Labor Day 2022

INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE REGION
ake Hopatcong News
LABOR DAY 2022 VOL. 14 NO. 5
10 Years and Counting
The Lake Hopatcong Foundation celebrates milestone anniversary
SPREADING POSITIVITY
BECOMING (A ROCK) STAR
DRUMMER BOY
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4
From the Editor
left my job at the Daily Record in 2004 after a 20-year career—10 as a staff photographer
I and 10 as the photo editor. It was not an easy decision. I was struggling to remain inspired
in a position that was more corporate than creative, frustrated and disappointed that I no longer
found joy in the only profession I had ever known.
At the time, I was convinced I was done with journalism.
Still needing and wanting to work in a field that allowed me to flex my creative muscles, I took
a job in a furniture repair shop, refinishing and repairing old furniture.
I had been collecting all sorts of dressers, credenzas, tables and chairs for years, fixing and
refinishing most back to their original glory. I made some money doing commission work and
reselling some of my roadside finds. It was a hobby I thought I wanted to work at full-time.
But after a year, what turned out to be just a job ended abruptly and I was at a crossroads,
facing another career decision.
Journalism, as luck would have it, was not done with me yet.
For the next seven years, I worked with friend and former Daily Record colleague, Maria
DaSilva Gordon, bringing newspaper workshops to elementary schools throughout northern
New Jersey. We would spend one hour every day for two weeks in a classroom teaching fourthand
fifth-graders how to be reporters, writers, photographers and editors. At the end of each
two-week session, the class produced its own two-page newspaper. It was very educational for the
students and extremely rewarding for us. We had such fun together and we truly enjoyed being
with the kids.
By the way, Maria and I are still working together. She is the person who edits the stories and
columns for Lake Hopatcong News. We still have so much fun working with each other.
In between time in schools, I freelanced for any publication that would hire me, including
going back to the Daily Record and many of the hyperlocal online news websites in the area.
My year away from journalism restored my passion for the profession and I once again looked
forward to the challenges of being visually creative and meeting deadlines.
It was during this time I met Jessica Murphy, the first editor of Lake Hopatcong News.
That chance meeting with Jess would change the course of my professional career again, leading
to my current job as editor of this publication. Again, my life pivoted in a direction I was not
expecting, certainly a direction I did not plan for.
When you read some of the articles in this issue, you’ll learn how others have handled life’s
unexpected twists and turns, something we all get to experience occasionally.
As many of you know, when Jess stepped away as editor, she stepped into the role of executive
director at the Lake Hopatcong Foundation. The cover story is a retrospect of the Lake
Hopatcong Foundation, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.
It’s an organization Jess helped found, then ran for the first nine years
and she kindly sat with writer Melissa Summers for an interview (see
page 22).
Also in this issue is Mike Daigle’s story about a proposal for the
redesignation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
becoming a national park. An interesting proposition that has sparked
a grassroots movement opposing the suggestion (see page 26).
Ah, the twists and turns. It’s what makes up the stories of our lives.
The unknown, the unexpected, the unplanned.
That’s been my story—so far.
—Karen
ake Hopatcong News
INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE REGION
10 Years and Counting
The Lake Hopatcong Foundation celebrates milestone anniversary
SPREADING POSITIVITY
BECOMING (A ROCK) STAR
DRUMMER BOY
PARK PROPOSAL
LABOR DAY 2022 VOL. 14 NO. 5
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
ON THE COVER
Top row: 2019 Block Party, 2015 Block Party, 2018
Field Trip. Second row: 2018 Gala, 2018 Floating
Classroom. Third row: 2019 historical dedication.
Fourth row: 2017 LHF Trail project, 2015 Block Party,
2017 LHF Trail project, 2021 Gala. Bottom row: 2022
Gala, 2019 Smithsonian Water/Ways exhibit (top),
2017 Lake Loop (bottom), 2013 Cleanup.
-photos by Karen Fucito
KAREN FUCITO
Editor
editor@lakehopatcongnews.com
973-663-2800
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Michael Stephen Daigle
Bonnie-Lynn Nadzeika
Melissa Summers
Ellen Wilkowe
COLUMNISTS
Marty Kane
Barbara Simmons
Heather Shirley
EDITING AND LAYOUT
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Randi Cirelli
Nicole Rosenthal
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lakehopatcongnews.com 5

From Center Court to Center
Stage, He Spreads Positivity
Cornell Thomas demonstrates a drive to
the basket at a recent training session.
Thomas gets a
high five during
the Positivity
Summit in July.
Thomas watches his campers go through
drills during summer basketball camp.
Story by ELLEN WILKOWE
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
As a teenager, Cornell Thomas found
meaning through basketball as well as a
mantra: “Everything happens for a reason”—a
philosophy imparted by his mother.
Growing up, “basketball was my
therapy, only I didn’t know it at the time,”
said the Mount Arlington resident. “I
needed it.”
As for his mother’s mantra? That
would help him forge his way forward
after a life-changing injury sidelined him
from a professional basketball career and
catapulted him onto center stage instead
of center court.
Now, the former basketball playerturned
coach, author and public speaker
has taken on the power of positivity and
hopes to pass it on to those around him.
And that is exactly what he and a group
of speakers accomplished at the Positivity
Summit held in July at the Ukrainian
American Cultural Center of New Jersey
in Whippany.
The daylong event, which served as
the first in-person workshop for Thomas
in two years, featured 10 speakers and
an audience of more than 50 attendees
representing all walks of life, from entrepreneurs
to retirees.
As emcee and keynote speaker, Thomas
captivated his audience simply by being
himself. There was laughter and the kind of
silence indicative of sincere listening. There
were also murmurs and head nods of relatable
understanding.
Born in Passaic, Thomas is one of five siblings
who was raised by his mother, Tina.
His father, Bobby Thomas, a former police
officer, died at 41 when Thomas was 4 years old.
He remembers very little about his father except
for his illness and the limo ride to the funeral.
A pillar of the Passaic community, there
are many remaining tributes to the elder
Thomas, including a street named in his
honor.
As a result of his father’s untimely death,
Thomas’ mother worked three jobs to
support him and his siblings.
“My mother is a very determined, strongwilled
person,” he said. “When Passaic started
getting bad, my mother moved us to Rockaway.
That was a culture shock for me. I didn’t get why
we had to move. But she got us out of Passaic for
a better education.”
As a young teenager, a visit to his cousin’s
home in Birdsnest, Virginia, set the course for
the rest of his life.
“I found old newspaper articles under his
bed,” he said of his older cousin, a three-sport
high school athlete. “I never played organized
sports, but I was amazed that they put kids in
the paper.”
It was at that moment Thomas discovered
basketball and returned home ready for the
challenge.
“At first I sucked at it,” he said. “But I didn’t
stop fighting. I had no understanding of [the
game] but people in my life showed me.”
After finally making his varsity high school
team, his mother approached him with a reality
check, saying she could not afford to send him
to college. “I had never heard her say ‘I can’t,’”
he said.
Thomas spent two years after high school
graduation working so he could attend Sussex
County Community College and play basketball.
“After four years of being horrible, everything
took off,” he said. “There were all-star teams
and all-regions—enough attention to get a
scholarship to Minot State University in North
Dakota.”
There, he would meet his future wife, Melissa,
who played on the women’s basketball team. The
couple, married 17 years, have two children;
Brice, 9 and Naya, 7.
After college, Thomas continued his training
and workouts in pursuit of that elusive
professional basketball contract.
His perseverance and patience paid off when
he was awarded a basketball contract for a team
in Lisbon, Portugal.
“I very nonchalantly told my mother that I got
a basketball contract,” he said, always knowing
that it would be the financial boost needed to
help her.
But one week before leaving for Portugal,
Thomas was thrown a curveball that would
Thomas, center, leads an early morning
workout at Evergreen Park in Tranquility.
An animated Thomas at the
Positivity Summit.
6
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022

change his life’s path, as well as those around
him.
“I was playing 3-on-3 in Sparta, and I went to
make a basket and then heard a pop,” he said. “I
fell to the ground and couldn’t put any weight in
my right foot.”
While a ruptured Achilles derailed his
basketball career, Thomas was most devastated
by feeling as though he had failed his mother
after promising her that she would never have to
work three jobs again.
“While I was recovering, I would keep it
together but when my mom would go to work,
I would let it all out.”
That was in 2003.
A year later, he became head coach at Sussex
County Community College for the 2004
season and stayed there for the next six years.
In 2005 he started his own program,
Crossroads Basketball, to help kids in the
Sussex and Morris area develop skills both
on and off the court. “We have had over 100
players play college basketball, four of them play
professionally and now we have doctors, police
officers, teachers, coaches, from our alumni, all
doing good in the world,” he said.
In 2010, he became an assistant coach at
Blair Academy in Blairstown under head coach
Joe Mantegna. He remained there for the next
seven years.
During this time, his identity morphed into
“Cornell the basketball coach,” and he began
thinking beyond the confines of a high school
gym. But, as the birth of his first child neared,
he felt another internal shift.
“I knew that a Division I school’s schedule
would consume most of my time,” he said. “I
grew up without a father and was like, ‘How
could I not be here for my son?’ I would look
around the neighborhood and see dads playing
ball with their kids and was like, ‘That’s going
to be me.’”
Immersed in his basketball identity, he set
out to discover who he was outside of the game.
In making a case for “everything happens for a
reason,” the positivity movement was already
percolating and coming from an unlikely source.
“I’d be on Facebook and notice super negative
people,” he said. “It’s like these people wake up,
get a cup of coffee and talk trash to each other.”
To counter the toxicity, Thomas started posting
positive quotations he found in books, which
led to him posting his own quotes, which led to
the creation of his blog.
His first blog post traveled across the globe.
“I looked at the analytics and there were people
from Germany and Vietnam. I mean, I’m just
a kid from Passaic. Why would anyone want to
read my blog?”
In 2013 he published his first book, “The
Power of Positivity: Controlling Where the Ball
Bounces.” That was also the year his son, Brice,
was born; three subsequent books have followed.
It was also the year of his first speaking
engagement at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio
of Denville where he addressed a dozen people.
He pocketed his first paycheck—$100—as
a panelist at an event at Centenary College in
Hackettstown. These opportunities opened the
door to more talks, this time across the country
in Las Vegas, Michigan and Wisconsin.
After seeing motivational speaker Tony
Robbins in 2015, Thomas was driven to
organize his own speaking events with a focus
on positivity and participation.
“I said, ‘What if I get everybody together and
call it a positivity summit?’” He held the first
summit in 2017 in Allamuchy Township.
At this year’s July event, the theme “What
Now” served as a post-pandemic call to stop
saying “why me” and “pick ourselves back up
and continue to fight for our dreams and goals,”
said Thomas.
Thomas said he is always looking to make
connections, whether it’s on the court with
the athletes at his basketball camps, with an
audience at his summits or with a stranger.
Enter Sharon Dwyer of Tranquility, who
attended the summit and spent the lunch break
with Thomas.
Dwyer met Thomas in a park where he was
coaching basketball and she was walking the
track. The two would exchange friendly waves
and eventually a conversation. Thomas then
invited her to attend the summit.
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“You can feel him,” she said. “There’s this
goodness and love.”
Thomas would incorporate Dwyer into his
talk as an opportunity to explain the difference
between needs and wants.
During lunch, he recounted, Sharon said, “I
don’t have the words to thank you for inviting
me.”
Thomas would respond: “No, I don’t know
how to thank you.”
“You see there are needs and wants,” he said.
“Sharon needs to be here, and I need Sharon
here today. We need connection. We need each
other.”
Other attendees such as Alexia Lewis, a
financial adviser, and Jordana Van Wolde, an
in-home personal assistant, both from Jefferson,
met Thomas at a Jefferson Township Chamber
of Commerce meeting.
“He’s really down-to-earth and very relatable,”
said Lewis. “He has this aura, this energy and
he’s funny.”
Thomas is moving ahead full speed, coaching,
teaching basketball and scheduling speaking
engagements, which he is hoping to expand to
schools and corporations. He is also working
on another book and a TV show called “On
Purpose.”
Despite his growing success, Thomas always
gives credit where credit is due—to his mother,
“who everyone wants to meet,” he said proudly.
“I am who I am today because of her,” he said.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 7

