Spark Market Solutions

State, County and Local Tourism Community Gather for Guide Launch

Red Bank, NJ: Grace Hanlon, Executive Director of New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism, and Jeanne DeYoung, Monmouth County’s Director of Tourism, addressed a diverse group of business people representing all aspects of Monmouth County’s travel and tourism industry at the recent launch of Spark’s 2011 Visit Monmouth Guide.

The newly confirmed executive director pointed out that tourism is New Jersey’s third largest industry and every dollar of public support for the industry returns multiple dollars in revenue to the State’s economy and generates substantial tax revenues.

Ms. Hanlon announced that the State would mount a spring marketing campaign in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Washington, D.C. and other domestic markets as well as Canada to show off the real Jersey Shore and draw domestic and international visitors. The campaign will include a television commercial, radio and print advertisements, the purchase of Google ad words, attendance as consumer and industry travel shows and meetings with companies that specialize in travel from as far away as China. New Jersey’s tourism representatives recently attended Fashion Week in New York City to promote New Jersey as a premier shopping destination that includes offerings from Atlantic City to the Jersey Gardens Mall for every taste and budget.

Spark Market Solutions in Red Bank, NJ published the advertiser-supported full color Visit Monmouth guide in print, interactive CD and online formats. With 35,000 print copies, thousands of CDs and post cards that drive visitors to www.tourism.visitmonmouth.com, Monmouth County’s Tourism website, the guide is an important part of the pubic and private efforts to encourage domestic and international travelers to visit Monmouth County. The photo-filled guide assists visitors in planning trips to the area and offers a taste of the places and events that make it special.

“Through its marketing efforts that reach north to Canada, south to the Carolinas and west to Ohio as well as across the tri state area, Monmouth County supports tourism businesses large and small, thus enabling those businesses to create jobs for local residents,” said Ms. DeYoung. “During the summer the county population increases dramatically by visitors drawn to the spectacular beaches and large events such as the $1,000,000 Haskell Invitational held each summer at Monmouth Park Racetrack.”

Spark will be posting ongoing e-news updates throughout the year and utilizing social media to grow awareness of the guide, expand its value to visitors and encourage visitors to reach out and talk to a local. “There are so many great things happening in the area beyond the beaches and boardwalks that visitors appreciate the guide’s help in connecting with the attractions and events,” said Ronnie Gardstein, editor of Spark’s Visit Monmouth Guide. “Residents use the guide as a resource when family and friends visit.”

To pick up a copy of the guide and sign up for e-news updates contact Spark at 732.747.4449 orcheck it out here.

Colts Neck Filmmaker Michael Scotti Provides Q&A on Award-Winning Documentary

Red Bank, NJ (July 8, 2010) -The tragic events of September 11, 2001 will be remembered and the memory of Lincroft, New Jersey resident Beth A. Quigley, a victim of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, will be honored by a benefit screening of the award-winning documentary “Severe Clear” on September 11, 2010 at Red Bank’s Count Basie Theatre. Following the film, there will be a question and answer session with Colts Neck filmmaker and former Marine Corps First Lieutenant Michael Scotti. The event will benefit ReserveAid, the nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating the emotional and financial burdens placed on the men and women called to active duty, by providing financial support to the service members and their families.

Beth A. Quigley was born in Red Bank and grew up in Lincroft, New Jersey. The daughter of Louella and Gene Quigley and only sibling of Suzanne Quigley Moore, Beth attended St. Leo the Great Elementary School and graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School in 1993. Before graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in 1997, she was recruited by Cantor-Fitzgerald. Beth worked as a NASDAQ trader on the 104th Floor of World Trade Center Tower One and was killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks, just two weeks shy of her 26th birthday.

The term “severe clear” is used by pilots to describe unlimited visibility conditions, typically occurring after a storm or heavy weather. September 11, 2001 was such a day. The 93-minute nonpolitical documentary “Severe Clear” is based on the journal notes of Marine Corps First Lieutenant Scotti, as well as video footage shot by him and other members of 1st Battalion, 4th Marines during the outset of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Scotti, who became friends with Beth Quigley while both were students at Red Bank Catholic High School, learned of Ms. Quigley’s untimely death as he was about to deploy to Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks. He carried her picture with him during his 2003 tour of duty in Iraq.

Filmmaker Scotti made an emotional connection between the loss of his friend Beth Quigley on September 11 and the military mission, and references Beth’s memory throughout the film. “The power of ‘Severe Clear’ is that it reflects what it feels like to be in combat, creating a shared experience between those who have been in battle and those who have not,” according to Scotti, one of Reserve Aid’s founding and current board members. “This is very powerful for the loved ones of veterans because that shared experience can help counter feelings of isolation that the veteran may be experiencing.”

“The upcoming benefit event will be a truly special evening in honor of a truly special person. It is an opportunity to honor the memory of Beth by helping our fighting men and women and their families who have been adversely affected by the war,” said Scotti. “By doing so, we are celebrating Beth’s life.”

Event chairperson Suzanne Quigley Moore adds, “My parents and I can think of no better way to honor my sister’s memory than to host this event on behalf of Reserve Aid on September 11, a National Day of Service and Remembrance. So many military men and women face financial and emotional hardships that often go unnoticed. Reserve Aid does a magnificent job of helping to ease their burdens and aiding them in the transition back to civilian life.”

