2022 Fall Issue

INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE REGION
ake Hopatcong News
FALL 2022 VOL. 14 NO. 6
Witch You Were Here!
October is a bewitching good time for these ladies in Lake Rogerene
RACING AROUND
STATE BY STATE
A LIFE IN MUSIC
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I
From the Editor
love my job. I really do.
It’s challenging, no doubt about that, but in a good way.
As many of you know—because you see me at so many different events all around the area—I don’t
work a typical Monday through Friday, 9-to-5 schedule. I do spend a lot of time in my office in front of
my computer, but there’s usually something I have to do that has me zipping around the community—
like running to cover an event or dashing to meet someone for an interview or photo shoot.
At any time, on any day, before, during or after my time in the office, I might be on the move. More
to the point, I work when I have to, and I go wherever the story takes me.
It’s the nature of the business and having an unconventional work schedule for me seems, well,
conventional. It fits my personality, and I can’t see myself doing it any other way.
And while it does add time to a normal eight-hour workday or 40-hour workweek, the plus side is I
get to take part in a variety of unusual and unique experiences, I get to meet a lot of new and interesting
people and I get to sample a lot of tasty foods.
For example, in this issue there’s a story about West Side United Methodist Church’s annual chicken
barbeque fundraiser. Yep, a good ol’ fashioned chicken barbeque. (See page 18)
I’ve known about this yearly summer event for quite some time. I have a thick notebook full of pages
where I dutifully squirrel away business cards, contact numbers, story ideas and event dates. Every once
in a while, I will scan the pages, looking for any tidbit of information that might spark a story idea.
In January, as I was preparing my 2022 story budget, I came across the notes about the barbeque and
decided this would be the summer to write the story. Lo and behold, when I made the first call, I found
out 2022 would mark the event’s 50th anniversary. Whew. Perfect timing. (Actually, last year should
have been number 50, but the pandemic caused a delay.)
So, on a Saturday night in August, writer Melissa Summers and I—along with some of our family
members—spent an hour or so at a table under a pop-up tent on the church grounds, devouring half
of a chicken that had been dipped in a secret sauce and perfectly cooked over a charcoal fire.
By the time we sat down for dinner, we had already done most of our interviews and taken most of
the photos, which gave us an opportunity to enjoy the food and talk to some folks. Not a bad way to
spend a Saturday night. And for the record, I highly recommend putting this event on your calendar
for next summer. I know I’ll be back. I’m told it’s always the Saturday before Labor Day weekend.
For the cover story in this issue, I didn’t sample any food, but I did get to meet some very interesting
people. The story is about a group of women who have a slightly obsessive appreciation for witches, and
Halloween is their time of the year. (See page 22.)
Writer Ellen Wilkowe and I met them at their big celebration last year—I needed photos to go with
this year’s story. As you can see from those photos, there’s not a wicked witch in the bunch, just a group
of entertaining humorous women, embracing their witchy side by dressing the part. Not something
I’d do (I’m not a fan of dressing up), but I appreciate the time, the effort and the commitment it takes
to pull this off.
Also in this issue is a story by Mike Daigle about some of the small
cemeteries and burial grounds in the area. Not an easy story to research,
as it turned out, and we just scratched the surface. But what we did find is
incredibly interesting, thanks to some local folks who provided additional
information and insight. (See page 8)
With this issue complete, I am already looking toward the next one and
looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing new things. And
as the next issue comes together, I know I’ll be jumping from the office to
the outside world at random hours throughout the coming weeks—but I
wouldn’t want it any other way.
—Karen
ake Hopatcong News
INFORMING, SERVING AND CELEBRATING THE LAKE REGION
Witch You Were Here!
October is a bewitching good time for these ladies in Lake Rogerene
FALL 2022 VOL. 14 NO. 6
ON THE COVER
KAREN FUCITO
Editor
editor@lakehopatcongnews.com
973-663-2800
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Michael Stephen Daigle
Melissa Summers
Maria Vogel-Short
Ellen Wilkowe
COLUMNISTS
Marty Kane
Heather Shirley
Barbara Simmons
EDITING AND LAYOUT
Maria DaSilva-Gordon
Randi Cirelli
ADVERTISING SALES
Lynn Keenan
advertising@lakehopatcongnews.com
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RACING AROUND
STATE BY STATE
A LIFE IN MUSIC
WINNER, WINNER,
CHICKEN DINNER
BEACON OF LIGHT
Pat Curtin and friends get into character at
her annual witch party in Lake Rogerene.
-photo by Karen Fucito
Lake Hopatcong News is published seven times a
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lakehopatcongnews.com 5

Frank Gutowski
addresses the crowd
at the unveiling of the
lighthouse.
A memory board
greets guests at
the dedication
ceremony.
Sisters Katie and Kelly Brown
in front of the lighthouse
dedicated to their father.
Lighthouse Dedicated in
Memory of Local Swim Coach
beacon of light is shining along the shores
A of Lake Hopatcong in honor of a man who
loved his community and the area swim team he
helped to inspire.
The Lake Forest Lighthouse was dedicated on
September 3 in memory of Jim Brown, a former
swim team president for the Lake Forest Vikings
and high school history teacher who died in
February 2017. Brown was 55 when he succumbed
to mental illness and took his own life, but he left
behind a legacy of caring that family and friends
say will be remembered for years to come.
“This beacon lighthouse will serve as a point
of interest for all Lake Hopatcong,” said his
daughter, Kelly Brown, 26, a paralegal with a law
firm in Sparta who now resides in Stanhope. “This
lighthouse represents neighbors, friendship and
how the community banded together to get us
through the most painful part of our lives.”
The 12-foot stone lighthouse was constructed
by Amish builders Beaver Dam Woodworks in
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The small-scale
structure symbolically sits at the end of the Lake
Forest Yacht Club swim team jetty, where Brown
spent many years volunteering as a timer and
announcer while his two daughters competed
in swim races in the very lanes he lovingly
maintained. The cost of the project came to just
under $10,000, with most of the money, $5,260,
raised through a GoFundMe page. The Lake
Forest Yacht Club contributed $1,000 and the Jim
Brown Memorial Fund donated $3,600.
6
Story by MARIA VOGEL-SHORT
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
Friends and family said that Brown—who
won the “Mr. Yell” award because of his cheers of
encouragement for competing young swimmers—
made an impact on their lives. For Katie Brown,
who was in high school when her father died, the
significance of his death did not register right away
when she first found out.
“I mean, you never really stop grieving,” said
Brown, now 22, of Pine Brook. “It hurt when
I graduated, and he was not there. Every time a
holiday hits or a birthday comes, you feel that
sadness that he’s not there. I’m getting married
next year, and you see all the daughter-father
dances and I will always miss that he won’t walk
me down the aisle. You miss the moments that
could have been.”
For Brown’s two daughters, their father’s love
shone through his love of swimming at the lake.
“He was the one who drove us to every swim
meet,” recalled Katie Brown. “He was always
pushing me, literally. I swam the breaststroke and
with that type of swimming you have to go under
and come up between every stroke. I’m 5’ 10’’ so
I had the reach. My Dad really had to push me,
and every time I’d lift my head, I could hear him
screaming his head off: ‘Push, Katie push, push,
Katie push, don’t look over!’
“He taught me to dive. He would set up the
pool, and though he was not a good swimmer
himself, he figured it out for us. He did save
me from drowning once. My best memories are
summer with him.”
Approximately 200 people attended the
dedication, which was incorporated into the
club’s end-of-season celebration. As the sun set,
Above: Katie Brown
and her father Jim
Brown in 2005.
Right: Kelly Brown
with her father in
2014.
Photos courtesy of the
Brown family.
Brown’s friend, Frank
Gutowski, began the
ceremony.
“He would do
anything for the swim
team or for anyone,”
said an emotional
Gutowski. “He had a way of talking to the kids
and it translated well in school as a teacher. He
knew how to motivate people and we saw it in his
community and in the business world when he
worked in sales.”
Brown, described by family and friends as “funloving,”
served as trustee on the Lake Forest Yacht
Club Board from 2007-2008, as president of
its swim team from 2010-2012 and as a tireless
volunteer who spent countless hours fixing the
swim docks and working with swim team kids to
become better at their sport.
“He was the ultimate swim dad,” said daughter
Kelly Brown.
“He was always there. He got everybody to
laugh and was always cheering for every person.
He instilled in me that being a good sport and

As dusk settles over Lake Hopatcong,
the Lake Forest Lighthouse lights up.
Need NEED
more MORE
Space? SPACE?
Need
more
Space?
having good sportsmanship were important. He
felt sports instilled good character,” she said.
“He could really make you laugh,” added
Gutowski, who recalled the unique comments
Brown would make about current affairs and dayto-day
events. “I just wish he had reached out to
me on the day he died so I could have helped him.”
The pain of suicide doubles the timeline of
the mourning process, family and friends said.
“Losing your parent to suicide means mourning
on a whole new level. It was overwhelming to wrap
my mind and heart around, and it took time to
move past that,” said Kelly Brown.
Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the
country, according to a federal report. In the 2021
Annual Report from America’s Health Rankings,
there were 46,000 suicide deaths and 1.2 million
attempted suicides in 2020. Adverse childhood
experiences and economic hardship are the two
top reasons people commit suicide, the report
stated, and pressure from current challenges in
society also plays a role. According to the report,
the suicide rate increased 33 percent from 1999
to 2019.
At the dedication, Kelly Brown reached out to
anyone contemplating suicide. “If you are ever
feeling sad or lonely or hopeless, it is important to
remember that you are never alone; leaning on your
community forges strength, and there is always a
light,” she said, gesturing to the lighthouse.
To make peace with his passing, the family
had to come to a place of forgiveness, said both
daughters.
“We had to stay rooted in love. It took a year to
get our feet on the ground and stabilize ourselves,”
said Kelly Brown. “My sister was a senior in high
school, and I was trying to get through college.
I also was administrator of his estate and had to
make the financial decisions and plan a funeral.
It’s painful to do these things when your world is
turned upside down.”
(At the time of his death, Brown was divorced,
and his daughters were living with their mother.)
“I don’t think suicide is selfish,” said Katie
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Brown. “I think people who do this feel there is
no other choice. That’s when they need to check
into a facility and reach out to others. His passing
taught me to appreciate people when they are
around you. Reach out to people. Be open. Talk
about your feelings and hang in there for other
people.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide,
please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by
dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text
Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
lakehopatcongnews.com 7

Above, left to right: A headstone at the
First Presbyterian Church of Berkshire
Valley Cemetery. A view of the newer
section. Gerald Bates cuts the grass in
the oldest part of the cemetery.
Far left: Jim Leach looks at a headstone at Hurdtown Cemetery. Left: A
view of Hurdtown. Right: Holland Mountain Cemetery.
Uncovering the Buried Past
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
Every day mattered, when the life was so short.
So marked was the gravestone of Phillis
Blanchard: 1 year. 7 mo. 28 d. She was the
daughter of Aaron and Susan.
Nearby are more Blanchards, caddy-cornered
from the Fichters.
And just feet away in the First Presbyterian
Church of Berkshire Valley Cemetery is Reinhardt
Davis of Company K, 38th Regiment, New Jersey
Volunteers. He died at 57 on July 22, 1865, three
months after the end of the Civil War.
In the Hurdtown Cemetery there are the
Chamberlains, the Hurds and the Willises.
In the Holland Mountain Cemetery in
Stockholm lay the Poulisons and the Morrisons—
and the Willises.
“They are the miners and the mine owners and
the farmers and families,” said Jefferson historian
and writer Richard Willis, whose family history
can be traced back generations in Jefferson
Township. Holland Mountain, Willis said, used to
be known as Willis Mountain. Oddly enough, he
said, most of the relatives buried in the Holland
Mountain Cemetery are women.
Longtime resident Jim Leach remembers
learning that two slaves were buried at Hurdtown,
which is located on the south side of Route 15.
Leach, the former Jefferson Township police chief
and township administrator, said the gravesites
were located just inside the rock wall, near the
highway, a fact confirmed by Willis who said
the graves would have been marked by wooden
crosses.
The lives etched on gravestones in cemeteries
across Jefferson and Roxbury tell the story of the
8
Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
Lake Hopatcong region, Willis said, from the
open space of pre-European settlement to the
industrial mining days to the resort times and
current suburbia.
Some of those resting in the region’s graveyards
were influential. The Hurds owned a large
prosperous iron mine; the Chamberlains, land
and businesses; the Fichters, the Davenports, the
Dickersons, bankers, shop owners, investors all.
The Willis family owned a farm and helped run
Jefferson Township.
Then, in turn, some were truly famous, like
Mahlon Dickerson, who was the seventh governor
of New Jersey, a U.S. Congressman, a Secretary
of the Navy and a federal district judge. And in
Succasunna, he was the owner of the Dickerson
Mine, which opened in 1722, launching the long
and important iron mining and manufacturing
business of Morris County.
Gov. Dickerson is resting in the First Presbyterian
Church of Succasunna Cemetery in that section of
Roxbury.
Then what to make of Mahlon Dickerson of
Berkshire Valley?
A businessman, records said. He died on
December 26, 1862 at 50 and rests with an
extended family and wife, Sarah Ann, who died
in 1866.
There are 3,000 cemeteries in New Jersey,
according to the New Jersey Cemetery Association,
including those for military personnel, families,
churches, non-sectarian groups and municipal
cemeteries.
The oldest, founded in 1762, is in Newton
along Route 206.
The only inventory of Morris County cemeteries
was conducted by the county in 1975 and listed
five in Roxbury and 11 in Jefferson. Mount
Arlington and Hopatcong have none. Willis said
trying to dig graves in hard-rock Hopatcong
would have been difficult.
The cemeteries of record show that sometimes
families created their own graveyards, some of
which were later abandoned.
The Rev. Christopher Doyle, who serves the
First Presbyterian Church of Berkshire Valley
and the Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church, said it
was not unusual for families to abandon family
gravesites after one or two generations.
Such a site exists on Mase Road, said Willis.
The Gordon Long family burial site, with its half
dozen or so headstones, is all but lost to nature.
Families of prominence, like Jefferson’s Headleys,
created their own graveyards. The Headley Burial
Ground is located on Weldon Road. According to
the Morris County inventory, it was begun around
1830.
“Possibly originated as a family burial ground,”
the notes in the Morris County inventory said,
“but subsequently became a community cemetery.
Early residents of the area are buried here.”
The Hance Family Burial Ground in Roxbury
suffered a fate that perhaps many small family
graveyards did over time. The Hance family was a
leading Dover-area iron mining and manufacturing
family in the 19th century. The Morris County
inventory reported: “An obituary in The Iron Era
of Oct. 16, 1886 notes the burial of John Hance
‘in the family cemetery in McCainsville’ (Kenvil).”
The inventory noted that the plot, just north of
Route 46, “was occupied by houses” in 1975.
The Seek Family Burial Ground of 1829 had
disappeared by 1974, according to the inventory.
Records said it contained only the stones of
William Seek and his wife, Hannah. In 1936, it
was described as “located near Landing, Roxbury

