🍫 Free Boardwalk samples and other fading rituals | Down the Shore

Does anyone in Atlantic City still pronounce the street Ar-KAN-sas? Do beach block homeowners still let the lifeguards shower in their basement? Can you walk down any Jersey Shore Boardwalk and load up on free fudge and water ice samples? Can you still buy a Choco Taco from the Fudgy Wudgy guy ($5 in Wildwood, while supplies last). Can a typical family even afford a week at the Shore without breaking the bank?

Can you even call those people Shoobies anymore?

Such are the quirks of Shore life we can take for granted. Here in the Inquirer newsroom, there’s a hot debate over whether the word Shoobie should be used outside of stories talking about the word itself and its usage. As I’ve written, some Shore visitors, especially ones with houses and property tax bills, take umbrage at the term. Others have never heard of it.

I loved the fact that Arkansas Avenue in Atlantic City is locally pronounced Ar-KAN-sas. . But lately, I’ve heard it pronounced like the state. Bah humbug. Meanwhile, the beloved Choco Taco, a staple of the ice cream guys on the beach, is being discontinued.

And, as my colleague Tommy Rowan eloquently documented, the little ritual of the Boardwalk free sample may be a thing of the past.

What rituals of the Shore do you value? Which ones seem to be going away?

📮 Let me know what you think and I’ll include your most interesting responses, by replying to this email, or find me on Twitter or Instagram.

🌊 The ocean’s been warming a bit from its shocking dip into the 50s. But that same ocean sent delightfully cool air out over beach towns at night, for those that dared keep windows open and ceiling fans on (another faded ritual mostly replaced by central air).

— Amy S. Rosenberg (🐦 Tweet me at @amysrosenberg. 📷 Follow me on Insta at @amyrosenberg. 📧 Email me at downtheshore@inquirer.com)

🎤 Play on: Surf City lifted its temporary ban on outdoor and amplified music.

🐋 Whales! Tom Avril writes about the surge in humpback whale sightings along the coast of New Jersey and New York, waters that are also a particular trouble spot for the beauties.

🎤 Meek Mill at the pool: A.C. Mayor Marty Small Sr. was on hand to record Meek doing Dreams and Nightmares at Ocean Casino’s HQ2 Beach Club last week. On July 30, the HQ2 day party will feature the popular Tchami, the French Future House Music producer/DJ.

🏑 Beach hockey: Where else in Jersey but Wildwood could you play a beach field hockey tournament?

🌊 Brigantine Cove to close. The state approved an August start to dredging at the popular Cove in Brigantine, portions of which will close during the remainder of the summer.

🐘 Lucy the Elephant’s supporters apologized for language used in a fund-raiser for Lucy’s renovation that offended some descendants of Holocaust Survivors.

⛱️ Lifeguard shortage: Erin McCarthy writes that the lifeguard shortage has strained beach patrols.

🎢 Beach Haven is unveiling plans for a 4,000-square-foot skate park at the Taylor Avenue waterfront.

🎾 Get funky: I know, that’s a tennis ball emoji. But grab your pickle ball racket and head to the Funky Pickle Ventnor Classic on July 30 for the celebration of all things pickleball.

🌠 Bring the kids to the LuminoCity Festival in Atlantic City, a lit up Dino Safari park, “immersive and imaginative,” in the shadow of the Absecon Lighthouse, 35 S. Vermont Ave., now through Sept. 5.

🎽 Run 10 miles July 30 at the 50th annual Captain Bill Gallagher Run in Sea Isle.

🐢 Release a terrapin: Sea Isle Terrapin Rescue’s release day last week drew a big crowd. You can do that at Totally Turtle Tuesdays at Stone Harbor’s Wetlands Institute.

🌽Stop at Conover’s Farm stand near the Wetlands Institute on the causeway, and try Momma Jo’s rice pudding.

🏄‍♀️ Learn to surf: Jen Miller started at age 40, long past her “young and bendy” years, the writer formerly known as “Jersey Shore Jen” wrote in this Oprah Daily essay.

