Spring 2023 Issue

INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE REGION 

ake Hopatcong News 

SPRING 2023 VOL. 15 NO. 1 

Striking A Chord 

Jeiris Cook and Vern Miller, both from Jefferson, have embarked 

on an unusual musical journey together 

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DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY 

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4 

LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Spring 2023 

From the Editor 

In the Spring 2022 issue of the magazine, I announced that throughout the year we’d be 

highlighting the local music scene. Seven issues and nine months later, I was pleased that we 

had accomplished what we set out to do: shine a spotlight on all things music in our area. 

We wrote about (and photographed) local bands—a lot of them. We also featured people who 

teach music, who sing, who play instruments and who record others playing music. My goal was 

to offer a variety of stories from all different aspects of the industry. 

Just like music itself, I wanted there to be something for everyone. 

I will admit, it was quite an enjoyable summer for me, hanging out with musicians and attending 

all those concerts and gigs. Throughout the seven issues, we featured quite an assortment of 

musical talent. 

By late fall, when I was about halfway through the final production work for the Holiday issue, 

I received an email from a man over in Lake Shawnee. An avid reader of the magazine, he liked 

seeing all the stories about local musicians and thought maybe he fit into that category. (Not 

his own story, mind you, which could be a bestseller.) Instead, he was pitching the story of his 

friendship and musical collaboration with another local musician. The duo had just released a 

five-song EP on social media. 

Included in this initial email was a short version of how the two met and their bios. And yes, 

after reading through the email, I was calculating how I would manage to get this story into the 

last issue of 2022. I really wanted to get their story out there. 

But 24 hours later, I realized it would take a Herculean effort to research, interview, write and 

photograph the pair before the impending deadline. The story, I reluctantly decided, would have 

to wait. 

So, we begin 2023 where we left off in 2022, with a story about two local musicians—whose 

own story is just beginning—Vern Miller and Jeiris Cook. (See Ellen Wilkowe’s story on page 22.) 

Thanks, Vern, for reaching out. 

While music was a theme throughout last year, an emphasis on some of our local businesses 

and businesspeople will be the theme for this year. We will feature at least one business or 

businessperson in each issue. 

First up is AAA Dock & Marine, a family-run, fourth-generation dock construction business here 

at Lake Hopatcong. (See Ellen Wilkowe’s story on page 26.) 

Throughout the year we will also continue to spotlight some of the small, historic places of 

worship that can be found in the region, beginning with Bonnie-Lynn Nadzeika’s story about 

Byram Bay Christian Church in Hopatcong, which has roots dating back to the early 1900s. (See 

page 18.) 

Also in this issue is a comprehensive and detailed account of Princeton Hydro’s Water Quality 

Report for Lake Hopatcong. Mike Daigle breaks down the data 

and translates scientific terminology into layman’s terms. (See 

page 12.) 

Writer Melissa Summers has a profile on recently retired 

County Commissioner Kathy DeFillippo (see page 32), who has 

spent most of her adult life in the service of others. 

As I look past this issue to the rest of the year, I see a few holes 

that need filling, stories that need to be written and told. That’s 

your cue, readers, to reach out to me with your own story, or that 

of a loved one, a neighbor or a colleague. 

Everyone has stories to tell, not just the musicians. —Karen 


RETIRING FROM PUBLIC LIFE 

LITTLE-KNOWN COMMITTEE 

GETS RESULTS 

INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE REGION 

SPRING 2023 VOL. 15 NO. 1 

Striking A Chord 

Jeiris Cook and Vern Miller, both from Je ferson, have embarked 

on an unusual musical journey together 

DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY 

BUILDING DOCKS FOR FOUR 

GENERATIONS 

ON THE COVER 

Jeiris Cook and Vern Miller, both 

Jefferson residents, are writing and 

recording original songs together. 

—photo 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 

Heather Shirley 

Barbara Simmons 

EDITING AND LAYOUT 

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Randi Cirelli 

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advertising@lakehopatcongnews.com 

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News may not be reprinted in any form without 

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Lake Hopatcong News, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Hopatcong, N.J.: ‘We Call It Lake Life’ 

lakehopatcongnews.com 5

Lake Commission Committee 

Getting Positive Results 

6 

Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE 

Photos by KAREN FUCITO 

Roxbury homeowner Chris Blanton 

learned about the Lake Hopatcong 

Commission’s Land Use Committee the day it 

objected to his house building project. 

That’s probably not an uncommon 

experience, since the little-known committee 

works quietly in the background of the greater 

lake-wide effort to clean up the troubled lake. 

For Blanton, his experience with the 

committee eventually resulted in a lake-friendly 

solution that will allow him to move forward 

with building a 2,400-square-foot home on 

Kingsland Road on the peninsula located on 

the western shore of Landing Channel. 

The new plans show a dry well that will trap 

runoff from the driveway and “a rain garden to 

filter water running off the hill,” said Blanton. 

The encounter was cooperative, he added. 

“We support efforts to clean up the lake, and 

we are willing to do our part.” 

Committee member Robert Tessier said 

Blanton’s experience is common. 

“We try to offer site-specific solutions,” he 

said. “We try for recommendations that make 

common sense.” 

The committee has been in existence since 

2020 when Ron Smith, commission chairman, 

urged the members to create means by which 

the commission could better meet its state 

mandate to protect Lake Hopatcong. 

Lake commission minutes show that Smith 

urged commission members to be more active 

in their supervision of activities across the 

towns of Jefferson, Mount Arlington, Roxbury 

and Hopatcong. 

The timing was critical. For the previous 

three years the commission had struggled with 

funding and a loss of sense of direction and 

effectiveness. The call for renewed activism 

on the part of the commission members came 

just months before a harmful algal bloom 

effectively closed the lake for the summer of 

2019. 

Tessier, a project manager for the state 

Department of Community Affairs, was asked 

by the Community Affairs commissioner to fill 

the slot on the Lake Hopatcong Commission 

for a DCA representative. He has been a 

commission member for six years. Other 

members on the committee, who volunteer 

their time, are commissioners Ryan Gilfillan, 

Anne Seibert-Pravs, Neil Senatore and Fred 

Steinbaum. 

“Our function [the Lake Hopatcong 

Commission Land Use Committee] is to 

review development applications and make 


recommendations,” 

Tessier said. “Our 

recommendations 

are advisory.” The 

committee is not an 

enforcement agency. 

The 2001 law that 

created the lake 

commission, The Lake 

Hopatcong Protection 

Act, is explicit in its 

definition of the 

commission’s duties: The 

commission is charged 

with conducting “water 

quality and water 

quantity monitoring of 

Lake Hopatcong to assess 

conditions and changes 

thereto over time and 

identify the causes and 

sources of environmental 

threats and impacts 

to Lake Hopatcong 

and its watershed.” 

And, it should assess 

“present and projected 

development, land use, 

and land management 

practices and patterns, 

and determine the 

effects of those practices and patterns upon 

the natural, scenic, and recreational resources 

of Lake Hopatcong and its watershed.” 

So charged, Tessier said, the committee 

generally examines applications from properties 

that are within 200 feet of the shoreline and 

most often focus on development choices 

that affect stormwater runoff, a major cause of 

lake pollution. 

After reviewing an application, Tessier said, 

the committee writes a letter of support 

or concern to the property owner and the 

municipal board reviewing the application. 

The process has gotten smoother, he said. 

At first there was some local objection to an 

outside agency moving in on local matters. As 

awareness has grown about the importance of 

the regional effort to better manage the lake, 

the committee’s recommendations have been 

better received. 

“The committee is having a positive effect,” 

Tessier said. 

Ken Nelson is a professional planner and was 

hired by the commission to review land use 

applications filed in the towns. After the review, 

Nelson writes a letter for each application and 

informs the municipal board and the applicant 

of the committee’s approval or disapproval of 

the application. In the letters, Nelson said, the 

From top, left to right: Chris and Ayla 

Blanton stand in what will be a rain garden 

on their property on Kingsland Road in 

Landing. 

A copy of the Blanton property site plan, 

including a rain garden at the shoreline 

(top). 

Robert Tessier gives a Land Use 

Committee update at the April Lake 

Hopatcong Commission meeting. 

committee outlines its objections and suggests 

remedies. 

Chief concerns, he said, are applications that 

seek certain variances related to the amount 

of impervious (hard) surfaces on the lot or the 

size of the building compared to the size of 

the lot. 

The increasing size of homes being built 

around the lake is a concern, he said. 

The committee often recommends the 

use of different materials for driveways— 

permeable surfaces rather than solid asphalt, 

for example. The committee also recommends 

adding dry wells, swales and rain gardens to 

control and filter runoff, Nelson said. 

The changes are generally low-cost solutions, 

he added. 

The committee reviews two to four 

applications a month. 

Smith said the Land Use Committee’s efforts 

are an important piece in the commission’s 

plans to improve and maintain the quality of 

the lake water. 

Its success in presenting project changes

that are well received is a testament to the 

recognition around the lake that it will take 

the cooperation of the region to make the lake 

healthy, Smith said. 

Some of the commission’s efforts, like weed 

harvesting and pilot projects developed with 

the towns and the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, 

are highly visible. The Land Use Committee not 

so much, but it is equally effective, he said. 

Blanton, a professional private pilot, and his 

wife, Ayla Blanton, a corporate flight attendant, 

wanted to build their new home on the 

property adjacent to their old home, which will 

require demolishing an old lake house that has 

fallen into disrepair. 

The project also required variances, he said, 

which triggered the Land Use Committee’s 

review. 

The lot, on a thin peninsula, technically has 

water frontage on both front and back, with 

only the narrow road buffering the property on 

the front side, he said. 

His professionals reviewed the suggested 

changes and incorporated them, he said. 

The additional cost was minimal. 

“We understand and support the goals of the 

committee,” he said, adding that maintaining 

the quality of the lake reflects on the quality 

of life in the region. 

“A lot of this is about education, explaining 

why these changes are important,” Blanton 

said. “It’s about making sure the effort is more 

widely understood.” 

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Roxbury Students Dance (and play) the Night Away 

Event Raises $54K for Pediatric Cancer 

8 

Story by MELISSA SUMMERS 


To say that they danced the night away is 

an understatement. 

More than 250 Roxbury High School students 

danced, played, sang and, of course, ate till they 

dropped as they raised money for pediatric 

cancer at this year’s Rox-THON. 

The annual event has taken on several forms 

in the last few years as organizers navigated 

the pandemic and its restrictions. This year, 

Rox-THON returned to its true form with an 

overnight dance marathon at the Succasunna 

school on March 10. 

Based on the Penn State IFC/Panhellenic 

Dance Marathon (THON), which began in 1972, 

Rox-THON is designed to keep participants 

awake and on their feet, according to Roxbury 

High School teacher and Rox-THON co-advisor 

Mike Gottfried. 

As a Penn State alumnus fresh from several 

years of dancing at the university, Gottfried 

was approached in October 2013 to help with 

Roxbury High School Key Club’s first Mini-THON 

in 2014. 

(Mini-THONs are modeled after the Penn 

State THON, which raises money for Four 

Diamonds, a Penn State-based charity. Proceeds 

go towards helping Pennsylvania families 

impacted by childhood cancer, raising awareness 

and funding research.) 

“Key Club put on the event until 2016 when 

Mini-THON became its own club,” Gottfried 

explained. After a few years, he said, it made 

sense for the school to establish a locally 

run, more independent event. In 2019, they 

transitioned from Mini-THON to Rox-THON. 

“The school district felt it would be a good 

opportunity to donate the majority of our 

money to a local cause, as opposed to having all 

of the money go to the Penn State organization,” 

said Eisenhower Middle School teacher and 

Rox-THON co-advisor Margery Richman. “Now 

we donate to [Morristown Medical Center’s] 

Goryeb Children’s Hospital and specifically the 

[Valerie Fund Center].” 

The Valerie Fund provides comprehensive care 

to children with cancer and blood disorders and 

their families. Valerie Fund Centers are located 

in eight pediatric hospitals in New Jersey, New 

York and metro Philadelphia, including the 

center in Morristown. 

“Proceeds are now split with 30 percent going 

to Penn State Children’s Hospital and 70 percent 

going to Goryeb. It has brought the cause closer 

to home,” said Gottfried. “Working with local 

patients and families has been very beneficial 

for us and for them.” 

The partnership also allows students to visit 


the Morristown facilities and 

speak to the hospital staff. “They 

hear where the money is going so 

it becomes a little more tangible 

for them,” Gottfried said. 

Rox-THON has a leadership 

structure consisting of 

committees, captains and 

directors. Roxbury senior Diya 

Narayan, 18, of Ledgewood, began 

as a freshman on the hospitality 

committee. Sophomore year she was a captain 

and this year she is Rox-THON’s president. 

She was first introduced to THON in 2019 

when eighth graders from Eisenhower Middle 

School were invited to attend. “I thought high 

school would be scary,” she recalled. “But all 

these people were standing for the kids who 

can’t. They stay 12 hours on their feet and are 

donating their time and money. It’s something 

so worthy, and I needed to be part of this 

movement.” 

