A Patriotic Display Graces Sea Isle's Dunes

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Cindi Boone was searching for one of the Christmas trees that she had heard had been placed on Sea Isle City’s beaches, but first stumbled upon some decorations normally associated with another holiday. Just off the pathway to the beach at 84th Street in Townsends Inlet, she found an elaborate display of dozens of clam shells meticulously painted red, white and blue and arranged to look like the American flag. “I wasn’t expecting it. It was a nice surprise. We’re nearly at Christmas, but this reminds me of Fourth of July,” Boone, who lives in Carneys Point, N.J., said of the patriotic display. Flying majestically next to the painted clam shells is a real American flag mounted on a wood post. It flaps in the breeze each time a gust of wind blows off the ocean. Sea Isle spokeswoman Katherine Custer said she doesn’t know who created the display. Custer called it a “lovely, patriotic display,” but noted that the decorations are on the environmentally sensitive dunes that surround the pathway to the beach. “We respectfully remind people that the dunes are an essential component of shore protection,” she said. Dozens of clam shells are painted and arranged to resemble an American flag. Custer urged people to admire the display while standing behind the split-rail fence along the beach pathway rather than stepping on the dunes. “Because it is so attractive, some people may be tempted to climb over the fence for photo ops,” she said. Sea Isle is known for creative, quirky and even amusing attractions that greet people at some of the entrances to the beach. In Townsends Inlet in the south end of town, for instance, some of the pathways to the beach have book boxes that allow people to grab a hardback or paperback for their reading pleasure. The book boxes are there in the summer. The books are free. The books for these miniature libraries are tucked inside display boxes that resemble tiny, green houses. People are encouraged to leave some books, as well as take some, while traveling to and from the beaches. Bianca Brasslett, left, hands a hardback to Julie Lamon from the book box at the entrance to the beach at 87th Street last summer. While miniature libraries can prompt a smile or two, a full-throated laugh is virtually guaranteed once beachgoers get a glimpse of the fake directional signs that decorate the entrance to the pathway at 90th Street. Mounted on a pole, the stylish metal signs point the way – supposedly – to Paradise Valley, Portugal, Fairbanks, Alaska, and Moscow. Of those four, Paradise Valley is the closest to Sea Isle, a mere 2,096 miles away, according to the sign. Moscow is the farthest away, a journey of 4,782 miles. There are a few other beach pathways in the south end of town that feature elaborate decorations and floral displays. They were created by private homeowners. At the end of Louise Drive, where 61st Street meets Pleasure Avenue, beachgoers are greeted by an ornate brick wall and columns, flowers and greenery. The pathway gives the impression that it is the entrance to a posh estate, not the beach. Approaching Christmas, Sea Isle is now drawing attention for two Christmas trees that are anchored in the sand at the beaches on 44th and 84th streets. The trees have brought holiday cheer to the community during a time when the country continues to struggle with the coronavirus outbreak. Visitors are encouraged to hang their own environmentally safe decorations on the Christmas trees. SeaIsleNews.com published a story about the trees on Dec. 12. Here is the link: Christmas Trees Adorn Sea Isle's Beaches | Sea Isle News Dennis Fenerty, his wife, Harriett, at far right, and MaryFrancis Cummings, with her dog, Murphy, take some time to admire the decorations hanging on the Christmas tree on the beach at 44th Street.