Community Corner

Smithville Barber Shoppe Creates a Buzz at National Night Out

The $5 for each cut goes to benefit the Galloway Township Police Department.

Amber Fitzgerald and Lien Tran stood next to the Gazebo at Tuesday night’s eighth annual National Night Out celebration in Galloway Township, giving out buzz cuts and collecting $5 for each one.

However, the money was not going to the Smithville Barber Shoppe, despite what the 1954 Dodge pickup truck parked nearby might lead one to believe. That money was all going back to the Galloway Township Police Department.

The shop, owned by Amber's husband, 30-year-old Steve Fitzgerald of Absecon, has occupied its current spot in Smithville for four years and has participated in National Night Out all four years.

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Each year, the money Fitzgerald would’ve made at the event is donated to the Galloway Township Police Department. Even the tips his barbers could’ve made go to the department, although that isn’t Fitzgerald’s mandate.

“The barbers can keep their tips, but they never had,” said Fitzgerald, who missed Tuesday night’s event due to a recent surgery.

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His barbers enjoy doing the extra work for a good cause, as does Fitzgerald.

“They approached me about doing something, and it was my idea to do the buzzcuts and give back,” said Fitzgerald, whose parents, Ed and Wendy Fitzgerald, own half of Historic Smithville and the Village Greene, and whose sister Tracy runs the Colonial Inn in Smithville.

“I wanted to be able to create some extra flow for the police. They do more than anyone can imagine, and if I can help, I want to. The Galloway police and the state troopers are my customers. They’re good people, they’re hard working and if there’s anything I can do, I will.”

Because haircuts can be done quickly, Fitzgerald said his barbers can generally get between 20 and 30 done in a single night. At this year's National Night Out, Fitzgerald's two-woman team was able to bring in $107.

“I was able to make $150 one night,” Fitzgerald said. “If people ask for something a little extra, we can do it, but we’re not going to do anything outrageous.”

As a father of a seven-year-old girl and a three-year-old son, Fitzgerald enjoys the concept of National Night Out as a night in which friends and neighbors can get together without drinking and, of course, without doing drugs. He enjoys taking the time to see the many demonstrations, including watching members of the swat team jump from a helicopter, and watching another helicopter drop off bottles of water for the enormous crowd that gathers on the municipal complex grounds.

“There’s anywhere between 5,000 and 6,000 people who show up in three hours,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s all your neighbors. It’s a nice night of clean, family fun, and it’s nice to be able to take the kids.”

In Fitzgerald’s absence on Tuesday, his mother brought his children to the event, while his wife of seven years was one of the three girls working the tent Tuesday night.

“It’s nice to see what the police are capable of,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s nice to be able to see the exact people protecting you and the exact equipment that they use.”


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