Diya said she is honored to be part of a 

dedicated group of students and proud of how 

much they have accomplished. “After a long 

school day, some people just go home and nap, 

but these people start right at 2:30 p.m. We 

make decorations, we make calls. It’s inspiring.” 

Gottfried said building leadership skills is a 

big part of the organization. “Our leaders have 

done more and more each year,” he said. “We’ve 

learned how to delegate that work to them over 

time. We say, ‘This is what you need to do, go do 

it.’ And then we provide the support needed to 

help them get there. It’s incredible to see how 

much more work is being done and how much 

less falls on us, which is fantastic.” 

“It gives a lot of autonomy to the students, 

allows them to make a lot of decisions and it’s 

an opportunity to have these life skills that high 

schoolers normally don’t,” Richman added. 

The students call businesses, ask for money 

and donations and write thank-you notes— 

experiences that some college students and 

adults are lacking. “Our alumni talk about the 

skills that they learn being a leader here. They 

are going to take those and apply them down 

the road,” said Gottfried. 

The pandemic put the brakes on the 

overnight event for a few years, but the 

students were determined to keep it going. 

Junior Tyler Benedetto, 17, of Succasunna, was 

in eighth grade in 2020 when he was asked to 

DJ the event. “It was right as COVID happened, 

everything shut down and the in-person event 

got canceled,” he recalled. “A month later, I was 

brought on as a captain and part of planning the 

2020 virtual event.” 

Rox-THON was streamed entirely via YouTube 

that year and, in 2021, it was held outdoors. “We 

were on the track and the back of Roxbury High 

School,” Diya said. “There were games, dancing. 

It was not as big as if it was held inside, but it 

shows how hardworking THON is to be able to 

keep it going.” 

In 2022, the students were back inside for a 

six-hour event, even though the mask mandate 

wasn’t lifted until the Monday before the event, 

according to Gottfried. 

This year, with a return to the 12-hour 

overnight model, those planning Rox-THON 

were prepared. “We had a few DJs, a bounce 

house and the entertainment committee 

planned both organized and ‘backyard’ games,” 

Tyler said. “It’s all to keep everyone moving and 

on their feet. Most activities were in the gym, 

and we had the food in the cafeteria.” 

Diya is grateful for the donation of food that 

kept the teens’ stomachs full. “We had pizza, 

Cliff’s ice cream, bagels and the hospitality 

committee made pancakes.” 

And cue the ABBA soundtrack, she added. 

“Our theme this year was disco. I was so 

excited.” The decorations and T-shirts, created 

by the morale team, also fit the theme. 

Senior Jenna Waldron, 18, of Kenvil, was the 

director of morale. She’d been involved in the 

event since she was a freshman, following two 

older siblings who were also part of Rox-THON. 

One of the committee’s most important roles 

was designing an original line dance. 

“We created a three-minute-long dance that 

we did every hour on the hour during the event,” 

she said. “Every year we pick songs and Tyler, our 

resident DJ, mixes the songs. We choreographed 

it over a few meetings and then learned it and 

then taught it to everyone at the event.” 

Another big part of the night was the Family 

Hour where guest speakers were welcomed to 

share their stories. “It was to remind everyone 

why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Jenna said. 

This year featured a representative from 

Surviving Hope, a Mount Arlington-based 

charity that provides financial support to 

families impacted by a sudden medical crisis 

and volunteers to help with household needs, 

according to Jenna. 

Ledgewood freshman Emily Rowe, 15, had 

personal reasons for being a part of Rox-THON.

“My little cousin has gone through pediatric 

cancer,” she said as she made a card for one 

of the patients at Goryeb Children’s Hospital. 

“Seeing her like that made me want to help 

other people who experienced the same thing 

that she did. Being here means a lot to me, 

knowing that I’m able to help other people like 

her.” 

Not only did Julia Gonzalez, 16, want to 

support a good cause, but the junior from 

Landing was happy to see friends outside of the 

regular school setting. “I’m a dancer so I love 

performing and dancing,” she said. “It’s a good 

tactic to use a lot of different types of dancing 

to allow people to come together. It’s a really 

fun night and a great message.” 

Rox-THON organizers hold an assembly early 

in the planning process to draw interest in 

volunteering and attending the event. Freshman 

Elymar Severino-Duran, 14, of Hopatcong, was 

sold on the enthusiasm. “I wanted to be a part 

of something special.” 

Gottfried said he is appreciative of an 

administration that supports the event and 

everything leading up to it. “It wouldn’t happen 

Facing page: Students learning this 

year’s line dance. 

This page, top, left to right: Dancing 

in the gym. 

After staying awake and on his feet 

for 11 hours, Daniel Ritacco takes 

a nap. 

Alysa Talmadge shows off her autographed T-shirt. 

At the 12th hour, the Rox-THON committee reveals the amount of 

money raised. 

Blake Salemi dresses for the disco theme. 

without the kids and the commitment of the 

staff,” added Richman. 

The amount raised at the Rox-THON totaled 

$52,902.34 and was revealed at the conclusion 

of the event. Other donations brought the total 

to $54,000. 

“As much as your feet hurt, as much as you’re 

tired and sore, you know that you’re not dancing 

for you, you’re dancing for someone else that 

can’t,” said Jenna Waldron, the senior leading the 

morale team. 

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10 

LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Spring 2023


Water Quality Report 

Doesn’t Mince Words: 

Lake is Getting Hotter 

12 

Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE 


The work needed to clean up Lake 

Hopatcong is being done in many ways, 

both in the lake and offshore. 

Lake weeds are being cut and harvested. Better 

filtration is being used to clean runoff before it 

gets to the lake. Chemical treatments are being 

used to combat outbreaks of heavy pollutants. 

Pollution-absorbing shoreside wetlands are 

being restored and floating in-lake wetlands are 

being planned and installed. 

Even bigger projects—sewers and channel 

dredging—are being planned, pending funding. 

There are even projects of a smaller scope: 

Efforts to discourage Canada geese from settling 

in and raising families are ongoing, and the 

measurement of the influx of microplastics and 

salt have begun. 

Progress, all. 

But none of these efforts directly address an 

underlying concern: New Jersey’s largest lake is a 

2,600-acre pot of slowly boiling water. 

“There has been a statistically significant 

increase in surface water temperatures at Lake 

Hopatcong over the past 33 years,” stated the 

2022 Lake Hopatcong Water Quality Report, 

issued in December by the consulting firm 

Princeton Hydro LLC. 

“It should be noted that each year from 2019 to 

2022 were in the top six of the highest recorded 

July surface water temperatures dating back to 

1988,” the report said. “The highest surface water 

July temperature at Station 2 [mid-lake between 

River Styx and Van Every Cove] was recorded in 

2005 and was 28.5 degrees Celsius [83.3 degrees 

Fahrenheit].” 

On it goes: “The July 2022 surface water 

temperature at Station 2 was the fourth highest 

recorded at 27.5 degrees Celsius [81.5 degrees 

Fahrenheit.] These data provide evidence that 

climatic change is impacting Lake Hopatcong. 

In turn, increasing water temperatures make the 

lake more favorable for larger and more frequent 

harmful algal blooms (HABs).” 

The 2022 report signified an important shift in 

the collection and analysis of the data. 

“This analysis was conducted to assess the 

potential impacts of climate change on Lake 

Hopatcong. The Station 2, mid-lake data were 

used because there was no chance of shading 

from near-shore trees or structures at this 

location.” 

Fred Lubnow, director of aquatic programs 

for Princeton Hydro, said the continually rising 

temperature of the lake’s water influences a 


variety of results. 

Trout, for example, 

thrive in cooler water. 

A three-year study is 

being conducted jointly 

by the Lake Hopatcong 

Commission, Lake 

Hopatcong Foundation 

and Knee Deep Club 

to determine how 

many trout stocked in 

the spring each year survive the higher water 

temperatures of the summer. 

Last year, anglers reported they caught 16 of 

the 1,000 specially tagged brown trout that had 

been stocked in April, the club said. 

These trout are in addition to the roughly 

9,000 trout released in Lake Hopatcong 

annually by the New Jersey Division of Fish and 

Wildlife. 

Club member Tim Clancy attributed the low 

number of caught tagged fish reported last 

year to lack of information about the special 

program. He said the club is redoubling efforts 

this year to educate the fishing community 

about the project. For more information visit 

kneedeepclub.org. 

The 2022 water quality report indicates the 

rising temperature of the lake was a factor in the 

dynamic conditions affecting trout habitat. 

“Optimal habitat” for brown trout, the highest 

standard, is defined as waters with dissolved 

oxygen concentrations equal to or greater than 

5 mg/L and water temperatures less than 65 

degrees. 

“Acceptable or carry-over habitat,” a lesser 

standard, is defined as waters containing 

dissolved oxygen concentrations equal to or 

greater than 5 mg/L and water temperatures 

up to 79 degrees. Those are conditions in which 

trout may be able to “carry over” or survive the 

warmer summer water temperatures until the 

lake cools in the fall. 

The existence of trout habitat varied greatly 

from month-to-month last year, the report said. 

Examples: On July 11, there was carry-over 

habitat present in the upper 15.3 feet of Station 

2. On July 18, the available habitat had been 

squeezed to a width of 1.5 feet between depths 

of 12 and 13.2 feet. The report indicates that was 

a dramatic change. 

In May and June both optimal and carry-over 

habitats were measured between 20 feet and 68 

feet. 

But, the report said, “sampling conducted 

on July 5 as part of the trout study revealed 

extremely limited optimal brown trout habitat 

One of a thousand specially tagged trout released into Lake Hopatcong 

last year. 

throughout the lake as a result of increasing 

temperatures…as well as the anoxic (oxygen 

deficient) conditions creeping upwards in the 

water column.” 

On October 6, with cooler water, the optimal 

trout habitat was present in the upper 38.43 feet 

of the lake. 

In a video presentation to the Lake Hopatcong 

Foundation on the 2022 report, Lubnow said 

studies are suggesting another heat-related 

issue: As the lake warms, the chemical bond in 

the lake sediment between iron and phosphorus 

is breaking, releasing more phosphorus into the 

lake water.

Phosphorus is the prime pollutant in Lake 

Hopatcong. The targeted level is a daily measured 

concentration of 0.03 mg/L. The values fluctuate 

by season. 

Colleen Lyons, administrator for the Lake 

Hopatcong Commission, said the commission 

received a $206,000 grant to conduct a refined 

study to determine the lake’s current phosphorus 

load. 

Annual water quality reports indicate the 

annual total phosphorus in the lake since 2019 

has been decreasing. 

In 2019 and 2020, the average measurement 

of total phosphorus was .020 mg/L; in 2021 the 

average was .018 mg/L; and in 2022, the average 

was .014 mg/L. 

One of the ways the commission combats 

phosphorus is through its annual weed 

harvesting program. 

The weed program has operated since 

the 1980s with varying success, but remains 

an important program, Lubnow said. Lake 

Hopatcong Commission Chairman Ron Smith 

agreed. 

Following a fatal harvester accident in 

2020, the program was put on hold and did 

not operate again until 2022, when changes 

were made. In an important step to reduce 

the cost of the program, the commission 

arranged for the weeds to be dried before 

disposal, reducing the weight of the weeds 

by 75 percent, Smith said. 

Last year, 1,178 cubic yards (531 tons) of plant 

biomass were removed, the 2022 report said. 

This resulted in the removal of approximately 

86 kilograms (189 pounds) of total phosphorus, 

which has the potential to produce approximately 

208,200 pounds of wet algae biomass. 

Smith said the harvester damaged in the 2020 

accident has been returned from the state, is 

being repaired and will be available this season. 

In the past two years, a variety of pilot 

programs have been funded for the lake 

community, all aimed at reducing conditions 

that produce harmful algal blooms, such as the 

2019 event that effectively closed the lake that 

summer. Over 70 New Jersey lakes were affected 

by HABs that year. 

Lyons cited these programs: the installation 

An aeration system sits just off the beach at Lake Forest Yacht Club. 

of floating wetland islands in Landing Channel 

in Roxbury; shoreline stabilization through 

plantings at Memorial Pond in Mount Arlington; 

replacement of filtration material in stormwater 

drains in Jefferson; and replanting of a wetland 

stormwater basin in Hopatcong. 

Another state grant funded a project 

encompassing all four lake towns to install 

and remove biochar (carbon) sleeves in two 

stormwater ponds and in a series of stormwater 

structures, manufactured treatment devices 

and inlets into Lake Hopatcong. The project 

also included the removal of sediment that has 

accumulated immediately in front of or adjacent 

to stormwater pipes or outfalls that discharge 

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Water Quality Report (cont’d) 

directly into the lake, she said. 

A federal grant funded the restoration of 

Witten Park in Hopatcong. Here, Sperry Spring 

will be rehabilitated with new plantings to 

stabilize its banks to better filter runoff. In 

addition, a new stormwater system will be 

installed to direct runoff to a naturally occurring 

slope before it enters the lake. 

Also, on Glen Brook in Mount Arlington’s 

Memorial Park, about 75 linear feet of the brook 

will be regraded and new plantings added to 

increase the filtration of runoff. 