Township, 100 yards from East Shore Road, on
DuPont property, opposite Yellow Barn Avenue.”
By 1974, there was no record of the stones, the
inventory noted.
A significant graveyard in northern Jefferson
is the Newfoundland Old Burial Ground, active
from 1750 to 1898, the inventory said.
In 1974 it was described as “very badly
overgrown and many stones are toppled and
broken.”
Its significance is this: “Appears to have been a
community burial ground used by pioneer families
in the Newfoundland area,” the Morris County
inventory said. “The large number of pre-1820
inscribed fieldstone markers make this the most
significant ancient community burial ground in
Morris County.”
In the mid-19th century, local churches took
prominence in the establishment of graveyards.
By that time, the population had grown and
what had been isolated settlements were connected
by railroads and the Morris Canal, which fueled
the expansion of the iron business and ancillary
commerce.
Succasunna was part of a connected mining area
in Wharton, Mine Hill and Dover.
Jefferson had 19 mines at one point and eight
forges.
In Roxbury, the First Presbyterian Church of
Succasunna Cemetery dates to 1760, and the
adjoining cemetery at the Succasunna United
Methodist Church opened in 1850. In the 1870s,
the Flanders Cemetery was begun.
The Morris inventory said the Flanders
Cemetery was started by the Methodist Church
after the churchyard ran out of room at its old
burial ground. It was placed on land donated by
the King family, a local merchant family, and was
known alternately as the King Cemetery.
Gerald Bates, caretaker and cemetery
superintendent at the First Presbyterian Church of
Berkshire Valley Cemetery, said the grounds show
the progression in the churchyard, with the oldest
graves nearest to the church. Bates can claim more
than a dozen or so relatives buried in the cemetery
he so lovingly maintains.
W. W. Munsell’s 1882 book, “History of Morris
County, New Jersey” described another old burial
site, known then as the Berkshire Valley Old
Graveyard: “There is an old graveyard in Berkshire
Valley, not far from Charles Davenport’s store.
But few graves are found here, however, and
these are marked by common field stones without
inscriptions.”
Bates said it was not unusual for family to bury
a relative and not mark the grave. Sometimes
the stones have sunken below the surface, and
he said he finds them with his lawnmower. The
oldest marked stone belongs to Jeremiah Fairchild
who passed in 1812. But, said Bates, that doesn’t
mean it’s the oldest grave in the yard. There are
many unmarked gravesites he said. Finding them,
however, is nearly impossible as records of early
burials were lost to a house fire in the early 1930s.
Willis said Berkshire Valley was important in
Jefferson’s history because the road north from
the settlement into the mine region connected
with the Union Turnpike, a vital early road that
ran into Dover and Wharton where the mills were
located. The arrival of the railroad through Dover
ended Berkshire Valley’s growth, Doyle said.
In the early days of the settlement, the church,
dating back to 1803, became the center of life in
the settlement, which contained a school, a general
store and a hotel, Doyle said.
“Sunday was the most important day of the
week,” Doyle said. “It was a day of church and
social gathering.”
Having family members buried in the
churchyard was a continuance of that connection
to church and community, he said.
“Today when we hold services, I remind the
congregation that it is not just we inside the church
in attendance. But those outside surrounding the
church are also here.”
So, remember Naoma Gruber, wife of
John Fichter. She was born at the end of the
Revolutionary War times in 1793 and lived past
the Civil War to 1869.
And remember the Aspinals, whose son Willie
died at age 3, but whose daughter Hannah lived to
see the 20th century, though she died at 17.
And Pvt. Charles Defrehn Bryant who lived to
age 78, dying in 1940. And the many in unmarked
graves such as the Native Americans buried long
ago in the Berkshire Valley churchyard.
All the lives that came before and brought
meaning and memories to their families.
That’s who is here.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 9

The Country Beneath Her Feet
10
Story by MARIA VOGEL-SHORT
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
Zina Cappiello is exploring America one
marathon at a time.
So far, Cappiello, a foot doctor who lives in
Jefferson, has run marathons in 25 states.
“My goal is to run in all 50 states,” said
Cappiello, who has a medical practice in
Hackettstown. “I’m halfway there.”
Cappiello runs the requisite 26.2 miles in
about four and half hours. But it’s the journey
that she enjoys the most. “I love to travel and
see the country, and this is the best way to see
it.”
It’s a journey that has been going on since she
was 30 years old; a 19-year adventure taking
her feet everywhere from a frozen squall during
a marathon in Omaha, Nebraska, to the rolling
hills of the Antietam National Battlefield
during a marathon in West Virginia.
“When I ran along that battlefield, it felt
so beautiful. It was rolling hills and beautiful
scenery. All I could think about was the
significance of where I was running. I felt
history beneath my feet.”
Zina Cappiello runs through her
Jefferson Township neighborhood.
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
Zina
Cappiello
shows off
some of the
hardware
she’s won in
pursuit of
marathons
in all 50
states.
Cappiello, now 49, has already traversed
the eastern seaboard and has no intention of
letting up.
“I love to see each state,” said Cappiello. “I
ran my first marathon in Chicago, and I’ve
been hooked on marathons ever since.”
That first marathon was the litmus test that
illustrated how Cappiello was destined to run
other marathons. It was a week after her 30th
birthday. While on the starting line, she met
a father and son-in-law who grilled her about
her training.
“These two gentlemen from San Francisco
were giving me advice about how to train, and
I had not done all of the things they had done.
I had not read the books they had read; I had
not followed a formula,” she recalled. “They
were making me so nervous and scared. But
I had trained. I finished the race without a
problem.”
The trio discussed what is known as hitting
the wall—a time when the race is particularly
difficult. But Cappiello did not experience
that in Chicago, saying the race itself was
exhilarating, especially the scenery: Lake
Michigan, Wrigley Field, the architecture and
the museums.
After crossing the finish line, Cappiello
rushed to the Art Institute of Chicago to look
around before it closed. As Cappiello left the
museum, she bumped into the father and sonin-law,
who both looked exhausted as they
walked back from the finish line. They saw that
Cappiello had already finished the race and
gone to the museum to boot.
“They glanced back and saw that I had
walked around the museum and one said,
‘Forget what we said! Do whatever it is that
you are doing!’” laughed Cappiello. “That’s
when I knew
I would be
good at this!”
Cappiello after finishing the
Colfax marathon in Denver,
Colorado, on October 16, 2021.
Photo courtesy of Zina Cappiello
Cappiello believes she got her love of running
from her grandfather. When she was about 5
or 6, her grandfather would drive with her in
his car and point out all the places he ran. “I
was always so impressed with how far he could
run,” Cappiello chuckled. “And now, here I
am. Maybe it’s genetic.”
Now, every time she starts a marathon, she
takes a moment and thinks of her grandfather.
“I always talk to him when I start my run. I just
say, ‘Grandpa: I’m running a marathon today.’”
Originally from Queens, Cappiello and
her family moved to Rockland County when
she was 14, where she took up soccer, which
helped to develop her love of running. But she
was never a competitive runner.
While she has an undergraduate degree in
behavioral neuroscience, at age 21, Cappiello
developed plantar fasciitis, an injury she
believes was the reason she became a podiatrist.
She went on to graduate from the New York
College of Podiatric Medicine and completed
her residency at then Passaic Beth Israel
Hospital.
“I stayed in New Jersey and have lived here
ever since.”
Cappiello encourages runners to take care of
their feet by buying good running shoes and
switching them every three to six months. She
suggests giving the sneakers the squeeze test. If
they bend in the middle, they will not provide
proper support because the shoes should
absorb shock and have strong rubber heels.
“There’s a proper way to run. Injuries start
when we don’t hydrate or stretch beforehand
or use biomechanics, which is how to get the
body in motion. There’s also a proper way to
start running. Take it slow. Start with walking.
Go around the block. Do it a few times a week
and then increase it. You feel better and want
to walk more, but start slow,” she said.
Running, she said, is sometimes more
psychological than physical. She thinks of each
part of the marathon in a batch. There are the
first 5 or 10 miles, then the second 5 miles,
and so on. Running
in batches, she
said, helps ease the
enormity of running
26-plus miles in a
marathon.
“The last mile is
my favorite,” she said
with a grin. “You get
this euphoria. They
hand you a medal.
It’s great.”
A favorite memory
was being greeted by
her parents at the
finish of the Marine
Corps Marathon in

Washington, D.C. Her father, who walks with
a brace and a cane after experiencing nerve
damage from a spinal cord tumor, gave her a
huge bear hug when she crossed the finish line.
“It was great, but I thought I was going to
pass out,” she laughed. “My Dad is a big man—
6 foot—and a hug from him is something.”
One of the hardest races she ran was in
Buckeye, Arizona. It was a hot day on a flat
desert course, and she became dehydrated.
“My plan was to do the marathon and then
go to a medical conference; maybe a little too
ambitious. But dry dessert heat can dry out
your muscles and your cells don’t function as
well. That race taught me a lot. You should
drink water even if you don’t feel thirsty,” she
said.
Cappiello, the doctor, has been practicing
medicine for 22 years and is married to
Domenic, a physical education teacher. He
encourages her to follow her dreams, but
doesn’t run with her. He’s a golfer, she said.
Training in the winter is a fun time for
Cappiello. She said she wears a long, black
heavy Eddie Bauer coat that blocks the wind
and keeps her warm. “My brother says he sees
my skinny legs poking out of the coat and that
the coat is bigger than me. But the best part is
that when I shed the coat in the spring, I feel
so much lighter,” said Cappiello.
Her training as a doctor and her winter
preparations came in handy in that Omaha
race. It was an October marathon but a bitter
early snow squall overwhelmed runners—
particularly her and another woman.
“It started to rain ice and then snow. At mile
23 it was hailing, and power lines were coming
down. I ran along this huge cornfield—got
lost—and found a woman with hypothermia,”
she recalled. “I had to call for help because this
woman needed medical attention. I did not get
to finish the race. I was the only one with a
working phone, so I had to use it help her.”
But, when Cappiello could not finish in
Nebraska, her goal still stood ahead of her.
“Because I did not finish that race, I hopped on
a plane the next weekend and went to Grand
Rapids, Michigan. The weather was perfect
there and I ran that race. Everyone thought I
was crazy, but I was happy because I finished
another marathon. ”
Her favorite time to run is autumn. Her
next marathon—number 26—was scheduled
WHAT’S IN YOUR
WELL WATER?
for Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the end of
September.
For Cappiello, running is an opportunity to
be close to nature. When she is running, she
experiences a freedom that she believes is her
niche. “Everyone has a niche. Whatever it is
that make you, you,” she said. “Running is
mine.”
And at every race, Cappiello tells herself:
“This is my day and my time. Embrace the
moment. You’ve trained. You’re ready.”
Recent water tests indicate widespread failures for
PFAS chemicals in the Hopatcong area for both well and
municipal water supplies.
The good news is that The New Jersey Spillfund pays
for the installation, monitoring, and maintenance of water
treatment systems, required to remove these dangerous
chemicals from well
water.
While the Spillfund does not cover the cost of municipal
water remediation, there are economical treatment options
available. If you have a municipal (city) water supply,
contact Portasoft of Morris County, the leading PFAS
treatment company in northern NJ for over five years.
973-584-1549
For more information regarding well water contamination,
call McGowan Compliance Management Co., the leading
Spillfund management company in the state with over 25
years of Spillfund experience. Your only expense is the
cost of your 1st water test.
To get your initial test at a discounted price,
contact us. If the test fails, we will guide you
through the Spillfund process, schedule
your installation with Portasoft of Morris
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lakehopatcongnews.com 11

