|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Rock Report by Rich and Laura Lynch Asbury Park truly is the land of hope and dreams for the many merchants who have opened up shops and staked their signposts in the ground of this often-troubled community. Thanks to one of the city's most famous former-residents — the one and only rock superstar, Bruce Springsteen - their faith in its future has been rewarded many times over by his apparent drive and determination to personally help make the city rise like a phoenix by the sea.
 It was a banner day for Bruce Springsteen, his fans and Asbury Park! Springsteen has sponsored a series of special events and contests dating back to the release of his latest studio album, The Rising. At almost all of the recent Springsteen undertakings in New Jersey there has been an emphasis on keeping Asbury Park on the minds of his fans. During the Today Show CD release party and television broadcast in the summer of 2002, recent Christmas concerts in 2003 in Asbury Park, and the 10-night sold-out stand at Giants Stadium last summer — fans were given the opportunity to win front row tickets or a backstage meeting with Springsteen if only they would visit the city and support its merchants. It is possible that Springsteen's most lasting legacy will be the positive impact he has had on this famously forlorn shore-town, struggling for years while being sandwiched between the wealthier neighboring towns of Deal and Ocean Grove, and standing like a war-time city of ruins. Considering his large body of beloved musical work and the worldwide legion of fans his blue-collar rock ethic has won him, that is saying something.
 Bruce Springsteen and Don Stine - owner of the Antic Hay bookstore. The seemingly absolute admiration, devotion, and commitment that Mr. Springsteen has shown to see through the redevelopment and revitalization of his adopted hometown has made his most insightful fans keen to see what he will do next. His most recent act to generate interest in the city's economic revitalization upped the profile of his personal involvement and elevated the number of overall possible winners. This was the most complex and fun undertaking yet and it required participants to visit many of the business districts in Asbury Park!
 Bruce Springsteen got up close and personal with his fans! Salt-Water Weekend, June 18-20, 2004 was the culmination of a five-day period to attract visitors to Asbury Park with an opportunity to enter a contest that would entitle the winners to attend Bruce Springsteen's first-ever book signing. The festivities also included a High Tea By The Sea, a pet parade, events for children and live music. Fans were encouraged to come down to Asbury Park to see first hand the revitalization that Bruce and many others have been a part of. During the promo, participating MGAP (Merchants Guild of Asbury Park) stores provided yellow entry forms for the free contest that started Wednesday and ran through Sunday. The MGAP reported that over 13,000 raffles were submitted by hopeful Springsteen fans. Out of thousands, 190 lucky winners were chosen from the Jersey region and beyond. Don Stine of the MGAP and owner of Antic Hay reported that it was Springsteen who approached him with the innovative idea of the book signing. It was just another way for Bruce to show his continued support to the redevelopment of Asbury Park.
 The ruins and the rising! "He always does a lot to help us down here," stated Mr. Stine, repeating a sentiment that we heard often from many of the shop owners who we had the pleasure of meeting on both Saturday June 19th and 26th. The day of the event afforded fans another chance to win one of the last ten spots on the book signing line. In addition, the MGAP hosted a scavenger hunt. Participating businesses donated an item for a gift basket that was worth $500.00 The hunt involved going to twenty stores to fill out more entry forms and find the Bruce song that was posted somewhere in the store. Some tracks had a connection to the merchants. For example, Southside Florist chose 'Secret Garden'. Mr. Fashion, who had prom pictures in his store, elected 'Glory Days'. Footsteps in Paradise, a funky shoe store on Bangs Avenue, was 'One Step Up'. Just Kil'n Time opted for 'I'm On Fire' and Ciao Bella got to be 'Jersey Girl'. It was a novel twist on a childhood game. The winner of the Merchants Guild Gift Basket also had an opportunity to meet Bruce and get an autograph. She was lucky number 201.