And, along the Musconetcong River 

below the Landing Dam at Hopatcong State 

Park, about four acres of streambank will be 

restored and stabilized with native plants 

used to replace invasive species. 

Three aeration projects to increase the 

level of oxygen in the water were installed 

at the beach in Mount Arlington, Lake Forest 

Yacht Club in Jefferson and Shore Hills Country 

Club in Roxbury. 

Lubnow, in a video discussion of the 2022 

water quality report, showed the improved 

water clarity at Shore Hills as a result of the 

project. While the water treated by the influx of 

bubbles was brown, the absence of a green tinge 

associated with algae growth was noted. 

Lyons said the commission is in discussions 

with the clubs and Mount Arlington to continue 

the programs. 

“The project installation went well,” said 

Carolyn Rinaldi, Mount Arlington borough 

administrator. “Working with the Lake Hopatcong 

Commission, we were able to find a suitable 

location that was also mindful of our borough 

beachgoers and does not impact the swimming 

area. It is certainly our hope that this and future 

efforts will all aid in the water quality of Lake 

Hopatcong.” 

The borough council on March 7 approved 

an agreement to take over the operation and 

“There has been a statistically significant 

increase in surface water temperatures at 

Lake Hopatcong over the past 33 years.” 

—from the 2022 Lake Hopatcong Water Quality Report, 

issued in December by the consulting firm Princeton Hydro LLC. 

maintenance of their system, she said. 

Small, focused projects also matter. 

Karen Porfido of Mount Arlington, an alternate 

on the Lake Hopatcong Commission, is heading 

up that group’s effort to reduce goose damage to 

the lake watershed. In its second year, volunteers 

are being trained by United States Department 

of Agriculture wildlife scientist April Simnor 

in goose management techniques, including 

egg addling and discussing the program with 

landowners where geese are nesting. 

Porfido said the impact of goose feces on Lake 

Hopatcong is profound. 

“Four adult geese can produce as much 

phosphorus as one septic system,” she said. 

“One goose produces one-half pound of 

phosphorus a year, which has the potential to 

generate 550 pounds of wet algae.” 

In 2021, there were 18 nests and 87 eggs addled 

in Jefferson Township. 

The future could also bring new funding and 

larger projects to bear. 

The state Senate Environment and Energy 

Committee has approved bipartisan legislation, 

sponsored by Sens. Joe Pennacchio, Anthony 

Bucco, Steven Oroho, and Vin Gopal, to 

fund $17 million for watershed programs 

at Lake Hopatcong, Greenwood Lake and 

other lakes in the Highlands and Pinelands 

regions. 

Priority would be given to projects 

improving water quality and increasing 

recreational access, including efforts to 

control nutrient levels in lakes to prevent future 

HABs. 

Two significant projects are seeking funding. 

A program to install sewers along Jefferson’s 

lakeside is awaiting potentially $90 million in 

federal funding. 

The funds were included in a federal watershed 

protection bill by Rep. Mikie Sherrill last year. 

That bill was folded into the 2023 defense 

spending bill signed by President Joe Biden in 

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Jefferson Mayor Eric Wilsusen said the sewers 

would be an important step in reducing lake 

pollution. 

“Residents want sewers,” he said. “A septic 

system can cost $40,000 to $50,000.” 

Wilsusen said the federal funds, if approved, 

could come later this year. 

An innovative approach to improve water 

quality is planned for Roxbury’s Landing Channel. 

The goal is to dredge the shallow channel and 

use the material to rebuild Floating Island in the 

middle of the channel into a larger floating garden 

structure designed to remove phosphorus from 

the water. This is a similar tactic seen in such 

structures installed in Jefferson’s Ashley Cove. 

The plan has been approved by the Roxbury 

Township Council. Funding is being sought from 

the New Jersey Highlands Council. 

At the northern end of the lake, the impact 

of an agreement between the State Department 

of Environmental Protection and Weldon Quarry 

in Hopatcong could lead to water quality-related 

projects. 

In 2018, the DEP filed three notices of violation 

related to a broken transfer pipe at the quarry. 

At the time, Woodport Cove residents reported 

increased silt in a local stream that fed into the 

lake. The quarry was cited for two violations 

of the Water Pollution Control Act and one 

violation of the Freshwater Wetlands Protection 

Act. 

A settlement on the violations was reached, 

Lake Hopatcong Foundation and Princeton Hydro staff ready new floating wetland islands for 

Ashley Cove in June of 2022. 

but is not public, lake commission officials said. 

The agreement is thought to include a fine for 

the quarry and site remediation plans. 

So, big problem, but big effort. 

In the back of the 2022 water quality report, 

three line charts suggest the progress being 

achieved in three areas between 1991 and 2022: 

reduction of total daily phosphorus; reduction 

of chlorophyll a, an important element in the 

food chain of algae; and an improvement in 

the clarity of the water, which is recorded as 

the depth that a black-and-white disc called a 

Secchi disk, dropped into the water, can be seen 

from the surface. 

Each chart shows the agreed-upon threshold 

used to measure progress of various lake 

treatments. 

The threshold for phosphorus is .03 mg/L; for 

chlorophyll a, 20 mg/L; and for Secchi depth, 

clarity at 3.2 feet below the surface. 

The charts indicate the long-term values of 

all three measurements over 30 years exceed 

the thresholds, meaning there is less measurable 

phosphorus, less chlorophyll a, and the water is 

clearer. 

Long term, average phosphorus was measured 

at .02 mg/L; chlorophyll a at 10.2 mg/L; and water 

clarity depth at roughly 6.5 feet. 

Lubnow, in his video presentation, cautioned 

about reading too much into the chart data 

because conditions in the lake year-to-year are 

influenced by many factors, including weather. 

Given the complexity of the lake issues, if it 

looks like progress, maybe it is. 

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JIMMY O’BRIEN 

LOCAL 

VOICES 

Jimmy O’Brien said he is a strong believer in being able to laugh at yourself and said he doesn’t take himself too 

seriously. But, if you know the 76-year-old, you know he is extremely serious about two things: his family and his 

church, St. Jude Roman Catholic Church in Hopatcong, where he’s been an active member since 1975. O’Brien 

has been married to his wife, Margaret, for 54 years. They have three children, 10 grandchildren and one greatgranddaughter. 

Their grandchildren range in age from 13 to 27. O’Brien said he spends as much time with them as he 

can. “They always have time for me,” he said. 

WHERE ARE YOU ORIGINALLY FROM? 

The Inwood section of New York City. It was a great place to grow up and there was 

never a problem getting enough guys together for a game of stickball. When we 

were teenagers, the police and firefighters would come during the summer on 

Mondays to challenge us to a game of baseball. It was always fun. 

HOW DO YOU EARN A LIVING? 

I have worked for Van Cleef Engineering for about the past 10 years. It is a large 

company with offices in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I am a state-certified 

public works manager, and I find my work is always different and rewarding. It 

is a family-owned business, and they make you feel like family. 

WHAT’S THE CRAZIEST/MOST UNUSUAL JOB YOU’VE EVER HAD? 

I was a supervisor for Con Edison and was assigned to do work at 

the Russian Embassy. We were under constant watch by two “big 

estates” who never took their hands out of their pockets. When 

the job was finished, these two guys told my crew to leave but 

told me to stay. They then gave me a bottle of Russian vodka. I 

guess they liked me. I shared the vodka with my supervisors. 

WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN LIFE AND 

WHY? 

I would say my wife, family and friends. I have some wonderful 

people I have met over the years, and they are always there 

to help when needed. A friend of mine, years ago, told me: 

When you are down over something, ask yourself, how 

important is it? 

DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF PERSON YOU ARE. 

I like to do things that most people would not even 

think about. This is one of my strong points. I have been 

blessed with the ability to get things done. I have been 

knocked down many times, but I don’t give up. I get right 

up and start over. 

DO YOU VOLUNTEER? 

I am the fundraising chairman for St Jude’s Catholic 

Church. We will have five big fundraisers this year, 

including two concerts, a comedy night, a sock hop and a 

pig roast. 

IS THERE ANYTHING MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE 

SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU? 

I am a history buff. I got interested in the two world wars, 

the Korean War and the Vietnam War. I like to follow 

the battles my dad was in during World War II. He was 

with the 20th Armored Division. He was at the Battle of 

the Bulge, and he was with one of three divisions that 

liberated Dachau. As a kid, I would hear stories from my 

father and uncles. I had a lot of questions. I would love 

to go back in time and witness what our country has 

been through. 

creative funny strong 

I AM I AM I AM 


Music Moves This Congregation 

Story by BONNIE-LYNN NADZEIKA 


On a brisk March Sunday, the unmistakable 

sounds of live music emanated from 

a small white building on Maxim Drive in 

Hopatcong that houses the Byram Bay Christian 

Church. 

Inside, band members, including a vocalist and 

three backup singers, practiced worship songs 

that had been prepared for the Sunday service, 

while the musicians fine-tuned the sound 

system and checked the microphones. Church 

members entered and greeted each other with 

hugs, well wishes, good mornings and “God bless 

you.” There were children of varying ages—lots 

of children—who chatted with each other and 

got settled in their seats. 

The Byram Bay Christian Church has a long 

history in Hopatcong; its first services were held 

at a local barn more than 100 years ago. Today’s 

current congregation of about 360 members— 

led by husband-and-wife team Pastors Ken and 

Karen Adams—was formed in 2007. 

The church was an outgrowth of the Women’s 

Community Club of Sperry Springs, formed 

in 1898. Per the articles of incorporation, the 

women’s club was founded “to promote social 

enjoyment and to do religious and civic work 

at Sperry Springs, Hopatcong, New Jersey.” 

Eventually, the religious purpose would lead to 

the forming of the Byram Bay Church, with the 

first services held in 1907. 

Over those first few decades, notices in the 

Lake Hopatcong Breeze detailed the efforts of 

the women’s group to serve the community, 

including the church. There were dances and 

bake sales. These funded the church building 

and furnishings. It is unknown when the club 

ceased to operate. 

When enough funds were secured to build 

an actual church, Lillian Maxim, wife of Hudson 

Maxim, offered the land where the current 

building sits, but with a caveat. Per the legal 

indenture, the property could never be used 

for anything but a church, which was always 

to be nondenominational. (Byram Bay is a 

nondenominational, elder-governed church.) 

The indenture was also very thorough in 

listing exactly what the land could not be used 

for, including any type of “slaughterhouse… 

pits or excavations for the purpose of mining, 

or any other noxious or dangerous trade or 

business… any hotel, or inn or any establishment, 

booth or saloon for the sale of malt, vinous or 

other spirituous liquors.” 

A small church was built in 1926 and designed 

for when services were seasonal, catering to the 

needs of summer residents. Typically, services 

began right around the Fourth of July and 

continued through August. 

Ken Adams, the pastor, refers to it as having 

been a “walk-up” church, where many members 

walked from their nearby summer homes or 

arrived by boat. According to reports from 

the Lake Hopatcong Breeze, there was no 

permanent pastor assigned to the church, so 

different members of the congregation, as well 

as guests from other churches, led services. 

Today, the outside of the church is clad in 

white vinyl siding with modern double-hung 

windows that are decorated on the inside only 

by venetian blinds and cream brocade valances. 

A large wooden screen separates a small kitchen 

area from the nave, where, beneath the rows of 

blue upholstered chairs, the oak floor is scarred 

from generations of feet. 

There is Tudor-style woodwork throughout 

and the dark-stained pine boards against the 

white-painted sheetrock provides decoration 

for the walls and ceiling. The church bell—which 

is rung weekly by a group of enthusiastic boys 

to signal the start of service—is housed in the 

building’s bell tower that peeks through the roof 

From left to right: Pastor Ken Adams during 

his Sunday sermon. Pastor Karen Adams, 

Serena Edoh and Mark Johnson singing hymns 

during service. Helen Sgambati reacts to the 

congregation singing to her. 

18 


of the one-story structure. 

Byram Bay’s Sunday services are less formal 

than those at many churches. There are no 

candles, no vestments and no hymnals. There is, 

however, music—a lot of music. 

According to issues of the Lake Hopatcong 

Breeze from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, music 

was always a big part of church services. 

The Saturday, August 8, 1931 issue includes the 

following notice: “John A. Scott’s Happy Hour 

from Station WAAM will be at the Byram Bay 

Christian Church Sunday, August 16, at 4 p.m. 

and you see how the Happy Hour has been 

conducted at the studio for more than seven 

years. Mr. Scott expects to bring some of his 

singers with him. You have enjoyed listening in 

on the radio, come out on the 16th and tell him 

so.” 

At the recent March service, Heather and 

James Kohler—who are both elders serving 

as board secretary and board treasurer, 

respectively—led the musical worship. Heather, 

the lead singer, was backed by husband James on 

guitar, son Nathan on bass, Alex Edoh on drums 

and backup singers Karen Adams, Serena Edoh 

and Mark Johnson. 

The music was contemporary and propelled 

by Edoh’s driving bass drum. Instead of 

hymnals, there was a large flat-screen television 

displaying the words to each song—karaokestyle. 

