Jerry Blavat fans down the Shore will pay tribute at Sea Isle’s Oar House

Jerry Blavat was loved in a lot of places, but there may have been no place where his devotees kept the magic going and relived the old days more relentlessly than down the Shore.

“Jerry was the man down here,” said Jimmy Bennett, owner of the Oar House in Sea Isle City, where Blavat was still working his regular Wednesday evenings up until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. “He brought star power to the Jersey Shore.”

Blavat, 82, died Jan. 20, and funeral rites will take place Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.

But the Shore cannot wait. The Oar House Pub at 318 42d Place in Sea Isle is hosting a two-part Celebration of Life in memory of Blavat, this Wednesday, Jan. 25, and a week later, due to popular demand and on request from the family, a second one after the funeral, on Feb. 1. Both will run from 5 to 8 p.m.

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“Due to the overwhelming response and support for the Celebration of Life for Jerry Blavat at the Oar House Pub, Jerry’s family has made the decision to split the event into two nights,” Dave Virgilio, who did video for Blavat for years, wrote on Facebook. Virgilio had been DJ’ing in place of Blavat at the Oar House since Thanksgiving.

“This Wednesday (1/25) will be an unofficial ‘Fans Night’ celebration, followed by the official ‘Family and Friends’ celebration next Wednesday (2/1), both from 5pm to 8pm.”

The nights will include a four-minute video tribute to Blavat, a running slide show of photos, and the Just in Time band. The events will be livestreamed on Blavat’s MixCloud feed.

“As with all Jerry’s appearances at the Oar House pub, there is no cover, no minimum, and food and beverages will be available to purchase,” Virgilio added.

Bennett’s days working with Blavat date back decades, to the Sunday Fun Day shows at the old LaCosta Lounge on Landis Avenue in Sea Isle, and then on Wednesdays at the Oar House.

Blavat also, of course, did regular shows at Memories in Margate, where there was a cover and a dress code. In Sea Isle, it was shorts and flip-flops.

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This past summer, Bennett said, Blavat was his usual energetic and charming self. “The whole summer he was normal in shape and vibrant,” Bennett said. “It was a shock when he started going down.”

He even did 50 chin-ups in June before his usual adoring, breathless, and revived crowds.

“He did 50 chins with a grin,” Bennett said.

Bennett said Blavat brought a mix of celebrities, politicians, and a lot of locals and regulars whose trips to the Shore would not be complete without a night with Blavat.

“There was always a celebrity,” said Bennett. “Joe Frazier got right on stage and sang ‘My Way.’”

Mostly Blavat drove back and forth from the Shore to his condo in Philadelphia. He was a superstar and a regular at the same time, Bennett said.

“He’d stop at Dino’s Diner on Route 50 in Seaville,” Bennett said. “If he knew you, he’d pick up your check.”