stang
Dec 26th, 2001, 01:12 PM
Hi all
Asbury Park city concilwoman Kate Mellina writes a column for the Coaster, an Asbury Park weekly newspaper.
Here are her thoughts on Bruce's Christmas shows in Asbury Park.
I honestly think we have Kate to thank for the Christmas shows. She put the idea in Bruce's mind last year to do this and we may hopefully have a holiday tradition now.
If you ever see Kate, stop and say hello. She is very nice and very concerned about Asbury Park. After years of corrupt and incompetent politicians, she is a breath of fresh air and someone who really cares.
Stan
REAL-LIFE ANGELS
DECEMBER 20, 2001 -- Back in grade school, I always dreamed of seeing a “real” angel. This month, I got to see a whole roomful of them.
On the surface, it looked like a simple week of Jersey shore rock concerts -- Bruce Springsteen holiday benefit shows, to be precise.
There were all the usual signs: A mad ticket rush, with tickets selling out in less than an hour, and hyped-up fans exchanging stories of victory and frustration. The ever-present “drop lines” of people from all over the world, camped out before each concert, waiting to buy the last-minute tickets that Springsteen traditionally releases to devoted fans.
And, of course, there were the legions of “regular” people, watching with bemused looks and wondering what all the excitement was about.
But I was one of the lucky ones. As a volunteer coordinating the concert beneficiaries, I got to see firsthand what the week was really about.
Here’s what I’ll always remember:
A two-day, on-line auction (thank you, Pete Walton and asburypark.net!) that raised over $52,000 for the Alliance of Neighbors of Monmouth County to aid local victims of September 11. People worldwide bid up to $7,500 a pair for ten pairs of tickets donated by Springsteen.
A “meet the band” promotion -- generously initiated by Springsteen himself -- that led to unprecedented crowds (and totally unprecedented sales) in downtown Asbury Park.
The members of Springsteen’s staff -- from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts -- who managed every aspect of the concerts with boundless integrity, good humor, and heart.
The dozen-plus celebrated musicians who flew in from around the country to donate their services, and who obviously enjoyed every minute of their time on-stage.
The hard-working members of the Asbury Park Public Works and Fire Departments who also donated their time.
The people from around the globe -- England, Holland, Germany, Canada, and more -- who crowded into our public library to dedicate the extensive new Springsteen reference library assembled by his fans. In return, our historic facility will not only benefit from increased worldwide visibility, it will also benefit from unexpected opportunities -- like the two visiting fans who volunteered their high-tech Internet skills to the library staff.
And then there were the concert beneficiaries: The brand new Hope Academy Charter School, that serves 90 Asbury Park children. The Boys and Girls Club, that desperately needs money for physical repairs. Epiphany House, that helps drug-addicted mothers learn career skills and set up stable homes for their children. The Center, that provides free meals, clothing and rent subsidies to abandoned AIDS patients.
Interfaith Neighbors, that delivers almost a half-million meals annually to Monmouth County seniors and Asbury Park children, and that just completed and sold a beautiful new home on Ridge Avenue.
The proposed Asbury Park Performing Arts Center, that will give Asbury Park children the chance to develop their self-confidence and performing arts skills. The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in Neptune, and the Community Foodbank outside Newark.
The Stephen Crane House, being neatly restored by new owner Frank D’Alessandro, who also sponsors an essay contest with cash prizes to interest local high school students in writing. The Woman’s Center of Monmouth County. The Parker Family Health Clinic in Red Bank. Prevention First, which works with local kids to prevent violence and drug addiction before they start.
And our own Asbury Park Police and Code Enforcement Departments, who will apply their gifts to a new police car and some much needed software and hardware. (And, yes, we’re having the checks sent directly to the vendors, so that no one can question how much the city received or how the gift was spent!)
And, fittingly enough in this holiday season, approximately 100 Monmouth County families of people lost in the World Trade Center -- wives, husbands, children, parents -- who were given free concert tickets and the chance to spend a few hours forgetting their loss.
And every night, Bruce Springsteen -- the same Bruce Springsteen who fans confidently assure me never gives endorsements -- working the crowd like a traveling salesman, telling them about our beachfront redevelopment plans, and the West Side STARS program, and the Clearwater Festival that moved here last summer. Urging them to patronize city shops like Michael’s Deli (“I eat there! It’s good!”) and Mr. Fashion (“Maybe they could help me repair 25 years of fashion dishevelment!”)
And asking fans to donate to the evening’s featured charities.
And the sight of two local high school students -- Rehnita Rudolph and Tyrelle Wharton -- singing along with Springsteen and the band, and being applauded from the stage in their Asbury Park Police Explorer uniforms.
All of it drawing thousands of people to our weather-beaten Convention Hall, briefly returned to glory with sparkling trees, wreaths, menorahs, and a backdrop of twinkling lights.
How do I fit it all in, even in one of my notoriously long columns? Quite simply, I can’t.
Two weeks ago, Bruce Springsteen and his friends showed us what they were made of when they gave us a fabulous, no-strings-attached gift -- a gift that was as much about faith, goodwill and generosity of spirit as it was about money.
Now it’s our turn to show what we’re made of -- both individually and as a community -- in the way we accept that gift and transform it into on-going blessings for our entire community.
So, yes, I admit it - I was one of the lucky few who saw five Bruce Springsteen concerts this month. But I also got to see a lot more.
I got to see the angels at play in Asbury Park, and they were just as wonderful as I always knew they’d be.
