(Return To Top Of Page)

BUENA VISTA -- When Joe Giercyk was a little boy, a volunteer firefighter saved his life.

"Our house was burning and we were lucky to get out alive," said the 81-year-old retired maintenance man from Milmay.

"I tried to run back inside to get my teddy bear -- it was my favorite toy -- but a fireman wouldn't let me. He saved my life by doing that. I couldn't have been more than 5. My parents were vegetable farmers, and our home burned to the ground along with all our possessions."

Giercyk said that memory taught him a lifelong lesson about how important it is to be there to help others.

He's been returning that favor for the last half-century. Giercyk is celebrating his 50th year as a member of the Milmay Volunteer Fire Department.

At least once a week, Giercyk arrives at the Tuckahoe Road firehouse to check on its two fire engines, making sure their motors, batteries, pumps, hose lines and other equipment are in good running order.

Giercyk, though energetic, admits he's "slowing down a little bit" and doesn't go out on as many runs as he used to.

"We handle fires, emergencies and traffic accidents," he said. "No one likes to hear about an emergency, but someone has to handle it."

During his career as a volunteer firefighter, Giercyk was a lieutenant, captain, and assistant chief before being elected to nine consecutive three-year terms as a Milmay fire commissioner.

"Someone must have liked me enough to keep re-electing me," Giercyk said with a grin.

Locked in combat

Besides his firefighting activities, Giercyk is proud of being a World War II Army veteran who served during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.

Upon joining the military in April 1943, Giercyk said, he had "no idea" what lay in store for him on the shores of France as he fought for the freedom of his country and its allies. Like the fire that destroyed his home and remains ever vivid in his memory, World War II is something he said he'll also never forget.

"They never told us about our mission because it was top secret," Giercyk recalled. "When I was in that boat going across the English Channel it was pitch dark. Some of the guys with me were crying, others were praying and some were sleeping. I just sat there with my rifle between my legs. ... I couldn't sleep. We didn't know what we were getting into."

Much of his time in the Army was spent diving in and out of foxholes, barely a step away from an enemy grenade or landmine.

After his discharge, Giercyk got a job as a maintenance man in a Vineland factory and married Florence Kupetz, a Vineland woman who he met through friends.

The couple, wed in 1949, have two children and two grandchildren.

'A great guy'

Back at the Milmay firehouse, the number of volunteers has dwindled to 16 -- about half of what it once was.

"I'm the oldest member here, and the only one left from the original ones who joined when I did," said Giercyk, who has been a member since April 1955. "We could sure use some more new members. They'd be very welcome."

Mayor Chuck Chiarello said he has nothing but the highest of praise for Giercyk, who trained him in firefighting procedures when he became a fire company member in 1988.

"Early on, he taught me how to operate the pumpers," Chiarello said. "I'd go with him on fire calls when he was chief engineer or fire pump operator. I learned a lot from Joe. He's a great guy and very dependable -- ask anyone who knows him."

(Return To Top Of Page)

BUENA VISTA -- A portion of Oak Road should get a facelift within the next month -- thanks to a state grant to resurface it.

A 1.2-mile stretch of the road, from Tuckahoe Road to Route 40, will get the improvements thanks to $150,000 from the state Department of Transportation, Mayor Chuck Chiarello said.

The Township Committee on Monday passed a unanimous resolution to award a $192,000 contract to the Arawak Construction Co. of Hammonton to completely replace the crumbling asphalt that has begun to wear thin.

Township Administrator Ron Trebing said the rest of the work will be paid for by the municipality.

Trebing said a sharp curve on that section of the road is going to be built up about four inches higher than the other side to make it less perilous for motorists.

"They'll find it much better," Trebing said. "Especially if they're going at a higher speed."

David Scheidegg, the township engineer, said curbing and drains will be added along Oak Road at its intersection with Route 40. He said the work could start within a month and be finished in September.

Trebing said he did not expect the road to be closed during the resurfacing work.

"They'll probably work on one side of it, get that portion done, and then do the other side," he said.

Kathy Pearcy of Vineland, who works as a customer service representative at the Wilmad Glass Co. at Oak Road and Route 40, said she was glad to know that the road was being fixed.

"That curve is a pretty sharp one," she said. "A lot of motorists speed around it, and kids get their school buses in that area, so you have to watch out for them. I'm happy it's going to be repaved."