Stigliano, Kenny Hanna and Barkman
during a recent rehearsal.
Stigliano and Barkman having
fun with their guitars.
8
Debra Stigliano and
daughter Star Barkman.
Rock Star Mom Shares
Musical Gift, Puts Daughter
Story by MELISSA SUMMERS
in the Spotlight
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
To every little girl who throws on
headphones, sings into a hairbrush and
dances in front of a mirror in her bedroom, the
dreams of becoming a rock star are as real as
spiked hair and sequined clothes. Not everyone
gets to live out that dream, but sometimes it’s
not reaching a goal that counts, but the lives you
touch in the end.
Debra Stigliano, 65, of Mount Arlington was
once one of those girls. Growing up on Bertrand
Island, she learned guitar at a young age, and by
13 she was writing her own songs. She played
primarily with family and friends and took
lessons in voice, piano, harmonica, saxophone
and even drums.
After high school, she attended County College
of Morris, graduating in 1976 and taking a job
at a music store. By 1979, at 23 years old, she
joined her first rock band, Hero.
“We had some local success, playing at places
like the Stanhope House, picnics, clubhouses,
parties, that kind of thing,” Stigliano recalled.
“After going through some bands and trying to
make it out here, I decided to move out west.”
In 1984 she packed up and headed to the
College for Recording Arts in San Francisco,
where she earned a certificate in audio
engineering.
“I wanted to be a recording engineer, an artist,
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
Barkman rehearsing at
home. The painting on the
wall is one she did in 2015.
a songwriter … [and] produce younger acts if I
could,” she said. “If I wasn’t going to be a rock
star myself I at least wanted to record them. I
concentrated on my schooling and meeting
people.”
San Francisco was a hot spot in the music
industry at the time, Stigliano said, adding that
she met with stars like Huey Lewis during her
time on the west coast. “It was a little scary,
totally different [from] what I grew up with.”
Not only did she gain her independence,
knowledge of the music industry, and studio
experience, but she also became more confident
in her life and goals. “I was a bit lonely, missing
my Jersey peeps and my family, but I knew I
would come back, and I did.”
Stigliano returned to New Jersey in 1986,
taking a job at House of Music, a recording
studio in West Orange. There, she rubbed elbows
with the likes of Bruce Springsteen’s band, Meat
Loaf and Cyndi Lauper. But she was finding it
hard to break through the “boys’ club” that is the
recording industry.
“It’s a real man’s world,” the musician said. “So,
it’s really hard to crack into audio engineering as
a female. I wasn’t getting paid a lot and it was
hard to support myself.”
She also tried her luck at 39th Street Music
Studio in Manhattan, but ultimately found the
task of sitting 12 to 15 hours a day in a
dark basement studio was “just not a girls’
thing.”
“It’s hard to become a rock star,” she
added. “You try and try and try and send
demos to people you don’t know, and it’s
just really hard to get anybody to notice
you. Although we had some success, it’s
hard to become famous. You’ve got to be
lucky.”
Everything changed in 1989 when a star was
born—Stigliano’s daughter, Star.
“Most of my focus went to her instead of
music, although I still played with friends,”
Stigliano said. “Around 12 or 13 years old, she
showed an interest, so I taught her how to play
guitar and sing. She was good at writing poems.
I helped her start writing music.”
“In my little girl eyes, my mom was the coolest
rock star in all the land,” said Star Barkman,
32, of Chester, as she recalls listening to her
mother’s CDs in her room. “From a young age,
she was married to my stepfather who was also a
musician. They used to sing together and I would
hear them do harmonies. I was just floating
around in the background, but I just thought it
was the coolest thing ever.”
Growing up, Barkman would tag along to her
parents’ gigs, and mother and daughter would
spend their free time practicing guitar chords.
“I think the first song I learned was a Maroon
5 song and I’d sing it over and over and over,”
she said.
Barkman loved music, but never really thought
about taking it outside her living room. “I was so
afraid to do anything in front of people—there
was no way I could actually pull the trigger,” she
said.
That all changed after Stigliano and a few
friends put together a band called Polaris in
2010 and invited Barkman to join. The teenager
harmonized the melodies but remained in the
background.
It was in 2014, as a “favor” to her stepfather,
Michael Sodano, who performed regularly at
Brasserie 513 in Califon, that Barkman finally

gave solo performance a try. He was doublebooked
for New Year’s Eve and couldn’t play at
the restaurant.
“If anyone else had asked me [to play] I would
have said no,” Barkman said. “He was someone I
always looked up to.”
Sodano bought her all the equipment she
needed and she had a month to prepare. “I put a
bunch of songs in a book and I had no idea what
I was doing,” Barkman said, adding that her first
performance was enough to kick-start her love
for the stage.
“After it was over, it was like ‘Oh my God, that
was amazing.’ I had experienced the adrenaline,
the high, for the first time in my life. You’re
sweating, you’re going to pass out, you just rise
above your own body,” she said.
Brasserie’s owner wanted her back, but she
felt like she wasn’t ready. After about a year of
practice, she returned there for a few appearances.
Beginning in February 2016, she took regular
jobs at Alice’s in Lake Hopatcong and later
Muldoon’s in Ledgewood, as well as side gigs at
local street fairs.
Stigliano acts as manager but has been known
to join her daughter in the spotlight for some
harmonies. “She decides when she’s in the mood
to sing with me, and it’s really fun,” Barkman
said.
Her art isn’t limited to music. She graduated
with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts from
Ramapo College in 2012 and works as a
muralist, faux painter and house painter. “I think
it’s a similar part of my brain,” Barkman noted.
“I have always been a creative person. I can’t do
the same thing over and over again. I bounce
around, but it’s always been the artistic stuff that
stuck.”
Not surprisingly, the two worlds often collide.
She listens to music while she paints and, more
recently, her painting led to a new musical
partnership.
Barkman met Kenny Hanna, who also owns
a painting business, on a job years ago. “We’d
joke around and sing in garages when we were
painting,” Barkman said. “One day he came to
one of my gigs. He used to be a drummer, and
that night hopped on his cajón. I was like, ‘Now
you need to be my drummer.’”
Stigliano stepped in, teaching Hanna
harmonies, and he and Barkman began to play
together.
“When you are singing by yourself it’s just
work,” Barkman said of her solo act. “When
someone sings harmony with me it gives me that
feeling that I had when I first started singing
with my mom. That was something special for
me that I’ve never really been able to have for
full gigs.”
The drums brought Barkman’s performance
to a whole new level and gave the performances
more depth. “I used to be just a girl singing with
a guitar, with more of a coffee shop vibe … you
add drums and it’s a whole different thing.”
It’s just what she needed to make performing a
permanent part of her life.
Now that more musical opportunities are
opening, Barkman wishes that she had explored
music further as a child. “I would have taken
piano lessons, learned a little more. I admired
my mother and just wanted her to teach me. It
wasn’t until I was older that she told me I have a
really good voice.”
Stigliano couldn’t be prouder.
“I’m amazed at the progress she’s made. The
way she plays and sings and captures an audience,
I’m in awe. I think she’s better than I ever was,”
she said.
“Mom passed the torch,” said Barkman. “She
hops in when she can and everyone loves that
The mother/daughter voice thing is great. But
she had her time, and now she’s my sidekick.”
But would Stigliano like to ultimately see her
daughter fulfill her decades-old dream of rock
stardom?
“I wouldn’t want her in the music business.
I wouldn’t want her to be on tour. It’s a tough
thing to do,” she said. “Local success, money on
the weekends—I tell her to just have fun.”
And sometimes, when mother and daughter
are in the studio recording together, there’s just
a little bit of the girl with the hairbrush there
with them.
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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022

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lakehopatcongnews.com 11

12
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
Live! From Lake Hopatcong
Story by ELLEN WILKOWE
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
There’s rocking the
boat and then there’s
rocking out the boat.
That was exactly the
scenario that played out
when Stanhope-based
rock band The City
Limit transformed Lake
Hopatcong’s Raccoon
Island ferry into a makeshift
stage for the fifth annual
Live from the Lake cruise
extravaganza.
The event is the
brainchild of Lee Moreau,
one of the captains for Lake
Hopatcong Cruises. Live
from the Lake is an idea
born from a retirement
party for lake historian
Marty Kane, he said.
As a tribute to Kane’s
continued dedication to
Lake Hopatcong history, the
party planners paid homage
to some of the lake’s legendary
residents by bringing to life
some well-known characters
from the early 1900s, including
inventor Hudson Maxim and
actress Lotta Crabtree.
“It was so much fun and wellreceived
we couldn’t do it just
one time. We brainstormed
other venues to keep it alive and
thus, the Live from the Lake
cruise aboard Miss Lotta was
created,” said Moreau.
On board, passengers got to rub elbows with
the lake’s most famous resident, Lotta Crabtree,
who was accompanied by her mother, Mary Ann
Crabtree. But the vast majority of characters
perform on the land, Moreau said or, in the case
of The City Limit, on the ferry.
It was the band’s first time testing the lake
waters, said drummer Sean Farrelly.
The gig was organized by Farrelly, who works
on the ferry during the summer months
and runs The Original Music School in
Morristown.
Farrelly keeps good company with
guitarist/vocalist Scott Lewis, bassist
Anthony Ambrosio and keyboardist Mike
Casson.
While the band played its original song,
“Last to Notice,” boats running the gamut
Top: Lorraine Tuths, Miss
Ingram Cove, greets Miss Lotta.
Left: Much to the delight of
passengers aboard Miss Lotta,
Tito swims to shore after
retrieving two tennis balls.
Below: The band The City Limit
performs from the Raccoon
Island ferry.
Second from bottom: Kathy
Hargaden and Richard Gaynor
show off their dance moves.
Bottom: With Miss Lotta
in position, the Pinknic
performers get started.
from pontoon to fishing to one lone kayak
stopped to linger and rock out. Making way
for Miss Lotta, which was expertly maneuvered
into position by Captain Tom Bush, the smaller
boats moved aside as Lotta nosed up next to the
ferry just in time for the band to cover “Get
Lucky” by Daft Punk.
As passengers aboard Miss Lotta continued
to rock and raise their glasses, she tooted her
signature farewell horn and headed out for
her next port of call just across the channel for
even more rock. That’s where Tito, a sevenyear-old
golden retriever, used a rocky cliff as
his launch pad to fetch two balls thrown by his
human Debbie Hartmann, a summer-only lake
resident.
Tito—yes, he’s named for the vodka—
fetched his way to fame by delighting boaters
who happened to catch him in the act of, well,
catching the ball. He has been fetching balls
from the water since the maiden voyage of the
Live from the Lake event.
“It doesn’t take much,” Hartmann said. “I
throw a ball and people applaud and we interact
with the boat.”
According to Hartmann, Tito laps up the
attention and will bolt down the stairs to the
dock if she yells, “Miss Lotta is coming.”
“He really likes performing for Miss Lotta
and he likes the recognition,” Hartmann
said. A sprinkle of treats thrown to the dock
by passengers on board adds to the positive
reinforcement.
While Tito cooled down in the water, a crowd
over in Davis Cove was just starting to heat
up—even more so on the nearly 100-degree day.
The pink-clad participants—known as
Pinknic—were in formation rehearsing
their dance routine to “What I Like About
You,” which they would later perform for the
passengers aboard Miss Lotta.
All shades of pink were represented in fashion,
furniture and food. Pink Jello shots, anyone?
The pinked-out party served not only as a
lakeside performance but also a fundraiser for
breast cancer that included a silent auction.
The brainchild of lakefront resident Kaiya
Hefele, Pinknic started as a small gathering to
pay homage to her best friend Mary, who passed
away from breast cancer. (Hefele’s Pinknic is not
affiliated with any other event with the same
name, she said.)
“I said to my girls, let’s have our own Pinknic,”
she said. “It was just the 12 of us, sitting by the
lake, toasting my friend Mary.”
Over the years, the intimate gathering of
twelve expanded into a crowd of 50 and then
hit the triple digits.
“So, now we have a celebration,” she said.

