Sometimes it's nice to get out from behind a microphone (or computer) and see a bit of New Jersey.

New Jersey 101.5 staffers had a great time at events throughout New Jersey this year — as observers and participants a like. Our own Bill Doyle — afternoon hosts alongside Jeff Deminski — frequently had his camera out, capturing the fun, like he did at the Quick Chek NJ Festival of Ballooning.

Erin Vogt got a bit of behind-the-scenes look at that one, too:

Bill made it out to a lot of New Jersey's other best events of the year, too — like the Asbury Park Zombie Walk and the Promenade of Mermaids. We twisted his arm and got him to agree to attend the Exxxotica porn and sex expo (just be careful flipping through those pics at work)

 

There was no missing Big Joe Henry at some of this year's biggest events, including the balloon festival, and most certainly at the Seaside Heights Polar Bear Plunge, where Joe and the crew helped raise more than $1.7 million for Special Olympics of New Jersey.

And perhaps the biggest event for central New Jersey this year — President Barack Obama, in a near-last-minute-surprise, was booked as the commencement speaker for the tens of thousands of graduates of Rutgers University:

We were there for all of that, and a whole lot more. See some of our favorite images in the gallery above.

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