AVON-BY-THE-SEA, NJ — Pies in many flavors and even sizes are starting to pop out of the ovens at The Macaroon Shop at 107 Main Street.

With Thanksgiving just days away, the popular, full-service bakery is preparing and taking orders for the season’s biggest holiday for pie lovers.

“Thanksgiving is definitely a pie holiday,” said Claire Morrison, co-owner of the shop ...

Turkey or ham? Perhaps a turducken? Whichever traditional centerpiece you go with this Thanksgiving, there’s a chance it wasn’t served during the first holiday dinner in 1621.

Historians believe the Plymouth pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe shared lobster, rabbit, nuts, carrots, eggs and dried fruits during the original three-day celebration.

For 154 years, Thanksgiving would ...

BELMAR, NJ — Salon Marsal is once again is offering something extra with the purchase of its holiday gift certificates.

Every certificate includes a “bonus” amount in services added to the total value of the card. And the larger the gift card amount, the more bonus services the gift card recipient receives, ranging from $25 to $100. Here’s the bonus ...

Are you a local business owner looking for a new way to make your holiday season a bit greener?

TAPinto Belmar/Lake Como is now publishing its second annual Shop Belmar Holiday Guide, which is the go-to online special section for holiday shoppers — whether they're looking for that special gift, a place to gather for a special meal or just spending the day “shopping local” ...

BELMAR NJ — Beach Music Studios will ring in the season once again with its Annual Holiday Party, which will rock the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park on Sunday, December 2.

The holiday musical classic will return for its 14th year with performances by the Beach Music Rock Band, Beach Music Studio students and the Danny White Band with “special guests.”  In addition, ...

BELMAR, NJ — In a world dominated by online and big-box shopping, the Belmar Arts Center is making this holiday season a bit more personal — by offering the gift of art from a medley of artists through several upcoming events.

Affordable Art: A Holiday Sales Exhibit, to be held from November 28 through December 28, will showcase artwork that is both affordable and appealing to ...

BELMAR, NJ — Veterans Day was celebrated in Belmar today with a trifecta of tributes to those who have served their country, with a special salute to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

The observance kicked off this morning, November 11, with Belmar’s traditional service at Monument Row on Main Street — the small park where three war memorials stand between ...

BELMAR, NJ — Veterans Day was quite a weather keeper, especially for boaters whose vessels of all shapes and sizes were clustered just off the coast of Belmar.

Photographer Paul Spennrath captured these snapshots along the beachfront between Belmar and Spring Lake on November 11 — a picturesque way to remember the weekend, as rain is in the forecast for the remainder of the ...

LAKE COMO, NJ — As Lake Como’s landscape slowly turns into hues of browns, golds and oranges, a great blue heron was easily recognizable Saturday among the resident swans and ducks that call the lake home.

New Jersey’s largest wading bird is commonly seen along shorelines, river banks, and the edges of marshes, estuaries and ponds, according to the Conserve Wildlife ...

PISCATAWAY, NJ — Have you ever wondered where you local weatherperson gets those rain and snow totals? There is a good chance they're obtained through the N.J. Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network.

CoCoRaHS is looking for volunteer weather observers of all ages in Belmar, Lake Como and surrounding areas to report the amount of rain or snow that has fallen in their ...

OCEAN GROVE, NJ — Serenity by the Sea welcomes shoppers to its new bigger and brighter location at 53 Main Avenue in Ocean Grove.

Shop owner Sarah Taylor Izzo has moved her popular gift galleria and artisan marketplace from 1004 Main Street in Belmar to a spacious storefront in the heart of Ocean Grove’s bustling shopping district.

“I have found a new nest in Ocean Grove, ...

BELMAR, NJ — While widely known for its beach, boardwalk and marina, Belmar’s other gems of open space are its parks. And to help ensure their future as part of this mix of recreational resources, the borough is looking to establish a parks commission.

The Belmar Council has introduced an ordinance to create the five-member group that would serve in an advisory capacity to the ...

BELMAR, NJ — You can never have too much pie. Just ask the children in Belmar Elementary School’s prekindergarten class, who took a trip yesterday to Sweet Tease Tea Room.

The 33 children on November 7 took the short walk along Main Street from the school to the café, where owner Kate Walters provided them with a first-hand look at the workings of a bakery — a lesson ...

BELMAR, NJ — In a student-to-student comparison of results, Belmar Elementary School continued to show improved scores in Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) standardized testing.

In English/language arts, the school registered an overall 6 percent gain of students in grades three through eight who met or exceeded expectations from 2017 to 2018. In ...

BELMAR, NJ — Belmar Elementary School’s new offsite preschool program for 3-year-olds is now open to Lake Como residents.

The borough’s Board of Education recently received a $72,000 grant from the N.J. Department of Education so that preschoolers can attend the full-day program at the Acelero Learning Center, 101 West Sylvania Avenue, Neptune City.