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@ Hearth & Home
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973-252-0190
www.hearthandhome.net
October 21 and 22 at 7:30 PM
October 23 at 3 PM
October 28 and 29 at 7:30 PM
Songs in the Key of Wonder
November 5 at 7:30 PM
Harry Chapin Band
November 12 at 7:30 PM
Music of John Denver
December 3 at 7:30 PM
12
973-663-2142 • 973-713-8020
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
CELL
Investors Bank Theater, home to the Roxbury Performing Arts Center,
hosting year-round programming, classes and performances.
973-945-0284 • sales.raa@gmail.com
www.RoxburyArtsAlliance.org
Investors Bank Theater at Horseshoe Lake Complex
72 Eyland Ave., Succasunna

Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty
670 Main Street • Towaco, NJ 07082
Office 973.335.5700 • prominentproperties.com
Each office is independently owned and operated.
TM
Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty
670 Main Street • Towaco, NJ 07082
Office 973.335.5700 • prominentproperties.com
Each office is independently owned and operated.
TM
“A Personal Touch to Extraordinary Service, Buying, Selling or Renting!”
It’s Not Just a Home...It’s a Lifestyle
Fabulous opportunity to purchase one of the most prestigious waterfront homes on Lake Hopatcong, Lotta Crabtree’s historic estate!
This magnificent estate is an architectural masterpiece with 18 rooms, including 8 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, original stained glass windows,
circular driveway, carved stairway, billiard room, 9 granite fireplaces and sweeping verandas overlooking the lake. A gorgeous gourmet
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Properties
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It’s Not Just a Home...It’s a Lifestyle
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thedoragroup.com sothebysrealty.com
It’s Not Just a Home... It’s a Lifestyle
It’s Not Just a Home... It’s a Lifestyle
Robin Dora Amanda Braico Diane Perretti Brianne Lechner
Robin Dora, REALTOR ®
Sales Associate
c.973.570.6633
njlakefront@gmail.com
www.luxurylakepointe.com
For more infromation go to: www.njlakefronthome.com
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For more information visit: www.luxurylakepointe.com
Robin Dora, REALTOR ®
Sales Associate
c.973.570.6633
njlakefront@gmail.com
www.luxurylakepointe.com
lakehopatcongnews.com 13

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a
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Birthday Parties
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14
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022

As life’s seasons change,
As one life’s thing seasons remains.
change,
one thing remains.
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represents the organizations scope of services
provided, licenses, price claims or testimonials.
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973-663-1192
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123 Brady Road ~ Lake Hopatcong
lakehopatcongnews.com 15

Lake’s end Marina
91 Mt. Arlington Blvd., Landing, NJ 07850
LUXE LIFE
B Y K A R E N F O L E Y
Luxurious Lifestyle Living
Lake Hopatcong Living to Town Home Living
Prominent Properties • Sotheby’s International Realty
670 Main Road • Towaco, NJ 07082 • Office 973.335.5700
prominentproperties.com
Each office is independently owned and operated.
33 King Rd. Landing, NJ
Price Reduced $1,528,000
LUXURY, LOCATION & VIEWS! This spectacular,
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40 Lakeshore Dr. Mount Arlington, NJ
Price Reduced $688,900
WELCOME TO BEAUTIFUL LAKESHORE VILLAGE!
This lovely lakefront community is located on Lake
Hopatcong. 3 BR, 4 Bath, hardwood floors, laundry
on BR level, double sided gas fireplace, open kitchen/dining
area. Ground level great room with full
bath and walk-out to patio and grounds.
Primary bedroom includes walk-in closets, high
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$385,000
WELCOME HOME to this spacious townhome in a
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Sales Associate
c.973.906.5021
karen.foley@sothebysrealty.com
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973-663-1910
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16
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
Foley 2/3 ad Oct.indd 1
9/26/22 1:43 PM

GREG PUSKAS (AKA MOSS HENRY)
LOCAL
VOICES
Greg Puskas does not think of himself as a musician. “It’s more like music is something that I do,” said the
59-year-old construction worker. It wasn’t one specific person or occurrence that made him want to play
music, but he believes his journey was set in motion when his Aunt Nora Safreed gave him an old guitar
she won at a tricky tray. As a teenager, Puskas would use that guitar and jam with his Uncle Joe Holly and
some of the “old-timers” who hung around. “He was one of those old honky-tonk players,” Puskas said of
Holly, who helped influence his musical personality.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE AND WHO MAKES UP YOUR FAMILY?
Mount Arlington. Born here. Raised here. I’ve been around a bit and came back to town about 20 years ago. My mother is still
around, and I’ve got lots of relatives in town and nearby. Her family can be traced back 100 years in this area.
ARE YOU CURRENTLY PART OF A BAND OR HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE PAST?
I’ve been in several bands. Currently it’s Moss Henry & The Bryophytes. There are six
of us: two guitars, two fiddles, bass and pedal steel. I focus on playing guitar and do
most of the band’s vocals. I took the name Moss Henry from a bass player
I met who became a scientist. Moss is an example of a bryophyte—
photoautotrophic land plants that lack roots and true conducting and
supportive tissues. So, I guess I did learn something in school.
HOW OFTEN ARE YOU PERFORMING/RECORDING?
This year we’ve had lots of gigs since the spring, several a month.
There’s been more opportunities to play community events this year. I
think it’s got something to do with COVID backlash.
DESCRIBE THE TYPE OF MUSIC YOU TYPICALLY PLAY IN PUBLIC.
IS IT ORIGINAL? COVERS? COMBINATION OF BOTH?
Oh, we play both kinds of music—country and western.
Additionally, a hefty portion of our repertoire is Western
swing, which is pretty hard to come by around here. We also
perform a few originals.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT PLAYING MUSIC?
The focus. Right then and there everything revolves around
each passing moment—or at least it should.
WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE ANYONE HAS EVER
GIVEN YOU CONCERNING YOUR PURSUIT OF MUSIC?
Play with everyone else, you’re not the only one there. Don’t
try to cram in as much as you can, rather listen for the gaps
and pauses that need a little something.
BESIDES MUSIC, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER HOBBIES?
Sure. I still like to get away and take in different places—local
exploring is always good. I’ve spent time in the Southwest,
Australia, New Zealand, Europe. Also, there’s outdoor activities,
in general, doing whatever.
IS THERE ANYTHING MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED
TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?
I was in my 20s and somewhere in Big Bend National Park. I
took a look at the other side of the Rio Grande and that was
that. I swam across into Mexico and back, but it wasn’t all that
wide, really.
I AM local I AM original I AM unusual
lakehopatcongnews.com 17

Hopatcong Church
Celebrates 50th Year of
Traditional Chicken Dinners
18
Bob Thompson and the Rev. Jinwook Jeong
work together to flip a rack of chickens.
The chicken on the grill is
almost ready to be eaten.
Tom Tillery puts
the cooked
chickens into a
lined garbage can.
Gene Pfeiffer checks
one of two ovens filled
to capacity with baked
potatoes.
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
Susan Jones waits as Kim Carter
prepares four of 12 takeout trays.
Kim Carter braves the
heat over the pit to
check the temperature
of the chicken.
Story by MELISSA SUMMERS
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
On a Saturday evening in August,
Susan Jones, of Hopatcong,
was waiting with
anticipation. The aroma
of wood fire and charcoal
still filled the air, as
volunteers at the West
Side United Methodist
Church filled takeout
containers with a tasty
combination of chicken
and vegetables, while
patrons like Jones lined
up for their share.
Jones was picking up
a dozen meals thanks to
the generosity of former
longtime Hopatcong
Mayor Dick Hodson. Prior to
moving to Tennessee a few years
ago, Hodson had been active
with the church for more than 20
years. Whenever the church held
its chicken dinner fundraiser,
Hodson would always purchase
extra tickets for others. “I have
people coming to my house,”
Jones said of Hodson’s meals.
“He told me ‘Select who you
want and give them out.’”
Members of the church have
been serving up a “winner” of a
chicken dinner for 50 years.
According to the Rev. Jinwook
Jeong, at its peak, the fundraiser
attracted about 200 people.
“We’ve been doing it faithfully since they
built this church in 1971. We could not do it
in 2020 due to the pandemic.”
In recent years, attendance has decreased, but
Jeong said the purpose remains the same. “We
emphasize fellowship with this community
event and reaching out. We want to let people
know we are here to spread the gospel of Jesus.”
This year, West Side prepared and sold
100 meals, which traditionally include a half
chicken, baked potato, corn on the cob, fresh
tomato salad, drink and dessert.
The meal had cost $10 (when meal tickets
were pre-purchased) for many years. Last year,
due to increased costs, a pre-purchased meal
ticket was raised to $13, Jeong said. For a meal
purchased on the day of the event, the cost was
$15.
Jones wasn’t alone in the takeout line.
James Smedira was there picking up four
dinners. One was for his 80-year-old mother,
who has known about the event and has always
wanted to try it, he said.
Mike Fedo said he was being treated to
dinner by his neighbor, Norma Jean Frazer. In
return, he offered to deliver three dinners to
others in his neighborhood.
While most meals were takeout, a few
traditionalists took advantage of the warm
summer evening, dining under tents on the
church lawn.
Kevin Crane of Hopatcong sat gleefully at
one picnic table. “I used to be a member of
the church, went every year as a kid, then we
moved away,” he said. “I just recently moved
back. This is the first time I’ve been here in
maybe 20 years. They used to have three or
four pits and a whole group of guys flipping
these big racks of chickens—it was beautiful.”
At the same table
sat his neighbor Mace
Gasman and his wife,
Cheryl. They’ve lived in
Hopatcong for 30 years
and have been coming
to the annual dinner for
the past five years. “We
won’t miss it. It’s a good
deal every time. They
used to have it inside,
but it’s nice sitting out
here,” he said.
Nearby, father-andson
duo, Frank Spano

and Justin Spano, enjoyed a meal together.
The younger Spano, who lives in Randolph,
is a regular at the church for prayer meetings
and Sunday worship. “We’ve been coming for
several years to the chicken barbeque.”
“I love chicken,” the elder Spano said. “Baked
potatoes, tomatoes, can’t beat it.”
Mark and Kim Carter have been members
of the church since 2013. They moved to
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, this past June but
came back to Hopatcong just to help with
the dinner. “We didn’t want to miss it,” Kim
Carter said. “It’s the 50th year, and it’s special.
Stuff like this doesn’t go on a lot anymore—50
years of anything. A lot of good-hearted people
work really hard on it.”
Volunteer grill masters prepare the feast on
cinder block pits; the larger charcoal pit is
used to grill the chicken and the smaller woodburning
fire pit is used for the corn on the
cob. Both were built years ago, especially for
this event. The daylong process begins in the
morning, according to Mark Carter. “We set
up at 8 a.m., start cooking the corn by 11:30
a.m., and by 1 p.m. we have the charcoal
going.”
Tom Tillery, of Hopatcong, was cooking
for the first time this year. “After we get the
charcoal going, we rake it out nice and smooth
and then we start putting the chicken on those
grills.”
“This is the first time I’ve done the chicken,
so this was an experience, a good experience,”
said Bob Thompson, who still attends the
church in Hopatcong after moving recently
to Hackettstown. “We learned how to do the
flip,” he said, referring to the special technique
that West Side chefs use to rotate the chickens
on the grill. “With fewer people in church,
whoever comes has to do a little more.”
“We meet people… that’s the first priority,”
said Jeong, of the yearly event. “Of course, the
taste is really good. We have a secret recipe.”
Probably the most heavily guarded
secret within the congregation, the unique
combination of seasonings was known only to
a select few. According to David Sowinski, of
Mount Arlington, the last remaining “keeper”
of the secret recipe, Richard Toth, moved this
year and had to reveal the ingredients after
keeping it under wraps for decades.
“After 25 years cooking the chicken and the
corn, it was time to retire and pass the job to
a new crew,” said Sowinski, who shared the
responsibility, but not the secret, for all that
time. “That honor was passed to Gene Pfeiffer
and the pastor.”
No one will share the exact combination, but
Sowinski said the recipe involves “a concoction
of eggs, vegetable oil and other spices.”
At the door collecting meal tickets and
money was Pfeiffer, who lives in Hopatcong.
A member of West Side for 30 years, he said
he’s been a part of the meal-making process for
more than 10 years. Having been bestowed the
secret recipe, he assists in the kitchen, but he’s
also the guy responsible for the tender baked
potatoes. “I get them from BJs, wash them and
bake for three hours in the oven to keep them
soft. I get all the inside jobs,” he laughed.
“I think the good food brings people back,”
Kim Carter said. “Everyone always raves
about the chicken and the corn and the Jersey
tomatoes.” The food is sourced locally, she
said; the chicken is from Sussex Meat Packing
and the corn and tomatoes come from Ashley
Farms.
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“There are so many people who have come in
the past that it’s almost second nature to them,”
Thompson added. “I like seeing the new people
coming, the younger people whether they go
to church or not, that’s their prerogative, but
I’m glad they’re at least enjoying the food.”
Jeong, who is in his 12th year of ministry at
the church, said the event typically brings in
about $300 to $500, which goes to the United
Methodist Church Global Mission Share
Fund, supporting charitable projects around
the world.
“We work all day together,” Jeong beamed.
“It’s beautiful to serve the community, and
people enjoy it.”
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lakehopatcongnews.com 19

