Views from the Shore
By Brian Cahill
In early March 2020, there was a mysterious buzz felt around the Somers Point bar scene. The inaugural Somers Paddy Crawl was about a week away, and rumor had it there would be a “Master Crawler” leading the crowds from bar to bar making sure everyone had a great time along the way.
The “Master Crawler’s” name? Mikal Joedon.
As the Somers Paddy Crawl began March 7, 2020, chatter could be heard from the bar stools at Gregory’s to the decorative taps at Josie Kelly’s all about this peculiar fellow. What would he look like? What type of accent did he have? How many wings at Charlie’s would he eat?
As the day went on, and dusk turned to dark, the crawlers kept looking and asking questions, but they never got answers. Mikal Joedon disappeared into the night, like the sounds of music and laughter off the deck of Caroline’s.
Fast forward three years and one pandemic later, the Somers Paddy Crawl is back and the talk of Mikal is sure to follow. Will our mysterious friend make an appearance? Well, the answer is yes….and no.
While his love of the Somers Paddy Crawl was real, Mikal Joedon was not. He was a social media creation of event organizers Joe Molineaux, Ed Gaguski, and Don Hoover. The character’s surname was a combination of their firsts (Jo-ed-don), and their wives’ first names morphed into Mikal. While Joedon won’t be seen this year, his spirit is surely alive in Joe, Ed and Don.
“We wanted to have fun and bring attention to the event, so we created ‘Master Crawler’ Mikal Joedon, an international man of mystery who loves Somers Point,” Molineaux told me with a smile. “We had no idea that Mikal would take off like he did. People really enjoyed the character and social media brought him to life. Looking back, I know I overheard a few conversations from crawlers who claimed to have met him that day. It was a lot of fun.”
The Somers Paddy Crawl will be held on Saturday, March 4, from 12 noon – 5 pm. While Joedon won’t be the marketing hook this time, Molineaux and his team have plenty planned for the day. In addition to the return of Charlie’s, Caroline’s, Gregory’s, and Josie Kelly’s, the event now includes Somers Point Fire Company #2, the American Legion in Somers Point, the Somers Point V.F.W. and Somers Point Brewing Company. Crawlers will have access to non-stop Jitney service to and from each of these locations throughout the event.
Tickets are on sale now for $30, which includes continuous hop-on hop-off Jitney access, an event t-shirt, swag bag, and food & beverage specials from participating locations. $3 from every ticket sold benefits the Community Food Bank of New Jersey Southern Branch.
The Somers Paddy Crawl is sponsored by the Somers Point Business Association.
For tickets and more information, visit the Somers Paddy Crawl 2023 event page on Facebook. During the event, Joe ask that Crawlers stay true to the event’s mantra of “All Craig, No Arses.” (translation: have fun and enjoy yourself but don’t adversely affect the enjoyment of others.) And if you happen to run into Mr. Joedon, tell him I said hello.
Brian Cahill is the Director of Marketing for Shore Medical Center and Shore Physicians Group. He is also on the Board of the Somers Point Business Association and is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at Stockton University.
