincered in on us from both sides of the Theatre, and without thinking, I 
hit the red-lit exit food like a fullback running for daylight, and shot 
through with Jack right behind me, and found ourselves right back where
 we started. Turning around I looked in disbelief as a smiling usher slowly 
dragged the door shut with all the finality of a death sentence. 
Tom Belton - Haddonfield

   From 1942 through Spring 1946, I snuck into only three theaters;
Stanley; Orpheum ; Loew's. I never bothered with the State. Of course, it
was difficult, if not impossible to sneak in the movie theaters alone, so
these experiences must include in spirit, the names Joe D., Robby L.,
Tommy G., Jack F., Jamie L., plus a few others whose names escape me for
the time being. This fine group usually hung out around the parking lot
side of the old courthouse, located on Newark Ave. above Baldwin. It
almost seems that�s all we did for pastime - - sneak into the movies. 
        As a Foreword, let it be said that we only snuck in for the fun
of it - - pure mischief. It wasn't that we couldn't afford admission. We
had the money. As a matter of fact, most times after the movies, we went
over to Mullally�s Restaurant, across the street from the Orpheum, for a
bowl of soup and a buttered roll for twenty cents. Mullally�s was more
notable for its architecture than its food, because it went through from
Summit Avenue to Newark Avenue, just a few doors down from Five Corners,
on each side. Although I snuck into Stanley, and Loew�s many times, those
entrees were fairly clinical. Our best fun sneaking in, was at the
Orpheum, where we had fun inside in addition to simply sneaking in.
Here�s my Orpheum story.
        The Orpheum.  For all of our young readers, The Orpheum was at
591 Summit Ave., between the Five Corners and Cottage Street. It is no
longer there, as Hudson City Savings Bank expanded into that property
many years ago. The bank maintains its original postal address as 587
Summit Ave.
        Sneaking into the Orpheum was not unusual in itself. It was what
went on after we were inside. We would go around the rear of the building
and after climbing a couple of high fences, we would find ourselves on
the north side of the theater. We usually waited until twilight time so
the visibility would be low when we would be doing this. We were able to
work totally undetected as it seemed we were in the center of the block.
By giving the lightest guys in the group a boost, we were able to reach
the fire escape ladder. Now anyone who has ever lowered such a ladder
knows how noisy they are. So, it seemed like many minutes passed just
lowering the ladder slowly, so we would make the minimum amount of noise.
        Once the ladder was lowered, we walked up the fire escape to the
uppermost level. The emergency exit door was easily, but very gently,
opened directly into the very top of the balcony seating. We waited �til
near dark for this sneak-in was because light would show directly into
theater area. Literally creeping into the balcony area one-at-a-time, and
directly into the seating area, we would just sit for a few minutes,
acting real cool.
        When we felt comfortable, one at a time we would walk down two
flights of inside stairways to the orchestra. Did I mention that we only
snuck in when there was vaudeville on the schedule?  "5 - Vaudeville Acts
- 5"  Now the fun for mature teenageers begins. We would brazenly go to
the front of the orchestra and sit in the first row-center!  If there
were not enough empty seats for us, we simply told people to move. Rarely
did we have to settle for seats in the second row. As there was
vaudeville Thursday evening through Sunday evening, we of course, started
sneaking in on Thursday evening. On that first evening we would be on our
very best behavior, but intently listening to the comedians� punch lines.
After the vaudeville performance, we left the theater as the perfect
gentlemen we were - - via the main lobby of course.
        On Saturday evening, when the audience was largest, we would
repeat all of the above except that we didn't behave ourselves when the
vaudeville came on stage. At the appropriate moment, we mature teenagers
would turn to face the audience, and in very loud voices, we would
deliver all the comedians� punch lines. Needless to say, this went over
real big with the comedians, and Orpheum management didn't appreciate it
much either. The preposterous part of this is that we would do this every
other week and get away with it. That is, until management came to us
after "our" punch lines were delivered and asked us to leave. The nerve!
        I always got a cold sweat sneaking into the Orpheum like that, as
my parents were regular Orpheum goers, particularly on Saturday evenings.
Yet, our paths never crossed there. Whew!
        Footnote: I think theaters in general, were easy. My greatest
challenge was trying to figure out a way to sneak into the cathedral of
baseball - - Yankee Stadium. I truly believe it is impossible. And I
examined it many times in the mid-to-late �40s!  Never could do it.
Lee Bracey - Woodridge

