Asbury Park Zest The Rainbow Issue Summer 2015 | Page 36

SUMME RT IM E F U N

Photo by Randy G. Lubischer

Asbury Park Pedal Boats

A

sbury Park’s Swan Boats on Wesley
Lake are a blast from the past. The
original swan boats had motors,
while the new ones have pedals.
I took my kids two summers ago to explore
the lake and find out what it was like to be
the master of our own swan. My son and I
pedaled, but my daughter, who was too short
to reach the pedals, sat in the middle. We
laughed the entire way around the lake.
Historic documents of the swans on Wesley
Lake, the narrow body of water separating
Ocean Grove from Asbury Park, date as far
back as June 1889, when the Trenton Evening
News ran a column, "Asbury Park Doing,” noting "the various kinds of craft that ply up and
down" the lake, including about 100 rowboats
and four swan boats.
According to the Asbury Park Historical Society, the 1890s’ Mayor James Bradley, bought
16 white swan boats for recreational use on
Wesley Lake. At the time, they were propelled
by turning a crank and each boat held about
10 people. Then in the 1950s and ‘60s, the
swans had motors.
Then, for a long time before Asbury Park’s
rebirth, while the town slept, so did the swans.

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They were reintroduced by Linda Occhipinti
and Joseph Gambarony in 2011. Now, they
are made of fiberglass, and the pedals offer
people a form of fun and exercise that is also
environmentally respectful.
Other fiberglass creatures have also joined
the swans, which hold up to three people, such
as a blue heron, pelican, dragon, a pink flamingo and a pirate ship. They add zip to any
party or fundraiser during the season, which
starts in May and ends in October, all weather
permitting.
If you’re looking for something to do after
a romantic dinner at one of the many fabulous
restaurants in Asbury Park, sunset makes for the
perfectly dramatic backdrop.
The general cost for two adults and one child
is $20 for a half-hour, but discounted off-peak
group rates for birthday parties or special
celebrations and group outings are available.
“We do everything needed to accommodate
large groups and promise to make every visit
memorable,” says Occhipinti. “We also sell
cold drinks and healthy snacks.”
asburyparkpedalboats.com