By MADDY VITALE
Summer may be over, but in Sea Isle City there is still plenty to do. On Saturday, Excursion Park and the Promenade appeared more like a bustling summer day than the waning days nearing fall.
The Fall Family Festival brought in thousands of people who enjoyed a sun-splashed day of crafts, live music, food, a host of vendors selling a variety of merchandise and rides galore for kids.
The annual weekend festival is considered the city’s largest fall event. Families flocked to Excursion Park, while shoppers took to the Promenade.
For Nicole Meuse, of Egg Harbor Township, her husband, Jim Headdy, and their two children, Aiden, 2, and 8-month-old Liam, this was the first of what is expected to be many Fall Family Festivals to come.
“We love coming to Sea Isle for all of the events. There are so many family-friendly activities for us,” Meuse said as she and Aiden waited in line to go on the ride “Dizzy Dragons.”
Headdy said Sea Isle is a great spot for the family to do fun things.
“We were here last week for the Food Truck Festival. We like to do something every weekend with the kids,” he noted.
Earlier, Aiden tried his hand at some crafts, then it was off to the rides.
“He will want to go on all of them,” Meuse said with a laugh. “Sea Isle puts a lot of effort into different activities and festivals. A lot of other communities don’t offer as much.”
Louise and Jeff Wadman, of Salem County, visit Sea Isle with their son, Aston, 5, and daughter, 3-year-old Savannah, just about every weekend.
The siblings stood side by side and made their works of art with paint. They also did it while they proudly showed off their cool face painting.
“My family has had a home here for over 30 years,” Louise Wadman said. “The kids love it. It is very family-friendly and very low-key here. It is a small, friendly place.”
While kids had fun at the park, people looking to get some good deals browsed the Promenade, where a host of vendors sold a little bit of everything, including lawn ornaments, jewelry, art, clothing and purses.
Danielle Duca, 23, of Reading, Pa., and her best friend, Christina Lanahan, 23, of Freehold, checked out some purses on a display table.
Duca comes to the festival every year.
“All my life I’ve been coming to Sea Isle with my family,” Duca said.
She was eager to show her college friend how much is offered at the event.
“I really like the variety of stuff to buy,” Duca said. “You never know what you are going to find.”
Lanahan added that the two friends bought shirts and were ready to do more shopping. “I really like the variety, too,” she said.
Mike McHale, the former mayor of Sea Isle, manned a table along with Sharon Brady, both volunteers of the efforts to save St. Joseph’s Historic Church in town.
McHale looked out at the throngs of people and said, “It’s a really nice festival and a great turnout. You get to see friends and you get a lot of deals on things and the foods are excellent. There is just so much stuff for the kids, too. It is really a family event.”
Mayor Leonard Desiderio said in his weekly Mayor’s Message of the festival, “Each year, this event includes a huge vendors market, a popular food court, free amusement rides, an antique auto show and other family-friendly entertainment that people look forward to all summer.”
The festival continues Sunday with a vintage car show on the Promenade and other family-oriented activities, including guided Historical Trolley Tours and live music from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., rain or shine.
