By Scott Cronick
Jon Henderson doesn’t do anything halfway.
Whether it’s driving his motorcycle to Alaska, growing a handlebar mustache or collecting pinball machines and reptiles, Henderson always pushes the limits.
The same applies to the way he handles business.
Whether creating one of the biggest beer festivals in the country, throwing a giant Halloween party in the woods, getting thousands of people to feast on clam chowder or bringing little people to throw each other around a wrestling ring, Henderson has set the standard in the Atlantic City area on how to run successful events.
When he started Good Time Tricycle about 20 years ago, it would be a cliché to say he never imagined what it would become. But knowing Henderson, that would also probably not be true. Henderson thinks big. He always has.
So, the fact that the Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival — which will turn 20 years old next year — his Downbeach Seafood Festival, Witch-Craft, Knee High Knuckle Buster Micro Wrestling, Atlantic City Tattoo Expo and other lifestyle-driven events that he has created have attracted more than 1 million people to the area was likely something he would very much imagine achieving.
His list of achievements is impressive, and you can add being named the 2025 “Business Honoree” by the Atlantic City NAACP at their 51st Annual Freedom Fund Gala to that list.
And that one really hit him in the heart.
“This carries a bunch of weight,” Henderson told the impressive audience at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City on April 26. “An award like this is very meaningful, and I am grateful.”
Henderson, who is never short on words, actually said he was speechless at the end of his relatively short address to the gala crowd.
And for those who know Henderson, that should demonstrate how touched he really was.
Kaleem Shabazz, the 3rd Ward Atlantic City Councilman and Branch President, said the honor was well deserved after longtime Henderson friend, colleague and Atlantic City School Board Member Geoff Dorsey nominated Henderson and eventually presented the award to him at the event.
“One of the elements that makes Atlantic City — or any city — a good community is business support,” Shabazz said. “In our minds, he was advocating for good business in Atlantic City. Many people know about his activities and events that he brings to Atlantic City and how they bring positive attention to Atlantic City and help Atlantic City grow, not just for tourists to come here but for locals to attend, as well. So, we thought he would make a great honoree, and we were proven right. We know he will continue working in Atlantic City and we salute him.”
Henderson, who also received the Spirit of Hospitality Award from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority a few years ago, certainly deserves the salute.
Moving to Atlantic City from the Scranton, Pa., area in 1996, Henderson found himself in the casino world working in player development for Resorts Casino Hotel — where he met his wife and business partner Carol — and Harrah’s Resort before eventually running events for Caesars Entertainment, which also included Caesars Atlantic City and Showboat at that time.
He was still at Harrah’s when he took a shot at the beer festival, which like most events started relatively small. Unlike most events, Henderson, his wife Carol, their children and the Good Time Tricycle team built it into the monster that it is today. Held every spring, usually at the Atlantic City Convention Center, the festival has drawn hundreds of thousands of people over the years to drink craft beer and — to inject life in it as it evolved — listen to major bands that have included Everclear, the Dropkick Murphys, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Used, Flogging Molly and Taking Back Sunday with the assistance of his best friend Jason Goldfarb and Near Dark Entertainment.
“I use the word ‘we’ a lot when I speak because this is not something I have done alone,” Henderson said. “There are hundreds — if not thousands — of people who have worked with us over the years to make this happen. I am accepting this honor for a large group of human beings who put the time and work in.”
With the Beer Fest as Good Time Tricycle’s anchor, Henderson’s events create an estimated $18 million in annual economic impact for the region and help keep Atlantic City a vibrant entertainment destination.
“At the end of the day, we throw parties,” Henderson said. “I found my niche was bringing people together, and I learned quickly that the opportunity to bring people together comes from experience, and if we can create experiences that lift people up and create celebration and create common ground through lifestyle experiences, we can introduce people to Atlantic City. We show them a good time. Being responsible for bringing over a million people to Atlantic City … I am very proud of that. Everyone finds one thing that clicks. For me, that was Atlantic City. I met my wife here. I started a career here. Atlantic City has given me more than I could possibly give it back, so every day we try a little harder.”
We can’t wait to see what’s next!
Henderson joined other great honorees at the NAACP Gala, including
Government: Stephanie Marshall, Atlantic City Councilwoman
Community Service: Tamara McNeil-Winbush, Little Acts of Kindness Co-Founder
Health: Jarrod Barnes, Atlantic City Director of Health and Human Services
Youth Impact: Tracey Triniwell, Chief Executive Officer of Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City
Lt. Gov. Sheila Y. Oliver Civil Rights and Social Justice: Cristian Moreno-Rodriguez, Executive Director of El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City
President’s Award: Michael Sampson, Hard Rock Atlantic City General Manager
President’s Award: Sen. Cory Booker
“We salute and thank our outstanding honorees for the work they do to make our community better,” Shabazz said.
Scott Cronick is an award-winning journalist who has written about entertainment, food, news and more in South Jersey for nearly three decades. He hosts a daily radio show – “Off The Press with Scott Cronick” – 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays on Newstalk WOND 1400-AM, 92.3-FM, and WONDRadio.com, and he also co-owns Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall in Atlantic City, while working on various projects, including charitable efforts, throughout the area. He can be reached at scronick@comcast.net.
