May 22, 2009

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
May 22, 2009
Contact: Aggie Roberts
732-854-2779
info@njmusicman.com

For Photo and Media Kit
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The Music Man Celebrates Its Seventh Year
Will Have Served 250,000 Customers at the Jersey Shore!

LAVALLETTE, NJ – Rockford, Illinois. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Durham, North Carolina. All are U.S. cities with a population of about 250,000.

Imagine serving every single person in one of those cities an ice cream sundae and a smile. As The Music Man Ice Cream Shoppe marks its seventh season this summer, it will have done something similar by serving a quarter million people.

“We’re thrilled to mark seven years of providing family-friendly entertainment at the Jersey Shore,” says Aggie Roberts, General Manager and Master of Ceremonies (MC), along with his wife Josephine Sessa-Agliata. “Year after year, families keep coming back because they enjoy how The Music Man offers wholesome entertainment mixed with delightful ice cream combinations – the perfect recipe for summer fun. And now we’ve found our returning families love it so much, they’ve told their friends, ‘If you haven’t been to The Music Man, you haven’t completed your trip to the Jersey Shore.’”

The Music Man’s “entertainment experience” has been recognized by regional and national publications. The Shoppe also has received numerous awards as one of the best places to listen to live music and for kids’ birthday parties.

The summer fun always kicks-off on the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend and customers can’t wait, Roberts says. “Our entertainment cornerstone of 45-minute nightly Vaudeville-style cabarets, which run every evening from 6 p.m. to midnight, consist of classic Broadway hits from the American songbook sung as solos, duets and group acts. FRED, our official character of The Music Man, and the performances of the Fairy Tale Series, continue to entertain. A good time can be had by the whole family.”

The spring cabaret schedule runs from Friday, May 22 to Sunday, June 14. Shows are held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, starting at 6 p.m. The Music Man is also offering a special Father’s Day performance on Sunday, June 21 at 1 p.m.

The summer cabaret schedule runs from June 19 to September 6, with a show every night from 6 p.m. to midnight (customers in by 11 p.m. are guaranteed a show). The Music Man’s “Ice Cream Musical,” which showcases songs from Hairspray and High School Musical, was such a huge success the previous season that it returns again this year at 5 p.m. on Fridays.

Also on the lineup is “Finding the Next Hannah Banana,” featuring songs from Hannah Montana and High School Musical. Hannah Banana begins on July 2 and runs every Thursday at 5 p.m. Reservations are encouraged for both Ice Cream Musical and Hannah Banana.

Children’s Fairy Tale series is also back, running every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 4 p.m. Mondays feature Princess and Pirate parties, Tuesdays include Puppet Theatre, starring “The Little Mermaid” together in a sing-a-long with FRED, and Wednesdays showcase Children’s Story Time, including classics such as The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella. And for two Saturdays only – July 25 and August 8 – a special Princess/Pirate/Superhero dress-up will take place at 4 p.m.

The Music Man Puppet Theatre on Tuesday transforms The Little Mermaid, into an imaginative, multimedia presentation that is a work of art,” Sessa-Agliata says. “Everyone goes on a magical journey when the story comes alive with puppets, music and narration. A multimedia backdrop in conjunction with traditional puppets makes this musical event into a day to remember.”

The fall cabaret schedule runs from September 11 to September 19, with shows starting at 7 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. A special Labor Day performance will take place on September 7, with shows beginning at 7 p.m.

The Music Man has also continued its added option for customers to make reservations for the 6 p.m. show. To make a reservation, customers can call the box office at 732-854-2779. Once the 6 p.m. show is filled, reservations begin for the next show. No reservations are needed for subsequent shows, which run continuously throughout the night. Since the shows are so dynamic, the only guaranteed start time is 6 p.m. In addition to the shows every evening, the take-out window is open daily from noon to midnight.

This season’s cast is gearing up for a great summer of bringing smiles to families from all over. “Our new cast comes from as far as California,” says Roberts. Kaitlyn Williams from Point Pleasant transplanted to Manhattan and returns as company manager. Kaitlyn reassures us, “… that more familiar faces will be making some guest appearances this summer.”

Also making a comeback is The Music Man’s homemade fudge and fudge fondue, also available in sugar-free. “Our fudge caused such a stir that summer patrons had The Music Man send hundreds of pounds of fudge to their clients across the U.S. for the 2008 holiday season. All customers need to do is provide the name and address of those they wish to send holiday cheer to and the Music Man does the rest.”

Once again, The Music Man is also offering customers the chance to help join the fight against breast cancer. The Shoppe will host its “Lavallette 6th Annual Breast Cancer Walk,” on Sunday, August 2, at 8:30 a.m. The walk honors all those women who struggle with breast cancer, including survivor Antoinette Agliata, who is Robert’s mother. The walk is co-sponsored by The Music Man’s Tone Foundation and The Lavallette Municipal Alliance. So far, the annual Walk has raised more than $100,000 towards a finding a cure.

Roberts adds, “The summer fun experience continues also for those who want to capture the memories. The Music Man will roll out its 2009 season of t-shirts, hats, postcards, bags, beach blankets and more.”

The Music Man, located at 2305 Grand Central Avenue, in Lavallette, accepts cash only. Morning Café hours continue from 7 a.m. to noon. During the summer cabaret schedule, customers that arrive by 11 p.m. are guaranteed to see a show. Tickets for Children’s Fairy Tale Series are only $7.50 each (plus tax), and can be purchased at The Music Man Fudge Factory or online at www.njmusicman.com. The ticket price includes ice cream.

The Music Man email club, which has annually hosts Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day events, now has more than 1,000 members. Join the email club by visiting www.njmusicman.com

For more information, call (732) 85-HAPPY, email icecream@njmusicman.com, visit www.njmusicman.com or stop by 2305 Grand Central Ave (Route 35N) in Lavallette, NJ.

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