One of my favorite Jersey Shore Scene writers, Jack Grodeska interviewed and attended an investigation with Mike Mazza, who spoke at last night’s event. The results of Jacks ghost hunting experience were documented on this site back in October 2021: https://jerseyshorescene.com/thanks-for-the-nightmares-mike/
The event was held at The Shrewsbury Historical Society led by the D.A.R. These are ladies who have deep roots in our country and strive to keep bringing about honor to those who are serving and those who served. I was so impressed with all of them and will speak more of The Daughters of The American Revolution at another time.
Mike took the stage and first asked if anyone in attendance ever had a “Paranormal Experience.” Multiple hands went up and we heard from several women about their truly inexplicable encounters with the unknown.
I should mention that before Mike started his presentation, a radio came on by itself in the kitchen. DAR member JoAnn Slocum Mazzucca pointed it out to us, as apparently, this happens frequently. After Mike spoke, JoAnn, myself and Mike decided to go look at that radio.
I was expecting an antique radio, but no, it was an up-to-date version that also displays the time. Perched on a shelf in the kitchen, it looks to be just a normal room until you turn to the back and see the eyes of some very creepy dolls staring right at you!
Mike and JoAnn asked the dolls if any of them were responsible for the radio shenanigans, and they were very coy.
JoAnn suggested we move our “investigation” upstairs, where more creepy dolls resided as well as many artifacts from the past. Mike put his “flux” on a couch next to several dolls and asked if there was anyone with us, to please touch the flux. This device is used for simple Yes and No answers.
In his hand, he held a voice box that is able to detect sounds, words, shrieks, and you name it spoken from those on the other side. The flux did not go off, but boy were these guys vocal! JoAnn and Mike were able to ascertain with a few questions that a “Sam” was with us and answered “war” when asked if he served in the American Revolution.
JoAnn had a strong sense Sam was behind her the entire time and I ran my cellphone video in hopes of capturing him. We were all very cold, my hair was honestly standing up on my arms and I had goosebumps all over. This feeling did not leave me until I exited later for my car. I sent the video to Mike who is combing through it for what we missed during our investigation. We later learned that there are uniforms up in that attic from the Revolutionary War. Perhaps Sam was protecting his.
If you know me, you know I believe there is so much more to our world than what we can see. There is a “knowing” that we are not alone and an acceptance that there is so much we will never be able to understand. Sometimes, there is no logic. Like last night, I went as a guest to hear Mike Mazza. I never expected to be a part of an actual investigation or to actually speak with spirit. But I am grateful for the invitation and hope to have many more out-of-this-world experiences!
To watch more of Mikes documentaries and to support independent filmmaking, click here: https://mobfitv.com/videos/tracking-the-paranormal/
]]>During the respite home’s formative years, guests enjoyed veggie and hummus wraps made by volunteers. It wasn’t until the non-profit moved into its current custom-built, 10-bedroom, bed-and-breakfast-style home with a large teaching kitchen that an in-home chef was added into the equation. Chef Catherine Russo has lovingly taken the hospitality of Mary’s Place by the Sea to the next level. As a chef for over thirty years in the culinary world, working in a plant-based kitchen would be a new, exciting challenge for Cathy. She set out to find and create plant-based dishes for the guests of Mary’s Place, which would not only nourish them physically but emotionally as well. Over the last six years, her dishes have filled Mary’s Place by the Sea with all of the sensations of home.
Mary’s Place by the Sea has offered Nutrition Education since its founding. These sessions help guests as they navigate life with cancer and learn which foods can nourish them as they go through their treatment. Having an in-home chef has taken that education and served it up on a literal plate for the guests, who love to sit around the counter in the large teaching kitchen and ask Cathy questions about what she’s preparing, hanging on to every tip and trick she has to offer. In 2017, Mary’s Place by the Sea released its first fundraising cookbook. Guests, volunteers and supporters of Mary’s Place now had access to the recipes that were so much a part of our new home. 