 When I was an usher at the Stanley Theater I noted that the manager 
had a key on  his wall that opened the door that connected to the 
second floor of the office building next door to the theater.  One day I "
borrowed" the key and ran out and had a duplicate made, and for years I
admitted friends via this access.  There would be large groups of 25 
who regularly attended the special weekend late night horror shows via 
this entry point.
Charlie Trainor - West Orange

my favorite was: two of us would go into the theater 
and we'd ask the ticket taker if we could get jobs here. 
he says wait here i'll get the manager leaving us alone. 
naturally we hot footed up to the balcony and sat separately
'til the flashlights and the usher patrol heat was off. 
i think this worked numerous times until they got wise to us.
Fxty Yeck - Idaho

MY BROTHER IN LAW KRZYSZTOF..... PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS - by JEDSKI

Several years ago I was traveling around Europe and staying with friends, and you know those public service announcements that we have on TV here that say "it's 10:00 do you know where your children are?" - well when I was staying in England with Beryl and Dave Nauls they had something similar ..... it said "it's 10:00 do you know where your husband is?" Then I hopped the English Channel and was staying with Eric Durivault in Paris, and don't you know they also had something similar .... only it was worded "it's 10:00 do you know where your wife is?" Finally I got to Kryz' house in Poland, and sure enough another TV announcement with the wording again slightly changed. This time it said "it's 10:00 do you know what time it is?"

@JEDSEY.COM - this issue LOCAL ARTIST RICHARD LA ROVERE ONLINE GALLERY

The newest additions and changes for our online network of readers are included here. Add these address changes to your e-mail listings, and send a note to an old friend today. We will direct link to your websites as they come on line, and there are also websites of local interest included here. Save any or all of these sites in your favorite places. Click below to access new and previously published links and addresses. A few years ago we featured a drawing of the Summit House done by local artist Richard La Rovere. This issue's featured website provides an online link to an entire gallery of La Rovere's prints of local subjects. The best search engine for finding the JJ is now google.com, while, courtesy of Pierre Armani, MBA, the JJ can now also be reached by simply typing "jedsey.com" in your browser window. Also there are still some who do not recognize that the JOURNAL does not get mailed to you - it is always at the same spot until it is replaced by the new issue at that same spot (the address never changes so keep it saved in your cache of favorite places). Finally, we are still rebuilding our mailing lists after computer problems around Christmas. If you have not received recent notifications it means you email address has been lost. Simply click on letters to the editor and get reconnected.

• (click here for Jedsey Journal Network e-mail address list)

• (click here for Jedsey Journal Network list of Internet Links)

COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS - -

• ST MICHAELS CLASS OF 1954 - Plans will be made shortly for the 50th reunion. Anyone in this class or anyone who knows of someone in the class of '54 - please e-mail: Bette Clare Theile McCloskey -([email protected]) We are in need of many addresses . - -Thanks! By the way - I love reading the Jedsey-you do a great job! BC

Hi Jed - Thank you very much for your interest and support.

We've made modest progress.  

Everything is also going well with our plans at the casino in the park
in Jersey City.   Nice to be back.

Have heard nothing from Steve Levine.  If your contact could e-mail me
with any info at all, I'd try to track him down.  

And, if you can run this updated list that would be terrific.

Thanks again 

Bill Kistulinec

LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL -  JUNE 1955  -  SEPTEMBER 6, 2003 REUNION							
				
		LAST NAME		FIRST NAME
				
		ANDREWS, 		BETTY
		BERKOWITZ, 		AARON
		BOYD, 		BETTE
		BUCHWALD, 		ARLENE
		BURNS, 		MARY
		CHINIGO, 		JEAN
		CLAY, 		CHARLES
		DOLAN, 		JOSEPH
		FONT, 		MILLICENT
		HAUPTMAN, 		JERRY
		HILL, 		ADDIE
		JONES, 		JANICE
		KOONTZ	, 	CAROLINE
		LA MANNA, 		CARMINE
		LETTIERI, 		BARBARA
		LEVINE, 		STEPHEN
		MACK, 		MARTIN
		MULLEN, 		RICHARD
		O'NEALL, 		GEORGE
		PULK, 		VIOLA
		SCHEID, 	JOHN
		SCHOWERS, 		LAURETTE
		SIPE, 		FRANCES
		SKOWRONSKI, 		EDWARD
		SMITH, 		HERMIONE
		VAN WAGNER, 		DIANE
		WALLINGTON, 		FRANCES
		WEBER, 		CAROLE
		WILSON	, 	BEVERLY
			
