Cuba Libre's coctel de camarones

ATLANTIC CITY — United Way of Atlantic County will officially kick-off its annual community fundraising campaign Thursday, Sept. 8 at 5:30pm as part of Tropicana’s hugely successful fourth annual “Taste of the Quarter.”

Proceeds from the annual campaign benefit 62 local programs and services provided by 40 local health and human service agencies throughout Atlantic County. This year’s campaign goal will be announced by campaign chairman Richard Dovey, president of Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA). A VIP reception and presentation will held in the Castanet Room on the 4th floor of the Trop’s Havana Tower at 5:30pm. Taste of the Quarter events will start 6pm.

For a ticket price of $30 at the door, attendees receive a special wristband that allows them to savor all of the food and beverage specials at participating venues in The Quarter. Tickets are available at the IMAX box office or online by going here.

Participating locations include:  Carmine’s of New York (eggplant parmesan), Cuba Libre (coctel de camarones, a Cuban-style shrimp cocktail with avocado salsa), FIN: A Seafood Experience (lobster bisque shooters), Il Verdi (gnocchi gratinati), Palm Restaurant (meatball sliders), P.F. Chang’s (Chang’s spicy chicken and fried rice), Red Square (strawberries Romanoff), A Dam Good Sports Bar (taco bar), A Time for Wine (wine samplings), Classic Cake (A chocolate fountain sampling from master chef Robert Bennett, as featured on Fabulous Cakes), Corky’s (BBQ pork sliders), Create a Cone (Italian water ice), Godiva Chocolatier (tempting chocolate samples), Hooters (boneless chicken wings), James’ Salt Water Taffy (taffy samples), Mrs. Fields Cookies (brownies, cookies and their famous cookie and cream chiller), Old Farmer’s Almanac General Store (assortment of dips and baked goods), Planet Rose Karaoke Bar (signature drink featuring Pucker vodka), Providence (specialty cocktail and a free theatrical show and after party starting at 8pm), RíRá Irish Pub (pulled BBQ beef brisket on a brioche roll), Starbucks Coffee (coffee samplings), Zeytinia (cookies).

All proceeds from this event benefit United Way of Atlantic County.

From Monday, Dec. 6 through Friday, Dec. 17, as part of the 20th annual Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA)’s Holiday Food Drive, residents are encouraged to place canned goods at the curb on their recycling collection day to be collected by ACUA crews in conjunction with regularly scheduled recycling pick-ups.

The holiday food drive gives residents an easy and convenient way to help the needy while helping the environment. All canned goods collected will be distributed through the Community FoodBank of New Jersey/Southern Branch, which provides the donated food to more than 250 local charities for distribution to those less fortunate in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and southern Burlington counties.

For more on this story, go here.

On Saturday, Oct. 16, a marine sciences symposium will take place at the Atlantic City Aquarium from 10am-4pm. The symposium is sponsored by Waterwatch International and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA), and will include speakers from diverse marine science backgrounds discussing the state of our seas.

The event will include a lunch break from 1-2pm at the Flying Cloud Café in Gardner’s Basin. The Atlantic City Aquarium is at 800 North New Hampshire Ave. (Gardner’s Basin) in A.C.

Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. For reservations call (610) 989 9669. For more information call (609) 214 3967 or the Aquarium at (609) 348-2880.

Admission is $10 for adults, $4 for students and children, and includes all speaker activities in the Bay Room as well as tours of the Atlantic City Aquarium. (more…)

Solar panels on the roof of the Atlantic City Convention Center. photo courtesy atlanticcitynj.com

Curious about the benefits of solar energy? On Wednesday, Jan. 20, the Atlantic County government, Atlantic County Utilities Authority and Atlantic City Electric invites all Atlantic County residents and small business owners to attend a “solar workshop.”
Located at the Townsend Residential Life Center of the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, experts from all hosting agencies will be on hand from 9am-3pm to guide and answer questions, and to provide the insight and knowledge needed to move forward with the procurement of solar power.
“We are really pleased to be one of the hosts of this workshop,” says ACUA president Rick Dovey in a media release. “It’s a great way to provide important data to residents and small businesses that are seriously considering solar projects, and also a great opportunity for students as well.”
For more information on the workshop please contact Matt von der Hayden at 272-6978 or at mhayden@acua.com. To register contact Melissa Smith at Melissa.smith@csgrp.com. — Garrett Burrell