“We want people to be happy.”
Happy underscores the ambiance on this
Saturday in August at what Moreau refers to as
“Camp Hefele.”
“It was downright unbelievable,” said Carl
Steen, who traveled with his wife Christina from
the Catskill Mountains in New York to get his
pink on.
A newcomer to the Pinknic, he fit right in
with his pink flamingo shirt as if he had been
attending for years. “I love it,” he said. The
couple found out about the event from mutual
lake friends.
Lillian Issat, a Hefele family friend, was also
a first-time Pinknic participant. Having lost her
sister to breast cancer, Issat was attending to
honor her sister’s memory.
With Miss Lotta sitting just offshore, the
dancers assumed their positions on the lawn,
pink pom-poms in hand and ready to shake to
the beat.
“The dance is the big draw,” Hefele added.
When the performance ended, a sea of pink
headed to the dock to greet the passengers.
To their surprise, Captain Moreau came on
land with a special celebrity in tow. Marilyn
Monroe—also known as crew member Trisha
Camelot—did her best to replicate the seductive
rendition of “Happy Birthday” that the late
actress once sang to former President John F.
Kennedy.
The one caveat?
“It wasn’t anyone’s birthday,” said Hefele. To
everyone’s delight, Monroe’s attention was paid
directly to Hefele’s husband, Bernd.
According to Kaiya, Pinknic raised more than
$7,000, which was to be donated to a local
breast cancer charity.
“Everyone around the lake contributed [to the
silent auction] and there was really unbelievable
participation. I didn’t even ask. That’s what
showed up and it’s so incredibly wonderful,” she
said.
Being bid a bon voyage by the Pinknic, Miss
Lotta headed to the Miss American tribute
pageant on Bertrand Island. Here, the 22 tiaratopped
beauties represented every cove and
corner of the lake, from Miss Bed Bug Island to
Miss Crescent Cove.
“Places everyone! Everyone take your places,”
emcee Kimberly Hipwell, known this day
as Miss Bertrand Island, crooned through a
megaphone as the boat approached. Places,
in this case, meant their assigned docks at
Lakeshore Village, the condo community that
occupies the same space where Bertrand Island
Amusement Park once stood.
“The first year was my sister and myself, and
I said, ‘That was great and fun, but Miss Lotta
deserves more action and turnout,’” Hipwell
said. “I recruited neighbors and friends and
now we have grown to 22 [participants]. Our
goal is to have a beauty contestant on each dock
finger.”
The traditional waves were returned by
passengers on board and punctuated by Miss
Lotta’s traditional “toot,” and she was off and
running to her next destination.
In addition to Marilyn Monroe, other crew
members offered up onboard entertainment,
including a “Greased Lightning” skit to muchdeserved
applause, Moreau said.
For first-time passengers Yahaira Giron of
Hoboken and Luciani Neku of Belleville, the
cruise was a hit. The couple, who found out
about the event through social media, were on
board to celebrate their third anniversary.
Live from the Lake is usually held the first
weekend in August, Moreau said.
A typical year sees up to 10 performances
from a variety of locations around the lake.
This year, lake dwellers offered up seven
performances—a few less than last year, but just
as entertaining, said Moreau. Kim Arbolino, the
general manager of Lake Hopatcong Cruises,
said 30 minutes were added to this year’s cruise
to “enable us to get around the lake and include
these special stops.”
In planning ahead, Moreau already has his
searchlight cast for potential performers for
next year’s cruise. Interested characters should
contact him at cptlee3@gmail.com.
“Who knows?” he said. “With a few more
characters this might become a three-hour tour.”
Paging Gilligan.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 13

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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022

15 Commerce Boulevard, Suite 201 • Roxbury Mall (Route 10 East) • Succasunna, NJ 07876
(973) 328-1225 • www.MorrisCountyDentist.com
• Dental Implants
• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Porcelain Veneers
• Family Dentistry
• Invisalign
• Dentures
• Teeth Whitening
• Crowns and Bridges
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• Sedation Dentistry
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Dental Implants
$149 Cleaning, Exam, Full Set of Films
Regularly $362
•Cannot be combined with other discounts
•Refer to New Patient Specials on our website for details
•Coupon must be presented and mentioned at time of scheduling
Expires 9/30/22
Dr. Goldberg is a leading expert on dental implants. He is a Diplomate of the
American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, which is a degree held
by only 1% of dentists worldwide. Whether you require a single implant or
complex full-mouth rehabilitation, a free consultation with Dr. Goldberg should be
considered.
General & Cosmetic Dentistry
Dr. Goldberg treats entire families, from toddlers to seniors. Services include
cleanings, check-ups, fillings, Invisalign, dentures, cosmetics, and more! He and
his staff enjoy the long-term relationships they build with their patients.
Dr. Goldberg is a general dentist with credentials in multiple organizations. Please visit his website for a complete listing.
DENTAL DIGEST
Ira Goldberg, DDS, FAGD, DICOI, FAAID
Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology / Implant Dentistry
WHAT IS A DENTAL IMPLANT ABUTMENT?
New Patient Special
FREE
Implant, Cosmetic or General Dentistry Consultation
Regularly $125.00
•Cannot be combined with other discounts
•Limited to 50 minutes
Expires 9/30/22
Dental implant abutments can be a confusing topic. Let’s talk about a single implant, which would replace a single tooth. There are 3 components: the implant
or fixture, the crown or cap, and an “invisible” connector called an abutment. You can view a diagram of these three parts on my website: go to “For Patients,”
then “Patient Education,” and look for the Information Sheet, “General Info Regarding Dental Implants.”
There are two basic types of abutments: stock and custom. A stock abutment is pre-manufactured by implant companies.
A custom abutment is fabricated by a dental lab. Materials can also vary: titanium, gold, and zirconia are examples. The
manufacturing process is also another variable: milling & casting are examples.
How does your dentist select which is appropriate for you? The biggest variables are: location in the mouth, amount of
available bone, and type of gum tissue.
An implant in the top front of the mouth oftentimes requires a custom abutment. The bone in this region is angled, and
esthetics are critical. There is minimal room for error, and the “emergence profile,” meaning how the tooth exits from the
gum, is important. In the back of the mouth you can get away with a lot more. Although the emergence profile isn’t as
important from an esthetic standpoint, it can be important from a functional standpoint so that you don’t trap lots of Ira Goldberg, DDS, FAGD, DICOI
food and have irritated gums.
The information above covers abutments for single implants. There are other situations calling for dental implant abutments, too. You may have a bridge, a
denture, or an All-On-Four type of appliance. These all use various types of abutments.
About the author: Dr. Ira Goldberg has been performing implant procedures for over 27 years. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Implantology/
Implant Dentistry, a Diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. For a free
consultation, please call his office at (973) 328-1225 or visit his website at www.MorrisCountyDentist.com Dr. Goldberg is a general dentist, and also a Fellow
of the Academy of General Dentistry.
lakehopatcongnews.com 15

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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022

ANNMARIE GUENTHER
In 1986, Annmarie Guenther, 62, was at Fox Recording Studios in Rutherford with her vocal group,
Upswing. They were recording a jingle for the Teamsters Union. An admittedly shy young technician
named Jeff helped set up her microphone and introduced himself. “I introduced myself—along with my
boyfriend at the time!” Guenther said. Not long after that first meeting, Annmarie and Jeff found themselves working
LOCAL
VOICES
together in an Elvis tribute band, performing at weddings and becoming good friends. “And the rest is history,” she said.
The couple will be married 33 years come October.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE AND WHO MAKES UP YOUR FAMILY?
I live in Hopatcong with my husband, Jeff, and our two cats, Pixie and Trixie.
DO YOU MAKE A LIVING OUT OF PLAYING MUSIC? IF NOT, WHAT IS YOUR FULL-TIME PROFESSION?
I am a retired public school music teacher who gigs occasionally and joyfully serves on the worship team and kids’ ministry at Calvary Chapel
Morris Hills. I also did quite a bit of musical direction and acting at Brundage Park Playhouse and Sussex Community College.
ARE YOU CURRENTLY PART OF A BAND OR HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE PAST? NAME IT, PLEASE.
Jeff and I perform as a duo under the name House of Guenther. Jeff is now a full-time musician/songwriter. He returned to music full-time
after his last corporate job moved to the Philippines and didn’t invite him to go—not that he would have!
HOW OFTEN ARE YOU PERFORMING/RECORDING?
I am currently performing at the Hopatcong Marketplace for the 2022 season and recording vocals
on our current project “Adopted by Grace,” as well as recording vocals for local songwriters.
When I perform, I sing and play keyboard.
WHAT OR WHO MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME A MUSICIAN?
Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music.” I knew I wanted to sing the moment I saw her
on screen singing in the Alps! The movie premiered when I was around 5, and I’ve been
singing since then. I have also been playing piano since I was 10.
WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCE IN LIFE AND WHY?
Really, there have been so many, but one that stands out is Linda Ronstadt. She has
covered so many vocal styles and genres and has, through the years, been able to
take an existing song and make it her own.
DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF MUSIC THAT YOU TYPICALLY PLAY IN PUBLIC. IS
IT ORIGINAL? COVERS? COMBINATION OF BOTH?
I perform mostly covers and a few Jeff Guenther originals. The styles
of music run the gamut from Sinatra-era classics to ‘80s pop.
WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE ANYONE HAS EVER
GIVEN YOU CONCERNING YOUR PURSUIT OF MUSIC?
I couldn’t say, because I was never good at taking advice as a
young woman. But if I had to give someone advice it would be
this: Pursue music as a passion, not as a job. When it becomes a
job, the joy is removed.
BESIDES MUSIC, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER HOBBIES?
Cooking, container gardening and planning trips!
IS THERE ANYTHING MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED
TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
The very first band I was in was a disco band called Khameleon.
I was 19 at the time and had many adventures in New York
City with them, even appearing at the same venue with Sarah
Vaughan. That was a big deal for a 19-year-old.
I AM local I AM creative I AM funny
lakehopatcongnews.com 17

