RED BANK: NEW TRACK, NEW DEAL FOR BASIE

Workers removed the track at Count Basie Fields last week to prepare for the installation of a new surface. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank Catholic High School will increase its contribution for upgrades at Count Basie Fields under a new cost-sharing arrangement approved by the Red Bank council last month.

Payments by the school, which uses the facility as its home football stadium, will help fund replacement of the cushiony running track, a project that got underway last week.

July 11, 2019 - 10:00 am | Comments ()

LITTLE SILVER: SPORTS CUTS SPARK OUTRAGE

Heavy turnout forced the relocation of the RBR board meeting to the media center, above. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank Regional students and parents packed a board of ed meeting Wednesday night in a bid to save the ice hockey and golf programs from a budgetary axe.

With a preliminary spending plan calling for a 6.5-percent tax increase, board members defended the cuts as necessary before parents appeared to coalesce around a plan to save the sports through outside fundraisers.

March 21, 2019 - 12:30 pm | Comments ()

LITTLE SIVER: RBR TEACHERS BLAST MOORE

Superintendent Lou Moore at Wednesday’s RBR board meeting. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj The union representing teachers at Red Bank Regional accused Superintendent Lou Moore Wednesday night of running the three-town high school district with an “authoritarian” approach and a “general lack of integrity.”

The bombshell accusations were made at a board of ed meeting hours after the Red Bank Regional Education Association’s members “overwhelmingly” cast a no-confidence vote against Moore, said math teacher Sunny Lenhard.

March 21, 2019 - 1:17 am | Comments ()

RBR: CHEERLEADER PUSHUPS REINSTATED

Red Bank Regional cheerleaders, led by Coach Kristy Finck, at left, drop for pushups after the Bucs’ second touchdown Friday night. (Video by John T. Ward.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj After a one-week interruption, Red Bank Regional’s cheerleaders were back to doing pushups in support of the football team Friday night.

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October 8, 2018 - 4:00 am | Comments ()

RBR: CHEERLEADER PUSHUPS AT ISSUE

Red Bank Regional cheerleaders in an undate photo on the school website. (Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

In the wake of a complaint, Red Bank Regional High has temporarily halted cheerleader pushups after every score by the football team, redbankgreen has learned.

October 4, 2018 - 12:30 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: SPORTS SURGE BOOSTS ACADEMICS

Taniaya Morris scoring this season for the Lady Rockets. (Photo by Mark Costa. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Coming off what Superintendent Jared Rumage called “the most successful year ever in the history of Red Bank Middle School sports,” district officials have also harvested some gold about the relationship of athletics and academics, they said recently.

September 5, 2018 - 12:00 pm | Comments ()

LITTLE SILVER: ATHLETICS HALL INAUGURATED

The inaugural class was honored at halftime on the RBR football field during the Buccaneer vs. Casey game on October 27. Below, Lonnie Allgood, with Del Dal Pra and Eric McCoo, signs a helmet.

Press release from Red Bank Regional High

For years, the Red Bank Regional School district through its educational, and then BUC Backers Foundation has inducted alumni into its Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. This year, however, a separate and distinct Hall of Fame was established exclusive to its Athletes.

November 22, 2017 - 10:49 pm | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: A ‘YELP’ FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

Alex Skove and Cathy Goldin, founders of Kidgooroo, at Booskerdoo in Fair Haven last month. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Hoping to turn frustration into gold, two women from the Greater Red Bank Green have taken on the challenge of helping parents identify the best available extracurricular programs for their children.

Think of their online service, called Kidgooroo, as a kind of Yelp for harried moms and dads.

November 28, 2016 - 10:29 am | Comments ()

MTOWN NORTH TOPS RFH ON ICE, 8-6

Down 5-1 in the second period, Rumson-Fair Haven eventually drew even with Middletown North in the Handchen Cup final on the ice in Wall Thursday night. But led by Bobby Hampton, who had two goals and two assists, North skated off with an 8-6 win and the cup, and now turns its attention to a state championship tournament.(Video courtesy of Shore Sports Zone.)

