Photo courtesy Art Kaney/Facebook
By Allison Perrine
MONMOUTH COUNTY – It has been a difficult few weeks for many individuals and families as COVID-19, or novel coronavirus, continues to spread throughout communities across the globe.
Government agencies are urging employees to do their work at home, if possible. On March 16, Gov. Phil Murphy ordered the closure of all pre-K and kindergarten through 12th-grade schools, as well as higher education institutions, effective March 18. School districts are now operating with remote learning measures to provide students with continued education.
However, while these precautions can help stop the spread of the virus, they can also cause hardship. Some workers are not being paid if they don’t work. Some essential workers are struggling to find childcare. Some are adjusting to staying home, not living their normal lives – going to restaurants, gyms, retail shops – as the governor also ordered the closure of all casinos, theaters, gyms and other “non-essential” businesses.
Many Two River-area residents have since taken to social media to offer up entertainment and efficient suggestions to occupy people at home and ideas to entertain children who would otherwise be in school.
Middletown resident Art Kaney, for example, has been sharing free live art lessons at 1 p.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday on his personal Facebook page. Kaney is the famous “Doodle Dude” at the Middletown Arts Center (MAC) who offers interactive art education programs in cartooning, art and illustration. As of Saturday, March 14, the MAC has been closed to the public.
Kaney’s videos are meant for “Kids 5-100 years of age,” he posted. Materials needed are pencils, paper and flat hard surfaces. Anyone interested can visit his Facebook page at 1 p.m. for live instructions. During his first video March 16, more than 150 viewers tuned in to draw a skeleton with him.
For those looking to get a head start on their spring cleaning, Nicole Rabbat Levine, a Holmdel-based real estate professional with Sotheby’s International Realty, shared a cleaning schedule to last the workweek. “Now is a perfect time to take control of a few things around the house that we generally put into the ‘I’ll get to that later’ category,” she shared.
She suggested that on Monday people organize their drawers, closets and basements to declutter. On Tuesday clean the windows and let natural sunlight in. On Wednesday give the kitchen a deep clean – the oven, stove, fridge and cabinets – and throw out any expired items. On Thursday she suggests cleaning the gutters and window wells. And on Friday, test the carbon dioxide detectors and smoke alarms, checking their batteries to ensure they work properly.
Theresa Casagrande, the borough administrator in Fair Haven, encourages people to start whipping up simple meals for people in need. On Sunday, she shared her “Soup on the Stoop” idea with the Fair Haven community on Facebook. She made a large pot of chicken rice soup, portioned it out into small containers and put it in her freezer.
“That way, if anyone I know gets sick, and/or can’t get out for some reason, I can just walk or drive over to their home and leave a frozen container of soup on their stoop,” she said. There’s no need for contact, she continued, just a text or call to let the person know you left them soup. “I think it should be a national movement,” said Casagrande.
Similarly, Atlantic Highlands resident Robin Mason-Moloney posted on Facebook that she has made and frozen servings of chicken noodle soup for others. Anyone in need can message her and she will put the soup out on her porch for pickup – no questions asked, she said.
“I will share as much as I can as often as I can. No need to ring the bell, just stop by and help yourself,” she posted in the Atlantic Highlands, NJ Facebook group. She just asks that people return her containers so she can continue to distribute the soup.
Holmdel resident and former committeeman Mike Nikolis shared a list of the top 10 things to do in Holmdel during the shutdown, starting with a hike along the Ramanessin Trail, followed by: shark tooth hunting by Village School; stargazing at Cross Farms; making homemade ‘Coronacorn Beef’ and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick’s Day; enjoying a glass of wine by the fire pit at Fox Hollow Vineyards; ordering takeout from Patricia’s of Holmdel; taking a bike ride along the trails of Thompson Park; playing tennis and then Walk the Bowl at Holmdel Park; playing Fortnite; and, finally, thinking about what to do with all the extra toilet paper, he joked.
In Highlands, resident Christina McGady Hines is advising that people put down the technology and get back to pen and paper. In a list she composed of things people can do during this epidemic, she suggested people get back to writing letters.
“We won’t always be here. Write to whoever you think of when you read that. Tell them how you feel in longhand then send it,” she said. She also suggested people check in on their neighbors, elders, friends, people with cancer – anyone who might need someone to talk to right now, even if that’s not face-to-face.
While it won’t be filmed in the Two River area, some Oceanport residents on Facebook are buzzing about the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s effort to bring animals to your home for your children to enjoy. Every weekday at 3 p.m., the zoo will host a Home Safari Facebook Live in which zoo representatives will highlight one of its animals as well as activities that viewers can do from home. Its first video premiered Monday with Fiona the hippo.
“Let us help make your children’s hiatus from school fun and education,” the zoo shared.
The Monmouth County Historical Association (MCHA) realizes that we are living a piece of history right now with the COVID-19 pandemic. For that reason, the organization is asking Monmouth County residents to help document their thoughts and experiences during this time through an online Google form, which will later be archived under the “Remembering COVID-19” digital collection. Children are welcome to participate.
“Answer whichever questions you choose. At the end of the form there is a place to upload images that depict the effects this event is having on your community, such as empty store shelves, long lines, or even the creative ways in which your family is adapting at home to the new social distancing guidelines,” the MCHA posted. “With your permission, we will periodically share select answers and images to keep us all connected during this difficult time.”
The article originally appeared in the March 19-25, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