Georgene Walker, a nurse who lives off Oak Road, said it is a very well-traveled area early in the morning.

"I have to leave for work around 5:30 a.m.," she said. "There's a lot of traffic on Oak Road at that time. It's nice to hear that they're going to do something about that curve."

(Return To Top Of Page)

BUENA VISTA -- A speed study soon will be conducted along Weymouth Road, but it could be a while before any steps are taken to make the troublesome road safer, a township official said.

The study would look at conditions from Route 54 to the Hamilton Township border.

Retired carpenter Donald Lentz, who once worked as a railroad lineman and who lives on Weymouth Road near the railroad tracks, complained to the township two months ago about the road's safety. Lentz said he and family members have been nearly killed when turning into their driveway or coming out because many motorists use the road as a speedway.

Some ideas to ease the danger include speed monitoring and eliminating passing zones on the thruway.

Township Business Administrator Ron Trebing last month wrote a letter to Richard Bagowan, the regional engineer for the state Department of Transportation, about the situation and received a reply this week.

"It's going to be a while before anything gets done," Trebing said. "The people at the DOT told me that a speed study must be done first" to examine the road and determine whether it requires double yellow lines as a no-passing zone, he said.

Trebing expects DOT officials to contact him during the next few weeks and advise him about what Buena Vista can do to resolve the situation.

(Return To Top Of Page)

(Return To Top Of Page)

BUENA VISTA -- Every day is a trip down memory lane for Kate Bjorklund.

She owns Goodstuff's, an antiques store along Route 40 in Richland that's crammed with 6,000 square feet of vintage, classic and century-old furniture along with an eclectic mix of turn-of-the-century women's shoes, paintings, posters, jewelry, dishes and glossy black-and-white photos, to name a few of the offerings.

And if you don't see what you're searching for, Bjorklund said, there's an excellent chance she can find it for you.

To give her store an old-fashioned feel, Bjorklund continuously plays light melodies and lively swing music from the 1930s and '40s.

"I want my customers to feel relaxed and take all the time they want to browse," said Bjorklund.

Breathing down someone's neck to make a sale is definitely not her style, she added.

Bjorklund said her customers enjoy the background music because it takes them back to a time when they were younger and allows them to reminisce.

Janice Brown of Mays Landing, who often shops at Goodstuff's with husband John, said she loves to browse in the store.

"Kate's got a lot of very interesting stuff," Brown said. "It's pretty cool -- she's got great taste, so we love coming here."

An aging interest

Bjorklund, who grew up in Millville, became interested in antiques as a child when she used to sit on some woven, wooden chairs on the front porch of her grandmother's home in Drexel Hill, Pa.

"As a kid, people thought I was a bit odd since I liked old things," said Bjorklund, 52. "I don't know where this interest came from. All I can tell you is that it continued to grow, and now I'm doing what I love most -- buying and dealing in antiques."

After her grandmother's death, Bjorklund inherited those sturdy wooden chairs, which she still has at home.

"These chairs are incredible," Bjorklund explained. "They're constructed of hickory wood woven into the back and seat of each chair. They were made in the 1880s."

Durable through time

Bjorklund said there are four kinds of furniture -- antique, classic, vintage and retro.

"Anything truly antique is generally at least a century old, while classic furniture never goes out of style," she said. "Vintage is considered to be from the 1930s and 1940s. And retro, which is also known as mid century, is classified as being from the 1950s and 1960s."

Bjorklund said the goods in her store are obtained mostly at estate sales and from customers who are moving.

"If you buy one of my solid cherry tables, they sell for $240, but you're getting quality that you can't get when you buy something in a discount store," Bjorklund said. "A lot of modern furniture is made of pressed wood -- the workmanship and durability just isn't there."

Awaiting renovation

Before 1998, when Bjorklund bought a one-story cinderblock garment factory building here and turned it into an antique shop, she tried her hand at "pretty much anything and everything."

"I've done a lot of management and retail sales," she said.

"I've been in real estate in the Millville area, sold new Chevrolet cars, was an advertising sales representative for a now-defunct newspaper in Pleasantville, rehabilitated old houses with my younger brother, and I even had a cleaning service franchise."

Although she loves her work, Bjorklund said the long hours spent running the store and buying items for it leave her little personal time to paint landscapes with watercolors -- a hobby she sometimes misses.

During the past few months, Bjorklund has expanded her business to include painted furniture and new home decor accessories such as vases, ironware, sconces and kitchen items.

