^ Herald <'• lantern - Dispatch 27 November '85

1 ' » f The Wildwoods • ^ k * r- JP ^ Thomas Parsons # A ^

I was in North Wildwood the other day and witness ed the large pieces of machinery moving in to commence the reconstruction/resurfacing of Surf Avenue. The slated repairs will begin shortly and will span the distance from Second Avenue to 10th Avenue, thus completing the Surf Avenue upgrade liegun several years ago North Wildwood already has the "prettiest" street with Central Avenue laying claim to that designation my personal opinion > and now with the expansive Surf Avenue repairs they have probably the best parade route on the Island Surf Avenue is wide, adequately paved, and conve nicntlv located along and through a delightful busi ness^dist r'icl I wouldn't In- a bit surprised it parading conventions iM-gm to opt for a parade route iK-ginning at the up |ier end ol North Wildwood and continuing southward along this well maintained avenue \DDI\G Ft'- 1 ITU Kit at tractiveness are the cxpan sive (Killing lots located in the northcrniust sections of ^orth WiIiIwihhI They cer tainly - would make an ex celled! staging ground lor the parades beginning That would put the judging stand pist about 12th ' Avenue, the site ol the Margaret Mace School F.rocl a set of VII* risers, oiler courtesy parking at the school side street, and you have an excellent judg . ingarca The concept would cer tainly Ik- a shot in the iirm lor the North Wildwiind lodging community . which : periodically complains | alHHil not gelling its fair I share- of the convention \ lodging receipts ( Perhaps it His Honor. t Mayor Lewis Vinci, saw a little more of the cdnven I lion "green " coming his t community's direction, he ( would be a little more r " r p t : v e N o r t h I: Wddwood's |wt input ion n financially i in the prnpos c ed Convention Hall cxpan sinn. Hut. then again, it's li not that simple! p

I KNOW THAT I have avoided reporting on several political matters. Personal preference. I guess, but I have had several people ask why I have "missed" noting a few major political happen ings I didn't miss them Its just that within a few hours the news is "old" news up and down the Island and anything in print is 'stale Such is the nature of our Island when the fish ain't biting and the tourists have gone home What else is there to do of - talk about'' HOWEVER. ' note the capitalization), an occasional exception is warranted regarding the political scene and its reporting in this column Here it is1 The recent leuding 111 Wildwood City Hall between the Mayor a n d C o ti n c i I h a s precipitated the resignation of a very capable young man. City Administrator. Mark Pfieffer. Thai's a shame Not only has Pfieffcr been denied the opportunity to leave his mark < sorry) u|x>n the City ol Wildwood, the city has liccn denied the continuity necessary lor substantial progress That is also a shame' DOZENS OK capable and qualified individuals have met their Waterloo within the confines ol the City of Wildwtxxl in the last three years Former Com mis-, sinner Itich Nordaby. who predicted this entire situawas one of the early victims, as was fellowCommissioner Wilbur Ostrander. Nobody, but nolxxly, suffered more than Karl Osirandcr and the firs! City Council elected by the residents You just have to it's the system and not the man that has created the conflicts. Karl Osirandcr. despite a huge degree of inexperience. probably could

► have made a decent i mayor, if given the chance. But the system denies that chance. It is adversarial at best and destructive unless the proper mix of couneil and mayoral supporters is elected. SINCE TIIE days of Ostrander's recall. I have heard many speak of retur ning the government to the original form and scrapping the mayor-council system. Now. the greatest proponent of the new system, the man who found - its recommendation necessary, is taking a "look-see" at the situation and seems to be listening to the people's frustrations. The once solid relationship between Ed Herman and Vie DiSylvester has begun to erode and substantial problems are in the future I read e verypress release thai was issued after the Pfieffcr resignation. Each had a ring of the past. I can remember sitting in on one of OstrandeT<§ administrative sessions an^^ hearing him complain alxiut council's cutting off his support time and attempting to curtail his effectivness. Talk about deja vu! Mayor DiSylvester 's press comments were almost identical. One wonders how. the vast majority of communities function without such a public display of political rancor. I knowalmost every elected official on our island and with few exceptions each is a delightful and concerned person. Granted, there is a bit of an egotist in every elected officials, but tempering the egotism is a legitimate desire to serve and make things better What I don't understand is how well-meaning thoughts and sameness of direction can collide and produce a situation in which a man hired for his

I governmental and administrative acumen feels compelled to leave his position. This present situation in Wildw ood may be the straw that broke the camel's back If the situation continues to deteriorate, many feel that there will be a backlash from the electorate that could send Wildwood into another civil governmental revolution. With another purge, who would stand up to he elected to replace the fallen? They may just have to draw lots at the Atlantic Restaurant. Enough. I am sure that more "juicy" stuff is to follow- but I will refrain from offering my comments (maybe): my ulcers suffer every time I begin to type the "p" in politics. CONGRATULATIONS to the Islanders who have been named to the First National Bank of Toms River Advisory Board: "NToni Kitzgerald. accountant; Harry Hand, realtor. Will Morcy. developer, and Carole Pantalone. realtor. The committee, which has been seated to reviewpolicy and comment on community affairs, will certainly serve to assist First National in its efforts to win accounts over to its "Home Town" bank philosophy The Yisalli clan has just returned from an excursion to Italy Word has it that all had a delightful time on the extended vacation. It was almost incident free. ALMOST. It seems that an unscheduled stopover in Spain produced some frazzled nerves. Fat Visalli Jr.. former owner of the M a r - L a n e Motel in Wildwood. couldn't resist making a few comments and as a result was escorted off the plane by gun-toting Spanish officials

