2023 Memorial Day Issue

INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE REGION
ake Hopatcong News
MEMORIAL DAY 2023 VOL. 15 NO. 2
Th e Sky’s Th e Limit
Roxbury High School’s Aviation Program Takes Flight
WATER SAFETY INITIATIVE
NEW TRAILS FOR JEFFERSON
YOUTH GROUP STEPS UP
ART ASSOCIATION INSPIRES

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4
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023
From the Editor
Ever read something that resonates with your own life experiences, makes you laugh or has
you nodding in agreement? Barbara Simmons’ column in this issue does all of that and more.
I found it funny and relatable, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to lead to many discussions—and
maybe a small number of disagreements—among family and friends.
After reading Barb’s first draft, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at my own experiences—from
childhood to the present day—on the topic she covers.
It’s an issue that I imagine has been around for a long time, maybe even dating back to cave
dwellers, which might give you a bit of a hint as to the subject matter.
The cover story this month is about a relatively new program offered to Roxbury High School
students that involves flight simulators, drones and one large aeronautical chart, which is
essentially a map showing the air space for the tri-state region.
Writer Melissa Summers introduces us to a group of students who are taking part in a course
of study in aviation and aerospace. The program offers a diverse amount of instruction and has
produced its first pilot, Tyler Benedetto, featured on the cover. (See page 22.)
The aviation room at Roxbury was impressive. The day Melissa and I visited the school for
interviews and photos, each student was at a simulator practicing landings, which are rated from
zero (bad) to 100 (nailed it). I wanted to give it a try but after hearing one student proclaim, “Well,
at least I didn’t crash” after receiving a score in the 70s, I thought it best to stick with the camera
and leave the flying to the soon-to-be experts.
Another story found within this issue is inspired by an idea I’ve had for quite some time now.
As I’ve said in the past, I have a notebook (actually, two now) full of story ideas that I’ve collected
over the years. Sometimes an idea is written down in the notebook, then followed up quickly
with a published story. Other times, the idea remains untouched from year to year.
Such was the case with this story about the Art Association in Roxbury. I don’t know what took
me so long to get to the story—it’s been a good eight or 10 years that I’ve had the group on my
list. But here it is. (See page 26.)
What an impressive group of individuals. I am continually amazed at the amount of talent some
people have—whether it be musical, athletic, intellectual or, in this case, artistic.
To get to the finish line with this story I spent a bit more time with the group than I usually do
with other stories. It was not a hardship—it was inspiring. And, if it weren’t for this little job I have,
I know where I’d be spending the first Tuesday of every month.
Also in this issue is a story by Mike Daigle about a somewhat unique trails project underway in
Jefferson. (See page 12.)
While many towns have upped their game when it comes to passive recreation access—
building and blazing miles of trails in forests and such—Jefferson is taking it one step further by
connecting local neighborhoods not with sidewalks but with trails,
getting people off the roads and into the woods.
Many of these short trails and paths are in my neighborhood
(Nolan’s Point) and have become quite popular with the walking
crowd, of which I am one of many. The project is in its infancy, but
the plans are big—yes, there will be miles and miles of new trails in
the forested areas in town as well as the connecting trails between
neighborhoods.
I plan on exploring them all.
If I’m not in the woods, then I’ll be with the artists. Either way,
you’ll know where to look for me.
—Karen
ake Hopatcong News
INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE REGION
Te Sky’s Te Limi
WATER SAFETY INITIATIVE
NEW TRAILS FOR JEFFERSON
Roxbury High School’s Aviation Program Takes Flight
YOUTH GROUP STEPS UP
ART ASSOCIATION INSPIRES
MEMORIAL DAY 2023 VOL. 15 NO. 2
ON THE COVER
Tyler Benedetto at the controls over
Round Valley Reservoir on his first solo
flight from Morristown Airport to Reading
Regional Airport in September of 2022.
(Photo courtesy of Tyler Benedetto)
—Cover illustration by Randi Cirelli
KAREN FUCITO
Editor
editor@lakehopatcongnews.com
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Melissa Summers
Ellen Wilkowe
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Barbara Simmons
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Hopatcong, N.J.: ‘We Call It Lake Life’
lakehopatcongnews.com 5

New Initiative Focuses on Water Safety through Education
Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE
Photos by Karen Fucito
Lake Hopatcong can be a speedway, a
traffic jam, a noisy neighbor—sometimes
all at once.
At 2,600 acres, New Jersey’s largest freshwater
lake can also be a quiet place for fishing,
canoeing, dining or a slow trip on smooth water
into a vibrant setting sun.
Finding the balance can be tricky.
A new initiative launched this spring by the
New Jersey State Police Marine Division at Lake
Hopatcong—supported by the Hopatcong
Borough Police Department and the Morris
County Sheriff’s Office—is reaching out to
the next generation of adult boaters through
water safety assemblies in elementary schools
and boater certification classes for age-eligible
students.
“I got my first boat when I was 13,” recalled
Hopatcong Lt. Ryan Tracey. “I still own one.”
Tracey said he was also 13 when he took his
first boating safety course to receive his initial
operator certificate.
The goal of the initiative is to teach kids,
beginning at age 7, about the safe operation of
a watercraft, general water safety and how to be
respectful to other boaters and homeowners
along the lake, Tracey said.
The goal also is to teach year-round water
safety, said Trooper Anthony Buro, who is
assigned to the Lake Hopatcong State Police
Marine Division. In early May, Buro and Sgt.
Peter Petelicki led a water safety assembly at
Arthur Stanlick Elementary School in Jefferson.
Buro said the safety assemblies for elementary
school students ages 7 to 12 are broken down
by seasons: winter for ice safety and spring for
water safety. Running about 20 minutes, the
assemblies feature a boat and rescue equipment.
The assemblies have been presented in several
lake area schools and as far away as Denville.
The idea, he said, “is to present the training in
any community that has a body of water.”
Buro said winter lake safety is becoming an
increasingly important topic as warmer winters
are not creating the thick ice sheets that would
be the safest. Instead, the ice cover has been
spotty or nonexistent.
“That’s why the first rule of winter operation
is so important,” Buro said.
That rule?
“No ice is safe ice,” he said.
The other winter rules are: Never go onto the
ice alone, and always wear appropriate clothing
for the weather. In other words, wear a winter
coat and proper winter footwear.
Tracey said students attending the winter
safety assemblies are also given information
on how to spot dock bubblers, which are used
to prevent ice buildup around docks. The ice
would be weaker near areas with bubblers.
Buro said the spring safety assemblies focus on
general water and boating safety as presented in
the state police’s boating safety manual.
Also offered is a state boating safety course
to middle school and high school students
ages 12 to 18. The course is presented in one
8-hour session and is free to students. Upon
completion of this course and passing a test,
students are eligible for a state boating safety
certificate (boating license).
A recent class at Hopatcong Middle School
attracted 54 students, said Buro.
Supporting in-person certificate courses
for students, said Tracey, is a series of videos
created by the state police that target specific
boating safety issues.
Tracey said the videos will be made available
to the public through a QR code on posters and
signs distributed at key lake-entry points and
restaurants. At Lee’s County Park Marina, the QR
code will be printed on the receipt every time a
boat is launched, Tracey said.
“Our hope is that the marinas
and businesses on the lake will also
help us,” he added.
The videos will become available
Top to bottom: Trooper Anthony
Buro, center, instructs students
Devyn Parcelluzi and Frank Wilpert
on how to use a rescue throw bag.
Buro and Sgt. Peter Petelicki
presenting to students at Arthur
Stanlick Elementary School.
(Photos courtesy of Stanlick School)
by Memorial Day, Buro said.
“We’re using technology to our advantage,”
he added.
Buro said the six videos for 2023 offer
instruction on required equipment; anchoring
techniques; showing respect for others while
on the water and noise etiquette; operation of
a boat; operation of personal watercraft and
water sport safety.
But it’s not only about reaching the children,
Buro said. The initiative will zero in on educating
the public and marina operators about state
laws regarding boat rentals.
The key will be oversight on businesses that
rent boats, he said. State law allows the state
police to oversee boating-related business
operations.
Buro said boat rental businesses must apply
and register with the state to rent boats. The
marine division is authorized to conduct
periodic checks of such businesses, he said.
The initiative was spurred by the increasing
number of rental boat accidents, Buro said.
In 2019, a Mount Arlington man drowned
on Lake Hopatcong when he fell off a rented
pontoon boat. The driver of the boat was
sentenced to a year in jail for driving under the
influence.
Last year, a couple was on a pontoon boat just
after sunset when it was rammed by a speeding
boat.
And in 2015, 10-year-old Christopher D’Amico
died after he fell off the bow of a pontoon
boat and became trapped between the
pontoons. His death resulted in the passage of
Christopher’s Law. Signed by Gov. Chris Christie,
the law added new restrictions to pontoon
boat rentals, including an extended safety class
before the rental is completed.
Tracey said another key part of the initiative
is to educate the boating public about respect
and consideration of other boaters on the lake
and the lakeside homeowners.
Hopatcong’s Byram Cove has long been a hot
spot for noise complaints and assorted conflicts
6
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023

etween boaters and homeowners. In recent
years, 90 percent of noise complaints were filed
in Hopatcong.
Tracey said the outreach effort is designed to
be “educational.”
The new drive follows an effort fostered by
the Lake Hopatcong Foundation to promote
consideration for all lake users, called “Lake
Hopatcong For All.”
For general lake users, the plan recommended
ideas such as taking measures to prevent
the spread of invasive species; not littering;
practicing proper fuel handling; and putting
into practice some respect and consideration
recommendations.
The plan had a separate set of ideas for Byram
Cove, including entering the cove with little or
no wake; respecting your neighbors; maintaining
a 100-foot navigation corridor when anchoring;
and a suggestion that rafts, tubes and other
floating objects be tied to a rope no longer
than 20 feet to keep them clear of navigation
channels.
The foundation’s efforts have made a
noticeable difference around the lake, said Kyle
Richter, the organization’s executive director,
who welcomes the addition of the police
initiative.
“It’s great to see local, county and state
agencies working together to make Lake
Hopatcong a safer place for everyone to enjoy,”
said Richter.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 7

