Middle Township porch parties aimed at keeping neighborhood connections safely – Press of Atlantic City

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE On Romney Place on Friday night, neighbors gathered on the front lawn of one of the historic houses in this quiet neighborhood, joking and checking in with each other.

The weather had warmed that evening, so it would not have been unusual for those walking their dogs to stop and chat or to call out a hello to someone on a front porch. But these are far from usual times.

Those gathered carefully, if somewhat self-consciously, kept a 6-foot distance from their neighbors at Middle Townships first Friday Night Front Porch Social (Distancing) Hour, proposed as a way to keep community connections strong while adhering to guidelines enacted to blunt the spread of COVID-19.

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE With COVID-19 infections continuing to climb statewide, Cape May Coun

Mayor Timothy Donohue proposed the idea on the community Facebook page Middle Township Coronavirus Info Group, suggesting people throughout the township go out on their front porches starting at 6 p.m.

While we should be physically distancing, we need to remain the vibrant, sharing, caring community that makes Middle Township so great, he wrote. Grab your favorite beverage and safely gather with your fellow shelter-in-placers.

He suggested greeting neighbors from a safe distance and raising a glass, and then sharing images and videos to social media. Several neighbors posted images and greetings even before the suggested start time of 6 p.m.

Residents posted photos of themselves, often with their dogs, either on lawns or porches.

They included Township Committeeman Ike Gandy and his family on their front stoop.

People in several neighborhoods throughout the township turned out.

On Poplar Avenue, Tammy Scull and her daughter Briana said they heard about the plan from their neighbors across the street, Bill and Tracey Labrum, who heard about it from their friend from around the corner, Beth Metzger, who saw it on Facebook.

Tracey Labrum is the director of the early education center at Cape Regional Medical Center. The center is usually open to the community, but under the current restrictions it only serves the children of essential personnel at the hospital. She said she is glad to be able to help the front-line medical workers, calling them heroes.

God bless the nurses and doctors, she said.

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP The township is making the most of the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

The Poplar Avenue neighbors waved at each other from across the narrow street.

Nearby, on Romney Place, Peggy Mauger had her dog, Tonto, out for a walk and stopped by to speak with Connie Corrado and other neighbors. She said the neighborhood is filled with historic houses and has a strong sense of community, where neighbors know each others names.

Corrado was on her porch with her grandson, Nate, 8. Gail Tweed, another neighbor, left her porch to be able to speak with the others without shouting, but said she would keep the recommended distance.

She said she spent much of her day sewing masks for oncology patients where her daughter works. She said quilting groups and other organizations have organized to make protective gear.

Face masks, gloves and other supplies have been in short supply since the start of the outbreak.

With more than 13,000 cases of COVID-19 in New Jersey including nine in Cape May County, by the states count, and three in Middle Township, according to the county federal and state officials have imposed strict measures aimed at slowing the infection rate.

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP Police on Thursday notified residents that out-of-state cars parked at a t

That has included closing schools and most other gathering places and shutting nonessential businesses, measures expected to be in place for weeks at least.

But, at least for one night in Middle Township, neighbors left the light on for each other.

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Middle Township porch parties aimed at keeping neighborhood connections safely - Press of Atlantic City