At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, Mary’s Place by the Sea had to quickly pivot to a virtual services program, bringing the services of Mary’s Place into the homes of over 600 participants each month. One of these services was a Cooking and Nutrition Education Class, where Chef Cathy and Mary’s Place Health Coach Laurie Gowen combined efforts, teaching nutritious, comforting recipes to the guests of Mary’s Place. These classes have been adored by the guests of Mary’s Place ever since, and were the inspiration for Mary’s Place by the Sea’s Cookbook Volume II “From Our Home to Yours”. These classes became the “test kitchen” for Chef Cathy as she crafted new recipes that would nourish our guests’ bodies and souls.
This cookbook allows the reader to step into the plant-based way of eating with ease and enjoyment. From Oat Milk French Toast to Vegan Taco Buddha Bowls, and from Roasted Tomato Soup to Sloppy Jack Sandwiches, these dishes are proven to please even the most discerning tastes. Including over 150 colorful pages of vegan recipes and mouth-watering photos. “From Our Home to Yours” features dishes that have been lovingly prepared for the guests of Mary’s Place by the Sea by Chef Catherine Russo. This book is the perfect gift for a loved one or anyone who wants to prepare plant-based meals that are both healthful and delicious.
“From Our Home to Yours” can be purchased for $45 at marysplacebythesea.org
]]>“As a child, I visited Sea Girt at least once a month to visit my grandparents – it was only after my film, Coogan’s Way, was accepted to GSFF that festival founder Diane Raver and I discovered that she lived two doors down from my grandparents,” said Anderson.
Anderson continued, “So many of my favorite and most treasured childhood memories took place in this area, so it is a real thrill to be able to bring my film to this community.”
Coogan’s Way tells the story of how a small Irish pub in one of New York City’s roughest and toughest neighborhoods became a force for good and a hub for politics, sports, culture, and arts. And how decades later, when the owners were faced with the challenges of a rapidly changing NYC real estate market, their diverse and dynamic clientele fought for this beloved institution. Interviewees include: Jared Harris, Luis Miranda (father of Lin-Manuel Miranda), New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Former New York Rep. Charles Rangel, Jim Dwyer.
“This is a film not to be missed about communities coming together when one of them is in need and the importance of that sense of community no matter where you live,” said Garden State Film Festival founder and Sea Girt resident, Diane Raver.
After graduating from Penn and Oxford, Glenn studied at NYU’s Graduate Film program before beginning a twenty-year career in the broadcasting industry, including a stint as a US Senior Producer at BBC News. Today, he is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Media Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Coogan’s Way premiered at the Harlem International Film Festival in May of 2021 and has since screened at other festivals in Virginia, California, Australia, New York City and on multiple PBS affiliates. Just last week it received an Award of Excellence from the Broadcast Education Association.
The Garden State Film Festival New Jersey Premiere screening of Coogan’s Way will be on Saturday, March 26th at 830PM at Asbury Lanes.
New this year, films will be accessible online the following week March 28-April 3, 2022 from the comfort of your own home.
This year’s 20th Anniversary celebration will include world premieres, celebrities, industry panels, parties, and networking, along with entertainment for all.
You may purchase an In-Person Multi-Pass that grants access to all In-Person Films, March 23-March 27, 2022, for $75 or choose a Saturday In-Person Day Pass for $30 and a Sunday In-Person Day Pass for $20. All In-Person single screening block tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door while supplies last.
Can’t make it to the In-Person events? Don’t worry, GSFF has you covered with virtual online access. You may choose to purchase a Virtual All-Access Pass that grants access to all Virtual Films, March 28-April 3, 2022, for $44.99 or see one film for $10, 5 films for $17 or 10 films for $25. Be sure to catch the virtual component of the Festival March 28 to April 3. To learn more, visit https://gardenstatefilmfestival.eventive.org
For tickets and more information about this film and other programs, please visit www.gsff.org.
About the Garden State Film Festival:
A 501-c-3 non-profit organization, created to promote the art of filmmaking on all levels. This globally recognized festival also provides creative arts education programs and creates a forum where local and international independent filmmakers can exhibit their work. Their outreach programs also support the U.S. Military, seniors, children and the underserved. Since 2003, thousands of films have made their public premieres, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have attended; and the total infusion of cash to local businesses since inception exceeds $9 million. It is held in Asbury Park and the surrounding area as well as Cranford, NJ.
