Many popular carols sung at Christmas in America were first published during the Victorian era (1837-1901), marked by the reign of Queen Victoria of England. This period in America, of course, included the Civil War (1861-1865), the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), and the passage of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery (1865). […]
Fred Ascoli lives the life that many people who fall in love with Cape May have only romanticized. Like most native residents, his relationship with the ocean and his understanding of its ever-changing personality began as a child. By the time he was a teenager, he was out to sea […]
Among the many talented cover bands and solo artists in the South Jersey area, a musical arrangement of almost 60 people makes for a powerful performance in a small town. I mean, isn’t that a decent chunk of Cape May’s population? The John Walter Band is a Cape May County […]
The average life expectancy in 1900 was just 47 years. Is it any wonder Victorians were obsessed with the passage from life to death (or, on another topic entirely, with productivity)? Spiritualism—a religion that attempted to bridge the gap between the living and the dead—rose to prominence during the Victorian […]
Acoustic duos demonstrate how simplicity can offer abundance. Coming up on 25 years of experience playing together, Marnie & Nate possess the talent and tools to entertain, endure, and expand. Between Marnie Lengle’s impressive vocals, Nate Kennedy’s guitar skills, and an overarching passion for music, Marnie & Nate give incredible […]
Originally from Ohio, Pastor Nicole Wilkinson arrived in Cape May when she came to lead the Presbyterian Church on Hughes Street in 2017. The most recent in a 125-year-long line of church leaders here, she holds a PhD in New Testament, has authored several books, and has lived in Turkey, […]
“I am a Jersey girl—born and bred,” says Gail Pfeifer, the face—and talented hands—behind Laughing Gull Pottery. She started life further north in the Garden State, but her present life in Stone Harbor is reflected in her hand-thrown pottery pieces, their soothing colors representative of the sand, sea, and sky. […]
“This painting is inspired by visits each year with great friends in Cape May. Shout-out to my Harbison family!” Learn more about the artist at JayMcPhillips.com
In Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, a debate occurs in Elizabeth’s family parlor between her younger sister, Kitty, and her mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. It’s summer, the handsome young soldiers have moved on, and Kitty, as precocious as her name suggests, is bored. She wants to go […]
After 20 years of life spent exploring my hometown of Cape May, I thought I had a well-rounded understanding of what it has to offer. But by the age of 21 I became aware of the limits of what I had been exposed to: an entire nightlife undetected because of […]
Paige Cunningham and I decided to meet on the Washington Street Mall one late afternoon just after she left work. As she walked toward the bench where I was seated, I was preparing to compliment her on the brightly colored jean jacket she was wearing—a jacket that I pretty much […]
If you’re familiar with Cape May, it’s almost difficult not to be familiar with Janet Payne’s work. Whether you’re already a fan of her sea glass jewelry or have seen it displayed at Cape May shops Whale’s Tale or Splash, or even dangling around the neck or from the earlobes […]
The official first greeting when we visited the sylvan Fishing Creek location of Cape Island Woodworks came not from owner John Hassay, but from shop dog Gracie. We heard her excited bark before we saw her, then spotted her wagging tail as she bounded through the grass, John behind her. […]
If it were not already taken, A Tale of Two Cities might be a perfect title for the life story of West Cape May resident Barbara Freels. Born in Harlem in 1923, Barbara spent her childhood between Manhattan and Cape May, often returning to the city during the summer months when […]
It’s summertime on Howard Street, and the evening sky casts a dusky shadow on the crowded lawn of The Chalfonte Hotel. The block buzzes with the melodic funky fusion sounds of The Ramble, beckoning the community to truly unwind on any given Thursday, from a week before Memorial Day until […]
If you never thought that strolling Cape May’s gaslit streets or walking along our promenade would afford you the chance to view the rings of Saturn or study the details of a nebula thousands of light years from Earth, then you’ve never encountered our island’s street corner astronomer, Kevin Beare. […]
I find it delightful that men of the Cape May and Philadelphia Physick family were doctors, including Cape May’s Victorian gentleman, Dr. Emlen Physick, Jr., whose legacy is the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate in Cape May. It’s like meeting or knowing an artist named Art. Or a chef named Cook. […]
It takes a natural musician to create sound that reflects the originality of their character. Violinist Daisy Castro uses music as a channel to transmit her individuality. Her journey began early, at age six, and she was quickly recognized as a musical prodigy. Daisy’s introduction to violin was via the […]
When winter temperatures fall into the teens, it’s a good time to appreciate the modern heating systems in today’s homes that work hard keeping inhabitants warm and to learn a bit about how most homes were heated during the Victorian era.
It’s no secret that Cape May has a lively entertainment scene. Through my local lens I’ve witnessed how Cape May’s increasing popularity results in higher demand for performance artists, and there is currently a buzzing scene of talented and extraordinary musicians. Regardless of how much music you’ve heard around town […]
It’s not surprising that Cape May would be home to one of the most respected hospitality consultants on the east coast. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Patrick Logue, a young University of Delaware graduate who had worked for Hilton Hotels, was a key player in one of New Jersey’s […]
Learning Life: A Memoir by Sylvia BaerHardcover, 2022, Nostos Press, 252 pages Cape May is home to many creatives, especially writers (as evidenced by the magazine you hold in your hands). Cape May’s very own—and first! —Poet Laureate, Dr. Sylvia Baer, is among this grouping. Baer, a teacher of over […]
When you come from a well-known local family and then you marry into another well-known local family, what does that make you? In this case, it makes you Lindsay Givens Casale, co-owner with her husband Dan of GIVENS, a funky boutique on the Washington Street Mall with a carefully curated […]