~j If you know Fat. you'll understand how funny the situation must have been It seems that even the most innocent trips, with Pat involved. end up being ALMOST incident-free In the end. all turned out well, as it was an incredible misunderstanding with the Spansih constabulary admilting defeat against the team of Visalli. Visalli & Visalli Spain may never by the same BACK TO domestic events. St Ann's IT A extends an invitation to all to attend its Christmas bazaar Dec 6. 7. and R at the school auditorium. Magnolia and New JerseyAvenues. The grand bazaar and holiday sale wilt be held 10 a.m. 10 p.m. daily That's 12 hours of bargain hunting at great prices, with the proceeds going to a good cause Stop in and browse a few hours WELL. SO FAR. we've had politics, community projects, school news, and an international incident. How- about a little

meandering? Meandering is that "stuff" I do fre- — quently when I am working on another writing project = and stumble upon information that I feel that any ■■ Islander worth his/her salt would enjoy. Meandering is also that "stuff" that writers use to fill in the space before a holiday when news is short and column space is long. In fact, many readers have suggested that 1 stick to the "meandering" and skip the rest. Perhaps I'll take the requests into consideration! IN ANY EVENT, amid the controversy surrounding the Wildwood Beach Patrol. I started to do some research on the safest beaches Unquestionably, the beaches along Five Mile Beach are among the safest in the world. Comforting thought! I won't mention other safe beaches as that would be boring, but three of the worst stick in my mind. • Each of the following incidents occurred in midsummer during a period of particularly oppressive, heat when thousands flocked to the shores to seek comfort In Chicago, in 1936 along one small section of lake beach. 25 people drowned in one afternoon' Worse yet was Aug. 7. 1966. on a small ocean-side beach in Japan On this day. 74 people drowned as they escaped the city's heat and flocked to .h» <hon The worst ol all. the "king of calamities", occurred in Germany in July. 1968. The disaster occurred along a section of PROTECTED beach along a river area. In one afternoon. in a scries of separate incidents. HX) people drowned! Imagine the PR expense to make the best of these bad situations! • A FINAL "meandering" tidbit in an effort to keep this newspaper foresightful and ahead of the breaking news. Sun tanning tips — The first for the season of 1986! Remember where you read it first ! These aren't the usual tips but certainly valuable to the sun-worshippers who live and work along Five Mile Beach Beware of the early season sun, not because you haven't gotten your tanning base yet. but because the sun is hottest and the rays more damaging on June l of each year. This means that without question, the sun is more potent the last day of May than it is the last day of July! This info certainly could be developed into a neat little early season advertising gimmick for the Wildwoods "If you arc going to payto enjoy the sun. pay offseason rates and use the sun when it is at its tanning best - See you June 1 " \l-SO. THE SI N is not more severe and you are not more prone to burn during hazy days! You just have a tendency to ignore the sun's impact as a result of the haze and thus burn more severely When you can't see the sun. you have a tendency to forget it is there Out of sight out of mind, until later that evening. that is. Mixing baby oil and iodine, an old seashore favorite, does not protect

g against sunburn. In fact, it ?- makes it worse and the g iodine affords you a nice :t orange glow which coni- trasts with the deep red y burn you will receive. It Don't use it! Use an effective sunscreen with a sunit protection factor (SPF>, 0 and use it sparingly. a Applying layer after t layer of the protection goo |. does not increase its effece tiveness it only serve to e clog your pores and restrict e sweating This in turn will e raise your body a temperature and may lead to sun stroke' Delightful 1 thought isn't it! IF YOU remember these i tips until next season you s will be well prepared. If t not. no doubt I'll be repeating them when I am i short for words. Also, as I ? am writing a series of "tanning do's and don'ts" for a t public service "ditty", if > you have any home I remedies and home i preventives that work, give me a call. There are no better stm experts than the Islanders along Five Mile f Beach, and your input will s. be well received. Finished for the week. : and with that I would like to • wish you all a very happy.' f and pleasant Thanksgiving Season. Enjoy. ; Flea Mart On Dec. 14 WILDWOOD - A flea market will be held 9 a .m. -2 p.m. Dec 14 After a well received November sale, at the Wildwood Recreation ("enter. 243 E. Rio Grande Ave Santa Claus will visit 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. Those who wish to can have a picture taken with Santa Refreshments will be available. This montlv sale has proven an effective fundraiser for the Wildwood String Band. Scout troops, the Cheerleader club and individuals A limited number of tables is available. Call 522-5837 for reservations. Adults interested in coed recreational volleyball can come to the Rec Center each Tuesday between 7 and 9pm (!ape Girl Gets Dance Club Post LEWISBURG. PA - l^auren Balliette of Court House has been elected treasurer of the Bucknell University Dance Co. Balliette. daughter of Mr and Mrs William Balliette Jr.. 76B Dennis v i 1 1 e Rd. is a psychology major and a 1983 graduate of Middle Tow nship High School Trump Trip * RIO GRANDE - The Cape May County Unit of the American Cancer Society will sponsor a bus trip to Trump Castle Casino Monday. Dec. 16 Bus leaves Rio Mall 5:30 p.m. and WilcMH City Hall parking I^Hl 5:45 p.m. Call 886-1 l54for reservations and tickets.

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