May 18, 2013
For someone like me who, as I’ve gotten older *cough* and a wee bit wiser *clear throat*, no longer have an affinity for the sweltering days of summer or the need to fry in the sun, I prefer the cool defense of a refreshing pool and an air conditioner that has the capability to freeze meat. In short, I love the cold.
But as a little girl the days’ heat and baked flesh was no bother to me because when June rolled around I knew it was time for summer vacation and the anticipation of where we would be heading grew quickly. A little town called Seaside Heights.
(Me at one and a half years old – summer 1966…wasn’t I a little stinker with a cool hat)
(Me at one and a half years old – summer 1966...my dad is making sure I don’t fall)
My grandmother (mother’s mother) had family that lived year round in Toms River and Seaside Heights so there was always a place to stay. Now the ride to Seaside took about two and a half hours on lonely unlit, unpopulated road that seemed to have split the Pine Barrens in half. And when driving at night you prayed that headlights would suddenly appear from either behind or front. Again in short, it was unbelievably dark and our prayers were sometimes answered.
But when that moment came and you were at the top of the bridge that led from Toms River to Seaside Heights and you were able to see the Jet Star roller coaster on the Casino Pier and the Ferris wheel at Fun Town in the distance, the excitement began to build – we were almost there! As we drove through Seaside on the way to my great-grandfather’s house on Lincoln Avenue and rolled down the windows you could immediately smell the salty sea air and hear the thrill-filled screams of children and adults as they made their descent on the roller coaster. And what made it even more exciting was that my great-grandfather only lived a block away from the boardwalk, closer to Fun Town, or as I called it ‘the kiddie end – and still do!
Now my brother and I were always on the boardwalk and, as we got older, we were allowed to venture the boards on our own. My very first stop was the Berkeley Sweet Shop & Salt Water Taffy, and when inside, there stood the most beautiful carousel. This was the first ride of the night and it’s where my love of carousel horses comes from. I’ve been collecting carousel horses for many years and have accumulated around 80 so far. From there it was the tilt-o-whirl and a mini roller coaster that was on the far end of Fun Town. The walk along the boards was always fun. My dad would always play the wheels and, I must admit, that our house was practically furnished with dad’s winnings at the wheels. He was very lucky and he always won. The car, on the way home, always had either lamps, vacuums, clothes hampers, towels…well, everything.
We would grab a slice of pizza at Marruca’s, play pinball and skeeball in the arcade, a wheel or two or three and then end up at the Casino Pier where my brother’s favorite game was the dunk tank. The gentleman that ran the game got to know us because we went swimming every morning at the community pool, which was right outside. He would see my brother running over and throw up a bucket of balls for him. My brother always walked away with some kind of prize.
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On the way back we would get ice cream at Kohr’s, a bag of zeppoles with powdered sugar and, back then, I didn’t care that I was getting powdered sugar all over me cause that’s just how you did it! We started at 8 o’clock at night and got back to the house after midnight. It was awesome! This was almost every night! One night my mom and dad went on the boardwalk by themselves and left the kiddies at the house (I know, how could they do that?). As I sat on the porch steps I saw them walking down the street and my dad was holding this Spanish princess doll, dressed in green lace with a green lace head piece, that he won at the wheel for me. It’s packed away now but I still have it. Did I say that my dad was REALLY lucky at those wheels? Well, he was.
On Wednesday night Seaside had fireworks and not the little inky dink ones, these were giant and breathtaking. The palm tree was a favorite of mine. Sometimes we would watch them from the boardwalk or from the porch steps’ eating Arthur Treacher’s that was across the street on the corner. After that, it was Dairy Queen around the corner for a hot fudge sundae or a chocolate dipped vanilla cone. And every night, no matter what time it was, we would listen to the goings-on in Seaside on the police scanner that my aunt had outside on the porch. I still laugh about that. Good times…great times! Thirteen summers spent in a little town called Seaside Heights. A town that, back then if you said you were going to Seaside Heights no one knew where it was. They only knew Wildwood or Ocean City. More for us, I guess!
Then on October 28, 2012 a woman named Sandy ripped apart my beloved Seaside Heights.
(The carousel that I ran to every night for years and inspired my love of carousel horses, inside the Berkeley Sweet Shop & Salt Water Taffy, is now gone.)
But nothing can keep Seaside Heights down. It’s been through storms and fires before and came back stronger and this is no exception. The Casino Pier will be up and running for the Memorial Day weekend, with 18 rides operational and a new ride called ‘The Superstorm’. Fun Town was so heavily damaged that this part of the boardwalk won’t open until Summer 2014.
This revitalization will be something for the next generations to hopefully love and maybe be inspired by. Sandy may have landed a fairly deadly blow but there are two things that she can never take away and that’s the heart of Seaside Heights and the heart of everyone that have come to love her.
I may be a Philly gal but I’ll always have my memories of a little town called Seaside Heights!
