by Erin McGinnis
Five-mile natives know: Christmas at Mudhen Brewing Co. is a holiday must-do. And just about five years ago, the celebrations were only heightened with the addition of the Wildwood Christmas Tree—created, designed, and assembled each year by lifelong local, Amy Russo Coleman.
When Mudhen owners and friends Brendan and Robin Sciarra—whom Amy has worked for over 16 years—asked her to take on the project, she dove right in. What began as a seven-foot tree is now a ten-foot labor of love, with new, handmade ornaments added each year.
With her prized possession in hand—a trusty 1977 phone book, which she refers to “more than Google”—Amy got to work to see that businesses of Wildwood past and present were represented in her ornaments. She strives to showcase everyone who’s made their mark on the island.
And that she does—creatively, attentively, and with a whole lot of Mod Podge. Amy pays attention to the way the ornaments lay and hang, how different shapes add dimension, and where certain treasures end up. Visitors can discover Wildwood boats, restaurants, beach balls, old motel room keys, and Amy’s favorite: vintage postcards from the 1940’s.
Look closely and you’ll find a special tribute to Amy’s life on the island: a small takeout menu hung by a red and white checkered ribbon. The menu belonged to Amy’s family’s business, the iconic, unforgettable Russo’s Italian Restaurant.
Originally opened by her Italian immigrant grandparents in 1922 and later passed down to her father and his sisters, Amy grew up in the restaurant. “It was the greatest experience of my life,” she said. “It was the focal point of our whole existence.”
Amy got her start as a salad girl. “If you really want to get technical, my first job was probably removing the little rubber bands around the parasols for the drinks,”she laughed. “I think that was just a job my father gave me to do to keep me busy and out of his way when he had to drag me to work.”
She worked alongside family and friends, under the leadership of her beloved father, Joe Russo. A funny, easily-likeable, generous man with a heart of gold, “My dad was the greatest man to walk the face of this earth, if you ask me,”Amy said.
Shortly before her father’s passing, the family decided to close Russo’s doors in 2008. Amy was unaware of the plans until it was too late. “If that didn’t kill me, nothing will,” she said. “It was devastating for me.”
Davis Avenue, the street her father grew up on, was honorarily named “Joe Russo Avenue” around 2020.
Today, Amy runs the one-woman business, Retro Rides, where she drives people around Wildwood in an unmissable station wagon filled with throwback tunes and old-school mementos. She likes to drive her passengers down her father’s street, saying, “‘you gotta say hi to Joe Russo!’
Although the restaurant is closed today, the Russo family legacy lives on in Amy. Her love for her father, her family, and Wildwood radiates through her tree at Mudhen Christmas, its carefully-crafted ornaments, and every detail down to the ribbon.