Volunteers pull off big show
BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - The two hardest working men in show business are not in Los Angeles or New York.

They are in Manalapan and they are the volunteers who worked with a handful of other volunteers to plan and execute without a hitch what will likely be remembered as one of the premier events the township has ever hosted.

Hank Grassi, Marty Gelfond and their fellow volunteers on the Heritage Committee did all the work and did not get paid a penny for putting together "Manalapan Under the Stars," a concert worthy of any major venue and professional promoters.

Only it was a local venue, the Manalapan Recreation Center on Route 522, which was the site of the annual Manalapan Day event on June 9 that was capped this year by a sparkling performance of Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone.

Noone is the original lead singer of Herman's Hermits, one of the "British Invasion" bands that helped define the 1960s while changing the music scene in America forever.

Judging by the reaction of the crowd of approximately 20,000 people of all ages who became "Nooneatics" for the night, Grassi, Gelfond and their fellow Heritage Committee members set the bar so high that they may have to stay up nights trying to come close next year, let alone topping what took place over the weekend.

According to Grassi, who is credited by just about everyone for being the heart of the machine that put this spectacular together, "This never could have gone off as smoothly as it did without the help of Alan Spector, the deputy director of Manalapan's Department of Public Works, as well as their workers."

In addition to Noone, Metropolitan Opera tenor Eduardo Villa, who resides in Manalapan, was on hand to offer a cappella renditions of patriotic songs that accompanied fireworks to cap the six-hour event.

The record-breaking crowd (Grassi said last year's attendance was estimated at about 10,000) spent the hours leading up to the Herman's Hermits concert by grazing their way through booth after booth of crafts, food, games, amusements and pony rides.

Now, having set the bar as high as they did with the performance by Noone and his band, Grassi was asked how the Heritage Committee will ever be able to meet their own high standard.

Quipped Grassi, "You can't!"

However, like any good showman knows, Grassi wanted to leave the crowd clamoring for more and he certainly achieved that by putting together "Manalapan Under the Stars."

Although you can be a victim of your own success and judging by what came together at the June 9 Manalapan Day event, Grassi, Gelfond and their fellow volunteers better not rest on those laurels too long and get started on next year's big event right now.