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Inside at
Investors Bank Theater
August 4
TROPICAL TURBULENCE
by Emedin Rivera
7:30 PM
Outside at the
Horseshoe Lake Bandshell
September 25
WELL ALRIGHT
Rolling Stones Tribute
4 PM
(In case of inclement weather, show moves to the Investors Bank Theater)
Investors Bank Theater, home to the Roxbury Performing Arts Center,
hosting year-round programming, classes and performances.
973-945-0284 • sales.raa@gmail.com
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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
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lakehopatcongnews.com 19

Buckley in his
childhood home in
Mount Arlington.
Brendan Buckley at the Colosseum at
Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2021.
Photo courtesy of Brendan Buckley
Buckley teaching a drum seminar
in South America in 2018.
Photo courtesy of Brendan Buckley
20
Musician Travels the World but
Always Finds His Way Home
Story by BONNIE-LYNN NADZEIKA
Photo by Karen Fucito
Brendan Buckley grew up in Mount
Arlington in the 1980s doing all the typical
things a kid from Mount Arlington did at the
time. He went fishing. He rode his bike around
town with his friends. He hung out at Fireman’s
Field. He went swimming in Lake Hopatcong.
He attended Edith M. Decker Elementary
School, then Mount Arlington Public School
before heading off to Roxbury High School.
While at Decker, he learned to play the
trumpet, the instrument he would stay with until
high school.
Music, Buckley said, was always important in
his life. He credits his parents, Dennis and Soon
Ja Buckley, who still live in his childhood home
in Mount Arlington, for instilling in him a love
of music at an early age.
“They were huge music lovers,” said Buckley,
48. “They had a gigantic vinyl record collection
and music was always playing in our house.”
The collection was eclectic: big band, swing,
Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Motown,
Soul music and disco. But what wasn’t heard in
the house at the time was music by The Ducanes,
a doo-wop group that included the senior
Buckley and was produced by Phil Spector. The
group’s single “I’m So Happy,” reached No. 109
on the Billboard charts in 1961.
The younger Buckley was shocked to learn
about his father’s connection to the music
producer-turned convicted killer during the
singer’s 2007 murder trial. During that time,
Dennis Buckley told his son: “Phil Spector was
such a weird guy.”
By the time Buckley made it to high school,
his choice of music and the instrument he played
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
changed.
“I’m a product of MTV,” he said of his youth
spent watching videos of every genre from
heavy metal to alternative rock. It is here that
he found himself drawn to the sound and look
of drum sets and the drummers themselves. The
Police, specifically the band’s drummer Stewart
Copeland, stood out to him as a major early
influence, he said.
With the purchase of his first drum kit at 14,
Buckley went from air drumming in his parents’
living room to joining the Roxbury High School
band. Shortly thereafter, music teacher Darryl
Bott brought in professional drummer Tommy
Igoe to work with the drum line. Buckley became
Igoe’s student, taking lessons and often joining
his mentor in New York City for gigs. The two
remain close.
Buckley never really imagined drumming as a
career move until he witnessed Igoe, a freelance
drummer, make a living at what he loved to do.
At only 15 years of age and sneaking into clubs
in Greenwich Village with Igoe, Buckley found
his calling.
Buckley credits his mother with pushing him
to think big in terms of his college education, the
natural next step in his music career. When it was
time to choose a school, Buckley had his sights
set on Rutgers University or William Paterson,
but she had other plans in mind.
“‘You should move as far away from us as you
can,’” he remembers his mother telling him.
So, he did, attending the University of Miami’s
School of Music, where he double-majored in
music education and music performance. He also
became active in the Miami music scene.
Now, decades later and out of Miami, Buckley
is one of the most accomplished professional
drummers in the Los Angeles music scene, where
he lives with his wife and son, whom he shields
from public view.
A longtime member of pop star Shakira’s band,
he co-wrote the song “Fool” on her recordbreaking
first English language album, “Laundry
Service.” His resume is a who’s who of music,
having performed or worked with Julio Iglesias,
Shelby Lynne, Gloria Estefan, Melissa Etheridge,
Tegan and Sara and Miley Cyrus. Most recently
he toured with Morrissey and performed with
Perry Farrell.
He has also played on television shows,
including “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,”
“The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” “Late
Night with David Letterman,” “America’s Got
Talent,” “Saturday Night Live,” the Grammys
and the Latin Grammys. He is a regular guest
drummer on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” a
gig he continued remotely during the pandemic.
Buckley’s versatility came into play during the
shutdown when he created a weekly one-minute
broadcast called “Drummer Plus Drummer,”
where he and another drummer would play
together, recording each session. “Drummer Plus
Drummer” ran for 50 weeks and Buckley has
since created an album based on those sessions.
Buckley’s take on the music industry is
pragmatic—comparing different aspects of
music to the service industry or manufacturing.
While he finds it easy to drift into performance,
he is also passionate about creating. “I want
to make sure that I am doing enough in both
departments,” he said. He uses his Instagram and
YouTube pages to showcase his original creations.
In addition to recording and touring, Buckley
also produces and teaches music. His first
teaching job was as a high school student working
with students his own age at Bernardsville High
School. Today, he is a faculty member at the
Musicians Institute in Los Angeles. He also
conducts drum clinics around the world and
offers private lessons to musicians who seek him
out for his expertise.
While drumming has provided a livelihood

for Buckley, his passion also reflects the values
his parents instilled in him at an early age.
Hailing from a multicultural family (his father
is American and his mother was born in
South Korea), Buckley was taught to have an
appreciation for an array of different cultures,
cuisines and musical styles.
“We went to a different restaurant every Friday
night. My father sought out Jamaican restaurants,
Portuguese restaurants,” Buckley said.
His music enables him to explore the world,
even commuting weekly to China for two years
in order to play drums on Friday nights with
artists based in Taiwan and Singapore. He treated
the 14-hour flight as office hours, working on his
computer and catching up on movies. “It was not
a long-term model,” Buckley said with a laugh.
“I grew up fascinated with culture. Learning
about the world is one of my favorite by-products
of touring. Meeting people and learning about
the globe is the best education I ever got,” he
added.
As an artist, Buckley sees an endless challenge
to grow. As a young drummer he developed a
competitive edge. “I looked around and saw
drummers my own age that were better than
me,” he said. It inspired him to practice, so much
so that some of his high school teachers would
reprimand him to stop tapping out music on his
desk in class.
Today he is less competitive and more inspired
by his peers and the talented drummers he comes
across, describing himself as a “sponge” when he
hears something new.
Buckley has a great fondness for his childhood
home and the community where everyone knows
everyone else and is on a first-name basis. He
makes sure he and his family visit twice a year. “I
love it here,” he said. “I saw Mary Beth from the
post office at the Windlass last night.”
Most importantly, having his own child made
Buckley realize what a great childhood he had.
“Seeing my son love this town the way I did as a
kid made me realize I did all the same things he
enjoys doing here. I get to relive all the beautiful
moments of my childhood.”
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lakehopatcongnews.com 21

d
Volunteers and students in the
Musconetcong River during a 2015 field trip.
A dock number is attached
to a dock in 2016.
Béla Szigethy at this year’s Lake
Hopatcong Foundation Gala.
22
A pair of bikers during
the 2015 Lake Loop.
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
Jessica Murphy and
Tom Flinn at the Block
Party in 2014.
Donna Macalle-Holly
during the Musconetcong
River cleanup in 2015.
Lake Hopatcong Foundation Ce
Story by MELISSA SUMMERS
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
s Jessica Murphy looked around at
Awell-dressed patrons enjoying glasses
of wine and nibbles of food while listening
to music and chatting about the beautiful
aquatic centerpiece of North Jersey known
as Lake Hopatcong, she couldn’t help
but soak it all in.
“I was thinking that I wish I
could go back and show a picture to
my ‘ten years ago self’ of the whole
scene because it would have been
very comforting,” said Murphy,
recalling a moment during this year’s
Lake Hopatcong Foundation gala at
Stone Water restaurant in Jefferson.
Murphy, 39, of Maplewood, is a
founding member of the foundation
who also served as the organization’s
first executive director for its first nine
years. “I probably would have gotten a
lot more sleep,” Murphy joked.
The July event celebrated the 10th
anniversary of the foundation, a local
non-profit group committed to
the health and prosperity of Lake
Hopatcong and its surrounding
communities.
Similar organizations have
existed throughout the years,
including the Lake Hopatcong
Watershed Association, which
was active in the 1970s, the
Lake Hopatcong Alliance,
existing in the 2000s, and The
Lake Hopatcong Protective
Association, founded in the
1890s. The latter remained
active in some form until 2017,
according to Cliff Lundin, a
lifelong resident of Hopatcong
and an active LHF volunteer. The group was
composed of small communities and camps and
was most active in the 1950s and ‘60s, as well as
later in the 1980s, he said.
Murphy, previously a writer for New Jersey
Monthly, had written a story about the lake and
met Béla Szigethy. In 2009, he approached her
about starting the foundation.
“As a resident of New York City since 1979, I
watched Central Park get significantly improved
by the Central Park Conservancy, which was a
privately-funded organization that turned it into
the jewel that it is today,” he said. “My thought was,
‘why not have some of the concerned citizens of
this area, or anyone else who is interested in Lake
Hopatcong, put up private money into a non-profit
foundation for the benefit of the lake.’”
Murphy began focusing on the development of
the foundation, with her and Szigethy enlisting
two other longtime lake residents to form the
initial board: attorney Tom Flinn and historian
Marty Kane. Soon after, Szigethy made a $300,000
donation to get the foundation started.
“That allowed us to have this lovely launch party at
Alice’s restaurant in June of 2012 where we invited
leaders from organizations and groups around the
lake and officials from local towns,” Murphy said.
“We were able to introduce ourselves and hit the
ground running with projects right out of the gate.”
The foundation was flush with donors and
volunteers from the beginning, Murphy added. “It
made a huge difference. At the launch we let people
sign up for committees on things that were most
important to them—water quality, fundraising,
safety, things like that.”
One of the organization’s first events was a trash
cleanup around the lake the morning after the
annual fireworks show in July. Another goal was
to increase police presence in the hopes of making
the lake safer. “We started a partnership with the
Morris County Sheriff’s office and the State Police
to get more patrols on the water,” Murphy said.
Those early projects were important, said

