By Julia Train
Somers Point is home to a variety of food and beverage spots that are rich in history.
On April 7, a jitney will leave from Gregory’s Bar at 11:15 a.m. for a historic bar crawl featuring bars and restaurants that are (or were) part of the lively entertainment scene in Somers Point. Along the way, Kirk Gerety, president of the Somers Point Historical Society, will share a collection of stories that he’s been told or experienced over the years.
“It’s just something that’s a part of our past that was a lot of fun in our younger days,” said Gerety, commenting on the city’s abundant music history, which ranges from jazz to rock ‘n’ roll.
Besides music, in the early days, before the churches were built, bars were closed on Sundays so religious services could be held in them.
The crawl will take attendees to all the bars in the historic bayfront, including the “Beer-muda Triangle,” which consists of Charlie’s, Gregory’s, The Anchorage Tavern, Diorio’s and Caroline’s. Gerety will also share stories about establishments that aren’t in the city anymore, like Tony Mart’s, Bubba Mac, Bay Shores and Your Father’s Mustache.
Although the tour won’t go to The Crab Trap (previously known as Maenner’s Cafe), stories from that establishment will be mentioned as well.
The idea was thought up by Nick Regine, a member of the Somers Point Unique Experience Club, about 20 years ago when he was looking for a fun way to use an old trolleybus his wife had.
The event is named the “We Are All Bozos on This Bus Bar Tour,” after an album by The Firesign Theatre titled, “I Think We’re All Bozos on This Bus.”
Julia is a student at Rider University, majoring in multiplatform journalism with a minor in social media strategies. At school, she writes and is news editor for The Rider News and is the News Director for the radio station, producing news updates. She’ll be graduating in the spring. Connect with her on Instagram @juliatrain
