Record Crowds Attend Festivals and Events Sponsored by Asbury Partners

ASBURY PARK, N.J., Sept. 21, 2006 – Record crowds filled the beach and boardwalk this summer, enjoying a full schedule of outdoor concerts, festivals and events, and taking pleasure in the pristine beaches and lively boardwalk concessions.

“As word of Asbury Park’s rebirth spreads, we have been seeing a dramatic increase in visitors from far and wide,” said Larry Fishman, chief operating officer of Asbury Partners, which sponsored many of the special events and boardwalk retail, as part of the ongoing $1.25 billion Oceanfront Asbury redevelopment. “Next year there will be over 350 new residences occupied, bringing added visitors and diversity to the beach. I’m sure we will see an even greater influx in future summers, as the redevelopment progresses.”

According to Joe Bongiovanni, beach safety supervisor for Asbury Park, beach badge sales were up 20 percent this year over last. “More and more people are learning about Asbury Park,” he said. “Several people told me they had heard about it from friends and came down to see for themselves. They were surprised at how much there is to do here, the entertainment, the shops, the restaurants…”

“There was a dramatic increase in the number of people attending our events this summer,” said Joni Forte, events director, Convention Hall/Paramount Theatre. “The Guitarbeque drew over 10,000 people – that’s about three times as many as last year. And we had 200 babies registered for the Baby Parade, a 30 percent increase over last year.”

“There is definitely a lot of buzz in the air, as people realize that Asbury Park is really coming back to the glory of its historic heyday,” said Uri Kahanow, director of retail for Asbury Partners. “I think there were many contributing factors. The fact that Tom Gilmour, Asbury Park’s Director of Economic Development and the Urban Enterprise Zone Program were able to secure a new beach cleaning machine helped get the word out that Asbury Park has one of the cleanest beaches on the Jersey shore. The police officers designated to patrol the boardwalk added a very special, personal touch. The younger children loved interacting with them. The expansion of boardwalk activities, including the refurbishing of the restaurant in the Howard Johnson’s pavilion and the new Miniature Golf course all added to the excitement.”

Many of the boardwalk retailers agreed with that assessment. “We’re seeing more visitors from out of town and out of the region,” said Ed Catalano owner of Confetti’s Ice Cream. “We expanded our menu this year to include Belgian Waffles, desserts and cheesecake. The waffles were a big hit. I think there was an element of nostalgia there, for people who remembered the waffles of their childhood.”

“We had so many customers that we’ve decided to continue the summer season into the fall and possibly even through the winter weekends,” said Bruce Glorsky, owner of the Asbury Amusement Factory. “We had a great response to the miniature golf. People are calling it the best mini-golf course around. And we have birthday parties booked for well into the future.”

Many believe that this is a small taste of the wonderful things to come. “With the new homes going up, we are going to see an even stronger turn-out next summer,” said Kahanow. “By then, the first residents will have moved into Westminster Communities’ new Wesley Grove and Paramount Homes North Beach condominiums. Metro Homes’ Esperanza building will be on its way. The infrastructure improvements will be well along and many of the roads completed. Combine all that with a new line-up of great events, the start of the new retail project, and our sparkling beaches, and there will be nothing that even comes close to the greatness of Asbury Park.”