He Built A Life Out Of
Problem-Solving Machines
Story by MICHAEL DAIGLE
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
When William Wagner described the
machines he had designed and built,
there was joy in his voice.
It was a joy of precision, of a deep
understanding of how a process to make a
product and the devices used in that process
mesh seamlessly. How “A” fits into “B” and how
“B” leads to “C.”
The joy of knowing the process is not the
end of the line but the result is what matters,
whether it’s ensuring a bottle-filling production
line deposits exactly 100 pills in a bottle every
time or a machine transforms organic polymers
into the basis for artificial human skin.
“We’re most proud of that one,” Wagner said.
“It saves lives.”
Artificial human skin is used to close severe
wounds and treat burn victims. It is a “live”
material in that it is designed to encourage the
regrowth of damaged human skin tissue.
The reflections on his company’s work came
in early fall as Wagner Industries closed after 37
years.
“Time to retire,” said the 78-year-old. “I
haven’t had a vacation in 15 years.”
Wagner said the Stanhope business started
as a one-man shop in his mother’s basement in
Dover. One successful job led to another until
the company expanded into its last space on
Stanhope-Sparta Road in 1993.
“It was a struggle at the beginning,” he said.
“Sometimes we had to make
the choice between eating
and heating the house. We
couldn’t afford a $17,000
house in Dover, so we [he
and wife of 57 years, Carol]
moved into a tiny home in
Hopatcong.” With the grin
of a man who did the hard
work, he said, “We’ve had
seven permits to expand it since.”
His voice was filled with the joy of an artist,
the joy of a problem solver, a mechanic, the joy
of a modest man who happens to make lifechanging
machines from a non-descript, modest
machine shop on a back road in New Jersey.
Wagner Industries has produced over 700
machines used by many of the largest worldwide
companies, including Hewlett Packard (now HP
Inc.), Eastman Kodak (goes by Kodak today),
General Motors Co., Oscar Mayer (a subsidiary
of Kraft Heinz.), Johnson & Johnson, Avery
Dennison, Owens-Illinois’ (now O-I Glass, Inc.)
fiberglass division, Boeing, M&M/Mars (now
Mars Inc.) and Bristol Myers Squibb.
Wagner Industries has produced machines to
handle intricate but routine industrial functions
such as packaging M&Ms. Another more exotic
machine precisely cuts carbon fabric used to
hold together the tail assembly of a Boeing 747.
Another produces blood-filtering materials and
there’s a machine that makes a roll-up television
screen.
“They’re working on a 3D model that will be
watchable without glasses,” he said. “They can
make an 84-inch screen. I’d like one of those.”
And then there was the onion slicing machine.
Wagner said he was contacted by a customer
who needed a machine to efficiently cut the
roots and greens off onions to prepare them for
slicing for use in the fast-food
industry.
He designed a conveyor
belt with workstations on
Bob Lienaw checks the 24-foot-long CNC
machine for the last time.
Frank
Greenhalgh
with two
items he
bought at
the shop
estate sale.
either side. The onions were trimmed and then
dropped into one of three hole sizes–large,
medium and small–and sliced by a rotating band
saw. Efficient.
“Do you know how much oil onions have?” he
asked laughing. “We had a 1-foot band of onion
oil on the wall, and everyone was weeping. We
added a shield.”
He said the company’s success rests with the
dedication and skill of the staff, whose hard
work and attention to detail produced machines
that exceeded standards.
Machinist Bob Lienaw, 67, of Augusta,
worked at Wagner for 37 years.
The job was challenging and required
precision, he said, and was satisfying because of
the nature of the machines they made.
“We had a good run,” he said.
Wagner said, “We made over 700 machines,
and not one of them was ever returned.”
Still, he remains in awe of the work and
machines he saw in other places.
“I was amazed by what I saw at Boeing,” he
said, adding, “I touched a satellite that is in
space now.”
Wagner said his father was a mechanical
engineer, and for a while as a young teen, he
thought he might follow that path.
Then, as a 12-year-old, he tried to build a
stereo from a radio and another speaker.
He created terminals for sets of blue and red
wires and connected them.
“It worked, but it smoked,” he said. “In fact, it
only worked when it smoked.” He said that was
an old engineer’s joke.
He studied electrical engineering after that.
Photos of some of the machines built at Wagner
Industries were displayed in the shop lobby.
William Wagner at
his desk.
Glenn Godfrey, Darren Wagner, William
Wagner and Michael Wagner in the shop.
20
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022

But that simple stereo offered a glimpse of his
insight and engineering skill.
“If someone tells me what they need to do, if
I can visualize it within five minutes, I can build
it,” Wagner said.
Wagner’s son, Michael Wagner, who has a
twin brother named Darren, said the ability
of his father to formulate a machine on the fly
leaves him in awe.
“He would show me a sketch of a blueprint
and it wouldn’t make sense to me but then he’d
explain it, step by step, and I’d understand what
the machine was supposed to do.”
Wagner Industries built what the industry
calls “converting machines,” William Wagner
said.
They convert, say, paper, into packaging. Not
as simple as it sounds.
The paper rolls must be aligned, the paper
flat on the machine’s web, the edges straight.
The paper must be folded and slit at the right
moment, then glued, turned and one end
opened to receive the product, then glued shut
after being filled. All the steps taking place at the
precise moment.
Getting those steps right was the challenge
Wagner faced on two of his first important
projects–one for a company whose bottling
line would miscount the number of pills and
the other whose labels were misaligned. An
electronic eye and other adjustments to better
time the filling and labeling processes solved the
problems.
Each machine is a story, some larger than
others.
Son Michael said in an email: “[My father]
is responsible for designing/building machines
that have literally changed the world. At Wagner
Industries, we have built everything from the
wings of the original B1 Stealth bomber to
a human skin machine, to a part of the most
recent NASA space mission. From Kodak
Mike and
Darren
Wagner
organize
shelves of
components
to be sold to
the public.
cameras, Kellogg’s cereal, M&M Mars, to
Boeing’s bulletproof cockpit doors on passenger
jets (following 9/11), we have built it all.”
All four of the Wagner children have worked
with their father.
Billy Wagner, the oldest sibling, was the
second employee hired when Wagner Industries
launched in 1985.
“I’m going to miss the guys in the shop,” said he
said. “We had a great bunch of guys, constantly
joking and pulling stunts on each other, but we
worked well together and got the job done. We
turned out some beautiful equipment.” Billy
Wagner said he has always been a machinist but
because of health issues, is now looking to work
at something less physical.
Sister Susie Gerndt, managed the office for the
last two decades and will continue to do office
work for another local business.
Brother Michael Wagner teaches science at
Pope John XXIII High School and Darren
Wagner teaches social studies at Reverend George
A. Brown Memorial School. Both worked at
Wagner Industries, learning the machinist trade.
The Wagners are a tight knit family who are
always actively working on projects, said Billy
Wagner. “It’s sad to see the building go. It was
like a huge tool box for all us. If we couldn’t fine
the part, we made it. We even had local guys stop
by who needed welding, cutting or something
special made. Whatever people brought here, 99
percent of the time we either fixed it or remade
it,” he said.
As the shop closes, the Wagner brothers have
been stocking their own garages with tools and
parts. An estate sale and word of mouth helped
clear out the rest of the shop.
“I have projects of my own,” Darren Wagner
said.
He said the success of the company impressed
him, but it was the dedication that his father
showed, even in the early hard times, that had
more meaning.
“They had it hard at times, but he worked
hard to overcome it,” Darren said.
A big part of William Wagner’s life were
the community projects he took on.
Held for five years at Modick Park, his
Christmas show was an annual delight.
Santa and his reindeer would “fly” across
the park and characters were voiced by local
residents and officials.
Michael Wagner said their mother also
played a role as Mrs. Claus and told the
story of how Santa began. There was a
Santa’s workshop that collected letters to
Santa. It’s also the spot where Santa landed
after flying across the park to greet children.
The park was decorated with 100
Christmas trees one year, Michael Wagner
said, and wired for song with synchronized
lights.
For 16 years Wagner supported a soap
box derby, which became the centerpiece of
Hopatcong’s annual family day, often drawing
over 1,000 people.
With the building cleared out and the business
shut down, Wagner said he is planning that
much-delayed vacation with his wife, Carol.
“She is the driving force behind the business,”
he said. “I worked hard because I did not want
to disappoint her.”
Among the stops planned, he said, are visits
to Switzerland, Sweden and Lapland Norway,
where 20 miles south of the Arctic Circle they
will spend a night with 50 other couples in glass
igloos watching the northern lights.
Celebrating a decade
of protecting our lake,
together.
Learn more and
become a member today at
lakehopatcongfoundation.org
125 Landing Road, Landing, NJ 07850 973-663-2500
lakehopatcongnews.com 21

This sign greets guests at Pat Curtin’s
Lake Rogerene home.
Carol Glucksman and Alex Soumilas share
a laugh at last year’s gathering of witches.
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
Move over, “Wicked” on Broadway.
There’s a new coven in town, and
they’ve been casting spells over Lake Rogerene
for quite a few years now.
Meet lead witch, Pat Curtin, a resident of
Lake Rogerene for 35 years, who drew her
inspiration for her annual gathering of witches
from—of all things—a life-sized pirate ship
moored on a residential lawn in neighboring
Roxbury.
“A bunch of us would get together and go
to this full-sized pirate ship on Halloween,”
she recalled. “I said, ‘I think I would like to
run a witch’s party,’ and one of the gals started
laughing.”
But not anymore—unless cackling counts.
What started as a group of eight or nine
women from the neighborhood area grew
into 12, and four years later, there’s now more
than 20 in attendance at what has become an
annual tradition: a full-on themed witch party
at Curtin’s home.
As the coven grew so did the themed
costumes.
“The first year I said the only requirement is
that you have to wear a witch’s hat,” said Curtin.
Now, most attendees come dressed head to toe
in witch attire and each year Curtin chooses
one accessory to be the featured contest. Last
year it was “Best Broom.” At this year’s bash on
October 14, it’ll be “Best Socks.”
So, where do modern-day Halloween
witches shop?
“I go to Walmart for clothes and decorations
and also garage sales,” said Curtin. “We picked
22
Where There’s a Witch,
There’s a Way
Story by ELLEN WILKOWE
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
up a lot of stuff that way.”
One such staple, an animated treasure
chest that “talks,” is provided by fellow witch
Ona Silvia, also a long-time resident of Lake
Rogerene and a neighbor of Curtin’s.
“I love helping Pat decorate before the party,”
she said, adding she loads the chest full of
Halloween treats and small gifts for attendees.
No stranger to witching out, Silvia remembers
dressing up as a witch for Halloween as a
young girl. She passed the tradition on when
her own daughter was a child.
Like Curtin, Silvia scours Walmart for
accessories and boasts that she found “the best
witch hat at a rummage sale.”
Having inherited her late mother’s infectious
Halloween spirit, Mimi Andrews, a Lake
Rogerene resident for 40 years, takes the
dressing-up part very seriously. “It’s the one
night we get to be children again and dress up
in costumes and enjoy adult beverages,” she
said.
As a child, Halloween became Andrews’
favorite holiday, she said, recalling how she
would make costumes from any random item
she could find in the house.
“On mischief night we would go out and
throw horse corn. It was all very innocent,” she
said.
Still is.
To date, Andrews has been hard at work
taking this year’s “Best Socks” theme to a whole
new level, courtesy of creative accessorizing.
Sparing any spoilers, her socks are bound to
turn a couple of heads, if not cast a downright
spell. And, like the other witches, Andrews
haunts Walmart as well as the JOANN Fabric
and Craft store and also hunts around the
Brooms decorated any “witch” way, including
the lights, at last year’s celebration.
house for any available item that might be suitable
for a costume.
But the party is not only about the fashion.
There’s also the fellowship and the food.
Curtin and Silvia both credit the camaraderie
around Lake Rogerene for new witch recruitment.
The decades-long neighborly bonds make it that
much more meaningful, said Andrews, adding,
“we have helped each other through hurricanes,
blizzards, power outages, birth and grief.”
And the food brings it all together.
“Every year I try and make something different,”
Curtin said. “The popular thing last year [was]
when I did the squash soup, with all the fixings—
pumpkin seeds and sour cream,” she said. “The
fondue is also very popular.”
Each witch brings her own concoction such
as meatballs, salads, ziti, stuffed mushrooms, to
name a few, Silvia added.
Other staples include a witch’s brew (cider),
brews (beer), wine and non-alcoholic selections.
In addition to an animated trunk fully loaded
with prizes and gifts, Curtin’s home is decorated
with black, orange and purple as the dominant
color theme and adorned with anything
Halloween-related, including bleeding candles, a
cawing raven and a singing witch.
“In fact,” said Silvia, “we start the party by
having [the witch] sing ‘Ghouls Just Want to
Have Fun,’ to the tune of Cyndi Lauper’s hit ‘Girls
Just Want to Have Fun.’”
And that, according to Curtin, is why she enjoys
dressing as a witch every year.
“The costume allows me to become a character.
Something that you really want to be but don’t
have the nerve to be,” she said.
So, how did the witch become the subject of
books, movies and TV shows—not to mention
the go-to Halloween costume?

