By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
They draped themselves in bright pink clothing, blonde wigs, flowing boas and rhinestone sunglasses.
Altogether, about 20 members of the “Barbie 55th Group” descended on the Kix bar in their outrageous getups to join with hundreds of other women Saturday for some “Girls Weekend” partying in Sea Isle City.
Kix throws a pajama party every year as one of the centerpieces of Girls Weekend, a popular event each spring that lets the ladies get away from their husbands and boyfriends for a weekend of shopping, dining, drinking and dancing at the shore.
Members of the Barbie 55th Group, mostly from Pennsylvania, said they make Girls Weekend an annual tradition. They choose a different theme every year for their costumes, including “The Real Housewives of Sea Isle City” last year. Their pink costumes this year were inspired by the blockbuster “Barbie” movie from 2023.
While in Sea Isle, the women get to relax, have fun and renew friendships with other women they met at the Girls Weekend celebration in previous years, they said.
“Girls Weekend is designed for the women. They cater to the girls. They take care of us,” one member of the Barbie group, Beth Chesney, of Drexel Hill, Pa., said of the VIP treatment they receive in Sea Isle.
Chesney and other “Barbies” credited their “Queen Bee,” Susan Hartmann, for organizing the group. Hartmann has a summer home in Sea Isle on 55th Street, where the entire group stays for the weekend. Her address was the inspiration for the Barbie 55th Group moniker.
The oldest member of the group, 81-year-old Peggy Eastburn, epitomized the over-the-top Barbie look. Dressed head to toe in pink, Eastburn embellished her outfit with a blonde wig, hat, sunglasses and a comically garish boa neckpiece.
“How do I look?” Eastburn, who lives in Aston, Pa., said while poking fun at her appearance.
Another Barbie, Pam Slavin, of Lancaster, Pa., topped off her pink ensemble with oversized rhinestone sunglasses and glass stilettos.
The Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization sponsors Girls Weekend. The Chamber also holds a fall version of Girls Weekend in November each year for shopping, dining, dancing and more. Shopping discounts and drink and restaurant specials at dozens of participating businesses provide an extra incentive for the women.
Girls Weekend allows Sea Isle merchants to cater to women shoppers and generate extra business during a time of year when things are usually slow at the Jersey Shore. The event showcases the local business community.
“They love coming to Sea Isle. They see that we have great venues in Sea Isle, including the restaurants, the shops and all of the other businesses,” said Carmela Desiderio, executive vice president of Kix, the bar and nightclub complex owned by her father, Sea Isle Mayor Leonard Desiderio, and the Desiderio family.
Carmela Desiderio described the Kix pajama party as “a staple” of Girls Weekend every year. Hundreds of women dressed in PJs packed the dance floor for a high-energy party as music boomed over the sound system.
Kim Mattei, who lives in Glen Mills, Pa., and has a summer vacation home in Sea Isle, was celebrating the weekend with a family group consisting of 17 cousins.
“All of my family members are coming to my house. We’re planning to have diner, go dancing and do some other things. We love Girls Weekend,” Mattei said while sipping on a cocktail handed to her by Kix bartender Christine Feketics.
Girls Weekend started on Friday and wraps up on Sunday. Colorful flags inscribed with the words “Girls Weekend” are flying outside the local businesses participating in the event.
Sea Isle resident Tina Kester and her daughter, Katie, were hitting the downtown shops on Saturday as part of their Girls Weekend outing. They had bought some sundresses and were ready to shop for a few other things.
“Every shop we go into, we’re looking for something different things,” Tina Kester said.
Both Tina and Katie were enjoying their mother-daughter day together. Tina was treating her daughter for Girls Weekend.
“It’s lovely. I’m getting free clothes,” Katie exclaimed as she and her mother burst into laughter.
