BELMAR/LAKE COMO, NJ — The deadline is today, December 14 to make sure Belmar and Lake Como children are on Santa’s list when he visits both towns next week.

Santa will ride through Belmar delivering wrapped holiday gifts to everyone on his special list beginning at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, December 18. He then will be in Lake Como on Wednesday, December 19 on the same mission, beginning ...

LAKE COMO, NJ — Lake Como children will be getting an early visit from Santa on Wednesday, December 19.

From 5 to 8:30 p.m., he will be riding through the borough — assisted by the Belmar Police Department and Lake Como Public Works Department — delivering wrapped holiday gifts to everyone on his special Lake Como list. Rain date is Thursday, December 20.

To get a Lake ...

BELMAR, NJ — Here’s a rundown of what is happening this holiday season in Belmar.

Get Your Kids on Belmar’s VIP Gift List

Santa also will be making an early visit to Belmar on Tuesday, December 18 and Wednesday, December 19.

Beginning at 3 p.m. on each day, he will be riding through the borough — assisted by the Belmar Police and Public Works Departments — ...

AVON-BY-THE-SEA, NJ — Christmas has certainly arrived at The Macaroon Shop, where a wondrous array of cakes, cookies and other baked goods offers so many delectable choices for the holidays.

The full-service bakery at 107 Main Street in Avon-by-the-Sea is brimming with novelty creations and traditional offerings that are sure to delight young and old during the most wonderful time of the ...

BELMAR, NJ — Main Street Donuts in Belmar is going beyond the single doughnut with specially decorated creations for the holiday season.

Freshly based doughnuts are being arranged into pull-away cakes crafted into holiday trees, candy canes, wreathes and bright red holiday ornaments — tasty gifts and great conversation pieces for holiday gatherings.

The festive themes and colors ...

BELMAR, NJ — For the history buffs on your holiday shopping list, gifts that reflect on Belmar’s past are now available at the Belmar Historical Society museum.

A sampling of items is currently on display in the Sixth Avenue lobby of the Belmar Municipal Building, 601 Main Street. Here’s a look:

“Memories of Belmar” is a two-volume set featuring oral ...

BELMAR, NJ — Santa is on his way, and for many of us, so is the stress associated with the holiday season.

Lynette’s Healing Touch has a way to help those you love soothe the mind, body and soul — and give you a little stress relief, as well.

Massage therapist Lynette Coppola is offering holiday gifts cards for two 50-minute classic massages at a price of $85. And when you ...

BELMAR, NJ — For Sportsnut Cards & Collectibles owner Ted Henschel, time is certainly on his side.

Now located at 1102 Main Street in Belmar, his store boasts one of the largest selections of quality cards and collectibles in New Jersey — timeless treasures that feature athletes whose achievements span the decades in a full spectrum of sports.

In fact, Henschel is highly ...

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” ...

OCEAN GROVE, NJ — Featuring a diverse array of handcrafted items, unique merchandise and one-of-a-kind treasures, Serenity by the Sea is your go-to destination for everyone on your holiday gift list.

Recently opening at 53 Main Avenue, this “little shop of wonder” is the creation of Sarah Taylor Izzo, who moved from Belmar to a bigger and brighter location in the heart of ...

BELMAR, NJ — The northern end of Belmar’s beachfront is quietly making a comeback that will please Mother Nature.

Piping plovers have returned to nest in the natural beach area near First Avenue, and the rare seabeach amaranth plant is sprouting along a strip of sand along the boardwalk between Third and Fourth Avenues. Both are federally endangered species that were recently ...

MANASQUAN/CAPE MAY, NJ — The U.S. Coast Guard, with help from the Manasquan Fire Department, rescued three men and a dog from a sinking commercial fishing vessel in the Manasquan Inlet early this morning.

The Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay reported that it received notification at 2 a.m. on December 8 that the 44-foot Miss Kathleen struck the northern Manasquan Inlet jetty and was ...

TRENTON, NJ — New Jersey seniors and individuals with disabilities now have an online tool to see if they're entitled to a host of health- and household-related benefits and savings.

The Department of Human Services’ (DHS) Division of Aging Services has launched NJSave, a new online application to help qualifying New Jerseyans save money on Medicare premiums, prescription costs ...

SPOTSWOOD, NJ — The third annual Operation Cookie Swap is in full drive, mobilized to bring holiday smiles to active and nonactive military families in the greater Spotswood area.

Operation Cookie Swap is sponsored by the SSG Michael Ollis Freedom Foundation and Amici’s Bakery in Monroe. The yummy holiday event is organized by longtime borough resident Kimberly Ollis-Loschiavo in ...

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 through December 28, showcases the artwork that is both affordable and appealing to general audiences.

