SATURDAY JULY 25^TH SOULSATIONAL MUSIC AND WELLNESS FESTIVAL  bY Calvin Schwartz

For me any festival at the Jersey shore during the summer that  features music and wellness  is totally euphoric; ,the best of all worlds. Soulsational promises all that and the weather for tomorrow is totally perfect as well. My favorite expression: “get thee off the sedentary sofa”  and come down to Exit 77 of the Parkway. Festival runs from  11AM to 9 PM.     Calvin Schwartz

For more info:   https://www.facebook.com/SoulsationalMusicWellnessFestival

https://www.facebook.com/events/948110408556843/

A town wide event at Temple Rodeph Torah of Western Monmouth in Marlboro, New Jersey brought animal lovers together for a special celebration. The Blessing of the Animals celebration began with a gathering of pets and their owners seated before the Rabbi Donald Weber and Cantor Joanna Alexander. The Rabbi spoke of the love and bond between human and animal – “Our connections stretch back to creation and forward to a time when we may find our relationship free of domination and cruelty. We do not know how to measure the joy and spiritual well-being that animals, incapable of speech, provide for us, but we do know that their love is immeasurable and unconditional.”

Each of the blessings were done as individual prayers and songs for “God and Dog”, “Blessings for Cats”, “Blessings for Dogs” and “Blessings for All Animals.” Between songs of prayer and celebration, the Rabbi took special time to pray for the healing of sick animals and remembering animals that have died.

After the ceremony, neighbors, friends and families enjoyed snacks and refreshments beside a fire pit where children toasted marshmallows. The dogs were all wagging their tails and enjoying new friends.

President of the Temple, Larry Rosen, said this was the second year for The Blessing of the Animals and they will continue to celebrate this tradition annually.

-TaraJean McDonald Vitale
NJ Discover

A JERSEY SHORE SPECIAL COMING ATTRACTION: SPRING LAKE: THE IRISH FESTIVAL: SAT MAY 16   By Calvin Schwartz

The beauty of New Jersey lies not only along its shore coastline, or mountains in the northwest, or expanses of pine lands or in towns and hamlets along the Delaware River but in its indefatigable, diverse, resilient people. I’ve often written about New Jersey achieving its independence from New York and Philadelphia as we’ve become a pop culture phenomenon. You just have to look at movies and television; The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Jersey Shore,  Garden State, Jersey Boys or Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi and global music. New Jersey is hot.

It therefore becomes a perfect alignment when an event highlighting our diversity and rich cultural heritage originates from a quaint historic Victorian Jersey Shore town.  Welcome to the Spring Lake NJ Irish Festival Saturday May 16^th.  And suddenly there’s live music, cultural food, beer garden, contests, kids activities, Atlantic Ocean, Jersey Shore ambiance, sports personalities and more. What a perfect Saturday afternoon way before the long lines of summer.     Calvin Schwartz   4-29-15

Regarding the sports figures:  Ray  Lucas – Rutgers star, who played 7 years as an NFL  QB, including the NY Jets and is now a TV and radio broadcaster.

Jeff Feagles – Played 22 years in the NFL and earned the named Mr. Coffin for pinning the opposing team deep on their side of the field. Jeff also is a TV and radio broadcaster

Each will be autographing photos, items brought in and taking pictures for a nominal fee that will be 100% donated to a worthy local charity.

Ray and Jeff will appear between 1PM to 3PM.

NOT TO BE MISSED SPECIAL COMING ATTRACTION: New Jersey International Film Festival at Rutgers University: Screening of Joe Basile’s first  film, “WEST END”  Voorhees Hall, Rutgers, New Brunswick, Friday June 6^th 2014 7 PM   By Calvin Schwartz      

To me, in my journalistic world here in central Jersey, I’m always looking for those events and happenings that have the power and magnetism to extricate me from my worn and tattered sedentary part metal sofa and to partake of life in the fullest. When those events materialize, I’m thrilled to report and promulgate them.  Going to a film festival at our State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, in the summer time to see Jersey film maker Joe Basile’s first film, about people and places right here at the Jersey shore is akin to extricative nirvana.

Nirvana I said. I’m thrilled about this event.  You should be too.  Get yourself on campus. Make a day of it.  Get to the Zimmerli Art Musuem, a short walk away from Voorhees. Have lunch or dinner before the movie. New Brunswick has dozens of college town ambiance restaurants and watering places. More nirvana for me; I met Joe Basile last year at the Garden State Film Festival. We talked for an hour; precious time.  I walked away thinking I had just been back to the future and spent the past hour with a young Sylvester Stallone. Joe is dynamic, dedicated, electrified and imbued with a passion for film making and storytelling.  I saw ‘West End’ that day; a riveting, exceptionally and surprisingly well done, wonderfully crafted story of a ‘special’ Jersey (mob) family but with a unique imaginative twist. I love creativity in plot; ‘West End’ delivered. I also love adrenaline stimulation; ‘West End’ delivered that too.  See you on campus on June 6^th.     Calvin Schwartz   5-19-14  1:11pm

For more information:   http://www.westendthemovie.com/

FILM FESTIVAL INFO:  http://www.njfilmfest.com/screening.html#info

FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE:  https://www.facebook.com/events/697700243623605/

STORY LINE:

“WEST END is HAMLET revisited, Jersey style.

