Jon Coen

Beach Haven, Long Beach Island

Freelance Writer at Freelance

Daysonfile: website for the portfolio/projects of freelance journalist Jon Coen. Dad of a grom, cold barrels, blue claws, and bands that aren't cool anymore

Articles

Big Holiday Weekend Gives Way to Pleasantries of Early Summer

1 week ago | thesandpaper.net | Jon Coen

As Memorial Day weekends go, that was pretty tame. I didn’t hear of any mass casualties at the Ship Bottom Circle predicted by every community Facebook commenter for the last three weeks. From what I understand, Beach Haven was “bussin,” as the kids say. Actually, I think we said that back in the day. I can’t remember, but I think I’m pleased to hear that word come back. I admittedly avoided the Queen City.
Southern Regional Skateboard Club Sees Successful Start

1 week ago | thesandpaper.net | Jon Coen

Southern Regional High School is well known for its extra-curriculars, from sports and arts to clubs and academic teams. And as of this spring, students now have the option to join the new Southern Skateboard Club. “I used to skate a lot in fourth and fifth grade with my dad,” said Cami Gallupi, a sophomore from Waretown.
New Jersey Surf Legend, "Driving Force" In Bruce Springsteen's Career Dies

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Jon Coen

“Life was not meant to be lived with a remote in one hand and phone in the other,” advised Tinker West when this reporter interviewed him in the winter of 2024 at his purple-painted workshop in Highlands, New Jersey, near the ocean and across the Raritan Bay from NYC. West goes to the top of the list of most interesting surfers of all time. He was talented, opinionated, determined, eccentric, brilliant, and crabby, a combination that was nothing short of fascinating.
New Jersey Surfboard Shaper, "Driving Force" In Bruce Springsteen's Early Career Passes Away

1 week ago | surfer.com | Jake Howard |Jon Coen

“Carl Virgil ‘Tinker’ West who passed away this week at the age of 89 was simply one of the most important people of my young life.” – The Boss“Life was not meant to be lived with a remote in one hand and phone in the other,” advised Tinker West when this reporter interviewed him in the winter of 2024 at his purple-painted workshop in Highlands, New Jersey, near the ocean and across the Raritan Bay from NYC. West goes to the top of the list of most interesting surfers of all time.
Surfer Biopic ‘A Marble in the Jar’ Celebrates World Premiere at Lighthouse Film Fest

1 week ago | thesandpaper.net | Jon Coen

Global surf star Tatiana Weston-Webb, who finished last year at the No. 3 spot on the WSL World Championship Tour and collected a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics, will be in town for the world premiere of her new biopic, “A Marble in the Jar.” The film and a Q&A are part of the first night of programming of the Lighthouse International Film Festival. The film shows Wednesday, June 4 at 9:15 p.m. at the Surf City Firehouse, paired with “Surfer’s Dharma,” by Uriel Jean Armel.
What Constitutes a Great Summer as We Usher In Coming Season

2 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Jon Coen

Well, that new traffic pattern at the Ship Bottom Circle is going to give us all plenty to talk about at the big backyard gatherings and dock bars. Whether you’re local or summer folk, whether you’re grilling by the backyard skate ramp in the ’Hawkin or being served finger foods by “the help” on the third-story deck in North Beach, whether you just got your license or have been driving the circle for 50 years, we’re all going to be talking about it.
The Real ID Dilemma as We Can Finally Call This Spring

3 weeks ago | thesandpaper.net | Jon Coen

I figure this week I would go and get my Real ID, specifically since we were supposed to have it by last week. I’ve been putting it off. I guess technically, I’ve been putting it off since it was first passed by Congress on May 11 … of 2005. There have been some horror stories around the Real ID coming out of the N.J. Motor Vehicle Commission on East Bay Avenue that almost made you nostalgic for a time before Motor Vehicle, when it was known as the dreaded DMV.
Look Back at When Americorps Came to Our Rescue; Bringing Up Beach Badges

1 month ago | thesandpaper.net | Jon Coen

It was mid-November, 2012. Think about that time. If you don’t know exactly what was going on here – and I don’t say this lightly – go bone up on your local history. I was, like pretty much every other able-bodied person, waist deep in Sheet Rock removal, talk of mold and community recovery meetings when I got a call from my friend Chris Malay, owner of Speakeasy Pizza.
Third Winter’s Silver Lining of Surf as Roadwork Continues Forever

1 month ago | thesandpaper.net | Jon Coen

While flipping through the SandPaper in our kitchen last week, I announced to the family, “Oh, Ship Bottom is celebrating its 100th year.”My 12-year-old son was quick to respond. “One hundred years of what? Road work?”I may struggle to get him to eat vegetables and change his clothes, but he has pretty good comedic timing. April, for all its purple flower and green grass associations, is rarely pleasant around here.
Precarious Positions in the Between Seasons and Events Stacking Up

2 months ago | thesandpaper.net | Jon Coen

Well, it appears we made it out of March with only a few baby lions and a nice day with a pet lamb. And now it’s April, a month generally known for third winter and guarded optimism. And then there was Saturday, oh wonderful Saturday, a gorgeous March beach day. At least until afternoon. Nothing is more March than a chill afternoon west of the bridge and a chilly afternoon east of it. It started out a fine day, the finest of the year, I would say, and a nice end to an otherwise shivery week.