The group performed a series of upbeat, 

contemporary tunes 

reminiscent of modern 

pop songs and got 

congregants out of 

their seats and onto 

their feet. 

A short intermission after the music led to Ken 

Adams’ sermon, which touched on the Biblical 

story of Paul’s conversion to Christianity on the 

road to Damascus. Adams referred to his own 

story of conversion and encouraged the group 

not to give up on even the most difficult person. 

Following the sermon, Adams shared news 

about one of the families missing from the 

service that day—the Colondrillo family. Usually 

in attendance on Sundays, the Colondrillos had 

just welcomed their eighth child. 

Adams thanked and recognized church 

members who had pitched in to feed and care 

for the family’s seven other children and their 

pets. Turning to another church member, Adams 

led a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday to 

You” for member Helen Sgambati, who recently 

turned 96. 

Sgambati, a 50-year resident of Hopatcong, 

has been coming to the church for five years. 

When asked what brought her to this particular 

church, she replied, “God brought me here.” 

Her sentiments are echoed by Stacy Herles, 

a Stanhope resident and church member since 

2015. Herles said the pastors brought her to 

From left to right: The musical portion of 

a recent service as seen from the church 

balcony. Lucca Ginetto, Lincoln Edoh, 

Ben Kohler and Matthew Kohler ring 

the church bell to start the service. Mark 

Hallock during the service. 

the church. “I was looking to be saved and they 

saved me,” she said. 

Edoh, the band’s drummer, said he had been 

looking for a church for 12 years. “I came here, 

and I knew I had found what I was looking for,” 

he said. Edoh, his wife Serena and their two 

children, have been attending services for two 

and half years. 

Susan Priore, a three-year member, was 

previously a lifelong Catholic attending church 

near her Denville home. While searching for a 

new place to dock her boat at Lake Hopatcong, 

she said she saw a sign for a property auction 

and wound up purchasing a lakefront property in 

Hopatcong. Curiosity brought her to Byram Bay 

Christian Church. “I like the fact that people here 

know each other by name,” she said. 

After the service ended, there was more 

hugging and chatting. No one seemed in a hurry 

to leave. 

The music started again, this time played by 

a pint-sized version of the adult band, with 

the children of the congregation manning the 

instruments—even if the guitar was almost as 

tall as the guitarist and the drum set swallowed 

up the drummer. 

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Benefits many local organizations 

Complete the hike—get $1 per year of age—donate to any participating organization 

Lunch and souvenir gift compliments of the Hudson Farm Club 

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Music Duo Hitting All the Right Notes 

Story by ELLEN WILKOWE 


Guitars in hand, Vern Miller and Jeiris Cook 

sat side by side in Miller’s home studio 

in Jefferson and belted out “Pride and Joy,” 

followed by “He’s Got a Lot of Attitude,” two 

of five original songs the pair collaborated on 

during the height of the pandemic. 

But this was no ordinary warm-up or rehearsal. 

This was the first time the Jefferson-area duo 

performed together in real time. 

“We never actually played together and never 

even jammed together in the same room,” Cook 

marveled, strumming and humming. 

“Right before the pandemic happened, we 

had plans to meet up and jam. The pandemic 

brought it to a halt.” 

Make that a brief halt. 

Thanks to modern technology—think 

Zoom, emails and smartphones—the five-song 

compilation was composed online from the 

comfort of their respective home studios. 

This first jam session on a Monday afternoon 

left no note untuned as guitarist and bassist 

found their rhythms and grooves as if they’d 

been touring for years. Cook’s rich velvety voice 

only enhanced the instrumental component. 

So, how did two men with almost four 

decades—Miller is 78 and Cook is 43—and 

about 10 miles between them come to cross 

paths, never mind produce a playlist during the 

days of social distancing? 

It started in 2019, when Cook’s oldest son 

Xavier Cook (now 13) began taking art lessons 

from Miller’s wife and artist, Susan Miller. 

During the lessons, the two men got to 

talking and discovered their mutual love of 

music, as well as an unexpected geographical 

common ground: South Orange-Maplewood, 

specifically Colombia High School. Turns out it’s 

Cook’s alma mater and home to one of Miller’s 

former careers as a music teacher. 

“Vern was a music teacher there, and we 

bonded over students that he had that were 

my friends,” Cook said. “He wasn’t my teacher, 

though.” 

While the pandemic closed down the world, 

it didn’t stop Miller and Cook from exploring 

their musical passions together. 

“When one door closes, a window opens and 

you climb through,” said Cook. 

Well, this window was wide open with 

uncharted opportunities and experiences 

waiting on the other side. 

Classically trained on trumpet and tuba, 

Miller honed his lifelong music career via a full 

music scholarship to Boston University. Born 

into a musically inclined family—his dad was a 

trumpet player, composer, arranger and teacher, 

and his mom a pianist/organist and teacher— 

Miller was exposed to a number of genres. 

“When I was around 12 or 13, my parents took 

my brother and I to a Baptist church in Newark 

or East Orange to play our trumpets during 

the service,” he said. “The church had a gospel 

choir, and that music and sound just blew me 

away. It was coming from a place so deep and 

heartfelt like I had never experienced in live 

music before.” 

The experience opened his eyes and ears 

to jazz, blues and soul, which was further 

cemented by Newark-based WBGO, a public 

radio jazz station. 

Miller said he was additionally influenced by 

a litany of greats including Bill Haley, Duane 

Eddy, The Ventures, The Coasters, The Everly 

Brothers, Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry. 

“It was around this time I started teaching 

myself how to play guitar,” he recalled. 

Miller further honed his chops in high school 

via the upright bass, forming a band and hitting 

up the country club circuit. 

“By the time I started college at Boston 

University, I was listening to Otis Redding, Bob 

Dylan and blues musicians like Muddy Waters, 

John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles,” he said. 

In addition to studying and playing classical 

music, he also picked 

up the bass guitar and 

eventually formed The 

Remains, a four-piece 

band that earned its 

name with the help of 

some nursing students attending the same party as 

the band members. 

The musical forces behind the band led to an 

Epic Records contract and The Remains recorded 

their first single in 1964. An appearance on “The 

ED Sullivan Show” took place the following year 

during Christmastime. 

“This is when you know your performance is 

going to be seen and heard by 14 million people 

and that’s kind of enough to make you shake in 

your boots a bit,” said Miller. 

The Remains were further propelled into the big 

time, landing as the opening act for the Beatles’ 

U.S. tour in 1966. 

“An agent heard us play and said, ‘How would 

you like to open for the Beatles?’” Miller recalled. 

The group had just made a pact to never be an 

opening act but when the Beatles came calling, 

“that all went to pieces,” laughed Miller. 

Sharing a chartered jet with the Beatles was 

an experience Miller described as exhilarating, 

exciting, educational and humbling. 

“We look at our heroes from the outside, as larger 

than life and when you meet them for real, you 

get to see them as human beings,” said Miller, who 

developed a close bond with George Harrison to 

the point of listening to sitar player Ravi Shankar’s 

tapes in his room after performances. 

“We would just listen to this music and sit and 

talk,” he said of Harrison. “He was a wonderful, 

down-to-earth, humble human being and willingly 

shared his feelings about being a Beatle and having 

reached a point in his life where he was now ready 

to branch out as the individual and musician 

George Harrison.” 

While Miller has kept tabs on Harrison’s career, 

he never kept in touch with him after the tour. 

The Remains disbanded after the tour, with each 

member moving in different directions. In the late 

1990s the group reunited, playing sporadic live 

shows. Their last hurrah 

Scan the QR code to 

listen to “He’s Got a Lot 

of Attitude” by Vern 

Miller and Jeiris Cook. 

22 


came in 2002 when the group cut a new album, 

“Movin’ On.” 

Post-college, the ever-evolving Miller expanded 

his A-list experience via Donna Summer, performing 

with her band as a bass player. He also played bass 

for Swallow, an 11-piece band that recorded two 

albums with Warner Brothers. 

While performing with Swallow at a venue in 

Bedford, Massachusetts, a “gorgeous girl with 

green eyes” approached Miller after the first set. 

“She innocently walked up to me and said, ‘I 

love your band and I want to wish you good luck 

with your album,’” recalled Miller of meeting his 

future wife. “Our eyes met for an instant then she 

disappeared into the crowd.” 

Fate intervened when, at a second performance 

at the same venue, that green-eyed girl sat front 

and center. “The rest is history,” said Miller. 

He remained in Boston for more than a decade 

and returned to New Jersey in 1976 to start the 

next phase of his life, teaching instrumental music 

in the South Orange-Maplewood School District. 

Given his background, Miller said he was often 

approached by students about his experiences or 

invited to speak to groups about his career. 

“I had a real good rapport with my students and 

have established lifelong friendships with many of 

them, which is very meaningful to me,” he said. “I 

think my experiences helped me have credibility 

with my students.” 

Meanwhile, Cook’s foray into the music world 

took a completely different route. 

A childhood transplant to Maplewood from 

Atlanta, Georgia, he experienced “culture shock” in 

New Jersey. “I had this deep Southern drawl,” he 

recalled. 

He found a constant in music and started singing 

along with the radio on long car rides. 

“In elementary, middle and high school, I joined 

whatever choir I could,” he said. “If there was 

singing, I was there.” 

Having never taken voice lessons, Cook said 

he tried to mimic the vocal tones he heard from 

his favorite artists on the radio. 

In terms of musical inspiration, Cook 

gravitated towards R&B male quartet groups 

from the ‘90s like Boyz II Men, Shai and Jodeci. 

Later, he explored the ‘60s and ‘70s, gravitating 

to the likes of Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, 

Smokey Robinson and Bill Withers, as well as 

soul and country bluegrass. 

When it comes to vocal inspiration, Cook said 

Otis Redding is his ultimate inspiration. 

“I love the way he delivers what he’s singing,” 

he said. “He tries to extract every bit of soul out 

of every note and every lyric that he sings and 

writes. I do try and emulate that.” 

Vocals aside, Cook started experimenting 

with writing music when he was just 14. 

“I got the idea that I could turn these poems 

into songs. In the early 2000s I sang with 

a quartet and was also one of the primary 

songwriters. I’ve been writing ever since.” 

A stint in 1998 on the amateur night segment 

of “Showtime at the Apollo” cemented his 

pursuit of music full time. 

“After that show aired, I remember going 

to school Monday or Tuesday,” Cook said. “I 

walked into history class and got a standing 

ovation. It was the best feeling. From that point 

on, this music, this is what I wanted. I wanted to 

put that feeling in a bottle.” 

The spotlight also served as a crash course 

in copyright infringement laws. His plan was 

to cover Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon in the 

Sky,” not realizing he would 

need a copyright agreement 

to perform it on national 

television. “I didn’t realize that 

until the last minute, so I had 

to do an original song that I 

wrote.” 

A ruthless crowd and the stress of possibly 

being booted off the stage only heightened 

his performance. “I figured if I could make it 

on this stage and impress these people then 

I’m doing the right thing, and I’ve been doing 

it ever since.” 

While music conducts his heart, Cook 

has dabbled in other jobs, including 

telecommunications, retail, office work and 

sales, to name a few. “This was during the 

recession, and I had to do what I could do to 

bring some money in,” he said. “Music took a 

backseat then…music became secondary over 

the need to provide for my family.” 

Cue in 2016 and a renewed determination 

to learn the guitar and return to his passion. 

“I would go to work and sing at inappropriate 

times during meetings, and I was like, ‘Why 

am I fighting this? Why not try and do this full 

time?’” 

Positive reinforcement and support from his 

wife, Jennifer, made his dream that much more 

possible. “Ever since we met, she’s known me as 

musical,” he said. “Her answer [to him pursuing 

music full time] was never like, ‘What, are you 

crazy?’” 

While both men are married in the traditional 

sense, there is also their marriage to music and 

the frequent change of partners that comes 

along with it. 

But Miller and Cook are still in the honeymoon 

stage and see their musical relationship only 

...continued 

Facing page, from left to right: Jeiris Cook on a six-string, singing “Pride and Joy.” Cook and Vern Miller in Miller’s studio. Cook uses a tablet to write 

music (top) while Miller stays old school putting pen to paper. 

This page, left to right: Cook and Miller react to playing live together for the first time. Miller poses with framed album covers from his days as a 

member of The Remains (top). Cook poses in his home studio. 


Music Duo (cont’d.) 

getting stronger, balancing each other out in 

terms of their very different approaches to 

writing music and lyrics. 

Cook, for example, takes the music first, lyrics 

last approach. 

“When I sit down to write a song, I pick up 

my guitar and mess with chord progressions 

and see what resonates,” Cook said. “Based 

on whatever progression I come up with, that 

group of chords and riff lays a blueprint.” 

On the other end of the octave, Miller said 

his mind is awash in both music and lyrics. 

“I have music running through my head most 

of the time so that will often get me started on 

a new song,” he said. “But I’m also an avid reader 

and listener, which also often inspires ideas for 

lyrics.” 

In terms of collaborating with Cook, Miller 

said he usually starts with the music, and, in 

keeping Cook’s voice in mind, will further flesh 

out the idea. 