She said she's excited about the township's ongoing Richland Village historic renovation project, which aims to rejuvenate Richland and make it a tourist destination.

"I'm very excited about it," Bjorklund said last week, looking out her front window to watch workmen installing new brick facade walkway across the street as part of the revitalization project. "In fact, I really think it will bring some badly needed business to Richland."

(Return To Top Of Page)

BUENA VISTA -- The township is applying for up to $600,000 in grant money to help fund the ongoing Richland Village restoration project.

The Township Committee last week voted to seek the funds, which are administered through the state's Transportation Enhancement Program.

If received, the money would be used to continue building sidewalks along Route 40 in Richland and to construct two small bus stations.

One bus station would be located in front of the municipal parking lot that's soon to be built adjacent to Richland General Store. The other would be built somewhere across the street along Route 40, but that location hasn't been firmed up yet, Mayor Chuck Chiarello said.

Stephen E. Lingle of Triad Associates, the grant-writing firm hired by the township to help it obtain funds for turning Richland into a tourist destination, said a railroad platform for train service and a visitors center to be housed in the Patcong Valley Model Railroad exhibit building also are needed.

Chiarello said the township has previously applied for more than $1 million in grants for Richland Village. The project aims to bring tourists and shoppers to Richland, a once-bustling, but now sleepy part of the township.

He said tourist rail service will be added on Saturdays and Sundays sometime this fall, connecting Richland and Tuckahoe.

(Return To Top Of Page)

BUENA VISTA -- It was a hero's welcome here this weekend for dozens of troops who've returned from Iraq.

More than 140 servicemen and servicewomen from nearly all branches of the armed forces attended the patriotic party, which included music by 10 area bands, said organizer Annette Conkright. The 27-year-old Buena woman put together the event at Memories Lounge on Route 40 for her husband, Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Conkright, who just completed a roughly 5-month tour of duty in Iraq.

The staff sergeant said one of the most compelling moments occurred when Buena pop artist Stevi Kabbeko performed a deeply stirring rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" to the room, which suddenly became silent.

"She sang it very emotionally," said Conkright, 28, a career airman and vehicle mechanic who's stationed at McGuire Air Force Base when not serving overseas. "Stevi has a very beautiful voice. Everybody was quiet and gave her their full attention."

Those who attended danced, listened to the music, or enjoyed conversation and drinks as the bands belted out a mix of original, folk and rock tunes.

Annette Conkright said she was pleasantly surprised by the outpouring of response from bands wanting to perform at no cost.

"I got 160 responses when I put the notice about it out over the Internet," she said. "I had to narrow it down to 10."

Her husband said he's still adjusting to being back after returning home only a few weeks ago.

"It feels strange, but at the same time great, to be back," he said. "It's kind of like everyone goes on with their life without you and gets used to doing that."

While stationed at Balad Air Base 60 miles north of Baghdad in the Sunni Triangle -- the base is unofficially known as "Mortaritaville" for obvious reasons -- Jason Conkright was assigned to outfitting large Army vehicles with armor.

"There were 50 of us assigned to aid the Army by putting armor on these vehicles," Conkright said. "Some of them were pretty well hit by shrapnel, and you wondered what kind of injuries the people riding in them must have sustained."

Although the sound of enemy mortars whizzing by was a common occurrence, he said, no one in his compound was hurt.

(Return To Top Of Page)

(Return To Top Of Page)

BUENA VISTA -- The Township Committee has authorized plans to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to acquire land along the Route 40 corridor for the historic Richland Village revitalization project.

But officials are tight-lipped when it comes to details.

The committee last week unanimously approved a $450,000 bond ordinance for buying the property. The bond ordinance is for a term of up to 15 years, although officials intend to pay it off within four or five years, Mayor Chuck Chiarello said.

The money will be used to make improvements to property the township hopes to purchase within the next two months for Richland Village, he said. But explaining the matter is "still under negotiation," Chiarello provided few details about the impending purchases.

"I'd like to be more specific about it, but until it's settled I can't," he said. "We hope to have it wrapped up around the end of August. Once that happens, I'll be able to give out more information."

Richland Village is the township's plan to revitalize a three-quarter-mile stretch of the Route 40 corridor, between Cedar to Llewellyn avenues. The effort includes sidewalks and lighting, a park, railroad line and new businesses that would attract tourists and shoppers to Buena Vista.

