Blood Drive for Congregant at Reformed Church

Main Street's churches have long been bedrocks for the Freehold community, and now, the congregation at the Reformed Church at 67 W. Main is rallying to support one of their own.

Reformed Church Co-Chair Irma Krohn and Pastor Chris Jacobson inside the Reformed Church.STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER/BRYAN FERREIRA

On March 28, the Church will hold a blood drive in the Church's fellowship room in honor of Carol Jean Biddle, a congregant who suffers from arteriovenous malformation--a defect of the circulatory system--and requires blood frequently.
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Snow Crews & News Crews in Main Street Slush

The snowpocalypse is here! Or at least, the rain before the snowpocalypse is here.

Street crews from the Borough and County, along with shoveling crews in front of Main Street businesses and a news crew of CBS 2 News hunkered down in the wind and wintry mix descending on town this morning.

Check after the jump for this morning's full gallery:
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Freehold InJersey Invites You

Freehold.InJersey is hosting its first-ever meetup event, and you're invited!

Come out and meet the editors and writers of Freehold.InJersey.com, your fellow Freehold-area residents, and folks from around Monmouth County.

Details after the jump!
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A Friendly Face: Patsy Federici is Nice Neighbor, and More

Patsy Federici is in the middle of telling me the story of how she and her husband met—a charming wartime romance that played out in the hallowed walls of the then-new Federici’s Pizza—when a scruffy, middle-aged man opens the sidedoor of her house and walks into her kitchen.

She cocks her head in his direction and smiles as he wanders around the kitchen.
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Council Does Double-Take as Businesses Set Up Valet Parking

In a recent initiative by some downtown restaurants, valet parking is now available some weekday and weekend nights for restaurant-goers, much to the surprise of the Freehold Borough Council.

The valet service is a joint effort among businesses on Main Street's "Restaurant Row" with businesses abutting the town's Market Yard parking lot, including Federici's, the Metropolitan Cafe, and the American Hotel.

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From Alarm Bells to Wedding Bells: Firefighter Weds in Building He Helped Save

-Kim Predham-

The first time Jeremy Drewry got a good look inside the American Hotel, it was in flames.

"It was very dark . . . It was pretty scary," Drewry, 23, remembered of that day nearly five years ago when he and more than 100 firefighters battled a blaze that heavily damaged the borough landmark.

Smoke shrouded the interior in darkness. Flames shot toward Drewry and the handful of firefighters sent inside to fight the fire.
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Confirmation: Fred Astaire Swings Through Freehold

The rumors (and window signs) are true: the Fred Astaire Dance Studio is coming to Main Street. Owner Amanda Tilghman took some time to fill us in on when the studio will open and what it will have to offer Freehold-area twinkle toes.

"We're looking to open in the next two weeks, hopefully," she said. "We just have to get the maple floors down and finish the decor. It's really a great space."
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American Hotel Up and Running

Posted via APP.com:

The long-awaited opening of the American Hotel on Main Street has officially arrived. The hotel soft-launched yesterday with lunch service, and is open for lunch and dinner beginning today.

We dropped by for a peek around lunchtime and found a crowd of about 15 dining and drinking at the shiny new bar.
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Ibby’s Falafel a Family Gem

When you walk into Ibby’s Falafel on Main Street, you get the sense that you’ve walked in on a family party.

Nedal Kwara, the owner of Ibby's Falafel on Main Street in Freehold Borough.

Children run about the store, from their parents chatting at tables to behind the counter and back again. An older man with a white mustache sits proudly in the corner, surrounded by younger generations. A mix of languages is heard; everybody eats and smiles. But this isn’t your average family; it is the most famous falafel family in America.
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Dancing into Town: Fred Astaire Dance Studio

It's time to tango, Freehold. The vacant space of the former Bayou Cafe on Main Street shows signs of life finally, with posters proclaiming the arrival of a Fred Astaire Dance Studio franchise on Main Street.

The Studio is part of a national franchise in which branches are independently owned. It seems that our branch is linked to the Ocean Academy of Dance Arts in Jackson, though that is unconfirmed.  More mytseriously, the web address offered in the windows seems inactive.
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Christmas Mass Around Freehold

In just a few hours, Christian churches throughout Freehold-- thought mostly on Main Street-- will celebrate Christmas Eve mass. We stopped into a few to see how the preparations were going; Pastor Bill Frederickson at the First Baptist Church and Pastor Chris Jacobson at the Reformed Church chatted with us a bit about how their parishes are celebrating Christmas this year.

Merry Christmas, Freehold.

Menorah Lighting Tonight at 5

Come on out to the Hall of Records tonight to watch the Menorah Lighting and kick off Hanukkah 2009!

APP Editorial Praises American Hotel

An editorial in today's Asbury Park Press praises American Hotel owner Steven Goldberg, who they say "took a decaying Freehold Borough landmark and turned it into a showcase for the downtown." The much-anticipated re-opening of the Hotel is expected to boost business in the downtown area when it opens to the public on December 29.

From the editorial:

The hotel, a fixture in the downtown since 1824 when it was built as a stagecoach stop, didn't look like it had a future before Goldberg purchased the property and its liquor license at a bankruptcy auction in 2006.
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Christmas Giving at the Local Lib

Your friendly neighborhood librarians have a Christmas gift for you, Freehold: free books!

We dropped in to the Borough library today to check up on the ever-changing art displays there (more on that in coming weeks), and found our favorite library proprietresses offering up dozens of free titles on their free stoop for the taking.

"It's our Christmas gift to everyone!" Kathy Mulholland told us.

Richmond House To Be Reconsidered Monday

The Freehold Borough Historic Commission will decide about the fate of the Richmond House on Monday, according to a story by Kim Predham in yesterday's APP.

The Commission had initially approved Fox & Associates' plans to renovate the historical building, but opposition from residents including Borough Historian Kevin Coyne convinced the Borough Council to reconsider.

Now, the Historic Comission will have another chance to approve or reject the designs before the application goes on to  the Council and the Planning Board, according to the report.

The co-owner of Fox & Associates is Monmouth County Democratic Party chairman Victor Scudiery.

Check out the full story here.