A pen-to-paper kind of guy—evidenced by 

the files of manila folders filled with lyrics—he 

often jots down his thoughts for a first verse 

and chorus. 

Next, he will record a rough scratch of lead 

vocals and harmonies over part of the music 

track and send it off to Cook. 

“He takes it from there, does his magic on 

it, lays some vocal track ideas with lyrics he’s 

worked on and then we go back and forth 

working and tweaking it until we’re happy with 

the lyrics and melody,” Miller said. 

Then a back and forth of file sharing ensues, 

with Miller tightening and “sweetening” the 

music track and Cook singing the final lead 

vocals and harmonies. 

“I will sometimes add more harmonies, put all 

the tracks together and mix it,” Miller added. “I 

then send it along to Jeiris. If we both agree it’s 

finished, then we move on and start working on 

the next new song.” 

So, with five songs behind them and the 

ability to collaborate in person, what’s next for 

this duo? 

“Our hope is that people will like what we do, 

download and listen,” Miller said. 

Their music is available on streaming services 

Left to right: Cook in his home studio. Miller 

in his home studio. 

that include CD Baby, Spotify and Apple Music. 

In the meantime, Miller and Cook will be 

creating more songs with the long-term goal 

of having them placed in movies, on TV and 

in commercials—and maybe even a local live 

performance. 

As Miller enjoys being more behind the 

scenes, Cook is continuing to live his dream of 

“doing something I enjoy and being able to pay 

bills” by playing local gigs at venues in the tristate 

area. 

“I redefined what success looks like for me 

with music,” he said. “I never went into this with 

the goal of selling out MSG and charging $500 

a ticket.” 

As for taking the Miller-Cook duo on the 

road? 

Shall we say, stay tuned? 

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Four Generations of Dock Builders 

Story by ELLEN WILKOWE 


All hands on “dock” best describes the 

business and work ethic of Walter 

Weglinski, third-generation owner of AAA Dock 

& Marine in Lake Hopatcong. 

From designing docks, building bridges and 

managing a marina, the Weglinski family has 

been making their mark around Lake Hopatcong 

and the neighboring lake communities for 70 

years. 

In 1953, Weglinski’s now-86-year-old 

grandfather, also Walter Weglinski, founded 

AAA Contracting, which was located on Howard 

Boulevard in Mount Arlington, where Cracker 

Barrel stands today. 

Years later, the sale of that property led 

to the purchase of a marina on Budd Lake in 

Mount Olive, which was used until 2000, when 

the Cooper Drum building on Prospect Point 

Road in Jefferson was purchased. The Budd Lake 

property is still owned by the family but is leased 

to another outfit. Along the way, the company’s 

name has been reworked from the original AAA 

Contracting to AAA Dock & Dredge to today’s 

AAA Dock & Marine. 

The senior Weglinski said he worked side 

by side with his son, Walter, and his grandson 

before retiring in 1996. 

“It was fun working with my son and grandson,” 

he said from his home in Emerald Isle, North 

Carolina. “We accomplished a lot together.” 

Like being one of the first to bring a barge 

onto Lake Hopatcong, which, he said, helped 

increase the dock building aspect of the 

business. The company was also asked to help 

drive pilings for the construction of the River 

Styx Bridge. And, he said, the business built two 

ferries for Raccoon Island, including the ferry 

that is used today. 

“Anything that deals with a lake, we do,” said 

the younger Weglinski, who was named after his 

grandfather. “There’s not a piece of shoreline [on 

Lake Hopatcong] that we have not touched.” 

This includes the lake’s islands, accessible only 

by boat or barge. 

“If you leave a tool behind, it means an hour 

ride back to shore to get it,” he quipped. 

Weglinski, a graduate of Jefferson Township 

High School, learned the business hands on as 

a teenager from his father and grandfather and 

never entertained another career. 

“I never considered doing anything else,” said 

the 47-year-old. “Watching my dad and grandpa 

definitely had a big impact in picking up what 

work was about—their work ethic and trying to 

get stuff done or working when it’s 20 degrees 

outside.” 

Following high school, Weglinski attended 

Morris County Vocational School where he 

learned how to weld. He furthered his skills 

by attending a commercial diving school 

where, in addition to diving and swimming, he 

learned marine construction and 

underwater welding. 

“Everything came together,” he 

said. “Working and learning on 

the job and going to school.” 

When his father passed away in 

a boating accident 21 years ago, 

Weglinski took over the business 

and “it’s been going strong ever 

since. 

“When my dad died, I could 

not let the business fall apart,” 

he said. 

In addition to teaching him the 

ropes, Weglinski credits his father 

and grandfather for imparting 

onto him a strong work ethic as 

a return on investment. 

“Whatever I put into 

it, I get out of it,” he said. “It’s rewarding. To 

design and engineer something and then build 

it from start to finish. That’s rewarding.” 

Just as rewarding is recognizing a project that 

was constructed by the prior generation. 

“When I get onto a new project, I can say, 

‘Hey, this is my grandfather’s work,’” he said. 

In expanding the family business, Weglinski 

has taken his oldest son, Brandon, 22, under his 

wing. Like father, like son, Brandon was equally 

influenced by his dad, learning and working by 

his side. 

“I remember in school I would always 

participate in the [Take Our Daughters and Sons 

to Work Day] and go with my dad, either in the 

shop or marina,” he said. “During the weekends, 

I would help my dad at work and in the summer, 

I was working full time with him.” 

After graduating high school, Brandon knew 

he was in it for the long haul. “My dad always 

told me the opportunity was always open for 

me,” he said. “Being fourth generation makes me 

feel proud and happy.” 

He is equally as proud of a cantilever 

boathouse he helped construct several years 

ago. “I learned a lot from that job,” he said. 

With the arrival of spring comes the burden 

of a heavy workload and the demands will keep 

father and son on their toes until well into the 

fall. 

“From Saint Patrick’s Day to fall is the busy 

time of year,” said Walter Weglinski. “From fall 

until Saint Patrick’s Day it’s more fun and relaxing 

because I don’t have that rush.” 

The business operates year-round, and 

Weglinski plans accordingly. 

“It’s a very challenging job,” he said. “You 

gotta adapt…and determine the scheduling— 

like when you do a certain type of work—in the 

winter or in the summer. It also might depend 

on the [conditions of the] lake.” 

In addition to his son, Weglinski typically 

relies on a crew of several men, including 

From left, top to bottom: Walter Weglinski 

operates a backhoe while installing docks at 

Lake Forest Yacht Club. 

Brandon Weglinski and Sean Cranmer adjust 

the position of a finger dock while Walter 

Weglinski works the backhoe. 

The crew builds a bridge at Lake Mohawk in 

Sparta in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Walter Weglinski) 

26 


engineers, contractors and laborers, though he 

is experiencing a shortage of skilled laborers. 

“I love to train people and would love to 

have a kid come in and be willing to learn basic 

carpentry—understand a square. Someone not 

afraid of getting their hands dirty.” 

As he and his crew continue to meet the 

structural demands for lake living, Weglinski 

occasionally tests the waters outside his 

wheelhouse. 

“The projects are all about the same,” he said, 

referring to building docks, boathouses and 

sea walls. “But, about five years ago, I built a 

bridge in Lake Mohawk. That was a really cool 

project—totally different from the norm.” 

Having been born into and then having taken 

on the family business, Weglinski has witnessed 

firsthand the inevitable changes and challenges 

that time and technology have brought to the 

area—like the advent of what he dubs the 

Amazon world: instant gratification of goods 

and services. 

“Homeowners sometimes don’t realize what 

goes into the job,” he said. “Most work is done 

in the shop. You plan and have to get a permit, 

navigate through all the red tape and that’s what 

the customer does not see.” 

For now, he has found a kindred spirit in his 

son, who inherited the hands-on gene that has 

transcended four generations. “Certain things 

come to us,” he said. “It’s in our blood.” 

Meanwhile, Brandon expresses the same 

gratitude toward his dad for the opportunity to 

work alongside him. 

“He has taught me guidance, direction and 

valuable aspects of the business,” he said. 

In imparting advice to future small business 

owners, Walter Weglinski again turns to the 

wisdom passed down from his father: Invest 

money back into the business, part of his “what 

you put in, you get out” philosophy. 

“If I make $100, I can take that and go to 

Atlantic City. But if I put at least $50 back into 

the business, the next job is easier.” 

Reinvesting is essential for a business like 

Weglinski’s, which acquires and depends on a 

rotating inventory of equipment. “After three 

generations, I have a slew of equipment,” he 

said. “You’re constantly feeding it. There’s always 

something to repair or you’re constantly buying 

new stuff.” 

Equipment aside, he emphasizes the 

importance of additional training. “It’s best to 

know the job inside and out,” he said. 

Weglinski, who is divorced, is an example of 

work hard, play hard. 

“I learned from my dad to enjoy life—and 

go on vacation,” said the father of three. “The 

work’s going to be there when you get back.” 

When he is not working on water, Weglinski 

and his children—Brandon, Autumn, 19, and 

Jaden, 15—can be found boating, hiking and, 

weather-permitting, snowmobiling. 

“I have a different hobby for every season,” 

he said. 

Lic#: HP0168700 


Arts Group Celebrates 25 Years 

Story and photos by KAREN FUCITO 

The Roxbury Arts Alliance celebrated its 25th anniversary in March with a dessert 

reception and musical performance at the Citizens Bank Theater (formerly the Investors 

Bank Theater) at Horseshoe Lake Complex. 

More than 75 invited guests sipped wine and indulged in a variety of desserts before settling 

in to hear singing impressionist Rich Genoval Aveo. 

The RAA began when several Roxbury High School parents found themselves feeling like 

empty nesters and missing the performances they used to watch when their kids attended 

the high school. 

“We needed to keep the music going,” recalled Linda McMahon, founding member and 

past president. “At first, it was anyone who wanted to play or perform; we gave them the 

opportunity.” 

Performances took place at various locations throughout the township. 

Since then, the organization has transformed, securing dedicated space at the Horseshoe 

Lake Complex, hosting 10-15 musical performances or shows a year and offering two to three 

scholarships annually. Scholarships are awarded to Roxbury students who are pursuing a career 

in music or the arts. 

“We have presented programs in many genres of music as well as dance concerts, plays, 

musicals and other types of events that have delighted thousands of Roxbury residents and 

have drawn audience members from near and far,” said Jean Potter, president. 

“And we look forward to continuing this partnership with the town of Roxbury in the future.” 

From top, left to right: Nick Palmieri and Lisa Church. 

Jean Potter, Cindy Donaldson, Genevieve Schmidt and Joanne May. 

Linda McMahon and Ann Mauro. 

Michele O’Holloran, Ray and Fran Plodkowski, Christine and Rick Blood. 

Jason Marchitto, Lois Manzello-Marchitto, Danielle and George Mikolay. 

Steve and Tammy Snoke, Owen Borrero and Corine Borrero. 

Jim Ritchey and Rich Vetter. 

Noreen Vetter, Kathy Ritchey and Jacki Albrecht. 

Rich Genoval Aveo on stage at Citizens Bank Theater. 

28 


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32 

Story by MELISSA SUMMERS 


trailblazer in both Roxbury and Morris 

A County, Kathy DeFillippo has laid the 

path for local politicians and future public 

servants—especially the busy moms. 

Born in the Bronx and raised on Long Island, 

DeFillippo arrived in Roxbury 29 years ago as 

a mother of two children, about to have her 

third. Following a career in special education 

and vocational rehabilitation, she did what any 

good mom would do: she became involved 

in her kids’ schools and got to know her 

community. 

Little did she know, she would someday 

be mayor and go on to represent her new 

hometown in the county and state. 

DeFillippo, 67, is the oldest of five siblings. 

She married her husband, Bob, in 1976. She 

attended Nassau Community College for two 

years and then received a degree in psychology 

and a teaching certificate from the State 

University of New York at New Paltz in 1979. 

She began her career working with adults 

with disabilities. One of her first positions was 

with Occupations, Inc. in Newburgh, New York. 

DeFillippo ran a porter maintenance program 

where she evaluated, then trained, young 

adults with disabilities to work as housekeepers 

or janitors. She worked with a convent that 

allowed her to bring her students in to practice 

household and job skills while cleaning the 

kitchen or chapel. She later worked for The 

Arc in Dutchess County, where she became 

director of a program that taught clients 

occupational, vocational and social skills. 

“In the mid to late ‘70s, there were mentally 

and physically disabled persons who had lived 

in institutions, and they were being moved 

back out into the community,” DeFillippo 

recalled. “Many of these people probably 


Kathy DeFillippo Looks Back on Years 

of Service, Ahead to New Projects 

never should have been in institutions, 

but that’s what we did years ago.” 

She moved with her family to 

Alexandria, Virginia, in 1985 where she 

continued working in vocational rehab, 

this time with an insurance company 

that provided services to injured 

workers. “It was satisfying work,” she 

said. “I met some wonderful people, 

and I helped change people’s lives.” 

She and her family relocated to 

Succasunna in 1994 when her husband 

got a new job. “With three kids and 

brand new to New Jersey, Bob and I 

decided that I would not go back to 

work.” 