To date, the township has received nearly $1 million in grants related to the Richland Village project. Requests are pending for close to another $1 million in related grants, Chiarello said.

"The township has already made some acquisitions for the Richland Village project aside from these grants that will help better market the project for development," he said. "This will help bring more ratables and job opportunities to our community."

(Return To Top Of Page)

VINELAND -- After months of wrangling with insurance adjusters, Casa Dori reopens this afternoon with new furnishings -- but with the same Italian fare the restaurant has offered since it first opened in August 2003.

A Jan. 10 fire that started in an attic vent caused extensive damage to the kitchen and other parts of the building owned by Tony Scarpa.

"Tony and I had the same insurance company but different adjusters, and they just kept going back and fourth," said John Durie, operator of the restaurant near Oak and Main roads.

"Then one of the adjusters quit, and that caused a delay. We thought it was worth more than they offered," he added.

While the insurance negotiations were under way, Durie was not idle.

He joined his wife, Delores, and Vineland resident Thomas Pierce to purchase the former Giacomo's restaurant on Route 40 in Richland for $400,000.

They renamed it Legacy in memory of Pierce's wife, Joanne, and daughter, Lisa, who died when a water taxi capsized in the Baltimore Harbor last year. Pierce also has become a partner in Casa Dori.

The longtime Route 40 restaurant, which will feature an upscale Italian menu, will be remodeled including an outside deck and new wiring when it opens in the fall.

"We would not want the same thing to happen there that happened here," Durie said.

The Casa Dori location was first operated by Scarpa's father, Frank, as a bar in the 1930s.

Lauren Muzzarella, 17, of Buena worked at Casa Dori for seven months before the blaze shut it down.

"I really like working here," Muzzarella said.

Rosemary Siciliano, 48, of Newfield has been a waitress for six years, but has not worked for several months.

"This is wonderful," she said. "The job opportunity came just in time for me."

(Return To Top Of Page)

(Return To Top Of Page)

Memories Lounge owner Mary Ann Noone displays old records that feature the music of Frank Sinatra, Robert Goulet and the Lettermen, among others. The records have been strung up to enhance the nostalgia of the venue on Cedar Avenue and Harding Highway .

If you go

Memories Lounge at Cedar Avenue and Harding Highway is open from 3 p.m. until closing (around 2 a.m.) Mondays to Saturdays. For more information, call (856) 697-1440.
 

BUENA VISTA -- The new Memories Lounge at Cedar Avenue and Harding Highway is like a home away from home for Charles Parks.

"It's a comfortable place," said the 29-year-old Richland resident, who said he stops by three times a week. He particularly likes the live doo-wop entertainment

Jennifer Hart, 31, of Egg Harbor Township, said she enjoys the lounge's camaraderie.

"It's a nice, friendly environment," Hart said. "I like the people and the music. It makes me feel very relaxed."

Located at the edge of the Richland Village redevelopment area, the two-story building previously known as Uncle Mike's Tavern had been vacant for the past three years.

But now it has reopened as Memories Lounge, and is in the process of getting a makeover to transform it into a circa-1950s-style doo-wop nightclub featuring tunes from that era.

Lifelong Vineland resident Mary Anne Noone bought the bar-lounge in May. She named it Memories Lounge because she wants her customers to have a carefree time.

"I intend for them to have good memories when they come here, have a drink, socialize and listen to the music," Noone said.

She was busy last week on a stage against a brick wall at the lounge, tacking up old record albums from the 1950s, '60s and '70s featuring the music of Frank Sinatra, Robert Goulet, the Lettermen, The Four Lads and Barbra Streisand, among others. Old records have been strung up to enhance the nostalgia.

Noone, 67, is a nutrition consultant during the day before she begins her tour of duty at Memories, from 3 p.m. until closing. Noone said she also owned and operated the 56 West go-go bar in Rosenhayn for many years and then Carnival Liquors in Vineland before starting her current business.

"I have a sociable nature and love people," Noone explained.

During the day, the seemingly inexhaustible Noone divides her time as a nutritional consultant for Lighthouse, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Mays Landing, and adult assisted -living facilities in Millville, Bridgeton, and Somers Point.

But Memories is proving to be her greatest challenge career-wise, said Noone.

"It's a bit different from anything I've ever done," she said. "Having live music is something new. I love Frank Sinatra and doo-wop, which was popular from the early 1950s through the early '70s when it began to phase out."

