The Magic of Summer, A Jersey Bucket List!
With the awakening of the flora and fauna, the buzzing of bees, the chirping of birds, the growing warmth of our days and the extension of the glowing sun, its safe to say that summer is upon us, waiting to play host to a bevy of events and add to our adventure. If you are like me, then summer means all the things I like come out of hiding, crafts shows, hot air balloon events, festivals, carnivals, amusement parks, the boardwalk, and shore time excursions, not to mention a Ren Faire here and there!Time to paint the toes, pull out the colorful skirts, pastels and whites, pack a straw bag with coconut and lime delights and head out on an adventure. Perhaps make a practical bucket list that you can actually achieve everyday. I'd start with treating myself to a cherry lemon ice one day, a creamsicle from the Jersey Shore the next, followed by a Jelly Apple aka Candy Apple from Jenkinsons Pier, add in a journey to Hershey Park, a Great Adventure day with the girls and a picnic in the park. Your summer bucket list can be filled with all the things you can achieve in one summer, start easy and grow it.My list last summer consisted of a photographic fun day at Hershey Park in Hershey, PA, eating park food, soda floats and cheese fries, walking from themed area to themed area, enjoying the fun rides and games, with winning a game or two, followed by an evening unwind inside the Hershey Museum area and eatery, this trip was on my bucket list and filled with magical fun.I'd recommend heading to the park early, as it is huge and there is just so much to see and do, that you will need at least 8 to 10 hours of exploring to cover the whole park and take in some food at the same time, they even have a vintage style Nathan's hotdog stand there, but for the real thing add a trip to Coney Island for the day on your list and get the real deal, the corn dogs are the best.

If heading to the Jersey Shore here are some fun facts to know:

-New Jersey is the location of most of the boardwalks in the U.S., with nearly every town and city along the shore having one. The first and longest boardwalk in the world is in Atlantic City, New Jersey and is 135 years old. This boardwalk gained fame due to the board game Monopoly, which was based upon the trading and dealing of real estate in Atlantic City; in the game, Boardwalk is the most expensive property to purchase and develop, but also yields the greatest rent payoffs to its owner. In the fall of 2010 HBO launched the drama series Boardwalk Empire, which is named after and constantly returns to the Atlantic City Boardwalk.

-Asbury Park's boardwalk is in the process of revitalization and has recently been connected to the neighboring town of Ocean Grove, New Jersey.

-Keansburg, New Jersey is regarded locally as a boardwalk town, with one of America's oldest shoreside amusement parks housing vintage rides dating back to the 1920s.

-Ocean City, New Jersey The 2.5 mile (4 kilometers) boardwalk in Ocean City has classic attractions and many newer additions. The 140-foot (42 m) Ferris Wheel can be seen from miles around, with views of Ocean City and the surrounding communities from the top. Other rides include roller coasters, bumper cars, water rides, and 11 miniature golf courses. Shops sell souvenirs and snacks, such as cotton candy, popcorn, pizza, and ice cream. Other boardwalk activities include enjoying the sunrise with a leisurely walk, a brisk jog, a bike tour, a ride on a surrey cart, or a meal at one of the many ocean front cafes.

-Seaside Heights, New Jersey This 1-mile (1.6 km) long promenade is full of game stands, pizzerias, souvenir shops, beach gear stores, arcades and ice cream parlors drawing families, teenagers and adults alike. The Seaside Heights boardwalk is bookended by two 300-foot-long (91 m) piers that feature amusement rides, carousels, log flumes, roller coasters, Ferris wheels and more. One of these piers is the world-famous Casino Pier, home to a 1913 circa merry-go-round, the Niagara Falls log flume and the Jet Star roller coaster. The other is the Funtown Amusement Pier home to the Tower of Fear, Seaside's tallest Ferris wheel and a go-kart track. Across from Casino Pier is the redeveloped Jenkinson's Breakwater Beach waterpark (formerly WaterWorks). Many of the businesses are still family-owned and operated and have been almost as long as the boardwalk has been around.

-Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey,About seven miles (11 km) from Seaside Heights, the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk (frequently known as Jenkinson's Boardwalk) is similar to the boardwalk found in Seaside Heights, but is a bit more subdued. The promenade extends from the Manasquan Inlet in the northern end of the borough to the border with Bay Head in the south. Right in the middle is the Jenkinson's Amusements/Jenkinson's Boardwalk area brimming with rides, games, carnival food, miniature golf, fun houses, souvenir shops, and Jenkinson's Aquarium.

