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South Jersey's Got It Goin' On...

Whether you are seasoned local, visiting daytripper, or weekend warrior, you're probably thinking that at this time of year, for entertainment, the only venue for fun in South Jersey is in Atlantic City, NJ, "The World's Playground!"

You would be wrong.

While the "Queen of Resorts" has definitely "got it goin' on" throughout most of the year, and October is no exception, you'll be pleasantly surprised to learn it does not have an exclusive on the things that excite and entertain us. In Ocean County, just twenty miles north of the "Grand Dame," you will find a whole new wonderful world of terrific stuff to do. Island Beach State Park is the only park of its kind in the world. The 8.5 mile stretch of barrier island is bordered by the Barnegat Inlet to the south, and Seaside Park to its north. At the height of the summer season there are concession stands, fishing areas, a bath house, swimming, hiking, and bike trails, as well as two natural areas for enjoying the wildlife of southern New Jersey. Ocean County is also home to the open-all-year, Surflight Theatre in Beach Haven, currently featuring the "Gin Game," with "Miracle On 34th Street" waiting in the wings for the holidays. A little further up the Garden State Parkway in Lakewood is "The Strand Theatre."

The "What" Theatre you ask?

The Strand Theatre.

This month they will be presenting the Garden State Philharmonic on October 12th. Followed by The "Strand Theatre Anniversary Gala" with Dionne Warwick on October 19th. The month is capped off with a performance of celebrated singer/songwriter, guitar virtuoso, Jose Feliciano on October 27th.

And that's not all.

Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem, and Atlantic Counties all "got it goin' on" too!

At the southern tip of the "Garden" of the Garden State in Cape May County, there's "Victorian Week" in Cape May city, which runs from the 11th to the 20th. The "National Salt Water Fly Fishing Tournament" floats into Wildwood on the 18th to the 20th, and Ocean City presents their annual "Fall Block Party" on the 12th. Needless to say, that's just a glimpse of the cool stuff you'll find in this month's issue of the South Jersey Insider magazine.

Where's Harry?

I have received a few inquiries as to the status of Political Insider columnist, Harry Hurley, whose column did not appear in the September issue of the South Jersey Insider. As stated in my "Starting Point" column for that issue, the expansion of the magazine into other areas required me to free up space elsewhere in the magazine. Independent publications such as the Insider must maintain a very strict advertising to editorial page count ratio. The streets of the publishing business are littered with bankrupt publications that ran top heavy editorially. Since the total page count of the magazine each month is determined by the ad page count, there just wasn't enough room for the Political Insider as well as "The Wizard Of Odds." Even my pal Ed Hitzel's column ran shorter than usual.

The primary mission of the South Jersey Insider Magazine is to provide information on every event occurring during the published month for the entire eight counties of South Jersey. Equally important is to provide top restaurant information, as well as insightful regional entertainment news. After that, additional editorial is determined by additional ad pages.