So far, her customers have been treated to acoustic guitar and vocals by Frank Comparri III of Richland, a musician in his mid-20s who played songs from that era three weeks ago.

More musical acts are planned. Live bands will be appearing at Memories in the coming weeks, according to Noone, who said she's still in the process of scheduling them.

Noone said she believes Memories will fit right in as Buena Vista continues a Route 40 corridor revival project called Richland Village intended to attract tourists and new businesses to the area.

"We're right in the Richland redevelopment area," she said. "I think there's a lot we can contribute to it."

(Return To Top Of Page)

Buena/Buena Vista - Seniors can get produce vouchers 7/4/05

(Return To Top Of Page)

Frogs favorite at local festival 7/4/05

BUENA VISTA -- Proudly displaying his youngest daughter's "homegrown toad" and her first-place certificate for Sunday's frog-jumping contest at Michael Debbi Park, Bob Baver admitted he never expected such an outcome.

"Lilly, Abigail's frog, is quite a fast jumper," the Collings Lakes man said, smiling as he held up the small plastic cage containing the 3-year-old girl's frog and hugged his giggling daughter. "This is a real homegrown toad. We got it from our neighbor's pond."

Baver said it was the first time his daughter had entered the contest, one of many activities at the township's 17th annual Independence Day celebration at the park.

"We come to this every year," said Baver's wife, Alora. "We all have so much fun."

By leaps and bounds, the frog-jumping contest was hands-down the favorite activity, Mayor Chuck Chiarello said. More than 100 children entered the competition.

"The kids also like the watermelon-eating contest -- that's probably the next most popular one, followed by the scavenger hunt where you have to locate things you'd normally find in a park, like a stone or a leaf," Chiarello said. "The kids were pretty good at this. They found what we asked them to find in less than five minutes. I was amazed."

A water fight between local volunteer fire departments proved to be a crowd-pleaser as well.

Teams of three firefighters were pitted against one another in an attempt to keep a barrel suspended on a taut rope between two poles from going over a line.

"It's kind of like a tug of war, only with water from two different hoses," said John Mato, a Richland Fire Company volunteer who was watching the action.

East Vineland's fire company took home the first-place trophy.

Katie Brown, 12, of Richland watched the competition from the sidelines and wished she could get closer so she could cool down from the humid weather.

"I wish we could jump in there and help the firemen win," she said.

(Return To Top Of Page)

Alliance to feature local artist 7/2/05

(Return To Top Of Page)

Resident pack meeting to voice opinion on Richland project 7/1/05

BUENA VISTA -- It was standing room only at Thursday night's special Planning Board meeting as residents came to hear an update on the Richland Village redevelopment project.

As the packed meeting in the municipal building room courtroom listened intently,

Mayor Chuck Chiarello told the crowd that a six-block area along Route 40 between the railroad tracks and Fir Avenue is going to be a destination -- not a pit stop -- with a tourist railroad service provided by Cape May Seashore Line as early as this fall.

He said plans are under way to attract more businesses such as flower shops, a bakery and gift stores -- shops that pedestrians can walk to without using their cars.

Chiarello also announced that Buena Vista officials are considering a large overhead archway over Route 40 that would say "Welcome to Richland." It would not only catch a motorist's eye, but get that driver to slow down and see what Richland Village has to offer, he said.

He said the village's theme will have a "railroad-style flair" with possibly a turn-of-the-20th-century motif, but much was to be worked out along those lines.

The board unanimously passed a resolution that formally declares Richland Village an area in need of redevelopment. That's step is needed to help the township qualify for state aid or other assistance. The measure will be presented to the Township Committee for further consideration.

Melissa Hauck-Baker, a planner for a firm hired by the township to help with the redevelopment plan, said Richland Village should have no problem getting more state money because it met much of the criteria stipulated by the N.J. Office of Smart Growth, which helps fund such projects.

Kate Bjorklund, who owns the Goodstuff's antiques shop along the redevelopment corridor, said she thought what Chiarello had been doing to drum up support for the project was "incredible."

Mark Stullenburger, a Planning Board member who lives in Richland, said he thought the redevelopment would have great success.

Kurt Rendart, who lives off Main Avenue, suggested that another, bigger parking lot for tour buses be built.

Chiarello said he thought Rendart's idea was a good one and said he'd seriously consider it.