For more information about our sponsors please visit:
https://www.gsff.org/sponsors/
For more information visit gsff.org or email [email protected]
For social media updates on the GSFF, please visit the sites below:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardenStateFilmFestival/
Twitter:https://twitter.com/GardenStateFilm
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gardenstatefilmfestival
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JSAC Performing Arts Classes:
- Amanda Addotta
NEW “Absolute Beginner Latin Dance” – Tuesdays & Thursdays 5pm – 6pm Ballroom
NEW “Absolute Beginner Choreo” – Tuesdays & Thursdays 6pm – 7pm Ballroom
Classes start 3/29 and last day May 5. - Renee Bang Allen
NEW “Stage Performance” – Thursdays 5 pm – 6 pm Herbst Theater with David Ross Lawn
“On-Camera Performance” – Thursdays 6 pm – 7 pm with Brendan Ell in the Herbst Theater
Classes start 3/31 and last day May 5. - Grace Weidner
NEW “Grounding Yoga for Self Love” – Mondays & Thursdays 7 pm – 8 pm Ballroom
Classes start 3/28 and the last day of class is May 5. - Sheila Duane
NEW “Intro to Playwrighting” – Thursdays 7 pm – 8 pm Herbst
Classes to start 3/31 and last day May 5
JSAC Visual Arts Classes:
- Paul Bonelli – Classes start April 2, 2022
Saturdays – Room 3 – Arts Education Room
10 am to 12 noon – “Basic Drawing” NEW
1 pm to 3 pm – “Beginner Acrylic” NEW - Jeanne Power-Galli – Classes start March 31, 2022
Thursdays – Room 3 – Arts Education Room
6 pm to 8 pm – “Watercolor Studio” NEW - Anastasia Lawyer – Classes start March 30, 2022
Wednesdays – Room 3 – Arts Education Room
6 pm – 8 pm – “Pyrography” (Wood Burning) - Barbara Klein – Classes start March 29, 2022
Tuesdays – Room 3 – Arts Education Room
6 pm – 8 pm – “Fun with Abstract Painting”
Please go to our website to register, classless are filling up fast!
Registration is open until March 27 or until the class fills up.
If you have any questions, please contact our main office at (732) 502-0050 or [email protected]
See you soon, thank you for supporting our arts programming!
]]>Join us for our Art Exhibition Opening!
The opening night event is free and open to the public as part of our nonprofit mission to support local artists and arts programming.
Performances are Thursdays, Fridays at 8 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm and 8 pm; Sundays at 2pm, March 17th through April 10th
For tickets call 732-229-3166 or visit www.njrep.org.
Directed by SuzAnne Barabas, The Forest stars veteran actor of stage, screen and television, Jenny O’Hara, along with Dana Brooke, most recently seen at NJ Rep in Multiple Family Dwelling, Armando Acevedo and Christopher Grant, both new to NJ Rep’s company.
What to do when life gives you lemons? – Build a forest in your living room. A play about life, love, and fairytales. Juliet (Brooke) is going through a messy divorce and finds herself back home with her eccentric mother (O’Hara), who is going through a crisis of her own. Add to the mix a single dad, who is a former actor, now a caregiver (Acevedo), and a senior High School student (Grant) trying to find his way, and you get a play that is funny, poignant, and magical.
The Forest will grow in your hearts.
Please be advised, in order to maintain a safe space for our audience and our staff, we ask that all patrons provide proof of vaccination, and masks must be worn.
The Forest
New Jersey Repertory Company: 179 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ 07740
Performance Schedule March 17th – April 10th, 2022
Thursdays 8:00pm, Fridays 8:00pm, Saturdays 3:00pm & 8:00pm, Sundays 2:00pm
Ticket Price: $55.00
Call 732-229-3166 for reservations
For more information about New Jersey Repertory Company, visit www.njrep.org.
-CAST-
Jenny O’Hara, is delighted to be a part of this wonderful new play at NJ Rep. She is a veteran of both stage and film with credits spanning five decades. Some of her recent television appearances include recurring roles on Transparent, The Mindy Project and The King of Queens, as well as guest-starring roles on Perry Mason, The Good Doctor, This is Us, The Kids are Alright, Chicago Fire, and American Housewife to mention a few. She has starred on Broadway in The Odd Couple (female version), The Iceman Cometh, Promises, Promises, The Kid, and The Fig Leaves are Falling. She made her Broadway debut in Dylan with Alec Guinness. Her film credits include Killing Eleanor, just released on Amazon and Apple TV+, Devil, Matchstick Men, Mystic River, Angie, Career Opportunities and Heartbeat. She is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre in NY and Ensemble Studio Theatre LA. So far, so good!