Going green at last year’s party is Elsie O’Brien.
According to history.com, witchcraft not only
existed in Western culture but in Asian, African
and Native American societies as well.
Prior to the advent of science, witches were
blamed for storms, accidents, diseases and other
mayhem outside the control of humans. With
witches held as the sources (or sorceresses) of evil,
societies worldwide began executions.
When it came to witches and “the belief in the
devil’s practice of giving certain humans the power
to harm others in return for their loyalty,” said the
website, the U.S. also operated under the influence
of fear, specifically in colonial New England.
Enter what was then Salem Village,
Massachusetts.
In 1692, a doctor began diagnosing women who
exhibited symptoms of violent contortions and
uncontrollable screaming with “bewitchment.”
The Salem witch trials were born as were
accusations of bewitching others and, of course,
the ensuing hangings.
And, what about the Halloween witch musthave
accessories such as the pointed hat and
broom?
In Europe during the 15th century, the upper
class donned black pointy hats. This was all
well and good until the commoners also started
wearing them, landing them in hot water for being
suspected of practicing paganism and witchcraft.
The broom, however, has a more complicated
history as there are several theories circulating
regarding its witch affiliation.
One such theory involves a pagan fertility ritual
in which farmers would dance among brooms
that were pitched under a full moon to encourage
crop growth. The “broomstick dance” got tangled
up into accounts of witches who were no doubt
Pat Curtin, center, and friends
at their annual party in 2021.
flying to illicit events.
Another account of witches flying
on brooms out of chimneys originated
when women became more associated
with the home and would stuff a
broom in the chimney as a sign that
they were away from the household.
The green skin—yes, the Lake
Rogerene coven slathers up for the
occasion—originated from the 1939
beloved classic “The Wizard of Oz,”
which depicted the Wicked Witch of the West
with green skin.
Popularized in the 1950s, Wicca is often
associated with modern-day witches. A religion
shaped by pagan beliefs and practices, Wicca
can include ritual magic, a belief in male and
female deities and the formation of covens.
The U.S. boasts 400,000 Wiccans.
Meanwhile, back in the 21st century at
Lake Rogerene, Curtin and the gang are in
full-on witch mode, preparing costumes and
decorating homes. “Once we start in October,
we don’t quit,” she said with a laugh.
The group will be making a couple of
appearances throughout the area. About a
dozen of them are heading to The Willowtree
Inn Restaurant in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania,
on October 11, pointy hats and all. Then it’s
the big bash at Curtin’s house a few days later.
The month concludes on
Halloween, when the ladies come
back to Curtin’s home dressed
in costume, sit around a firepit
and hand out candy to trick-ortreaters.
Around 7:30 p.m., it’s
back to the pirate ship, coming
full circle for one last Halloween
hurrah before flying off into the
night until next year.
“This is the one time of year
we all come together with great
anticipation,” said Andrews. “No
one misses it.”
The dining table reached capacity
seating at last year’s event.
Ona Silvia sports orange hair
and a hat full of spiderwebs.
Witches at last year’s party gather in
front of Curtin’s Lake Rogerene home.
lakehopatcongnews.com 23

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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022

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lakehopatcongnews.com 25

26
Kevin McArdle and Tropical Storm bandmates
Ron Zito, Chris Cygan and Wayne Post.
With Music, He’s Been
Taking Venues By Storm
Story by MELISSA SUMMERS
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
With a musical career that has spanned
more than 50 years, Kevin McArdle
has proven that entertaining doesn’t have to be
complicated. Doing what he loves with family
and friends comes easy to the veteran musician,
and his fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
A native of Rockaway Township, McArdle,
64, is best known as the lead vocalist of Tropical
Storm. The popular band, a fixture at several
lake-area venues, performs a blend of reggae,
Jimmy Buffet, classic rock and oldies, with a
touch of modern rock and pop.
McArdle’s interest in music started when he
was 7 years old. His older brother, Brian—one
of eight siblings—had a guitar. “When he’d
leave, I would pick it up,” McArdle recalled.
“Back then they had these guitar books, one was
the Beatles and the other—Lovin’ Spoonful.
I’d learn the chords from that. I’d look at the
pictures and put my fingers where they go. I
was pretty much self-taught.”
He wasn’t exactly stage-ready, though. “My
sister would tell me I sounded like a wounded
dog when I was singing.”
By 13, McArdle was playing occasionally with
his brother’s band, Gold Dust. At 16, McArdle
and a couple of friends landed gigs at some bars
in Morristown. “We were underage but nobody
really cared back then,” he chuckled.
In 1978, McArdle’s brother, Brian, moved to
Maine, leaving the band searching for a new
member. “One of his bandmates, Ray Sikora,
asked me if I wanted to join,” he said. “It was
like Jesus asking me if I wanted to be a disciple.
My eyes were like popping open.”
With McArdle on guitar, Sikora on pedal steel
guitar and lead vocals, Gary Gamble on bass and
Don McQuade on drums, they reestablished
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
Megan McArdle with her dad
Kevin McArdle at Mason Street
Grille recently.
themselves as Sage Brush. In the search for
regular gigs, they heard about an open audition
at country bar Stockman’s in Rockaway. “We
played, got the job, and played weekends there
for three or four years,” McArdle said.
Soon, Brian returned from Maine and he
and Kevin formed the McArdle Brothers, a duo
playing Irish music. For about three years in
the early 1980s, they were booked solid with
weddings and private and corporate events.
“We were playing seven nights a week and twice
on Saturdays and Sundays,” Kevin McArdle
said.
With his brother on guitar, Kevin was able
to play keyboards—another skill he picked
up along the way. He has associate degrees in
music and business from County College of
Morris. Although he taught himself the guitar,
he never learned how to read music.
“I thought I’d go there and learn how to read
music and play the guitar,” McArdle said. “That
didn’t happen. I became a voice major. So, it
was good for vocal training. I also had to take
piano for music theory. So that’s where I learned
keyboards. It was great because I wound up
doing it for several years to make good money.”
Eventually, the McArdle Brothers had more
jobs than they could handle so they decided to
divide and conquer. “We decided that he’d get
a keyboard player, and I’d get a guitar player,”
McArdle said. “We each took some of the jobs,
and we were still playing quite a bit.”
He “duo-ed” with several guitarists for
several years in the mid-1980s and sometimes
appeared as a trio with his brother Barry and
Dave Wilson, a percussionist, or Joe Fasano,
a guitarist and vocalist. This marked the first
time they used the name Tropical Storm.
Opportunities continued to come around.
They once played at Sloppy Joe’s in Key West,
Florida, McArdle recalled.
McArdle with his band, Tropical
Storm, in September.
In 1997, McArdle recorded a CD titled “It
Ain’t Easy Being Me.” He wrote most of the
songs but included some by his brother Brian.
They collaborated on the rest of the tracks.
McArdle decided he was going to put together
a more permanent version of Tropical Storm to
support the album. McArdle, Gary Georgett
who plays keyboards and helped produce the
CD, guitarist Wayne Post and drummer Dave
Hedden put themselves out there on local
stages. The band’s name reflects their island
vibe.
The album received positive reviews, and the
band was invited to play some great gigs. “We
were heading down to play House of Blues in
New Orleans, where we’d be opening up for
Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh,” he recalled. “It was
paid for by the venue, but the artists decided
they didn’t want an opening act. It was still a
great time,” he said of the experience.
A few years in, Chris Cygan stepped in on
drums, and more than 20 years later they are
still rocking lake-area venues.
The band has also performed at charity
events. They’ve played a benefit for Children’s
Hopes and Dreams Foundation in Dover more
than a dozen times. The organization grants
wishes for terminally ill kids.
More recently, Toys for Tots has been the
favorite. “We get all the [McArdle] brothers
together—Barry, Brian, and I, and play at places
like the Windlass,” McArdle said. “We do at
least one every year and invite other musicians
to join us. We did a summer Toys for Tots for
the first time this year and it was a big success.”
While the players have changed over the years,
the core group of McArdle, Cygan, Georgett
and Post remains the same. Most of them have
known each other for more than 30 years, and
when they come together on stage, it’s like they
were never apart, according to McArdle.
“People in the lake community really enjoy
music,” he said when asked what keeps the fans
coming back. “They know a particular artist,
and they will support that artist and come

multiple times to see them. Or they’ll gravitate
to a particular place that they like, and they’ll
be open to whatever they have to offer.”
McArdle moved to a home in Succasunna in
1995, then in 2007 built a home in Berkshire
Valley, where he raised his four kids.
His stepson, Matt Engle, 35, plays bass
guitar, guitar and several other instruments
professionally. Engle has been known to
appear with Tropical Storm now and then. Last
summer he joined them at the Jefferson House
several times, according to McArdle.
His youngest daughter, Megan McArdle,
22, is a full-time nurse but has taken the mic
alongside her dad in recent years.
McArdle also has stepdaughter, Kristy Engle,
32, and another daughter, Kailey McArdle, 25.
In 2019, McArdle and his wife, Bonnie,
bought their dream home in Lake Forest,
Jefferson Township where they can welcome
their family, but also walk to their boat.
McArdle still has his day job. He started
an alarm company called Morris Security
Electronics in 1997. “I had to do that and play
music for 10 years or so,” he said. “I didn’t take
a salary for the longest time. I just paid the guys
and got the business off the ground. Now I can
choose when I play.”
Tropical Storm performs at Jefferson House
and other venues about once a month during
the summer and was recently a part of the
Music Under the Stars series at the Windlass.
But McArdle said he still solos now and then. “I
keep my finger in it because I don’t want to ever
forget all the music,” he said. “You could totally
go rusty within a couple of years.”
Recently he’s been trying to travel more and
enjoy life. “All those years of playing music and
working, I didn’t get as many vacations as I
could have.
“It’s truly in my heart and soul,” he says of his
musical ability. “I love to entertain people, and
I love to have fun, and I could foresee myself
playing right to the very end.” And he means
that. “You know, moving to Florida, playing
happy hours.”
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lakehopatcongnews.com 27

Michelle Yarosz, Danielle Rennie, Penny Barella,
David Barella and Vicki Sanford
Janet Nadolny, Ida Brown, Annette Grieco,
Mary Jeanne Smith and Diane Ottman
Fun, Festivities
and Hot Dogs at
Hopatcong Days
Caleb Wright, Jackson Ordonez, Ian Wright,
Landon Wright, Ava Ordonez and Aria Wright
Ella Schouten, Joe Francomacaro and
Michelle Francomacaro
Fran Tierney, Paul Buckley, Therese
DePierro and Nancy Ciccone
Story and photos by KAREN FUCITO
Live music, bounce houses, pony
rides, a magician and 1,500 hot
dogs were just some of the offerings at
this year’s annual Hopatcong Days event,
held September 10, at Modick and Maxim
Lindsay Cupples, Max Calfee, Jessica Lopa
Glen parks in the borough.
and Clayton Cupples
Hosted by the Hopatcong Recreation
Department, the event combined with
the borough’s Green Fair and the popular
Farm to Art FUN Market in the Park. More than
100 vendors, including local groups, business
owners, crafters and artists were on hand, said
Jodi Penn, Marketplace coordinator.
Visitors to the four-hour event were treated
to free hot dogs, cotton candy, snow cones
and games with prizes, said Anna Reardon, a
recreation department aide.
According to Penn, vendor space cost $25 with
proceeds going to the Hopatcong Community
Resource and Wellness Center. She said this
year’s event raised roughly $1,000 for the center.
Danielle Strack and Tyrina Cittrich
28
Kendra Barry, Anna Barry, Lia Sweedy, Ken Barry and Mary Ann Mach
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
Butch Sherrer, Tom Hayes, Marty Petrizzo and James O’Brien

