P . 22 | FEBRUARY 2023 | THE HAMMONTONIAN
Former Miss NJ Lindsey Giannini loans items to Historical Society
by GINA RULLO
The Historical Society of Hammonton was recently lent a few items belonging to Miss New Jersey 2015 and Hammonton native Lindsey Giannini .
Giannini , 28 , graciously lent the society her “ Monopoly Man ” outfit and the shoes ( made by Hammonton native Jeanine Donio ) from the parade , her white Stephen Yearick Miss America gown and her original Miss New Jersey sashes .
“ At Miss America , my roommate Miss Nebraska was putting on lipstick , we were in a Jitney , the Jitney hit a bump and she dropped my lipstick on the “ Jersey ” part of the sash ,” she said .
A new one was made in a rush for filming , Giannini said .
Now living in North Carolina , Giannini said she was pleased with the request by the HSH .
“ I was honored . It is items that I cherish and to have it displayed with such respect . Greg and Deb [ White ] are so nice . They do such a good job . They are so knowledgeable about Hammonton ,” Giannini said .
She added that her Uncle Vincent Giannini helped coordinate with the historical society .
The Monopoly Man costume was worn in the boardwalk parade in Atlantic City . It rained during the annual parade .
“ I had a train of all paper money , it rained and the dollars all crumpled up . The mega game board was attached by a ‘ show girl ’ backpack ,” Giannini said , reminiscing about the famed Show Us Your Shoes Parade held September 12 , 2015 .
During her reign as Miss New Jersey , Giannini attended countless events and more numerous dresses . She said some of the dresses are with her in North Carolina , some are at her parents ’ home in Hammonton and some are in storage .
“ I still wear some of the pieces ,” Giannini said .
Her mom , Debbie Giannini , came with her to the HSH donation presenting on January 2 .
“ She is my personal historian . I was in the blur of competition . There are so many times she reminds me of things that have happened ,” Giannini said .
CELEBRITY
FORMER MISS NEW JERSEY LINDSEY GIANNINI LENT SOME OF HER ITEMS TO THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF HAMMONTON ( PHOTOGRAPH BY VINCENT GIANNINI ).
Giannini who is a cherished part of Hammonton ’ s history as the only Hammontonian to win the Miss New Jersey Competition and the second who graduated from a local high school here . Giannini ’ s good friend is Lindsey Petrosh Delia served as Miss New Jersey 2012 . Giannini ’ s wide smile can be seen on the welcome to Hammonton signs . She embraces her role in local history and says her love of history comes from her paternal grandfather .
She and her grandfather , the late Vincent Giannini would scour his backyard for large glass chunks as he lived near one of the former glass factory sites .
Her grandfather died on December 23 , 2022 . Giannini said pieces of glass from her grandparents ’ yard are on display at the historical society . “ He would take me out there and we would dig for big pieces of glass ,” Giannini said .
More recently , she has wandered around the former site of Amatol , the post-World War I munitions plant , adjacent factory town and racetrack .
“ Greg is a big race fan . He talked to us about Amatol . Brennan [ Poole ] and I hiked out there ,” Giannini said .
See GIANNINI , P . 25