The historic Asbury Park boardwalk once again played host to an all night extravaganza of bright lights and big names as the New Jersey Hall of Fame returned to the Jersey Shore. The red carpet induction ceremony, held on May 6 within the Grand Arcade, was a star-studded celebration of all things New Jersey as sixteen new inductees joined an ever-growing roster of Garden State greats. This current Class of 2017 included several well known inductees with strong ties to Essex County: Best-selling mystery writer Harlan Coben, disco queen Gloria Gaynor and Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons were all born in Newark and all were in attendance. Retired astronaut twins Mark and Scott Kelly were born in Orange then raised in nearby West Orange. The Kelly brothers were presented their awards by previous inductee and NASA moonwalking legend Buzz Aldrin.
The event continues to grow with each consecutive outing and this year’s show was a sold out affair rivaling a modest Hollywood movie premiere, with crowds forming by 4 pm. The afternoon gave way to a pre-show cocktail party which took place inside Convention Hall, allowing extra time for the general public to enjoy the sight of their favorite notables arriving by limo or luxury SUV. After being ushered out to the red carpet for brief introductions and media/paparazzi interactions, the small army of event sponsors, board members, politicians, presenters and inductees were taken inside the Paramount Theater so the actual ceremony could begin. Actress/comedian Whoopi Goldberg handled the hosting chores with ease, keeping the production moving at a brisk pace. Celebrity presenters included New York Yankees pitching ace Mariano Rivera, “Saturday Night Live” funnyman Joe Piscopo, Senator Bill Bradley, Felipe Rose of The Village People and former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean.
Music was a major component of this year’s show featuring stellar performances by singer Tommy James, Gloria Gaynor and Mark Ballas, as well as a tribute to inductee Debbie Harry of Blondie. Rumors were swirling all day that a certain significant Garden State native and unmistakable, musical force of nature might appear to induct rocker Steven Van Zandt. And all the rumors proved to be true. At some point after 10 pm, from out of the side stage shadows walked Bruce Springsteen, delivering a heartfelt yet humorous speech honoring his lifelong friend and E Street band guitarist. The long evening culminated with Bruce and Steven sharing lead vocals to the classic 1976 (Van Zandt produced) Southside Johnny hit called “I Don’t Want To Go Home” with the entire Class of 2017 joining them onstage for a few final choruses. The houselights came to life, bathing both the delighted audience and beaming inductees in white light, triggering the conclusion to yet another memorable New Jersey Hall of Fame ceremony.
The breakdown for the five categories of induction were as follows:
• Arts and Letters: Author Harlan Coben and author and journalist Anna Quindlen.
• Enterprise: Real estate executive Jon Hanson, publishing executive Steve Forbes, businessman Joe Buckelew, and celebrity chef Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro.
• Performing arts: Actress Meryl Streep, musician and actor Steven Van Zandt, the band The Four Seasons, including members Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Joe Long, singer Gloria Gaynor, and singer-songwriter Debbie Harry of the band Blondie.
• Public Service: Astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly, nurse Clara Maass and politician Millicent Fenwick.
• Sports: Major League Baseball player Al Leiter, runner Mary Decker and, Olympic soccer player Carli Lloyd.
“Induction into the New Jersey Hall of Fame is the highest civilian honor that our state can bestow on someone. It’s a celebration of New Jersey that inspires the next generation of New Jersey leaders. Our inductees remind us how so many of our citizens have transformed the world, and how proud we should be of that fact as New Jerseyans,” said Gov. Phil Murphy.
The official 2017 Public Vote Ballot contained 50 nominees — 10 in each of five categories: Arts & Letters, Enterprise, Performance Arts, Public Service and Sports. The public voting, along with input from the Hall of Fame’s board of trustees, determined this year’s class. Previous celebrity inductees (both living and posthumously) have included Frank Sinatra, Susan Sarandon, Bruce Willis, Queen Latifah, Bruce Springsteen, John Travolta, Jack Nicholson, Jon Stewart, Derek Jeter, James Gandolfini, Dionne Warwick, Jerry Lewis and Danny DeVito. The mission statement of the New Jersey Hall of Fame is to “celebrate our state, honor our legends and inspire our children by inducting those individuals who exemplify the best of New Jersey in their chosen fields of interest.”
David VanDeventer is a frequent entertainment content contributor to Worrall Media and can be reached at pics@thelocalsource.com.
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