The Hammonton Gazette 05/14/14 Edition | Page 6

Page 6 • Wednesday, May 14, 2014 • The Hammonton Gazette The Hammonton Gazette “The Paper of Record” Gabriel J. Donio, Publisher Gina rullo, Editor-in-Chief Dan russoman, Sports Editor Benny Mendez, Staff Artist Marysusan Hoffman, Paul J. Macrie iv, Michael Hozik, Donna Brown, Joseph Bruno, Lauren Bucci, Lauren crescenzo, Brian Morris, Staff The Hammonton Gazette is located at 233 Bellevue ave. to reach a staff member, call 704-1940 or fax at 704-1938. the mailing address is P.o. Box 1228, Hammonton, nJ 08037. eDitoriaLs The Hammonton Gazette is published Wednesdays, by The Hammonton Gazette, Inc. Copyright © 2014. All rights reserved. ISSN 1093-6181 Kramer Beverage at 90 The Gazette considers four companies or organizations currently operating in our community as the leading Hammonton businesses of the 21st Century: AtlantiCare, Kramer Beverage Company, New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance and The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Of those great companies, only one has its corporate headquarters in Hammonton: Kramer Beverage Company, which celebrated 90 years in business at a wonderful party for employees and invited guests on May 10 that also drew dignitaries from both sides of the aisle to help celebrate the occasion. Republican Congressman Frank LoBiondo was joined by Democratic State Senator James Whelan at the event, as both men attended personally to honor Charles Kramer, Lynn Kramer and Mark Kramer and their entire organization as it turned 90. Charles Kramer is Kramer Beverage Company’s Chairman, and Mark Kramer is the CEO of the company, which continues to grow and succeed. As the company has grown, so has the generosity of the Kramer family, who have helped make higher education in Hammonton possible with their recent naming gift of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey’s Kramer Hall on Front Street. Hammonton is honored that Kramer Beverage Company made the decision 12 years ago to call this community home. They have not only been good corporate partners and good neighbors. They have become part of the family in Hammonton, truly committed to helping make the community a better place as they do business here. Congratulations to Kramer Beverage Company on 90 years in business! Your success has made you a top business in Hammonton, in Atlantic County and in New Jersey. Everyone involved with the company should be extremely proud of your decades of achievement. Uptown repaving Readers who travel the White Horse Pike (Route 30) may have noticed the crews working on curbing along the roadway in recent weeks. According to Mayor Stephen DiDonato, the curbing is part of a state road repaving contract awarded to Arawak Paving Company (Barrett Asphalt Company). Road repaving will begin in the coming weeks, the mayor said. If you want to know if an area is bouncing back — that it is about to do well — you should look at the public infrastructure projects, like road repaving projects. The uptown area is receiving one of the largest public infrastructure projects in recent memory — the repaving and new curbing of the White Horse Pike — and we are very excited about what it means for the future of uptown, and the entire town. Members of town council have agreed to apply for banners along the roadway. Stores and shops are filling up, and a beautiful new mural celebrating Hammonton was installed at the uptown Wendy’s restaurant. Momentum is on the side of the people who want to revitalize the area, just as it has been for the downtown revitalization effort, particularly during the last 10 years. We agree with the philosophy that efforts to revitalize each part of the town — uptown, downtown, the business park, Little Italy, our parks, the schools and our housing stock — play a pivotal role in making the entire town a stronger, better place to live. We continue to see a renaissance throughout Hammonton, and as always, it is spearheaded by the people who live and work here, and care enough about this great town to work toward the goal of preserving what works, eliminating what doesn’t, and adding what is needed. The repaving of the White Horse Pike is the latest example. We thank the state for their support of Hammonton with this project. PersPective/Pastor’s corner For a very brief time last week I was under the impression I was all caught up. Don’t you like the feeling that comes knowing you are up to date and everything is accomplished? I do, I just do not experience it enough. It was entirely my own fault. I was gloating over the fact I had accomplished everything on my todo-list and had some time to spare. Spare time is a rare commodity these days, at least for me. I do not even have spare change and it has been months since I have seen my spare tire. Time is a different matter altogether. Just when I think I have a little spare