Our Jersey Shore series is back for Season 2

We're baaack.

The only series that authentically captures the essence of the Jersey Shore is returning for Season 2.

Last summer, we caught a ride to the coast and documented the Shoobies, Locals & Moments #downaShore. This summer we're focusing on the rites of a Jersey Shore summer.

» READ MORE: >> Find last season’s stories here <<

Reporters Amy S. Rosenberg and Tommy Rowan, with special appearances by Jason Nark and Frank Fitzpatrick, are again setting out to tell stories about the people and moments that make a trip to the Shore an almost religious experience.

We're focusing on the people you see every year, and the places you look forward to visiting every summer. Expect stories about strange messages left in the sand from the people who clean your favorite beaches, to the personal story of a family divided by pizza.

Whether you're a shoobie, a lifelong local, or an expat seeking a piece of boardwalk pizza reminiscent of your childhood, we hope you will enjoy reading about the scenes that encapsulate a summer at the Shore.

Here's what we have in store for the new season:

If you're a Shoobie and you know it, and you really want to show it,you can buy a shirt.

And a koozie.

That's right: our series has a product line. How cool is that?

But you might be wondering …

Last year so many people were asking that Amy Rosenberg was compelled to answer.

"There seems to be a lot of shoobie anxiety out there," she wrote. "We're here to help."

We have coined a phrase that may appear in the dictionary.

Amy Rosenberg observed beachgoers trudging onto the sand like hermit crabs with an entire house worth of gear strapped to their backs, laying claim to huge swaths of prime beach real estate in a phenomenon she dubbed "Beach-spreading." That spawned a New York Times story and calls for "beach-spreading" to be enshrined forever in Merriam-Webster's dictionary.

What a world.

Since we're pulling some deep cuts from the archives, have you ever wondered who owns most of the real estate at the Shore, and where they're from? Here's a good primer from Frank Kummer. (Click the graphic.)

And if you're looking for dinner recommendations, day-trip ideas, or driving tips, you can find those and more in our comprehensive summer Shore Guide. (Click the photo.)

For the rest of the summer, we're expecting to hear your opinions. Readers can comment on our Shore Series page, and we encourage you to join our summer tour on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat using the hashtag #downaShore.

And, of course, follow along as we tell stories from across the Shore points. The first installment of Season 2 (Chapter 11: The Family Pizza Feud) will land online June 28 and appear in the Sunday Inquirer on July 1.

The remaining installments will publish online every Thursday morning — and each Sunday in print — up to Labor Day weekend.