Hope
By Joey Macellaro ~ As summertime in our beautiful beachside village begins to draw to a close, we look to the future with hope, encouraged by the progress we’ve made as a community. Yet trials will inevitably still come, as they did last weekend when Hurricane Henri forced the cancellation of a number of local events.Actor and screenwriter Anthony Montes of North Hollywood, California, presented an interactive one-man show at the Ocean Beach Community House on the evening of Friday, Aug, 20, titled “Outta the Darkness into the Light.” A Saturday performance was canceled due to the storm. Sponsored by the Ocean Beach Chamber of Commerce, the event was arranged with the assistance of Anthony’s sister, Diane Montes, who summers in Ocean Beach. The show is semi-autobiographical and focuses on Anthony’s recovery after contemplating suicide at the age of 27.“My belief is that this is a public service event to show those with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts that there is a way out,” said Diane. “The Last Train,” a 2017 film written by Anthony and starring himself and Ciera Danielle as strangers who meet on a New York subway platform as they plan to end their lives, was scheduled for a screening before last Saturday’s performance but was canceled due to the storm. The film also stars accomplished Hollywood actor Lou Diamond Phillips.Saturday’s village board meeting and children’s Sandpiper Run on the beach were called off due to the storm. Additionally, Saturday’s planned ordinance proposal imposing a village-wide curfew for minors after 9 p.m. was indefinitely postponed by the village board. Many residents opposed the proposal as written, but discussion of the topic will undoubtedly continue. The next general session with the village board is scheduled for Sept. 18 at 11:15 a.m.All spring and summer, an editorial team organized by the Ocean Beach Association worked together to create a journal commemorating the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the Village of Ocean Beach. The team, consisting of Maria Silsdorf, Shoshanna McCollum, Judy Gerardi, Lori Marabella Bloom, and myself, plans to present the journal to Association members over Labor Day weekend. Nearly four dozen articles are featured along with hundreds of photographs and dozens of shorter recollections collected for the Ocean Beach Historical Society’s planned “100 Years, 100 Voices” exhibit.Edith Charlton served as production manager of the Ocean Beach Association’s 75th anniversary publication, and Edith was one of many friends – including editors Judy and Shoshanna – who returned 25 years later to contribute to the centennial journal. Edith called to share some more of her fondest Ocean Beach memories: rabbits and turtles in abundance, Burt Bacharach performing at the Bayview, the tennis court on Ocean Road and Lucille Stretch’s swimming pool, the bay beach, everyone walking everywhere barefoot, and hour-long ferry rides from Bay Shore. Email oceanbeachassociation@gmail.com for information on obtaining a journal.As our favorite summer place becomes our quiet autumn place, I wish you and yours health and happiness, with hope for a brighter tomorrow.
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