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lakehopatcongnews.com 29

This photo: Teri Rocco, center, learning a new dance routine.
Right: Fran Turner with her dance partner Raymond Shank.
30
Friday Night at The Dance
Story by ELLEN WILKOWE
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
tep right diagonally forward, touch
“Sleft together. Step left diagonally
backward, touch right together…”
The “CC Shuffle” was in full effect as DJ
and line caller Ryan Pascarella of Vernonbased
Hi Energy Entertainment demonstrated
the steps to—by then—an already-seasoned
crowd putting their best boots forward for an
evening of country line dancing.
A fundraiser for the Jefferson Arts
Committee, the dance was held on the second
Friday in September at St. Thomas the Apostle
Roman Catholic Church in Oak Ridge. Sixtyfive
people attended the event kicked off at 7
p.m.
The country line dance had been held twice
before the pandemic and this marked its return
since then, said President of the Jefferson Arts
Committee Carol Punturieri.
“Following the pandemic and not hosting
events for a long time—as most organizations
did for safety reasons—the Jefferson Arts
Committee began to slowly attempt to
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return to some normalcy and gradually began
meeting in person again,” she said.
In addition to the dance, the organization’s
return to normal included free outdoor
summer gazebo concerts and in-person
rehearsals for the township’s bands and
choruses. Upcoming bus trips and the annual
gingerbread house contest in December are
also back.
“We want to get back out into the
community again,” Punturieri said.
Mission accomplished.
The high-energy participants ranged in
experience from first-timers to diehards with
decades of experience who travel near and far
to get their kicks.
Kenny and Cathy Shea, a couple who live
and dance by the motto, “have boots, will
travel,” heel-toed their way to Milton from
Florham Park.
“Line dancing is a gypsy type of recreation,”
said Kenny Shea, who was dressed in a collared
shirt with a crab pattern.
The couple first dabbled in line dancing in
2011after visiting a friend in Oklahoma, and
they haven’t stopped since.
“This is something couples try out as they
get older and want to reconnect,” he said.
In Shea’s experiences, country line dances
tend to take place in “dry” venues such as
churches, firehouses and Veterans of Foreign
Wars halls. He and his wife lay low on the
alcohol to stay coordinated, he said.
The Sheas also country line dance every
Tuesday at St. Jude Roman Catholic Church
in Hopatcong.
Meanwhile, members of the West Milford
country line dancing organization Cowboys
and Sweethearts were decked out in an
assortment of leather boots in various shades
of pinks, blues, beiges and black, some with
intricate designs etched into them.
Member Fran “Fancy Franny” Turner,
however, took country attire to the next level,
complementing her open-toe boots with
fringed jeans and matching jacket.
“I saw the outfit on HSN [Home Shopping
Network] and ordered it,” she said. “It’s
[designed by] Diane Gilman.”
Turner was joined by her dance partner and
friend, Raymond Shank of Pequannock, as
well as Judy Kehr and Tammy D’Imperio, both
from West Milford. Cowboys and Sweethearts
was formed after a group of dance enthusiasts
met at the Elks Club in West Milford, which
was offering country line dance lessons.
Cowboys and Sweethearts slip on their boots
two to three times a week to stomp at various
locations across north Jersey and Pennsylvania,
as per a schedule on their website.
Dolled up in a tie-dye dress and leather
boots, Kehr abides by the philosophy of “if
the shoe fits, buy it in every color.”
She boasts at least 20 boots acquired during
her 30-year love affair with line dancing. In
gesturing to the mostly women-dominated
crowd, Kehr refers to the country line dance
circuit as the “Alaska for men.”
“Whenever my son asks where to find
women, I always tell him that there are quality
women at a line dance,” she said.
Aside from possible romance and longlasting
friendships, line dancing comes with
other benefits such as exercise and stress
release.
Just ask D’Imperio, who works in
engineering.
“This is my therapy,” she said. “When I get
stressed out, this helps hit the reset button.”
Newer to the scene with four years under
her boots, Joanne Mulroy of West Milford
experienced her first line dance at The Villages
in Florida.
“I just took to it,” she said. “And I met really
good friends.”
She made a full-time commitment by
purchasing her first real pair of Miranda

Lambert pink leather boots.
When event attendees were asked about
favorite artists, Luke Ryan and Alabama came
in as top choices.
Performers aside, this crowd was all about
the dancing, and there were very few moments
of rest time for the participants.
Pascarella, the caller, kept everyone on their
heels and toes by switching from judgmentfree
lessons learning a new dance to offering
tried and true dance routines.
“This one is called ‘AA,’” Pascarella teased
before playing the Walker Hayes hit. “Listen
to the lyrics.”
Other favorites included “Moses, Roses,
Toeses” and even “Shivers” by Ed Sheeran was
choreographed into a line dance
The evening closed out around 10 p.m.
“Many guests commented that they had
a great time and thanked us for hosting the
event,” said Punturieri. “I think they were
happy to get out and dance.”
Proceeds will be used by the Jefferson Arts
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lakehopatcongnews.com 31

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lakehopatcongnews.com 33

One of Lake
Hopatcong’s
most unique
landmarks is the ferry that connects Raccoon
Island—with its roughly 65 homes—to the
mainland. Guided by a cable, the ferry carries up
to two vehicles at a time from Chincopee Road
in Jefferson Township to the island.
While it is a familiar sight to most lake
residents, many may be surprised to learn
the ferry turned 90 years old this season and
was actually preceded by a bridge that once
connected the island to the mainland.
Like much of Lake Hopatcong’s shoreline,
the development of Raccoon Island began in
the 1880s. Since steamboats were then the
predominant means of transportation and few
people lived at the lake year-round, the fact that
it was an island made little difference to early
residents.
Most residents and vacationers arrived by
railroad and simply traveled by steamboat to
hotel docks, campsites or cottages. Travel via
road was not a viable alternative as most were
poorly maintained or non-existent, particularly
on the west shore. In fact, not until 1925 was it
possible to circle Lake Hopatcong by road.
While steamboats were the passenger taxis
of the lake in those early years, transporting
building supplies by boat was cumbersome and
costly. Since horses and wagons were cheaper to
34
HISTORY
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
Making the
Connection for
90 Years
The Chincopee Bridge between Raccoon Island and the mainland, circa 1895.
by MARTY KANE
Photos courtesy of the
LAKE HOPATCONG
HISTORICAL MUSEUM
ARCHIVES
use, the developers of Raccoon Island built their
own bridge to the island.
Known as the Chincopee Bridge, it opened
with a ceremony on July 15, 1891 and was a
continuation of today’s Chincopee Road.
Constructed of rough-hewn timber, it was
high enough in the middle to allow most boats
operating on the lake to pass underneath. While
it served its immediate purpose, facilitating the
construction of some 20 cottages on Raccoon
Island, the bridge was not built with longevity
in mind.
Battered by Lake Hopatcong’s winters, the
bridge partially collapsed in 1899 and remained
floating for the next few summers, slowly
breaking apart, much to the chagrin of local
property owners and the operators of the lake’s
steamboats.
Following the collapse of the Chincopee
Bridge, it was widely expected that a new one
would quickly be built. Raccoon Island property
owners looked to the county to replace the bridge,
but the Morris County Board of Freeholders
ignored their requests. This led property owners
to commence legal proceedings in 1912 in an
unsuccessful attempt to
compel the freeholders
to construct a new
bridge.
An editorial in the
July 31, 1915 Lake
Hopatcong Breeze noted
that, “it is now many
years since the Raccoon
Island Bridge was
destroyed and as yet no
attempt has been made
to have it replaced. As a result of this, the people
on Raccoon Island, who pay a large percentage
of the taxes for Jefferson Township, including a
road tax, have no roads to show for it.”
In 1920, the property owners on Raccoon
Island once again took up the quest for a new
bridge. Meetings were called and a bridge
committee established, but still no progress was
made.
In 1925, the inactive Raccoon Island
Association was reorganized with the
construction of a new bridge its primary focus.
This time the Morris County Freeholders
promised to look into the matter.
With the persistent advocacy of the Raccoon
Island property owners and their attorney, the
freeholders finally took action in 1928, agreeing
to build the bridge as long as the property owners
assumed its ultimate cost.
The August 4, 1928 Breeze reported that
a $15,000 estimate had been obtained from
American Bridge Company for a steel bridge.
The newspaper explained that, “if the cost of the
bridge is spread over a period of ten years, the
additional taxes will be about $1,500 per year,
or, as there are about 30 property owners on the
island, the additional taxes would average about
$50.00 per person.
“It is felt that the increased value of the
property will offset the cost of the bridge. The
Jefferson Township Committee has agreed to put
the approaches to the bridge in good condition.”
Construction of the bridge appeared to
be a certainty, but this optimism was soon
overshadowed by the dawn of the Great
Depression. Discretionary spending by
municipalities was scrapped and the ability of
most individuals to pay taxes vanished.
As the Depression continued and it became
apparent that no bridge would be built, property
owners devised an alternate course of action.
Twelve Raccoon Island property owners formed
the Raccoon Island Transportation Company
with the intent of creating ferry service. A ferry
was constructed for the 1932 season and dubbed
the Chincopee.
Guided by a cable and powered by a modified
inboard motor, it was designed to cross the
channel at the location of the former Chincopee
bridge in three minutes carrying one eight-ton
From left: Quinn Langenkamp and John Gates on the Raccoon
Island Ferry in the summer 1975 with Bob Kays, 16, as its operator.

The original Raccoon Island Ferry, circa 1935.
truck or two sedans.
A 34-horsepower
Evinrude outboard
replaced the inboard
engine in the 1950s
and has evolved today
into a 50-horsepower
Mercury outboard.
Cables must be
replaced annually,
and the motor is
replaced every three years.
The initial ferry—basically a floating deck
with no rails to contain vehicles—was intended
as an interim measure until a bridge could finally
be built. In the ensuing years, some residents of
Raccoon Island have periodically taken up the
call for a bridge.
The September 1957 issue of the Breeze
noted that, “Raccoon Island residents are fed
up paying taxes to Jefferson Township and not
getting anything for their money….some of the
60 families on the island would like to become
year round residents but cannot under these
conditions.”
However, as the years have passed, a majority
of island residents appear to have become
content with life without a bridge.
Ninety years since its inception, the Raccoon
Island ferry continues to operate each season and
is still run by the Raccoon Island Transportation
Company. It generally runs from early April
to late October. The RITC sets the hours of
Call Jim to buy or list today!
Above: An invitation
for the opening of
Chincopee Bridge in 1891.
Left: A 1990 painting by
local artist William C.
Sturm of the Raccoon
Island Ferry. Sturm died
in 2018 at age 82.
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RITC President Bob Kays, whose family has
resided on the island for 66 years, said Proud that Sponsors of Rebecca’s Homestead, Inc. a 501 © (3)
“ensuring safe operation is a community effort
of volunteers as it was in 1932. Maintenance is
ongoing throughout the year.”
As for personnel, Kays explained that many a
Raccoon Island teenager (including himself and
his son, Alex) has operated the ferry as a summer
job.
Like Kays, many said it was the best job they
ever had.
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lakehopatcongnews.com 35