DeFillippo quickly got to know the 

community. “I admired Marilyn Davis, 

who became the first female mayor of 

Roxbury in 1996, and I thought that was 

cool.” She also looked up to Christine 

Todd Whitman, who served as the first female 

governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001. 

But still, DeFillippo was focused on her 

children. “I always did something with each of 

the kids, helped at CCD, volunteered at school,” 

she said. “I tried to do something based on the 

time that I could devote, and I wanted to teach 

my kids how important it was to be part of a 

community.” 

After a few years, she represented the 

Republican Committee in Roxbury and was 

appointed to the zoning board. She got to 

know the town council and then-Mayor Jim 

Rilee, who was elected in 1998. “At some point, 

you realize, ‘Maybe I could do this in a bigger 

way and help more people.’” 

DeFillippo was elected to the Roxbury Town 

Council in 2005 and re-elected in 2009. During 

that time, she served as deputy mayor three 

times (2011, 2012 and 2013) and as mayor in 2009. 

One of the first things DeFillippo advocated 

for while serving on the town council was its 

involvement with the Roxbury Chamber of 

Commerce. “Business and governments should 

work together,” she said. “As council members, 

we should know our business community as 

From top, left to right: Kathy DeFillippo in her home office. 

DeFillippo, left, at the 2017 Walk For MS in Roxbury. 

(Photo courtesy of the DeFillippo family.) 

DeFillippo with husband, Bob, reading to their youngest 

granddaughter, Emmeline Rose DeFillippo. 

well as we know our constituents. And I think 

that paid off.” 

When asked what she is proudest of about 

her time on the town council, her answer 

is clear. “After I got elected that first time, I 

realized my favorite thing was knocking on 

doors and meeting people.” So shortly after 

she was sworn in, she suggested bringing back 

regular neighborhood meetings. 

“The first one was on a January night, and 

it was cold and horrible,” she recalled. “I 

walked into the senior center with the council 

members, and we stood there shocked. The 

room was full.” 

The meetings, now held two to three times a 

year in different sections of town, continue to 

be well received. “They address things going on 

in that area of town, they get the conversation 

going, and we try to answer questions. 

Government can be scary for people, but this 

gives people a chance to see it in action in an 

informal way,” she said. 

In 2013, DeFillippo decided not to seek reelection 

as councilwoman and instead ran 

for Morris County freeholder, an office now 

referred to as county commissioner. “Having

that experience for eight years on the local 

level and the impact you have on people’s lives, 

it was intriguing to go in at the county level.” 

She served for three three-year terms, serving 

twice as director. 

As commissioner, DeFillippo became 

involved in the areas of human services and 

transportation. She went on to represent Morris 

County in the North Jersey Transportation 

Planning Authority. The agency dispenses state 

and federal dollars in a region that includes 13 

counties plus the cities of Newark and Jersey 

City. 

“I was elected chair of the NJTPA board 

in January 2020,” said DeFillippo. “Our next 

meeting was scheduled for March, and the 

state was locked down. For the two years 

I served, we had to convert everything to 

virtual. The whole board and staff were able to 

transition and not miss a beat.” 

As the liaison for human services, DeFillippo 

spent time getting to know the county facilities 

and partners. While touring the JBWS (formerly 

known as the Jersey Battered Women’s 

Service), she learned about a concept that 

brings together services for domestic violence 

and sexual assault victims under one roof. The 

idea was brought to the board and in 2016, the 

Morris Family Justice Center opened on the 

fourth floor of the County Administration and 

Records Building in Morristown. Those in need 

of assistance are guided to the facility, which 

has a residential feel. 

“There’s a living room and a kitchen filled 

with snacks. People come to fill out paperwork 

and you have to keep the kids busy. It’s a safe 

environment, and we can provide services, 

register people and that was something where 

I knew there was a need.” 

According to DeFillippo, women were a 

majority for the first time in county history 

while she was serving on the County Board of 

Commissioners. 

She said one of the proudest personal 

accomplishments includes her work with the 

National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Two of her 

sisters were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, 

and both eventually died from the disease. 

“We would organize fundraisers, do what 

we could to make people aware of what MS 

was,” she said. “I knew I could represent people 

who didn’t have a voice. So, we brought the MS 

Walk to Roxbury.” 

The event grew from a few hundred people in 

April 2006 to approximately 2,000 participants 

in recent years. DeFillippo served on the board 

of the Woodbridge chapter of the National 

Multiple Sclerosis Society. 

“They handle 11 walks over one weekend. 

Roxbury is one of the most independent walks 

because our volunteers are consistent every 

year. At some of the other sites, it’s more staff 

than volunteers.” 

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society 

helps patients and their caregivers with 

independence and counseling. DeFillippo said 

she was instrumental in helping to open some 

of the first housing for people with multiple 

sclerosis in Freehold, New Jersey. 

“I had to advocate for my sisters,” DeFillippo 

said of the experience. “I realized that as an 

elected person I could advocate on a bigger 

scale. It wasn’t just the research. The money 

comes back into the community, and that 

meant a lot to me.” This year’s event is Sunday, 

April 23 at Roxbury High School. 

At the end of 2021, DeFillippo announced 

she would not run for commissioner again. But 

she and her husband Bob aren’t finished yet. 

They’re part of the Foundation for the Roxbury 

Public Library and are working to build an 

expansion and fund technology upgrades. 

DeFillippo is thrilled to be spending more 

time with her six grandkids but still believes in 

public service and finding your place in your 

community. 

“When I started to consider running for 

office, I went to meetings and learned as much 

as I could before I made a decision,” she said. 

“If there’s something that intrigues you, find 

the time for it, and I promise it will grow from 

there. Find what it is you love.” 

DeFillippo said she reminds her family and 

friends never to compromise. She said she 

stands up for what she loves about Roxbury 

and Morris County. “Don’t assume you have 

to change something. Sometimes you have to 

protect them.” 

...because as soon as you look away, I’ll be making my daring escape. 

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HISTORY 

Lake Hopatcong’s Music Man 

34 

by MARTY KANE 

Photos courtesy 

of the 

LAKE HOPATCONG 

HISTORICAL 

MUSEUM 

December 11, 1957, Lake Hopatcong, NJ – 

Arthur N. Green, 69, song writer [sic] and pianist 

known as the ‘Man of a Million Melodies,’ died 

at his home yesterday. Before World War I, 

Green was a composer for Irene and Vernon 

Castle. He was a vaudeville headliner for 20 

years. 

With these words, the New York Daily 

News summed up the lengthy career 

of Arthur Green, one of the most interesting 

individuals ever to call Lake Hopatcong home. 

Born in London, England, in 1888, Green came 

to New York City as a teen to seek work as a 

pianist and songwriter. It was there that he 

crossed paths with Irene and Vernon Castle, a 

dance couple who captured the heart of the 

American public even before Fred Astaire and 

Ginger Rogers. 

Exploding upon the scene in New York City 

in 1912, the husband-and-wife team mesmerized 

the country with their dance routines, greatly 

influencing the popularity of social dancing. The 

duo was soon in demand for vaudeville, motion 

pictures and Broadway. By 1914, they opened a 

dance school called Castle House, as well as a 

nightclub and restaurant. 

The Castles taught New York society the 

latest dance steps at Castle House by day and 

greeted guests and performed at the club and 

cafe by night. They were also in demand for 

private lessons and appearances at fashionable 

parties. 

As David A. Jasen explained in his book “Tin 

Pan Alley,” the popularity of the tango and other 

steps popularized by the Castles led to the 

opening of dance schools across the country. 

The man at the piano for the Castles was 

Green, who also wrote the music to several of 

their popular dances. The sheet music for his 

1913 composition, “Tango Argentino,” featured a 

photo of Irene and Vernon Castle dancing the 

tango. 

In his book “The Tango in the United 

States,” Carlos G. Groppa credited this song— 

supposedly the first tango composed in 

America—with originating the nation’s tango 

craze in the 1910s. Over the next few years, Green 


penned several other hits, including “Innovation 

Tango,” “Sans Souci,” “Half and Half,” “Buenos 

Ayres” and “The Royal Arab.” 

During this period, any time Green performed 

without the Castles, advertisements and the 

event program featured his affiliation with 

the dance team. At times, Green’s name was 

billed larger than that of the singer he was 

accompanying. 

In a 1948 interview, Green recalled one of 

his proudest moments was receiving partial 

composing credit for George M. Cohan’s 

famous World War I song “Over There,” which 

was published in 1917. 

World War I would completely upended 

Green’s career. During the war, Vernon Castle 

returned to his native England to serve as a 

combat pilot. After coming back to the U.S. to 

train American pilots, Castle died in an accident. 

Devastated, Green did not write another song 

for some 20 years. 

After Castle’s death, Green created a 

vaudeville act with his wife, Anna, a singing 

comedienne who performed first as Doris LaFell 

and later as Anna LaFell. Their act, known as 

Green and LaFell, was billed as “lyric and melody 

specialists” and a “pianologue.” 

The act remained popular on the vaudeville 

circuit from 1919 to 1928. It was during this time 

that Arthur and Anna Green learned about Lake 

Hopatcong. 

From the 1910s through the 1930s, the lake 

was a popular destination for vaudeville and 

burlesque stars, who generally had time off 

in the summer when many theaters closed. 

Within two hours of New York City by train, 

yet completely removed from the world of 

trouping, the lake provided a welcome respite 

for these performers who were on the road for 

most of the year. 

Bigger 

stars stayed 

at hotels or bought 

cottages, while those 

earning a more modest 

living on the circuit 

found low-cost rentals. 

The most popular 

spot on the lake for 

performers was the 

Northwood section of 

Hopatcong, which the 

Lake Hopatcong Breeze dubbed the “actor’s 

colony.” 

As Bob Thomas explained in his book “Bud 

and Lou,” for vaudevillians and burlesque 

entertainers, Lake Hopatcong “had become the 

oasis at the end of the long winter’s travels, the 

place where comics and straight men rested 

beyond the reach of dunning hotel managers 

and mean-hearted theater owners, where 

strippers could eat their fill and not worry about 

diets until the last two weeks of summer. 

“For the children it was heaven. During the 

year they had been entrusted to grandparents 

and aunts while the parents traveled. Now the 

family was reunited and the kids could boat and 

swim and bask in the New Jersey sun.” 

The Lake Hopatcong Breeze first mentioned 

the Greens in 1925, noting that “Green and 

LaFell are still here. They will put over several 

new numbers next season that are sure to go 

over big.” The couple, along with daughter Aline 

(known as Billie), returned the next summer

and soon bought their own place in 

Northwood. 

In July 1926 the Breeze noted they 

were spending the summer at “Billie 

Hut” and in August complimented 

Green for “playing the piano all 

through that sweltering evening” 

at a charity event. Typical of the 

vaudevillians who gathered in 

Northwood each summer, the Greens 

left the lake at the end of August. The 

Greens set off to open a new season 

in Pittsburgh, while Billie headed back 

to an aunt’s home in Allentown for 

high school. 

Green and LaFell retired from the 

circuit in 1928 as vaudeville faded. 

Deciding to permanently call Lake 

Hopatcong home, they converted 

their modest Northwood cottage into 

a year-round house. (Their cottage 

is located about 10 houses north of 

where Lola’s Restaurant is today). 

Facing page, top to bottom: Image of Arthur 

The June 29, 1929 Breeze noted that “Billie 

Green, 1914. 

Hut cottage is opened for the summer and Anna and Arthur Green from The Record, 

everyone who comes to visit its owners say January 10, 1931. 

they no longer have a ‘hut,’ but a lovely finished This page, top, left to right: Sheet music of “At 

house.” 

the Tango Ball” by Arthur Green, 1914. 

From their first summer at Lake Hopatcong Label for the 1917 record “Over There,” giving 

and into their retirement, the Greens were 

Arthur Green composition credit. 

An advertisement from the June 14, 1914 edition 

always ready to help with charity benefits for 

of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. 

the Northwood Improvement Association, Sheet music of “Tango Argentino” by Arthur 

Dover Hospital and other local groups. 

Green, 1913. 

In addition, Arthur Green played piano on 

a New York City radio program in the 1930s, 

performed at local venues and, in 1938, organized 

an orchestra to play summer weekends at 

Brady’s Mansion, a restaurant located near Lake 

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COOKING 

WITH SCRATCH © 

Joys of 

Being Oma 

by BARBARA SIMMONS 

Photo by KAREN FUCITO 

In October of 2021, 

at my birthday 

dinner with my entire 

family, my son Francis 

and daughter-in-law 

Brittney had an announcement: someone was 

coming next summer who would be calling me 

“Oma.” 

I was so stunned and overjoyed I could barely 

speak. 

The big day was scheduled for June 10—and 

boy was that baby punctual! Must be the German 

genes. 

We were ecstatic to be able to visit the new 

family in the hospital. Little Julien was born with 

quite a set of lungs and greeted us with a wail. 

That face. So funny—he seemed annoyed 

about being “out in the world”—things were so 

much easier on the “inside.” 

