Summertime means vacations and suntans. But it also means rip currents and a constant need to be alert on the beach. New Jersey beach goers know what a rip current is. Most of us have experienced one at one time or another.  Having  the right information when you enter the water can save your life. Anyone who intends on swimming in the ocean this summer needs to know the facts about rip currents. To put it plainly, a rip current is the strong water flow that can surge out past the sand bars. Rip currents flow in between the break of a sand bar as a wave is being pulled back to sea. Rip …

Summer is here. If that's not reason enough to make the trip down the shore, perhaps the following events will convince you to mount your boogie board again this weekend. Insectcropolis, "The Bugseum of New Jersey" is holding Bugfest 2011 Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Toms River. You'll definitely want to wash off in the surf after taking in a cockroach race. But it's not all sport. For the kids, there is face painting and scavenger hunting, with prizes too. If Bugfest doesn't whet your appetite, perhaps the 25th annual Belmar Seafood Festival will. Sample some of the state's finest …