Kate Mellina is a newly elected member of the Asbury Park city council. The views expressed in her column do not necessarily reflect those of the entire city council.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asbury Park city concilwoman Kate Mellina writes a column for the Coaster, an Asbury Park weekly newspaper.
Here are her thoughts on Bruce's Christmas shows in Asbury Park.
I honestly think we have Kate to thank for the Christmas shows. She put the idea in Bruce's mind last year to do this and we may hopefully have a holiday tradition now.
If you ever see Kate, stop and say hello. She is very nice and very concerned about Asbury Park. After years of corrupt and incompetent politicians, she is a breath of fresh air and someone who really cares.
Stan
REAL-LIFE ANGELS
DECEMBER 20, 2001 -- Back in grade school, I always dreamed of seeing a “real” angel. This month, I got to see a whole roomful of them.
On the surface, it looked like a simple week of Jersey shore rock concerts -- Bruce Springsteen holiday benefit shows, to be precise.
There were all the usual signs: A mad ticket rush, with tickets selling out in less than an hour, and hyped-up fans exchanging stories of victory and frustration. The ever-present “drop lines” of people from all over the world, camped out before each concert, waiting to buy the last-minute tickets that Springsteen traditionally releases to devoted fans.
And, of course, there were the legions of “regular” people, watching with bemused looks and wondering what all the excitement was about.
But I was one of the lucky ones. As a volunteer coordinating the concert beneficiaries, I got to see firsthand what the week was really about.
Here’s what I’ll always remember:
A two-day, on-line auction (thank you, Pete Walton and asburypark.net!) that raised over $52,000 for the Alliance of Neighbors of Monmouth County to aid local victims of September 11. People worldwide bid up to $7,500 a pair for ten pairs of tickets donated by Springsteen.
A “meet the band” promotion -- generously initiated by Springsteen himself -- that led to unprecedented crowds (and totally unprecedented sales) in downtown Asbury Park.
The members of Springsteen’s staff -- from Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts -- who managed every aspect of the concerts with boundless integrity, good humor, and heart.
The dozen-plus celebrated musicians who flew in from around the country to donate their services, and who obviously enjoyed every minute of their time on-stage.
The hard-working members of the Asbury Park Public Works and Fire Departments who also donated their time.
The people from around the globe -- England, Holland, Germany, Canada, and more -- who crowded into our public library to dedicate the extensive new Springsteen reference library assembled by his fans. In return, our historic facility will not only benefit from increased worldwide visibility, it will also benefit from unexpected opportunities -- like the two visiting fans who volunteered their high-tech Internet skills to the library staff.
And then there were the concert beneficiaries: The brand new Hope Academy Charter School, that serves 90 Asbury Park children. The Boys and Girls Club, that desperately needs money for physical repairs. Epiphany House, that helps drug-addicted mothers learn career skills and set up stable homes for their children. The Center, that provides free meals, clothing and rent subsidies to abandoned AIDS patients.
Interfaith Neighbors, that delivers almost a half-million meals annually to Monmouth County seniors and Asbury Park children, and that just completed and sold a beautiful new home on Ridge Avenue.
The proposed Asbury Park Performing Arts Center, that will give Asbury Park children the chance to develop their self-confidence and performing arts skills. The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in Neptune, and the Community Foodbank outside Newark.
The Stephen Crane House, being neatly restored by new owner Frank D’Alessandro, who also sponsors an essay contest with cash prizes to interest local high school students in writing. The Woman’s Center of Monmouth County. The Parker Family Health Clinic in Red Bank. Prevention First, which works with local kids to prevent violence and drug addiction before they start.
And our own Asbury Park Police and Code Enforcement Departments, who will apply their gifts to a new police car and some much needed software and hardware. (And, yes, we’re having the checks sent directly to the vendors, so that no one can question how much the city received or how the gift was spent!)
And, fittingly enough in this holiday season, approximately 100 Monmouth County families of people lost in the World Trade Center -- wives, husbands, children, parents -- who were given free concert tickets and the chance to spend a few hours forgetting their loss.
And every night, Bruce Springsteen -- the same Bruce Springsteen who fans confidently assure me never gives endorsements -- working the crowd like a traveling salesman, telling them about our beachfront redevelopment plans, and the West Side STARS program, and the Clearwater Festival that moved here last summer. Urging them to patronize city shops like Michael’s Deli (“I eat there! It’s good!”) and Mr. Fashion (“Maybe they could help me repair 25 years of fashion dishevelment!”)
And asking fans to donate to the evening’s featured charities.
And the sight of two local high school students -- Rehnita Rudolph and Tyrelle Wharton -- singing along with Springsteen and the band, and being applauded from the stage in their Asbury Park Police Explorer uniforms.
All of it drawing thousands of people to our weather-beaten Convention Hall, briefly returned to glory with sparkling trees, wreaths, menorahs, and a backdrop of twinkling lights.
How do I fit it all in, even in one of my notoriously long columns? Quite simply, I can’t.
Two weeks ago, Bruce Springsteen and his friends showed us what they were made of when they gave us a fabulous, no-strings-attached gift -- a gift that was as much about faith, goodwill and generosity of spirit as it was about money.
Now it’s our turn to show what we’re made of -- both individually and as a community -- in the way we accept that gift and transform it into on-going blessings for our entire community.
So, yes, I admit it - I was one of the lucky few who saw five Bruce Springsteen concerts this month. But I also got to see a lot more.
I got to see the angels at play in Asbury Park, and they were just as wonderful as I always knew they’d be.
Kate Mellina is a newly elected member of the Asbury Park city council. The views expressed in her column do not necessarily reflect those of the entire city council.
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