The JACKSON Times Vol. 20 - No. 52
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Dancers of Paradise Island Entertainment provide some dance moves during a recent performance at the Plumsted Library. By Bob Vosseller PLUMSTED – Dancers, d r u m mers a nd a hostess all helped transform the meeting room of the township library into a tropical paradise. Members of the Berlin New Jersey based Paradise Island Entertainment group provided a luau show to several Ocean County Library branches during Asian Pacific Month recently. They shared some tropical island culture
that included audience par ticipation at the Plumsted Library. The entertainers included hostess Marie DiLeonardo, d r umme r Sefo Va l i not e and dancers Jecamille Ma n iwa ng, Syd ney Maniwang, Carleigh Bernardo and Laureanna Holgado. DiLeonardo provided some commentary about the various island cultures as she introduced the dancers following costume
Pre-School Program Expanding By Bob Vosseller PLUMSTED – Superintendent David Ytreboe recently provided some important news concerning the school district’s pre-school program and the reactivation of a dormant school district facility to accommodate that program.
Ytreboe said, “I wanted to bring some good news and this is in reference to our pre-school program. We have been selected to get a New Jersey funded pre-school program. This was two years ago so we started with two classrooms and we expanded to four classrooms and this year
we had six classrooms. The classrooms are at the elementary school and are for three- and four-year-olds.” “The reason why this is a New Jersey funded program - meaning it is separate from the taxpayer’s general fund (Pre School See Page 17)
changes and in between numbers. Valinote shared with The Jackson Times, the interesting love story that brought the enter tainers together. “Our group goes back 40 years and it all started in the island of Samoa where our family is from. They moved to Hawaii and danced in the luau shows in Hawaii and from there they came to New Jersey through a love story.”
“How that started is that there was an audience member who participated just like everyone else here and she was from Deptford New Jersey and she fell in love with the fire knife dancer who was my uncle. That is how our whole family came to be in New Jersey and from there they started a luau show in the 1980s and we’ve been doing it ever since, carrying it on from generation to generation and now we have 25 dancers, male and female and full live band, guitar, bass, drums, vocalists,” he added. Valinote said, “we do over 100 shows a summer up and down the east coast f rom Connecticut down to Delaware. “We’ve been doing this for a long time. We were in diapers dancing together and (Library - See Page 4)
June 22, 2024
Woodlane Park Playground To Be Upgraded By Bob Vosseller JACKSON – Woodlane Park will see the installation of new playground equipment, which was detailed at a recent Township Council meeting. The existing playground at Woodlane Park is small and needs to be updated. The Council discussed the upgrade project which is the first of several being planned at township parks in the near future. Greg Powell from Ben Schaefer Recreation presented a detailed proposal to officials and the public. He explained that the project involved replacing the existing small structure with a more extensive and inclusive playground setup, which includes advanced features tailored to differ-
ent age groups. He detailed the components of the proposed playground, which are designed to cater to two main age groups: ages two to five and ages five to 12. The younger children’s area will include a shaded play structure that will protect youngsters from sun exposure. For older children, a new line from Burke, called the Aspire line, will be introduced, featuring towers linked by rope climbers, a design not yet seen in New Jersey. “The design we have here is something that is recommended to come down in the winter time around October or November and put back up in the spring. You just don’t want any snow loads put on that,” (Playground See Page 4)
First Responders Celebrated For Courage
Photo by Stephanie Faughnan Jackson Police Officers Davis DeJesus and Tyler Melnick with Senator Carmen Amato, Ocean County Prosecutor Brad Billhimer , and 200 Club of Ocean Trustees.
By Stephanie Faughnan TOMS RIVER - The 200 Club of Ocean County shone a light on bravery and dedication at their 35th Annual Awards Reception. Over two dozen local first responders and a Berkeley councilman received recognition for their courage and unwavering commitment
to the safety of Ocean County residents. The evening began with the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department’s Color Guard presenting the colors. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer, the county’s chief law enforcement officer, was among the officials who acknowledged the
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(200 Club See Page 5)