We were all cautious about meeting the 

baby. My husband and I got our “grandparent’s 

vaccine”—the Tdap (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular 

pertussis) shot that is recommended because 

whooping cough has come back. You probably 

had one as a kid but evidently the efficacy wears 

off. 

When I was finally able to hold Julien, I just 

wept. I was overwhelmed by so much emotion, 

so much love. In his little face I saw my son as an 

infant, my daughter, me, my mother, my father, 

my brothers, my daughter-in-law, my husband. 

It was like looking through a kaleidoscope that 

changed with every passing expression. 

Yes, I absolutely fell in love. 

Call Jim to buy or list today! 

And a torrent of the German baby vocabulary I 

had heard my mother use with my children, that 

I had used with mine (and my grandmother used 

with my brother and me), suddenly came back. 

Yes, this is the language I was meant to speak 

to my grandchild. My little Schatzefisch, my 

Futzenutz, my Herzeknüppel, my Goldschatz. 

Francis and Brittney begged me to teach Julien 

German. 

My mother (Gertrude Kertscher) and I spoke 

German to my kids, Francis and Erika, when they 

were small. 

They also had lots of exposure to my German 

family throughout their lives. My mother and I 

took Erika to the “old country” when she was 18 

months old. We visited family, travelling through 

East and West Germany. (It was 1989, just before 

the Berlin Wall fell). 

Thanks to my parents’ relocation to Lake 

Hopatcong, their house was a vacation hotspot for 

all of the Germans. The sunshine, the swimming, 

the boating, the proximity to New York City and 

Gertrude’s great cooking were a big draw. 

We had German company all the time. 

We saw cousin Jürgen every year for 

Thanksgiving. His brother Helmut, Onkel Walter, 

Tante Ilse and cousin Siegmar all came through at 

one time or another. We heard and spoke a lot 

of German. 

My mother and I spoke German to Francis and 

Erika exclusively when we were together and they 

were little. Gertrude taught German at Dover 

High School and had lots of materials. We taught 

them songs, little conversations, nursery rhymes. 

The language definitely got in there. 

Now that it has fallen to me to teach German 

to my grandson, I feel a great need to teach him 

properly. 

I have always felt a bit self-conscious about 

my level of German expertise, having learned my 

parents’ dialect (sort of like learning to play an 

instrument by ear) and never having any grammar 

or spelling lessons until high school. 

Evidently, I sound like a 95-year-old from 

Wiesbaden, speaking with a rather heavy Hessian 

dialect. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love speaking 

and hearing the dialect—it is so colorful, funny 

and familiar. My mother used to compare the 

comfort of having a conversation in Hessisch to 

Julien Simmons at 

two days old and 

with the author in 

February. (Photos 

courtesy of the author) 

being in a warm, cozy, bathtub (wie n’ warme 

badewanne). 

I’ve resisted learning German grammar pretty 

much all my life, because I could kind of get away 

with it. When you speak in dialect, the word 

endings are kind of fuzzy and most of the definite 

articles (the word “the”) sound sort of the same. 

There are eight words for “the” by the way. 

I can communicate, and my pronunciation is 

perfect, but when speaking to someone not from 

Wiesbaden or Frankfurt, things get tricky for me. 

I’m not very precise with my grammar. 

I’ve bought an online intensive German 

grammar course and have flung myself at it over 

and over trying to learn the finer points. Things are 

finally starting to get clear, and I have made some 

progress. It’s been a slog, though. But, luckily for 

my grandson, Julien, he will not be sounding like 

a little old German lady when he speaks. He can 

leave that up to Oma! 

36 

House Values 

James J. Leffler 

Realtor 

RE/MAX House Values 

131 Landing Road 

Landing, NJ 07850 

201-919-5414 Cell 

973-770-7777 Office 

jimleff.rmx@gmail.com 


James J. Leffler 

Realtor 

AQUATIC VEGETATION CONTROL 

Providing lake and pond management 

solutions with SCIENCE for over 33 years. 

973-948-0107 

www.lakemgtsciences.com 

Branchville, NJ

Ruffle Apple Strudel 

We recently had friends over for a “grill 

party” (that’s what Germans call a barbecue). 

In addition to the sauerkraut and potato 

salad, I thought it would be nice to have 

an authentic tasting dessert. Apple strudel 

instantly came to mind but making it from 

scratch is a ton of work. I didn’t have time 

to throw the pastry dough on the table 150 

times and stretch it over the table, thin enough to read a newspaper through it! 

I happened to have some packages of phyllo dough in the freezer, some apples in the fridge 

and golden raisins in the pantry. Voilà! 

My first attempts with the dough were miserable—it kept tearing. Thankfully, I remembered 

a streamlined technique for making spanakopita (the Greek feta-spinach casserole in phyllo 

dough). Yes, I saw it online. Thank you, Deb Perelman at Smittenkitchen.com. 

So, instead of a rolled strudel, it became a deep-dish strudel with ruffled bits of buttered 

phyllo dough all over the top. You’ll need a pastry brush for this recipe. 

Phyllo dough comes in a double pack. You only need one for the recipe. Leave the other one 

frozen. You’ll want to make this again. 

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CREATE A 

Dramatic Effect 

Ingredients: 

1 roll of phyllo dough 

3 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons lemon juice 

THAT MAKES YOUR LANDSCAPING COME ALIVE AT NIGHT! 

3 large McIntosh apples 1/3 cup brown sugar Grated rind of ½ a lemon 

2 large Granny Smith apples 1 teaspoon cinnamon A pinch of salt 

¼ cup golden or regular raisins 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 stick of butter 

We can CREATE illuminate A 

CREATE A 

Dramatic just about Effect anything, 

THAT increasing MAKES YOUR hours LANDSCAPING of use of COME your ALIVE outdoors AT NIGHT! 

THAT MAKES YOUR LANDSCAPING COME ALIVE AT NIGHT! 

Procedure: 

5580 5580 Berkshire Berkshire for Valley Valley you Road and your Oak Ridge, family. New New Jersey Jersey 07438 07438 

1. Thaw the phyllo dough in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for a couple of 

5580 5580 Berkshire 973-208-0967 

Berkshire Valley Valley Road www.HomesteadLawnSprinkler.com 

Oak Ridge, New New Jersey Jersey 07438 07438 

hours. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 973-208-0967 Proud Sponsors of Rebecca’s www.HomesteadLawnSprinkler.com 

Homestead, Inc. a 501 © (3) 

www.facebook.com/rebeccashomestead www.rebeccashomestead.com 

2. Peel, core and cut up the apples. The McIntosh apples can be cut into big chunks. The 

Proud Sponsors of Rebecca’s Homestead, Inc. a 501 

Granny Smith apples should be thinly sliced. (They’re kind of hard and this will help them 

© (3) 

bake down better.) Put the apples in a medium-sized bowl. 

3. Put the raisins and water into a bowl, cover with a plate and microwave for about 

a minute. Set aside. If you are a microwave-free household, you can heat the raisins in a 

Hearth and Home 

saucepan with the water. 

Fireplace And Chimney Specialists 

4. Add the sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch, salt, lemon juice and lemon rind to the apples in the 

PELLET, WOOD & GAS STOVES 

SALES, SERVICE & INSTALLATION 

bowl and toss to combine. Drain off the water from the raisins and toss those in, too. 

•Custom Mantels 

5. Microwave the butter in a covered bowl until melted (about 1 minute). Alternatively, you •Gas Logs 

can melt the butter on the stovetop in a small saucepan. Set aside. 

•Glass Doors 

6. Set up your work area for dealing with the phyllo dough. 

•Fireplace Refacing 

7. Unwrap the dough. It comes in a slim-fitting bag you can discard. Then there will be a long •Chimney Cleaning & 

piece of plastic wrapped around the dough; keep that. Place the roll of phyllo dough on a 

Repair 

large cutting board and put that plastic sheet on the counter to the side—that’s where 

you’ll be doing the buttering. 

Accessories 

Gifts 

8. Dampen a cotton dishtowel and wring it out well. This will be used to cover the dough 

while you are working so it doesn’t dry out. 

Charcoal Grills 

9. Unroll the phyllo dough and lay the first sheet on the plastic. Cover up the remaining dough 

with the damp dishtowel. Using a pastry brush, generously spread the dough sheet with butter. 

1215 Route 46 West 

10. Lay the first sheet into the baking dish. Let the excess hang over the sides. Repeat with 4 Ledgewood, NJ 

or 5 more sheets of dough. 

11. Turn the baking dish 90 degrees and repeat with 4 or 5 more sheets of dough, letting the 

HOURS 

Monday-Friday 10-6 

excess hang over the other sides. 

Saturday 9-4 

12. Add the apple filling on top of the buttered phyllo dough sheets inside the baking dish. 

Fold the phyllo flaps over the apples. 

Check our Facebook 

page for seasonal or 

13. Now for the fun part. Butter the remaining phyllo dough sheets and lightly crumple them, 

summer hours 

placing them on the top layer. I used 15 or 16 sheets for this crumpled topping. Go ahead @ Hearth & Home 

and let a few poke up in the air—they look so festive when they are baked! 

of New Jersey 

14. Bake for 15 minutes on the lowest rack of the oven. Move to the middle rack for 35-40 

more minutes and let cool before serving. 

973-252-0190 

15. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Or both. www.hearthandhome.net 


WORDS OF 

A FEATHER 

Story and photos by 

HEATHER SHIRLEY 

As regular readers 

of this column 

know, I continually 

encourage you to spend 

time outdoors and 

explore. It’s great to go to new areas and explore 

magnificent forests and enjoy majestic views. 

But sometimes that may seem like too much 

effort. The weather is iffy. You’re tired. You 

don’t have time, don’t want to get in the car 

and drive anywhere. Never fear! Mother Nature 

is so generous that she will find her way to you 

wherever you are! 

On a recent walk around my neighborhood in 

south Florida, I enjoyed seeing a crawfish crossing 

the road. I had just returned from a road trip 

through Louisiana, where I enjoyed eating several 

hundred of its relatives (slurp!). 

Instead of eating this crawfish, I picked the little 

lady up and carried her across the road, both to 

make sure she didn’t get smushed by a car and 

to get her closer to water, where she belongs. 

Crawfish breathe through gills and live in a 

variety of waterways, from swamps to freshwater 

streams, ponds, even drainage ditches. 

When I picked up the crawfish, I saw she was 

“in berry,” which means she was carrying eggs 

that resemble blackberries. A crawfish glues these 

eggs to tiny appendages on her abdomen and 

Right in Your Own 

Backyard 

carries them for two to 10 months. She cares for 

the eggs by tucking and fanning her tail to aerate 

them. When the eggs hatch, the baby crawfish 

stay close to their mama for up to four months. 

In North America, there are 400 species 

of crawfish—also called crayfish, crawdads, 

mudbugs and a host of other terms. They are 

a keystone species, meaning they profoundly 

impact their environment. According to the 

Natural Resources Defense Council, a keystone 

species is “the glue that holds a habitat together.” 

If such a species 

is removed from 

its ecosystem, the 

environment radically 

changes. Crawfish impact 

their areas because they 

break down algae and 

other plant material and invertebrates they eat, 

helping the decomposition process. In turn, they 

are a food source for 240 species of animals. 

That’s a lot of creatures relying on the humble 

crawfish…I hope this one’s eggs survive to 

adulthood! 

I also enjoyed watching tree squirrels on my 

morning walk. Tree squirrels are most commonly 

gray, but they can also be black (frequently 

seen across Canada) and white, such as the 

one photographed here, which I saw in North 

Carolina. 

Squirrels are often vilified for behaviors we find 

intolerable, such as poaching from bird feeders or 

nesting in attics, but really, they’re just doing what 

we all do—working to secure food and shelter. 

Squirrels are another animal important to 

the ecosystem, so it’s a good idea to cultivate 

a peaceful coexistence with them. (Incidentally, 

the Humane Society has great tips on how to 

kindly manage life with squirrels. Check out 

humanesociety.org/resources/what-do-aboutsquirrels.) 

Although squirrels are omnivorous, most of 

their diet consists of nuts, seeds and acorns. They 

frequently cache their food for winter storage 

and, in so doing, inadvertently plant new trees, 

thus renourishing the forest. 

At a recent dinner with friends of a friend, a 

guy was going on about how the neighborhood 

squirrels deliberately taunted his dog, luring the 

dog toward it, then happily running away, feinting 

in one direction and changing course. 

Ummm, no. 

Like most rodents, squirrels are prey to many 

birds, mammals and even snakes. Their behavior 

when threatened is indeed to first freeze, hoping 

the danger goes away. They are not luring their 

predator closer. 

If the predator continues to pursue, squirrels 

will expend precious energy by running in an 

erratic pattern to evade chase, head up the 

nearest tree and flatten 

their bodies against the 

Scan the QR code with 

trunk. I can assure you they 

your phone’s camera 

do not find the game of 

to hear the sounds of 

chase as fun as your dog 

a squirrel. 

does. 

Squirrels are territorial, 

but live in close proximity to each other. A group 

of them is called a scurry, which seems both 

fitting and cute. 

