North Wildwood Italian-American Festival

The festival, now running for 13 straight years, is a celebration of Italian culture and food. The annual Italian-American Fesitval is something you can hear and smell from blocks away.

You don't have to be Italian to enjoy this festival. All you need is an appreciation of what Italians do best: good entertainment and great food.

The festival began Friday and will end on Sunday at 4 p.m. It takes place on Olde New Jersey Avenue in North Wildwood. So come to North Wildwood and enjoy the beach and food this weekend.

Enjoy the Summer Weather Watch a Big Screen Movie on the Beach

Since the summer of 2005 many family have been going down to the Wildwood beach at night. Their not going to just walk in the cooled off sand or ocean either. These people are going to watch a full cinema style outdoor movie. Based on the older drive up outdoor movie theater, the Sunset Cinema company has been displaying movies every night on their huge blow up movie screen.

This movie watching experience is great for the family or if it just a couple of friends, I highly recommend putting this on your list of things to do when visiting Wildwood. It is one of the rare places that you can actually experience this, Sunset Cinema also has a beach theater in Miami. Pricing of tickets are also less then most of the indoor theaters.

EPA tries new, speedier tests of beach water at Cape May Court House

This summer, the federal Environmental Protection Agency will experiment with a new, faster method of testing water quality at some bathing beaches in the state.

An EPA official said Monday that test results for the bacteria enterococcus take 24 hours, but the time could be cut to three hours with a different test officials will try in a few spots in Monmouth and Ocean counties this summer.

A quicker testing system could allow health officials to close beaches faster in case bacteria exceed acceptable levels.

The water recently has been beautiful in South Jersey so far this summer very clear and clean everyday. It would be nice to keep it this way so please keep the beaches clean and don't leave any trash on the beach. Even though the water here might not be as blue and crystal clear as the water in Hawaii and Tahiti it does contain a lot less harmful bacteria compared to the more exotic tropical places.

Be Cautious, but no afraid when purchasing an "as is home"

Most home buyers who sign the contract presented by their representing Realtor have no clue it really means the Seller won't pay to repair the most obvious defects. However, I must warn the Sellers's it's not an excuse for the Seller to avoid disclosing the obvious defects as well as other defects not visible by the naked eye.

"When Sellers should sell "AS IS " without agreeing to make repairs is when they can't afford to pay for any repairs, estate situations when the heirs are from out of the area or when the Seller is not physically capable of making the repairs (elderly people).

Home buyers should understand that although its an "AS IS" sale, a professional inspection should and can still be performed. Inform the Seller that you need this inspection completed to identify the defects of the house so you have an understanding of what needs to be done to bring this property up to code. I also suggest language in the contract regarding any structural damage found that you have the option to cancel the contract.