Advanced Knee Pain Treatment in Belmar, NJ

Simply Southern, a Belmar restaurant owned by Rasheed Simmons and his mother, Rita, is closing.

The pair opened the restaurant, where Rita cooked Southern family recipes like oxtails, smothered chicken, hush puppies and fried green tomatoes, in 2014. It will close Friday, Dec. 1.

"We're coming up on our 10-year anniversary, and it's been a really slow summer," Rasheed said. "The cost of goods are up, everything is up, so it wasn't as busy as it normally would've been.

"Going into the winter, we didn't have that extra fat ... that we normally would, so it becomes a struggle."

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Rasheed said he has been searching for another location where his restaurant wouldn't be as dependent on summertime traffic. He is looking in Red Bank, Freehold, Long Branch and Old Bridge, "someplace with much more foot traffic because it's vital to the success of our business."

"I'm very excited ... and I feel as if we reached the level where we couldn't get any higher," he said. "I want to level up."

Rasheed said a restaurant serving Indian cuisine will replace Simply Southern in Belmar Plaza, which is home to many other eateries.

"I know a lot of people like the concept of our plaza ... but now we have (many) restaurants, and we're not Asbury Park or Hoboken where there's 100,000 people at any given time in a (few) mile radius. At this point, we're just beating each other up."

Prior to opening in Belmar, and for more than a decade, Rasheed and Rita owned a small eatery called My Two Sons at the Englishtown Flea Market. They offered catering as well, and became a part of the Belmar community through their presence at Belmar's annual seafood festival.

"I'm happy to see Mom's dream come true because this has always been a dream of hers to have her own restaurant, and that's why we're going to keep on moving, keep her dream going and doing what we do, just not in Belmar," he said.

Simply Southern will continue doing catering and events.

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"I absolutely love and appreciate all the support, from not just Monmouth County but from the whole state of New Jersey," Rasheed said.

"We hope we can see everyone before we close the doors, just to give them a hug," he added. "You can just pop your head in and say hello, so we can say thank you for your support."

Gabriela L. Laracca joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2021 and eagerly brings her passion for cuisine and culture to our readers. Send restaurant tips to glaracca@gannett.com.

Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.

The hotel in Belmar, NJ known as the White House is gone, all gone.

Ownership of the hotel has been in place since 1963 and served many vacationers and seasonal employees who wanted a residence-like property for the gainful summer season.

Just steps away from the ocean, the White House had lots of amenities that made it the perfect place to reside for the bustling summer season.

Although listed with hotel status, the property maintained privacy for residents only, assuring that the amenities were only used for that purpose.

White House is sold

In 2017 the owners of the White House decided to sell it. It was tough to keep the property and amenities up, especially with only three to four months of steady revenue coming in.

What many originally thought would be a virtually smooth sales transition from the owners of the White House property to the Down to Earth Construction Company became a tangled legal mess. The property was sold to Down to Earth Construction for $2.4 million.

To paraphrase five years of legal battles, the plans laid out to the Belmar Zoning Board for the site of the White House by Down to Earth Construction included two multi-room townhouses on the property with aesthetically pleasing features that would blend in with the historic environment of the Second Avenue address.

There were five Planning Board hearings, and the 108-page proposal was eventually approved. The approval was appealed by Joseph and Rital Puleo and John Russell who own two properties adjacent to the White House property.

They claimed that they weren’t duly notified about the zoning and had other claims. The legal back and forth continued until the lawyers of the Down to Earth Construction Company claimed interference of financial gain, sale of property and due diligence among other claims.

What's next for the property

A judge finally ruled against the Puleos and John Russel and the Down to Earth Construction Company was free to start demolition and building.

Construction on the new buildings will take about 18 months. They’ll be many memories when you pass the location at 102 Second Avenue.

The Down to Earth Construction Company wasted no time in demolishing the White House. The swiftness of its demise seemed so quick after serving the community for so long.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Big Joe Henry. Any opinions expressed are Big Joe’s own.

BELMAR — A resident leading the fight in a Jersey Shore town against a plan to install over two dozen 30-foot cell phone towers along a boardwalk had to adjust her battle plan.

Verizon has been trying to install towers along the mile-long boardwalk for several years and went to court after the borough delayed approval.

A settlement in 2022 allowed Verizon to install 20 "small wireless facilities," each 30 feet tall, at street lights located at each block along Ocean Avenue.

Caitlin Donovan created a website, BelmarAgainst5GTowers.com, and an online petition expressing her opposition. She has used social media to gain support.

"We think they're excessive and we're worried about environmental damage, damage to the character of our beach, and even for a lot of peoples and health concerns," Donovan told New Jersey 101.5.

Donovan contends that the towers will be an eyesore and could decrease property values. There is also concern about health risks posed by long-term exposure to the 5G towers.

However, after Donovan focused her efforts on elected borough officials it was discovered that the property along Ocean Avenue where the towers would be placed is actually the county's land.

Donovan addressed the county commissioners on June 8. County Commissioner Director Tom Arnone said that the county is also opposed to the towers.

He said Verizon's application is being reviewed by county attorney Mike Fitzgerald.

"We're making sure they go through the whole process," Arnone told Donovan. "Mike has reached out and let them know we are obviously against it and in support of you guys in Belmar."

Arnone declined to comment for this report.

