Category Archives: Just Fun

Baby it’s cold outside!

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The Inkwell Coffee House

Coffee: it’s not just for breakfast anymore!  The coffee craze has been in and out of vogue throughout history.  It’s a cultural phenomenon with its own rituals and plenty of noteworthy references –from the coffee klatch to the coffee break and even some great songs like, “Black Coffee” made famous by singers like Sarah Vaughan & Ella Fitzgerald. 

I remember TV commercials for Sanka –which is all my aunt Sarah ever drank (bringing her own Sweet & Low packets she’s absconded from the local Howard Johnson’s) at all my mother’s Tupperware parties.  And I remember the old adage, “fill it to the rim, with Brim” after the dangers of caffeine hit the presses.  But we’ve come a long way since Chock Full O’ Nuts and Ricardo Montalban.  If it was the 80’s that set us up for the serve, then the 90’s were the grand slam of Arabica proportions! 

A beautifiul macciato at Cafe Volan, Asbury Park

Just before the turn of the century into the new millennium, Starbucks would set up shop on virtually every street corner in NYC (there were 3 of them in Cooper Square) and in every shopping mall from coast to coast.  Eventually even McDonalds would attempt to get their market share.  But there’s more to coffee than big business; there’s an underlying subculture surrounding this bean juice that endures even to this day.  You can feel the vibe at hipster coffee joints like Café Volan in Asbury Park, but the real deal can be found in Long Branch at the Inkwell Coffee House –one of the few coffee houses to remain intact and true to form.  The Inkwell does, as one might assume, serve a wide variety of specialty coffees and teas, including their signature (and decadent) Dutch Coffee, brewed with butter, cream and sugar then topped with whipped cream.  But just as important as their fair trade wares is the fact that they provide weekly live entertainment and open mic nights –which is what makes a coffee house a “coffeehouse” to begin with. 

The Inkwell as been around since the 70’s, when coffee houses were all the rage amongst teens and beatniks who would read their poetry & sing folk tunes to kindred spirits in the night.  That’s another important aspect of a true coffee house –they don’t cater to commuters and Wall Street crime lords.  It’s not the 5 am – 2 pm crowd they’re targeting.   Inkwell wakes from its slumber and opens its doors around 6 or 7 in the evening most days and stays open until around 2 or 3 am!  Here you’ll find university students, night owls, artists, poets, and musicians –savoring inexpensive snacks and enjoying delicious refreshments while enjoying local talent.  It’s as relevant to the Monmouth County music scene’s cultural heritage just as much as the Count Basie Theatre & Stone Pony would be considered.  If you haven’t checked it out –there are plenty of cold winter nights left to go grab a mug of Dutch Coffee heaven!  The Inkwell is located at 665 2nd Ave in Long Branch.  Winter hours are as follows: Mondays through Fridays from 7 pm until 3 am, Saturdays from 6:30 pm – 4 am, and Sundays from  6:30 pm – 2:30 am.

 

K.D. Lang perfoms Black Coffee.

Also – check out some of the links in the first paragraph especially – some great campy vintage stuff in there!

Carl Chesna
Monmouth Arts Music Blogger 

A Well-Traveled Painting

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Image: Columbus Museum of Art/Howald Fund | Edward Hopper, Morning Sun

As the calendar continues to tick off days at a seemingly dizzy pace, a familiar, wistful feeling stirs. I realize that summer will soon draw to a close. As a student, this meant back to studying and rigor… and now, as a mother, it means the time that had been stretching before me like an endless, sandy beach is now going to have to be rationed a bit… divided and portioned out carefully. If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll find the time to glance back briefly at my little beach.

Thinking of the places I have traveled over the summer (or, to phrase it more accurately, since I am in that fleeting time of life with small children… the places I wish I had traveled, and then the ones I settled for) brings a smile to my face. Memories etched and stored, like passport stamps, to remind me that I was at this or that place. Goals set, plans made for my family’s next adventure (once our son becomes reasonable enough for a long flight). Living vicariously through well-traveled friends is a favorite past time these days… but I never thought I could be envious of a work of art.

That brings me to Edward Hopper‘s 1952 piece, Morning Sun.

