Well, it seems summer has finally arrived. With temperatures in the upper 80s and high humidity, the only place to be right now is at the shore. The ocean temps are great, not too warm, so you actually feel cooled off when you take a dip.  I was off this past Monday and couldn’t get myself out of the water, it was that nice.

The last couple of nights have been a little cooler. Perfect for a stroll on the mall or down the Promenade. And this coming weekend looks absolutley terrific. Sunny and hot. (Just like I like it.)

Yesterday, I was mentioning some of the wonderful arts and entertainment venues around town. Today, I wanted to talk about one of the area’s historical attractions, Cold Spring Village. The Village is an open-air living Early American history museum located on 22 acres in Cold Spring just outside Cape May. There are 26 restored antique buildings housing where historically-clothed interpreters educate and entertain visitors about the lifestyles, issues, trades and crafts of yesteryear.

Open through the Fall there a special events scheduled for each weekend. This coming Saturday & Sunday explore the world of trains during Railroad Days.

For more information visit the Cold Spring Village website.

I am always surprised by the amount of things going on in Cape May, especially when it comes to the arts. Take this week for example.

Tonight, the Cape Harmonaires, a local barbershop singing groups, will be performing free at the Rotary Bandstand. This coming Sunday, The Odessa Klezmer Band will be performing as part of the ongoing Jazz Vespers series at the  First Presbyterian Church, on Decatur Street.

The hit off-Broadway comedy, “Social Security” is currently playing on the Cape May Stage, while the East Lynne Company is presenting a dramatization of the hilarious O’Henry short story, “The Ransom of Red Chief.”

On the art scene, SOMA NewArt Gallery in the Carpenter Square Mall, kick off there newest exhibition, “Sean Taylor, The Art of Relaxation” with an artist’s reception this coming Friday night at 6:00 pm.

One of my favorite sites to keep up on what’s onging on around the area is www.capemaytimes.com.

After a pretty rainy June, summer finally arrived and, barring a few rainy days here and there, it has been glorious so far.

Cape May looks spectacular. I’ve never seen it cleaner. (And this includes the public restrooms around town.) The entrances to town have been landscaped and you get the feeling that the city really cares. Of course, this year celebrates the 400th Anniversary of the founding of Cape May and the festive spirit is everywhere you look.

And there just seems to be so much to see and do this year. MAC has opened the Gun Tower down at the Point and has added additional tours to its schedule. Under its new Artistic Director, Cape May Stage has inaugurated a second stage series that has been tremendously successful. New restaurants have opened and old ones have re-invented themselves.

Kudos to the city, the Chamber of Commerce, the business community and the residents of Cape May for making the summer of 2009 so extraordinary. And you sould see what’s planned for the Fall!

Cape May will be holding its first restaurant week May 31 through June 6.  Sponsored by Cape May Magazine and the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cape May, the week long event will showcase some of Cape May’s best restaurants, which will be offering fixed prices to make your culinary adventure both affordable and tempting.  There are two levels of dining being offered, $22.09 and $33.09. All participating restaurants will offer a three course meal, including appetizer, entree and dessert, from a menu that shows at least three choices for each course every night they are open during Restaurant Week. (Beverage, tax and gratuities are not included.)

For more information and a list of participating restaurants you can visit their website. Click here.

What a wonderful weekend we just had here in Cape May!  The weather was perfect and town was abuzz with activity. If you didn’t know, this week, April 24 – May 3, is Cape May’s Spring Festival Week with tours and events throughout town.

If you weren’t able to make it down there is still a lot happening now through Sunday. There is an Antiques and Collectible Show scheduled for Saturday and a Murder Mystery Lunch happening on Saturday and Sunday. For complete information on the Spring Festival you can go to the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts website.

If you’ve ever walked down the mall, you’ve probably noticed the Town Crier. It’s the kiosk situated on the 400 block near Casale’s Shoes and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Operated by the Cape May Chamber of Commerce, the Town Crier has a map of Cape May, a calendar of events and happenings, and a selection of brochures and flyers from local businesses.

What you might not know is the Town Crier also presents a series of free events throughout most of the year under the umbrella title of The Cape May Experience. This April the Town Crier is presenting “Savor Something Sweet”. Each Saturday at 1:00 pm, two of Cape May’s wonderful candy shops, the Fudge Kitchen and Fralinger’s, are offering a selection of free goodies to visitors on the mall. I swung by this past Saturday and spent of few moments chatting with Susan Babineau-Roberts from the Mission Inn while she was passing out the goodies. (Unfortunately, I abstained from sampling the delectable treats, since I am determined to lose 10 lbs. by Memorial Day.) This weekend is the last for the free sweets, so hurry on down.

In May, the Cape May Experience will move to the beachfront near Convention Hall for a southern-styled beach party. “Fire up for Summer” will include a good ole fashioned Hoot’nanny, with fiddler and oh so much more. (7pm 1st., 8th & 15th) For more information on Town Crier events, you can visit the Cape May Chamber website.

Local artist, David Clemans, will appear at the Soma Gallery this coming Sunday, April 19, to discuss his current exhibition “RIVER RUN TO THE SEA” his artistic exploration of Cape May. He will also be signing his book of prints from the exhibit. Light brunch fare will be served. 12:30 – 2:30 PM. Talk begins at 1:00 PM.

Mr. Cleman’s exhibit along with artist Marc Shenfield’s exhibit ”Cape May in Detail” will continue at the gallery until May 3. For additional information you can visit the gallery website at www.somagallery.net.

I received an e-mail from the Beach Theatre Foundation the other day. Unfortunately, the Foundation did not renew their lease with the Franks Theatre Group. So it looks like the Franks Group will be operating the theater this summer. (I guess they decided they might as well make a buck before they tear it down.)

There is some potential good news. The Beach Theatre Foundation is working with a consulting firm and developers to see if  a “boutique hotel” could be incorporated into designs for the property while still maintaining the theater. For more information read the whole story at the Herald Newspaper’s website.

While driving past the Beach Theatre this morning I noticed the marquee had been changed. It now reads, “Reopening May 22″ and lists The Soloist, Terminator Salvation and Wolverine as some of the upcoming features. So, it looks like the Beach Theatre Foundation will once again be operating the theater, at least for this summer.

For those of you who don’t know, the Franks Theater chain, got approval from the historic commission a couple years ago to tear down the theater and build condominiums over the existing retails stores along Beach Drive. A grassroots organization, the Beach Theatre Foundation,  was quickly formed in attempt to save it. The biggest problem is the Franks group is asking $12 million dollars for it, which, if you ask me, is pretty outrageous. The BTF has been looking for a developer and has secured some loans to lease the theater and operate it in the mean time.

For more information on the history of the Beach Theatre and the efforts fo save it, you can go to the foundations website at www.beachtheatre.org.