Mermaid Mayhem Photo Gallery Plus "Health, Love & Soul"

Last weekend, Coney Island played host to the Mermaid Parade, an annual nautical-inspired Mardi Gras of sorts, famous for outrageous costumes and anything-goes attitudes. 

But why are we talking about Coney Island in a column about Montclair?  Because Montclair photographer Andy Cohen went to the parade and, lucky for us, shared a few of his killer photos.

To capture images of the beautifully crazy scene, Cohen braved an onslaught of attendees, participants and other photographers, which he describes as “lending an air of a contact sport to photojournalism.”  Cohen managed to navigate the mayhem adding, “as long as you’re agile and thick skinned, the feeding frenzy just lends to the whole experience.”

For all the garish glory of pole-dancing pirates and starfish pasties (yes, there are photos of them, too) Cohen poetically details how the Mermaid Parade encompasses more than just arresting images.

“It’s not just the visuals that move you to sensory overload,” he says. “There’s the voices of a multilingual crowd, different sources of music and the revving of custom car engines. There’s the aromas of humid saltwater air, body paint, makeup and the sweat of thousands of people, a few horses, cigarettes, and car exhausts, all counterbalanced by a smorgasbord of food smells, especially -- of one of my other reasons for living -- Nathan’s hot dogs!”

Check out the parade slideshow in this column (and who knows, get some inspiration for our 4^th of July Parade).  If you want to see some of the Mermaid Parade’s racier photos (and who wouldn’t?) go to Cohen’s Facebook page.

In case you're wondering, Cohen is a Montclair-based freelance photographer  who has just published a book of Montclair flower photography.  See recent  .  He also teaches photography classes at the Van Vleck House and rents space at Sharron Miller's studio, where he photographs dancers. 

If you fancy having a shape like some of those gorgeous mermaids and mermen, perhaps you need to start dining at Health Love and Soul . . . read on . . .

Montclair restaurant Health Love and Soul (HLS)  has been steadily growing with a loyal clientele clamoring for its fit cuisine (check out the line on any given lunch hour.)  Now, the relatively new eatery is showcasing the “Health” aspect of their restaurant this Sunday in a special diabetes workshop.

Not content to just serve tasty, good-for-you food, the folks at HLS want you to know why they are committed to healthy eating, and the workshop intends to illustrate just that. “HLS is a restaurant that is dedicated to offering a healthy alternative,” explains Zaakhir Abdus Saalam, a marketing consultant for HLS. 

“Just about all of the HLS menu is diabetic-friendly.  Both [owners] Arinze and Emeka want HLS to be a restaurant that fully supports efforts to confront this disease.” 

And apparently their efforts are needed, as the American Diabetes Associationpoints out: “While death rates due to cancer, heart disease, and stroke have all declined in the last 20 years, diabetes rates continue to climb.” 

The workshop is entitled "What You Need To Know About Diabetes” and will feature guest speaker, Pam Cooper, Director of Community Initiatives at the Bridgewater ADA branch. The free event will include tips on prevention, recognizing symptoms, and avoiding potential complications.

In addition to the workshop, HLS is selling wristbands to raise money for diabetes awareness, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the ADA.  They will also continue their ADA fundraising efforts by participating in the Montclair 5K run this September.

So switch up your brunch routine and stop by HLS this Sunday at 3:30 for a smart and delicious way to spend your afternoon.