February 19, 2016 - 6:30 am | Comments ()

redbankgreen SPORTS PAGE POWERS UP

redbankgreen is pleased to introduce a new page. Headed “redbankgreen Sports powered by Shore Sports Zone,” it’s where you’ll find local sports news, much of it in the form of highly polished video reporting by Rich Chrampanis, founder of the independent website Shore Sports Zone, which is also debuting this week.

Chrampanis, who grew up in Middletown and graduated from Christian Brothers Academy (’88), is a veteran at this. After graudating from St. Bonaventure, he spent two decades in television sports coverage as an on-air reporter, anchor and producer. After 14 years at piloting the sports desk at WPDE-TV in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Chrampanis moved his family to Little Silver earlier this year to create Shore Sports Zone. With detailed school pages and timely video coverage, Chrampanis hopes to make the site the top resource for fans of high school sports in Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

We at redbankgreen hope to help him put it across the goal line while offering our readers something we haven’t had in the eight years this site has been around. So tune in here for hyperlocal sports coverage, and get the bigger picture at Shore Sports Zone.

We hope you find both our sports page and Shore Sports Zone informative and entertaining. Let us know what you think.

September 5, 2014 - 4:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: SOCCER THRILLER AT BASIE

Red Bank-area soccer fans half-filled the Count Basie Theatre Tuesday afternoon for a free live screening of the World Cup match between the United States and Belgium, won in extra time by the Belgians, 2-1. Many fans showed their colors, including Kelsey Milne, right, and three soldiers from the Army recruiting office at Fort Monmouth, below.

Though they could have watched the game at home, Carlos Saucedo and his wife, Aide, drove to Red Bank from Howell for the game. “I said, ‘we just have to be where people are gathering,” Carlos told redbankgreen. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

July 2, 2014 - 6:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: USA V. BELGIUM, FREE AT BASIE

Red Bank-area soccer fans will be able to watch Tuesday’s World Cup knockout round match between the United States and Belgium on a much larger screen than the one at Red Bank Subs, above. The Count Basie Theatre is hosting a free, live simulcast of the game on its 700-square-foot silver screen, with popcorn and other food available for purchase and a cash bar for patrons 21 and older. Doors open at 3 p.m. for the 4 p.m. game. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

June 29, 2014 - 11:12 am | Comments ()

LOCAL BARS, WHERE THE GAME TAKES WING

Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza in Red Bank’s Galleria has a few specials on tap for Sunday’s game.

By JIM WILLIS

morsels medium Sunday’s big game – Super Bowl XLVIII, in case you’ve been seriously off the grid – will be watched by millions of viewers. But for a spectacle fueled by ads for beer, it’s kind of ironic that relatively few will be taking it in at a bar.

“It’s more of a family and kids event that people like to watch at home” says Tom Ganley, bartender at The Globe in Red Bank. Unless, of course, the Giants are playing.

“When the Giants play in the Super Bowl, we’re packed,” says Ganley.

Still, if you’re headed out to a local bar on Sunday, besides having some decent elbow room, you can expect some specials. PieHole surveyed a few watering holes that we think are well-suited to football viewing.

January 31, 2014 - 3:37 pm | Comments ()

RUMSON: MURPHY’S RETURNING TO ITS ROOTS

The repeal of Prohibition on December 5, 1933, made Murphy’s Tavern legit, but owners Robb McMahon and Heather Vena, below, plan to take the Rumson bar back to its speakeasy days. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Eighty years to the day after the repeal of Prohibition, a Rumson bar that got its start as a speakeasy is turning back the clock.

Heather Vena and Robb McMahon, who’ve owned Murphy’s Tavern for seven years, plan to shut the watering hole down for one week next month to give it a bit of a makeover.

Still located in the basement of a house in a quiet residential area, Murphy’s will undergo minor cosmetic changes, including the removal of some television sets, a paint job and the installation of whiskey-barrel tables.

