By Maddy Vitale
Jim and Jamie Terruso, of Atco, had a lot planned for their daughters Sofia, Olivia and Isabella when they hopped in their car Saturday morning and headed to Sea Isle City to begin their Labor Day weekend.
“We are visiting my parents,” Jim Terruso said, as Sofia, 6, and Olivia, 3, splashed in ocean water that came up and pooled around the 44th Street beach. “I grew up in Sea Isle. We love bringing the kids here.”
The family is staying through Labor Day and Day One was packed with things to do.
“The girls wanted to come right down to the beach,” he said. “Later on, we are going to the arcade. We have dinner reservations after that and then we are going to see one of the concerts at the park.”
Sofia and Olivia said they were happy just playing in the water.
Despite gloomy skies, cooler temperatures and the threat of rain Saturday, sunbathers enjoyed the last glimpses of summer and, like the Terrusos, they had an itinerary of things to fill their three-day weekend.
Some beachgoers ventured into the water, but red flags on the lifeguard stands warned of rough surf, so they were only allowed to go in knee deep. Other beachgoers played bean bag tossing games, read or watched the waves.
“It’s been rainy this summer, but I still think it’s been good,” said beach tag checker, Joanne Levering, of Pottstown, Pa., and Sea Isle. “I sold some tags today. All through the week I’ve been selling them. Even when the forecast isn’t great. Look at today, it is cloudy, but it isn’t a bad beach day. The rain held off.”
The weather is expected to improve throughout the weekend and on Monday the forecast is expected to rise to around 86 degrees at the shore with sunny skies.
Sean and Amanda Coyle, of Hoboken, N.J., took their children Cameron, 1, and Jack, 3, to the arcade for some amusements before hitting the sands.
The Coyles were joined by their parents for their family vacation. They alternate between Sea Isle and Ocean City for the tradition, Sean Coyle said.
“They are both really family-friendly,” he noted. “The beaches are gigantic, and they are beautiful.”
Both Jack and Cameron chuckled as they rode toy horses at the arcade as their parents held them steady.
The siblings weren’t done just yet. They took a ride in a toy ice cream truck next, while their grandmothers, Mary Ann Coyle and Cynthia Eddy, watched over them.
People weren’t the only ones enjoying the day. There was “Yoshi,” a 5-year-old long-haired dachshund near the Promenade, with owners Kim and Allen Chao, of King of Prussia, Pa., and their 5-year-old daughter, Kailin.
Kailin scooped up Yoshi and kissed him.
“We are only an hour and a half away,” Kim Chao said of their trip to Sea Isle. “We like coming down for the day. We can bring Yoshi. He is a part of our family and Sea Isle is such a dog-friendly town.”
Earlier in the day, they went to the beach where Kailin collected shells, which she said was her favorite part of the day.
Then they got ice cream.
By early afternoon the family had a lot more they wanted to do before going home.
“I think we will take a walk around the city,” Kim Chao said. “We usually stop at Mike’s Seafood for a bite, too. The food is awesome.”
Others figured what they didn’t get to one day, they could do the next.
Mary and John Cirone, of Hadden Heights, N.J., and Sea Isle, had no problems lounging on the beach without any real plans for the remainder of the day. They liked the relaxation.
“We like coming in the winter, too. It is so quiet then,” Mary Cirone said.
But Sunday will be a different story. John Cirone had big plans.
“My plan is I am going fishing,” he said with a laugh.
For some people, such as Rob and Tricia Ciliberto, of Blue Bell, Pa. and Sea Isle, and their friends, Patrick and Kim Bruhin, of Skippack, Pa., Labor Day weekend is about chilling on the beach, grabbing dinner and going to the nightclubs.
“We love Sea Isle. It’s a great town,” Rob Ciliberto said.
And Labor Day does not mean the end of their weekends in Sea Isle, either.
“We come down year-round,” Tricia Ciliberto said. “We love it.”
