Those looking to shake off the pandemic blues and shake up the summer with a trip off the beaten track, look no further. We’ve double-checked the archives to get updated on some close-to-home, one-of-a-kind activities — including a few strolls on the wild side.
The 40th Annual Mermaid Parade
The self-described “major New York holiday invented by artists” is back and set for Saturday, June 18.
The founding credit of this bawdy sea and skin themed event goes to the multi-tattooed and Yale Drama School MFA performer Dick Zigun, who founded the nonprofit Coney Island USA to help revive that area of Brooklyn.
As the New York Post recently reported in a story about Zigun, he “battled overzealous developers, lobbied City Hall to help revive the fabled but fading amusement district, and banged a bass drum at the head of the annual Mermaid Parade while sporting a black top hat, an antique wool, one-piece bathing suit and a sash with the inscription, ‘Mayor.’”
While this mixture of Mardi Gras, Philadelphia Mummers, Burning Man Festival, and Brooklyn razzmatazz is one attraction on a specific day, the goofy fun is available all summer at the organization’s Coney Island Museum and Coney Island Side Show. And if that’s not enticing enough, throw in the opportunity to dine at the original Nathan’s Famous Hot dogs and scare yourself silly on the circa 1927 Cyclone Roller Coaster.
Coney Island USA, 1208 Surf Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Distance: Approximately 55 to 60 miles. Travel time: approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes (depending on traffic). www.coneyisland.com/mermaid-parade-faq
Meanwhile, keep an eye on the potential return of the Asbury Park Mermaid Parade that had been making a splash at the seaside resort before it was closed by COVID.
The Blob Festival
The 23rd Blobfest also returns live and in person to the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, July 8 through 10.
The unusual annual event commemorates the theater’s place in cinematic history when it was used as the spot attacked by the titular monster in the 1958 classic sci-fi film “The Blob.”
The small town’s casting was connected to convenience. The independent studio that produced the film was in nearby Valley Forge and took advantage of the local color to capture this tale of an ever-expanding hungry critter from space. That includes using the 1903 vintage theater for one of the film’s big moments — when the blobby mass squeezes into the theater filled with greasy-haired teenagers and causes them to flee en masse.
Today Blobfest visitors get to pack the theater to recreate the famous flight into the streets where spectators cheer and Philadelphia television cameras scoop up the mayhem.
The festival also fittingly includes a showing of the “The Blob,” a short-film festival, and a Blob Ball. And there’s usually an opportunity to see the Blob itself — the original goo used for the film proudly displayed in a bucket — and the giant day-glow bright soft sculpture displayed over the theater marquee.
Colonial Theater, 227 Bridge Street, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Distance: approximately 60 miles. Travel time: 1 hour and 15 minutes. www.phoenixvillefirst.org/blobfest
Cowtown Rodeo
The historic Pilesgrove, New Jersey, enterprise is up and kicking through September 24.
Called the oldest continuous rodeo in the United States, the South Jersey bronco-buster has roots going back to 1929 when the Howard Harrises — senior and junior — put together a rodeo for the Salem County Fair.
With just a brief hiatus during World War II, the Harris family has been continuing the operations that were once televised and broadcast nationally during the 1950s and ’60s.
And with its ties to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (which among other requirement dictates animal treatment) and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, it has the credentials that make it more than just a lot of bull.
And the real proof can be tested in the 4,000-seat arena as audiences get to view bull riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronco riding, bareback riding, tie-down roping, and barrel racing.
The giant cowboy statue on the highway tells you you’ve arrived. So park the car on the open green and get ready for a western experience without leaving the Garden State.
Cowtown Rodeo, 780 Harding Highway (Route 40), Pilesgrove, through September 24, Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Ticket are $20 for adults (age 13 & over), $10 (ages 3 to 12), and free for infants. Distance: approximately 60 miles. Travel time: 1 hour and 15 minutes (via NJ Turnpike). 856-769-3200 or www.cowtownrodeo.com
Gunnison Beach
The clothing-optional beach on Sandy Hook on New York Harbor is back in the business of going bare. The six-mile beach takes its name from Battery Gunnison, once part of U.S. Army base Fort Hancock.
U.S. 1 has reported on this in the past, but it’s worth retelling how the practice of nude bathing at Gunnison began as a military tradition: Soldiers would strip down and skinny dip at the beach. When the base was decommissioned in 1972 the practice continued.
Yes, the State of New Jersey has laws against nudity on state and municipal beaches, but Gunnison is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area and under the jurisdiction of the United States Federal Government through the National Park Service.
Since the U.S. government is not in the business of organizing nude swimming, community volunteers create social events, a newsletter, and, according to the Friends of Gunnison Beach website, maintain “an ongoing dialogue with the National Park Service and other members of the Sandy Hook community in order to protect and improve naturist recreation.”
The entry to the beach is about a half mile from the parking lot and marked by formal structures that include a refreshment stand, a bathhouse, and a shower fountain for cleaning sand off the feet. The beach area is divided into two sections: clothed and unclothed — both maintained by clothed lifeguards hired by the National Park Service.
And in addition to a beach populated with nudes, one also gets a nice view of New York City across the bay.
Gunnison Beach at Sandy Hook, Monmouth County, and part of the National Park Services, open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, April 1 through October 31 (5 a.m. to 8 p.m. November 1 through March 31), lifeguards seasonal and during business hours, $15 parking fee between Memorial and Labor days. Distance: approximately 70 miles. Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes. www.nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit/sandy-hook-hours.htm or www.aanr.com/gunnison-beach
Delsea Drive-In Theater
The only operating drive-in theater in the state where drive-ins were born, the Delsea is a “living” monument to entertainment history. It also provides the opportunity for families, friends, or dates to have an authentic old-style New Jersey experience.
Pediatrician John DeLeonardis inadvertently saved the languishing drive-in in 2003 when he purchased it with the intent of turning it into a skate park and place for kids to get out and exercise.
But, as U.S.1 reported, when he noticed the 1970s-vintage screens still had some life to them, he decided to revive the theater. Since then he has maintained a New Jersey tradition and provided area audiences with the opportunity to do something different.
The Delsea is divided into two sections with two different screens and shows. Those with not-so-fond memories of driving away with speakers still attached to the car windows can relax; the film’s audio is piped through the radio.
What else is different is the need to purchase advance tickets and to adhere to a number of restrictions regarding bringing in outside food and starving the concession stand.
Delsea Drive-In Theater, 2203 Delsea Drive, Vineland. Distance: approximately 78 miles. Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes. www.delseadrive-in.com.