(pls contact)				
Janet Malast Kirpan	 [email protected]		   908  753-9386	
Bill Kistulinec	 [email protected]		   732  469-5240	

• Hi Jed,- Keep up the good work. It is a wonderful resource for pleasant memories.Best regards, (Janet Malast Kirpan - Watchung )

Nice issue!!  (Tim Gryzlak, Jersey City)

• Hello Mr.Jed, thanks for your message also address to England. Happy Birthday for you and for your Daddy. From England still I have not message I think when Slovakia will be in EU will be more eassy fined work. Again I will try in September to get Visa to Amerika or to Canada I will see. Many regards for everybody from (Bozena Gabriova - Slovokia)

• In regard to the question of the previous name for the Grapevine Bar, me boss Thomas Mulcahey says that this has always been the name. It is the oldest bar in Jesey City and was re-opened after Prohibition with the first Liquor License given out in this town. - (Don O'Sullivan - Bartender)

My favorite in the last issue was Bob Leach's story about Hague and Kenny. 
I also enjoyed seeing again those photos from the Stanley.
you were right - we all did take those old theaters for granted
(Dennis Hanlon - Manhattan)

• keep your great work and thanks. (Francis Yeck - Idaho)

Dear John    Thank you very much for taking time to respond to my little 
cousin's (Joan the Witch) request to put me on your mailing list. I will 
keep checking as I enjoyed the articles about Frank Hague very much. 
It was Joan and my uncle who was Frank Hague's trusted aide 
(Dorothy Monahan  - Hazlet)

• Who would have thought that your JJ would still be on the presses almost fifty years later. It was a good idea then and it's even better now !! (Jim Nation - Florida)

I received your website from my brother-in-law, Don Marron (St. Al's ' 52) 
and really enjoyed the path down memory lane.  I graduated from St. Al's in 
'56 and I believe we were acquaintances through Bobby McLoughlin, perhaps you 
remember me.  Please add me to your mailing list.

Glad to hear back from you, and that our connection wasn't lost.  When Donald 
Marron sent this to me, I thought that can't be the infamous Jed D. , but, of 
course, it must be the one and the same.  

Thanks,
Fred Corbalis
New Mexico

• Please remove my name from your mailing list - (Roberta Amendola - San Diego)

Thanks for the heads-up about the Jersey City house tour. On the 18th I 
plan to take granson Jimmy to a sheep shearing and wool processing 
demo at Sturbridge.   
(Billy Bob Stewart -Industrial Archeologist - Connecticut)

Hey Jed,

            It was good to finally meet you! We went to some Irish bar
downtown afterwards. It was really a great weekend and I enjoyed seeing
some of my old Jersey City pals. I was happy to see that they are trying
to do something down at lafayette and we all agreed upon going again
next year!


(Joe Hajcak - Pennsylvania)

I find it hard to belive that Tom Gaynor is NOT in the Hudson County 
Sports Hall of Fame!!  - (Fred Cranwell - St Peters College)

• Glanced at your new newsletter - great job - informative and constructive, but I can't believe you wrote all that stuff about your sister. (Marie Laski - Summit)

 wow
I just read the last issue
i didn't realize that faith had just sat there while your mother was dying
that is so awful
I don't wonder why there are so many crazy people out there when it is so
hard for you to have something done about her.  Some people have no one to
pay attention to them and report on their craziness.  They just run around
shooting people.
 
That is one scarey person.
 
Anyway the whole issue was fascinating.
 
can't wait for the next issue.
 
deet - (Dietra Wright the good ex Seattle)

good grief
I had no idea your sister was that intensely wacko. poor ppd!
donna (Donna Aluminum sister of the good ex - Hawaii)

• Jed, .Always fun to read the Jedsey Journal. Hope allis well. (Bob.Murphy - Santa Barbara)

John, Thanks for the up date with the obit for Mr. Sheideberg. I 
remember him well from the Trig. class. 
(Tony Checkowski - Pennsylvania)

Hi Jed, 

Enjoyed the "Journal" again, and even lose sleep reading it, but it's worth it. 