-Wildwood, New Jersey, The 2 mile (3 kilometer) long boardwalk has a total of three amusement piers plus a myriad of other carnival games, souvenir shops, food stands, waterparks, and world-class roller coasters. The Boardwalk started out as a mere 150 feet (45 m). It has actually been moved closer to the ocean twice. Today, the boardwalk stretches from 38 blocks from 16th Ave in North Wildwood to Cresse Ave in Wildwood Crest. The Wildwood Boardwalk is said to have more rides than Disneyland. Kiddie rides include a convoy of airplanes, trucks, dune buggies, boats, and trains. Flying elephants, teacups, bouncing giraffes, mini-Ferris wheels, and a traditional carousel round out the mix.If you are in the Wildwood Area, a must see is Cape May, explore all the historic Victorians aka "Painted Ladies" which line many of the streets leading up to their boardwalk and store promenade. There are tons of quaint and artsy boutiques, tea rooms and restaurants that fill this majestic town, a definite add to your Jersey Bucket list.For more info on the locations I mentioned, visit their sites:

http://pointpleasantbeach.com

http://www.wildwoodsnj.com

http://www.seasideheights.net

http://atlanticcitynj.com

http://oceangrovenj.com

http://www.asburyboardwalk.com

http://www.keansburgamusementpark.com

http://www.hersheypark.com

Tivoli Gardens, A Real Life Fairyland!


Does entering Coney Island's Luna Park or Dreamland sound exciting, or basking under dozens and dozens of fairy lights sound enchanting, what about watching a pantomime and ballerina at the Pantomime Theatre or sailing in one of the mythical creature boats at Dragon Park Lake, whirling around under a glass house, eating a scrumptious Danish dessert followed by coffee or expresso at an outdoor cafe. Are you intriqued yet?, Does this place really exist? The answer is YES!, This place is called: Tivoli Gardens, located in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Tivoli (in English also called Tivoli Gardens) is a famous amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on August 15, 1843 and, except for Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klampenborg, it is the oldest amusement park in the world.

The amusement park was first called "Tivoli & Vauxhall"; "Tivoli" alluding to the Jardin de Tivoli in Paris (which in its turn had been named from Tivoli near Rome), and "Vauxhall" alluding to the Vauxhall Gardens in London.

Tivoli's founder, Georg Carstensen (b. 1812 - d. 1857) obtained a five-year charter to create Tivoli by telling King Christian VIII that "when the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics". The monarch granted Carstensen use of roughly 15 acres (61,000 m²) of the fortified glacis outside Vesterport (the West Gate) at the annual rent of 945 kroner. Therefore, until the 1850s, Tivoli was outside the city, accessible through Vesterport.
From the very start, Tivoli included a variety of attractions: buildings in the exotic style of an imaginary Orient: a theatre, band stands, restaurants and cafés, flower gardens, and mechanical amusement rides such as a merry-go-round and a primitive scenic railway. After dark, coloured lamps illuminated the gardens. On certain evenings, specially designed fireworks could be seen reflected in Tivoli's lake.

Composer Hans Christian Lumbye (b. 1810 - d. 1874) was Tivoli's musical director from 1843 to 1872. Lumbye was inspired by Viennese waltz composers like the Strauss family (Johann Strauss I and his sons), and became known as the "Strauss of the North." Many of his compositions are specifically inspired by the gardens, including "Salute to the Ticket Holders of Tivoli", "Carnival Joys" and "A Festive Night at Tivoli". The Tivoli Symphony Orchestra still performs many of his works.

In 1943, Nazi sympathisers attempted to break the Danish people's spirit by burning many of Tivoli's buildings, including the concert hall, to the ground. Undaunted, the Danes built temporary buildings, and the park was back in operation after a few weeks.
In 1874, Chinese style Pantomimeteatret (The Pantomime Theatre) took the place of an older smaller theater. The audience stands in the open, the stage being inside the building. The theatre's "curtain" is a mechanical peacock's tail. From the very beginning, the Theater was the home of Italian pantomimes, introduced in Denmark by the Italian Giuseppe Casorti. This tradition, which is dependent on the Italian Commedia dell'Arte has been kept alive, including the characters Cassander (the old father), Columbine (his beautiful daughter), Harlequin (her lover), and, especially popular with the youngest spectators, the stupid servant Pierrot. The absence of spoken dialogue is an advantage, as Tivoli is now an international tourist attraction.