Knit One, Purl Two, Laugh Out Loud
8
Story by ELLEN WILKOWE
Photos by Karen Fucito
It’s the type of lunch where the dress code is
often as homemade as the meal.
Servers with entrees weave their way to the
tables, drinks are refreshed and a group of closeknit
women in the back room break out into
stitches. It’s a typical Thursday meetup in April.
Everyone is simply, well, having a ball, as in a
good time, as well as the ones they brought.
Welcome to the Knitwits.
Yes, they knit, among other textile crafts.
And, yes, they are very witty, not to mention
extremely charitable.
They have provided felt nests for injured
animals at a wildlife refuge; blankets and booties
for babies (donated to baskets for tricky trays);
blankets for veterans; and prayer shawls for
those who are hospitalized, to name a few
examples.
Then there’s the just-for-me items, such as the
light pink sweater worn by Christine Smith, chief
knitter and mentor of the Knitwits, and also
the woman responsible for stitching the group
together during one of the most isolating times
in recent history.
“It started with four friends sitting 6 feet apart
at my house during December 2020,” said the
Hopatcong resident.
Word-of-mouth through the lake grapevine
quadrupled the group to 18, which was a bit
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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023
too close for comfort in a house. In abiding
by the philosophy of have needles will travel,
the women—all of them members of the Lake
Hopatcong Yacht Club—went semi-public,
perching themselves on the porch of the
historic club building. Word kept spreading,
nonmembers were added and now the group
meets regularly at Patrick’s Pub.
“During the [lake’s] slow season, it’s nice to
support a local business,” Smith said, referring to
the Hopatcong watering hole.
To date, and depending on the season, the
Knitwits boast between 30 to 40 members who
range in experience from newbies to advanced.
Some are women who wear many handmade
hats—and not just knitted ones. There’s avid
crocheters, spinners and needlepointers, too,
among this crowd.
Meet Karen Alonge of Hopatcong, one of the
newest Knitwits members, except she doesn’t
knit.
“My thing is quilting,” she said. “I tried
crocheting, but I wasn’t so into it.”
She is, however, into sewing.
A member of Hopatcong Seniors, Alonge
found out about the Knitwits through Smith,
who is also a member.
“It’s a nice experience to connect with people
who like doing hobbies and crafts,” Alonge said.
As a widow of a Vietnam veteran and a member
of the Lake Hopatcong Elks Lodge Veteran’s
Committee, Alonge jumped at the opportunity
James J. Leffler
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From left to right: Genie Wiss, Toby Nelson
and Sharon Hill discuss a needlepoint project.
Christine Smith working on a project. Carolyn
Adams and Karen Alonge share a laugh.
Dawn Roberts and Toby Nelson hold up a quilt
donated to a patient at the Lyons VA Medical
Center.
to contribute a handmade quilt—complete
with a center-panel eagle—to a recent donation
for the Lyons VA Medical Center. Her blanket,
and about a dozen more, were presented to
Hopatcong Councilwoman Dawn Roberts, a
Gold Star mom and avid veterans’ advocate who
delivered them to Lyons.
“These places can be clinical and cold and
some of these vets are there for an extended
period of time. When they receive handmade
items, they know it’s made from love. They tell
me it feels like a hug from a greatful nation,” said
Roberts.
Alonge said the blanket took her a “good
couple of months,” and disclaims that she made
the eagle. “It’s what we call cheater panels,” she
said.
Alonge is of a core group of 12 to 15 women
who convene at Patrick’s Pub on Thursdays
where, well, knit happens.
The staff at Patrick’s arranges the tables
horseshoe-style to accommodate the unusual
actions of eating while knitting, or maybe
knitting while eating, not to mention some light
sipping.
Smith is quick to crack open her phone to
exhibit an impressive display of handcrafted
creations that were made with love by the
group.
She points to a shawl expertly knitted using
blue glitter yarn as a border between each
triangular pattern. “I think she made this in two
weeks,” Smith said, gesturing across the table to
Sharon Hill.
Smith is equally agape at a white-knit shirt
worn by Carolyn Adams, who was quick to
downplay it as a part of her wardrobe for 20
years.
While many wear their work, expanding their
personal wardrobes is low on the priority list in
this group.
Almost as soon as a blanket or bootie is fresh
off the needles—or in some cases, machines—
the item already has an assigned home at an

organization in need.
Then there were the 60 felt nests donated
to the now-defunct Antler Ridge Wildlife
Sanctuary in Newton. (The sanctuary recently
closed following the death of its founder.)
The tightly knitted felt nests provided warmth
and comfort for rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels,
who were on the mend from injuries.
In addition to charities, family members also
reap the rewards of each member’s skills.
“Five to ten percent of my winter knitting is
given to family members as gifts,” said Sharon
Hill of Roxbury.
A well-versed knitter, Smith takes on the
role of teacher and problem-solver during the
weekly gathering.
“Every newbie starts with [knitting] a
washcloth, a ball of yarn and needles,” Smith
said.
Many of the women such as Alonge and Smith
were pretty much born with a ball of yarn in
their hands.
The granddaughter of a seamstress who
immigrated from Italy to America, Alonge
developed a love for sewing through the love
of her grandmother. “I was always by her side,”
she said.
She flirted with quilting 25 years ago and an
in-person class unleashed her “addiction.”
“The bug bites you,” she said.
Smith, too, developed her crafting skills at the
side of a family member.
“I started learning when I was 4 years old,”
Smith said. “I learned from my mom. She taught
me knitting, embroidery, crochet, sewing and
needlepoint.”
Like Smith, Hill was also introduced to knitting
by way of a family member.
“I started when I was 6,” said Hill who was
wearing a sage green, handmade cardigan. “My
grandmother taught me.”
She found out about the Knitwits through
another knitting group and came on board eight
months ago.
Giving in nature, Hill stitches from the heart
with the sole intention of caring by sharing. She
reaps the warm-and-fuzzy feeling she gets by
giving away her hats and scarves, for example.
“When you knit for someone else, you put
love in all those stitches,” she said.
In addition to knitting, Hill also crochets, spins,
weaves and cross-stitches. She is the proud
owner of three home spinning wheels.
“Yarn shopping and knitting are two separate
hobbies,” she said.
In addition to weekly knit-ups, the ladies
participate in what Smith refers to as class trips.
On a recent Thursday, the ladies were signing
up for a cruise aboard Miss Lotta in June. Here,
the Knitwits will mingle with other knitting
groups for a day of fun, sun and purl one.
The outings are knitting themed and often
include stores that cater to their craft such
as Rows of PurL in Chester (where they also
participate in classes) or The Knitter’s Edge in
Bethlehem.
In the near future, the Knitwits have their
sights set on visiting an alpaca farm and a
spinning and weaving facility.
“It’s been an amazing journey of ideas and a
spontaneous combustion of joy,” Smith said.
As the lunch winds down and the knitting
ramps up, the ladies are asked to inscribe their
names on a wooden plaque on behalf of their
patronage at Patrick’s Pub. The plaque will be
displayed at the restaurant in honor of them.
Come summer, the Knitwits will still include
Patrick’s Pub in their travels but will also branch
out to wherever their yarns and threads may
lead them.
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Jefferson’s Plan for Its ‘Green Assets’ Takes Shape
12
Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE
Photos by Karen Fucito
At 43 square miles, Jefferson Township
is home to miles of frontage on Lake
Hopatcong, deep, winding river valleys and
forested lands.
It is a landscape that brought early settlers to
the township to live and farm. It also offered
the opportunity for industry, which left behind
a community that took roots in the rocky soil.
The early activity also left behind trails,
dirt roads and abandoned railroad beds that
today draw hikers, cyclists and day trippers to
the township to marvel at hilltop vistas, seek
picture-perfect views and conquer challenging
terrain.
But it is a landscape that has left the township
with few places to expand its economic base,
thanks to state law that put a premium on
preserving open space.
The response from the township is to use its
“green assets” to develop additional economic
activity.
“It’s ecotourism,” said Mayor Eric Wilsusen.
Beginning last year, the township offered
support through a resolution for the Lake
Hopatcong Regional Trails Plan that would—
over time—develop a lake-encircling network
of trails for walking, hiking and cycling.
For Jefferson, the idea for this trail system
began in 2001 after the Highlands Act became law
and placed all of Jefferson in the environmentally
sensitive protection zone, which severely limited
development.
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023
An open space master plan developed in 2001
called for preservation as a way to protect the
township’s threatened environment.
By 2021, those preserved lands had become
the “green assets” that could be used to boost
the township’s business community as part of
the lake-wide trails plan.
The plan was kick-started in 2021 by a $1
million donation from lake-area businessman
Bela Szigethy. (Lake Hopatcong News is owned
by Szigethy.)
“Jefferson Township and Morris County have
long been interested in building out trails in this
area,” said Szigethy. “There’s a lot of land with
many existing dirt roads and trails. In the long
run, they can be tied in with the existing trail
systems in Mahlon Dickerson and beyond, like
up to Sparta and even down towards Wharton
and Dover. And, of course, into Lake Hopatcong.”
A trails plan was put together by consultant
Pinto Consulting, which is owned by Frank Pinto,
a former Morris County planning director.
The plan will be outlined at 8:30 a.m. on June
3 on National Trails Day at Our Lady Star of the
Sea Church on Espanong Road, Jefferson.
Russ Felter, manager of park projects for
the Morris County Park Commission, said the
public information session will include a brief
discussion of the plan, the showing of maps and
other information and a walk to the lake along
one of the neighborhood trails.
Briefly, the plan calls for creating a network of
trails, mostly on public land, that would connect
local neighborhood trails—that sometimes
use roadways and sidewalks—to one another,
and then to a regional trail system that already
crosses the lake region.
According to the plan, the trails would also
connect with business areas, points of interest
and public facilities.
Over time, the plan calls for the development
of 24.5 miles of new trails, at an estimated cost
of $5 million.
According to the report: “This is a major
investment of public and/or private funds
that would need to be carefully planned.” It is
possible that up to 80 percent of the cost is
potentially reimbursable
from existing competitive
trail grant programs, the
report stated.
The proposal comes at
a time when nationwide
trail use has increased.
The data collection
website, Jersey Island
Holidays, reported that
in 2018, there were 47.86
million hikers in the
United States. According
to the site, in 2023, there
are 57.8 million.
Bob Canace, president of Conservation
Advising Services, who is consulting on the Lake
Hopatcong trail, said trail use that rose during
the pandemic remained high after the pandemic
passed.
Besides using the 12,000 acres of public lands
owned by Jefferson, the proposed trails would
connect with others in Morris County: Mahlon
Dickerson Reservation, with 2,800 acres; the
Berkshire Valley and Rockaway River Wildlife
Management Areas, which are state-operated
and total 5,600 acres; Minnisink Park at 297 acres;
and the Mount Paul section of the 5,656-acre
Kittatinny Valley State Park.
The system would also connect with
the regional Highlands Trail that runs from
Pennsylvania to Connecticut and the local Lake
Hopatcong Trail that runs along the western
shore of the lake.
Bringing the plan to fruition will require
cooperation from Jefferson and Mount
Arlington, Morris County and state Division of
Parks and Forestry (which runs parks and trails)
and the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife
(which operates the wildlife management areas
with fees from hunting licenses). As such, in
the wildlife management areas, the plan noted
accommodation for hunters and trail uses would
need to be addressed.
The plan envisions a hiker being able to trek
from the Mount Arlington train station to
Kittatinny Valley State Park on a continuous trail,
roughly 18 miles (about a five-hour hike).
With connections into business areas, the plan
offers a potential for economic growth, which
numerous national studies list as a key ingredient
in the development of extensive trail systems.
A 2012 study of the Delaware and Lackawanna
trails in eastern Pennsylvania determined an
average day hiker spent $33.49 during a visit,
while an overnight visitor spent $132 per day and
stayed 2.2 days.
Supporting the trails would be a unified
system of logos and branding materials, including
QR codes linking to services and businesses.
Businesses could, for example, display decals
featuring the trail logo in their front windows.
Wilsusen, Pinto, Felter and Canace, along with
Jesse Merbler and Peter Dolan, both of the New
York-New Jersey Trail Conference, discussed
details of the plan at a planning meeting on April
7.
Key issues were trail construction and safety,
designing local trails to get hikers off streets,
reducing conflicts between hikers and cyclists
Top to bottom: Russ Felter uses ribbon to mark
a new trail in the woods along Castle Rock
Road. Frank Pinto, Bob Canace, Jesse Merbler
and Peter Dolan look at maps during a recent
trail planning meeting.