ASBURY PARK, NJ — Now in its 14th year, the Beach Music Studios Holiday Party keeps on going, and even more importantly, it keeps on giving.

A standing-room-only crowd enjoyed an afternoon extravaganza on December 2 at The Stone Pony that featured a toy drive to benefit area children, a scholarship award to a deserving student, as well as the makings of any memorable festive event ...

WALL, NJ — Two residents from Long Island are facing a multitude of drug and weapons charges, following their December 6 arrests during a motor vehicle stop in Wall that led police to raid their Route 35 motel room, according to police.

At about 5 p.m., Anthony Miccio, 30, of Islip, N.Y., and Ashley Schroko, 23, of Huntington, N.Y., were arrested on New Bedford Road near Route 138 by ...

BELMAR, NJ — Several hundred people gathered in Pyanoe Plaza on Friday night for Belmar’s traditional tree lighting — a twinkling holiday scene as children got their chance to meet with Santa and to climb aboard a fire truck for a ride through town.

It was mostly the younger children who wanted a minute with Santa, as their parents snapped photos for the family scrapbook. And ...

LAKE COMO, NJ — In Lake Como, the annual holiday tree lighting is more than turning on a switch.

While the traditional celebration tonight included illuminating the tall evergreen outside borough hall, it also featured a host of children’s activities inside, including ornament-making, a story about Santa’s visit to the Jersey Shore read by former Mayor Brian Wilton and the ...

BELMAR, NJ — As the second light was added last night to the towering menorah in Pyanoe Plaza, the community came together to celebrate the eight-day Festival of Lights through prayer and song.

Shortly after sundown on December 3, several dozen people joined Rabbi Cy Stanway and Cantor Marnie Camhi of Temple Beth Miriam of Elberon for the official lighting of the ...

BELMAR, NJ — Departing Planning Board Chairman Ed Windas was honored by the Belmar Council for serving in that volunteer capacity for more than 20 years.

At the governing body’s December 4 meeting, Windas was presented by Mayor Brian Magovern with a proclamation recognizing his tenure of service in leading the nine-member board, which reviews applications for land use in accordance ...

FREEHOLD, NJ — Explore Monmouth County's cultural, environmental and historic heritage through a just-released virtual tour series that covers all 53 towns and nearly every corner of the county.

The Monmouth County Division of Planning has launched its Cultural and Heritage Virtual Tour series that allows online visitors to explore a variety of points of interest in eight distinct ...

If you love to cook, there’s a fair chance you’ve got a recipe somewhere in your home by Gwynn Galvin, whose cooking blog “Swirls of Flavor” has been picking up steam.

“I have been told that I am ‘well-seasoned,’ having worked in the culinary field for more than 20 years now,” the grandmother of eight said from her home in Montvale, N.J.

In ...

BELMAR, NJ — A total of 106 Belmar Elementary School students earned honor roll status for the first marking period of the school year.

The 29 students who made the high honor roll by achieving a grade of 93 or higher in all subjects including related arts were:

Sixth grade: Emily Black, Emma Preston, John Wheeler, Winter Archer, Bianca Bell Murillo, Daren Chen, Katherine ...

TRENTON, NJ — A $10 million federal lawsuit by bar owners Timothy and Matthew Harmon against Belmar on claims borough officials deliberately prevented them from opening an outdoor bar has survived its latest legal challenge.

U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan has ruled the lawsuit can proceed on First Amendment grounds that Belmar’s denial of a liquor license transfer to Salt, the ...

TRENTON, NJ — Six Monmouth County residents are among 15 people charged in connection with a heroin and cocaine trafficking ring that operated in the Bayshore region of Monmouth and Middlesex Counties, according to the U.S Attorney’s Office.

Daniel Alfano, 44, of Keansburg, Christy Dube, 43, of the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen, Brian Hall, 47, of Howell, George Holiday Sr., 47, of ...

LAKE COMO/BELMAR, NJ — Photographer Paul Spennrath calls these snapshots his “tale of two lakes.”

Taken on the afternoon of Friday, November 23, he captured the contrasting appearances of Lake Como and Silver Lake, particularly when the days turn colder and grow shorter. And many of those differences center around the types birds that color their pictureque landscapes.

On ...

Gardeners know the benefits of digging in the soil. It elevates a person’s mood, improves mental and physical well-being and the outcome is always good — added beauty or tasty nutritional food. 

But many of us are stuck indoors for the winter, have a lack of space to garden outdoors or just can’t get enough of this healthful activity. Adding greenery indoors expands our ...

BELMAR, NJ — A sobriety checkpoint will be set up tomorrow, December 15 in Belmar by the New Jersey State Police, which did not provide additional details on its location and time.

The state police made the announcement on its Facebook page, alerting motorists that state troopers will be pulling over vehicles looking for drivers who exhibit signs of impairment due to alcohol or drugs, ...