Issue #4

Summer in Asbury Park is officially on the clock and city crews just cut the ribbon on new public bathrooms and beach showers along the boardwalk, the new bike racks will be handy too!

In this issue, we’ll catch you up on the mayor’s race, the schools, the waterfront legal review, June’s can’t-miss events, a newish café-bookshop worth your time, and one fox-filled mural you should go find on your next walk.

First Friday Art & Sound ~ June 5 · Press Plaza · Free outdoor block party with live music, art vendors, and interactive demos kicking off the summer First Friday series downtown. · cityofasburypark.com

New Jersey’s 34th Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration ~ June 7 · Fifth & Ocean Ave, Asbury Park · Parade from City Hall to the waterfront, then a full‑day festival and rally on the lawn by the ocean. · jerseypride.org

Yellowcard + New Found Glory (Stone Pony Summer Stage) ~ June 12 · Stone Pony Summer Stage · Pop‑punk double bill under the open sky, part of the early wave of North to Shore‑season shows. · stoneponyonline.com

North to Shore Festival – Asbury Park ~ June 13–28 · Various venues · Statewide arts festival brings Kurt Vile, Black Uhuru, The Bouncing Souls, Happy Mondays, and more to stages across the city. · northtoshore.com

Asbury FRESH Farmers & Makers Market ~ Sundays June 14, 21, 28 · 9 AM - 2 PM · Press Plaza · The 13th season of Asbury’s open‑air market with local produce, coffee, crafts, and kids racing around the fountain. · asburyfresh.com

Jimmy Eat World (Stone Pony Summer Stage) ~ June 25 · Stone Pony Summer Stage · Alt‑rock lifers bring sing‑along anthems to the shore just as North to Shore hits full swing. · stoneponyonline.com

Asbury Park Jazz Fest ~ June 28 · Sunset Park · Long‑awaited return of the city’s jazz festival with an all‑day lineup by the lake. · cityofasburypark.com

Mayor John Moor is still in the big chair for now, but the race to replace him is officially on. Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, long expected to run, launched her campaign with a kickoff at Parlor Gallery in late April and is now in full listening-tour mode heading into the 2026 election cycle. Candidate petitions for November aren’t due until August, so the final field isn’t set yet, but Quinn already has backing from Council colleagues and local civic leaders.

On the broader stage, the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund added Quinn to its May 2026 endorsement slate, highlighting her as a key LGBTQ candidate in New Jersey politics this year. Meanwhile, Monmouth County’s early in‑person voting for the June primary ran through May 31, giving Asbury Park voters an early chance to start shaping who’ll be on the ballot in November.

Back in March, the City Council voted to bring in Archer & Greiner, P.C. as independent special counsel to take a fresh look at Asbury Park’s long‑running boardwalk and waterfront redevelopment agreements with Madison Asbury Retail, LLC. The review focuses on the city’s legal standing under the 2002 waterfront plan and subsequent agreements that govern everything from pavilion buildings to future construction on the oceanfront.

As of early June, City Hall says that legal review is underway but hasn’t yet produced any public recommendations or changes to the existing deal. In the meantime, the Mayor and City Council have approved a resolution authorizing the next construction phase for the historic Paramount Theatre, using money from the Boardwalk Preservation Fund to move the long‑stalled $11.7 million restoration project forward. That work sits right at the heart of whatever new waterfront chapter comes next.

The Asbury Park school district has been in financial trouble for years, and the pressure came to a head again at a May Board of Education meeting that local reporter Michelle Gladden described as “heartbreak and hope.” Administrators outlined a roughly $7.85 million budget deficit for the coming year — down from an earlier $10 million gap, but still demanding deep cuts after multiple rounds of state aid reductions.

Acting Superintendent Edwin J. Ruiz, appointed this spring, has been tasked with trimming at least $7 million from a $74.59 million budget while trying to protect classrooms in a district that has already seen frequent leadership turnover. Parents and staff turned out in force to plead for counseling, arts, and support positions they say their kids can’t afford to lose, with more hearings and a final budget vote expected as June unfolds.

Some places in town feel inevitable once they finally exist. A Cup of Literature is one of them. Tucked in Asbury Park’s walkable core, the new spot is equal parts café, bookstore, and fitness studio, a mash‑up that somehow makes perfect sense here.

Cofounders Aubrey Chesna and Julia Cangelosi built the space around three things they love: good coffee, good stories, and moving your body. The drink menu reads like a syllabus: the Chai Gatsby, Green Gables Matcha, and Maple Mockingbird share space with classic espresso drinks and fresh pastries. Shelves hold a tight but thoughtful mix of fiction, memoir, and wellness titles, with a small local author section that’s already starting to grow.

In the back, mats come out for pilates and other small‑group classes, turning the café into a kind of unofficial third place for people who care as much about feeling grounded as getting caffeinated. If you’ve been looking for a spot that feels creative but not precious (maybe a little precious), where you can read, sweat, and linger, put this one on your June wander list. → acupofliteraturellc.com

Bordalo II’s “Mother & Baby Foxes”

Just north of Convention Hall, a pair of foxes are frozen mid‑prowl on a weathered wall, not painted, but built out of discarded metal, plastic, and scrap. The piece, “Mother & Baby Foxes” by Portuguese artist Arthur Bordalo, arrived in 2025 as part of the Wooden Walls Project’s “Painting Community: Asbury Park” series, and it’s become one of the boardwalk’s most arresting works.

Bordalo is known worldwide for his “trash animals,” sculptures made from reclaimed materials that call out our throwaway culture. Up close in Asbury, you can spot old car parts, pipes, and busted signage stitched into the foxes’ fur, their faces angled toward the ocean like they’re guarding some secret just beyond the breakers. It’s a perfect fit for this city: wild, a little scrappy, and quietly insisting that what we toss aside can still be transformed into something worth stopping for. Next time you’re on the boards, detour toward the Carousel and go say hello.

Listen to Artur Bordalo speak about his piece here → instagram.com

Read more about the inspiration for this artwork → instagram.com

New businesses, Paris Baguette, Bojangles, and Quick Check, opening in Asbury Park. thecoaster.net

Residents push back on Empress-adjacent garage plan ~ Jersey Digs breaks down a controversial proposal for a parking deck and 54-unit building behind Paradise and the Empress Hotel. jerseydigs.com

Council OKs 92-unit Springwood/Memorial project ~ Asbury Rip Rap recaps a 3–1 Council vote granting a long-term tax exemption for a mixed-income, mixed-use building at 90 Memorial Drive. → archive.is

Climate rules and master plan could reshape AP ~ TAPinto explains how state climate regulations and a new sustainability-focused master plan update could steer future development across the city. tapinto.net

That’s Issue #4 in the books ~ budgets, buildings, murals, and plenty of music still to come as June rolls on. However you’re showing up this month, here’s to staying safe, spending local, and celebrating loudly and proudly. Happy Pride, Asbury Park.