By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
A series of major events that traditionally draw thousands of visitors to Sea Isle City during the normally quiet fall and winter months have been canceled or will be held virtually in response to the coronavirus pandemic, officials announced Tuesday.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio said the city has reluctantly decided to cancel the family-friendly, alcohol-free New Year’s Eve celebration normally held at Sea Isle’s former public school as well as the holiday fireworks display.
“Everyone knows how crowded these events are, and clearly it’s not in everyone’s best interest to hold these celebrations,” Desiderio said Tuesday during a City Council meeting held by teleconference amid the pandemic.
Just two weeks ago, Desiderio announced the city has canceled its annual Christmas Extravaganza and Tree Lighting Ceremony celebrations because of the pandemic. However, the city still plans to hold a Santa Claus-led holiday parade Nov. 27 that will roll through town along Landis Avenue from 29th to 93rd streets.
Also Tuesday, the organizer of the Mike’s Seafood Polar Bear Walk and Run for Autism announced that the event will be held virtually in 2021 following the recommendations of Sea Isle’s police chief and statewide coronavirus-related restrictions imposed by Gov. Phil Murphy on large-scale gatherings.
“It’s on my watch. I have a moral obligation to people,” Mike Monichetti, the owner of Mike’s Seafood, said of the need to protect participants in the autism walk from COVID-19.
Held the past 12 years during the Presidents Day weekend in February, the event traditionally attracts thousands of participants and is a major fundraiser benefiting autism support groups, special services schools and families of special needs children. In 2019, the event grossed a record $202,000 for autism causes, Monichetti said.
During the monthly meeting Tuesday of the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization, Monichetti said he really had no other choice but to switch to a virtual event in 2021.
He read a copy of a letter sent to him last week by Sea Isle Police Chief Tom McQuillen that said the city “strongly advises against holding your event in anything other than a virtual manner” for 2021. Normally, about 3,000 people participate in the event on the oceanfront Promenade.
“The City does not make this suggestion with anything other than genuine concern for the safety and well-being of all participants and people taking part in this event,” McQuillen wrote.
Also in his letter, McQuillen noted that the governor’s coronavirus restrictions limit large, outdoor gatherings to 500 people. Social distancing also must be practiced during outdoor gatherings.
“So, I don’t think you’re going to see a Polar Bear walk (for autism). We’ll seek a virtual event,” Monichetti told the Chamber of Commerce members during the meeting, which was held at Mike’s Seafood & Dock Restaurant.
Optimistically looking at the Polar Bear walk’s future, he added, “We’re going to be back in 2022. In 2022, we’ll be back and we’ll be strong.”
Monichetti explained that the pandemic has caused financial difficulties for many families dealing with autism. He has been “inundated” with requests for financial assistance, he said.
The fundraising event, even if it is held virtually, will be crucial for helping them out, he added.
“Especially with special needs children, people are really struggling out there,” Monichetti said.
The governor and his wife, Tammy, made a surprise appearance at the 2020 Polar Bear Walk and Run for Autism. They both participated in the 5K run.
Monichetti said he plans to write to Murphy to appeal for his help or the state’s assistance in raising money for autism awareness during the pandemic.
“A lot of people depend on that money to help them through tough times,” he said.
The autism awareness event is one of the centerpieces of Sea Isle’s Polar Bear Plunge Weekend festivities held each year during Presidents Day weekend. The Polar Bear celebration typically attracts tens of thousands of visitors for a weekend of partying, dining and shopping – highlighted by a chilly plunge in the ocean.
No formal announcement has been made yet whether the Polar Bear Plunge, a privately run event, will be held in 2021, but the mayor made it clear that the city would rather see the festivities postponed until 2022.
“The city strongly recommends that we put off these activities for (next) year,” Desiderio said while addressing the Chamber of Commerce meeting.
The Polar Bear Plunge, held for 26 years, has grown into a wildly popular spectacle and a blockbuster for the local economy. Proceeds from the plunge, such as ticket sales, go to the Chamber of Commerce, city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
Many of Sea Isle’s businesses, normally closed for the winter, reopen just for the celebration. The timing of the Polar Bear Plunge with the Presidents Day celebration allows the town to capitalize on the extended holiday weekend.
Both Desiderio and Monichetti expressed confidence that thousands of visitors will still come to Sea Isle over the Presidents Day weekend in 2021, even if the plunge isn’t held. They predicted that Sea Isle’s retail shops, bars and restaurants will, as usual, get a boost from the holiday weekend.
“Business owners, we’re going to be as busy as hell,” Monichetti said. “We’re going to be busy. I’m not worried about it one iota.”
Monichetti thanked the mayor, members of City Council and other Sea Isle officials for giving business owners the flexibility “to navigate through this pandemic.”
Both Monichetti and Desiderio said the lessons learned this year from Sea Isle’s communitywide efforts in coping with the pandemic should help the city immensely beginning in 2021 and beyond.
“We did it, and we’ll do it again. We’ll get through it,” Desiderio said.