And because Lake Como ...

BELMAR, NJ — The spotlight shined on the Belmar Elementary School’s championship-winning boys soccer team one more time, as the borough council last night recognized its achievement.

In presenting the 20-member team with a proclamation of recognition, Councilman Thomas Brennan, who is the school’s band director, called out the name of each boy before they gathered at the ...

BELMAR, NJ — For Belmar Elementary School eighth-grader Tyler Lisko, it’s been an achievement in the making for four years — emerging as the winner in the Middle School Cross Country Meet of Champions.

With a time of 8:34 over a 1½-mile course, the 13-year-old was the first to cross the finish line among some 160 other runners on October 24 at Big Brook Park in ...

HOWELL, NJ — The quick action of a Howell motorist yesterday morning to avoid serious injury after a deer crashed through her front windshield underscores the importance of staying alert while driving during the animal’s fall mating season.

Melissa Misthal, 36, of Howell was driving a 2004 Toyota RAV4 southbound on Route 9 near Bergerville Road on November 12 when her vehicle ...

TRENTON, NJ — David Rible will be leaving his post as director of the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

The Wall resident and former Republican assemblyman for the 30th Legislative District will be replaced by attorney and municipal court judge James B. Graziano, according to State Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, who made the announcement of Gov. Phil Murphy’s ...

FREEHOLD, NJ — A Neptune Township man has been found guilty of writing nearly $3,000 in bad checks for Sears merchandise he purchased shortly after Superstorm Sandy for his alleged damaged home, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

John C. Vanness, 57, of Riverside Drive was convicted on October 27 of multiple counts of theft by deception and writing bad checks in ...

BELMAR, NJ — With all 453 mail-in ballots reflected in the tallies, here are the official vote totals for Belmar candidates in the November 6 general election.

In the mayoral race, winning Republican Councilman Mark Walsifer registered 1,424 votes to incumbent Democratic Mayor Brian Magovern’s 1,230 votes.

In the council races, winning GOP newcomer Patricia Wann tallied 1,363 ...

LAKE COMO, NJ — Mayor-Elect Kevin Higgins received 494 votes in his unopposed bid in the November 6 General Election, as the rest of the Democratic slate’s council candidates tallied the following votes in their uncontested races: incumbent Virginia Kropac, 475, incumbent Christopher D’Antuono, 468, and newcomer David Gardner, 479.

While Kropac and D’Antuono ran for ...

LAKE COMO, NJ — Toddlers in Lake Como’s “Mommy and Me” play group got a chance to try out their Halloween trick-or-treating skills this morning at Lake Como Borough Hall.

During their weekly get-together, they proceeded in costume to the borough offices — with treat bags and buckets in hand — where they knocked on doors and peered into office cubicles to be ...

BELMAR, NJ — Superheroes and cartoon characters, mixed with a smattering of scary creatures and even a Rubik’s cube, ruled Main Street today during Belmar’s annual Halloween Parade.

The October 28 procession kicked off from the Belmar Municipal Building, where nearly 100 children, family members and friends were led by the Belmar Elementary School Eagle Band who provided the ...

BELMAR, NJ — After an October 17 fire forced the closing of Sportsnut Cards & Collectibles, it has already found a new home — and it’s just one block away.

The specialty shop had a “soft opening” on October 27 at 1102 Main Street, next to the Go Play! Retro Arcade and across Belmar Elementary School.

Owner Ted Henschel said his first-floor store of 12 years ...

WASHINGTON, DC — Monmouth County businesses and residents affected by severe storms and flooding on August 11 through 13 can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Loans are being made available because of a disaster declaration made by Gov. Phil Murphy for Ocean and Passaic Counties. As a result, these SBA loans are open to residents of those ...

BELMAR, NJ — The two traffic circles on 10th Avenue at B and D Streets in Belmar are no longer. Both intersections now have simple four-way stops to keep the traffic flow in check.

The Belmar Department of Public Works completed the project on October 19, removing the roundabouts' concrete curbing, vegetation and dirt, and filling them with blacktop.

The four-way stop signs have ...

Don’t let a busy schedule stop you from creating a beautiful landscape. Incorporate a few of these changes into your fall landscape care. You’ll create beautiful results with a limited investment of time and effort.

Cut the grass, recycle fall leaves, and improve the soil with a pass of the lawn mower.   Shred leaves and leave them on the lawn as you mow this fall. As ...

BELMAR/LAKE COMO, NJ — TAPinto Belmar/Lake Como is the only all-online, objective newspaper that serves residents, organizations and businesses in both municipalities, reporting news at it happens 24/7.

Accredited by the New Jersey Press Association, it is the official electronic newspaper of both municipalities and is part of the TAPinto network of 75 locally owned and operated online ...