Armando Acevedo, is happy to be joining the New Jersey Repertory Company in their world premiere of Lia Romeo’s The Forest after participating in several readings of the play at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota. He recently appeared as Pablo in Native Gardens at Gulfshore Playhouse in Naples, as Bill in Mamma Mia! at American Stage in the Park in St. Petersburg, and as Amir in Gable Stage’s acclaimed production of Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer-winning Disgraced in South Florida. He has also played multiple doctors, lawyers and detectives on Telemundo and Univision. The Miami native received his graduate degree in theatre from the California Institute of the Arts and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.
Dana Brooke, Select New York credits: Baby on a Train (with Mike Birbiglia), Venecia (with
Chita Rivera), Claudia Laszlo (with Reed Birney), Vacuum (Cherry Lane), Love of a Pig
(Cardinal Group), as well as work with The Journey Company, The Lark, New Circle Theatre
Company, The NOW Collective, NYC Fringe. For B Street Theatre (Company Member):
Constellations, Ironbound, Venus in Fur, Other Desert Cities, Last Train to Nibroc (Trilogy),
Outside Mullingar, The Realistic Joneses, God of Carnage. Additional regional credits: George Street Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, New Jersey Repertory Company, Florida Repertory Theatre, Playhouse on Park, Last Frontier Theatre Conference, NNPN’s National Showcase of New Plays. Television credits: FX’s Damages, NBC’s Ed, Fox’s Canterbury’s Law. Dana was awarded best actress at the 2017 Reno Tahoe International Film Festival for the feature film Laura Gets a Cat.
Chris Grant, is an up-and-coming actor who is enrolled in the Equity Membership Candidate Program and has recently obtained a Bachelor of Arts Theatre degree at Kean University. Notable on-stage credits include Darnell King in Premiere Stages’ Brick City. He also played many roles at his alma mater Kean University as Lucius in Jesus Hopped The A Train and Lucien in Boys Next Door. He had recently won Premiere Stages’ Senior Endeavor Award for writing and wished to continue creating great work and inspiring the masses. To see more you can visit ChrisGrantActing.Com.
New Jersey Repertory Company
Lia Romeo (Playwright), is a playwriting fellow at the Juilliard School. Her play The Forest
was developed at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference. Her play Sitting and Talking, starring Dan Lauria and Wendie Malick, premiered at Mile Square Theatre, and has subsequently been presented by Laguna Playhouse, New Jersey Rep, Seven Devils New Play Foundry, and other companies. Other plays have been produced off-Broadway at 59E59 and regionally around the country. Four of her plays have been recognized by the Kilroys List. She was the winner of City Theatre’s National Short Playwriting Award, and has been a nominee or a finalist for the Heideman Award, the L. Arnold Weissberger Award, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Kesselring Prize, and the Steinberg Award. Her plays are published by Broadway Play Publishing, Playscripts, Dramatists Play Service, and Smith Kraus. She is the associate artistic director with Project Y Theatre Company, and she teaches playwriting at Primary Stages/ESPA and in the M.A. program in creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She earned her B.A. from Princeton and her M.F.A. in playwriting from Rutgers/MGSA.
SuzAnne Barabas (Director/Artistic Producer), has been the Artistic Director of NJ Rep for
the past 23 years. SuzAnne is a member of the Actors Equity Association, the Dramatist Guild, and the Society of Directors & Choreographers.
The production team for The Forest includes: SuzAnne Barabas (Director), Rose Riccardi
(Production Stage Manager), Patricia E. Doherty (Costume Design), Nick Simone (Sound
Design), Jessica Parks (Scenic Design), Jill Nagle (Lighting Design), Rachael Malloy (Assistant Stage Manager), Janey Huber (Assistant Lighting Design/Assistant Director), James Lockhart (Master Electrician), Brian Snyder (Technical Director).
