Shore Cafe celebrates expansion with party

It's a new beginning at The Shore Cafe, Route 36, in Hazlet. The restaurant is hosting its "Regrand Opening Party" on Friday, January 23rd. Entertainment for the evening will be Danny Heise and Ernie Mossaratti. There will be a five-course dinner and open bar will follow from 7 p.m. until midnight. Dress is casual but neat.

For event pricing, or to make a reservation, call the restaurant at (732) 888-0288.

Hazlet's plan is on the map

Children are not the only ones submitting wish lists this season. The Hazlet Open Space Advisory Council recently completed its Open Space Recreation Plan that would serve as a wish list of possible properties for preservation, said Annie Eng, who sits on the board.

“We’ve been working on this since [the advisory council] formed about two years ago,” Eng said. “This is the first completed [Open Space Recreation] Plan ever.”

The plan will be submitted to Green Acres for filing, Eng said. Creating such a proposal also gives the township a break on grants from the organization, which is operated through the state Department of Environmental Protection, she said.

For the full story, click on the headline to go to The Courier Online.

'The Wrestler,' filmed in Hazlet, was important to Rourke

NJ.com has a good story about Mickey Rourke, star of the upcoming film "The Wrestler" about a down-and-out wrestler seeking a comeback. Rourke was the star of several iconic 1980s movies like "9-1/2 Weeks," "Barfly" and "Angel Heart," among others.

As an aside, some of the scenes of the picture were shot in a mobile home park owned by Hazlet businessman and recent independent candidate for the committee John Conti. An excellent business person in his own right, Michael Conti, John's son, is the owner of the Shore Cafe, also in Hazlet. He described Rourke as a "class act who was very receptive to fans that approached him while he was in the area filming."

Rourke talks plainly about his career and life in this very good article. Click on the headline to go to the story.