COOKING
WITH SCRATCH © ,
Test
Kitchen
by BARBARA SIMMONS
Photos by KAREN FUCITO
My cooking apprenticeship started at a
very early age. I was just tall enough to
see the stovetop while standing on one of the
kitchen chairs.
I must have been about 4 years old. My
mother, Gertrude Kertscher, like all mothers at
the time, made everything from scratch. I was
always fascinated by what she was doing and,
like any nosy 4-year-old, I wanted to help.
Fortunately for me, Gertrude let me.
Soups were something she made weekly,
especially in colder months. She always
started her soups with a classic German base
of vegetables. Leeks—never onions because
onions make the soup too sweet—celery,
carrots, parsnips and sometimes garlic were her
go-to combination. Everything had to be finely
chopped to release as much flavor as possible.
And salt. Salt was big.
She would take that blue container of
Morton’s salt (“when it rains it pours”) and
shake a hefty amount into the stockpot to
ensure the soup had good flavor.
To those ingredients she would add a whole
chicken or a big beef bone and the soup would
simmer for several hours, perfuming the whole
house.
Once in a while, Gertrude would let me
make my own batch of pretend soup. She’d raid
the refrigerator drawers for a spare carrot and a
couple of celery stalks, and I would chop away
on the big wooden cutting board.
I was in heaven, standing on one of the
maroon and gray vinyl chairs at the gray
chrome and Formica table in our little kitchen,
feeling so proud and excited that I was making
my own soup.
As a finishing touch, Gertrude would give me
a couple of bouillon cubes that I would carefully
unwrap and throw into my soup concoction.
If my father, Horst Kertscher, happened to
wander in, I would beg him to taste my soup
and, God bless him, he always told me it was
delicious.
I’ve upped my soup game since then and have
a slew of recipes I like to make in the winter
months.
Now, for the life of me, I can’t remember
where I learned to make this escarole and white
bean soup. It was definitely not in Gertrude’s
repertoire, so it was not from my childhood.
She never made any Italian recipes when I was
little, so it wasn’t from our Italian neighbors on
the third floor.
Maybe it was the Food Network? Maybe an
Italian friend?
I tried different ways to fancy up the
recipe. Adding Gertrude’s classic vegetables
or ditalini pasta did nothing to enhance it, so
I found it was better to just let go and keep
it simple.
(Have a look at my comments in the notes
section for some tips that do make a difference.)
Now that colder weather is coming, this is a
soup you can enjoy. It is dead simple to make
and also freezes well. My daughter, Erika, loves
this soup so much she says she never wants the
bowl to end.
There is nothing like having extra soup “in
the vault” either—especially this one!
A hearty bowl of escarole and white bean
soup served with a chunk of crusty bread makes
a wonderful lunch or light supper.
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LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
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ESCAROLE & WHITE BEAN SOUP
Here are a few notes about preparing this recipe:
• The quantities of escarole and garlic that are called for can easily be doubled, depending
on how “vegetablely” and garlicky you like your soups. You can increase the amount of
beans, too, if you want the soup to be heartier. I love lots of greens in the soup and made it
with three heads of escarole the last time. Each head will yield about 8 cups of chopped
greens. You will be amazed, though, at how the greens cook down—the volume decreases
by more than 60%.
• Be sure and wash the escarole very well. Nothing ruins a soup more than crunching into
some grit at the bottom of your bowl.
• Escarole cooked in garlic and olive oil is a fabulous vegetable dish, by the way, and makes
a great side for roasts, so stop after cooking down the greens.
• A word about the garlic. Once you’ve peeled the cloves, check to see if the head of garlic
has started to sprout. Trim off the end of a clove and slice it in half. If there is a green
sprout in the middle of the clove, remove it. “Togliere l’anima dall’aglio” (Remove the soul
of the garlic), as the Italians say, as it can have a bitter taste. Do this for all the garlic you
are planning on using.
• Depending on your mood and how much time you have to cook, you can either smoosh
the garlic through a garlic press or slice the cloves very thinly. I prefer how it looks when
sliced, but sometimes you just don’t have time.
• You can use pre-made chicken or vegetable stock for the liquid in the soup. I use water and
powdered chicken bouillon. Bouillon cubes can be a bit fiddly to unwrap, but if those are all
you have, use them. Check the label for how many you will need for 8 cups of water.
• Another little trick to make the soup richer tasting is to put a chunk of Parmigiano-
Reggiano cheese into the broth. You can even use a chunk of the rind if you save it, like I do.
Ingredients
2 large heads of escarole, washed really well
3-4 garlic cloves (or more if you are a garlic lover)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 quarts (8 cups) water
3 tablespoons chicken or vegetable bouillon powder (or 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock)
1 1-inch piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or cheese rind, if you have it
2 15½ ounce cans small white beans such as Goya habichuelas blancas. Do not drain.
For serving:
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (please, not the stuff in the green can)
Freshly ground black pepper and additional olive oil for drizzling
Loaf of French or Italian bread
Procedure
1 Trim off the tops of the outer leaves of the heads of escarole. Open up the heads and
separate the leaves and immerse them in a large bowl of water. Rinse each leaf under
running water, then place in a colander to drain.
2 Slice the leaves in half lengthwise and then crosswise into spoon-sized pieces.
3 Peel the garlic cloves and thinly slice them or run them through a garlic press if you
don’t feel like slicing.
4 Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot and add the garlic and salt. Over low heat, stir and
cook until the garlic is translucent.
5 Add in the chopped escarole and cover. Let it cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.
(You could stop here and use this sautéed escarole as a delicious vegetable side dish.)
6 Add in the water and bouillon or stock and bring to a boil.
7 Drop in the piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or rind.
8 Lower to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes, then add the undrained beans.
9 Taste and add additional chicken bouillon powder or salt as needed.
10 Heat through and serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and “un filo d’olio”
(a thread of olive oil).
11 Grind in some black pepper to taste.
12 Serve with a nice hunk of crusty bread.
Showroom
SPARTA, NEW JERSEY
STRESS-FREE
RENOVATIONS
973-729-4787
HappsKitchen.com
lakehopatcongnews.com 37

WORDS OF
A FEATHER
Admittedly, it was a tall order.
Usually when I write this column, I
have already sourced a photo to go along with
it. But a couple months ago, I was so curious to
learn about muskrats that I wrote about them
without having an image lined up. Instead, I
asked our fearless editor, Karen Fucito, to go out,
find a muskrat and photograph it.
Karen succeeded in taking a great picture. It
was only after the magazine went to print that
I saw the photo and realized it was a mink,
not a muskrat. Apologies, we had the best of
intentions!
So, let’s learn a bit about mink!
The North American species weigh 2 pounds
and are approximately 2 feet long, with a
tail that extends another 6 inches. Related to
weasels, ferrets and otters, they live near water
and maintain territories that are 2 miles long.
Though they regularly patrol and mark these
territories to ward off competitors, they usually
remain in just a couple of small areas that offer a
reliable food supply.
Voracious carnivores, mink predate fish, birds,
rabbits, muskrat and more. And of course, they
are cursed with sleek, luxurious, dark brown fur,
for which they can be farmed.
About 100 years ago, Norwegians who settled
in Iceland started farming mink. Iceland, like
most other land masses that originally formed
as an island, has very low terrestrial biodiversity,
and the only land mammal native to Iceland is
the Arctic fox. The farmed mink escaped (can
you blame them?) and since the only predator
they faced was the fox, they immediately wreaked
havoc on the island’s ecosystem, devastating bird
colonies. Iceland’s government has been trying
to eradicate them ever since.
I just visited Iceland, a lovely country full of
38
Column and photo by HEATHER SHIRLEY
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
An Icelandic Island Sanctuary
Common eider
Scan the QR code
with your phone’s
camera to hear a
common eider.
spectacular landscapes and rich sea life. We saw
seals, whales, porpoise and many bird species,
and, fortunately, no signs of mink.
Vigur Island, off the northwest Icelandic coast,
just south of the Arctic Circle, is one of a few
places successfully thwarting mink and keeping
its bird population safe. Less than 150 acres in
size, this island was once settled by Vikings and
boasts many unique artifacts in addition to its
spectacular natural history.
On Vigur Island, you can visit Iceland’s
oldest still-seaworthy boat (built in 1798!), its
only windmill (built in 1840) and one of the
oldest timber (as opposed to sod) houses (built
in 1860). What you may not visit is its beach,
because it disturbs the seals that like to hang
there, as well as the birds that frequent the island,
including puffins, Arctic terns, black guillemots
and common eider.
Vigur Island is owned by a very cool guy
named Gísli and his wife, Felicity. They share
their island with wildlife, ensuring there are no
mink. In return for the sanctuary they provide,
they earn their living by farming precious down
feathers from the eider.
The world produces 270,000 tons of
commercial down annually. Most of it is the
small, soft feathers plucked from ducks and
geese harvested for food. Conversely, only 3,000
tons of eider down is produced annually, with
85% sourced from Iceland. Valued as the “best
of the best” down, and priced accordingly, eider
down is usually used to fill comforters, a practice
initiated by Vikings more than 1,000 years ago.
Common eider are the largest duck in the
Northern Hemisphere. They thrive in the cold,
northern seas of Canada, Alaska and Scandinavia.
In breeding plumage, the males are strikingly
black and white. Females and non-breeding
males are dark brown with subtle barring.
Eider form huge flocks and prefer rocky
marine coastlines where they use their
strong bills to pry mollusks off the rocks.
The mollusks are then eaten. When they
lay eggs—usually among the rocks on hilly
coasts—the female plucks soft down from
her breast to line her nest. The feathers
insulate the eggs, and by plucking her own
breast bare, she exposes a special brood patch
that helps heat the nest.
Gísli spends the long days of nesting season
(20 hours of sunlight!) gently gathering the
down from 3,500 eider nests. He waits until the
birds waddle off to get a drink, then carefully
picks the down by hand, replacing it with straw
to ensure the eggs remain incubated. During
long winter days (20 hours of darkness) he
painstakingly cleans the down, again by hand.
At the end of this cycle, he will have produced
50 tons of eider down. Incredible when you
consider that each eider nest only produces 7
grams of down. Since eider typically return to the
site of where they hatched to lay their own nests,
Gísli and his wife count on the cycle repeating
next year and hopefully for many years to come.
In these turbulent times, it’s as comforting
to me as a mound of warm, cozy eider down
to know that this symbiotic relationship will
continue, the eider able to count on Vigur as a
safe place to nest on, and the farmer whose only
payment for keeping his island paradise safe and
secure is scavenging shed feathers. (That’s a photo
of me with eider down fresh from the nest.)
Eider ducks are rare to New Jersey, but when
they do visit, it’s during winter. To see them,
check the beaches and the jetties at Island Beach
State Park, Barnegat Inlet and Sandy Hook. The
most likely months to see them are December,
January and February so dress warmly…perhaps
in an eider down-filled coat?
Market • Parade • Costume Contest
Saturday, OCT 15 th • 12-4PM
HALLOWEEN IN THE PARK
Maxim Glen & Modick Park
FREE Activities • 100+ Vendors • Food • Music • FUN!!
Parking: 111 & 120 River Styx Rd., Hopatcong
3rd Sunday Market in the DPW Lot
OCT 16 & NOV 20 12-4PM
farmtoartfun.com/events

Four Sisters Winery
Tao Winery, LLC
www.bagelsonthehill.com
CELEBRATING 31YEARS AS YOUR NEIGHBOR!
WINE TASTING DAILY
VINEYARD VIEWS FROM OUR BEAUTIFUL DECK
FOOD AVAILABLE WEEKENDS
MUSIC ON THE DECK WEEKENDS (MAY-OCT.)
Grape Stompings • Murder Mystery Monthly
Weddings
Parties
Social Events
908-475-3671
OPEN 10 AM - 6 PM
(Closed Tuesday & Wednesday)
783 County Road 519W Belvidere, NJ 07823
www.foursisterswinery.com
matte@foursisterswinery.com
Est. 1991
OPEN 7 DAYS
5AM-2PM
M-F
6AM-2PM
Sat/Sun
973-770-4800
fax: 973-770-0572
Order Your
Bakery
Fresh
Holiday
Pies Now!
175 Lakeside Blvd. • Landing, NJ 07850
daily Facebook specials
www.facebook.com/bagelsonthehill
CLOSING FOR THE 2022 SEASON ON
OCTOBER 31
F I T N E S S
H Y D R O B I K E
P E D AL B OAR D
G U I D E D T O U R S
ARE YOU UP FOR
adventure?
BOOK NOW!
ONLINE www.lhadventureco.com
OR BY PHONE 973-663-1944
Discover the natural beauty of
Lake Hopatcong on and off the
water with our guided tours
• Tours are led by fun, experienced guides
• Hassle-free rentals for all guided tours
• Learn about local history and wildlife
• Great for all fitness and experience levels
37 Nolans Point Park Rd. Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849 @lhadventureco Lake Hopatcong Adventure Company
lakehopatcongnews.com 39

