Elizabeth Coleman White’s Agricultural Impact More than a Century Later

By Wendy Greenberg

Photos courtesy of Whitesbog Preservation Trust

When New Lisbon’s Elizabeth Coleman White studied the blueberry more than 100 years ago, she probably didn’t envision a booming blueberry business in New Jersey, or the state’s reputation as Blueberry Capital of the World. White, in 1916, developed a hybrid blueberry that could be grown in the acidic soil of the Pine Barrens, and she became known as the Blueberry Queen for producing the first cultivated crop of blueberries in the United States. more

An Investment in Health and the Future of the Planet

By Taylor Smith 

Photos and illustrations courtesy of shutterstock.com

“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below and around him, penetrating even his dark and lowly little house with its spirits of divine discontent and longing.  —Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

New Jersey is one of the most populated, fastest-growing states in the nation. In fact, the New Jersey Audubon Society website states, “with less than 20 percent of unclaimed space available, New Jersey is running out of land and is projected to be the first state in our nation to reach build out.”

The magical thing about cultivating your own green space is that you can create a livable habitat for birds, bugs, insects, microorganisms, and all sorts of other creatures to enjoy. It doesn’t matter what size your yard is. Urban gardening for wildlife can be achieved with a few well-placed and well-chosen plant varieties in pots and window boxes on a balcony. If you do have a small backyard to work with, gardening for wildlife is the perfect summer challenge.

What many people don’t realize is that, unlike traditional notions of landscaping, eco-friendly gardens are all about sustainable living practices. These are gardens that you loosely cultivate and then sit back and simply watch. In the age of COVID-19 and international uncertainty, who wouldn’t want to see the drama of birds, bats, frogs, insects, and woodland animals creating a home in your own backyard? more

Musical Landmarks of the Jersey Shore

By Donald H. Sanborn III | Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com

The Jersey Shore, which has a genre of rock ’n’ roll named after it, features many landmarks that stand as a testament to its rich musical history. One example is the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, which opened in 1926 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in America. Beside Basie himself, artists who have performed there include Tony Bennett, Art Garfunkel, and Bruce Springsteen.

The Ocean City Music Pier was constructed in 1928, after a fire destroyed a large segment of the boardwalk. Built in the Spanish Revival style, the venue includes a concert hall which, the venue’s website states, is “suitable for a great variety of shows from stand-up comedy to musicals” as well as the Ocean City Pops orchestra.

Residing in Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, the Midmer-Losh Pipe Organ is the largest organ in the world. Built in 1929, it boasts 33,112 pipes. After decades of nonuse, the organ was played again during the 2013 Miss America competition.

Listeners who enjoy organ music should also visit the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove. That venue’s organ was installed and dedicated in 1908. It boasts a 5-manual console and over 11,000 pipes; the website for the Garden State Theatre Organ Society describes it as “one of the largest and most famous working pipe organs in the country.” Dr. Gordon Turk, the Auditorium organist and artist in residence, will give a series of concerts starting July 6.

No tour of the Jersey Shore’s musical landmarks would be complete without a visit to Asbury Park. (Springsteen’s debut studio album, released in 1973, is titled Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.) The annual Asbury Park Music Awards (formerly the Golden T-Bird Awards) launched at the T-Bird Café in 1993, and later moved to another venue, the Saint. Recently the ceremony has taken place at multiple larger venues, especially The Stone Pony. more