Squirrels frequently communicate with chirpy 

vocalizations and furious tail twitching to warn 

of predators or advise staying away from their 

food cache. They use scent as well to advertise 

to each other and to help them find their hidden 

food. You may see a squirrel rubbing its face over 

an acorn—it’s covering the acorn in scent so it’s 

easier to find on some future snowy day. 

Although many people scoff and call them 

tree rats, there are no records of diseases such 

as rabies or salmonella transferring from squirrels 

to people. In fact, squirrels are one of the 

most trusting wild animals, and many can grow 

accustomed to taking food from your hand— 

or from your birdfeeder. I think their acrobatic 

antics are worth the payment of some extra seed. 

Give squirrels—and crawfish and the other 

critters around your neighborhood—a chance. If 

you start noticing them more, you may appreciate 

them more. Hopefully, as our appreciation for 

nature grows, the more motivated we will be to 

protect and care for it. 

PROUDLY SERVING THE BOATING COMMUNITY SINCE 1987 

MORRIS COUNTY 

MARINE INC. 

Sales • Service • Storage 

Top: Female crawfish on its back showing eggs. 

Bottom: White tree squirrel. 

38 


Wishing everyone a safe and healthy Spring launch. 

Text: 201-400-6031 

745 US 46 W • Kenvil, NJ 

God Bless America

SEPTIC SYSTEMS 

INSTALLED AND REPAIRED 

PUMPING AVAILABLE 

• 

RESIDENTIAL 

AND COMMERCIAL 

• 

SITE WORK 

• 

FILL DIRT 

• 

TRUCKING 

Showroom 

SPARTA, NEW JERSEY 

STRESS-FREE 

RENOVATIONS 

973-663-2142 • 973-713-8020 

CELL 

973-729-4787 

HappsKitchen.com 


DEP announces compromise 

Page 6 

Peter Salmon and his very unusual car 

Page 16 

Vol. 8, No. 5 

Vol. 1, No. 3 

Vol. 10, No. 2 

Vacationing close to home 

Page 20 

Labor Day 2016 

Hopatcong couple dedicated to rescue 

Page 30 

Memorial Day 2018 

Vol. 8, No. 7 

Page 6 

Page 14 

Page 2 

Pages 28 

Holiday 2016 

Looking skyward 

Local DAR honor soldiers 

Charity on wheels 

1 

Vol. 1, No. 6 

Fa l 2019 

LH refi ling after drawdown 

Page 4 

Princeton Hydro: Stewards of LH 

Page 16 

Page 20 

Ice boating on area lakes 

Page 24 

Vol. 10, No. 5 

Vol. 10, No. 6 

1 


Community garden turns 5 

Page 6 

Hiking the Appalachian Trail 

Page 16 

Not your average summer camp 

Page 24 

Family reunion 

Page 30 

Vol. 9, No. 5 

farmer 


Vol. 7, No. 4 

Page 6 

Page 10 

Baitfish fishing 

Page 16 

Page 26 

Aug. 1, 2015 

Vol. 1, No. 2 

Memorial Day 2019 

Page 12 

Vol. 8, No. 4 

Beauty queen 

Page 18 

Vol. 1, No. 1 

Page 26 

Aug. 1, 2016 

Vol. 1, No. 5 

Vol. 1, No. 4 


Spring 2019 

Page 10 

Page 14 

Page 28 

Page 2 

Vol. 10, No. 3 

Fourth of July 2018 

• American picker 

• Olympic spirit 

• Passion for golf 

• LHC budgets for weeds 

Spring 2017 

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 

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 

Music Under the Stars 


973-663-1403 

NJ Electric Boat Rental 

NJeBoats.com 

Roxbury Arts Alliance 

72 Eyland Ave., Succasunna 

973-945-0284 

roxburyartsalliance.org 

HOME SERVICES 

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 

Royalty Cleaning Services 

973-309-2858 

royaltycleaningserv.com 

Sunset Decks & Outdoor Lvg 

973-846-3088 

sunsetdecksnj.com 

Wilson Services 

973-383-2112 

WilsonServices.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 

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 MA 

973-770-1380 

Fox Architectural Design 

546 St. Rt. 10 W, Ledgewood 

973-970-9355 

foxarch.com 

REAL ESTATE 

Kathleen Courter 

RE/MAX 

131 Landing Rd., Roxbury 

973-420-0022 Direct 

KathySellsNJHomes.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 

Jim Leffler 

RE/MAX 

131 Landing Rd., Roxbury 

201-919-5414 

Darla Quaranta 

Century 21 

23 Main St., Sparta 

973-229-0452 

livelovelakelife.com 

RESTAURANTS & BARS 

Alice’s Restaurant 


973-663-9600 

alicesrestaurantnj.com 

Big Fish Lounge At Alice’s 


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 

At The Lake Jewelry 

atthelakejewelry.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 

Italy Tours with Maria 

ItalyTourswithMaria@yahoo.com 

JF Wood Products 

973-590-4319 

Main Lake Market 

234 S. NJ Ave., LH 

973-663-0544 

mainlakemarket.com 

Orange Carpet & Wood Gallery 

470 Rt. 10W, Ledgewood 

973-584-5300 

orange-carpet.com 

STORAGE 

Woodport Self Storage 

17 Rt. 181 & 20 Tierney Rd. 

Lake Hopatcong 

973-663-4000 

FOR A COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT 

WWW.LAKEHOPATCONGNEWS.COM 

Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region 


Police Unity Tour 

Members of Hopatcong’s Police Department ride 

to honor those who have fa len in the line of duty 

Lake Hopatcong News 

Informing, Serving & Celebrating The Lake Community 

A tale of two coves 

Is i the best of times or the worst of times in Byram Cove? 





Skiing Sole 

with 

Barefoot sk ing on Lake Hopatcong with the "Jersey Boys" 



A 

Walk 

in the 

Woods 



• Young miner 

• LHF Block Party 

• Benefit for wounded vets 

• The lure of a fish tale 

Bottoms Up 

Ninth Annual Jersey Wakeo f at Lake Hopatcong 

Inside this issue: 

Local couple ties the knot, fina ly 

Page 4 

Running club dedicated to helping others 

Page 18 

Lake Hopatcong Foundation’s Gal and Auction 

Page 12 



Aug. 1, 2014 Vol. 6, No. 4 

Christmas 

in the village 

Annual holiday celebration in Je ferson 

The tradition of telling the stories of the lake community 

continues thanks to all the advertisers. 



• Algae Bloom Lingers 

• Northwood A sociation Turns 100 

• Mount Arlington Opens Community Garden 

• West Side Methodist Celebrates Milestone 

ICE JOB 

Volunteers, including two from Hopatcong, take part in a 

century-old tradition at Raque te Lake in the Adirondacks 

Vol. 9, No. 1 

Work begins on 40-plus mile trail 

around the Lake Hopatcong 



Windup toy co lection 

Hydro raking program begins 

‘Study Hull’ 

makes maiden 

voyage 

Teen program turns 2 

WW I vet records history 

Local students schooled on fresh water aboard the Lake Hopatcong Foundation’s floating cla sroom 



For the Birds 

Andrew Eppedio (and his mom’s) great avian adventure 

Fourth of July 2019 

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign 



Mid Summer 2018 

Swimming Around 

Bridgete Hobart-Janeczko becomes the firs to swim the 

perimeter of Lake Hopatcong 



NEW CAREER 

TAKES FLIGHT 

Mount Arlington’s P.J. Simonis 

is flying high with birds of prey 



Chicken 

crazy 



LOCALLY 

GROWN 

Je ferson farm comes alive 

thanks to third-generation 



Bee-lieving 

in bees 

Local beekeepers 

passionate about honeybees 



Answering 

The Call 

Firefighter honored for 70 years of service 

with Roxbury Engine Company No. 2 



•We lne s center opens in Hopatcong 

•Children’s author penning third book 

•Bridge to Liffy Island taking shape 

•DEP says no to carp in Lake Hopatcong 

Paying Tribute 

Local vets honored during boat ride around Lake Hopatcong 



Happy Campers 

Sixteen years in and Camp Je ferson is sti l a l about good ole’ fashioned outdoor fun 

40 

• Markets are open, bounty is fresh 

• Smithsonian exhibi to open 

• King House expands offerings 

• 4H standout leading the way 

Vol. 10, No. 4 

• Road bowlers 

• Marching to the beat 

• Hopatcong honors two 

• Confusion at BRC meeting 

• State Aid Comparison 

• University Opens New Campus 

• What’s It Rea ly Worth? 

• Looking for Solutions to Lake’s I sues 


Inside this issue: 

Hundreds ‘leap’ into icy water for good cause 

Plus: Food, LHC Meeting, In Brief, Busine s Directory, and Much More! 

Winter, 2014 Vol. 6, No. 1 

• Drawdown coming 

• Artist in residence 

• Bertrand Island revisited 

• Old-timers’ game days 

Je ferson's selfless citizens 

Hopatcong's super seniors 

Tuesday night jam session 

•Qua ry Silt S eps into Lake Hopatcong: DEP Slow to React 

•Working Sma l Proves Big for Local Artist •Girl Scouts Tackle Trail Maintenance 

•New Fireboat for Lake Hopatcong 

973-663-2800 • editor@lakehopatcongnews.com 

Four-legged fire prevention ambassador 

Ten years of super summer concerts 

• Algae Invades Lake Hopatcong 

Volunteers Drive 1th Hour Rescue 

• Wiffle Ba l Game Helps Raise Funds 

• Sharing Books One Li tle Fr e Library at a Time

Delicious Dining. Incredible Views. 

Lakeside Dining 

Daily Chef Specials 

On & Off-site Catering 

SCAN THE QR 

CODE TO VIEW 

THE MENU 

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION 

TODAY WITH THE RESY APP 

ORDER TAKE-OUT THROUGH 

THE TOAST TAKEOUT APP 

45 Nolan’s Point Park Rd. Lake Hopatcong, NJ • 973-663-3190 • thewindlass 

ACCESSIBLE BY 

BOAT or CAR! 

WWW.LHGOLFCLUB.COM 

MINILHGC 

SWING INTO THE 2023 SEASON WITH US! 

WE OPEN ON MAY 4TH 

Putt Through History! 

OUR 18-HOLE MINI GOLF COURSE ALONG 

THE SHORES OF LAKE HOPATCONG 

FEATURES MINIATURE REPLICAS 

OF HISTORICAL LANDMARKS 

vWITHIN THE AREA. 

SNACK KIOSK • PARTY PACKAGES 

MINI GIFT SHOP • GROUP OUTINGS 

SPRING HOURS: 

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SATURDAY 11AM - 9PM 

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LAST TEE TIME ON SCHOOL NIGHTS - 8PM 

37 NOLAN’S POINT PARK RD. LAKE HOPATCONG, NJ 973-663-0451 


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Hopatcong $750,000 • 2 Homes *income producing opportunity! Total 

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Roxbury/Landing • Spectacular one owner home designed for entertaining. Sprawling open floor plan from great rm with floor to ceiling stone wood 

burning fireplace, formal dining rm, gourmet custom kitchen and a leisure rm with a built in bar that leads out onto the open deck lakefront. A 1st floor 

bedrm, full bath, and laundry rm. 2nd flr primary suite w/private full bath & deck. Finished lower level offers a complete separate living area with a 

full kitchen/dining area, living rm, game rm, bonus rm, bedroom and full bath. Walk-out to the covered deck & over to the stone patio with an outdoor 

fireplace. 100 ft of waterfront on a level fenced lot, 30ft dock with lift & swim ladder. Heated 2 car detached garage and add’l one car attached garage.

Majestic Lakefront Estate 

Exclusively presented by Kathleen Courter 

Re/Max House Values • 131 Landing Rd., Landing, NJ 07850 

973-420-0022 Direct • 973-770-7777 Office 

Schedule your private tour today. 

www.kathysellslakehomes.com 

Renovated 2021 featuring luxury living. A private 

retreat welcomes you nestled upon a plush private lot. 

Exquisite details from the master chef kitchen that 

opens to the great room over plank wood flooring. A 

double sided fireplace to be enjoyed from dining to living 

room. Step out onto the wrap around deck overlooking 

a five mile stretch of Lake Hopatcong. An abundance of 

features throughout just waiting to be enjoyed. 

340 feet of shoreline 

5.2 private acres 

6500 sq ft,, 3 living levels 

40 x 20 heated in-ground pool & spa 

15 x 15 detached cabana/shop 

5 Bedroom, 4 bath, 3 car garage 

Lower level walk-out suite 

40 ft wrap around covered deck 

Extensive patios for outdoor entertainment 

Lakeside retreat with dock and parking for boats/toys

Fresh air and fun await 

aboard Miss Lotta 

SIGNATURE & THEMED CRUISES, WEDDING CEREMONIES, REHEARSAL DINNERS, 

CORPORATE EVENTS, BIRTHDAY PARTIES BRIDAL & BABY SHOWERS, AND MORE! 

VIEW OUR SCHEDULE AND MORE AT WWW.LHCRUISES.COM 

37 nolan’s point park rd Lake hopatcong, NJ • 973.663.5000 

lhcruise.com lhcruises lake hopatcong cruises

Spring 2023 Issue

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