Those will be the most visible steps in a repositioning that’s largely about offering whiskeys and bourbons more conducive to sippin’ than slammin’, and a vibe to go with it.

“We’re going to focus on the era in which we were born,” Vena tells PieHole.

December 5, 2013 - 1:57 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: COURT GETS ITS GAME BACK

Missing for years, the backboards and hoops at Montgomery Terrace have returned. (Photos by Sarah Klepner. Click to enlarge)

By SARAH KLEPNER

Basketball hoops said to have been removed after a double shooting in 2007 are back at Red Bank’s Montgomery Terrace apartment complex on the West Side.

The return of the rims was praised by residents, who said the court will give idle youngsters an outlet. Last week, some kids talked about what the change means to them.

“I’m happy they’re back so kids can play here instead of in the parking lot, where people’s cars are,” a boy named Jayron told redbankgreen.

“And it’s good we have a place where we can chill, and hang out, and not argue,” added a girl, Nydasia.

July 23, 2013 - 8:58 am | Comments ()

THREE LOCALS ARRESTED IN GAMBLING BUST

Men from Little Silver, Sea Bright and Shrewsbury Township were among 22 arrested in recent days as part of “a well-organized gambling enterprise” that grossed $1 million a week, authorities said Tuesday morning.

An 18-month investigation dubbed “Operation Shore Bet” culminated Monday with the arrest of 22 suspects, the seizure of a dozen vehicles, more than $500,000 in cash, and the freezing of financial accounts used to facilitate the illegal activity, according to an announcement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

The enterprise, allegedly run by men in Monmouth Beach and Hillsborough, extended from Monmouth County into New York State, and allegedly used “sophisticated electronic resources including websites to track illegal wagering and record profits and losses,” as well as money-laundering schemes, Gramiccioni said.

June 25, 2013 - 10:07 am | Comments ()

SEA BRIGHT: MAD HATTER TO REOPEN MAY 23

The Mad Hatter has given up on a proposal to operate out of a tent and plans to reopen a portion of its storm-damaged building. Below, beer bottles seen through the restaurant window last month. (Click to enlarge)

By WIL FULTON

Dropping a controversial proposal to operate out of a large tent for the summer, Sea Bright’s Mad Hatter plans to reopen this month in its original, storm-whacked location, according to an announcement Wednesday afternoon.

In a Facebook post, owners Scott and Amy Kelly said the popular sports bar is scheduled to reopen May 23, operating out of the Ocean Avenue structure’s back room and tiki bar, supplemented for the summer by a mobile kitchen.

The earlier proposal, made to borough officials just last month, called for a 400-person tent to be erected at the edge of the municipal parking two blocks away, and faced an array of red tape involving state and local agencies. Some other downtown merchants opposed the plan, which they said would eat up too much public parking.

May 8, 2013 - 4:01 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK REC GEARS UP FOR SPRING

Installers laid down rubber pellets as the base for the new artificial turf at Count Basie Fields in January. (Click to enlarge)

By WIL FULTON

With the first day of spring less than a month away, Memone Crystian, director of Red Banks Parks and Recreation department, knows the throes of winter will soon be replaced by… other types of throws.

Her department has crafted a packed schedule of recreational sports for kids in Kindergarten through 8th grade to enjoy on brand new turf in coming months at Count Basie Fields. And in addition to the traditional baseball, softball and soccer offerings, lacrosse will be on the agenda.

February 26, 2013 - 1:04 pm | Comments ()

LACROSSE STORE TAKES AIM AT BROAD STREET

Lacrosse Unlimited plans to take the space at far right in the building above, formerly tenanted by Hip & Humble Home. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Rcsm2_010508 A fast-growing, family-owned chain of stores specializing in gear for lacrosse players plans to open a shop in Red Bank.

David DeSimone, an executive with Lacrosse Unlimited, tells redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn the company has leased the 2,250-square-foot storefront at 58 Broad Street, most recently occupied by Hip & Humble Home, and hopes to be open by early December.

