Explore Ocean County
Arts... Ocean County has a flourishing entertainment scene
ripe with local and national talent. Whether it’s the
year-round Jersey Shore band scene that thrives in the
taverns and lounges throughout the county, exploring
the depths of the universe, or the iconic classical
guitarist Tommy Emmanuel performing on Long Beach
Island, there’s more than sand, sun and boardwalks to
entertain you in Ocean County.
34 www.sparkexploreocean.com
Surflight Theatre
609-492-9477 | info@surflight.org | www.surflight.org
New life has been breathed into the popular Surflight
Theatre in Beach Haven, which reopened last season
with musical favorites on the Main Stage and a variety
of musical and comedy performances on the Concert
Stage. The 2018 season promises to be just as exciting
with Nice Work If You Can Get It, Jesus Christ Superstar,
The Wedding Singer, Saturday Night Fever, Bright Star,
The 39 Steps, Solitaire and Elf. Surflight’s award-winning
Children’s Theatre brings a selection of best-loved stories
to life on stage during the summer of 2018, including
Snow White, The Wizard of Oz, Cinderella, Peter Pan and
The Little Mermaid. The ever-popular Show Place serves
up an interactive performing experience with singing
servers who bring your ice cream.
Albert Music Hall
www.alberthall.org
Albert Music Hall has been presenting live stage
concerts of acoustic country/bluegrass music yearround
for the last 43 years. Our music gathering
started in the fox-hunting cabin of Joe and George
Albert in the early 1950s. The two men came from
Sayreville, New Jersey, and every weekend the two
brothers would invite local neighbors over to sit in
the kitchen and make music together until the early
hours. These gatherings continued for many years
and attracted attention from newspapers, including
the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer,
even from National Geographic magazine. The
musical get-togethers continued through the years,
and in 1974 the group rented space in a public
building to see if others would enjoy this type of
entertainment—and they did.
Albert Music Hall opened its new space in January
1997, a 6,000-sq.-ft. building in Waretown with 350
seats and a stage that resembles a cabin porch in
the Pinelands. Next to the main building is a Pick’n
Shed where musicians jam each Saturday night.
Photo courtesy of Albert Hall
At Albert Hall you will hear old-time songs and traditional country and bluegrass music.
At a typical show you will see fiddles, guitars, banjos, dobros, mandolins, upright
basses and sometimes even a wash tub bass and spoons.
Albert Hall is not like most other organizations. At Albert Hall, no one is paid. All the
musicians, the executive board and all the staff members are volunteers! All money
raised goes into the running of the Hall, 8 scholarships and local community projects.
Since 1997, Albert Hall has awarded more than $250,000 in scholarships. Not many
venues can say that their shows are run entirely by volunteers!
Bluegrass music in New Jersey is alive, well and thriving at Albert Music Hall. Each
year, there is a Sunday afternoon show consisting of only bluegrass music. The first
bluegrass show of the year will be on Sunday, February 11, 2018, and it promises to
be a great one. Six bands will each play for 45 minutes. Doors open at 11 am, and the
music is from 12 to 5 pm.
When you walk into Albert Hall, you will feel a friendliness that is not usually found in
commercial venues and you will immediately know that you are in the right place.
Albert Music Hall is at 131 Wells Mills Rd. in Waretown, Exit 69 off the Garden State
Parkway. Visit our website, www.alberthall.org, for the weekly line-up, photo gallery,
directions and information about previous shows.
Photo courtesy of Albert Hall
