Maintenance Men in Summer, Fishermen Year-Round
Morey’s workers indulge in hobby, form friendships

Morey’s Employees ~ Don Burkholder & Bubba Cooper (L), Pat Smith (R)

During the summer, they blend into the colorful flashing lights and buzzing crowds on Morey’s Piers. Identifiable by only the nametags on their uniforms, the maintenance men of Morey’s dutifully make their rounds. Beginning early each morning, they complete a thorough inspection of each ride system, vehicle, and structure: testing critical components for wear, checking for correct torque on bolts and other fasteners and ensuring restraint systems operate properly. They keep long hours during the busy summer months, sacrificing down-time to protect the safety of thousands of boardwalk admirers.

But, as the sweltering days of August turn to the cool autumn shades of September and October, and the tourists begin to retreat from their summer homes, something changes. The workload begins to wind-down as the unofficial celebration of the end of summer commences. All eyes are on the ocean as fishing poles begin showing up at work. Conversations switch from torque to tackle. The maintenance men of Morey’s begin migrating to the water- and the fishing commences.

“When the water temperature gets right and the fish start running, we start showing up,” Pat Smith, Director of Attractions Maintenance, said.

They have their routine down to a science. One will take a personal vacation day off to go surf fishing from the deserted Jersey shore. If the biting is good, he’ll spread the word, and one by one up to 10 guys will grab their poles, clock out, and retreat for a few hours to indulge in their favorite hobby.

Smith, who has been working at Morey’s for 26 years, describes it as one of the “unofficial perks” of working on the beach.“For me, there’s nothing like fighting a big fish in the surf,” he said. “Some people go golfing, I go fishing.”

Joe Matteucci, the Facilities Maintenance Manager, has been working at Morey’s for 33 years, but he’s been fishing with the guys for what seems like “forever”. The group of regulars includes Pat and Joe, as well as Don Burkholder, Bubba Cooper, John Riley, and Marc Szczur.

Over the years, some characters have formed. There’s Russ Burkholder, the “newcomer” who picked up the sport only last year. And Matteucci, who Smith describes as the “opportunistic fisherman.”

“He won’t put in the time, but when we call and say they’re biting he’ll come out,” he said with a smile. “We’ll be out there 4 to 5 hours, then Joe will come out and within 10 minutes he has a fish.”

Even Vice President, Jack Morey tried taking it up one year, although the commitment didn’t last long.

“He bought all kinds of equipment, but I don’t think he ever caught anything big enough to get excited about,” Smith said with a good-natured glimmer in his eye.

To be sure, when the weather drops into the low 30’s in December, it takes stamina and dedication to continue the sport. According to Smith, it gets “a little cold... but it’s definitely worth it.”

Riley, who works in facilities maintenance, has been fishing “as long as he can remember”... since he was about 5 years old. For him, the payoff is worth any sacrifice.

“I just love to fish,” he said. “It’s in my blood.”