OCEAN COUNTY – Business leaders, decoy carvers, social media administrators and students participating in the arts will be honored during the 2021 Salute to Ocean County.
The event will recognize those who have played a significant role in the arts and culture of Ocean County this year and can be seen virtually starting at 7 p.m. June 29.
It will be viewable on the Ocean County College television channel 20, or Verizon Fios channel 24. A livestream will also be available online at vimeo.com/564304159.
Ocean County Commissioner Virginia Haines said the event honors “Ocean County’s outstanding cultural organizations, exceptional local artists, historians, preservationists, educators and government leaders and along with students from across the County involved in the arts.”
Commissioner Haines serves as liaison to the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission which is one of the event sponsors.
The virtual event also includes performances by students who were critiqued for excellence as part of the 2021 Teen Arts Festival of Ocean County. The Teen Arts Festival honored students throughout Ocean County with awards in documentary, dance, vocal, instrumental, theater/musical theater, creative writing/poetry, film and visual arts.
Awards that will be distributed during the program are the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award, the Special Award of Merit, the Ocean County Cultural Response Award and the Joseph H. Vicari Ocean County Tourism Achievement Award.
Art Birdsall is the recipient of the 2021 Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award. He is a fourth generation decoy carver who has been the owner of the Birdsall Decoy Shop in Lovelandtown of Point Pleasant since 1984 and has sold over 3,000 decoys.
Birdsall is a founding member of the New Jersey Decoy Collectors Association and was also the recipient of the 2018 Hurley Conklin Award. That award was presented at the Ocean County Decoy and Gunning Show. He is the first decoy carver to win the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award.
Andrew Anderson and Patrick Asay were awarded the 2021 Special Award of Merit. They will receive recognition for their Facebook group, “Ocean County Memories: Established in 1850.” The group was created by Asay in January 2017 and quickly grew to over 22,000 followers.
As its popularity grew, Asay enlisted Anderson, who is also a historian and author to help run the page. Both will be honored with this award for their efforts in fostering the county’s history.
Three groups will also receive the 2021 Ocean County Cultural Response Award: Brick Children Community Theatre; Surflight Theatre, and the Lighthouse International Film Festival. These groups responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and adapted with socially distanced outdoor performances to comply with CDC guidelines and state safety mandates to continue with their 2020 seasons.
The annual Joseph H. Vicari Ocean County Tourism Achievement Award will be awarded to John Crisafulli for his 26-year career serving businesses and residents throughout many counties in New Jersey. He served as president/retail regional manager for First Commerce Bank based in Lakewood.
Crisafulli also created and served as past president of the Central Ocean Business Association, which serves business owners and professionals in six municipalities and has over 150 members.
