Without a doubt, there is a lot going on in Sea Isle City this month. It all began on July 1, when City Council held their Inauguration and Re-Organization meeting, during which new Council member J.B. Feeley and Councilpersons Mary Taighe and Jack Gibson each took their oaths of office. I look forward to working with J.B. and wish him well as he serves the people of Sea Isle City. As you probably are aware, Councilman Feeley has filled the seat of John Divney, who honorably served on City Council for ten years before stepping down from his post last month. My thanks go to John – and to all of our current City Council members – for their devotion to our community and their ongoing commitment to excellence.
I hope you were able to be in Sea Isle City as we celebrated our nation’s birthday, because we had many enjoyable events taking place on July Fourth – including our annual Junior Olympics competition at Dealy Field (hosted by the good folks of the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City), a patriotic Concert at Excursion Park, and a spectacular fireworks show to cap-off the Independence Day holiday. My thanks go to everyone who helped make this year’s July Fourth celebration a success – including the more than 100 Yacht Club volunteers who ran the Junior Olympics, the employees from Sea Isle’s Department of Community Services (including our Tourism and Recreation employees, who organized our July Fourth events), and the members of Sea Isle’s Police Department and Public Works Department, who kept everyone safe-and-sound along the way.
Now that July 4th is behind us and the summer season is in full swing, I hope you can take the time to enjoy the many other events listed on Sea Isle’s calendar, including our City-sponsored weekly concerts, movies and dance parties at Excursion Park. The Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization is also hosting several events at Excursion Park each week, including a new “Acoustic Open Mic Night” for teens on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. And speaking of teens, local resident Abby Waid has recently opened “Matt’s 18:20 Coffee House” for high school and college-age residents and visitors on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Sea Isle United Methodist Church, where patrons can enjoy gourmet coffee and refreshments, live music, karaoke and other activities. I hope the younger members of your family will take advantage of this wonderful, new social opportunity.
In other news, I am happy to report that the resurfacing project along Landis Avenue (from 72nd to 78th Street) has been completed, so it is “smooth sailing” once again along Sea Isle’s “Main Street.” I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding when major infrastructure improvements are being made in our community, because these efforts ultimately benefit all of us.
As you may know, Sea Isle City received second place honors during the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s annual “Favorite Beach” competition in Cape May County. Of course this is a big feather in our cap that we can all be proud of. However, with your help, we hope to claim the “number one” title in 2018. After all, I think we can agree that Sea Isle City truly is the best!
Looking ahead, this weekend is jam-packed with more great events and activities, including a showing of the family-friendly movie “Pete’s Dragon” at dusk on Friday night at the Band Shell, followed by a big rugby tournament on Saturday at Dealy Field, and the Beach Patrol Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame Induction Dinner at the Lobster Loft and a fantastic concert featuring an Earth, Wind and Fire tribute band at the Band Shell on Saturday night. Then, the Phillies Home Run Derby for kids takes place at Dealy Field on Sunday afternoon, and a free Full Moon Yoga class will be offered on the JFK Boulevard Beach on Sunday evening. To learn more about what’s happening in Sea Isle City, go to the only website you need for local event details: www.VISITSICNJ.com.
This week’s “Shout-Outs” go to our Sea Isle City Beach Patrol lifeguards – of past and present. Each summer, our lifeguards work very hard to keep our beaches safe and make the beach-going experience memorable. In addition to our 2017 guards, who are led by Captain Renny Steele, shout-outs also go to all of our lifeguards from past years, who helped build Sea Isle’s exemplary safety reputation – including Mike McHale, Joe McCann, Becky Lederer and Jim Savage, who are being inducted into the SICBP Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Thank you all!
Happy 6th of July!
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