and other enforcement issues. Also discussed:
how to enlist volunteers to assist in the creation
and maintenance of the system.
Felter and Canace said the Jersey Off Road
Bicycle Association had offered assistance in
addressing conflicts between hikers and cyclists.
Other topics were the larger projects that
would aid in the creation of the trail. For
example, the planned walkway along Brady
Bridge would allow hikers and cyclists to cross
the narrow bridge away from vehicles.
A handful of the neighborhood-connecting
segments have been completed in the Nolan’s
Point and Prospect Point sections of the
township. Most were trails, paths and dirt
roads that already existed and needed minimal
attention.
The larger, more involved trail projects are in
various stages of planning. They include:
In Mount Arlington, two proposed sections.
First, a segment of less than 1 mile that runs from
the Mount Arlington train station along Howard
Boulevard to the Berkshire Valley Wildlife
Management Area.
There, it would connect with a second section
of existing trails leading from the wildlife
management area parking lot off Howard
Boulevard to a new trail hub/visitors center in
Jefferson near the township’s animal shelter
on Minnisink Road. According to the plan, this
would allow access to the entire trail network
from the Mount Arlington train station.
And, in Jefferson: A 1.2-mile segment in the
Lake Shawnee neighborhood near Beaver Brook.
Also in Jefferson: A 4.7-mile segment along an
unimproved roadway called Compton-Gobel
Road. That section would connect Jefferson’s
Longwood Lake neighborhood with a trail head
near Route 15, which would create a safe highway
crossing at Bowling Green Parkway.
A 2-mile extension in the area of the Snow
Bowl Recreation Area on Weldon Road in
Jefferson would connect with trails in Mahlon
Dickerson Reservation and the Mount Paul
section of Kittatinny Valley State Park. The
segment would mostly follow existing woods
roads.
Also in Jefferson: Two sections totaling 1.5
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miles to connect existing trails near Liffy Island
and the Prospect Point Preserve to recreation
areas along Florida Avenue and Mason Street.
These additions would allow access from
neighborhood trails to the nearby Highlands
Trail and the Lake Hopatcong Trail.
Other planned additions would link
neighborhood trails in the Espanong Road
section; use unused woods roads to reach the
Milton Fire Tower on Bowling Green Mountain;
and make known neighborhood parcels
accessible in Nolan’s Point in Jefferson.
“It’s great for walkers and joggers to have a
network of safe, off-road paths to get around
town. Streets are fine, sidewalks are great, but
trails are the best,” Szigethy said.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 13

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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023

JOANNE MADALENA
LOCAL
VOICES
When your youngest daughter wants to join Girl Scouts but the only troop available doesn’t fit into the family’s schedule, you do
what any good mother would do—you start your own. Then, a year later, when your oldest daughter’s troop leaders all step away,
you do what any good mother would do—you become the leader. That’s what Hopatcong’s JoAnne Madalena did 14 years ago.
But she did not stop there. Over the years Madalena, 46, has simultaneously led four Girl Scout troops while also serving as the
Scouts’ service unit manager for the area. She has also helped fundraise for her son’s Boy Scout troop.
WHERE ARE YOU ORIGINALLY FROM? WHAT MADE IT SPECIAL?
I am originally from the Oranges, but I moved to Succasunna in third grade, which was a really
hard adjustment for me because I came from a place where my whole family lived relatively
close to each other and now we were spreading out.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE, HOW LONG AND WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL?
I’ve lived in Hopatcong for about 22 years. It is a wonderful community. I owned a satellite
bakery on Lakeside Boulevard from 2005 until 2008 called Trinacria. We sold baked
products from my father’s bakery (JC’s Italian Bakery in Parsippany). It gave me my first
opportunity to really get to know people in my town.
WHO MAKES UP YOUR FAMILY?
My husband, Dave, our three children, Francesca, 20, Nadia, 18, and David Jr, 15,
along with our dogs, Ciccio and Bailey, and our cats, Nova and Luna.
HOW DO YOU EARN A LIVING?
I am a teacher’s aide (paraprofessional) in a neighboring district.
DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF PERSON YOU ARE.
I love helping others as I believe that is what we are meant
to do. I believe it’s important to be involved and give back. I
love people. We can learn a lot from one another.
WHO HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON
YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
My father. He was such a hard worker. He came to
America from Sicily with about $20 in his pocket,
and he really lived the American dream. He was a
wonderful father and friend to me and an amazing
grandfather to my children. He shared his love for Italy
and Italian music with me. He passed away nine years
ago. I’ve also been influenced by my Girl Scouts. They
blow me away with the ideas they come up with to make
the world a better place and their spirit to help others.
DO YOU VOLUNTEER?
I will be continuing as a Girl Scout troop leader next year
for one or two younger troops while my 18-year-old is
completing her last year. I’m currently training someone
to replace me as service unit manager, where I recruit
volunteers, train new leaders, put troops together and liaison
between our council and our troop leaders.
ANY HOBBIES?
I love meeting new people, dancing and traveling.
IS THERE ANYTHING MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE
SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
While I owned a satellite bakery, unfortunately I never got to
learn the art of baking from my father as I always worked the
retail side of the business. I started working in his bakery at 13
years old.
invested creative involved
I AM I AM I AM
lakehopatcongnews.com 17

