On Monday, September 11, I had the honor of leading our community’s annual Patriot Day Ceremony at Veterans Park, where representatives from Sea Isle City’s Police, Fire and Ambulance divisions gathered with other City representatives, County officials and a patriotic crowd of spectators to honor the thousands of lives lost, the many others who were injured and the countless families who were impacted by the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. If you weren’t able to attend Monday’s ceremony in Sea Isle, I hope you could take the time to stop and remember that fateful day in American history no matter where you were.
In addition to this year’s Patriot Day Ceremony, we have another special event taking place at Veterans Park this month: a POW-MIA Recognition Day Ceremony at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 15. This ceremony is being co-hosted by the City and the Cape May County American Legion – and we could not be more honored to help recognize our nation’s Prisoners Of War and Missing In Action, because every one of our service members deserves to be accounted for and brought home after the battle is over. We hope you can join us tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.!
It’s that time of year again, when the days are getting shorter and the September night air makes for ideal sleeping weather. This, of course, must mean that it’s almost time for the City’s annual Fall Family Festival celebration! This year’s “FFF” festivities take place this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, September 16 & 17, along the Promenade and at Excursion Park. As you probably know, Fall Family Festival includes a huge seaside market, a fantastic food court, live music, free amusement rides and other family-friendly activities on Saturday; a Family Dance Party on Saturday night; and an Antique Auto Show, more live music and free Guided Historical Trolley Tours on Sunday. To learn more about what’s happening during Fall Family Festival, stop by Sea Isle’s Welcome Center or phone the City’s Tourism Office at 609-263-8687.
Looking further afield, I hope you can be in town on Thursday, September 21, when this year’s New Jersey Run for The Fallen passes through Sea Isle City. The annual non-competitive run starts in Cape May County and ends several days later at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Monmouth County. Along the way, a team of active duty military members will honor the men and women from the Garden State who lost their lives in battle – and we invite everyone to join us along Landis Avenue to cheer on the runners at each of Sea Isle’s “Hero Markers.” For more details, please visit www.njrunforthefallen.org or see the “Run For The Fallen” section of this newsletter.
Later this month, I hope you can show Mother Nature how much you care by helping clean our beaches and dunes during the Sea Isle City Environmental Commission’s annual Autumn Beach Clean-Up, which takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon on Saturday, September 23. That same weekend, you can celebrate the “Irish in us all” by attending Sea Isle’s annual Irish Festival Weekend, which takes place Friday to Sunday, September 22 to 24, at the LaCosta Complex.
For more info about this year’s Beach Clean-Up, phone 609-263-2081. To learn more about the 2017 Irish Festival Weekend, call 609-263-3611. And, as always, for information about any of the great events and activities that take place in Sea Isle City, please go to www.VISITSICNJ.com.
This week’s “Shout Out” goes to our 2017 Beach Tag Inspectors. Thank you all for serving as “Ambassadors” for our community during the recent summer season!
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