Kayakers
uring the
2016 Lake
Loop.
lebrates Ten Years of Advocacy
Murphy, but it was the seed money that really made
the difference. “Having money to spend gave the
organization credibility right away,” she said. “It
allowed people to see what we could do.”
“It was the right idea at the right time,” said
Szigethy.
Staff members included Lauren Rossi and Donna
Macalle-Holly. Rossi, the first board secretary and
development director, was on maternity leave
during the launch, but still provided Murphy with
significant support. “I don’t know what I would
have done without her,” she said.
Macalle-Holly was scooped up in January 2013
after being laid off from the Lake Hopatcong
Commission when that organization lost
government funding. Her presence, said Murphy,
has been instrumental in the foundation’s success.
Macalle-Holly currently serves as the grants and
programs director.
In November 2013, Murphy recalls, Macalle-
Holly organized the inaugural lake-wide cleanup in
conjunction with a five-foot drawdown of the lake
water.
“She had a vision,” said Murphy of Macalle-
Holly. “We had over three hundred volunteers and
removed more than 10,000 pounds of garbage. It
was an event that put the foundation on the map
for a lot of people. It showed what potential we had
and a need we were filling. It was about the lake but
it was also about the community around the lake.
The way the community cares about the lake really
showed that day.”
The five-foot drawdown now occurs every five
years, with the next drawdown scheduled for
November 2023.
The foundation has flourished under strong
leadership and very enthusiastic volunteers, said
Szigethy, noting that “the money from private
sources has increased every year and it’s become a
broad-based, donation-funded organization.” It
has also been successful in attracting grants and
government money, he said.
Kyle Richter, 33, of Bridgewater, has served
as the foundation’s executive director since
April 2021. He worked previously with the
Musconetcong Watershed Association, which
often collaborated with the foundation on area
cleanups, water quality projects and public
events. “Ever since I was a young child I have
been fascinated with our shared environment
and water in particular,” he said. “It is the
backbone of life.”
Joining Richter and Macalle-Holly on staff
is communications director Holly Odgers and
development director Caitlin Doran. The board
now has 11 members, according to Richter.
Richter said the organization offers a variety
of programs and initiatives, including the
Floating Classroom and field trip programs, the
Block Party, and the Lake Loop as well as water
quality monitoring programs.
“We work closely with the Lake Hopatcong
Commission to implement water quality
improvement,” Richter said. Fundraising and
outreach opportunities like the block party and
the Lake Loop are now supported by focused
committees, he added.
“Most importantly, we advocate for Lake
Hopatcong at every level of government to
bring attention and secure more funding and
resources for our lake,” said Richter.
Stacey Allen, 50, is a longtime volunteer
with the foundation and has lived in Mount
Arlington since she was five years old. Her
children are the fifth generation to live on the
lake, she said. Allen and her family were among
the 300 to help with drawdown cleanup in
2013, cleaning the water’s edge near where they
live. “My three children got to see firsthand
the amount of garbage that others just threw
into the lake,” she said of the experience. “It
taught them how to be more environmentally
conscious about the lake we all love.”
Two of Allen’s children volunteered with the
Floating Classroom this spring and summer.
Her daughter Jess, 20, “felt it was a great way
Upper left: Walkers set out from Nixon
Elementary School at the 2014 Lake Loop.
Lower left: Foundation board members during
the plaque dedication ceremony in 2015.
Left: Lauren Rossi and Jessica Murphy at the 2014
foundation gala.
Above: Jeff Allen and William Richardson at the
2015 foundation plaque ceremony.
to give back to the younger children on those
class trips and show them how special the
lake is and how important it is to preserve the
environment.” Her son Greg, 21, was a first
mate.
“There has always been some effort underway
for citizens to communicate and work together
to protect the lake,” echoed Lundin about the
foundation.
At the gala, Kerry Kirk Pflugh, a former
longtime New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection representative on
the Lake Hopatcong Commission and now a
foundation trustee, said the organization was
the “best thing that has ever happened to the
lake,” calling it a “non-partisan organization
with the opportunity to work collaboratively
with businesses and the public.”
Morris County Sheriff James Gannon added
that the foundation is all about innovation
and how to do things better. “You can tell by
meeting the staff, volunteers, and supporters—
their heart is in it,” he said. “We provide safety
on the water, but everyone has to do their part
to keep the lake safe and clean and that all starts
with the foundation. It’s like a family, not a
business.”
And that is precisely what the founders had in
mind, said Murphy.
“The best thing about the foundation is that
it brings people together who share a love for
Lake Hopatcong,” she said. “For some people,
it’s about the natural beauty, for others it’s
about recreation, and for others it’s about family
history at the lake. The foundation gave people
a place to put that love into action.”
“It’s serving a purpose beyond what I
intended,” Szigethy added. “I had hoped for an
organization that did a little good and it’s done
a lot of good.”
In the next 10 years, Richter hopes that the
foundation continues to grow and engages
more people in its programs.
“Everyone can take care of their own little
corner of the lake but collectively we can do so
much more,” Murphy said. “I’m really excited at
what has been accomplished.”
lakehopatcongnews.com 23

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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022

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lakehopatcongnews.com 25

Proposed Change Sparks
Grassroots Campaign
Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
Fifty-five years ago, the battle along the
Delaware River was whether a dam at
Tocks Island would be built to prevent severe
flooding and provide storage for public drinking
water supplies.
In 1955, two hurricanes resulted in hundreds
of deaths and millions in property damage. The
Tocks Island Dam would prevent such flooding,
authorities said at the time. A plan was devised
to dam the river based on a study from the
1930s.
The Tocks Island Dam was never built, lost in
a fog of changing national priorities, a lack of
funding and a strong local outcry; the dam was
deauthorized in 1992. Despite the opposition,
the property-taking was completed, leaving
vacant land and hard feelings.
Today, the fight is over whether that land—
70,000 acres that straddle the Delaware River
between New Jersey and Pennsylvania called
the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation
Area and Middle Delaware National Scenic
and Recreational River—should be designated
a national park.
The current debate began in 2021 when an
unofficial proposal by the Sierra Clubs of New
Jersey and Pennsylvania announced it was
time to ask Congress to designate the DWRA
as a national park called the Delaware River
National Park and Lenape Preserve.
Visitors to the DWRA can hike, swim, boat,
picnic, hunt and fish or simply enjoy the wooded
landscape dotted with ponds, waterfalls, streams
and historic sites. The recreation area also
contains sections of the Appalachian Trail, the
9/11 Memorial Trail and 40 miles of the longest
undammed river in the United States. According
to a 2021 National
Park Service
report, its annual
attendance rivals better known national parks
such as Yellowstone.
The DWRA had 4.1 million visitors in 2020
who spent $144 million in local communities,
supporting 1,970 jobs and contributing toward
a total economic output of $212 million in
communities within 60 miles of the recreation
area, the park service reported.
“We are starting with a much larger visitation
of 4 million and don’t expect the visitation
to grow all at once, but over time,” the Sierra
Club proposal said. “The tourists will buy food,
gasoline and hotel rooms locally. All boats rise
with a high tide and the national park and
preserve designation will aid all of the local
economies.”
A map issued by the Sierra Club in August
showed the potential use of the 9,700-acre
national park lining both sides of the river
with an additional 1,300 spur near a pair of
Pennsylvania features and 56,000 acres called
the Lenape Preserve. The new park would be
contained inside the existing recreation area
boundaries.
Proponents of the change claim the
redesignation would add prestige to the
recreation area, providing New Jersey and
Pennsylvania with the region’s first national
park, which could open the area to greater
visitation levels and better funding possibilities.
“The park has surprisingly little infrastructure
to support this number of visitors,” the Sierra
Club proposal said. “Better visitor facilities will
help visitors gain a fuller appreciation of the
value of wild and natural spaces.”
“We are likely to see an increase in visitors and
spending. West Virginia’s recently redesignated
New River Gorge, as a National Park and
Preserve, reported an increase of 600,000 visitors
in the first year, increasing from 1.1 million to
1.7 million,” the Sierra Club proposal added.
The American Mountain Club, which
operates the Mohican Outdoor Center within
DWRA, supports the national park effort.
“AMC supports the change in designation
because it will bring funding, awareness, and
recognition,” Mark Zakutansky, AMC’s director
of conservation policy engagement, said in a
press release. “That stance matches our legacy of
supporting public lands.”
In 2021, citing the “overwhelming need”
for more parks, Pennsylvania Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary
Cindy Adams Dunn said having a national
park within Pennsylvania’s borders would have
“many benefits.”
The Sierra Club pointed out some of the
benefits: “The park is an easy day trip from two
major metropolitan areas. We want to fulfill
Congress’ original intention for national parks,
to create equity in nature-based recreational
opportunities,” the organization wrote. “Over 40
million people live in New Jersey, Pennsylvania
and New York, and 60 million live within a
3-hour drive of the existing park. We see an
unprecedented opportunity to introduce many
urban and suburban dwellers to the benefits of
our natural world.”
Local opposition surfaced in February when
Sandy Hull, 75, of Layton co-founded The
Delaware Water Gap Defense Fund, a group
aimed at stopping the redesignation of the
recreation area to a national park. Hull also
started a website, nonationalpark.org and a
Facebook page, No National Park, which had
3,500 members as of August.
“There is no clear plan disclosed to the public,
no details,” Hull said.
Her group’s main points of contention are:
• The Sierra Club’s proposal lacks any detail
as to changes in park boundaries, permitted
uses, fees and visitation, as well as impacts on
local environment, economy and infrastructure.
No entities should be supporting any proposal
without this detailed information.
• Recreation areas are among the most diverse
units in the National Park Service system. A
change to a National Park could reduce this
diversity if an entrance fee is implemented.
• A stated goal of the change is to increase
visitation to DWRA. Increased visitation means
increased impacts on infrastructure inside the
park and in surrounding local communities.
The park already has $145 million in delayed
26
Sandy Hull with signs
opposing a national
park designation.
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
A historic building on Walpack Flatbrook
Road showing signs of neglect and decay.
Jimmy Heigis, owner of
the Walpack Inn.

maintenance. The designation change would
not address this issue.
• Currently, there are tracts of land along the
Delaware river that are leased to farmers. The
group said the park service could take those
farms through eminent domain. The groups
also claimed that New Jersey parks, Stokes State
Forest, High Point State Park and Worthington
State Forest would be annexed into the new
national park.
John Donahue, a former DWRA
superintendent and spokesman for the pro-park
group, said there is no plan to acquire land for
the national park but “private willing sellers”
can choose to sell their property at any time. He
also said that the status of New Jersey parks and
forests adjacent to the proposed national park
would not change.
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network has also
voiced opposition to the plan.
“National Park status will significantly increase
the number of visitors to the park in the near
term and the long term—thereby increasing
the environmental footprint and creating
increasing rationale for additional infrastructure
including parking lots, sewage treatment and
other utility facilities, hotel housing, and other
development,” said Maya van Rossum, the
Delaware Riverkeeper.
Opposition spans the river. Nine New Jersey
towns and both Sussex and Warren counties have
issued statements or resolutions in opposition.
Six Pennsylvania towns, three counties and two
community associations joined the opposition.
U.S. Sen. Steve Oroho of New Jersey and
Sussex County Assemblymen Harold Wirths
and Parker Space also voiced opposition, as did
U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and
Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania.
The Sussex politicians’ main concern is the
potential loss of hunting in the new park,
along with a drop in hunting-related revenue.
Hunting is currently allowed in the area except
for 29 specific spots near public gathering areas
or parking lots. But while national parks do not
allow hunting, the Sierra Club proposal said
hunting would be allowed in the 56,000-acre
Lenape Preserve.
What’s lacking in the entire discussion, said
Walpack Mayor Frank Maglio, is a real plan
to consider, which is why the township has
not taken a formal position yet. “No official
plan exists,” he said. To create an actual plan,
Congress must approve a study, vote on the
redesignation, and pass legislation to fund the
change, Maglio said.
Donahue, spokesman for the pro-park group,
said “there is no legislation. We are building
consensus.”
The lack of definitive goals and plans is one
Continued on page 28
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bathrooms. Main House has 3 BR’s, Gourmet Kitchen,
open Living/Dining Room, 2 1/2 baths. Spectacular
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large deck.
40 Lakeshore Dr. Mount Arlington, NJ
$718,800
WELCOME TO BEAUTIFUL LAKESHORE VILLAGE!
This lovely lakefront community is located on Lake
Hopatcong. 3 BR, 4 Bath, hardwood floors, laundry on
BR level, double sided gas fireplace, open kitchen/dining
area. Ground level great room with full bath and
walk-out to patio and grounds. Primary bedroom
includes walk-in closets, high ceiling, double sinks,
soaking tub & stall shower.
Karen Foley, REALTOR ®
Sales Associate
c.973.906.5021
karen.foley@sothebysrealty.com
luxelifeagent.com
NJ REALTORS®
Circle of Excellence Sales Award®, 2021-Silver
lakehopatcongnews.com 27
8/22/22 8:21 AM