The benefit event is underwritten by Suzanne Quigley Moore with media sponsorship by Brookdale Public Radio, 90.5 The NIGHT. All proceeds will go directly to ReserveAid, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. To make a donation in Beth Quigley’s memory please visit ReserveAid’s website www.reserveaid.org. Donations made prior to the event will be recognized on-screen before the film. Donations to ReserveAid are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Theatre doors and cash bar open at 7 p.m. with the film screening beginning at 8 p.m. The film is rated R. Benefit tickets priced at $100, $75 and $50 are available at the Count Basie Theatre box office, 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, New Jersey and at the Count Basie Theatre website www.countbasietheatre.org. The box office telephone is 732.842.9000. For additional event information, please contact Michele McBride at mmcbride@wbjb.org or visit www.reserveaid.org and click on Events.

Free Jazz, Songwriters, movies and fitness for the family

Red Bank, NJ – July 5, 2010: Live jazz and blues, fitness and dance, contemporary music by nationally renowned and local performers, and family-friendly movies will fill Riverside Gardens Park in Red Bank during July and August, thanks to Red Bank’s Department of Parks and Recreation, Brookdale Public Radio 90.5 The NIGHT and several local businesses.

“We’re happy to be able to offer Red Bank and Two River audiences a wide range of free entertainment for the whole family,” says Memone Paden Crystian, Red Bank’s Director of Parks and Recreation. “Thanks to 90.5 The NIGHT, Comcast, Collex Collision Experts, TD Bank and other community partners, this year’s schedule promises to appeal to audiences of all ages.”

The fun starts with Fitness in the Park presented by Outdoor Fit from 6-7 pm on Monday evenings in July. Sessions are free and open to all ages. During August, Red Bank Tango takes to the stage overlooking the Navesink River on Monday evenings with Argentine tango lessons with instruction by professional choreographers. No prior dance experience or partners are required. Classes for beginners are $20 per person drop in or $70 for four sessions and run from 6:30 until 7:30, starting August 2. Intermediate and advanced classes are $30 each and run from 7:30 until 9 pm. All are invited to stay for practice sessions from 9:00 – 9:30 and free milonga and practica on August 6th and 13th. For more information on Red Bank Tango, visit www.redbanktango.com.

TD Bank presents Movies in the Park on Tuesday evenings beginning July 20th. Movies begin at dusk, but the fun begins at 7 pm with live entertainment by Count Basie Theatre’s Performing Arts Academy and other special kid-friendly events.

One of Red Bank’s favorite traditions, Comcast Jazz in the Park, kicks off on Thursday, July 8th with Funktion 11, bringing their very danceable and spicy blend of the hits of today and yesterday. July 15th features Keith Marks, a flautist with variety of musical styles ranging from foreign funk, jazz, calypso, Latin, gospel, and smooth jazz. Don Carter, a renowned jazz artist who has performed with musical legends Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, performs on July 22nd, and Red Bank’s favorite bluesman Chuck Lambert takes to the stage on July 29th.

The Comcast Jazz in the Park schedule rounds out with Tom Timko and the Horndogs on August 5, New Jersey’s favorite Cajun-funk-blues-boogie-woogie and honky-tonk band The VooDUDES on August 12th, and The Jazz Lobsters Big Band on August 19th.

Collex Collision Experts of Shrewsbury is proud to sponsor 90.5 The NIGHT’s Songwriters in the Park on Friday evenings in Riverside Gardens. As always, the series presents established and up-and-coming national and local acts on the cutting edge of today’s music. This year’s schedule includes Richard Shindell with James Dunigan on Friday July 9th, Good Old War with Quincy Mumford on July 16th, The Spring Standards with The Amboys on July 23rd, and Richard Barone of The Bongos with Bruce Tunkel on July 30th.

Additional sponsors of the Red Bank Summer Series include Computer Tech Associates, McKay Imaging, The Star-Ledger, The Two River Times, Food Circus Foodtown and Count Basie Theatre’s Performing Arts Academy.

For more information on the Red Bank Summer Series, contact Red Bank Parks and Recreation at 732-530-2782. More information is available online at www.redbanksummerseries.org andwww.visit.redbank.com. For up-to-the-minute weather cancellations, tune into 90.5 The NIGHT or call 1-888-HIP TOWN.

RED BANK SUMMER SERIES 2010 SCHEDULE

Monday, July 5, 12, 19, 26 – 6-7 pm
Fitness in the Park.
Free and fun workouts by Outdoorfit with certified personal trainers Mary Kiningham, Christa Lippert & Keith Molloy. For information: www.outdoorfitnj.com or 732 758-6340

Monday August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Red Bank Tango
Argentine Tango classes taught by professional choreographers
6:30-7:30 Beginners: $20 drop in; $70/4 sessions
7:30-9:00 Intermediate & Advanced: $30/session
9:00-9:30 Practice session
For info: www.redbanktango.com

Tuesday: Movies in the Park Presented by TD Bank
The fun starts at 7pm with live & local entertainment. Showtime at dusk.
July 20 Monsters vs Aliens
July 27 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
August 3 Where the Wild Things Are
August 10 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
August 17 The Blind Side
August 24 Pirates of the Caribbean at World’s End
August 31 rain date

Thursday: Comcast Jazz in the Park
July 8 Funktion 11
July 15 Keith Marks
July 22 Don Carter
July 29 Chuck Lambert
August 5 Tom Timko and the Horndogs
August 12 VooDUDES
August 19 The Jazz Lobsters
August 26 Rain Date

Friday: 90.5 The NIGHT’s Songwriters in the Park presented by Collex Collision Experts
Friday July 9 – Richard Shindell with James Dunigan
Friday July 16 – Good Old War with Quincy Mumford
Friday July 23 – The Spring Standards with The Amboys
Friday July 30 – Richard Barone (of The Bongos) with Bruce Tunkel

Tune in to 90.5 The NIGHT or call 1-888-HIP TOWN for up-to-the-minute info and weather-related cancellations.