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In response to the city’s loss of Sandblast weekend, a group of LGBT residents have planned a set of weekend events that pay homage to Road Trip Weekend, the original event Sandblast grew from that started over 10 years ago.

Destination: Asbury Park, set to take place June 20-22, hearkens back to the efforts the LGBT population made to attract potential home buyers from Philadelphia and New York to come to Asbury Park to see all the city by the sea has to offer, event co-organizer Mikell Towery said.

The goal is to get people to see Asbury Park as not just a summer tourist spot, but a year-round destination that boasts unique stores and an array of world-class restaurant that just happens to be located on the Jersey shore, she said.

“When we found out Sandblast was not going to return, everybody was up in arms about it,” Towery said. “This is the beginning of the rebirth. Asbury Park is an incubator for new ideas — just because something outgrew us doesn’t mean we can’t start something new.”

A lot of the city’s LGBT residents liked Road Trip more than what it became and wanted to get back to the grassroots of it, she said.

Road Trip was about recruiting people to buy houses, and most, if not all of the parties, were hosted at the houses of Road Trip organizers and other city residents since there was little more than one restaurant and one bar, she said. Now that there is a vibrant downtown business district, a beach that takes in over $1 million in revenue from summer visitors and a burgeoning Main Street business district, event organizers knew it was time for a new evolution of Road Trip. One that still sought to bring would-be homeowners and entrepreneurs, but showcased all Asbury Park has to offer in the shoulder and off-seasons.

“We’ve come a long way,” she said.

The kickoff event is a Friday night meet and greet at the Beach Bar, held in conjunction with their series of summer clambakes and bonfires. Watermark owner Russel Lewis will provide the evening’s soundtrack. In exchange for a $5 cover charge, attendees will be given Destination: Asbury Park passports. The passports contain discounts from over 40 city businesses. Each of the participating stores will have a Destination: Asbury Park stamp that will act as a Visa would on a regular passport. Those that use the discounts and collect over 10 stamps will be entered into a drawing for one of three prizes.

The grand prize is a one-week stay at Mikell’s Hideaway, a set of designer studios and up to 3-bedroom apartments units Towery is the proprietor of, two free dinners to city restaurants, two free lunches and a $50 bar tab certificate at The Cameo, one of the city’s four gay-themed bars.

Other planned events include a party at the Hotel Tides’ pool and a bar crawl on Saturday, a Sunday beach day, a tea dance at Paradise and a wrap party at the Cameo.

Event organizers hope to host three Destination events a year, one during summer solstice weekend, another in September and the third during the holiday season, Towery said.

“People need to see we are not chain store driven, you can find unique gift items around the holidays,” she said, “and September is one of the best months in the city.”

Even if those who attend aren’t interested in moving here, another goal is to get them to see Asbury Park as a great place for a week-long or month-long summer rental spot, not just a good place to spend a weekend, she said.

“Asbury Park is an amazing little town,” Towery said.

To see all of the Destination: Asbury Park events, visit the event Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/destinationAP or visit the destinationap.org website.

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