County's Chamber May Soon Greet 100,000 A Year

Charhber of Commerce for 15 years. He and his staff earn straight “A’s” when they are quizzed by the public about Cape May County. Patterson hasn’t always been in such demand, however. When he started as executive director back in 1967, his office was on the second floor of the historic Court House building on Route 9. That was hardly and accessible spot for tourists, akin, perhaps, to placing the Liberty Bell in a coal mine in Scrdnton, Pa. A few years later the Chamber moved into the Jonathan Hand office building, named after one of Cape May’s county clerks. The facilities were better, but there were still negatives. Offstreet parking was nil and when plans were made to expand, neighbors raised a hue and cry. And still the location was on picturesque Route 9 which now was being upstaged by the Garden State Parkway or Route 444 or whatever the people wanted to call it. PATTERSON AND other Chamber officials began searching for another site and came acras space in the Parkway restaurant and gas station near Sea Isle City. It opened in 1969 and the results were amazing. In the three months of the first summer they accommodated over 30,000 tourists. In one week Patterson’s staff answered more questions than they had in the whole summer at the Route 9 facility. The only problem was the Sea Isle facility was open for only three months and the Chamber discovered that Cape May County was fast becoming a year round visiting spot. It was obvious that a more permanent site was needed. The current piece of property, consisting of five acres at the corner Qf Crest Haven Road, was made available to the chamber by the freeholders on a 25 year lease bases ($1 dollar a year) with a renewal option. The Chamber proceeded to erect the current two story building at a cost of $88,000.

The building was ready for occupancy in April of 1973. That first year Patterson and his information whizzes accommodated 50.000 people. Last year the total was 80.000 and it may not be too long, as the popularity of Cape May County continues to grow; before the visitors at the information center exceed 100,000. When Patterson joined the Chamber, its membership totaled 168. Now it exceeds 600. Depending upon the type of membership, the cost of joining ranges between $85

and $500.

THE INFORMATION center provides visitors with maps, directions and accommodation availabilities. It also has a hot line to which members may subscribe by renting advertising space in windows in the information center. Tourists may pick up the phones at the center and call directly to the subscribing lodging places for reservations. There are times when the visitors center has its bia^jre moments. Last year it received national attention when two nude young women drove into the parking lot. left their car and started to don their bikinis in the parking lot. One of them elected to go topless and when they tried to enter the visitors center they were told they could not because barefooted visitors are not allowed, according to the law. In the heart of a very cold January a man entered the visitors center wearing an elegant suit, but no shoes or socks. When they tried to convince him to return to what looked like his new Cadillac in the parking lot, he refused until they listened to his complaints about the terrible cereal he had for breakfast. Notwithstanding the eccentrics, the visitors center is looking forward to another big yepr of viable questions from the public. Last summer, Patterson said, was a mediocre oqe for summer tourism and “it looks like this year is &oing to be reasonably good.’’ They anticipate too, another flow of French speaking Canadians. It wasn't too long ago that Patterson and his staff took a course in conversational French at the county’s vocational technical school. It didn't turn out so well.

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HOT LINE to many Cape May County lodging places is one of the services provided

visitors center of county's Chamber of Commerce.

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"Most French-Canadians speak s6 fast quage barrier is conquered that way we were left at the starting gate.’’ he said And after all. Patterson and his staff are with a smile. majoring in information, not in foreign Usually, he said, someone in fhe party,of languages Canadians can speak English and the Ian-

r o* NER by Leslie Steyson —■■■■ The Officers Wives

By Thomas Fleming ® Do not let the title deceive you. This is not, quote 'a women's book' unquote. (By and large, women seem to read a wider variety of fiction and non-fiction than men. Many women are perfectly comfortable .reading adventure and war stories, but few men reach for books whose'main character is a woman.) This is the story of three women who married West Point graduates of the class of 1950 and takes them (and Iheir husbands) through the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, to the present. It gives us a fascinating look into the lives of career service people and theiq families. Each of the couples may well be drawn from the lives ofreal people, with the author combining the characteristics^bf many of the officers and wives he has known Amy, a Main Line debutante, mar ried solid and dependable George Rosser and was determined to make him a General, no matter what she had to do for his advancement. While most of the Class of ’50 were sent lo Korea, where violence had just erupted, she pulled strings with influential family friends for a post in Europe where she began her cam paign of bringing George to the attention of officers who might help his career in the future.

Convent-educated Joanna married Pete Burke, son of Irish policeman, and followed him to his assignments in Japan and Vietnam. Peter was a ‘go by the book’ officer and Catholic Joanna, after having one child and many miscarriages, is advised not to become*pregnant. Pete is opposed to the pill, and when Joanna becomes pregnant again, she spends the entire time in bed, and begins writing She resents the time spent entertaining and volunteering^H-must for officers wiveji. and the gap widens between her and Pete, who cannot understand why she chn’t conform The charracter Ground whom the book revolves is brilliant, mercurial and captivating Adam Thayer who married Honor, a gorgeous Southern beauty to his classmates, he is sometimes friendly, and at other times outspoken in his reaction to ar my protocbl, With both Joanna and Amy he has an intellectual and sometimes physical affinity missirlg in his relationship with his wife. Aside from writing a book which is difficult to pul down, the author has done an outstanding job of showing the realities of life for army families, especially in the section dealing with Vietnam He also gives a balanced picture of the emotional and mental processes of what seems to Ik? a cross section of the regular army officers who served there

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Leslie Sleyson is the pseudonym for a very real area bookstore owner

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Published by th« S«awov« Corp.. P.O. Box 484. Cap* May. N.J. 08204. at th* »*cond *#cUon of th* Cop* May County Harold and th* Low*r Township Lantorn.

Contributions A Idoas or* wolcomo and may b* arranged by colling (609) 967 3312

editor John H. Andrus II Go nor a I Monogor Bonnlo Rolno

Corp All rlghtt rwrvx) All tor th# #ntlr# content) ot thi» publication thall Sa th# ,-Vop#rty ot th# t#a«»a»# Corp No part h#r#ot may bo raprorfucod without prior

Dorii Wnr.l CLEOME PLANT, a.k.a. Spider Plant, in just one of the hundreds of flower varieties lining the walks of I/eaming’s Run Botanical .Gardens, which opens for the season June IS with daily hours 9:30 to 5.

CAPfMAV COUNTY MAGAZINE 3