Grassroots Campaign (cont’d)
reason the Lake Hopatcong
community has not entered
the fray, said Marty Kane,
board chairman of the Lake
Hopatcong Foundation.
“I’m happy not to take a
position on this issue,” he
said.
Jimmy Heigis, 85, is a Walpack committeeman
whose family has been operating the Walpack
Inn since 1949, after buying the inn from its
original owners. He said he fought the federal
government for seven years to keep his business
and not lose it to the Tocks Island Dam project,
adding that he was one of the lucky ones to keep
his land.
“I guess I’m ambivalent about it,” he said of
the national park plan. “If it got the funding
that other national parks get, then it might be
good. It might improve the roads. I’ve been to
many national parks, for the most part they’re
pretty well funded. I don’t know if that will
happen here. It’s beautiful the way it is.”
Maglio is resigned to the loss of the township,
which has just seven residents according to
the 2020 U.S. Census. The township, like
neighboring Pahaquarry, was absorbed into the
national recreation area. Both Pahaquarry and
Walpack trace their founding to the early 1700s.
The National Park Service has generated two documents that detail the conditions of the
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, operating challenges and possible plans to
address them. The documents are found at these links:
• Foundation Document - Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (nps.gov)
• Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Visitor Use Management Plan, November 2020 (nps.gov)
Pahaquarry, whose population had dwindled
to fewer than a dozen people, was incorporated
into Hardwick Township in 1997. Maglio wants
to ensure that Walpack’s history is preserved.
Hull has turned the disappointment of losing
family homes and having to leave her home
in Sandyston in the Tocks Island years into
determination to fight the national park plan.
“That was a long, long time ago,” Hull said.
“That was then. This is now. It’s time to face
the new challenge of the potential national park
designation and the changes that might come.”
Michaeline Picardo, a spokeswoman for the
Lenape Tribe of Andover, has a different take on
the use of DWRA.
The recreation area was part of a vast Lenape
territory for more than 12,000 years. Their
campsites, trails and sacred sites are among the
600 historic places noted in the DWRA.
“The best way to preserve the land is to do
nothing,” she said. “Remove the human touch
and the land will heal itself.” She said her tribe
and other New Jersey recognized tribes have
been pushing to be included more deeply into
the discussions about the future of the DWRA
and that the potential of a Lenape cultural
center in the preserve is troubling.
“We are concerned with the destruction of
our sacred land along the Delaware to construct
this education building,” Picardo added. “Will
this education center have any representation
from New Jersey state tribes? Will the process
destroy our trail markers?”
She characterized the possible center as
“Hollywood,” meaning that it will be considered
just for show.
Beyond the cultural concerns, Picardo said
there is great concern that removing trees, as
well as building roads and parking lots, will
cause additional harm to the land.
“This is not just our home,” she said. “It is
hallowed ground.”
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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022

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Robin Dora, REALTOR
It’s Not Just a Home... It’s a Lifestyle
®
Sales Associate
It’s Not Just a Home... It’s a Lifestyle
Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty
670 Main Street • Towaco, NJ 07082
Office 973.335.5700 • prominentproperties.com
Each office is independently owned and operated.
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Sales Associate
c.973.570.6633
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Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty
670 Main Street • Towaco, NJ 07082
Office 973.335.5700 • prominentproperties.com
Each office is independently owned and operated.
c.973.570.6633
Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty njlakefront@gmail.com
670 Main Street • Towaco, NJ 07082
www.luxurylakepointe.com
Office 973.335.5700 • prominentproperties.com
Each office is independently owned and operated.
Robin Dora, REALTOR ®
Sales Associate
For more infromation go to: www.njlakefronthome.com
For more infromation go to: www.njlakefronthome.com
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lakehopatcongnews.com 29

Braxton Bodziak, Dorothy Chang, Sloane Bodziak
and Jean Dussalt
The Floating Classroom heads out for a trip on
Lake Hopatcong.
Floating Classroom Offers
Unique Learning Experience
Melissa and Anthony Cascone
Story and photos by KAREN FUCITO
Almost two dozen people recently boarded the Lake Hopatcong Foundation’s Floating
Classroom for an informational and ecology-based learning experience on Lake Hopatcong.
The public cruise is offered throughout the summer on Mondays.
Despite a day-long mist and cool breeze on August 1, the group took part in hands-on
experiments, first collecting lake water, then using high-powered microscopes to study plankton
living in the water. The group also used a device known as a Secchi disk to test water clarity.
The 90-minute cruise was led by lead educator Patrick Krudop, a student at Kean University,
and staffed by volunteer educators and boat operators.
Now in its fifth year, the Floating Classroom offers environmental field trips to schools. Since
2018, the classroom has been offering educational opportunities to the general public.
To learn more, visit www.lakehopatcongfoundation.org.
Gina and Gunner Burkepile
Michela Sales, Patrick Krudop and Gavin Gardner
Stacey Williams, William Thompson,
Melissa Cortese and Hannah Thompson
30
Cynthia and Scott Percarpio
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
John Otto, Gay Ann Bucci, Ron Santangelo
and John Hanna
Suzanne and Zander Toscano

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lakehopatcongnews.com 31

SEPTIC SYSTEMS
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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022

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WHAT’S IN YOUR
WELL WATER?
Recent water tests indicate widespread failures for
PFAS chemicals in the Hopatcong area for both well and
municipal water supplies.
The good news is that The New Jersey Spillfund pays
for the installation, monitoring, and maintenance of water
treatment systems, required to remove these dangerous
chemicals from well
water.
While the Spillfund does not cover the cost of municipal
water remediation, there are economical treatment options
available. If you have a municipal (city) water supply,
contact Portasoft of Morris County, the leading PFAS
treatment company in northern NJ for over five years.
973-584-1549
For more information regarding well water contamination,
call McGowan Compliance Management Co., the leading
Spillfund management company in the state with over 25
years of Spillfund experience. Your only expense is the
cost of your 1st water test.
To get your initial test at a discounted price,
contact us. If the test fails, we will guide you
through the Spillfund process, schedule
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lakehopatcongnews.com 33

HISTORY
Hudson Maxim and his wife Lillian Maxim with an unknown passenger
(left) in his boat, the Maxzim, in front of his boat house, circa 1913.
Maxim playing tennis at his
Maxim Park cottage, 1915.
He Put the ‘Hop’ in Hopatcong
by MARTY KANE
Photos courtesy of the
LAKE HOPATCONG
HISTORICAL MUSEUM
ARCHIVES
Almost 100
years after
his death, Hudson
Maxim’s name is still widely recognized around
Lake Hopatcong. During his lifetime, Maxim
was known nationwide and was considered
a leading voice on issues across the political
spectrum.
Thomas Edison called him “the most
versatile man in America.” Three photos of
U.S. presidents in the collection of the Lake
Hopatcong Historical Museum, all bearing
personal messages to Maxim, provide further
evidence of his prominence.
An inventor, scientist and author, Maxim’s
greatest fame came from his contributions to
modern warfare as the creator of smokeless
powder in the U.S. and other propellants,
shells and torpedoes. One of his most famous
patents was for Maximite, a high-explosive 50
percent more powerful than dynamite. When
placed in torpedoes, the powder resisted the
shock of firing and the shock of piercing armor
plate without bursting. Maxim held many
other patents for items that ran the gamut
from a board game to a new-style coffee pot.
There is often confusion about some of
Maxim’s inventions as both his brother and
nephew were also prolific inventors. Hiram
Maxim, the older brother of Hudson, invented
the Maxim gun, the first truly automatic
machine gun.
Hiram Percy Maxim, Hudson’s nephew,
invented the first commercially successful
firearm silencer known as the Maxim Silencer.
Hudson Maxim sold his factory and most
important patents to E.I. du Pont de Nemours
and Company in 1897 but remained with
DuPont as a consulting engineer until his
death.
During this era, northern New Jersey was
the epicenter of America’s explosives industry
with operations at the Picatinny Powder
Depot, Atlantic Giant Powder Company
(later Hercules) and American Forcite Powder
Company, which became Atlas Powder
Company in 1913. American Forcite was
located in what today is the Shore Hills section
of Landing. It was a visit to this plant that first
brought Maxim to Lake Hopatcong.
Maxim fell in love with the area and
purchased a large parcel on the west shore of
the lake near Sharp’s Rock in 1901. In 1904,
he built his main house, initially known as
Maximhurst and then simply as Maxim Park.
Two years later, he added the distinct
Venetian-style boathouse that would dominate
the west shore for the next 50 years. Built of
stone and wood with two steel girders, the
three-story structure extended out over the
water and resembled a medieval fortress.
Maxim Park included tennis courts, a garage
and a combination observatory/icehouse. There
were also three guest houses to accommodate
Maxim’s many visitors—including Annie
Oakley, Edwin Markham, Thomas Edison and
Francis DuPont—and a full laboratory on the
hill above today’s Lakeside Boulevard.
For many years, Maxim maintained a
townhouse in Brooklyn, New York, but spent
most of the year at Maxim Park where he
was extremely active in the Lake Hopatcong
community.
Maxim served as a councilman for the
Borough of Hopatcong from 1907 to 1923,
was elected in 1910 as an early board member
of the Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club and was a
founding member and the first Commodore
of the Maxim Park Yacht Club, which opened
in 1914.
Passionate about the lake, Maxim also saw
Maxim with Thomas Edison at Edison’s
West Orange Laboratory, circa 1920.
opportunities in its development. In 1910,
he and his wife, Lillian, purchased the Byram
Cove Land Company, which consisted of
over 650 acres and 2.5 miles of lakefront –
approximately three-quarters of what was then
the Borough of Hopatcong. His Maxim Park
Land Company was responsible for much
of the development of Hopatcong, which
explains why the names Hudson, Maxim
and Durban (Lillian’s maiden name) appear
frequently in the borough.
While developing their land, the Maxims
donated several lots for public use, including
the Hopatcong or River Styx School (which
would later be renamed Hudson Maxim
School), Byram Bay Christian Church, Maxim
Park Yacht Club and the properties that are
now Modick Park and Maxim Glen. Maxim
was a vocal advocate for Lake Hopatcong. He
led the effort to abolish the Morris Canal and
have the lake declared a public aquatic park for
boating, bathing, fishing and winter sports.
In spite of his military work, Maxim often
lectured and wrote on the importance of
arbitration over war. He spoke and wrote
prolifically on other topics as well, from his
opposition of maintaining the Morris Canal
to his disdain of Prohibition to his support
of women’s suffrage to his love of poetry and
boxing.
During World War I, Maxim was appointed
to the Naval Consulting Board, a brain trust of
civilian experts to advise on matters of military
technology that was chaired by Thomas
Edison. Maxim chaired the committee on
ordnance and explosives. During this period,
he interfaced with a young assistant secretary
of the Navy named Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Maxim’s popular book, “Defenseless
America,” which was published in 1915, and
34
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022

