Community Corner

An 'Incredibly Important' Fourth of July

'Collectively, we all deserve a day at the beach...'

As much as we may try – perhaps for the benefit our own sanity – to convince ourselves otherwise, this Fourth of July is going to be different.

The motels in Seaside Heights are open, the bars from Sandy Hook to Cape May will be jumping and most of the parades and fireworks shows will go on, but for many Shore residents – especially those who live here full time – this Thursday could mark another 24 hour period of the one long day that's been dragging on since Oct. 29, 2012.

When I've asked my neighbors over the past few days to describe how they feel, now more than eight months after Superstorm Sandy struck, that's the description the majority conjure up: one long day.

For those of us who have had double duty covering the storm here at Patch while helping to repair our own families' homes, it's certainly felt that way. I came home from a press conference Tuesday where Gov. Chris Christie announced plans to reconstruct Route 35 to some good news: the electrician came today and replaced the corroded, 220-volt line that runs under the house, so our kitchen stove will be safely back in business to boil up some ears of corn by Thursday.

Dinner will be served after our street's annual parade where we all march from Barnegat Bay to the ocean – kicking off at 6:15 p.m., as usual – and enjoy some well-earned beers with neighbors after a tough day at the beach.

"It's an incredibly important day for us to continue to do two things at one time," said Christie on Tuesday, speaking to reporters in Seaside Park after announcing the highway reconstruction plan. "The first thing is to talk to individuals about how well recovered the businesses and the beaches are down here."

"But secondly ... we have to continue to acknowledge that what I said earlier is true. When we have commercials on that say we're stronger than the storm ... it does not mean for a moment that we have forgotten the people who are still not back in their homes or whose business are still not open," he said.

Though some have balked at the cheery, upbeat "Stronger Than the Storm" advertising campaign in the face of widespread destruction still clear as day in neighborhoods like Mantoloking, Camp Osborn, Shore Acres, Ortley Beach, Silverton, Glen Cove and Holgate, perhaps this Thursday can represent the one day when we can take a figurative rest from our tiring, eight-month-long day.

But collectively, we all deserve a day at the beach. Or a cold beer in the warm summer sun. Or a tug at our line by a keeper fluke on the other end. (Some of your likely have perfected ways of doing all these things at the same time.)

There is no doubt this Fourth of July is going to be different, but it doesn't have to be different in a bad way. It can be the day that Shore residents recall why they chose to live here in the first place – even if it's going to take some more work to stay here.

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Editor's Note: I snapped the picture attached to this article on Paul Jones Drive in the Shore Acres section of Brick Township a few weeks after Sandy. If you have a meaningful picture of the American flag this Thursday outside your house, feel free to send it over to me at daniel.nee@patch.com and we'll include it in a gallery should we receive enough entries.


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