The following is from NPR’s Morning Edition (August 20):
It’s one of the ultimate images of summer: a woman in a short, pink slip sits on a bed, her knees pulled up to her chest, gazing out a window. Her hair is tucked back into a bun. Her bare arms rest lightly on her bare legs.

Edward Hopper painted her in 1952 for a work called “Morning Sun.” The picture has been widely reproduced for decades. But on a recent visit to its home at the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio, it was nowhere to be found.

“It’s on loan right now to an exhibition,” explains Melissa Wolfe, the museum’s curator of American art. “It travels a lot. It’s a very well-requested painting.”

This lady in pink ( Hopper’s wife, Josephine Nivison, an artist and former student of Robert Henri, and apparently the only approved model for Hopper following their marriage in the 20s) has traveled enough to make any wishful wanderer jealous…

According to Wolfe:

“She’s been to Japan twice. She’s been to Mexico twice…”  ”She was at the Tate Modern [in London]. She’s been to Italy, Switzerland, Germany.”

Right now, she’s in Madrid; this fall, she goes to Paris. When she’s gone, the museum keeps a big poster of her in the gallery where the painting usually — or really just sometimes — hangs.

The museum does all of the packing itself, to ensure that the lady can traverse the globe comfortably, looking lovely as ever! As a side note, Joe was 69 when she posed for this painting, which, by its complete lack of wrinkles, means she either aged extremely well, or has a husband who only paints her best side.

First class accommodations for the piece don’t include champagne and silverware, but do involve a special crate marked “The Hopper Crate,” which is then stored for future trips. It (or should I say she?) travels with an entourage to the airport these days, and is carefully watched by museum staffers during the loading process from a special viewing room. Then they accompany the painting to its newest travel destination.

How much does white-glove service like this cost, you might ask?

Accredited museums don’t charge when they lend — collegial creed, they say — but there is a small fee to cover paperwork. As for insurance, it’s paid by the borrower. “And it’s wall to wall,” Wolfe says. “They insure it from the time it comes off our wall to the time it comes back to our wall.”

Once it’s in its new location, Morning Sun  hangs around in its crate for awhile (jet lag, naturally) in order to get acclimated to its new location, “kind of like a fine violin.” Then, the museum staffers who traveled with the piece supervise its uncrating and inspect to make sure all is well after the long journey.

“We watch it go up on the wall,” Wolfe says. “And then we say, ‘It looks great, good luck,’ and we head home.”

I wonder if paintings get frequent flyer miles?


Tammy Laverty
New Media Manager
Monmouth Arts

A Community Dance Project Bringing Neighbors Together

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Picture from Two River Theater... here is the cast practicing our moves!

When I first heard about Two River Theater‘s upcoming performance “for anyone from 2 to 102,” I immediately flashed back to being a kid, dressed up and performing on a “stage” excitedly for my parents (with an occasional dismayed pet that had also been dressed for the performance, naturally), and then I thought about my daughter, who is currently in that age (along with our currently dismayed pet).  I realized that I couldn’t pass up such a great opportunity for us to experience a large-scale performance on a real stage! Now that I am further into the rehearsals, however, I can say with confidence that what makes Bolero Red Bank so amazing is the group of people involved. It is our own community that makes this show sparkle… with a little help from Larry, Jacklyn, and Gary, our coaches, of course!

We showed up for the casting call, which ultimately brought together  Monmouth County residents of all shapes, sizes, ages and colors, and stood in a circle. All different, yet all united in our shared purpose- Red Bank’s very own performance of Bolero, choreographed by the incredibly entertaining and talented Larry Keigwin,and performed with dancers from  Keigwin + Company. 

Larry Keigwin and cast members from Bolero Red Bank

Keigwin had us waving beach towels, posing with sunglasses, and doing Busby Berkley-style choreography with beach balls (well, sort of… I’m not sure how close we got to that.. but we were in high spirits over it in any case). Red Bank Bolero marks Keigwin’s eighth community Bolero performance, with some others having been in New York, Toledo, and Santa Barbara. He had this to say about the project:

“Each time, the people are both the same [in their enthusiasm] and entirely different, which makes the process so interesting. We use different signature props based on the location [for example, rock climbers and backpacks in Colorado, and umbrellas in New York]. I love the immediate exchange with people that happens in this type of performance. Usually there is a distance between the dancers and the audience. There is also the teaching element to this that is highly rewarding.”