In a statement, Verizon spokesman Andrew Testa said the poles were custom designed as a "concession to the township" as part of a plan to optimize network coverage and capacity.

"Verizon’s deployment of new small cells in Belmar provides customers and emergency service providers in our community with enhanced and more reliable wireless voice and data services to meet not only today’s needs, but also those of the future," Testa said.

BELMAR, N.J. -- A battle is brewing as residents fight to keep 5G wireless sites away from the beach and boardwalk in Belmar.

There's a grassroots effort underway to stop Verizon.

Monday was a perfect day for a game of spikeball on the beach, or to stroll on the inviting Belmar Boardwalk.

"I love coming here and getting my steps," Jackson resident Michelle Stern said. "It's beautiful."

But the aesthetic might change if Verizon gets it way. Plans are in place to install 20 small 5G poles beside the Boardwalk along Ocean Avenue. Upon completion, they'd climb 30 feet high in the sky.

"I think it would kill the vibe a little bit. It would kill the look for sure," Stern said.

Joe Lustig does not live in Belmar, but has heard all about Verizon's plan.

"I sure have. Everybody I've talked to who lives here has mentioned it to me," Lustig said.

"How will that change the experience for you?" CBS2's Vanessa Murdock asked.

"It's hard to say before they're really up," Belmar resident Nick Waszkielewicz said.

Many Belmar residents are making their mission to stop Verizon. A banner on Ocean Avenue shouts "STOP VERIZON – NO 5G Towers on Belmar Beach." Lawn signs line streets. A Change.org petition has nearly 2,500 signatures. Local Caitlin Donovan started the grassroots effort.

"I grew up on this beach, and we feel like living on the beach is not living next to Disney World. We're not here for entertainment. We're here because we love this beach and we're environmental stewards," Donovan said. "We think constructing the towers here will ruin the character of our boardwalk."

She led a week of action, encouraged residents to reach out to their congressman, county engineer and Verizon.

A spokesperson for Verizon told CBS2, "The final design and placement of these poles maximize technical and community needs… locations have been extensively vetted and approved by the Township over the last five years."

No township here, said Borough of Belmar Mayor Gerald Buccafusco. He called the 5G poles overkill and hopes a consent agreement between Verizon and Borough signed in Summer 2022, during the former administration, does not hold water.

"We discovered that the road Ocean Avenue is a county road and they own the right of way," Buccafusco said. "They really needed to deal with Monmouth County rather than Belmar to get approval to do this."

Buccafusco said the borough informed Verizon of the find, and has not heard back.

The borough also hired an attorney to help them win the battle over 5G poles

Vanessa Murdock

Vanessa Murdock joined the CBS 2 Weather Team in October 2011 as the weekend morning meteorologist and weekday reporter.

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Christmas Light Show

By Jack Slocum

PublishedNovember 30, 2023 at 2:15 PM

BELMAR, NJ — Residents and visitors once again have the opportunity to enjoy one of the area’s most dazzling and beautiful spectacles — The 17th Annual Christmas Light Show. For the second year in a row, the show will take place in Belmar Plaza on the Connelly-Campion-Wright Building.

The 2023 show will kick off on December 9 at 6 p.m. There will be an additional show on December 17 at the same time. Expect stunning lights accompanied with your favorite holiday songs.

The Christmas Light Show has been a staple in Monmouth County since 2005 when it was started by Daniel Brateris. Brateris has an electrical and computer engineering background and formerly owned his own DJ company. Seventeen years ago, he teamed up with his brother Brian and their friend Matt Pinnella to create the show to bring Christmas spirit to their Wall neighbors. The first show took place at Pinnella’s parents' house on Paynters Road, and after “countless nights of programming in the freezing cold, The Christmas Light Show display was born.” To see an example of the dazzling light show, click here to view the one in 2015.

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It was in 2018 when Brateris and his all-volunteer crew created Raising4 Inc., a non-profit focused on running events to raise funds for other charities. It was around that time that Atlanticus Innovations LLC took over the production of the show, allowing its founders to focus more on collecting donations for charities.

Raising4 Inc.’s main beneficiary is RallyCap Sports, formerly Challenged Youth Sports, a non-profit organization that raises money to “provide recreational sports specifically designed for children and young adults with special needs.” The Monmouth County-based charity is 30 years old and has helped special needs children with sports for decades.

“At the heart of RallyCap Sports is our vision that children and young adults with special needs have the opportunity to participate in and enjoy sports just like everyone else,” a RalleyCap statement read. “To create an inclusionary sports program, we open the door to children and young adults with abilities and special needs of all kinds. We want every RallyPlayer to feel like they belong and to have fun.”

While the light show is free, Raising4 Inc. encourages audience members to make a donation to RallyCap. “We suggest donations of $25 for a family of 4 and $10 for an individual adult,” a Raising4 Inc. press release read. “In past years fans have donated tens of thousands of dollars to RallyCap Sports each year.” Donations are collected during the show and can be made online here.

While this is the first time The Christmas Light Show is being held in Belmar, it is not the first time Raising4 Inc. has put on a spectacle in the borough. Raising4 Inc. is also responsible for the Fourth of July Lightshow that took place this year at Taylor Pavilion.

For more information on the show, Raising4 Inc. and RallyCap Sports, click here.