AVON-BY-THE-SEA — As part of the borough’s anniversary celebrations, the Avon-By-The-Sea Historical Society will premiere its Founders Day movie “Postcard Ponderings” on Sunday, March 23 – the date of the town’s official incorporation just 125 years prior.
“Postcard Ponderings” is a 90-minute documentary-style film that features interviews from 27 residents conducted by Avon Historical Society President Norah Magrini, with videographer work by Lance Roman of Princeton’s Studio Seven Productions.
The afternoon’s festivities will begin at 1 p.m., welcoming the public to the municipal building, with the movie starting at 2 p.m. Following the showing, refreshments will be served, and there will be an opportunity to purchase anniversary-themed merchandise and tickets to the upcoming Gala event scheduled for May.
A trailer of “Postcard Ponderings” can be viewed on the society’s Facebook page at avonbytheseahistoricalsociety.com.
“This is his (Roman’s) specialty,” said Magrini. “He had an Avon connection. He comes to the beach, walks on the boardwalk, eats at the Boardwalk Pavilion for breakfast – that was his Saturday routine for a couple of years. He took on the project really almost as a passion project because he loved the idea of it.”
“Postcard Ponderings” will take viewers on a journey back in time, highlighting key landmark destinations with stories from community members who can personally recall these sites.
The goal, according to Magrini, is to “preserve these iconic locations through the anecdotes and memories of some of our most treasured neighbors and friends.”
“The idea was, the people we interviewed would talk about things that are not here anymore,” said Magrini. “They (interviewees) talk about all the hotels that are gone, and the churches that are gone, and some that are here just because they’re old, and we still have a few places left.”
“That’s why it’s called ‘Postcard Ponderings’ because these places only exist in their memories and the pictures and postcards we have of these places from Avon’s origin in 1879,” she added.
Each interviewee has longtime connections to the various former locations throughout town including places such as the Norwood Inn, Avon Elementary School, Taylor Memorial Baptist Church, United Methodist Church, among others.
Magrini said that the movie is broken into “chapters” beginning with each of the similar establishments featured consecutively, before switching gears to the origins of borough services such as the beach, town pool, first aid and fire department.
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