Atlantic City Weekly

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AS THE SUN SET OVER ATLANTIC City’s Marina district this past Monday — the tail end of another Labor Day holiday weekend — the lights on Harrah’s Waterfront Tower came blinking to life and the last Luau feast at The Pool was held for the summer. It was a busy weekend in the Atlantic City region.

Then the beaches emptied. Stretches of headlights lit the Parkway heading north. A chilly breeze cut through the evening like a knife; the sky threatened rain. Curled leaves blew around on the sidewalks.

Summer at the Jersey shore — over? Think again. As Ray Schweibert writes for this week’s cover story, this is one of the most beautiful times of year in our region and there’s a lot going on during the last couple weeks of summer and into autumn.

From festivals to live music to tag-free beaches and breathtaking nature, the Atlantic City region certainly pops post Labor Day.

But it didn’t used to be like that as columnist Pinky Kravitz adds to Schweibert’s cover story in his column this week.

Also inside: Over at the Borgata, the casino hotel and spa’s latest dining venture, Fornelletto, gets a visit from our food writer Frank Gabriel who describes the restaurant’s “definitive New York City influence, both in menu and personality,” and calls the atmosphere “livelier” than Specchio, which formerly existed in the spot that Fornelletto now occupies.

Anybody a fan of the human body? If so, Trump Marina is hosting the Atlantic City IFBB Pro Bodybuilding Competition on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 11 & 12). Mike Pritchard gives the lowdown.

Here are a few things to look out for this weekend — aside from less traffic in the area: The Good Old Days Festival, featuring “the music that made Somers Point Famous” (and a stellar slate of local musicians), takes place on Saturday (Sept. 12). Also, the Atlantic City In-Water Powerboat Show takes place Sept. 10-13. Meanwhile, thousands of bikers will be heading down to Wildwood for the United Way fundraiser Roar to the Shore. You can read more about these events in “Coasting.”

If you’re a movie buff, you’ll enjoy Lori Hoffman’s late 2009 movie preview, which profiles 10 highly anticipated flicks set for release later this year. Hoffman is currently up in Toronto to cover the Canadian city’s International Film Festival for another year. Check out acweekly.com for updates from Hoffman from Toronto, eh?

Finally, a few concerts to keep on your radar: Blues guitar great Jimmy Thackery and his band The Drivers will play the finale of the Somers Point Beach Concert series (Sept. 11), funnyman Craig Robinson (The Office, Pineapple Express) does his stand-up at the Trump Plaza (Sept. 26), Bruce Hornsby checks into the Taj Mahal (Oct. 10), jazz pianist Kenny Barron performs at Stockton (Oct. 26) and Roger Daltrey comes to town at the Borgata for two shows (Nov. 13-14). Rock on.