TheTOMS RIVER Times Vol. 19 - No. 9
In This Week’s Edition
JERSEYSHOREONLINE.COM
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Officials Make Sure Boardwalk Games Are Fair
Normandy Beach Flag Raising Also Raises Patriotic Spirits
BREAKING NEWS @
Photo By Bob Vosseller An investigator for the Legalized Games of Chance Commission puts the hammer down to send a rubber frog flying to test the balance of the Seaside Heights boardwalk attraction during a recent inspection.
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Government Page 7
Community News Pages 8-25
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 16
Inside The Law Page 19
Photos By Bob Vosseller John M. Stewart, second from left, portrays President Thomas Jefferson while joined by fellow attendees in military period uniforms along with a pint-sized Uncle Sam during the 36th Annual Flag Raising and Veterans Appreciation ceremony. By Bob Vosseller BRICK – Independence Day is observed in a variety of ways across the country but for Bob Mrozek who lives in the Normandy Beach section of the township, it has become a community event. This year marked the 36th year for the Flag Raising and Veterans Appreciation ceremony held at the veteran’s home at the corner of 6th Avenue and
Ocean Terrace. Mrozek served in the United States Army from 1961 to 1962 in the 10th Calvary during the Korean War. He told Jersey Shore Online.com that the event started “with four guys sitting around wondering what they were going to do that Fourth of July. We tried to get our fathers to put their World War II uniforms on, they’d put theirs uniforms on, and all
raise the flag at 1 p.m. ” “The next year they got more veterans on board, and the rest is history,” he added. Within their first 10 years the event added the Shamrock (Flag Raising - See Page 4)
July 8, 2023
A large American flag flies from a fire truck as the Ocean Black Sheep squadron flies overhead.
By Bob Vosseller SEASIDE HEIGHTS – Making sure rubber frogs have all their limbs and arcade game claws are actually able to grab stuffed animals keeps games of chance fair and honest. Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Seaside Heights Police Chief Thomas Boyd, Division of Consumer Affairs Acting Director Cari Fais and numerous members of her department came out to
the borough boardwalk to promote a safe summer, honest shopping and a fair chance of winning a prize. Their visit at Blaine Avenue was part of the Division’s annual enforcement initiative designed to promote a family-friendly environment at the Jersey Shore. The “Safe Summer” program includes summer-long inspections of boardwalk games for fairness of play, and to ensure they have not been modified to the disadvantage of players. (Games - See Page 4)
“Mr. America” Thanked By Town
Photo by Bob Vosseller Joseph Placente wore his patriotic attire while carrying “Old Glory” in the 2016 Veterans Day parade in Toms River.
By Chris Lundy TOMS RIVER – A familiar figure at parades, Joseph Placente was thanked for his patriotism as well as for his help with a recent police project. With nicknames like “Uncle Sam” and “Mr. America,” Placente is known for walking in parades for Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
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He wears red, white, and blue and holds aloft a flag, usually at the front of the procession. If the parade was cancelled, such as when COVID precautions limited large gatherings, he’d walk anyway. Sometimes, others would hear of this and join him and create an impromptu parade. He was honored at a
Township Council meeting. Police Chief Mitch Little thanked him for “keeping our spirits up in Toms River.” “It’s been a long run, it’s been a great run, t hou g h – 91 ye a r s worth,” Placente said. “God bless you and God bless America!” He left school when he was 16 to join the Air Force. He served
during the Korean War as a radio operator. Upon his return, he got his GED. He worked in his father’s barber shop, inheriting it upon his father’s death until it burned down in 1968. He owned a few businesses and was a school bus driver, dispatcher and then supervisor. (Mr.AmweicaSee Page 5)
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