 It was a great day to meet Bruce Springsteen! The New Jersey Community Food Bank, another organization that Springsteen has supported throughout the years, held their own raffle in front of the Ocean Park Gallery. The prize was a large 6-foot by 7-foot painting created by Springsteen fans in 2003, during his ten-night gig at Giant Stadium. The last autograph was provided by The Boss himself on Saturday. Not all fans had to win the official contests to be winners on this day, though. A longtime fan named Anne claimed she was a member of the "faith will be rewarded" club and sure enough she had the chance to meet with him and receive an autograph from Bruce before he went into the book signing. Many fans also had personal encounters of their own and had items autographed. Others had the privilege of shaking his hand before and after the 3-hour book signing event as Springsteen mingled with the crowd who he thanked for coming down and supporting the merchants of Asbury Park. There are still many signs that Asbury Park is a struggling home to about 17,000 residents. Many of the artifices in the waterfront redevelopment zone are abandoned or boarded up. The shells of several structures still strewn the ocean shoreline. Some of the buildings and businesses that Springsteen helped make famous over the years have closed. The Palace Amusements building is now being dismantled although the familiar smiling Tillie face promises to make a return in the lobby of a hotel proposed for the site. Sonny's Southern Cuisine, the shop on Cookman Avenue where Springsteen performed during the week of Rising-related events and was seen on The Today Show's broadcast, closed on Memorial Day weekend 2004 saying they could no longer wait for the redevelopment. But there are many signs of progress as well.
 Springsteen was working the crowd like a seasoned politician! Simpson & Brown and Asbury Partners L.L.C. recently finished the new wood boardwalk that runs along the beach between Convention Hall and the defunct Casino. Along with the beach improvements, the Empress Hotel is scheduled to reopen this summer. Rooms with views of the ocean or Wesley Lake are being refurnished. Owner Shep Pettibone began the multi-million dollar renovations by first focusing on the nightclub named Club Paradise, which opened in 1999. Mr. Pettibone is now working on upgrading rooms and is excited that the classic Empress will be home to the city's first new hotel accommodations in decades. Rooms will have hair dryers, coffee makers and high speed internet. The re-opening of the Empress Hotel is another important step in the rebuilding of Asbury Park. Also, as of this writing, all of the available storefronts on Cookman Avenue are said to have been leased awaiting their new tenants. So, what's it like to have a personal encounter with the legendary New Jersey rocker and 1999 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
 The fans are lined up and excited to meet Mr. Springsteen! "It's a once in a lifetime chance when you get to meet someone like Bruce Springsteen but I've been lucky enough to have lightning strike me twice," says fortunate fan and New Jersey native Pat Cacioppo, who not only won this event but was also part of the audience when 50 lucky fans won the privilege of meeting Springsteen in 2002 – seeing not only a rehearsal show but an extra 5-song acoustic set performed by the Boss at the now defunct Sonny's Southern Cuisine. "Bruce was more than wonderful – relaxed, humorous and so kind to everyone. He gives so much of himself to his fans," Cacioppo gushed soon after her second close encounter with the man himself. "He has continued his deep rooted commitment to assist in helping Asbury get back up on its feet. I feel with Bruce and the wonderful merchants on Cookman Avenue, Asbury will be standing tall once again," Patty with a 'y' because that's how Bruce signed her book continued, "I will always love Bruce and Asbury Park, New Jersey!!" Many fans traveled from far and wide to take a chance on winning the contest including Joan Keen from Loganville, Georgia. Joan reported that she spent her summers at the Jersey shore and first heard about Bruce when she was in college in 1975. "My mother lives in north Jersey and she called me and said he's going to be in Asbury Park, come on up. I had some vacation time so here I am," the effusive Keen said. "I went to school in western Pennsylvania and my roommate was from New Jersey. We were the only people that knew what Greeting From Asbury Park was. Everyone was like, 'Bruce who?' It's so great to be around Jersey people again."
