Shore Things: Entertainment

There are no shortage of entertainment options down the Shore this summer. From concerts to the theater, you'll find something to see and do for sure.

Summer Concerts Under the Stars in Sea Isle City.
Photo by Colin Archer and Marc Steiner/ANJ.

Entertainment:

Brigantine Summer Concerts
Brigantine
The free summer concert series starts on July 4th weekend with a family fun day featuring the Brigantine Brass Band at the 42nd Street Complex. For the rest of the summer, catch musical acts including the South Jersey Area Wind Ensemble, Bubba Mac Blues Band, and the Tri County Symphonic Band with shows at the North School Auditorium, from 7 to 8:30 pm. (609-266-3323)

Center for Community Arts
Cape May
Crashing waves, brilliant sunrises, and cawing seagulls can be inspiring. At the Center for Community Arts in Cape May, the Shore is often used as a muse for creations in color, clay, movement, or words. The center hosts several children’s art camps in Wildwood, Lower Township, and Cape May, and all ages can participate in a series of art classes or in workshops (full-day and half-day) that explore visual arts, dance, and poetry. (712 Lafayette St, 609-884-7525)

Summer Concerts Under the Stars

Sea Isle City
Enjoy free live music by top area bands every Monday from 7:30 to 9 pm, at JFK Boulevard on the Promenade in Sea Isle City. The concerts start on June 29 and run through August 31. This season’s lineup includes the Ed Vezinho/Jim Ward Big Band, the Mango Men, and Jimmy Buffett cover band Jimmy and the Parrots. (609-263-8687, seaislecitynj.us)

Noyes Museum of Art
Oceanville
Bring in the Noyes, bring in the folk! Founded in 1983 by avid art and antique collectors Fred and Ethel Noyes, the Noyes Museum features fine art, crafts, and folk art. Some of the work reflects the museum’s location near the Shore, such as Fred Noyes’s personal collection of vintage bird decoys. Current exhibitions include “David Ahlsted: Reality Reconstructed,” which depicts figures on wide sun-drenched beaches and panoramic harbor views (through October 11), and the “National Association of Women Artists: Celebrating 120 Years,” a collection of paintings, prints, and sculptures by women from across the country (through August 30). The museum, a short drive from Atlantic County beaches, is open Thursday through Saturday, from 10 am to 4:30 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5 pm. Tickets are $4 (seniors and students, $3; children free). Special programs, such as “No Sweat Yoga,” art classes, classical music concerts, and children’s craft workshops, take place throughout the year. (733 Lily Lake Road, 609-652-8848, noyesmuseum.org)

Red Bank Jazz and Blues Festival
June 5-7, Red Bank
Since opening for Jerry Lee Lewis in 1965, Sonny Kenn has become a Shore icon—even the Boss calls him one of the “legends of Asbury Park.” Kenn opens the 23rd annual Red Bank Jazz and Blues Festival on June 5, kicking off three days and nights of entertainment, plus food sampling from top area restaurants, arts and crafts, and a children’s area. The free festival, produced by the Jersey Shore Jazz and Blues Foundation, draws more than 100,000 music lovers to the banks of the Navesink River in Marine Park. Other headliners include the Deanna Bogart Band, noted for its mix of 1930s-style boogie piano and contemporary blues, on June 6, and the Houston Person Quartet on June 7. T.J. Wheeler and other regional jazz and blues stars will appear throughout the weekend’s schedule, which runs from 5 to 10 pm on Friday, noon to 10 pm on Saturday, and noon to 6 pm on Sunday. (1 Marine Park, redbankfestival.com)

Surflight Theatre
Beach Haven
Launched in a shaky Beach Haven Crest tent in 1950, Surflight Theatre jumped venues in its early years, moving to an old meat market, a garage adjacent to a bowling alley, and a mechanic’s tin-roofed garage (with restrooms a block away). Surflight eventually bought the garage, built a costume shop (and restrooms!), and eventually constructed a new building, which has gone through several upgrades. Today, the midsize theater (450 upholstered seats) is a Jersey Shore landmark, with a season that extends through the warmer months. The 2009 summer season includes Lady Be Good (May 27–June 14), Ragtime (June 18–July 3), Hairspray (July 7–25), Little Shop of Horrors (July 28–August 16), and Buddy—the Buddy Holly Story (August 18–September 3), as well as a series of performances in the Children’s Theatre: Snow White (June 24–28), Cinderella (June 29–July 3 and August 19–23), Peter Pan (July 8–12 and September 2–6), The Wizard of Oz (July 15–19 and August 26–30), Aladdin (July 22–26), Jack and the Beanstalk (July 29–August 2), Sleeping Beauty (August 5–9), Beauty and the Beast (August 12–16), and the Princess and the Pea (September 10–12). The main stage’s schedule extends through December. (Engleside and Beach avenues, 609-492-9477)

Uncle Vinnie’s Comedy Club
Point Pleasant
Brothers Dino and Jerry Ibelli want to crack you up. Their summer schedule includes  Patty Rosborough, who co-hosted Comedy Central’s Short Attention Span Theater with Jon Stewart, radio host Gouba Johnny, and impressionist Rob Magnotti. (520 Arnold Ave, 732-899-3900, unclevinniescomedyclub.com)

When you do decide to head to the beach, consult our 2009 Summer Beach Guide for beach badge prices, parking information and exit numbers (if you don’t know them by heart). Click here to view the beach guide (PDF format)

Click on the links below to read the different categories of our 100 Shore Things Guide:

Family Fun

Food

Shopping

Great Outdoors

Destinations

Atlantic City’s Shore Things

Asbury Park’s Shore Things

Click on the links below to read more in-depth articles about Shore destinations and developments:

Will Tough Times Yield Good Deals? A Gaming Resort Tries to Look Beyond the Recession

Touching All the Bases: Lakewood’s Minor League BlueClaws Have Become A Major Hit

Wave Master: Brian Wynn Is The Go-To Guy For Custom Surfboards on the Shore

Boardwalk Into Controvesy: Wildwood’s Apparent Use of Rain-Forest Wood Irks Environmentalists

Wrecking Crew: Seeking Sunken Treasures (Or Just a Few Fish) in Jersey’s Chilly Coastal Waters

Cape May’s Sparkling Stones: Cape May "Diamonds"?

Come As You Are Bars: Flip-Flops and a Bathing Suit Are Not Problem At These Hot Spots on the Beach

Greetings From Asbury Park (Again): Amid Economic Slowdown, A Legendary Shore Town Awaits the Fruits of Redevelopment

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