And, incredible as it seems, I didn't know that Asbury Park even existed before I moved across the Delaware River in 1984. (We Philadelphia kids thought the Jersey shore started at Wildwood Crest and ended somewhere around Ocean City.)

And, yes, I didn't attend my first Bruce Springsteen concert until 1996, when I was horrified to hear audience members heckling him during the show. ("No, no - They're yelling 'Bruuuuuuuuuuce', not 'boooooo'," groaned the woman next to me, rolling her eyes.)

Okay, okay, so how was I supposed to know?

Even the good-natured Save Tillie members who staged a Palace Amusements fund-raiser at our gallery agreed that I was totally hopeless when it came to Bruce appreciation.

But that's where they're wrong.

Because if there's anyone who has given tirelessly from the heart to help Asbury Park, it's Bruce Springsteen.

The past three years alone brought those magically memorable holiday concerts of 2000 and 2001 and his summer-heat-defying rehearsal shows of 2002 - all held in Convention Hall and all benefiting local charities ranging from Interfaith Neighbors and the STARS Community Development Corporation, to the Boys & Girls Club and Hope Academy Charter School, to the Stephen Crane House and the Greater Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce.

Springsteen has even chipped in for a new roof and equipment for the Asbury Park Fire Department, new cars for the Asbury Park Police Department, money for children's recreation, and some unglamorous - but very much needed - hardware and software for our city Code Enforcement Department.

And Springsteen's less tangible contributions to our reviving business community have been substantial.

Last summer, he brought us international attention - and an unprecedented flow of worldwide visitors - when he convinced the NBC Today Show to shoot their July 30 show on the Asbury Park boardwalk and filmed a riding tour of city businesses with Today Show host Matt Lauer.

And, at every New Jersey concert - whether it be last year's Convention Hall shows or this summer's Giants Stadium extravaganzas - he has tirelessly urged fans to stop and shop in Asbury Park.

Is it paying off? You betcha'. A Springsteen-initiated contest designed to lure shoppers into Asbury Park during the 2001 holiday season resulted in record-breaking sales, and a similar contest begun last week is already ringing local cash registers.

During the past week alone, I counted contest entries from 22 states, including New Hampshire, Kentucky, Illinois, Minnesota, Arizona, Florida and Hawaii, and that doesn't count participants from Canada, Germany, Norway and Sweden.

And every one of those entrants - including a legion of Springsteen fans from around New Jersey - actually visited Asbury Park and spent money in one of our 55 participating shops and restaurants.

As a former gallery owner who benefited from the continuing influx of Springsteen followers during his earlier concert tours, my bet is that many fans will not only return to Asbury Park shops in person or over the Internet, but that they'll tell their friends about us, as well.

And that gift of faith and goodwill on Springsteen's part is something that no accumulation of advertising dollars could ever equal.

Interested in supporting city businesses by entering the Bruce Springsteen Summer Concert Giveaway? There will be two drawings every weekend in August.

Each Saturday through August 23, a pair of Springsteen concert tickets will be awarded to one lucky boardwalk patron, and an autographed Springsteen tour book will go to one customer of a downtown or other participating city store.

In addition, during the grand-prize drawing on August 30, two lucky winners will each receive two August 31 concert tickets, two passes to the backstage E Street Lounge (where E Street Band members and their friends relax), and the unparalleled opportunity to meet Springsteen himself before the show.

Check out asburypark.net for a complete list of rules and participating shops, and hopefully you'll find yourself joining our first two winners, who supported our town from New York and Massachusetts.

Which brings me to a confession: A few weeks ago, I answered the phone to a cheery greeting from Bob, a good friend and long-time Bruce devotee who has actually won an international Bruce Springsteen trivia contest.

"How's it going?" he asked, as I hastily kicked the bedroom door shut to muffle the teeth-rattling strains of Springsteen music blasting through my living room.

"Oh, doing fine, doing great - just playing a little music," I told him.

"Let me guess: Arlo Guthrie," he sighed. "When are you going to wise up and start playing Bruce?"

"Well, you know how it is," I countered. "I've got a reputation to uphold here..."

I won't tell him if you won't.