At Batten the Hatches, She Brings Boatloads of Experience
Story by ELLEN WILKOWE
Photos by Karen Fucito
Maria Pappas of Mine Hill said she has
boarded “thousands and thousands of
boats,” but nearly all of them never actually left
the docks—at least not with her at the helm.
As the owner of Batten the Hatches in Lake
Hopatcong, Pappas refurbishes boats in their
resting states, specifically the interiors that are
in various stages of disrepair.
“I didn’t grow up thinking this is what I wanted
to do with my life,” said the 56-year-old.
Raised in Dover, Pappas was unfamiliar with
nearby Lake Hopatcong until she took a job at
Bill Smith’s Covers after graduating high school.
“I thought that this is a cool thing, working
on the lake,” she said. “It’s a different kind of
job.”
Not to mention, long-lasting. What started
as a summer job turned into a full-fledged
rewarding career, which has lasted 33 years.
Smith’s shop was housed upstairs in what is
now San Bar Marina on Howard Boulevard.
Pappas praised Smith for showing her the
ropes for all matters concerning boat covers,
upholstery, cushions and materials. The seats
and cushions of a boat are fitted with marinegrade
vinyl, she said, while the covers are made
from Sunbrella, an acrylic woven fabric. When
she began, canvas, a natural cotton fiber, was
the only material used to make boat covers. By
the late 1980s, Sunbrella was introduced and
has since become the industry standard for
boat covers.
“I worked for Bob for five years. Then in 1990,
he wanted to move down south. I bought all his
inventory, took over the business and changed
the name,” she recalled.
Being on her own was challenging, she said,
but through trial and error and perseverance
she learned more about the industry and was
able to build her business.
In the process, she also developed a
tough skin, a byproduct of being a female
entrepreneur in a lake environment dominated
by male business owners—and male boat
owners.
“At the beginning it was intimidating,” she
said. “Especially when I was younger—about
30 plus years ago. I’ve held my own, though.”
By 2013, Pappas said she was looking for
a change and sold the business, thinking
she would work instead as a sales rep in the
industry. But circumstances set her on a
different course, and she wound up buying
back the business before the end of the year.
“Within a year of selling it, the person who
bought it realized it wasn’t something he
wanted to do, so I took it back. He was the
one who moved the shop here [at its current
location on 70 Route 181 in Lake Hopatcong]
and it has worked out very well in the end.”
In working alongside Smith, Pappas
awakened a latent passion for working with her
hands, particularly the creative freedom and
satisfaction that comes with witnessing the
start-to-finish process.
“Every day is different,” she said. “Every job is
custom. Some things take longer than others
and it’s challenging at times, but you figure it
out as you go along.”
She credits her team—three full-timers
and one part-timer—for the success of her
business. “I’ve got a good team here,” she said.
“We bounce ideas off each other.”
But a typical day is often atypical. The flow
of work could be as simple as a single seat
cushion or complex as a custom design.
“Some customers drop off cushions and
others leave their entire boat,” she said.
Pappas pounces on the opportunity to
fabricate a custom interior.
A recent custom job included the
upholstering of an American Offshore boat
with black diamond stitching and checkered
racing strips. The diamonds were individually
cut boxes that were stitched together,
Pappas said. The work was recently entered
into a Chesapeake Marine Canvas Fabricators
Association competition, which is held at the
organization’s annual convention, but the
project did not receive an award.
Pappas said the convention is a great place
to learn and meet other shop owners from
around the country.
“There are seminars for people like us who
have been doing this forever. If there’s a
problem, I can call one of those people and say,
‘Hey, I’m in this situation. Have you dealt with
this before?’ It’s a nice community because
where else can you go and learn this stuff?” she
said.
Just recently, shop manager Travis Amico
came away with top honors for his design on
a 1991 HydroStream boat. The colorful striped
pattern was created to mimic the boat’s
geometric design and took first place in Miami
Corporation’s Miami Madness contest. Miami
Corporation is an industry supplier that hosts
a nationwide competition each year.
So, what exactly does it take to custom
design the interior of a boat or reupholster a
comfortable cushion for four?
Well, physical strength, for one, and of course
a boatload of equipment and the deftness
to operate it. Think industrial-sized Consew
sewing machines (circa 1970), staple guns, drills,
pliers and saws, to name a few.
The calorie burn just comes with the
territory.
“At the end of the day you’re exhausted,”
Pappas said. “Between climbing up and down
ladders, in and out of boats, removing and
installing seats…the job is the workout.”
Given the niche of her business, Pappas all
but shrugged off the possibility of competition.
Those who some might consider to be her
competitors she sees as peers.
“There’s not anything detrimental,” she said.
“There’s enough to go around.”
Physicality and competition aside, Pappas
is most challenged by projects that may take
longer than expected due to unanticipated
snags that often come with renovations.
“I may be doing a seat but then I find I have
to drill out this bolt because it’s rusted,” she
said. “All of a sudden you become a carpenter.
You have to cut a piece of wood and a new
piece of vinyl.”
Left to right: Maria Pappas at one of the shop’s
sewing machines. The seat design by Travis
Amico on this 1991 HydroStream boat recently
garnered a first place award. Amico and Pappas
work side-by-side at one of the shop’s large
work benches.
18
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023

Despite the business’s name, the Hatches
is open year-round except for Christmas and
New Year’s.
Her customers hail from around Lake
Hopatcong and the northern part of the state,
the Jersey Shore and even cross state lines into
Pennsylvania and New York.
“Word gets out, which is nice,” she said.
At the moment, Pappas and her team are in
the thick of their peak season, which begins in
March. From now until sometime in July, they’ve
got their hands full with fabricating custom
boat covers and reupholstering cushions.
After the rush, Pappas may escape with
a book to the beach or visit with extended
family.
While summer keeps her and her crew
among the elements, once the boating season
ends, the work ramps up again. Winter projects,
however, bring them indoors.
“People drop off their boats for interior work
such as flooring jobs, and we store them all
winter,” she said. “We don’t do covers in the
winter or any outside work.”
What she will do, for example, is strip down
a pontoon boat, remove the old carpet, scrape
up the remains, remove the torn-up seats and
present a near-new interior boat to its owner.
On rare occasions, Pappas has had to turn
down projects, considering them unsalvageable.
“If the engine is good and you need some
TLC, we can try and do what we can,” she said.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 21

Roxbury Aviation
First Student Ear
Story by MELISSA SUMMERS
Photos by Karen Fucito
Not many students can say they
landed a plane at LaGuardia
Airport during a simulation at school.
There are even fewer who can say
they landed an actual plane anywhere
at all.
Through a partnership between a
handful of New Jersey high schools
and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association, a unique program is
giving students the chance to not
only explore careers in aviation and
aerospace but to literally learn to fly.
Currently in its third year at
Roxbury High School in Succasunna,
the program has even produced its
first licensed pilot.
The district was approached with the idea for the
program four years ago by a commercial pilot, said
one of the high school’s aviation instructors, Mike
Gottfried. During the fall of 2019, representatives
from the Board of Education attended an AOPA
conference in Denver, Colorado, to learn about
the program. AOPA provides the content for free
to any school willing to implement it, Gottfried
said.
AOPA offers workshops, webinars and other
resources to schools taking part in the program,
Gottfried added, and each district allocates
money in the budget to implement the program.
Gottfried and fellow Roxbury High School
colleague Chris Blough were already teaching
geophysical science and physics. Since much of
the subject matter aligned, they were asked to
take on the aviation courses.
Roxbury High School first offered an
introduction to aviation class during the 2020-2021
school year. “It was in the middle of COVID, so that
was challenging,” Gottfried said of the endeavor.
22
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023

Program Soars with
ning Pilot’s License
The high school has continued to add classes
in the years since and will offer a total of four
different courses next school year. “Anyone can
take the Introduction to Aviation course for their
first year,” Gottfried explained.
During the second year, students can choose to
do the Pilot Pathway, which is two more years of
classroom education towards a pilot’s license. “Or,
they can take our Drone Technologies course. It’s
everything you need to get your Part 107 drone
commercial license,” explained Gottfried.
He describes the pilot course as driver’s
education for pilots. Students learn the ground
portion, and they can choose to take the written
test and enroll in flight training, according to
Gottfried. “Pilot Pathway students will be ready to
take that test at the end of three years,” he said.
“It fits into the curriculum great,” said Matthew
Mawn, supervisor of science, engineering,
technology, design and visual arts at Roxbury
High School. “It’s kind of a mesh of technology,
engineering and science. Students who exhibit
interest in those areas can come put those skills to
the test in the field of aviation.”
Much of the learning materials and tools of
the trade, like maps and plotters and even some
remote control planes, were provided free to
the program by the Civil Air Patrol, a nonprofit
civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force,
said Gottfried. Flight simulators were installed in
the school in the first year. “The following year we
added some more, and this year we are up to 11
simulators,” he said.
Gottfried is currently going for his pilot’s license,
so he brings firsthand experience to the classroom.
“Figuring out where the instruments are, how
the plane works, how to start up the plane, little
details like that, will save you a lot of time and
money when you are in the air,” he said. “I printed
Top to bottom, left to right: Max Corsi at a threemonitor
simulator. Teacher Mike Gottfried at the
aeronautical chart hanging in his classroom.
Gottfried, right, watches as Yuriy Hrytsay lands a
drone on the black case. Yuriy, Tyler Benedetto
and Aaron Pineiro at the simulators. Gottfried,
Aaron, Tyler, Michael Gutierrez, Daniel Sugarman,
Sebastian D’Amoto, Max and Yuriy watch drones
in flight. Tyler operates a drone. Michael, Aaron,
Daniel, Tyler, Yuriy and Max watch as Tyler
maneuvers a drone.
out the checklists that you have to go through
to make sure the aircraft’s ready. I teach that
to them, and they practice on the simulators.”
Tyler Benedetto, 17, a junior from Succasunna,
is one of Roxbury High School’s first success
stories, only two years into the program. He
has wanted to go into aviation for a while, so
when he started high school and heard about
the new program, he said he had to take it.
“It was the push I needed. I took it and ran
with it,” he said.
“I learned everything I needed to know for
the written test,” Tyler said. That left the pilot
training, which can be expensive. “Gottfried
and I applied for a scholarship from AOPA both
years. My sophomore year they implemented a
requirement where you had to pass the written
test in order to apply and that cut down the
number of applicants,” said Tyler. This change
resulted in both of them receiving $10,000
towards flight training. “So that was the last
piece I needed.”
He began training with American Flyers in
Morristown on Memorial Day 2022, finally
earning his license on February 1 of this year,
just three months after getting his driver’s
license.
“I want to be an airline pilot—that’s the goal,”
said Tyler. “There are a few different licenses
and ratings that you need. Right now, I can
fly a single-engine plane, up to six passengers,
in nice weather—to put it in simpler terms.
There’s an instrument rating that allows you
to fly in bad weather and then you do your
commercial rating, which allows you to fly in
bigger planes. From there, you’ll build hours.
After 1,500 flight hours, the last thing you need
is the airline transport pilot license [ATP]. When
you get that license, that’s when you can go to
the airlines.”
Tyler plans to attend college at either Embry-
Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona
Beach, Florida, or Arizona State University,
where he’ll earn all the ratings and licenses he
needs, plus a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical
Science.
This year, Tyler and sophomore Yuriy Hrytsay
started an Aviation Club. They welcome
anyone with an interest in aviation, especially
those who might not have been able to fit the
program into their schedules. “The club has
exceeded all of our expectations,” said Yuriy,
16, of Kenvil. “It is based on fostering a love for
aviation, as opposed to teaching aviation.”
Yuriy, currently in his second year in the
aviation program, was surprised by how much
he’s learned. “There’s a lot you don’t see on the
surface. Someone flying an airplane is turning
the steering wheel. They are moving some
levers. It’s all the stuff that happens before and
after the flight, all the calculations and all the
preparation. A lot of people see the math and
science and they get bored. Maybe I’m biased. I
think this is fun math.”
The course shows students the real-world
application of what they are learning. “I can go
on a simulator and use the calculations that I
made to fly from an airport to an airport using
weight and balance, using the amount of the
fuel that I calculated I need,” Yuriy said.
“I can take what I did on paper and bring it
not necessarily into the real world because it’s a
simulator, but as close as we can get in a school
setting. I don’t think Roxbury’s going to pave
a nice runway for us in the back,” Yuriy added
with a laugh.
Like Tyler, Yuriy wants to become a
commercial pilot. But he’s taking a different
approach—a training program sponsored by
United Airlines called Aviate.
“It’s a four-year program. You spend the
first year getting all your licenses—private
pilot, instrument, multi-engine, everything you
need,” said Yuriy.
The next three years he’ll work as a certified
flight instructor, gaining experience and racking
up flight time, he said. “You’re training other
people to fly, and you’re getting paid for it, so
it’s kind of a win-win-win.” Once he’s earned his
airline transport pilot license, Yuriy said he’ll be
guaranteed an interview with one of United’s
subsidiaries.
Senior Max Corsi, 17, of Succasunna, was
in the program for two years but was unable
to include it this year. He’s now a member
of the Aviation Club. “I’ve been interested in
flying for a really long time, but more into the
engineering and math side of it,” he said. But
it is his love of the aircraft and how they work
that has given him direction.
He’ll be attending Purdue University next
year, where he’ll study Aeronautical and
Astronautical Engineering. His dream job is to
work at Boeing or Lockheed Martin, where he’d
be able to envision and build the very planes
on those simulators.
“Knowing how to fly a plane, what the pilot
sees and feels, is going to make it easier,” said
Max. “I’ll have a better understanding of what
to make, what to design.”
Administrators remind students that the
field of aviation doesn’t just include pilots,
said Mawn. The school has brought in guest
speakers, held career panels and even invited
the New Jersey State Police to land their
helicopter at the school. Field trips are also part
of the experience.
On a recent trip to Newark Liberty
International Airport, Mawn said students
were escorted into the air traffic control tower
to observe the magic behind real takeoffs
and landings. They went to the maintenance
hangar; they saw inflight food being prepared.
“If a student does have an interest and wants
to check it out, I highly encourage them to join
the club or try Intro to Aviation. There are a lot
of fun things going on here,” said Mawn. “There
are a lot of ways to explore the skies.”
lakehopatcongnews.com 23

