Ocean Grove on its own, but strengthened by Sandy

OCEAN GROVE, N.J. - Even with Hurricane Sandy in full howl with 100 m.p.h. winds, the destruction of the Great Auditorium's roof could be heard blocks away. As the storm peeled off part of its stainless steel roof like a can opener, the metallic creaking vibrated through the town's Victorian-flavored square.

Some residents had evacuated; others, seasonal ones, were back in their winter digs when Sandy struck on Oct. 29. And the first question asked in many of their calls and e-mails to friends and officials wasn't about the status of homes or people. It was: Is the Great Auditorium organ OK?

"The beach was chaotic. The boardwalk was half destroyed. Heavy concrete urns and benches had been moved two blocks away," said Ralph delCampo, the interim chief operating officer of the Camp Meeting Association, which owns the auditorium.

"See that gray building there?" he said, referring to a nearby structure. "It was moved over there." He points a half-mile down the beach.

And the organ, a century-old, 11,753-pipe behemoth?

"No damage at all."

Given that Ocean Grove is a religious community, founded by Methodists in 1869, might God have saved the organ? "Obviously," delCampo said. "No question."

The aftermath, however, hasn't been so blessed.

A new opera company is rising from the wreckage - the MidAtlantic Opera, which will hold a Verdiana gala at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Great Auditorium with a credible lineup of singers (Sharon Azrieli Perez, Jeremy Galyon, Christina Major, Sara Murphy), plus chorus and orchestra drawn partly from Philadelphia. But the auditorium and boardwalk are still only patched together, for lack of Federal Emergency Management Agency funds.

Land in Ocean Grove, an enclave in Neptune Township near Asbury Park, is owned by the Camp Meeting Asssociation, which grants 99-year leases to individual occupants and businesses that are renewable for a nominal fee. Because the beach isn't owned by a municipality, FEMA funds aren't available.

Having been turned down by FEMA twice, delCampo will visit Washington in November to try again. "Regulations do evolve over time," he said.

The community is keenly aware of how lucky it is not to have suffered more damage. Destruction by a 1953 storm had prompted city fathers to embed jetty-like concrete walls within the beachfront, which offered some protection. The water surged over the beach and into Fletcher Lake, which overflowed and flooded basements.

Also, God had some help with the organ.

"We had additional sealing protection so that the water would run off that area if it actually came in," said Gordon Turk, longtime organist at Ocean Grove.

And summer attendance at the beach and at concerts in Ocean Grove held their own - not the case for much of the Jersey Shore.

"Audiences were very good," said Turk, who produces a chamber music series in addition to twice-weekly organ concerts. "I think the enthusiasm and awareness of the instrument has become even greater."

Extensive renovations of the organ in recent years brought it back from the dead. Beachside organs are hardly typical - but then, much of Ocean Grove itself feels like a place where time has stopped. Initially a Methodist summer camp and now nondenominational Christian, it still hosts seasonal residents in highly prized tents resembling what some describe as "a Victorian trailer park." Its beach is closed on Sunday morning, and the sale of alcohol is banned.

The Great Auditorium was constructed in 1894 in a mere 92 days by shipbuilders - one reason the curved ceiling is often described as Noah's Ark turned upside down - and has hosted concerts by such legendary figures as Enrico Caruso and John Philip Sousa (as well as Ray Charles and the Beach Boys). In recent years, the New Jersey State Opera has hosted Verdi Requiem performances that filled most of the 6,500 seats.

"Every time I bring opera insiders down there, they fall in love with the venue," said Jason Tramm, the association's director of musical ministry. "It's like going back in time 100 years. And to hear a live, unamplified voice here is very special."

So is the electrically lighted World War I-vintage American flag that hangs over the stage.

Into this, MidAtlantic Opera is fitting surprisingly well, despite arriving at an odd time. Both the New Jersey State Opera and Opera New Jersey have had a intermittent history in the area, the latter having gone on hiatus after a strong season in the summer of 2012 at Asbury Park's Paramount Theater. Opera companies come and go a lot in these parts.

"Mostly, they go," Tramm said.

Nonetheless, MidAtlantic has a strong board, he said, and its first fully staged opera is planned for 2014.

No doubt the company will also benefit from the greater sense of unity in the community. When delCampo put out a post-storm plea for volunteer help, he expected 150 and got 700, mostly college-age people.

Ocean Grove United, a gay and lesbian group, organized a community picnic in front of the auditorium - a turnaround from five years ago, when a lesbian couple won a lawsuit over having been denied use of a beachfront pavilion for their civil-union ceremony.

A locally driven "Together Fund" has raised $1.26 million toward its $1.5 million goal, which was established with the assumption that FEMA funds would come through. Now, whether they do or not, the hurricane has left an unexpected gift.

"We're all part of this unique journey and have come together in a much more effective way than ever before," delCampo said. "People broke down the barriers and worked together. This is a tremendous thing."