This sentiment is also shared by two of Keigwin’s talented performers, who have been (patiently) assisting us in learning dance moves and counting out the music.

Gary, Jacklyn and one very excited 5-year-old!

Gary Schaufeld (with the company 3 years)- “Bolero is all about the participants. It’s a product of the people who are in it, and I love that it is such a narrative piece with a clear story. It’s fun to pull out everyone’s specific characters. That’s what makes each location so different.”

Jaclyn K. Walsh (1 1/2 years in the core company)- “Everything is pretty unpredictable. Some of the most entertaining things are also the most unexpected. This big group of people comes together for the first time and it’s fun to see what happens as they work together. I also love the teaching aspect of it. Working with the kids is fun because you never know what they are going to do!”

Margie, Dave and Carmen relax on break during rehearsal

Of course, a story about our own Bolero wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the great people who came together, every night for 2 hours, to practice and fine-tune our dance moves. We came as strangers, and have fast become friends, with each cast member bringing a unique bit of greatness to the performance. There are friends Margie, Dave and Carmen from Asbury Park. Margie and Dave are neighbors, and Carmen (who is a regular at Two River Theater) heard about Bolero first. Margie was excited to come and perform, though Dave had to be convinced (he’s enjoying himself very much now… especially throwing the frisbee). All have enjoyed getting to meet new people, and living out her dream of performing on stage.  There is also mom Minerva and her kids,  Andrea and Marcos (you’ll see them run across the stage with boogie boards in the opening crowd scene). Minerva originally came just for herself, but then thought her kids might enjoy it as well… and they are having a blast! She says this of the gathering,”I love that in this age of social media, all these different people have sacrificed to come together for two hours every day. It is an amazing experience for my kids and for me.” What a wonderful thing!

Minerva and her kids (with my daughter, Delia tagging along) are enjoying the community connection at Bolero

And really, in the end, that’s what this is all about, isn’t it? Meeting new people, making a sacrifice and a commitment, and then reaping the rewards that come from community engagement at this level… coming together to dance and having a great time in the process!

Performances Friday and Saturday night at 8:00 (running time 120 min). Go to www.trtc.org for details and to purchase tickets.

 

 

 

 

Tammy's daughter, Delia and her new buddy Sarah

Tammy Laverty
New Media Manager/fabulous-dancer-for-two-days
Monmouth Arts 

Inspired by Historic Monmouth County

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A working grist mill at the Historic Walnford

With so many options for entertainment in Monmouth County, it can be puzzling to settle on exactly what one should do with their precious moments of spare time. There’s also the predicament of deciding what to do if you happen to get a day off. Many of us have our “go-to” haunts and have a bucket-list of others that we want to try, but most of those involved closed doors and stage lights. What we sometimes forget is that our County is chock-full of outdoor activities and adventures, both educational and entertaining, that can be enjoyed day and night! Monmouth County’s federally recognized Parks Dept. is an excellent place to start.

This cow thinks you should stop by Historic Long Street Farm

They offer programs and classes that are either free or very affordable and you can register right online! Other places of interest that you can visit this spring are our vineyards which offer tours, tastings, demonstrations, and music. Check out Four JG’s Orchards and Vineyards in Colts Neck, and the Cream Ridge Winery in (you guessed it) Cream Ridge. If you’re a history buff like me, take a visit to the Longstreet Farm in Holmdel –a living history farm that recreates agricultural life of the 1890s. Longstreet Farm is an example of a typical farm created by Dutch settlers in New Jersey, where interpreters dress in period costume and perform year round farming and domestic actives. Historic Walnford in Upper Freehold is a 36-acre village that began with a gristmill in 1736 and by 1872 had its own post office (now Jersey’s oldest continuously running post office). These might not seem like your
Inside the Cream Ridge Winery
Inside the Cream Ridge Winery

typical examples of “entertainment,” but Monmouth County goes way beyond typical in what it has to offer. Winter’s gone. Go out and get some fresh air!

View a photo montage of Long Street Farm by photographer Matt Denton.

Carl Chesna