It’s been over ten years since Vic Trevi has been home, back to the Jersey Shore. Vic ran away to escape the embarrassment of being a Trevi. It’s not an ideal place to grow up when your mobster father is convicted of racketeering and sent to jail and your name is smeared all over the news.

After his father was sent to jail, Vic’s father’s brother JOHN raised him like his own. Uncle John put Vic through college, through law school – no questions asked. Vic left and never looked back.

Vic returns to Jersey days after his father has been murdered, a mob hit. As much as home seems the same, things have changed. Uncle John now rules the family that once belonged to his father. Vic’s best friend, ANGELO “BUDDY” BUCCELLATO, is married to Vic’s high school sweetheart, LAUREN McKINN. The one thing that hasn’t changed, Vic’s strained relationship with his mother, MARY.

Now, standing on the boardwalk of Seaside Heights, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, Vic wonders if coming home was the right choice.

There are so many questions that still haunt Vic about his father and family. Will he be able to forgive his mother? Will he reestablish the bond with his Uncle John that was formed after his father went to jail? More importantly – will he find any clues to his father’s murder?

Vic needs to find out the truth about his family before his family finds the truth out about him. Vic is an undercover FBI agent positioned to go against the people he calls family. He’s caught between the age-old struggle between duty to the law and duty to the people he calls family.

As Vic digs deeper, he unearths secrets about his father, mother, uncle, and friends that will change all of their lives forever.”

SCHEDULE FOR JUNE 6TH!!!!!!!!!!

Friday-June 6-Voorhees Hall #105-7PM $10; $9; $8

Free Food courtesy of Jimmy Johns will be given out prior to this screening of the New Jersey Film Festival!

Coney Island Dreams – Andrew Serban (New York, New York)
Maggie is a troubled young immigrant who is at the end of her rope. Desperate to return to her native Ireland, she meets with a mysterious and vaguely sinister older man named Enzo, who offers to pay her plane fare in exchange for one last job: she must lure a young man to a deserted Coney Island street. . . 2014; 24 min. With an introduction and Q+A session by Director Andrew Serban! 

West End – Joe Basile (Los Angeles, California) 

Returning home to the Jersey Shore, after years of absence, Vic Trevi is an undercover FBI agent positioned to go against the people he calls family. Long ashamed of their mafia ties, he now must find the killer who murdered his father. Caught between the age-old struggle of duty to the law versus duty to family, he embarks on an increasingly desperate search to find the truth before his family finds the truth about him. 2013; 86 min. With an introduction and Q+A session by Director Joe Basile!

                                           GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL: ASBURY PARK. APRIL 4 – 7, 2013

THIS IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO JUMP INTO THE WORLD OF FILM FESTIVALS. THERE IS SO MUCH GOING ON IN OUR BACKYARD BY THE BEACH AND OCEAN. GO TO THE WEBSITE. CHECK IT OUT. BE THERE.  THIS IS NEW JERSEY’S FILM FESTIVAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NJ DISCOVER will be covering the event, reviewing, absorbing, partaking and always supremely prideful this is all happening at OUR Jersey Shore

                                       “see you there!!  get off the sedentary sofa and come to Asbury Park!!” 

gsff.org

The morning of the festival, cold rain fell and dispelled notions of heading to Red Bank for Sunday fun. Then the magic weather wand whisked and by 2 PM, sunny blue skies and warm breezes arrived as did thousands of festival fans.  The festival, sponsored by Asbury Park Press and Heineken had help from Red Bank River Center, Red Bank Visitors Center and the Borough of Red Bank.

No matter how many times I go to Red Bank, each opportunity to stroll down Broad Street, with abundant old architecture from the turn of the next to last century, I feel as if I just got off a Rod Serling train into a slice of American history, and its springtime, early 1940’s. I loved being downtown in another century before I hit White Street parking lot for the food, drink and music.

The aromas and sounds of the festival filled the air. Two soundstages on the western and eastern sides of the parking lot provided first rate entertainment  to huge crowds. On the All American Stage ‘King Casino Band, Brian Kirk and the Jirks, Runaway (Bon Jovi Tribute band) and Quincy Mumford and the Reason Why rocked the packed house. What could be bad? Rock music. Food 360 degrees. Beer (A plastic bottle of Amstel Light approached 30 feet in height).  A booth that rolled cigars. And a Bagpipe marching band.

The International stage featured performances by Kathryn Barnett School of Dance, Random Test Reggae, Steve Reilly Band (Irish sounds) and The Funktion (Latin and Salsa). More eye catching attractions: booths for; cheese, chocolate, hand-made sea glass jewelry, a camp for dogs, rock music school and almost every kind of gourmet food. Near the exit and my 94 minutes of absorbing the festival, I found a booth for fresh shrimp cocktail. It put me in the mood. We had dinner in Red Bank on Broad Street sitting outside. The sky was still blue.

by Calvin Schwartz