😋 Get a flat of blueberries on your way to the Shore, only a few days left. Try Atlantic Blueberry in Mays Landing, off the Black Horse Pike, available back at the packing house.

🍲 Eat Moroccan in Wildwood at Tara Kitchen, at 5209 Pacific Ave., where celebrated Chef Aneesa Waheed has landed her inspired cuisine this summer.

🏰 Roast and sell coffee out of your garage: Remedee’s Amanda and Colie Escobar show how that is now legal under New Jersey’s new cottage food industry law.

Upwelling (noun). A phenomenon where by winds blowing across the ocean surface push water away. Water then rises up from beneath the surface to replace the water that was pushed away.

I cannot believe how cold the ocean is all of a sudden. My ankles are numb! Is this caused by upwelling?

This process is known as “upwelling.” My colleague, esteemed atmospheric expert Tony Wood, examines the complicated physics of it all, the role of the turning of the earth, in this must read explaining why the heat wave led to the frigid ocean.

Nun’s Beach is the name the surfers call the 111th Street beach in Stone Harbor. Was this one too easy? Everyone got it right, and, for the second week in a row, R.W. Snyder was first.

Here’s a story I did about Sister James Dolores and Villa Maria by The Sea, selling Nuns Beach merch out of their garage like “aging Deadheads with leftover T-shirts who don’t want the tour to end.”

This week’s question:

This Shore town lost its first 10 blocks to a series of storms and blizzards between 1914 and 1916 that tore apart houses and washed away bulkheads “as if it were cardboard,” as the Press of Atlantic City wrote.

Which town was it?

💡If you think you know the answer, reply to this email, and the first correct answer will get a shout-out.

Lots of replies about the wind turbines, part of a massive project planned for the coast of New Jersey.

Candace Krier writes: “We have a home in Sea Isle and are not adverse to seeing wind turbines off our shore. Would prefer those over oil rigs.”

Joyce Witte: “The beach has never been serene since the invention of planes flying their advertisements. They take away from the tranquility of a quiet day at the beach. Add now we’ll see wind turbines that will be useful in man’s attempt at lowering global warming, lowering our energy bill (in time), and our country’s self-reliance on energy source ...so yes … I think wind turbines off shore is a small price to pay.”

Karen Skurla: “They work great on mountain tops but ocean, no! But the current administration is pushing them so good luck. I know the DE beaches do not want them.”

Ren Kucas: “I personally do not want to see wind turbines off of my town of ocean city. I feel like it is a dump on our residents.”

Kate O’Kula: “I’ve traveled over the mountains in France and Spain and thrilled to the sight of wind turbines there. Living in Rhode Island, the turbines off the coast of Block Island give me the same feeling. Whether on land or sea, we need them. How can we witness the deterioration of the planet, scientifically attributed to the release of toxins from fossil fuels, and not opt for alternatives?”

Robyn Whittingham’s memory evokes a theme I hear over and over: the freedom felt as children down the Shore.

My sister and I — now in our 60s — often share memories of the heady freedom bestowed upon us when we were down the shore. Our family had a tradition of spending a week or more of our summer vacation in Atlantic City. My sister and I — perhaps when we were 6 and 8 years old — were given $.25 to spend on our favorite Boardwalk arcade. We were allowed to go by ourselves — no parents to accompany us! — and were given an hour of time to spend. Our nickels went far in playing skeeball to win tickets, and we saved them all week until we were ready to pick some special prize out of the display case.

As we grew up, our summer freedoms extended to more time with friends on the boardwalk — as long as we adhered to our check-in time and curfew. When my sister and I had kids, we moved our family vacations to Ocean City, where our kids enjoyed the same independence (with the same restrictions our parents put on us). They’re now grown up and introducing THEIR children to the wonders and magic of the Jersey shore.

📮 Send me your Shore memory in 200 words. Tell us how the Shore taps into something deep for you, and we will publish them in this space.

👋 Until next week, open the windows and enjoy the ocean breezes.