New Beach Rules

Inflation ran high, doubling from 3.4 to almost 7%. The bill to fix the problems with beach erosion and boardwalk were up by 100,000 to $425,00. But Mayor Black and the Council believed they had a deal to get 75% of the money from the Federal and County Governments. The work would not be complete until 1976 and the citizens were getting anxious.

The Circus came to town. The Hoxie Brothers Circus used the Guard Camp for the next few summers, hosted by the Manasquan Kiwanas.

Hoxie Circus (from a history at circusesandsideshows.com

New pricing and new rules made the beach more expensive, and more of a hassle.

Equal Access laws required towns to open their seasonal and daily sales to anyone at the same rates. Sea Girt used tight rules and high fines to keep the general public away. They required the use of the bathhouse for changing.

Memberships were $125 for four people per season, and $2.50-$3.00 per day for others. Badges were an additional $15/season and $2-$3 per day. Arriving at the beach in a bathing suit or disrobing from street clothes on the beach was $100 fine. Picnicking, Ball playing, fires, littering, all carried their own fines. Unguarded beaches were closed.

School taxes were also on the rise. Sea Girt Elementary School had been a success, and sending High School students to Manasquan was becoming more expensive. The School Board and some residents began to ask if Sea Girt should open its own High School. South Belmar, Spring Lake, and Spring Lake Heights proposed their own regional High School. Belmar was in an agreement with Asbury Park. Manasquan and Brielle wanted to be together but also wanted Sea Girt.

The debate among Sea Girt residents was cordial but earnest. Former teacher, school principal and education department employee Matthew Ciricolo was most vocal about the difficulty in running a small 150-student high school.

There was an underlying motive for all the jockying. In areas of the country with segregated schools, the Civil Rights Act no longer allowed unequal treatment. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1971) affirmed the use of busing to achieve racial balance, even across school district boundaries. Parents were afraid of what could happen in their schools.

Winter rentals and old boarding houses in some of the shore municipalities created a mixture of socio-economic and racial makeup of students. While mild compared to forced desegregation in other areas of the country, people were cognizant of the impact of school composition on real estate values. No one knew this more than Matthew Ciricolo.. A loved teacher and administrator at Manasquan, he took the Principal position at Neptune. While investigating a case where it appeared white kids picked a fight with African Americans, the situation blew up over misunderstandings between kids, parents and the school board. Ciricolo eventually resigned from the district and took a job at the Department of Education. Tensions were very high.

Boston was the center of the Busing controversy, but the concern about forced integration was everywhere (National Park Service)

In a boost to local bars, the youth lobby won a victory. The drinking age was lowered from 21 to 18 in New Jersey, and in many other states. The argument was also a pushback against the military draft.

The increased number of patrons in local bar shifted the mix to favor the young. Music got louder, dress codes were relaxed. Jimmy Byrnes Sea Girt Inn and the Parker House, being remodeled as the Ale House were packed to capacity.. Jimmy was up to four clubs, with the SG Inn, the Keynote, a Manhattan CLub on 2nd ave on 54th and a Queens club on Northern BLvd.