The lease would appear to stabilize a stretch of four adjoining storefronts that has seen more than its share of churn in recent years.

October 25, 2012 - 9:11 am | Comments ()

BABY BUCS LEARN TO BLOCK

9:34 a.m. Red Bank Pop Warner football commissioner Steve Turner gives future Buccaneers a lesson in proper stance and blocking techniques.

At the “Be a Buc” football camp, run at Red Bank Regional, current members of the RBR football team assist school and league coaches in training the younger players. (Video and photo by Stacie Fanelli)

June 20, 2012 - 10:52 am | Comments ()

RAFFLE TO GIVE RBMS SPORTS AN ASSIST

Gene Horowitz soliciting donations for the Red Bank Middle School Foundation from downtown businesses last month. (Click to enlarge)

By DANIELLE TEPPER

Two years ago, amid some serious belt-tightening, the decision to eliminate all sports funding from the Red Bank Middle School budget came as a shock to Gene Horowitz, whose older son was looking forward to playing baseball that spring.

In order to correct what he saw as an injustice to the kids, Horowitz, of Branch Avenue, reached out to members of the community to brainstorm about what could be done. The result was the creation of the non-profit RBMS Athletics Foundation.

One night last month, Horowitz, an 18-year Red Bank resident who has fourth- and seventh-graders in the school, appeared before the mayor and borough council to recap the success of the foundation and to thank those who helped make it happen.

“This year, we actually had all our teams funded,” Horowitz said. “But we know that’s not a given.”

June 5, 2012 - 7:18 am | Comments ()

RETURN OF RBMS SPORTS HINGES ON VOTES

The middle school is looking for votes to win a grant that would bring back its sports programs. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

If there’s any chance of sports returning to Red Bank Middle School, it’s got something like lottery ticket odds.

That’s why the school needs your help.

October 18, 2010 - 12:27 pm | Comments ()

DAL PRA: I’M STAYING

Louis Dal Pra won’t be leaving his job as RBR’s athletic director after all.

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

When redbankgreen called Louis ‘Del’ Dal Pra‘s office late Friday morning, he didn’t have to wait for the question to be asked. He knew the reason for the call, and got right to it.

“I’m back,” he said, confirming the rumors that he decided to stay put as Red Bank Regional‘s athletic director. “It’s official.”

October 18, 2010 - 6:48 am | Comments ()

PROWN: LET’S GIVE ST. ANTHONY’S A HAND

David Prown at St. Anthony of Padua’s gym earlier this week. (Click to enlarge)

David Prown doesn’t want this article to be about him, and anyone who knows the Red Bank kids’ activist would not be surprised in the least to know that.

No, Prown, who’s widely regarded as a kind of rolling charity/sports impressario in his omnipresent maroon minivan, is only taking the spotlight here because he thinks it will help put a spotlight elsewhere.

That elsewhere is St. Anthony of Padua on Bridge Avenue. And the reason he wants redbankgreen readers to notice, he says, is that the church makes possible what he does for children, many of them from struggling families: indoor and outdoor sports, trips to cultural events and amusement parks and the like.

September 16, 2010 - 2:04 pm | Comments ()

SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT FOR BUCS FANS

Football practice under the big bulbs last night at RBR, getting ready tonight’s big game against Spotswood. (Click to enlarge)

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

It’s not often that Red Bank Regional students get a sanctioned opportunity to hang out on weekend nights on school grounds screaming and pumping their fists wildly.

This weekend is one of those times. RBR sports kick off with the Maroon and White Under The Lights Weekend as the school’s football and soccer teams invite their potential victims over for games in front of hundreds of crazed fans.

RBR athletic director Louis ‘Del’ Dal Pra says the reason for the nocturnal event, which occurs just once a season, is quite simple.

“What we’re doing is trying to get some school spirit create a ‘Friday night lights’ atmosphere,” Dal Pra said.

September 11, 2009 - 5:46 am | Comments ()

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