We thank the following for their support: The Shubert Foundation, The Geraldine R. Dodge
Foundation, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, SBA Shuttered Venues Program, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, New Jersey CRF, NJEDA, JENNJOE Fund, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, OceanFirst Foundation, Princeton Area Community Foundation, Manasquan Bank, Community Foundation of New Jersey, Monmouth County CARES, Investors Bank Foundation, Jewish Communal Fund, Darien Family Fund, Vasi Laurence, Linda Mitchell, Caroline Huber.
During time spent as a stay-at-home Mom, Jeanne started dabbling more into art with a desire to master watercolor. She explains “it’s a very clean medium” but it didn’t come easy. One early teacher almost caused Jeanne to give it up entirely, but thankfully she didn’t and went on to take better classes with much better teachers.
Teaching art is something that Jeanne really wanted to do but first, she needed to educate herself on how to actually teach a class. This desire led to enrolling in the Studio Arts program at Brookdale Community College. I took one of her classes at Jersey Shore Arts Center and it’s so interesting to learn different watercolor techniques, especially dry brush- where the paper is dry and the brush is wet.
One of Jeanne’s watercolors really caught my eye and it’s a depiction of a woman she saw at the Women’s March in Asbury Park, on January 21, 2017. I asked about it and the story is both intriguing and a bit of a mystery!
After gathering by Wesley Lake that morning, Jeanne and some friends waited for the parade to begin and soon found themselves walking on the Asbury Park boardwalk. Halfway through, a gap opened up and a woman came running by carrying a sign that simply said: “Teach Peace!”
This vision had rainbow colors and flowers in her hair, a tasseled sweater, and that beautiful sign!
Realizing this was a painting in the making, Jeanne grabbed her cell phone and took a few pictures as the woman disappeared into the crowd. The strange thing is that Jeanne never saw that woman again during the rest of the march. She wanted to let her know “I took your picture!”
But it was not to be.
Instead, that ethereal image became a watercolor. To this day, Jeanne has no idea who this woman is, so we are asking- does anyone know her? Can you show her this article and ask her to reach out to us?
We’d love to meet her finally and hear her story.
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But there’s also quite a bit of talent that hails from West Orange, NJ. That’s where musician and songwriter Ray Andersen comes from. If walls could talk (or sing in this case), Rays Mom and Dad bought their family home from Carole King, yes that Carole King who wrote parts of Tapestry in THAT home!
And in that home, downstairs in the basement, Ray and his friends began playing. Starting on the drums, Ray remembers his first concert was drummer extraordinaire Buddy Rich, and from then on, he knew what he was going to do in life. Jamming in that basement led to local gigs, notably one at the South Mountain Ice Arena in West Orange where people skated by as Ray and his group were thinking they had hit the big time!
Self-taught in many other instruments and inspired by so many great musicians at the time, Ray continued playing with other bands when a new path opened up for him. He was asked to perform at a daycare center to help the kids calm down a bit and needless to say, they were mesmerized! The daycare center offered him a job on the spot and a new career was born as Mr. Ray.
Geared specifically for children, these shows are always positive and uplifting and the kids certainly never forget Mr. Ray. So often he is thanked by young adults who remember his shows as being a part of their childhood.
His rock n roll cred grew too. Always playing and growing a name for himself, Bobby Bandiera became a big supporter and a step up to bigger and better bands. Ray played with Bobby, Meat Loaf and of course, shared the stage with Bon Jovi and Bruce!
The positive energy doesn’t end there. In 2019, Ray and a dozen children sang songs of non-violence at the UN! This led to him being asked to serve as a representative for “Pathways to Peace” – a non-political (NGO) group that strives to bring like-minded people together in the name of peace.
I had the great fortune of seeing Ray last summer in his “Bowie and Beyond Tribute Show” on the beach in Seaside. It was as if Bowie himself was there and the crowd (and me) loved every minute. This group was not formed to be an exact replica of Bowie, but to celebrate all the different sounds and styles he created by using the strengths and talents of every member in this band. If you get a chance, it’s a must-see show.
https://www.bowieandbeyondshow.com/
Looking forward to the day when covid isn’t closing everything down, you can be sure to see Ray performing again in schools and local venues. He just finished writing a new musical called “OUTTA THIS WORLD: Kalien The Alien” and you know it’s all about inclusion, non-bullying and kindness. Look for it to be in local theaters soon.
For more information and to follow Ray go to: RayAndersen.com
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