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lakehopatcongnews.com 25

Art is the Same in Every Language
26
Story and photos by KAREN FUCITO
If art is a universal language, then the hundreds
of current and past members of the Art
Association in Roxbury have been speaking the
same creative language since 1965.
The art association was founded by members
of the Roxbury Woman’s Club as a community
service project. Forty people showed up for
the first meeting, which was held at the First
Presbyterian Church of Succasunna.
The group has been meeting monthly since
then, moving from the church to various other
locations in the township. The group is currently
meeting back at the church on the first Tuesday
of every month.
Not bound by the geographic borders of
Roxbury, the association has been attracting
professional and amateur artists—and nonartists—from
all corners of northern New Jersey.
By 1991, when the association celebrated its 25th
anniversary, the group was 140 members strong.
Today, there are 50 members but not all are
active, said former AAR President Annette Lange,
62, whose mother was an original member of the
group.
One of the longest-serving members is Carol
Manochio, 81, who has lived in Succasunna
for 53 years and joined the association in 1973,
when it was a well-established club filled with
artists who wanted to meet with other artists.
Her participation ebbed and flowed, she said,
depending on family commitments.
“Each time I had a baby, I stopped coming,”
chuckled the mother of four. Manochio, who
works with watercolors and oils, has been a
steady member since 2003 and said she is most
fascinated by the group’s camaraderie.
Since its inception, the association’s focus has
been on sharing knowledge from across multiple
mediums, giving members a chance to be
exposed to other artists’ techniques, styles and
procedures.
At each meeting, demonstrations are offered by
a well-known local artist of watercolors, pastels,
oils or any other medium. With craned necks and
intense interest, members often ask pertinent
questions as the artist goes through the process
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023
of creating a piece of art. It’s what distinguishes
this group from other art groups, said Joan
Thomas, association secretary. Demonstrators are
paid from the association’s yearly membership
fee of $35.
“It’s a great learning experience,” said Wendy
Stamer, 76, of Sparta, a former AAR president
who started with oils and watercolors. Stamer,
who is known for Sussex County landscapes,
began painting in 1980. “You can pick up tips,
whether you are a beginner or a professional.”
Carol Kouba, 70, from Fredon, another past
president, agrees.
“I learn something from every demonstration,
even though I may not use that medium,” said
Kouba, who works in oil, pencil and Japanese
marbling and said she enjoys the exposure of a
new technique of art at each meeting.
“I found that the people in the group are very
supportive of other artists. In some settings, it
isn’t always that way, but people in this group are
supportive.”
That support can also be found in the
association’s biannual critiques. Twice a year,
members welcome the opportunity to have their
works critiqued, once by an outside professional
and another time by one another.
“I find the critiques valuable,” said Thomas.
“Everyone is very honest but in a helpful and
uplifting way.”
During its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, the
association was equal parts art association and
social club. Not only did the group enjoy field
trips to museums and galleries but also organized
dinner dances and social events. The 25th
anniversary celebration was a formal masquerade
ball that attracted “a good amount of people,”
said Lange.
But in recent years, with membership waning
and those remaining getting to a certain age, the
association has come to a crossroads of sorts.
In 2022, the bylaws were rewritten, which
would allow club duties to be spread among
more members, said Lange.
“We’re in that mode to make it less structured
and easy to volunteer, giving smaller tasks to
more people,” said Thomas, 67. She, along with
all other club officers, will be taking turns running
meetings and keeping the club organized and
viable, she said.
That includes keeping the meetings available
on Zoom.
“Before COVID, all we did was meet face to
face and it was sometimes difficult to get people
to sit down because everyone was so social,”
said Thomas. “COVID and Zoom took that away.
Now that we’re hybrid, live and Zoom, it’s been a
challenge to get everyone to come back.”
On average, she said, each meeting attracts
about 20 people in person with a handful joining
on Zoom.
One of those who attends regularly is Kate
Paccioretti, a painter who splits her time between
her home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and her
childhood home in Jefferson Township. At the
urging of family friend, neighbor and artist
Irene Spratt, Paccioretti and her mother, Ginny
Paccioretti, joined the art association about a
year ago.
At 33, Kate Paccioretti is the youngest member
and has taken on the role of vice president,
tasked with recruiting new members.
“You don’t need to be a practicing artist to be
a part of this club. You don’t need a portfolio
to become a member. If you like to see art, talk
about art or see the demos, you can become a
member. It’s about the appreciation of art,” said
Paccioretti.
Her mother, who works full time in a local
school system, is a prime example.
“When I am retired, I look forward to having the
time to focus on my own artwork,” said the elder
Paccioretti, 68, who was accepted to art school
out of high school but chose another path. “Every
time I go to a meeting, I’m more encouraged to try
to start doing something again. I haven’t shown

Far page, clockwise: At the May meeting,
pastel artist Laurie Harden, right, demonstrates
upside down portraiture. Artist Irene Spratt with
a collection of her botanical watercolors at the
Roxbury Public Library. Also at the library, a
display of Spratt’s Ukrainian Easter eggs. This
page: Debbie Harrington, center, watches the
artist demonstration at the April meeting.
any of my work yet. I have the supplies. I have
what I need. But I gain more encouragement each
time I go. I think everyone there enjoys seeing the
demos, enjoys seeing each other’s work.”
The younger Paccioretti has crafted a
recruitment plan that will ramp up later this
summer and will include visits to local colleges
where she will speak with professors and students
and hopefully “get young people who are already
studying art involved.”
She also plans a big push on social media.
“Currently, there is no strong presence, not
a big following. Up to now, it’s been mostly for
the members,” said Paccioretti, who recently
won a handful of prestigious awards and sells her
paintings on Etsy, at art fairs, markets and other
events. She also donates a portion of her sales to
the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Long-time member Donna Kusama, who is in
her late 60s, concurs.
“I have a passion for art, and I want to join with
others who have the same feelings. Art is good
for my mental health,” she said.
Since its inception, the association has been
displaying art across the state. In the early days,
Roxbury Township’s former municipal building
was used for shows. When the County College
of Morris was built, the shows were moved there,
with each new show garnering a formal cocktail
reception.
In the recent past, the association has shown
at the Sussex County Community College and
the Morris County Library. In April, the group was
featured at the Bernardsville Public Library.
At the Roxbury Public Library, members rotate
through a schedule, showcasing their work in a
prominent place in the main room.
For the month of April, Jefferson’s Spratt was
the featured artist, with her watercolors of
botanicals—“they’re kind of like my babies,” she
said—and pysanky eggs (commonly known as
Ukrainian Easter eggs) on display. The association
also uses the library for occasional group painting
sessions, said Manochio.
“At the recent show in Bernardsville, when
you looked around, the room was a perfect
representation of what the club is about,” said
Paccioretti. “We’re not just pastels or water
colorists or portraitists—there was every type of
art.”
For more visit ArtAssociationInRoxbury.org.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 27

