Jumping Subjects

A few different items to mention this morning:


For 21 summers locals and visitors have flocked to the beach in Point Pleasant Beach on Wednesday evenings to listen to The Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea. Known as The Festival of the Atlantic the concert series has been incredibly popular with 9 weekly shows from late June through Labor Day. The driving force behind the concerts has been its conductor, best known as Father Alphonse, a beloved and popular figure both musically and spiritually. However The Rev. Alphonse Stephenson, an Air Force chaplain has left this area to take on a full-time position at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia. That means The Festival of the Atlantic is officially on hiatus although the orchestra itself will continue on a very limited basis without its leader. It was less than two weeks ago that Father Alphonse received a Doctor of Music from Monmouth University
and he and his music will be greatly missed.

For the last couple of weeks there has been talk that many of New Jersey’s premier high school sporting events would be discontinued as part of drastic budget cuts by the NJSIAA. However the governing body of high school sports in the state did approve a budget yesterday that keeps events like the State Wrestling Championships and Basketball’s Tournament of Champions in place for the next school year. Don’t be surprised though if this is an issue that will be re-visited about this time next year.

Jackson Memorial is a win away from the second overall group baseball championship in school history. The Jaguars rallied for four runs in the 6th inning to top Washington Township 8-6 Wednesday and will now play Randolph in the Group 4 Final Saturday afternoon at Toms River East. Jackson won their only other title in 1972 when they were the Group 3 champions. Frank Malta’s Jags will face Toms River South tonight at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood as they seek their second straight Shore Conference Tournament title.