Lillian and Maxim on the porch of their
Lake Hopatcong cottage, circa 1912.
the resulting movie “The Battle Cry of Peace,”
are considered pivotal by many historians
for impacting the change of public opinion
in America from neutralism to supporting
England and France. Theodore Roosevelt
stated, “‘The Battle Cry of Peace’ has done
more for the Allied cause than 20 battalions
of soldiers.”
After Maxim’s death in 1927, Lillian
continued to reside at Maxim Park. In 1932,
she married New York attorney Michael Dee,
with whom she wintered in Grand Viewon-the-Hudson
in Rockland County and
summered at Lake Hopatcong.
Following Lillian’s death in 1952, Dee
donated much of what he considered to be
Hudson Maxim’s treasures to the New York
Public Library, where they are still housed
today. Many of his other papers and photos
are maintained in the archives of
the Hagley Museum and Library in
Wilmington, Delaware, and the Lake
Hopatcong Historical Museum.
Lillian Maxim’s wish for their Lake
Hopatcong house to become a museum
dedicated to her late husband never
came to fruition. The main house and
boathouse were regrettably torn down
in the late 1950s, after their sale by the
Lillian Maxim estate. The property was
subdivided and two of the guest houses,
as well as the former garage, survive today as
private residences.
A modern boathouse was built on the
original dock cribbing around 1970. Much
of the original stonework that landscaped
the property is still visible along Lakeside
Boulevard and the unique round stone
icehouse/observatory still stands on the
shoreline.
A monument dedicated to Hudson Maxim
at Hopatcong State Park in 1929 was
recently refurbished by the Lake Hopatcong
Historical Museum and is visible from
Lakeside Boulevard. In 2002, the Borough
of Hopatcong established Maxim Glen Park.
Road names such as Hudson Avenue, Maxim
Drive and Durban Road are still in use, and
Maxim’s name is still associated with the
school building located at Lakeside Boulevard
Upper left: In front, Thomas Edison and Hudson
Maxim at Edison’s West Orange Laboratory,
August 9, 1915. In back, Edison’s chief engineer
Miller Reese Hutchinson (far left), other
gentleman unknown.
Upper right: Lillian and Hudson (center) at the
dedication ceremony at Maxim Park Yacht Club,
1915. The building still stands on Cow Tongue
Point.
and River Styx Road.
A headline in the August 13, 1922 Newark
Sunday Call referred to Maxim as the man
“Who Put ‘Hop’ In Hopatcong.” One hundred
years later, Hopatcong still remembers Hudson
Maxim.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 35

COOKING
WITH SCRATCH ©
Those Viral Recipes
Have you ever
been sucked
into looking at
cooking demos
on Instagram and
TikTok?
I swear it’s like eating candy: It’s hard to stop.
I’ve picked up the habit of death-scrolling both
platforms for hours this summer.
I had to set a timer on my phone to get myself
to stop!
My mother, Gertrude, used to say that
people who lived alone and didn’t cook enjoyed
watching cooking shows because it made them
feel like their mother was taking care of them
and making their favorite home-cooked meal.
I think there is some truth to that. In reading
up on this new phenomenon, I found out that
watching someone perform an action elicits
the same neurological response as performing
that action yourself. According to Anita Deak,
Ph.D., a psychology professor at the University
of Pécs, this is called the “mirror neuron theory.”
Don’t get me wrong, you can learn a lot from
watching cooking demonstrations on TV or
online, but there are several drawbacks. If you
have no idea how long the actual prep work
takes or how much of a mess you will make in
your kitchen, replicating one of these recipes
can be a rude awakening.
There are house cleaning TikTok videos for
that, though.
In general, the internet sure has changed
how people cook. It’s so easy to just Google
“blueberry muffins” and come up with 21.7
million results in 47 seconds.
Why would anyone crack open a cookbook
these days?
It’s such a shame, though. The effort that goes
into the production of a beautiful cookbook
is staggering. I enjoy reading and owning
cookbooks and have a large collection myself.
However, when I can’t remember which book
contains the recipe I want, I often find myself
searching for it on my computer (not on my
phone, though, because I’m such a boomer).
Case in point: The Ottolenghi cookbooks.
My nieces and friends heard I was a big fan of
Yotam Ottolenghi, the Israeli restaurateur and
cookbook author. His cookbooks are plush,
lavishly illustrated and feature a kaleidoscope of
Middle Eastern cuisine, which I love. Thanks to
friends and family, I now own every single one
36
by BARBARA SIMMONS
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
of his cookbooks.
When I hear about someone making
an Ottolenghi recipe, I always ask:
“Which book?”
Ottolenghi eggplant salad?
Which one? “Simple,” “Flavor,”
“Jerusalem,” “Plenty,” or “Plenty More”?
Someone (not me!) should create
a comprehensive index of all of his
cookbooks and make it available online.
I used to make copies of the recipes
I tried that were successful and shove them
into my big binder, which sits alongside my
cookbook collection in my kitchen.
Gertrude named my binder “The Soon to be
Lost Arts of Cooking and Baking.”
She believed that cooking would become a
lost art.
But even in my own binder, I often can’t find
the recipe I am looking for. A few years ago,
I categorized: appetizers, pickles, soups and
stews, pasta dishes, seafood, et cetera. This year,
I started alphabetizing each section by main
ingredient: apples, bananas, blueberries, corn,
and so forth. It has gotten a little easier for me
to find things.
But I digress…
Yes, a person can learn a lot by watching
cooking videos, and this summer I’ve tried my
share of viral TikTok recipes. Most of them
have been “meh” at best. After my daughter,
Erika, raved about the Green Goddess salad, I
figured I would have to give it a shot.
I watched three or four different videos, then
searched the internet and found wildly varying
ingredients and measurements.
I had to “dope this one out.”
I measured, I weighed, I chopped, shredded
and blended until I got what the reviews
claimed the recipe to be:
Got leakys?
“Addicting!”
“How dare this be so amazing?”
“The hype is real.”
I’ve scaled it down a bit because the recipes
I tried made an absolute ton of food. Most
recipes called for half a large head of cabbage—
about 2 pounds. I’ve shaved this down to about
1.5 pounds of cabbage (about 5 cups shredded).
If you’re using half a head of cabbage, wrap
the remainder tightly in plastic and it will last
almost forever in your refrigerator. (Cabbage
seems to have a radioactive half-life of 50 years.)
You can use the rest for coleslaw, a stir fry or
adding to a dinner salad.
Some of the recipes I found online call
for putting the chopped cabbage in a food
processor to very finely shred it. This yields
a more “dippable” texture. If you don’t own
a food processor, do your best and chop it as
finely as you can by hand.
I upped the avocados from one to two—I
liked the additional creaminess and flavor in the
dressing. I also added Greek yogurt (you can
substitute sour cream), making the salad taste
more like guacamole. For extra zing, I also used
an extra half of a jalapeño pepper.
I was a little iffy about the nutritional yeast,
but Erika insisted it was key. You can find it
in the Bob’s Red Mill grain section of the
supermarket or at your local health food store.
973-398-0875
We’ll never ask how it happened!

GREEN GODDESS SALAD/DIP
Ingredients
The veggies:
1½ pounds green cabbage
(1 small head—use the scale in the produce
department)
4 diced Persian cucumbers
½ cup chopped scallions (about ½ a bunch)
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
Dressing:
¼ cup salted cashews or walnuts
2 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast or grated parmesan
cheese
1½ limes, juiced
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, packed, saving a few leaves for garnish
1½ jalapeño peppers with seeds, sliced
Procedure
Prepare the veggies:
1 Trim the coarse outer leaves from the cabbage, then cut it in half and remove the core.
Roughly chop and add about 3 cups at a time to a food processor. Pulse the cabbage until
it is fairly finely ground.
2 In a large bowl, add the cabbage, diced cucumbers, chopped scallions and red onion.
Don’t bother cleaning out the work bowl of the food processor before starting on the
dressing.
Make the dressing:
3 For creamiest results, use a blender or a food processor.
4 Toast the cashews or walnuts on a plate in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or
in a small frying pan on the stovetop until fragrant. Let cool. Add the nuts to a blender or
nutribullet and grind until fine. Set aside.
5 Cut the avocados in half, removing the pits and scooping out the flesh. Cut it into
chunks.
6 Add the avocado chunks, ground nuts, nutritional yeast, lime juice, salt, pepper, olive
oil, yogurt, garlic, jalapeño peppers and cilantro to the work bowl of the food processor or
a blender and whiz until well combined.
7 Add the dressing to the salad and mix well to distribute. Taste for salt.
8 Enjoy this on tortilla chips, chunks of bell peppers, as a sandwich topping or as a “relishy”
side salad. You could also just eat it right from the bowl with a spoon. It truly is
that good.
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licensed to Benjamin Moore & Co. 5/22
lakehopatcongnews.com 37

WORDS OF
A FEATHER
Hit the Road, Pup
Last month, I got to enjoy the grand
tradition of a summer road trip. My friend
asked me to join her family vacation in Duck,
North Carolina, on the Outer Banks. Even
better, she invited my dog, a sweet little Boston
Terrier, too. Giddy up!
I figured my dog and I would spend a week
driving from my home in Florida to Duck, then
spend a week there with friends, then a third
week driving home via a different route.
I planned every detail of this three-week
phantasmagoria. I researched places of interest,
plotted driving distances and identified dogfriendly
hotels, restaurants, parks and hiking
trails.
I spent weeks packing to achieve a perfect
balance of having exactly what we’d need, but
not too much.
I love having a plan, and I love doing the
planning, and I was having a ball.
The day before I planned to leave for the first
week, I had to cancel the entire trip for various
reasons. Hours of planning down the drain.
Hours more spent on the phone and online
canceling reservations. Rats!
But the day before the second week—
vacationing with friends in Duck—everything
suddenly worked out, and I could go. In 15
minutes, I threw dog food, a water bowl and
some random clothes in the car. I buckled my
little dog and myself into our seat belts, set
Google Maps for Duck and hit the road. I threw
my plans out the window and instead welcomed
serendipity and spontaneity.
In Santee, South Carolina, the heavens started
raging, dropping sheets of rain and spears of
lightning. I could barely see the road. I took the
next exit and stumbled into the first hotel I saw.
Luckily, they welcomed dogs. Serendipitous
moment number one.
The next morning dawned clear and bright,
38
Summer bloom along the
Blue Ridge Parkway.
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022
The
Craggy
Gardens.
A log cabin in
Cades Cove,
Great Smoky
Mountains
National Park.
Column and photos by HEATHER SHIRLEY
and we found ourselves right next to a state
park. Serendipity strikes again.
We hiked through glorious towering trees and
breakfasted on the shores of a huge lake ringed
by cypress trees dripping with morning mist.
Then we hustled north again. By the end of the
day, my friend and I were toasting our reunion,
and our dogs were becoming fast friends.
We lived like royalty for a week, indulging in
nothing but beach walks with the dogs, great
food, bike rides, swimming and plenty of time
for long face-to-face conversations that just
aren’t the same over the phone. Bliss.
But nothing lasts forever, and after a delicious
week, my friend and her family headed home
to reality. My dog and I were on the road again
with no plan. Should we go straight home?
Explore? Where?
I decided to go to Asheville, North Carolina.
After six hours of driving, we pulled into
town—and hated it. It’s very trendy and I’m
sure really lovely, but it just didn’t feel right. Too
hot and noisy. We poked around a bit and got
back in the car.
So, where to? We saw a sign for the Blue Ridge
Parkway. Perfect! Serendipity! We hiked the
unique ecosystem of Craggy Gardens, a rocky
heath on high peaks. We saw ravens and bears,
including a cub climbing a tree above its mama,
who was eating wild blueberries. We enjoyed
spectacular mountaintop views across acres of
blooming pink Catawba rhododendrons and
brilliant orange flame azaleas.
We drove west and wound up in Great
Smoky Mountains National Park. More
hiking. More stunning views. More bears.
And elk. And lots and lots of cars and people.
It’s the most visited of America’s national
parks and, after a couple days, I was tired of
the crowds.
Where to next? Scanning Google Maps,
Chattanooga was only a couple hours away. I
booked a night at a fancy historic downtown
hotel.
With my dog tucked under my arm, I entered
the sumptuous lobby and was surprised by a
Roaring ‘20s party in full swing. A band played
and professional dancers in period costumes
did the Charleston. Champagne and gifts
were passed to all guests. Turns out, it was the
150th anniversary of the hotel. We joined the
party and, I daresay, my dog was a big hit. The
dancers even took her for a spin!
We made our way home over a few leisurely
days, with more serendipitous sights and
restaurants festooning our journey like pops
of confetti. We learned about and visited sites
associated with the Trail of Tears, Underground
Railroad and Civil War. We devoured new
foods and discovered new species of plants
and animals. Finally, we were reminded, as we
opened our own door, that as wonderful as it is
to travel, it is just as delightful to get back home.
The road keeps calling to me, and I’m already
dreaming about our next journey. While I’m
sure I’ll do plenty of planning for it, I will
strive to invite serendipity along for the ride.
I hope I’ve inspired you to go on a road trip.
For a day, for a week, for a month—whatever
is manageable.
I might see you along the way.
PROUDLY SERVING THE BOATING COMMUNITY SINCE 1987
Text: 201-400-6031
MORRIS COUNTY
MARINE INC.
Sales • Service • Storage
WE HANDLE: Insurance Claims • Fiberglass • Gelcoat • Mechanical
745 US 46 W • Kenvil, NJ
God Bless America

