Tom Cat Opening Moved; 86 Bozo

Ran into “Hot Dog Dave” Bannon the other day and he tells me that his planned opening for the Tom Cat on Rio Grande Ave. has been moved from April 1st to April 14.

“I want to do it right,” quoth Dave, who says that the historical landmark eatery will be open for breakfast and lunch seven days during the season, as well late nights on Friday and Saturday.


On a different note, my blogmate Tony Deutsch tells me that the last great Bozo the Water Clown is no more with the reported passing of this weird-ass folk hero, who was truly a nasty piece of work,  sitting up there on his perch cackling at the insults he hurled like Zeus, each a thunderbolt of obnoxiousness.

I used to see him sitting at the pizza place across the way from his North Wildwood lair, in full clown make-up, wearing a ramshackle tee-shirt with Bozo the Great printed on the front. I loved it when he got dunked and held his lit cigarette above the water until he climbed back up and continued his barrage of rottenness.


I guess he’ll be missed by somebody. Seriously, if anybody knows who he was and what his story was, I’d like to know. My late nephew remembered being in jail with Bozo. “I could tell that voice anywhere,” he said.

And now that voice is stilled. R.I.P. Bozo.

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