Discussion for article #237434
I read elsewhere the seafood fest brought in 200,000 over the weekend. For such a tiny town, that is huge.
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Yep. When your whole town is effectively a tourist destination, it has a maximum capacity just like any other venue. There are soccer stadiums with more space for visitors than towns like Belmar.
Looking over my shoulder, my wife said, âSo visiting Jersey is a little like going to Neiman Marcusâ annual clearance shoe sale, huh?â
She is wise! rotfl
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Keep in mind that getting into and out of Belmar is
(1.) ofter done at a crawl during a simply âniceâ weekend
(2.) involves crossing bridges where traffic gets squeezed
(3.) can be done via limited number of roads into the town (see#2.)
(4.) becomes sheer insanity on the weekend of the Seafood festival.
- for many people, the old Yogi Berra quote applies to Belmar on this weekend -
âNobody goes there anymore. Itâs too crowded.â
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Dunno why but this mayor reminds me of that mayor in Jaws. Maybe Iâm just in a cynical mood this morning.
Ah, Mr Mayor, if you donât want to âreach capacityâ in your town, donât hold the fish fry⌠Or move the venue.
On CNN just now there was news of a shark attack along the east coast somewhere.
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I think its pretty obvious the Mayor does not have the authority to limit use of a State funded road. He can limit the folks that attend an event but he canât shut down a road. This kind of stuff is just getting to damn common.
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Heâs not shutting down the highway, heâs shutting down the access road from the highway. Youâd be surprised how many of those are local/county maintained/operated. (Actually, glancing at a map, it looks more like heâ's probably got cops at the traffic lights on Rte 35 to check the people turning off. And really, this is a hollow gesture at most. Go 2-3 blocks north or south on 35 â and yes, for those of you whose âhighwaysâ donât have stoplights or frequent intersections, that chunk of the Jersey coast is basically a single giant surburban sprawl â and come in through Avon-by-the-Sea or one of the other interconnected townships.)
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He consulted with the police on it. I donât see it as over reach either. Itâs a smart move, safety first.
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âŚand Christieâs Crew didnât even need to create some traffic problemsâŚ
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I would have sent a check for his reelection campaign if he had dressed up in a Chris Christie fat suit and put out orange conesâŚyou know, just for laughs on a hot day!
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Reminds me of the Candid Camera stunt pulled by Allen Funt many years ago. He got permission to stop traffic on a Bethel Township road leading into Delaware. Funt, dressed as a state trooper and standing next to a police car, told drivers that Delaware was full and that they could not go in until someone left. Now that was funny.
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Yea, Iâm sure the businesses agreed with the mayor⌠Towns and businesses need these festivals and for the week anyone should be able to plan for all contingencies even crowded roads. Sounds as if this town wanted to save some money and now is paying the piper.
I lived in a small town of under 8K and for a week each year the town held a canal days event that brought well over 150k onto the streets, all within just a 2 or 3 block area. Some talked about down sizing because of the crowds but more wanted to expand farther. In some cases businesses said that the festival week profits covered losses for every other week of the year, including the Xmas sales period. Saw the same happen where in another town that started a weekend cloths line art festival and by year 20 had a judged artists competition so that only the very best could participate. That festival drew well over 1/2 million. Another town had a couple week display of lilacs each May that drew people by the busload from all over. Each and every one paid for themselves and businesses and the towns all profited.
Candid Camera was funny when it just hid and showed people doing what they do. (Like the time they filmed bowlers from behind the pins.)
As soon as they started pulling gags and stunts, they jumped the shark. And Funt himself was almost unwatchable.
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The businesses do not make safety calls, the government does. I donât think I want the private sector in charge of public safety.
Businesses do great in that area this time of year, and good for them. If they lost 5% due to this overall, thatâs the cost of doing business when you are in an area that has a one time huge event that draws people.
In Russia, town flees you!
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For a moment I thought this was about a town called âWayward Pines.â
There are some beaches in North Carolina that are well below capacity right now.