Elks’ Youth Division Inspires Empathy, Volunteerism
Story by ELLEN WILKOWE
Photos by Karen Fucito
It’s Friday night and the weekend is finally in
full view and wide open with possibilities.
For a select group of youths, Friday night may
mean heading to Lake Hopatcong Elks Lodge
#782 in Mount Arlington and serving up dinner
to members and the community at large.
Add to that schoolwork, sports, social lives
and other assorted extracurricular activities,
and it’s just another week in the life of an Antler,
otherwise known as a junior Elk.
Steeped in history, the Antlers were organized
in the late 1930s as the youth division of the Elks.
According to the Elks USA website, the group
was formed as a means for “young people in
our communities to get involved with the Elks
in the many service-related projects” sponsored
by local lodges.
The program is open to 12- to 21-year-olds.
The qualifications for membership are to be an
American citizen, a person of good character
and to believe in the existence of God. As with
the Elks, the Antlers program is also deeply
rooted in patriotism while fostering respect for
parents and love of home.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
was launched in 1867 by a group of theatrical
men who called themselves the Jolly Corks and
met often for their own amusement. After the
death of a member—who left behind a wife
and children—the entertainers decided the
group needed to use their talents as a way to
serve those in need. The group adapted many
traditions and formalities from the Freemasons
and always put service to others at the forefront
of their mission.
The Elks remained a men’s-only organization
until 1995, when women were admitted. The
Lake Hopatcong Antlers currently reflects a
greater young women to young men ratio and
boasts 18 members.
Two of these members are Adrianna Martin,
18, of Rockaway, and her brother Matthew, 15.
The lodge community has been part of the
siblings’ upbringing. Their mother, Samantha
Martin, is exalted leader and has been involved,
along with husband, Eric, with the Elks for more
than 20 years.
“Our kids grew up in the lodge,” said Samantha
Martin. “We were there all the time.”
They still are, except now, she said, their
children are official members as well.
The experience made such an impact on her
daughter that, when she became of age, she
wanted to join, as did Martin’s son when he
became eligible.
“I grew up around the lodge, so I’ve been
around the Antlers since I was very young,”
Adrianna Martin said.
The involvement has broadened her horizons
in terms of making new friends, having
new experiences and helping people in the
community.
Kaitlyn Erickson, 18, of Rockaway, also came
into the Antlers by way of family members who
were immersed in lodge life.
“My parents and some of my parents’ friends
were involved as members of the Elks Lodge
before I joined,” she said.
Erickson initially tested the waters by
volunteering to serve Friday night dinners, and
her future involvement snowballed from there.
“After a short time, I really began to enjoy
volunteering and got involved in doing summer
barbecues, holiday events, working events for
children with special needs, our annual Leap in
the Lake.”
Erickson ramped up her involvement even
more after being elected to the Antlers’ board
where she first served as secretary for the youth
program and then as president. She currently
holds the position of chaplain.
“During these years, I got involved a lot
more with the lodge and getting to know the
members and those who help out with events,”
she said. “Each individual I meet is extremely
kind and wanting to help the community.”
Over the years, Samantha Martin noticed
that kids like Erickson—as well as her own—
who have
been exposed
to the Elks’
combination of
volunteerism
and altruism, have developed compassion for
the causes at hand—specifically children with
special needs and veterans.
With a tenet of patriotism, the Elks attract
veterans as members and visitors, especially
to the Friday night dinners where the Antlers
volunteer as servers.
The youth group also participates in Leap
in the Lake, an annual lodge fundraiser for
children with special needs. Antlers can be
found not only helping during the event but
also participating, putting together a team and
raising money.
Funds are also raised from earnings received
from the lodge’s clothing donation bins, hosting
one of the weekly Wednesday night barbeques,
the annual Mother’s Day flower sale and other
lodge events.
Each month, the Antlers give $100 of the
money they’ve raised to a charity of its choice.
Some of the organizations that have reaped
the benefits of their efforts include: Roots
& Wings, a nonprofit that works with foster
children; Eleventh Hour Rescue, an animal
Top to bottom, left to right: Volunteers, including
London Long, center, prepare and serve food at
the annual fish fry at the Lake Hopatcong Elks
Lodge. Volunteers, including Antlers Kaitlyn
Erickson, center, and London, right, in the lodge
kitchen. Samantha Martin and her daughter,
Adrianna Martin. Erickson busses tables during
a recent Friday night dinner.
28
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023

escue; Susan G. Komen, a breast cancer
foundation; and Pink Witches Night Out, an
annual fundraiser in October that benefits a
woman in the community in need of breast
cancer treatment.
Come holiday time, the Antlers adopt two
families and fulfill the wish lists of the children
by purchasing gifts.
Funds raised are also used to help defer the
cost of the annual Peer Leadership Conference
held at Ocean Place Spa in Long Branch every
February.
In its 34th year, the three-day conference
for middle and high school students features
motivational speakers who teach students to be
leaders in their schools and communities. It also
includes a one-day path to leadership program
for middle schoolers.
The conference is coordinated by a team
led by Lisa Rovito, the New Jersey State Elks
Association drug awareness chairperson.
Given her background as a certified substance
abuse counselor, Rovito, who lives in Hopatcong,
became involved with the Elks at the urging of
her late husband, who was a member for more
than 30 years.
What started primarily as a drug awareness
and prevention weekend, has evolved into
an all-encompassing retreat with workshops
that tackle timely issues such as social media
awareness, cyberbullying, emotional intelligence
and, of course, leadership, said Rovito.
“In addition to substance abuse, they address
dealing with stress, peer pressure, bullying
and just about every issue that teenagers face
today,” she said.
The 2023 conference attracted 450 Antlers
from across the state.
This was Rovito’s fifth year as state chairperson.
In the past year, she and Martin have swapped
leadership roles, with Martin taking the helm
as exalted leader and Rovito serving as group
leader and advisor for the Antlers.
The Antlers, too, take on leadership roles
within the organization, filling 10 administrative
positions.
Due to the hectic schedules of middle and
high school students, the Antlers hold most of
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their monthly meetings during actual events.
“Trying to get a bunch of high school kids
together for a meeting is near impossible,”
Rovito said. “Some are involved in soccer,
baseball, cheerleading. They are good kids. They
are active in everything.”
In moving the organization forward, Martin is
focused on the next generation.
“This isn’t your grandfather’s type of club,”
she said. “There’s a younger crowd.”
With a passion to serve their communities,
lead and make friends in the process.
“We make our time fun by bonding with
one another,” Erickson said. “I truly cherish the
friendships and the community that we have
built at the lodge.”
Wishing everyone a safe and healthy Spring launch.
745 US 46 W • Kenvil, NJ
God Bless America
lakehopatcongnews.com 29

Rescue Group Raises Money for
Story and photos by KAREN FUCITO
Homeless Pets
Stanhope Mayor Patty Zdichocki and her partner, Maria Grizzetti, were guests of
honor at a fundraiser benefiting homeless pets and pets of domestic violence
survivors.
Hosted by Only Kindness Rescue, a Passaic County nonprofit, no-kill organization,
the event raised over $7,000.
Also recognized at the fundraiser were staff from DASI, a Newton-based nonprofit
that helps victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence and human trafficking.
The organization also aims to provide a pet-friendly place for those escaping abuse.
Held in April at the Lake Hopatcong Elks Lodge in Mount Arlington, the event drew
just over 70 guests. Money was raised through a 50/50 raffle and a live auction that
included the hawking of two boxes of the new Raspberry Rally Girl Scout cookie, which
are unavailable to New Jersey residents. Each box sold for $100.
Since adopting two cats from Only Kindness Rescue in 2019, Zdichocki and Grizzetti
have supported the group through donations, food drives and referrals.
Zdichocki, a three-time Volunteer of the Year for DASI, connected the two nonprofits.
A portion of the money raised at the fundraiser will go to DASI, said Mary Linn Lombardo,
founder and executive director of Only Kindness Rescue.
“The money raised will be used to help provide options for victims of domestic
violence to leave their abusers without having to give up their pets or leave them behind
in danger,” she said.
From top left, clockwise: Lynn and Roy Wilson. Patty Zdichocki and Maria Grizzetti. Ellen and
John Thiessen, Rob and Cheryl Martins. Dana DiCrosta, Judy and Joan Walsh, Stephanie and
Cynthia Spera. Kim Spangenberg, Athena Storm, Heather Scott, Dan Slavik. Cindy Weisz,
Stacy Shapiro, Jodi Cirignano, Maryann Esposito. Michael and Dorothy DeLorenzo. Kim and
Peter Jungfer. Sandy Suker and Rhonda Dray.
30
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023

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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023

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HISTORY
A Beacon in the Styx
by MARTY KANE
Photos courtesy
of the
LAKE HOPATCONG
HISTORICAL
MUSEUM
This spring I learned that, after a 21-year
run, Mario Ferra sold Pavinci Italian Grill
to three partners who already own two pubstyle
restaurants in Manhattan. Renovations
to the River Styx location are expected to be
completed shortly and include a new deck and
remodeled interior.
The new establishment will be known as
The Beacon and continues the evolution of
this location, which has been home to several
popular long-term businesses over many years.
River Styx Cove was sparsely developed
in 1906 when Martin Kjellman established a
houseboat as a refreshment stand. The August
11, 1906 edition of the Lake Hopatcong Breeze
reported that “the house boat [sic] on the
Styx is pictured on souvenir postcards. Martin
Kjellman, the Captain, does his utmost toward
keeping the Styx dwellers cool.”
A 1908 advertisement bills the houseboat
as “the most unique and popular place on the
lake for all kinds of refreshments, such as ice
cream, fancy biscuits, orangeade, soft drinks …
Cigars, tobacco and souvenir postals for sale.”
To convince boat owners that River Styx
Cove was not too shallow to navigate, early
ads for the houseboat noted “water deep
enough for launches.” Kjellman’s idea proved
successful, and his business grew.
The June 29, 1912 edition of the Breeze
reported that “the houseboat on the Styx is
no more. It has changed into something better
and more beautiful, as a butterfly comes forth
from its chrysalis. It is now the Pagoda, which
the dictionary informs us means a Hindu
temple. The Pagoda in the Styx is indeed a
temple of pleasure.”
The article further noted that “the structure
with its wide porches, white columns and
unique roof makes a pretty picture and is well
worth a visit in itself to say nothing of the dainty
refreshments served there for a consideration
by the busy hands of Mrs. Kjellman.”
While the Breeze reporter may have been a
bit confused about the architectural style of
the River Styx pagoda, one can imagine how
surprised visitors arriving for the 1912 season
were to see this new structure. How odd it
must have seemed to enjoy a refreshment
in this Asian-inspired building while looking
across River Styx at the imposing hotel Castle
Edward, built to resemble a European castle.
The early Pagoda offered useful items such
as film and postcards, along with Schrafft’s
chocolates and Viedt’s ice cream served on an
open-air porch.
The porch was enclosed, and an addition
was built during the 1920s and 1930s to create
a luncheonette and soda fountain. By 1940,
the Pagoda added a swimming dock, housed
the post office, offered bungalows for lease
and became a popular spot to rent boats
and canoes, while still maintaining the lunch
counter and soda fountain.
During this era, the Pagoda also housed
Goody’s Bike Station, where visitors could rent
bikes for 25 cents per hour or $1.50 per day.
Following World War II, the Pagoda added gas
pumps for boats and cars.
The Kjellmans sold the Pagoda in the late
1920s to the Osterblom family, who owned it
for nearly 40 years, until they sold to Lennie
Eisenstein in the mid-1960s.
Envisioning the business as a full-service
restaurant, Eisenstein built another addition,
which he called the Lobster Shack. Len E’s
Pagoda and Lobster Shack proved to be very
popular. When the church next door became
available, Eisenstein had even grander plans.
The first church services in the Borough of
Hopatcong were held during the
late 19th and early 20th centuries
by the Rev. T.A.K. Gessler at Tangle
Wild, his property in Davis Cove. After the
Hopatcong School (later Hudson Maxim
School) was built in River Styx in 1908, church
services were conducted in the one-room
schoolhouse. Locals noted that the borough
had a jail but no church.
On July 2, 1911, the cornerstone for the West
Side Church, the borough’s first church, was laid.
Gessler preached at the nondenominational
church until his death in 1925.
In 1949, following a vote of the congregation,
the church became the West Side United
Methodist Church. After a 1968 fire gutted the
inside of the church, the congregation decided
more space was needed. A new church was
built across River Styx Bridge on Maxim Drive,
opening in 1971.
The old West Side Church structure seemed
headed for the wrecking ball, but Lennie
Eisenstein had another idea.
Having doubled the size of the Pagoda,
Eisenstein bought the church building and
connected it to his existing establishment,
creating one large restaurant. Though unique,
the expansion proved to be a step too far.
Overextended financially, the restaurant was
forced to close.
The business reopened under new owners
as the Jolly Buccaneer in 1975 and, after being
sold again, became the Lighthouse in 1978. The
Lighthouse operated as a dinner theatre for a
year before latching onto the disco craze of
the late 1970s.
With its large dance floor and numerous bars
on multiple levels, The Lighthouse became
one of the most popular clubs in New Jersey,
drawing customers from a wide area. The
steeple of the church served as the Rock
Room, a unique venue for live bands.
Following the Lighthouse’s closure in the mid-
1980s, several other restaurants experienced
various degrees of success at the location.
During this period the unique remaining
portion of the old pagoda roof was covered.
(It remains under the existing roof, should a
future owner wish to revisit the establishment’s
original theme.)
With the turn of the century, the property
was split into three different businesses and
given fresh life by new owners led by Scott
Barber.
Johnny’s Marina, long run by the Salamone
family, offers boat slips, sales, repairs and a wide
variety of boating and fishing
supplies. In the former church
structure, Barber and his team
established the Barber Shop,
a state-of-the-art recording
studio. And in the restaurant
Far left: The Pagoda, circa 1912,
which replaced a houseboat,
circa 1908, that served
refreshments (immediate left).
34
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023

