If you’ve been in Sea Isle City recently, you know that we have been experiencing much-improved weather conditions – including an abundance of sunshine (with the occasional spring rain shower), warmer temperatures and less wind. Apparently, the horrible weather that we have endured through the winter and early spring seems to have finally left us, and now it is “Sea Isle City Time.” And, when it’s “Sea Isle City Time,” you can bet that there is plenty of fun to be had.
Case in point, there were two big events happening in Sea Isle last weekend – and I was very impressed with the turn-out of participants at each. The first was the Sea Isle City Environmental Commission’s annual Spring Beach Clean-Up on Saturday, which attracted over 250 volunteers, including numerous employees from First Bank of Sea Isle City and the Coca-Cola Distribution Center in Marmora. There was also a group of officers and their families from the Sea Isle City Police Department, who cleared trash and debris from several of our beaches. My thanks go to all of the members of the Environmental Commission for organizing and hosting such an important event. I am also very grateful to the local businesses that extended a great big “thank you” to the event’s volunteers, including the owners of Approach Clothing Company, who donated event tee-shirts, Spinner’s Pizza & Ice Cream Shop, who provided each volunteer with a coupon for a free ice cream cone, and Mike’s Seafood and Dockside Restaurant, who served a wonderful luncheon to the volunteers. Thank you all!
Following Saturday’s very successful Beach Clean-Up, on Sunday morning the Ocean Drive Marathon attracted hundreds of athletes to town for a day filled with terrific competitions, including a 10-Mile Run, a 5K Run, a Family Fun-Run and, of course, the day’s main event: a 26-mile loopmarathon that began and ended in Sea Isle City. 2018 was the O.D. Marathon’s 20th year raising funds for charitable causes, and we could not be happier that they have chosen to hold this impressive event here in Sea Isle City. O.D. Marathon Organizer Ed DePalma (who graciously allowed me to sound the horn that started this year’s marathon) and each of the event’s volunteers are to be commended for their hard work and dedication to the community. Well done all!
Tomorrow is Arbor Day, and it wouldn’t be Arbor Day without noting the important role that trees play in our everyday lives. Not only do trees give us clean air to breathe, they also provide shade and help cool our communities, they serve as habitats for countless species of wildlife, they give us food to eat, and they add beauty to our world. With that in mind, I encourage everyone to stop and do something good for the environment on Arbor Day – and if at all possible, plant a tree! Also, if you are available
on Friday at 12 noon, please attend a special Arbor Day Celebration in the Historical Society’s Memorial Garden, located behind the Sea Isle City Library at 4800 Central Avenue, where the members of Sea Isle City’s Garden Club, Environmental Commission and Historical Society will be dedicating three newly planted trees and giving away free tree seedlings for people to plant in their home gardens (the seedlings will be species of trees that do well on barrier islands).
Another upcoming event worth mentioning is the Sea Isle City Police Department’s “Coffee With a Cop” meet-and-greet on Monday morning, April 30, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., at Mrs. Brizzle’s Buns and Deli, 4601 Landis Avenue. During “Coffee With a Cop,” the public is invited to enjoy a free cup of coffee and light refreshments while discussing public safety issues with several of our senior police officers. This is the first time the SICPD has hosted an outreach event such as this, and we hope many residents and property owners will attend.
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
