Restore the Shore Benefit Concert - November 28th

Restore the Shore is a benefit concert being held at the Polo Grill in Lakewood Ranch for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  It is coming about because people
in Manatee and Sarasota care.

There are many transplanted people from NJ living in the Manasota area. These people have friends and family that still live in the Garden State.  I am one of those transplanted individuals.

The Jersey Shore was, and still is, a very special place to NJ  transplants: boardwalks & beaches, lighthouses & fishing, pizza & salt water taffy, bennies & shoebies (nicknames for tourists), Atlantic City & the Garden State Parkway, music & nightclubs; and more importantly surf and sun. Last but not least, there were summer romances that we thought would never end.  The Jersey Shore left us all with indelible memories.

We would go to Seaside Heights, to Wildwood, to Asbury Park, and to Ocean City to walk the boardwalks. We would hop on charter boats to catch mackerel and bluefish. We all had our favorite stand on the boardwalk to get a slice of pizza. We could immediately identify a tourist by their feet; locals never wore shoes, socks were a major faux pas with sandals. We had clubs like D’Jais in Belmar where cover bands would play until 2 a.m. We always made sure that we brought quarters for the Parkway tolls. We would go out looking for breakers to bodysurf, catching waves that would push our exposed skin across the sand, coming out scored as if someone had rubbed sandpaper across our stomachs. We fell in love hoping September would never arrive. Going down the shore meant much more than going to a beach; it was sometimes an all day, sometimes an all-week, and sometimes an all summer endeavor.

All NJ transplants have an ongoing love affair with the Jersey Shore . Now there is an incredible sadness in all of us, our hearts have been broken. A Category 1 Hurricane named Sandy merged with an early winter storm, gaining the moniker “Frankenstorm."  It made landfall in the Atlantic City area.

Damage in New Jersey is estimated to be at least $30 billion. People have
literally lost everything. Gas is being rationed. Roads and bridges have been destroyed. And to make matters worse they were hit with a nor’easter a week later, more evacuations, more damage. Conditions were made worse with dropping temperatures and snow.

Again, Restore the Shore is a benefit concert event being held on November 28th from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Polo Grill in Lakewood Ranch. It is the brainchild of Sudie Brattli, she formed a committee with Christine Daniels, Shelly Kauffman-Davis, SJ Husak and others. Their mission statement is "helping people restore their lives after mother nature's devastation."  The venue, the Polo Grill, has donated space on many occasions to help raise funds for worthwhile organizations.

People in Manasota care, and have proven it repeatedly. But they have nothing to prove, they are only trying to help. The performers in this show have shown up time and time again when they have been asked to donate their talents to help. Among them will be Sudie Brattli, the show’s organizer, who besides running the Vintage Salon and Spa in Sarasota and raising a family, is also a local vocalist with a penchant for the blues. Sudie, with tears in her eyes,  also relayed to me how the aftermath of Hurricane continues to affect her family and friends in New Jersey.

Everything is being donated, no one is being paid, and all proceeds will go to the Hurricane Sandy NJ Relief Fund. The Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization chaired by First Lady Mary Pat Christie to help New Jersey communities rebuild and aid in the relief effort. It is endorsed by Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi.  Springsteen says he knows people will rally together to help neighbors to "come back better and stronger." Bon Jovi says the damage and devastation is unimaginable. 

I met a woman from Ocean City, NJ last night.  She shared with me her personal experiences with the storm damage.  She told me of boardwalks being damaged, of barrier dunes being washed away and of merchants losing their stores to water damage. She told me of her friends and families; and of the struggles they are facing. You could see the sadness in her eyes.

How can you help?  Buy a ticket and come to the show. There will
be 4 hours of entertainment and food will be donated by the Polo Grill. For
more information go to Restore the Shore. You can purchase tickets at the Vintage Salon and Spa, 3510 North Lockridge Road, Sarasota, 941-351-0670. They are also available online at Eventbrite. On November 24th they will be sold at the Flying Dog Café,  500 Tallevast Rd, Ste 104, Sarasota. 

You can also help by making a direct donation to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund or you can go to their link on Facebook. It has a picture of Noah’s Ark for its ID photo.  Liking and sharing this link on Facebook, as well as Twitter and LinkedIn, will help spread the word about this event.

We are hoping for a sold out show, please help us help others. It happened to them, it could happen to us someday.

Thank you.

Donald Czaplinsky
donczap4u@hotmail.comLinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook

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