Tivoli is always evolving without abandoning its original charm or traditions. As Georg Carstensen said in 1844, "Tivoli will never, so to speak, be finished," a sentiment echoed just over a century later when Walt Disney said of his own Tivoli-inspired theme park, "Disneyland will never be finished as long as there is imagination left in the world." Walt Disney during a trip overseas with his wife Lilly visited Tivoli Gardens. Walt was so impressed with the Danish amusement park, he immediately decided Disneyland should try to emulate its "happy and unbuttoned air of relaxed fun."

http://www.tivoli.dk/composite-3351.htm
http://www.european-city-parks.com/copenhagen/tivoli-gardens/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tivoli_Gardens
http://alexandrerosa.free.fr/index.php?spgmGal=Copenhagen/Tivoli_Gardens

I am now convinced I have to go to Trivoli Gardens, after finding vintage postcards and a stereo card of this beautiful place, I began researching it for an upcoming article in Piddlestixs 4. I'd love to get married here, or have a honeymoon here, its beyond magical and filled with vintage enchantment.

-All pictures, and some text from Wikipedia.org

The Gingerbread Castle, Hamburg, NJ!
On the way home from the Earth Angel Toys held at Charlotte's Tea Room, I wanted to stop off at a place I used to go to as a child called The Gingerbread Castle located in Hamburg, NJ!Tucked away, deep in the countryside of northern New Jersey is a place called The Gingerbread Castle located on Rt. 23 & Gingerbread Castle Rd, Hamburg, Sussex County, NJ. The grounds of the castle started as flour mill built in 1808 called: Wheatsworth Mills, then it became something called the Plastoid Corporation. This changing of factories was the result of the unprofitable flour company, so it was turned it into the Plastoid Corporation which was actually a wire and cable factory this sale was actually became the basis for the castle. In 1928 the owners used their wire and plastics to create several plastic dinosaurs which adorned the property. As children came to visit these life sized creatures, the owners added more dinosaurs and finally, they added the Gingerbread Castle which was built hanging off one of the factory walls, evolving into a fairy/story book style amusement park, built in 1930 by F.H. Bennett, inventor of Milk Bone Dog Biscuits and the owner of the Wheatsworth Mills, whose original tiling can still be seen on the stone gate structures today. Mr. Bennett created a life-sized castle to tell the story of "Hansel and Gretel," this painted pink structure would be called: The Gingerbread Castle. He also created additional life sized vignettes which showcased other stories from Mother Goose Rhymes including Humpty Dumpty who sat on his wall, the park even had a miniature railroad for children to ride and get excited over. Along with fave replicas of Cinderella, Jack and Jill and A Woman Who Lived In A Shoe.During the latter part of the 1980's, the Gingerbread Castle fell into a state of disrepair, this showed the lack of maintenance and care of the castle. Eventually, the property was primarily closed and used only as a haunted house attraction during Halloween, not a fitting event for this once storybook place. This demise seemed so dark and dreery, don't you agree?But around 2002 someone had taken a renewed interest in the property, a man by the name of Frank Hinger who bought the property. Mr. Hinger started a series of fundraisers to help fix and restore the castle to its original state. This restoration project was boosted, by some donations and contributions from the Hampton Inn hotel chain who prompted its workers and other to volunteer work as part of the restoration attemps.The sad thing is Mr. Hinger's attempts to restore the castle failed, so did the structure he built across the street called the Gingerbread Grill. It just seemed no matter what he did his attempts failed, having resistance from town officials/municipal I'm sure didn't help his cause and efforts, but that is something the public may never know, a battle between parties.

The next measure was to sell off the property to someone who would elaborate on his vision and have the money to do it. In the beginning of 2007, the properties were finally sold, this time to Gene Mulvihill who vowed to not turn the property into condos, townhouses or a strip mall. Gene was quoted in saying: "It's in blood, I won't change the castle," and created the Historic Hamburg LLC, which he is a principal holder in, formed especially for the castle renovation project. He also is a principal holder in Grey Elephant LLC, which own the vacant 15 acre Plastoid Factory site adjacent to the castle. Basically Mr. Mulvihill bought the 1-acre castle site and another 7 acres across from Gingerbread Castle Road that includes a the Gingerbread Castle Grille.

I hope to see a surge in restoration on this historic site, which I believe will be turned into a children's museum and park again, a day I'd love to see and watch come alive. To read more on the sale of this site visit:
http://www.crystalspringsbuilders.com/Content/Articles.asp?SID=1&CID=24&AID=109
To learn more about the Gingerbread Castle and to see old pictures, visit:
http://www.thegingerbreadcastle.com/