space, Mario Ferra opened Pavinci Italian Grill
in 2002. It remained a mainstay at the lake for
two decades with its Italian menu, live music
and popularity as a venue for parties and group
functions.
When Ferra hosted his last event at Pavinci’s
in February 2023, an era ended. A new one
is about to begin under the leadership of
Brendan Clinkscales and two business partners,
Shane Buggy and Mike Brannigan.
The trio, all originally from Ireland, operate
the Copper Still pubs in Manhattan’s East
Village and Chelsea neighborhoods. Their goal
when opening the first location nine years ago
was to offer a family-style Irish pub with a great
whiskey selection.
Clinkscales, who lives in Sparta with his wife
and two children, handles the day-to-day
management responsibilities. The 36-year-old
has been involved with restaurants since he
was 20 and plans to be at The Beacon full time.
He expects the menu to be similar to the
New York City locations, which he described
as “modern American,” with a prolific beer,
wine and alcohol selection. The Beacon will be
open seven days a week and will offer 14 dock
slips, which are part of the long-term lease.
Clinkscales said he looks forward to adding
weekend breakfast in the future and music
once they are established and have a better
understanding of the musical tastes of the
clientele.
He stressed that he wants The Beacon to
be a valued member
of the community,
adding that the
Borough of Hopatcong
has been great to
work with in getting
the new business
going. While much has
changed in the years
since a houseboat first
arrived in River Styx, this site continues to
make Lake Hopatcong a more interesting
and vibrant place.
See you at The Beacon!
From top, clockwise: The Lighthouse advertisement. The Pagoda, circa 1910, with West Side
Church peeking through the top of the trees. The author (left) with best friend, Steve Kleiman,
investigating the building of the Lobster Shack in 1970. A poster featuring special guest Lawrence
Taylor at The Lighthouse in 1985.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 35

COOKING
WITH SCRATCH ©
Pick a Door,
Any Door
36
by BARBARA SIMMONS
Photo by KAREN FUCITO
Is it the front door
or the back door?
I wonder if many
of you have a front
door versus back door controversy at your
house.
What do you call the front door? Is it the
one everyone uses to enter and exit the
house or another more formal, less used one
on a different side of the house?
This was definitely an issue in the home
I grew up in on the lake. This argument
resurfaced when my husband and I bought
our house over 30 years ago.
Some of you may argue there are other
factors—such as location—that determine
which is the front door. If you think it’s the
door that faces the street, that would make
me right in both locations—Ha! But there are
several who would argue with me.
At the lake, we entered and exited on the
side of the house where there were steps
going up to a landing and a door that led to
the mudroom. There was a doorbell on this
door, which, in and of itself, should classify
it as a front door, right? The mudroom led
into our kitchen. Most everyone in the house
agreed it was the front door.
But my father, Horst Kertscher, insisted
the front door was the one that faced the
lake, on the other side of the house. Yes, the
view was more aesthetically pleasing, but
that door was only used by the Jehovah’s
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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023
Witnesses and people who were lost, asking
for directions. It also opened into our living
room and we kids weren’t supposed to use
that door when returning from the lake with
sandy feet and wet bathing suits.
In addition, the route to Horst’s “front
door” was a bit more roundabout. You had
to come up from the garage, take a left onto
the concrete sidewalk, walk around the side
of the house, up some steps and walk across
the rocky outcropping the house was built
upon. Then you had to traverse a small patch
of lawn before you got to a flagstone landing
leading up the stairs to the living room door.
Actually, there were three doors at the
lake house: Horst’s front door, my front
door and a side door that opened onto a
concrete patio that led to what we all called
the backyard. After swimming, we were
supposed to hang our towels and bathing
suits on the clotheslines strung between the
big oak trees … not draped over the dining
room chairs.
It’s also where we set up the grill when we
had company on the weekends. Our picnic
table was back there, too.
My husband, Aaron, and I have disagreed for
the last 30 years about which door is which
in our current home. As a matter of fact, we
recently argued about it at the garden center
when he said he wanted to buy an additional
hanging basket of geraniums for the front
door, in addition to the two I had chosen for
the (other) front door.
At our house, my kids and I agree that
the front door is the one everyone uses to
enter and exit, the one that opens to the
mudroom and kitchen (just like at the lake),
the one the UPS driver leaves packages at. It
also faces our street.
Aaron says our front door is the living
room door. Like Horst’s front door, it is rarely
used except to let the cat in and out, and it’s
where the occasional wayward floral delivery
ends up. And, yes, it is also the one that the
Jehovah’s Witnesses knock on when they are
in the neighborhood.
The difference between our house and the
lake house is that here, Aaron’s “front door”
is one quarter of the way around the corner
of the house from my front door.
We don’t have a back door at all.
OK, so I Googled “is there a difference
between a front door and a back door” and
this is what I found:
“Generally speaking, front doors face
the street and the public. The front door is
where one meets the postman and watches
a passing parade. By contrast, the back door
and backyard are private: it is where families
have barbecues, swimming pools and store
things they don’t want the public to see.”
However, as you know, you can always
support both sides of an argument when you
Google an answer to a question! Read on:
“So, is there a difference between back
doors and front doors? The answer is no,
the choice of door is simply down to your
preference and your needs. These doors
make the perfect entranceway into the front
or back of your home and can even be fitted
on garages and sheds.”
But wait, there’s more:
With additional Googling, I learned the
placement of front and back doors is a very
important aspect of feng shui, the Chinese
belief that harmonious energy—and better
fortune—can be achieved by the positioning
of furniture and other objects.
“Having a direct line of sight from the front
to the back of a home is considered poor
feng shui because with nothing to slow or
redirect it, qi (energy) will rush straight from
the front door out the back. This allows the
energy, which might bring luck or money,
to leave your home without circulating and
bestowing its benefits.”
So, neither of my homes—childhood or
present—have had this direct line of sight
issue. Phew. Thank goodness we’ve had good
feng shui all these years.
Having lived in the lake house for about
20 years and in our current house for about
35, I can’t say that the front door versus back
door controversy has ever been satisfactorily
resolved. Perhaps not calling them front or
back doors would work? Can we just call
them kitchen doors or living room doors?
Maybe being a little more specific would
solve the problem
It seems I’ve lived in homes that have had
hybrid front-back-side doors. What’s it like at
your house? Do you agree which is the front
door and which is the back door? What about
your yard? Are the members of your family in
agreement about which yard is which?
I think we can all relax a bit and have a good
chuckle over this. Regardless of what you
believe, you can make this recipe for roasted
vegetables and enjoy it while sitting outside
in warmer weather. I’ll let you decide which
door you use to get there.

Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables
This can be served as a side dish as part
of a larger grill menu. (The vegetarians in
your family will thank you for the meat-free
option.) Serve the tzatziki and crumbled feta
cheese in separate bowls and the warmed
pita bread cut in halves or quarters in a
basket.
I also like to serve this on its own as a
veggie gyro sandwich topped with tzatziki
and crumbled feta cheese.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Veggies
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut into
large cubes
1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
and sliced into 1/2” half moons
1 medium summer squash, cut in half
lengthwise and sliced into 1/2”
half moons
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut
into large cubes
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into
large cubes
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded
and cut into large cubes
1 large red onion, cut into thick slices
Dressing
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1 tablespoon (or to taste) kosher salt
Tzatziki
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup grated cucumber
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried or fresh dill
Salt and pepper, to taste
For serving:
Crumbled feta cheese
3 pitas, warmed in the oven or on the grill,
sliced in halves or thirds
Procedure
Prep all of the vegetables and put them into a very large bowl. Whisk the dressing
ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour the dressing onto the vegetables, giving them a
good toss. In another bowl, combine all the ingredients for the tzatziki, stir and set aside.
Oven method:
1. Preheat oven to 420 F. Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position. If using two pans, use
the two lowest positions.
2. Place vegetables on a large sheet pan and roast them for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring
halfway. Cook until they are well done and nicely caramelized. If using two sheet pans,
rotate them top to bottom halfway through the roasting.
Grill method:
1. Bring the grill to a very high heat.
2. If you have a perforated grill basket, you can use it for this recipe. You can also use a sheet
pan if you have one that fits your grill and allows you to close the cover.
3. Once the grill is smoking hot, add the dressed veggies to the grill basket or sheet pan and
place it on the grate.
4. Cover the grill and roast the vegetables for about 45 minutes, tossing with a spatula every
15 minutes or so until they are nicely charred.
Serve with the tzatziki sauce, crumbled feta cheese and warmed pita triangles.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 37

WORDS OF
A FEATHER
Enjoying the
Dawn Chorus
Story and Photo by HEATHER SHIRLEY
My best friend, Kellie, is having a tough
time.
Her parents, who live in Augusta, Georgia,
are struggling with health issues. Her mom
has started using a wheelchair, her father has
cancer.
Kellie went to Augusta to take care of her
parents, and I drove up to Augusta (from my
home in Florida) to take care of Kellie.
Seeing your parents decline and face the end
of life is awful. Speaking from experience—my
father died about a year ago—it just sucks.
It’s important, I believe, to find joy wherever
possible and to practice serious self-care.
Since her parents have moved into an
assisted living facility, Kellie and I, along with
our dogs, have been staying in her parents’
house. The beautiful home is on a magnificent
golf course. Every morning—before dawn and
before any players are about—she and I walk
the golf course, let the dogs frolic and enjoy
the dawn chorus of the birds.
“Cheer, cheer, cheer!” called a northern
cardinal during a recent walk. Regal and red, he
raised his jaunty crest as he hopped higher in a
shrub to call out from a better perch.
“Drink your tea!” replied an eastern towhee.
His impressive plumage includes a striking black
head, snowy white belly and black and reddishbrown
on his sides. He peeked out from dense,
low shrubbery to sing his morning tune.
Hearing the birds, our moods instantly lifted.
Do you, too, hear the dawn chorus? As you
walk your own dog? As you hurriedly climb
into your car to start your commute? Do you
hear the birds luring you into your day?
All around the world, just before the sun
comes up, songbirds greet the day with a
loud, exuberant practice session. Studies
38
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023
show that just as orchestras practice before a
performance, birds warm up at dawn in order
to perform better throughout the day. (There
is also, for those of you who are not early
risers, an evening chorus, but the performance
is not as robust.)
It is mostly male birds who sing. The main
purposes for singing include declaring and
defending breeding territories and attracting
a mate.
When choosing a mate, a female judges
many aspects of a male’s song. She considers
how loud the song is and how far the sound
carries. This indicates how strategic the male
is. Because he chooses the same perch from
which to sing over and over, he must make a
careful choice to optimize the acoustics for his
performance.
His choice of perch—whether it is high in
the forest, out in the open or buried in dense
cover—will impact how successful he is in
winning a mate.
Successful males sing repeatedly throughout
the day. This requires tremendous energy and
time. By singing so frequently, males indicate
to prospective mates that they have secured
enough resources in their territories to sustain
a growing family. They don’t need to stop
singing to go find more food; they have plenty
available to keep them going all day.
Some birds are born with innate knowledge
Scan the QR code with
your phone’s camera
to hear the sounds of
multiple birds.
of their species’ specific song. The females of
these species will listen for how accurate the
male’s song is.
Other species learn songs from their fathers
or neighbors and may put their own spin on a
song. Their potential mates will focus on their
vast and varied repertoires.
The spring breeding season—before and
just after the sun comes up—is the best time
The author in the company of dogs.
(Photo courtesy of the author)
to enjoy the dawn chorus. After chicks have
hatched, many bird fathers continue singing so
they can teach their offspring songs.
Some species, such as black-capped
chickadees, even teach a specific family-only
song. As they forage in a loose group, they can
tell if an interloper tries to sneak onto their
turf. The stranger will not know the family
song, and the family can chase it off to protect
their food supplies.
As Kellie and I rounded the 18th hole and
headed for home, the sun peeked up from
the horizon. The morning sky was aflame
with lavender, pink and orange streaks. The
golf course’s breathtaking azaleas were in full
bloom.
I love azaleas. Entire hedges here are so
massed with flowers you don’t see a single
green leaf, only brilliant eruptions of magenta,
coral, violet.
Kellie and I have talked about the things
ahead that scare us. We try to counter those
fears by dreaming aloud of future adventures
we want to plan, and we laugh over memories
we share.
The dogs also make us laugh. Dog love is
excellent balm for anything and everything.
With tongues lolling and eyes sparkling, they
are ready for their breakfasts, warm beds and
morning naps.
Dogs are spectacular. The exuberant dawn
chorus is spectacular. This time with my friend
and her time with her parents are spectacular.
Life is spectacular.
Enjoy it, and make it count.
martinnurserynj.com • Randolph • Tewksbury • East Amwell • 973-584-5111

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SPRING HOURS:
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FRIDAY 11AM - 8PM
SATURDAY 11AM - 8PM
SUNDAY 11AM - 7PM
LAST TEE TIME ON SCHOOL NIGHTS - 7PM
lakehopatcongnews.com 39

directory
CONSTRUCTION/
EXCAVATION
Al Hutchins Excavating
973-663-2142
973-713-8020
Lakeside Construction
151 Sparta-Stanhope Rd., Hopatcong
973-398-4517
Northwest Explosives
PO Box 806, Hopatcong
973-398-6900
info@northwestexplosives.com
ENTERTAINMENT/
RECREATION
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
45 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd., LH
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
Evening Star
LED Deck/Dock Lights
eveningstarlighting.com
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
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
Sacks Paint & Wallpaper
52 N Sussex St., Dover
973-366-0119
sackspaint.net
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
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
Robin Dora
Sotheby’s International
670 Main St., Towaco
973-570-6633
thedoragroup.com
Christopher J. Edwards
RE/MAX
211 Rt. 10E, Succasunna
973-598-1008
MrLakeHopatcong.com
Karen Foley
Sotheby’s International
670 Main St., Towaco
973-906-5021
prominentproperties.com
Geba Realty
Century 21
23 Main St., Sparta
973-726-0333
C21GebaRealty.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
24 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd., LH
973-663-9600
alicesrestaurantnj.com
Big Fish Lounge At Alice’s
24 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd., LH
973-663-9600
alicesrestaurantnj.com
The Beacon
453 River Styx Rd., Hopatcong
thebeaconlh.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
Alstede Fresh @ Lindeken
54 NJ Rt 15 N, Wharton
908-879-7189
AlstedeFarms.com
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
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
A Hands-On Adventure on
New Jersey’s largest lake!
Hop aboard the Lake Hopatcong Foundation’s
Floating Classroom for a fun on-the-water
excursion, learning about lake ecology
and protecting our water resources. For
tickets and info, scan the code below or visit
lakehopatcongfoundation.org/cruises
Fun for the whole family!
Scan to find out more!
40
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Memorial Day 2023

DISCOVER THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF LAKE HOPATCONG ON
AND OFF THE WATER WITH OUR GUIDED TOURS
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WE ARE OPEN! BOOK YOUR ADVENTURE TODAY
SPRING HOURS: 9AM-5PM ON FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS +SUNDAYS
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24 NOLAN'S POINT PARK RD, LAKE HOPATCONG, NJ WWW.ALICESRESTAURANTNJ.COM 973.663.9600
lakehopatcongnews.com 41

KathySellsLakeHomes.com
Top
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2006-2022!
Lakefront Resident
26 Years Experience
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ROXBURY/LANDING 1,895,000 • Classic Craftsman Style built 2009. 3 Living levels.
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$850,000 HOPATCONG STYLISH • Fully renovated 2 story lake house. Open floor plan greets you with lake views from great rm to gourmet
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Lake Hopatcong/Jefferson $725,000 Live the lake life in this stately Center Hall
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$848,888 MT ARLINGTON • Lakeview custom home built 2023. Spectacular rooftop 30x40 entertainment deck with incredible lake views. Stylish open floor plan
from kitchen to living and dining with views to the lake. 3 bdrms, all with inn suites on the second floor, and a private deck on the master bdrm. Finished lower level
walkout with family rm, full bath and bdrm. One car attached garage with parking. Backyard overlooks 36 acres of protected woods. City water city sewer natural gas.
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Jefferson $775,000 • 102ft level lakefront! Renovated 2 story offers exceptional details.
Open floor plan, gas fireplace. Gourmet kitchen, 1st floor bedrm & bath. Spacious
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Hopatcong $750,000 • Income producing! Recreation ready lakefront offers
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Roxbury/Landing $615,000 • Enjoy lake life in this 3 story Lakehouse. Vaulted ceiling
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Mt Arlington $849,900 • Luxury lakefront living in a community setting
“Lakeshore Village” City water, sewer & natural gas. Renovated 3 story townhome
offers stylish floor plan, club house w/pool, fitness center, tennis ct & dock!
Hopatcong $750,000 • 2 Homes *income producing opportunity! Total
renovation, turn key. 3 bedrm, 1 ba, open floor plan from kit to lvrm w/ 20 ft deck,
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Lake Hopatcong/Jefferson
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Roxbury/Landing $1,395,000
Modern design by noted builder offers a grand entry foyer, vaulted ceiling
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Lake Hopatcong/Jefferson $2,700,000
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Hopatcong $1,200,000
Spectacular birds eye views are abundant in this Custom Contemporary on
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Lake Hopatcong/Jefferson $2,999,900
Majestic estate .75 acres greets you at the iron gates. Builder’s own home over
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THURSDAYS & FRIDAYS: 1PM - 6PM SATURDAYS: 10AM - 1PM