Nina Malone, right, an independent consultant for the Arbonne line of beauty and health products, talks to Girls Weekend visitor Inez Curry, of Langhorne, Pa.
By Donald Wittkowski
They drank, they danced, they dined. And some of them did all of that in their pajamas.
The “girls” have invaded Sea Isle City for a weekend of partying, minus their husbands and boyfriends.
Now in its ninth year, the Girls Weekend celebration is a big boost for the beach town’s economy during what would otherwise be a slow time of year, the lull just before the bustling summer tourism season gets underway.
“After four nor’easters and terrible weather in March and April, we’re ready for the summer season,” Mayor Leonard Desiderio said of the much-anticipated end to an unusually chilly and stormy early spring.
Each April and November, Sea Isle welcomes women to town for a Girls Weekend getaway consisting of shopping, dining, dancing and more. Shopping discounts and drink and meal specials at more than 40 participating businesses provide an extra incentive for the women to visit the town.
Desiderio did his part by throwing a pajama party for hundreds of women on Saturday morning at his Kix-McNutley’s bar and nightclub complex on 63rd Street and Landis Avenue. He had 400 T-shirts printed up as souvenirs for his PJ-clad guests.
“This is going to ‘Kix’ off the main event,” the mayor said, laughing at his pun. “We’ll give them a great show to lead the way into a great summer season.”
Mayor Leonard Desiderio, who owns the Kix-McNutley's bar and nightclub complex, shows off one of the souvenir T-shirts he had printed up for his Girls Weekend pajama party.
For the women, there is also a big social component to Girls Weekend. After they are done visiting the stores, they often spend a relaxing evening together having drinks and dinner and hitting the dance floor.
Sarah Lentz, 23, of Gibbsboro, N.J., got an early start on the drinking part during the pajama party at Kix-McNutley’s.
“I’m on my third one,” she said while enjoying a La Marca Prosecco and cranberry at 8:30 a.m. “Oh, my God, I started at 7:30.”
Kix-McNutley’s bartender Vicky Rutledge was busy during the pajama party making Bloody Marys, dirty martinis, mimosas and other cocktails mixed with Tito’s Homemade Vodka.
Colorful "Girls Weekend" flags are hanging outside the businesses participating in the event.
Nina Malone, an independent consultant for the Arbonne line of beauty and health products, had a table set up on the sidewalk along Landis Avenue in the downtown shopping district.
“Girls Weekend is always bustling. It’s always busy,” Malone said. “It’s great for Sea Isle. It’s a great way to kick off summer.”
One of the Girls Weekend visitors who stopped at Malone’s table was Inez Curry, 59, of Langhorne, Pa. Curry, who is staying the weekend at a friend’s house in Sea Isle, said cocktails, dinner and shopping are high on her list of things to do.
“Shopping for sure. Dining for sure. And cocktails at Henri’s,” she said of the outdoor bar attached to the Braca Cafe on Pleasure Avenue.
Nina Malone, right, an independent consultant for the Arbonne line of beauty and health products, talks to Girls Weekend visitor Inez Curry, of Langhorne, Pa.
