Happy New Year to all our readers! We are excited to begin this new decade with our continued promise to being the best community resource for LOCAL shopping, dining, activities, healthcare and more.
Our DIGITAL impressions are increasing while our PRINT magazines continue to inform and engage upwards of 300K readers. The growing participation in our “Spot The Fake” ad contest, both through our website and via email, attests to our magazines’ popularity!
PRINT and DIGITAL are two sides of the same media coin.
Throughout the last year, our print magazines continued to engage our readers and helped in content retention. Digitally, our magazines saw viewer responsiveness reach a new high, especially with our offering of LOCAL coupons by our advertisers and recipes sent in by readers like you!
If you are looking to take local trips in and around NJ look up our Family Adventures and Big Apple Bites columns for ideas. Plan ahead for summer camps and activities by viewing our Kid’z Connection Section as well as our other dedicated sections designed to make the magazines more focused and easier to read!
ON THE COVER: Our local cover artist this issue was very special to us. Ralph Garafola’s beautiful paintings have adorned many ‘Connection’ covers over the years. He passed away last spring and we wanted to honor his talent one more time. Ralph used to invite me to his home to view his collection, which showed like being in a gallery. He even gave me a few painting lessons, helping the beginner painter that I am. This oil on canvas cover piece is entitled “The Lobsterman”. Ralph loved to sail, be at the beach and spend time in Florida. I imagine he enjoyed observing the fishermen and people who spent their time by the water as well. We will miss Ralph and thank his wonderful wife Carolann for giving us permission to use this marvelous image on our cover. Please read his impressive bio and life remembrance on page 8.
The Connection Magazines provide our READERS with a number of helpful and fun ONLINE selections!
THE CONNECTIONS’ RECIPE BOOK: Impress your friends and family with your cooking prowess. Print out easy to use, tried and tested RECIPES!
Theconnectionsnj.com/category/recipes/
COUPONS ON THE GO!: Check out our DEALS & STEALS page. Have LOCAL coupons handy exactly when you need them.
THE CONNECTory: Visit our ON-LINE Business Directory for all your local needs.
SPOT THE FAKE CONTEST: Join our die-hard fans and “play” to win a prize from a local business.
SAVE THE DATE: Check out our ON-LINE Calendar with DAILY additions of upcoming events and LOCAL business promotions!
THE CONNECTIONS’ BLOG: Find articles on Health & Wellness, Senior Living, Cutting-Edge Medical Technology, Family, Law, and Travel and more including exclusive articles ONLINE ONLY.
We are pleased to feature Andy’s article about the ‘Bad Influences’ plaguing our kids today and some practical tips to help them stay away from them.
https://theconnectionsnj.com/the-symptoms-of-bad-influence-itis/
SPOT THE FAKE WINNER: Congratulations to Laura Merizio of Watchung, winner of the November 2019 Warren-Watchung contest!
STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR COMMUNITY THIS WINTER WITH THE CONNECTION MAGAZINES AND REMEMBER TO SHOP LOCAL!!
Sincerely,
Robin Fand, Publisher