BlueClaws promo video boasts local kids singing styles

LAKEWOOD – It’s not quite “We Are The World.”

But then again, that song didn’t include some of the Jersey Shore's most vocal young singers and a tribute to their favorite minor league stadium, ShoreTown Ballpark.

Introducing “Shoretown is Your Town,” the newest Jersey Shore BlueClaws anthem, with an accompanying video that shows off dozens of Monmouth and Ocean county kids belting their hearts out for local baseball.

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“This song has actually been a few years in the making, but we are thrilled to have it released for the public to enjoy,” said Greg Giombarrese, BlueClaws vice president of communications. “Each student, teacher, and school that participated in the recording was truly phenomenal and we are so grateful for their support.”

Based on the Woody Guthrie Classic, “This Land is Your Land,” the 2:10 minute video released last month offers up youngsters from four area schools: Beachwood Elementary School in Beachwood; Midstreams Elementary School in Brick; Ramtown Elementary School in Howell; and Spruce Street Elementary School in Lakewood.

"Our 1st grade students are still talking about how much fun they had making an actual video,” said Spruce Street teacher John Farnsworth.

Robin DeMarsico, a Beachwood elementary teacher, echoed that view:“We had a fantastic time singing the BlueClaws' song and were honored to participate in the event.”

The tune, co-written by Giombarrese and Gianna Fiocco, BlueClaws director of promotions & entertainment, takes Guthrie’s classic lyrics of freedom and patriotism and applies them to shore life, declaring:

ShoreTown is Your Town, Your Town is ShoreTownFrom up in Long Branch, to Long Beach IslandFrom out in Freehold, to Ocean City…ShoreTown was made for you and me!

“We looked up the actual words and saw how they laid everything out and how the syllables and phrasing worked and turned it into our own,” Fiocco said.

The video has become a standard in the ballpark, played prior to all 66 home games, as well as online and in a commercial.

The idea first came about two years ago when the team changed its name from the Lakewood BlueClaws to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws.

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Giomborrese said as they discussed a new stadium name as well, Shoretown seemed appropriate. While deciding how to promote it, “Shoretown is Your Town, This Town is Shoretown” just sounded right.

“We were sitting upstairs kicking around a few things we could do with that,” he recalled. “It sounded like “This Land is Your Land,” so we wrote out the words and we wrote out the song.

“We didn’t do anything with it, but this year we dusted it off in February,” he added. “We thought the kids would be cute and it was better than we expected. We had our ticket sales people reach out to some of the schools who have come out to sing the national anthem.”

Then the recording process began and took several weeks as the schools had to organize the students and schedule time to gather, sing and record with the team’s crew.

“It was so much better than we even dreamed, the students and teachers were great, so prepared and spent time practicing,” Giombarrese said.

Fiocco said recording sessions were scheduled over a period of about six weeks and the students at each school did their own unique performances.

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“We recorded all of the schools singing the entire song and then our videographer took the pieces together based on what she felt were the best,” she said. “We are playing it in the park everyday pre-game. And we will try to work it in to commercials that run.”

Giombarrese said it’s even heard when calls to the stadium offices are put on hold: “It will live with the BlueClaws forever.”

Back in the schools, students are still buzzing, officials said.

“This was such a great experience for my students,” said Ramtown teacher Melissa Sweet. “They were so excited to be a part of the BlueClaws celebration and had a great time learning the song.”

Joe Strupp is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience who covers education and several local communities for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of four books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. Reach him at jstrupp@gannettnj.com and at 732-413-3840. Follow him on Twitter at @joestrupp

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shoretown Ballpark commercial has Shore student flavor