MORRIS COUNTY'S BEST COLLECTION OF
SPECIALTY AND RARE BOURBONS • CRAFT BEERS • CURATED SELECTION OF WINES
PLUS ALL YOUR FAVORITE SPIRITS ALWAYS IN STOCK
GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE • CURB SIDE PICK-UP SERVICE
IN-STORE TASTING EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY
973-252-0559•1001 Rt. 46 Ledgewood, NJ 07852
bestcellarsledgewoodnj@gmail.com
BestCellarsLedgewood
Best Cellars Ledgewood
FRESH AND ORGANIC
FARM STAND
SEASONAL VEGETABLES & FARM FRESH EGGS
FRIDAYS 1pm - 6pm
SATURDAYS 10am - 1pm
283 ESPANONG ROAD, LAKE HOPATCOnG, NEW JERSEY
CASH & CARD ACCEPTED • FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM HAWK_RIDGE_FARM
www.hawkridgefarmnj.com
lakehopatcongnews.com 39

directory
CONSTRUCTION/
EXCAVATION
Al Hutchins Excavating
973-663-2142
973-713-8020
Lakeside Construction
151 Sparta-Stanhope Rd.
Hopatcong
973-398-4517
Northwest Explosives
PO Box 806, Hopatcong
973-398-6900
info@northwestexplosives.com
ENTERTAINMENT/
RECREATION
Hopatcong Marketplace
47 Hopatchung Rd.
Investors Bank Theater
72 Eyland Ave., Succasunna
973-945-0284
roxburyartsalliance.org
Lake Hopatcong Adventure
973-663-1944
lhadventureco.com
Lake Hopatcong Cruises
Miss Lotta (Dinner Boat)
37 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd., LH
973-663-5000
lhcruises.com
Lake Hopatcong Mini Golf Club
37 Nolan's Pt. Park Rd., LH
973-663-0451
lhgolfclub.com
Northeast Health & Fitness
50 Hopatchung Rd., Hopatcong
@northeasthealthandfitness
HOME SERVICES
Accurate Pest Control
Landing
973-398-8798
accuratepestmanagement.com
Central Comfort
100 Nolan’s Point Rd., LH
973-361-2146
Homestead Lawn Sprinkler
5580 Berkshire Valley Rd., OR
973-208-0967
homesteadlawnsprinkler.com
Happs Kitchen & Bath
Sparta
973-729-4787
happskitchen.com
Jefferson Recycling
710 Route 15 N Jefferson
973-361-1589
www.jefferson-recycling.com
Martin Design Group
973-584-5111
martinnurserynj.com
The Polite Plumber
973-398-0875
thepoliteplumber.com
Portasoft of Morris County
578 US 46, Kenvil
973-584-1549
portasoftnj.com
Wilson Services
973-383-2112
WilsonServices.com
Window Genie
973-726-6555
windowgenie.com
LAKE SERVICES
AAA Dock & Marine
27 Prospect Point Rd., LH
973-663-4998
docksmarina@hotmail.com
Batten The Hatches
70 Rt. 181, LH
973-663-1910
facebook.com/bthboatcovers
Lake Management Sciences
Branchville
973-948-0107
lakemgtsciences.com
MARINAS, BOAT
SALES & RENTALS
Beebe Marina
123 Brady Rd., LH
973-663-1192
Katz’s Marinas
22 Stonehenge Rd., LH
973-663-0224
katzmarinaatthecove.com
342 Lakeside Ave., Hopatcong
973-663-3214
antiqueboatsales.com
Lake’s End Marina
91 Mt. Arlington Blvd., Landing
973-398-5707
lakesendmarina.net
Morris County Marine
745 US 46W, Kenvil
201-400-6031
South Shore Marine
862-254-2514
southshoremarine180@gmail.com
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
Lake Hopatcong Commission
260 Lakeside Blvd.,Landing
973-601-7801
commissioner@
lakehopatcongcommission.org
Lake Hopatcong Elks Lodge
201 Howard Blvd., MA
973-398-9835
lakehopatcongelks.com
Lake Hopatcong Foundation
125 Landing Rd., Landing
973-663-2500
lakehopatcongfoundation.org
Lake Hopatcong Historical
Museum at Hopatcong SP
260 Lakeside Blvd., Landing
973-398-2616
lakehopatconghistory.com
PROFESSIONAL
SERVICES
Barbara Anne Dillon,,O.D.,P.A.
180 Howard Blvd., Ste. 18
Mount Arlington
973-770-1380
Fox Architectural Design
546 St. Rt. 10 W, Ledgewood
973-970-9355
foxarch.com
Morris County Dental Assoc.
15 Commerce Blvd., Ste. 201
Succasunna
973-328-1225
MorrisCountyDentist.com
REAL ESTATE
Kathleen Courter
RE/MAX
131 Landing Rd., Roxbury
973-420-0022 Direct
KathySellsNJHomes.com
Robin Dora
Sotheby’s
670 Main St., Towaco
973-570-6633
prominentproperties.com
Christopher J. Edwards
RE/MAX
211 Rt. 10E, Succasunna
973-598-1008
MrLakeHopatcong.com
Karen Foley
Sotheby’s
670 Main St., Towaco
973-906-5021
prominentproperties.com
Donna Geba
Century 21
23 Main St., Sparta
973-726-0333
century21gebarealty.com
Jim Leffler
RE/MAX
131 Landing Rd., Roxbury
201-919-5414
RESTAURANTS & BARS
Alice’s Restaurant
24 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd, LH
973-663-9600
alicesrestaurantnj.com
Andre’s Lakeside Dining
112 Tomahawk Tr., Sparta
973-726-6000
andreslakeside.com
FOR A COMPLETE CALENDAR
OF EVENTS AND FOR MORE
INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WWW.LAKEHOPATCONGNEWS.COM
Bagels On The Hill
175 Lakeside Blvd., Landing
973-770-4800
bagelsonthehill.com
Big Fish Lounge At Alice’s
24 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd, LH
973-663-9600
alicesrestaurantnj.com
The Windlass Restaurant
45 Nolan’s Point Park Rd., LH
973-663-3190
thewindlass.com
SENIOR CARE
Preferred Care at Home
George & Jill Malanga/Owners
973-512-5131
PreferHome.com/nwjersey
SPECIALTY STORES
AlphaZelle
Toxin-free products
973-288-1971
alphazelle.com
At The Lake Jewelry
atthelakejewelry.com
Best Cellars Wine & Spirits
1001 Rt. 46, Ledgewood
973-252-0559
bestcellars.com
Four Sisters Winery
783 Rt 519W, Belvidere
908-475-3671
foursisterswinery.com
Hawk Ridge Farm
283 Espanong Rd, LH
hawkridgefarmnj.com
Hearth & Home
1215 Rt. 46, Ledgewood
973-252-0190
hearthandhome.net
Helrick’s Custom Framing
158 W Clinton St., Dover
973-361-1559
helricks.com
Main Lake Market
234 S. NJ Ave., LH
973-663-0544
mainlakemarket.com
Nature’s Golden Miracle
CBD Products
973-288-1971
NGM-oil.com
Olympia Pools
41 Ridge Rd., Oak Ridge
973-697-1200
Orange Carpet & Wood Gallery
470 Rt. 10W, Ledgewood
973-584-5300
orange-carpet.com
Sacks Paint & Hardware
52 N Sussex St., Dover
973-366-0119
sackspaint.net
STORAGE
Tao Winery, LLC
WINE TASTING DAILY
Woodport Self Storage
17 Rt. 181 & 20 Tierney Rd.
Lake Hopatcong
973-663-4000
Four Sisters Winery
VINEYARD VIEWS FROM OUR BEAUTIFUL DECK
FOOD AVAILABLE WEEKENDS
MUSIC ON THE DECK WEEKENDS (MAY-OCT.)
Grape Stompings • Murder Mystery Monthly
Weddings
Parties
Social Events
908-475-3671
OPEN 10 AM - 6 PM
(Closed Tuesday & Wednesday)
783 County Road 519W Belvidere, NJ 07823
www.foursisterswinery.com
matte@foursisterswinery.com
40
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Labor Day 2022

• DeCkS • HeliCal PierS anD anCHorS • Salvage
• Sea wallS • Pile Driving • Boat HouSeS • Pile FounDationS
Est. 1953
New CoNstruCtioN ANd repAirs
27 Prospect Point Road, Lake Hopatcong, NJ
Office & Fax 973-663-4998 ■ Cell 973-219-7113 ■ docksmarina@hotmail.com
CommerCial Diving • CertiFieD welDing • BuBBler Style DeiCing SyStemS
Like
Us
On
• ConCrete work • Barge ServiCe • Boat liFtS •
@MainLakeMarket
Everything You Need For A Day On The Lake
Easily order your food
online with Toast TakeOut
Scan the QR code to order and
pickup at our deli counter.
Boating Supplies
Toys & Games
Dockside Gas
Ice Cream
Deli & Snacks
Gifts
Sunglasses
Apparel
234 South New Jersey Ave. Lake Hopatcong, NJ 973-663-0544 www.mainlakemarket.com
Accessible By Car Or Boat
lakehopatcongnews.com 41

Lake Hopatcong...
A fine food and family destination
Nolan’s Point Park Rd., Lake Hopatcong •

973-663-2490 • Connect with us! @livethelakenj Live the Lake NJ