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Did you hear that? I hear fireworks in the distance. Wishful thinking you say? Maybe. But if you are on the island July 4th all your fireworks wishes will come true – weather permitting. This year Congress Hall is going all out for Uncle Sam's 232nd birthday. Tickets for Congress Hall’s V.I.P. Lobster Bake are already sold out, but a waiting list has been started so there’s still hope. Never fear, there’s always room at the All-American Picnic which takes place on Congress Hall’s Great Lawn. You can hear live music as well as The Congress Hall Choir hitting patriotic notes. The pyrotechnics begin around 9 p.m. For details call 888.944.1816 or visit their website.
Elsewhere, Historic Cold Spring Village will have a two-day celebration Saturday, July 5 through Sunday, July 6. Festivities will include a vintage baseball game played on Saturday at noon by 1873 rules from the National Association of Professional Baseball Players. Spectators are welcome to bring blankets and lawn chairs. On Sunday at noon the Hackettstown Junior Ancient Fife and Drums Corps will lead a parade throughout the Village.
If you’re looking to be fed and
entertained, don’t forget West Cape May Farmer’s Market. Held every Tuesday in
the park behind the West Cape May Municipal Building, beginning July 1 running
through September 1 from 3-7 p.m., you can buy provisions for the week, get
take-out for dinner that night, listen to live music and know that you are
helping to slow down the pace and support your local farmers and vendors. To
quote Martha
Another good thing that you simply cannot find anywhere else is the 76th Annual Queen Maysea Coronation (pictured left). The fun begins July 30 at 7:30 p.m. Normally the event would be held at Convention Hall, but this year because the building has been condemned, the coronation will be moved over to Cape May Elementary School on Lafayette Street. The good news? There is ample parking there. The bad news? How many tourists know where Cape May Elementary School is? But if you can find your way over there, it’s a hoot. The Jersey Cape Antique Auto Show,
held Saturday, July 12 is normally on the Washington Street Mall, but the new
mall brick pavers are no match for cars, not even vintage ones. So, the auto
show will be moved to Rotary
The 44th Annual Promenade Art Show takes place, appropriately enough, on the promenade July 11 through July 12. And the 2nd Annual Art in Park takes place Saturday, July 26 in Wilbraham Park in West Cape May. Rain date Sunday. This is a juried event and proceeds will benefit the West Cape May PTA.
You history
buffs – there is one special event you must not miss. Saturday, July 12 and
Sunday, July 13, Civil War Union solders invade the Village!
Historic Cold Spring Village will host the army of
the Potomac Company D, 12th NJ Volunteers demonstrate camp life, infantry
tactics and a Civil War field hospital.
And those of you interested in architecture or interior design will want to catch the opening of this year’s Designer Show House, Sunday, July 13. The 1915 Otis Townsend residence on 115 Reading Ave. is Cape May’s outstanding example of the Craftsman style, which incorporates clean lines and natural materials. Discover this charming home with fabulous structural details that has been restored to its original glory and made over by some of the region’s top designers and suppliers. Open daily through Sunday, Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Friday. Weekends through November 19. Free trolley shuttle from the Washington Street Mall Information Booth and the Emlen Physick Estate. Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts. Also there are tea and dinner packages available. For more information call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278 or visit www.capemaymac.org.
The Chalfonte Hotel is a perfect setting for watercolor classes with noted New Jersey artist Marge Chavooshian, who has received over 145 regional/national awards. Featured in American Artist, Art Matters, and the Who’s Who of American Art, she is represented in over 800 collections here and abroad and is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and National Watercolor Society. Marge Chavooshian brings expertise to her class and a great enthusiasm and talent for teaching. Her workshop dates are as follows: Classes run from Monday to Thursday, (July 13-July18) with a gathering on Friday to finish the week. For information about enrollment and cost, call the Hotel directly at 888-411-1998. If you happen to be at the Chalfonte on Tuesdays checking out the art, be sure to buy a ticket for one or more of their Concerts by Candlelight which begin July 1 at 8:30. For more information contact The Chalfonte Hotel at 609-884-8409 or visit www.chalfonte.com. In world of theater, Cape May is blessed with two, count ‘em, two equity theater companies – Cape May Stage and East Lynne Theater. The line-up for the month of July is as follows:
Well that’s not all that’s going on by any means, but for the rest ye shall have to go to CapeMay.com’s events calendar. And don’t forget, when all else fails – there’s always the beach, the sunsets, and the beauty that we call Cape May. |
For a close-up at how a small town
tips its hat to the red, white and blue come join us at 1 p.m. July 5th in front
of the defunct Convention Hall. That’s where the annual Independence Parade
begins. 