time on my hands, I find it slipping through my fingers. As I said, I was gloating over the fact I was all caught up. Being in a rather cheerful mood, I thought I would look at my calendar. I do not look at my calendar that often. It is so depressing, always telling me what to do. I hate it when somebody tells me what to do. My calendar looks at me and I look back and it simply says, do this. And there it is in black and white. What else can I do? Without actually thinking the issue through carefully, I opened up my calendar and discovered something quite startling. It takes a whole lot to startle me. In fact, it takes a whole lot just to get me started on anything. However, I looked at my calendar and was woefully startled. I noticed on my calendar it was the month of May. What happened to March and April? In fact, what happened to January and February? I should have gotten a hint with all the rain we had in April. Remember that little line that goes, “April showers bring May flowers”? While I was focused on the showers in April, I did not notice that April was exhausting itself and May was sneaking around the corner to surprise me. Boy, did it surprise me. I guess I was just too occupied during the month of April to realize that April has a time limit. April has 30 days and when those 30 days are kaput, April is over and it is May. I do not think May is any different from any other month. It is just that I wish the months would slow down a little bit. It seems at the beginning of the month everything is going rather slowly and then when you hit the middle of the month the days must go into some kind of panic and race towards the end. Why these days of the month have to hasten towards the remainder of the month is something I will never wrap my head around. If I were a swearing man, I would swear it was still February. I believe there ought to be a month, at least one month in the year, where there are like 75 to 80 days. Why be so legalistic about all of this? Why be so judgmental? Every day of the month insists it will only be around for 24 hours. Not 25 hours. Not even 20 hours. But every day insists on being around for 24 hours and then it disappears. Now, where does it go? When I go on a vacation, I know where I am going and the sad part of my vacation is at the end of the vacation I come back. Now where does time go? And, why doesn’t it ever return. For instance. I am thinking of celebrating my 37th birthday this year. I am not 37 years old, but I cannot remember what I did on my 37th birthday. I think that if I cannot remember what happened on my 37th birthday, I should be able to repeat it. Why can’t I go back and be 37 for just one day? I do not need to be 37 forever, just one day! But no, Father Time has made a rule that you can only be 37 one day out of the year and you can never repeat that, ever again. Of course, there was Jack Benny who was 39 all his life. I noticed in my calendar there were many items that needed doing. As I looked at them, I realized I had done them the month before. Some things are so insistent that you do them every month. My electric bill, for instance. Why do I have to pay that every month? Why can’t the electric company give me a vacation once a year? Another thing that bothers me. When I am having a good time at whatever I am doing, why does time pass so quickly? I remember in school the time leading up to recess went ever so slow and I never thought it would arrive. Once I got out to recess, it went so quickly I had to return to class almost before I left the classroom. What is that all about? I took a little bit of time to think about what good old King Solomon said about the subject. “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Time is a commodity either you spend it or lose it. The bad part is once you lose it you can never get it back. Enjoy today, it’s the only today you have. the rev. James L. snyder silver springs shores, Fla. The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores, Fla. His website is www.jamessnyderministries.com. The Hammonton Gazette welcomes letters to the editor that are no more than 800 words long. All letters must include the name of the author and an address and telephone number for verification. Letters should be mailed to The Hammonton Gazette, Editorial Page, P.O. Box 1228, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Letters also will be accepted via fax. The fax number is 704-1938.  Or by e-mail to [email protected]. Deadline for all submissions is 2 p.m. Monday. The Hammonton Gazette reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions expressed in letters, perspectives or in guest columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Hammonton Gazette.  The Gazette is not responsible for factual errors in letters, perspectives or in guest columns. The Gazette retains the right to refuse any submission or advertisement.