STONE HARBOR, N.J. — Residents of a seaside town in New Jersey fondly remember the moment they spotted a young Taylor Swift, a determined girl with sparkling blue eyes and curly blonde hair.

“I can still picture her standing right there,” recalls Madilynn Zurawski, who runs Coffee Talk, a cozy café that has been around for 30 years. Zurawski gestures towards a corner of her café where local performers used to entertain. Among them was Swift, who was just a pre-teen at the time. “We even have a photo of her on our stage. Would you like to take a look?”

Zurawski approaches a mantel and retrieves a framed picture featuring a youthful girl in a white shirt and black pants, singing into a microphone while playing her guitar. She then pulls out her phone to show a video of Swift performing “Lucky You,” a song that’s not included in any of her eleven albums.

“I really wish she could have stayed a bit longer,” Zurawski reminisces. “She spent two summers here, and our entertainment was alive every night! She would come and sing for us. She was just so charming.”

In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2009, Swift shared, “I was always dragging my parents into those venues, and all their friends would come by and fill up my tip jar.”

A dozen years of cherished memories

From the ages of 2 to 14, Swift and her family made the three-hour trip from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, to the Jersey Shore, where they enjoyed their summers in a beach house on Third Avenue. Although that home has since been demolished, a blue plaque affixed to a new house at the same site reads “Swift Waters.”

Before Swift ventured off to Nashville, she shared joyful summer days at the beach with her brother Austin and parents, savoring ocean activities from dawn till dusk. During those years, she wrote an 87-page book titled “Girl Named Girl” and an unreleased song called “Smokey Black Nights.”

Scott Swift, Taylor’s father, was actively involved with the local fire department as an EMT.

“From what I understand, he was part of the rescue squad back in the day,” notes Chief Roger Stanford, who has served for 34 years with the department. “In the past, we had a separate organization but still operated a rescue squad to run the ambulance service. Now, it’s all integrated with the fire department.”

Interestingly, the fire department is numbered 13, which is Swift’s lucky number.

Childhood snapshots displayed at local museum

Several childhood photos of Swift are now displayed on permanent loan at the Stone Harbor Museum, capturing moments of her as a young girl in a green-and-yellow bathing suit with her hand on her hip. There’s also a large cutout for fans to take pictures with.

“Everyone loves to snap photos here,” shares Teri Fischer, president of the museum’s board of trustees. “The little girls especially love to pose, and we take countless pictures for them!”

Since the exhibit opened on June 13, the downtown museum has experienced a sixfold increase in visitors.

“Previously, a busy day for us meant about 25 visitors, but now it’s around 150!” Fisher enthusiastically explains.

In addition to childhood images, the museum hosts various scavenger hunts that guide visitors through Swift’s connections to the town. Fans can view music videos and learn about Swift’s karaoke performances at Henny’s, a restaurant that has since closed.

“Honestly, this is a tremendous gift she’s provided to our museum,” Fisher adds. The exhibit will remain open until the end of September. While entrance is free, the museum is seeking donations to assist in settling a $437,600 mortgage debt.

Follow Bryan West, the Taylor Swift reporter for the YSL News Network, on Instagram, TikTok, and X at @BryanWestTV.