 Pictured from the top - left to right: A fan had his arm autographed; Springsteen waves to the crowd before emerging for the second time from Antic Hay; Bob Benjamin of LightofDay.org; Local signs and a book signing poster; A close-up of the festive mural that Bruce autographed at the book signing and his autograph in the long orange section! Joan drove for 13-hours just for a chance to win a meeting with the Boss. She didn't win but she didn't walk away empty-handed, either. She was one of the lucky fans who got to shake Bruce's hand when he greeted the assembled prior to the book signing. Besides the dozens of winners from New Jersey many other contest participants came from neighboring states and Europe. Is it possible that Bruce's effort to raise awareness for the many unique vendors and merchants in Asbury Park has had any impact? "You can't get better advertising than this," said Diane Kay of DK'd Sense citing the elevation of traffic her store received during the promotion. "It's been a great event and we love our Bruce Springsteen fans." Besides the daylong anticipation and excitement taking place in front of Antic Hay, all of Cookman Avenue, which was closed off from vehicular traffic on Saturday, was buzzing with activity. The MGAP was on hand to run the scavenger hunt and provide information about the rebuilding of Asbury Park especially on Bangs, Cookman and Mattison Avenues. New Jersey's 101.5 was broadcasting live from the park from ten to four. DJ Big Joe Henry and company assisted with the raffle in addition to other prize giveaways. Insano, an up-scale restaurant on the corner of Main Street and Cookman Avenue provided power for the radio broadcast and the smaller musical stage which featured local musicians. There were also venders on the street selling beer, soda, hamburgers and hot dogs. The PBA was out in force to help with the event and sell their T-shirts featuring Springsteen. One police officer stated that The Boss has been very supportive of the PBA, recently providing funding for new police cars.
 Pictures from Pat Cacioppo's meeting with Bruce and Kweevak.com's Rich and Laura Lynch! Spotted in the crowd were many long-time Springsteen friends and associates including Bob Benjamin who was getting the word out about the Light of Day CD — a special 2-CD set of Springsteen covers to raise money for Parkinson's Disease research. Also seen were Bocciagalupe, former E Street drummer Vinny Lopez, and members of the Jersey-based band Maybe Pete. After the excitement of the day we went to Insano for dinner. The decor is bright and colorful combined with eclectic light fixtures and decorations. The non-smoking section has big windows and is bright and inviting where as the bar area is darker but funky. The fresh baked bread is served with olive oil combined with garlic and herbs. The salad which comes with most of the main courses included healthy dark green lettuce, blue cheese and a tasty dressing. Our entrees were presented on vibrant plates with slightly bent silverware. My vegetarian meal of mushroom risotto was delicious and satisfying. Rich had the Shrimp Insano served over linguine. The jumbo shrimp were cooked to perfection. Although the dessert menu was tempting we were too full to indulge. Our waitress was friendly and efficient making our dinner at Insano a fine end to our visit to Asbury Park. Perhaps the biggest winner of the day was Doug Forbes. He used the occasion of the book signing to make a big commitment to his own personal future. After meeting Bruce he returned to the spot in the crowd where his girlfriend Elena was standing and presented a signed copy of Songs to her. Inside was a message that Bruce had written in his own hand and it was a marriage proposal – Elena said "Yes"! Coincidentally, this happy couple will be opening a new gallery and eatery across the street from the bookstore in early July. Together these two may also benefit from the most recent shot in the arm that this city's saint has just provided to the participating merchants. If you want to congratulate Doug and Elena personally you'll have to make a trip to Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park sometime soon to visit them at their shop — the Rock Paper Scissors gallery and eatery on Cookman Ave.!
 Bruce Springsteen surveys the scene after his first-ever book signing! Related Links: For more information on BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- Buy the Book - "Songs" | Antic Hay Books | AsburyPark.net | AsburyGuild.com | BruceSpringsteen.net | Comm. Foodbank of NJ
Originally Published: 06/27/2004 on Kweevak.com |
|
Please SUPPORT THIS SITE and Please add a link to KWEEVAK.COM today! For music promotion and advertising information: PLEASE CONTACT US AT -- PHONE: 973.556.5400|E-MAIL
CD Reviews - NEW | CD Reviews - ARCHIVE | Concert Calendar | Concert Tickets | DVD Reviews | Featured Acts Indie Insider | Make A Donation | MP3 & Audio Guide | Music Community | NEW Members | Radio Show | Send Us Music
• MORE: Buy Tickets | Concert Calendar | Add Ticket Co. Listing
© 1999 - 2010 Kweevak.com | All Rights Reserved Kweevak.com - Established 1999 |
