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Community Corner

Barnegat Teen Invited to Danbury, Conn. to Perform "26 Kisses"

Teen received a standing ovation at Township Committee meeting.

An 18-year-old Barnegat youth received a standing ovation and brought some to tears at a Township Committee meeting held this week, during which she performed her song for the Newtown school shooting victims.

Michelle Lombardi wrote the song, “26 kisses” a few days after the shootings, she said, and she is scheduled to perform her song at three memorials in Connecticut, one of which is in Danbury, Conn. this Sunday.

"I am a liberal arts major at Ocean County College right now, and eventually I want to teach elementary school," Lombardi said in an interview with Patch. "I think that is why this has affected me so much."

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Lombardi posted her song on Facebook - and through the power of social media - the song has taken off, leading to her invitation to sing at the meeting and in Danbury.

As of yesterday morning, Lombardi said, her song had 2,000 hits on YouTube.

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Before her trip, Mayor Al Cirulli and others invited Lombardi - who graduated from Barnegat High School last year and lists her musical influences as her grandfather and Taylor Swift - to perform the song.

She performed in front of a tribute that was set up by the Committee last week, which included candles and the names of all the victims on posterboard.

To hear the song, visit this site

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