The boardwalk is starting to look like summer right now. Sweatshirt in the morning, sunburn by late afternoon. The city says new permanent public bathrooms are opening at First and Fourth Avenue on the boardwalk, along with new showers at beach entrances. And up on the third floor of the boardwalk, AP Rooftop has quietly launched a brand new pastry menu for the season ~ desserts made in-house by their own pastry chef. The summer rush is building, and this time the food is keeping up.

Asbury Park Vintage Market ~ Rescheduled to Saturday, May 16 · Stone Pony Summer Stage · Noon to 5 PM ~ Outdoor vintage goods with the Stone Pony as your backdrop. Free admission. instagram.com/apvintagemarket

Spring Bazaar ~ May 9–10 · Convention Hall · Noon to 5 PM ~Makers, artists, and local vendors taking over Convention Hall for Mother’s Day weekend. asburyparkbazaar.com

Asbury Park Vegan Food Festival ~ May 16–17 ~ Across from the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel · Tickets Required ~ Two days of plant-based food vendors, products, and live music. njvegfest.com

Self Care with Art Workshops ~ Ongoing (Mondays & Wednesdays) · 3–5 PM · The Center, 806 Third Ave · Free ~ Drop-in art workshops focused on expression and wellness, open to anyone in the community. Details: asburyparkartclub.com

North to Shore Festival ~ June 13–28 ~ Stone Pony Summer Stage, Wonder Bar, and more. Asbury’s slice of the statewide arts festival, with acts like The Bouncing Souls, Yellowcard, Kurt Vile, Happy Mondays, and Black Uhuru already announced, plus community events via AsburyFest, Asbury Underground, Carousel Art House, and Georgie’s Bar. Some shows are already sold out! Details: northtoshore.com

Sea.Hear.Now Festival ~ September 19–20 · Asbury Park Waterfront ~ A two-day waterfront festival with Mumford & Sons and The Strokes headlining, plus Chaka Khan, The Offspring, Pixies, The War on Drugs, and Fontaines D.C. across three stages (two on the sand, one in the park). Details: seahearnowfestival.com

For the first time in over a decade, Asbury Park will have a new mayor. Mayor John Moor is stepping down at the end of his current term, citing a personal belief in term limits. Known as an accessible leader who handed out his personal cell number to residents, Moor leaves behind a 12-year legacy that includes stabilizing taxes, rebuilding the North End boardwalk, and backing rent control.

Aiming to succeed him is Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, who has Moor’s official endorsement. An attorney specializing in housing and disability rights, Quinn has spent over ten years on the City Council. Her campaign focuses on preserving local affordability amidst the city's rapid development, highlighting her past work on short-term rental regulations, the local plastic bag ban, and inclusive housing initiatives. We’ll keep you updated.

If you’ve ever had to give someone directions around the Asbury Park boardwalk, chances are you’ve used the giant, grinning face painted on the side of the Wonder Bar as a landmark. That famous smile belongs to Tillie.

But Tillie wasn't always a bar mascot. The mid-century mural was originally painted in the 1950s on the side of the historic Palace Amusements building, which sat at the corner of Cookman and Lake avenues. His name is widely believed to be a nod to George Tilyou, the creator of Coney Island’s Steeplechase Park, which featured a similarly cheerful, slightly eerie mascot.

For decades, the Palace was the beating heart of the local arcade scene. Tillie’s wide eyes watched over generations of shore kids running between the carousel, the Ferris wheel, and the bumper cars. However, like many classic boardwalk attractions of that era, the Palace eventually fell on hard times and shuttered its doors in 1988.

By the early 2000s, the decaying building was slated for the wrecking ball. Unwilling to lose a piece of the city's soul, a passionate grassroots coalition of residents, historians, and Bruce Springsteen fans formed the Save Tillie campaign. They lobbied the state relentlessly. Finally, in June 2004, weeks before the building was completely demolished, volunteers successfully managed to cut the left-side Tillie mural out of the concrete wall. (Unfortunately, a second Tillie painted on the right side of the building couldn't be saved and was destroyed).

Today, that original 17,000-pound piece of concrete history remains safely hidden away in storage in Asbury Park. (If you want to go deep into the rescue effort, the Asbury Park Press put together an excellent 11-minute mini-documentary on the story). The vibrant face you see looking out from the Wonder Bar is actually a faithful replica, painted to ensure Tillie's spirit remains part of the modern waterfront.

What’s so great about Tillie today is how casually he blends into the landscape. If you don’t know his backstory, you might just be walking toward Ocean Avenue for Yappy Hour or a concert, and there’s this massive, quirky face greeting you like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

Because Tillie spans so many different eras of Asbury Park, I want to hear what he means to you. Did you pump quarters into the arcade games at the Palace back in the day, or is he just the colorful backdrop for your dog's photos at the Wonder Bar? Hit reply and share your best Tillie memory, and I’ll feature a few of them in an upcoming issue.

~ Community rally draws hundreds ~ Locals gathered for a rain-soaked unity rally organized by Garden State Equality on April 18 following a recent ICE incident in the city. tapinto.net

~ Asbury Park earns NJ Healthy Town designation for the 6th year in a row ~ The city was recognized again by the NJ Health Care Quality Institute for sustained wellness programming, including food access initiatives like the Library Community Fridge and Meals with Love. Read it at cityofasburypark.com

~ New acting superintendent named for AP schools ~ Edwin J. Ruiz has been named acting superintendent of the Asbury Park School District, stepping in during a leadership transition and facing a $7 million budget cut. Read it at tapinto.net

~ The Drawing Room is now open to the public ~ The upscale restaurant inside the Asbury Ocean Club Hotel is accepting reservations from anyone for the first time, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Executive Chef Kate Gagliardi sources seasonal produce from local farms via Harvest Drop. nj.com

It’s been a chilly, damp start to May here on the coast. I know we are all watching the forecast, waiting for more sunny, warm days. Until then, enjoy the last quiet moments of the spring!

If someone forwarded this to you, you can hop on the list at theapcurrent.com so you don’t miss the next wave. And if you’ve got a tip, a story idea, or just something around town worth noticing, hit reply and send it my way. I’ll see you out there.