July is just
plum full of activities you don’t find at home, like Tuesday, July 15
when the Cape May Beach Patrol holds their Beach Patrol Super Athalon (pictured
right).
Best vantage point is Cannone Beach in front of CMPB headquarters at Grant
Street. The athalon begins at 6 p.m. sharp.
Stewart, “It’s a good thing.”
Park on Lyle Lane behind the mall, where the gazebo
and the band concerts are. Speaking of which, band concerts are held at Rotary
Park every Wednesday and Saturday beginning at 8 p.m.
Don’t think July is all culture
and cute kids; one of the biggest draws to Cape May’s shores is its fishing
tournaments. Wednesday, July 16 through Saturday, July 19 is the 7th
Annual Mid-Atlantic Tuna Tournament. This is a main even for tuna fishermen with
an average purse of $250,000 plus, and we’re not talkin’ turkey here. Actually
we’re talkin’ tuna and not Sunkist but sun kissed. Ha! I kill me.
Also enjoy weaponry displays and
collections in the Welcome Center, and presentations of The Story of Old Glory
both days at the Village Gazebo, 1 p.m. 
Now, shall we talk about art or booze? Oh, let’s talk
booze—bars specifically and even more specifically, bars with entertainment.
Under new ownership, as of July of last year, The Ugly Mug is bringing back
Terrible Tuesday with drink specials and the “infamous Battle of the Bar.”
You’ll just have to go and find out for yourself. Elsewhere, both the Brown Room
and Boiler Room at Congress Hall offer live entertainment. Visit their website
for details at
Now onto art,
culture and other enjoyable things to do on a pleasant summer evening. Cape May
watercolor artist Diane Close’s work (pictured right; Diane pictured below) will be on display at A Ca Mia Restaurant
on the Washington Street Mall through the month of July. Entitled Summer of
08, Diane’s work brings out the shimmering beauty of a Cape May summer.
Hot
Fun, local artist Sean Taylor's provocative new oil painting exhibition,
will be on available at Soma Gallery, at 31 Perry Street in the Carpenters
Square Mall, until July 27. The watercolor paintings of Nancy Trombino continue
at the Mad Batter Restaurant on Jackson Street through July 29. 
New York
watercolorist Penny Chiusano, who recently exhibited her whimsical work at the
Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in Chelsea, NYC, shows her work in The Magnolia Room
at The Chalfonte Hotel. Chiusano will be joined by photographers Steven Gabris
and Natalie Ingold. 301 Howard Street, Cape May, NJ. Free and Open to the
Public. The self-guided exhibit will be on display for the entire month of July
from 11am-4pm. For information, contact The Chalfonte Hotel at 609-884-8409 or
visit 
July 2 through
August 16, Cape May Stage presents Private Lives by Noel Coward. The last
person you expect to meet on your honeymoon is your ex, but for newlyweds Elyot
Chase and Amanda (formerly Chase) Prynne there are some surprises in store.
Holidaying on the French Riviera with their respective new spouses, a chance
reunion leads to a highly comic and unpredictable battle of wills. Can’t live
with them/ can’t live without them – Noel Coward, the Master of 1930s comedy,
treats us to a witty take on love the second time around. Shows run Wednesdays
through Sundays at the Robert Shackleton Playhouse at Bank and Lafayette
Streets. Please call 609-884-1341 or visit
At East Lynne
Theater, You And I (pictured right), a 1923 comedy by Philip Barry, is playing through
July 12. After the children are grown, do parents get to do what they want to
do? Maitland gave up painting to become a successful businessman, so his wife,
Nancy, and his children would be financially secure. When his son declares he’s
going into business instead of pursuing his passion for architecture, Nancy
suggests that Maitland leave the business world and paint. They can live off the
money they would have spent on furthering their son's education…or can they?
July 16-26 at 8:30 All the Things You Are: The Music of Jerome Kern,
bring a World Premiere with NYC cabaret performers Michael and Anne McFrederick
to Cape May. Jerome Kern (1885-1945) was a master of melody
who published more
than 650 songs for 117 musical shows, plays and films. Finally July 30-August 2
brings the Magic By Robert Aberdeen (pictured left) to the East Lynne stage. Robert has
appeared in several Broadway shows, including Fiddler on the Roof, on film and
in television, all the while working on, perfecting, and performing his
illusions. For details on these and other performances please call 609-884-5898
or visit