DEP announces compromise
Page 6
Peter Salmon and his very unusual car
Page 16
Vol. 8, No. 5
Vol. 1, No. 3
Vol. 10, No. 2
Vacationing close to home
Page 20
Labor Day 2016
Hopatcong couple dedicated to rescue
Page 30
Memorial Day 2018
Vol. 8, No. 7
Page 6
Page 14
Page 2
Pages 28
Holiday 2016
Looking skyward
Local DAR honor soldiers
Charity on wheels
1
Vol. 1, No. 6
Fa l 2019
LH refi ling after drawdown
Page 4
Princeton Hydro: Stewards of LH
Page 16
Page 20
Ice boating on area lakes
Page 24
Vol. 10, No. 5
Vol. 10, No. 6
1
Labor Day 2018
Community garden turns 5
Page 6
Hiking the Appalachian Trail
Page 16
Not your average summer camp
Page 24
Family reunion
Page 30
Vol. 9, No. 5
farmer
Labor Day 2017
Vol. 7, No. 4
Page 6
Page 10
Baitfish fishing
Page 16
Page 26
Aug. 1, 2015
Vol. 1, No. 2
Memorial Day 2019
Page 12
Vol. 8, No. 4
Beauty queen
Page 18
Vol. 1, No. 1
Page 26
Aug. 1, 2016
Vol. 1, No. 5
Vol. 1, No. 4
Labor Day 2019
Spring 2019
Page 10
Page 14
Page 28
Page 2
Vol. 10, No. 3
Fourth of July 2018
• American picker
• Olympic spirit
• Passion for golf
• LHC budgets for weeds
Spring 2017
directory
CONSTRUCTION/
EXCAVATION
Al Hutchins Excavating
973-663-2142
973-713-8020
Lakeside Construction
151 Sparta-Stanhope Rd.
Hopatcong
973-398-4517
Northwest Explosives
PO Box 806, Hopatcong
973-398-6900
info@northwestexplosives.com
ENTERTAINMENT/
RECREATION
Hopatcong Marketplace
47 Hopatchung Rd.
Investors Bank Theater
72 Eyland Ave., Succasunna
973-945-0284
roxburyartsalliance.org
Lake Hopatcong Adventure
973-663-1944
lhadventureco.com
Lake Hopatcong Cruises
Miss Lotta (Dinner Boat)
37 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd., LH
973-663-5000
lhcruises.com
Lake Hopatcong Mini Golf Club
37 Nolan's Pt. Park Rd., LH
973-663-0451
lhgolfclub.com
HOME SERVICES
Central Comfort
100 Nolan’s Point Rd., LH
973-361-2146
Homestead Lawn Sprinkler
5580 Berkshire Valley Rd., OR
973-208-0967
homesteadlawnsprinkler.com
Happs Kitchen & Bath
Sparta
973-729-4787
happskitchen.com
Jefferson Recycling
710 Route 15 N Jefferson
973-361-1589
www.jefferson-recycling.com
Martin Design Group
973-584-5111
martinnurserynj.com
The Polite Plumber
973-398-0875
thepoliteplumber.com
Portasoft of Morris County
578 US 46, Kenvil
973-584-1549
portasoftnj.com
Wilson Services
973-383-2112
WilsonServices.com
Window Genie
973-726-6555
windowgenie.com
LAKE SERVICES
AAA Dock & Marine
27 Prospect Point Rd., LH
973-663-4998
docksmarina@hotmail.com
Batten The Hatches
70 Rt. 181, LH
973-663-1910
facebook.com/bthboatcovers
Lake Management Sciences
Branchville
973-948-0107
lakemgtsciences.com
MARINAS, BOAT
SALES & RENTALS
Beebe Marina
123 Brady Rd., LH
973-663-1192
Lake’s End Marina
91 Mt. Arlington Blvd., Landing
973-398-5707
lakesendmarina.net
Morris County Marine
745 US 46W, Kenvil
201-400-6031
South Shore Marine
862-254-2514
southshoremarine180@gmail.com
NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
Lake Hopatcong Commission
260 Lakeside Blvd.,Landing
973-601-7801
commissioner@
lakehopatcongcommission.org
Lake Hopatcong Elks Lodge
201 Howard Blvd., MA
973-398-9835
lakehopatcongelks.com
Lake Hopatcong Foundation
125 Landing Rd., Landing
973-663-2500
lakehopatcongfoundation.org
Lake Hopatcong Historical
Museum at Hopatcong SP
260 Lakeside Blvd., Landing
973-398-2616
lakehopatconghistory.com
PROFESSIONAL
SERVICES
Barbara Anne Dillon,,O.D.,P.A.
180 Howard Blvd., Ste. 18 MA
973-770-1380
Morris County Dental Assoc.
15 Commerce Blvd., Ste. 201
Succasunna
973-328-1225
MorrisCountyDentist.com
REAL ESTATE
Kathleen Courter
RE/MAX
131 Landing Rd., Roxbury
973-420-0022 Direct
KathySellsNJHomes.com
Robin Dora
Sotheby’s
670 Main St., Towaco
973-570-6633
prominentproperties.com
Christopher J. Edwards
RE/MAX
211 Rt. 10E, Succasunna
973-598-1008
MrLakeHopatcong.com
Karen Foley
Sotheby’s
670 Main St., Towaco
973-906-5021
prominentproperties.com
Jim Leffler
RE/MAX
131 Landing Rd., Roxbury
201-919-5414
RESTAURANTS & BARS
Alice’s Restaurant
24 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd, LH
973-663-9600
alicesrestaurantnj.com
Andre’s Lakeside Dining
112 Tomahawk Tr., Sparta
973-726-6000
andreslakeside.com
Bagels On The Hill
175 Lakeside Blvd., Landing
973-770-4800
bagelsonthehill.com
Big Fish Lounge At Alice’s
24 Nolan’s Pt. Park Rd, LH
973-663-9600
alicesrestaurantnj.com
The Windlass Restaurant
45 Nolan’s Point Park Rd., LH
973-663-3190
thewindlass.com
SENIOR CARE
Preferred Care at Home
George & Jill Malanga/Owners
973-512-5131
PreferHome.com/nwjersey
SPECIALTY STORES
AlphaZelle
Toxin-free products
973-288-1971
alphazelle.com
At The Lake Jewelry
atthelakejewelry.com
Best Cellars Wine & Spirits
1001 Rt. 46, Ledgewood
973-252-0559
bestcellars.com
Four Sisters Winery
783 Rt 519W, Belvidere
908-475-3671
foursisterswinery.com
Hawk Ridge Farm
283 Espanong Rd, LH
hawkridgefarmnj.com
Hearth & Home
1215 Rt. 46, Ledgewood
973-252-0190
hearthandhome.net
Helrick’s Custom Framing
158 W Clinton St., Dover
973-361-1559
helricks.com
JF Wood Products
973-590-4319
Main Lake Market
234 S. NJ Ave., LH
973-663-0544
mainlakemarket.com
Nature’s Golden Miracle
CBD Products
973-288-1971
NGM-oil.com
Orange Carpet & Wood Gallery
470 Rt. 10W, Ledgewood
973-584-5300
orange-carpet.com
STORAGE
Woodport Self Storage
17 Rt. 181 & 20 Tierney Rd.
Lake Hopatcong
973-663-4000
FOR A COMPLETE CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WWW.LAKEHOPATCONGNEWS.COM
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
ake Hopatcong News
Police Unity Tour
Members of Hopatcong’s Police Department ride
to honor those who have fa len in the line of duty
Lake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving & Celebrating The Lake Community
A tale of two coves
Is i the best of times or the worst of times in Byram Cove?
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
ake Hopatcong News
Skiing Sole
with
Barefoot sk ing on Lake Hopatcong with the "Jersey Boys"
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
A
Walk
in the
Woods
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
• Young miner
• LHF Block Party
• Benefit for wounded vets
• The lure of a fish tale
Bottoms Up
Ninth Annual Jersey Wakeo f at Lake Hopatcong
Inside this issue:
Local couple ties the knot, fina ly
Page 4
Running club dedicated to helping others
Page 18
Lake Hopatcong Foundation’s Gal and Auction
Page 12
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
ake Hopatcong News
Aug. 1, 2014 Vol. 6, No. 4
Christmas
in the village
Annual holiday celebration in Je ferson
The tradition of telling the stories of the lake community
continues thanks to all the advertisers.
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
• Algae Bloom Lingers
• Northwood A sociation Turns 100
• Mount Arlington Opens Community Garden
• West Side Methodist Celebrates Milestone
ICE JOB
Volunt ers, including two from Hopatcong, take part in a
century-old tradition at Raque te Lake in the Adirondacks
Vol. 9, No. 1
Work begins on 40-plus mile trail
around the Lake Hopatcong
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
ake Hopatcong News
Windup toy co lection
Hydro raking program begins
‘Study Hull’
makes maiden
voyage
Teen program turns 2
WW I vet records history
Local students schooled on fresh water aboard the Lake Hopatcong Foundation’s floating cla sroom
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
For the Birds
Andrew Eppedio (and his mom’s) great avian adventure
Fourth of July 2019
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
Mid Summer 2018
Swimming Around
Bridgete Hobart-Janeczko becomes the firs to swim the
perimeter of Lake Hopatcong
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
NEW CAREER
TAKES FLIGHT
Mount Arlington’s P.J. Simonis
is flying high with birds of prey
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
Chicken
crazy
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
LOCALLY
GROWN
Je ferson farm comes alive
thanks to third-generation
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
Bee-lieving
in bees
Local beekeepers
passionate about honeybees
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
Answering
The Call
Firefighter honored for 70 years of service
with Roxbury Engine Company No. 2
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
•We lne s center opens in Hopatcong
•Children’s author penning third book
•Bridge to Liffy Island taking shape
•DEP says no to carp in Lake Hopatcong
Paying Tribute
Local vets honored during boat ride around Lake Hopatcong
ake Hopatcong News
Informing, Serving and Celebrating The Lake Region
Happy Campers
Sixteen years in and Camp Je ferson is sti l a l about good ole’ fashioned outdoor fun
40
• Markets are open, bounty is fresh
• Smithsonian exhibi to open
• King House expands offerings
• 4H standout leading the way
Vol. 10, No. 4
• Road bowlers
• Marching to the beat
• Hopatcong honors two
• Confusion at BRC meeting
• State Aid Comparison
• University Opens New Campus
• What’s It Rea ly Worth?
• Looking for Solutions to Lake’s I sues
LAKE HOPATCONG NEWS Fall 2022
Inside this issue:
Hundreds ‘leap’ into icy water for good cause
Plus: Food, LHC Meeting, In Brief, Busine s Directory, and Much More!
Winter, 2014 Vol. 6, No. 1
• Drawdown coming
• Artist in residence
• Bertrand Island revisited
• Old-timers’ game days
Je ferson's selfless citizens
Hopatcong's super seniors
Tuesday night jam session
•Qua ry Silt S eps into Lake Hopatcong: DEP Slow to React
•Working Sma l Proves Big for Local Artist •Girl Scouts Tackle Trail Maintenance
•New Fireboat for Lake Hopatcong
973-663-2800 • editor@lakehopatcongnews.com
Four-legged fire prevention ambassador
Ten years of super summer concerts
• Algae Invades Lake Hopatcong
Volunteers Drive 1th Hour Rescue
• Wiffle Ba l Game Helps Raise Funds
• Sharing Books One Li tle Fr e Library at a Time

Lake Front Homes by Christopher J. Edwards
RE/MAX First Choice Realtors II
Chris has been boating
on Lake Hopatcong
since 1957, and has
sold more than 250
lake front homes!
Chris in 1958 Chris in 1961 Chris in 2016
Christopher J. Edwards
www.MrLakeHopatcong.com
chrisedwards@chrisedwardsrealtor.com
211 Route 10 East
Succasunna, NJ 07876
Cell: Home: 973-400-9540 973-398-0964
Office: 973-598-1008
UNDER
CONTRACT
SOLD
UNDER
CONTRACT
$495,000 $1,598,000 | Jefferson | Jefferson Twp Twp $350,000 | Hopatcong $1,300,000 Boro| Hopatcong $595,000 Boro | Jefferson Twp $1,295,000 $495,000 | Jefferson | Jefferson Twp Twp
2 Bedrooms, 4 Bedrooms 2.0 Bathrooms 3.1 Bathrooms 3 Bedrooms, 1.0 Bathrooms 4 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 3 Bedrooms, 3.0 BathroomsLakefront 2 Bedrooms, with Inground 2.0 Bathrooms
Pool
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
$895,000 $1,050,000 | Hopatcong | Jefferson BoroTwp
3 Bedrooms, 3 Bedrooms 3.0 Bathrooms 3 Bathrooms
$945,000 | Hopatcong $825,000 Boro| Hopatcong $750,000 Boro | Jefferson Twp
4 Bedrooms, 4.0 Bathrooms 3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 3 Bedrooms, 2.1 Bathrooms
$795,000 $895,000 | Hopatcong | Hopatcong Boro Boro
3 Bedrooms 3 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms 3.0 Bathrooms
SOLD
SOLD
SOLD
$550,000 | Hopatcong Boro
$550,000 | Hopatcong Boro
$1,300,000 | Hopatcong Boro $1,795,000 | Hopatcong Boro $1,849,000 | Mt. Arlington
3 Bedrooms 1.2 Bathrooms
3 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms
3 Bedrooms, 4.0 Bathrooms 5 Bedrooms, 4.0 Bathrooms 5 Bedrooms, 4.0 Bathrooms
$500,000 | Hopatcong
$1,300,000 | Hopatcong Boro
3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms
3 Bedrooms, 4.0 Bathrooms
Chris sold all of these homes featured in this
Chris has been boating on Lake Hopatcong NEW YORK for TIMES nearly article, 60 one years! of them twice!
Take advantage of Chris Edwards’ specialized lake front experience: www.MrLakeHopatcong.com
Hopatcong, N.J.: ‘We Call It Lake Life’
lakehopatcongnews.com 41

Lake Hopatcong...
A fine food and family destination
Nolan’s Point Park Rd., Lake Hopatcong •

973-663-2490 • Connect with us! @livethelakenj Live the Lake NJ