Love (Cookie Cappelli - Bronx)

Tim, Gryzlak sent you a short story I wrote entitled Boot Camp. You
subsequently called and asked permission to publish. I said Ok and have
been scanning your website periodically for a few months and never saw
it. Today Tim sent me the most recent issue with a few comments from
readers that they liked it my story. I must be losing it. Could you
forward me the html for the issue of Jedsy Journal with my story in it.
Thanks.
(Tom Belton  - Haddonfield)

It was a pleasure meeting you too. Jed your website is fantastic. It brings 
out the soul of the history of Jedsey City.

Attached is a photograph of you taking part in Sunday's, May 18, 2003 West 
Bergen Lincoln Park Historic Walking Tour.

Thanks,

(Hugo Ortega - Jersey City)

Hi John: 

Thanks for the congrats on Vieques.� Free at last, free at last. 

You have been the third person to recommend this coffee bar show 
(Havana Bay).� I must really go.  

(Mariano Vega - Jersey City Councilman at Large)

Got a news flash for you John.

I just walked in the door a few mins ago from attending the Frankestein 
Film Festival at the Loews. I walked to the square with the intention of 
arriving about 5 minutes before the scheduled 8PM curtain time. Normally, 
on the few occasions when they've had an event, I could show up at the last 
minute and pop right in. Not tonight.

When I got there, just as scheduled, the misting had turned to genuine 
rain. A ticket line, two and three and even four wide in places, reflecting 
the arriving groups, stretched all the way around the block to where the 
old Liss' Drug Store used to be. There were many hundreds of people, few 
with umbrellas, happily standing in the rain. The box office had been open 
since 7:30PM but was overwhelmed by the size of the crowd.

As we shuffled forward, the Loews sent out volunteers to assure those 
waiting that there were plenty of seats and to promise that the show would 
not start until the line was taken care of.  The crowd remained in good 
humor and I did not notice a single person abandoning their place. I was 
told by one group that the Canton Tea Garden enjoyed one of its busiest 
nights in years, thanks to those who did the traditional thing.

I met people from Manhattan, Bayonne, Brooklyn, Newark, Short Hills and 
even Philadelphia. There were entire families. I doubt that this many 
people have been to a movie at this theater in 25 years. The program did 
not start until 8:45 PM but when it was over around 1:00 AM, most people 
had stayed to the end and then lingered in the lobby to talk and enjoy the 
beautiful setting we all admired as kids and young adults.

Another piece of local preservation news; This past Thursday afternoon, the 
NJ Department of Environmental Protection, acting on orders from the 
Governor, cancelled the contract of the much hated Liberty State Park 
Development Corporation. They were a group of out-of-town fat cats who let 
that ugly sprawling marina put up its boats storage yard and sheds on 
public land under a long-term sweetheart deal. They are the ones who were 
stopped by the local people when they tried to install a doll museum, water 
slide park, a private golf course and a stadium for performances that only 
a few people here could afford. They also still owe an explanation for a 
hefty six-figure revenue from parking fees that is reportedly unaccounted 
for. Good riddance.

My web development and hosting business (www.buildinghosting.com), now 
about 8 years old, continues to grow steadily. I created sites and now am 
web master for dozens of small Caribbean hotels, as well as two web sites 
for the National Writers Union (UAW local 1981, AFL-CIO) for which I hold 
two elective offices. I also built sites for the popular Lee Sims 
Chocolates store on Bergen Avenue (www.leesimschocolates.com) . The archive 
for my former nationally syndicated newspaper column (www.travelthenet.com) 
still attracts a few hundred visitors per day.  I celebrated my 70th 
birthday in March by assembling a new computer.

Thanks and keep the Jedsey Journal going.

Joe Harkins
resident in the restored Fairmount Hotel apartments since 1996
cured of cancer in 1996 (hang in there JED - it happens)
Dickinson HS, June 1951

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JUL/AUG (SCHEDULED ONLINE 7/30) - - HUDSONTOWN IS A SUMMER FESTIVAL - - THE WAY WE WERE (BATMAN AND ROBIN) - BOB LEACH - BEST OF JEDSEY - JCNJ REDUX (FINE DINING AT 'TWAN'S) - WHERE ARE THEY NOW - - AND MUCH MORE