NEW JERSEY PEOPLE
Photos from a weekly photo column, Picture This, that ran every Monday in The Record for four years, featuring a photo and short story written by Thomas E. Franklin. Each week, Picture This highlighted a unique profile of a quirky character or aspect of life in North Jersey, for which the Garden State is so well-known. This gallery offers a sampling of photos of those characters.
92-YEAR-OLD PILOT: Wild Bill Vorhis believes he is the oldest active pilot in New Jersey. In 1992 he was inducted into the NJ Aviation Hall of Fame in Teterboro.
SINGING TELEGRAM: Laurie Ross sings a singing telegram to Michelle Priolo on Valentines Day morning, an old fashioned surprise arranged by her boyfriend.
THE HEADS: Dave Haskins carves heads out of old propane tanks at Haskins Propane in Ridgwood, NJ.
PINK LADY: Irene Barnas is obsessed with the color pink, everything in her house is pink, including her circa 1950s kitchen, reflecting her passion for the hue.
GOLDMAN'S GARDEN: James Goldman stands in his densely gardened front yard in the Hillcrest section of Paterson, where he grows a dizzying array of flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nuts -organically and naturally.
FOOT BEAUTY: Alexandra Barzvi, reading mag with Britney Spears on cover, gets her feet manicured by Tina Jing at the Nail Emporium in Edgewater. Barzvi is a finalist in a foot beauty contest.
THE MADONNA IN THE WOOD: Enelisa Izrarry maintains a shrine to the Virgin Mary, believing her likeness can be seen in a tree stump next to the highway, that locals have enshrined with flowers and candles, turning it into a tourist attraction.
THE BRUSH TRUCK: A Port Authority maintenance worker drives the Brush Truck, a specialized sanitation vehicle that cleans the grimy, pollution-stained walls of the Lincoln Tunnel between New Jersey and New York City.
SPRAY TANS: Shawn Daiany, 25, turns orange in the spray tanning booth at Hollywood Tans in Carlstadt.
WEB CATCHER: Artist Rocky Fiore "catches" a spider web on a sheet of tacky glass which he coats with clear varnish thick enough to pick up the web. He will then apply black paint as a backing and frame it to complete his artwork.
THE WOW BUS: Ted Sutter poses next to his famous Wow Bus, adorned with tens of thousands of tiny found objects attached. His bus can be seen all across Bergen County, and he uses the bus as his work vehicle. He runs a parking lot painting company.
APACHE JOE: Joe Savignano is is one of the last true automobile junkmen in Bergen County, known to many as Apache Joe.
SIDEWALK POET: Molly Fitzpatrick, 18, writes poetry, using chalk on her driveway in Riveredge, as a way of appreciating poetry and sharing with others.
THE PLAID MAN: Tim McNally reclines on the front hood of his car, which is painted in a similar plaid pattern to the clothes he typically wears.
OFFICER VOO-DOO: Belleville police officer Paul Long is known in law enforcement circles as Officer Voo-doo. Long is one of the foremost experts on the occult and Santeria
Russian Orthodox Church
TIRTLE LOVER: Rich Saporito of Oakland is a passionate turtle enthusiast. He and his dog Chippawa often boat on the Ramapo River just to observe the abundant Red Belly turtles. In New Jersey, Northern Red-bellied Cooters are commonly found in many of the rivers and ponds with soft bottoms.
BOOK GURU: Tom Downs the owner of Shaws Book Shop in Westwood is known as the book guru by many of his customers for his knack for recommending best books.
SIGN ON THE HIGHWAY: Pastor Howie Van Dyk of the Hawthorne Gospel Church holds up letters for this week's inspirational message board at the church on the Route 208 Highway. Thousands of cars drive past the sign each day.
THE GOTHS: Damian Vargas and his wife Veronica, are self-proclaimed Goths and live a Goth lifestyle which includes wearing dark make up and clothing.
THE WITCHES NEXT DOOR: Syren and Pearl Essence are local witches from Lodi, they conduct pagan rituals in the backyard, led by a Wiccan priest.
GHOST HUNTERS: NJ Ghost hunters search for ghosts and shoot digital photos in the Hackensack Cemetery at night.
THE JERSEY BAT MAN: Jerry Polizzotti of Hasbrouck Heights has an extensive Batman and other toys collection in his attic. He has over 10,000 pieces on display.
HOUSE BOATS: Mark Sawruk has been living on the Hackensack River in Little Ferry for over 25 years, where there is a little-known riverboat community, that once includes dozens of boats. Now, there are only a handful remaining.
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GOLDEN CAMPER: Al Wolenofsky camps out alone in an old quarry on Garrett Mountain in Paterson. The urban camper says he camps outdoors at least once a month, despite Paterson being the third largest city in NJ.
VIDEOKE NIGHT: Videoke, much like karaoke, is an activity where people perform scenes from their favorite films while standing in front of a film projector in front of an audience at a bar or night.
GAELIC BAGPIPER: Bagpiper Brian Hahn plays the bagpipes at sunset at the Ballyowen Golf Course in Hamburg, a tradition that harkens back to golf's origins in Scotland.
B-BOYING: Chiko Lai, 20, is a professional "breaker", and practices "B-Boying or Break Dancing, with other breakers at Bally's Gym.
MISS TRI-COUNTY: Georgine DiMaria is Miss Tri-County and she is trying to become Miss NJ in next month's contest. She is a 20-year-old FDU college student.