By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Who says there’s nothing to do at the shore during the off-season?
Putting that notion to rest, The Ludlam hotel, bar and restaurant complex in Sea Isle City has been attracting thousands of visitors over the Thanksgiving weekend for its first ever, family-friendly Winter Village festival.
“Thanksgiving is a family weekend and having a family event in town was easy to come up with. We wanted to have everything for everybody,” Ludlam owner Chris Glancey explained of how the idea for the Winter Village was conceived.
For the children, the festival features appearances by Santa Claus, skating on an artificial ice surface and colorful Christmas decorations throughout the property. Adults can enjoy drinks at the bar, live entertainment, holiday craft vendors and beverage tastings.
On top of everything else, The Ludlam complex also has a restaurant and the upscale Shorebreak Cafe bakery.
“We can appeal to families. We’re not just a bar. We’re a hotel, a bakery and a restaurant for the entire family,” said Amy Glancey, Chris Glancey’s wife and the chief marketing officer for The Ludlam.
On a gorgeous Saturday at the shore, crowds packed the entire Ludlam property at the corner of John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Landis Avenue, the gateway to Sea Isle’s downtown business district.
The Winter Village festival began Friday, coinciding with Sea Isle’s annual Christmas parade and holiday tree lighting. The event wraps up Sunday with another visit from Santa, more ice skating and vendors selling a variety of holiday gifts.
Chris and Amy Glancey said the festival has been so popular that there are already plans to expand it and bring it back every year.
“This will be an annual event as it becomes more popular,” Chris Glancey said.
Amy Glancey estimated that the artificial ice-skating rink has attracted thousands of people just by itself.
The surface of the skating rink is fake ice, but it is slippery just like the real stuff. Children and adults alike tentatively skated around the rink, some of them struggling to keep from falling while others simply tumbled in laughter.
Cydney Jankowski, 9, and her 6-year-old sister, Cami, gave the rink a try as they fought to maintain their balance.
Cydney noted that it was hard to get the hang of things. Asked if she was getting any better the more skated, she had a blunt answer.
“No,” she exclaimed.
Both Cydney and Cami received hugs from their parents, Steve and Aubrey Jankowski, of Upper Township, after they glided off the ice.
“I’m learning how to ice skate,” Cami said proudly while her dad held her in his arms.
Other festivalgoers chose a more leisurely way to spend the afternoon. Maryann Gallagher was joined by three of her grandchildren, Kit, 12, Mimi, 12, and Matthew, 10, for a bite to eat while sitting outside the Shorebreak Cafe.
“It’s a very nice day. It’s beautiful,” Gallagher said of both the weather and the festival.
Gallagher, who lives in Philadelphia, has a summer vacation home in Sea Isle. The Winter Village festival was a centerpiece of her Thanksgiving weekend getaway at the shore – the same shore that is offering visitors more and more to do during the off-season.
