Members of the Fecher family gather together in a Sea Isle City lifeguard boat in the center of town during their New Year's Eve celebration.
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
For the Fecher family, there is already a momentous reason for looking forward to the new year.
“I’m excited to get a new brother or sister,” exclaimed 4-year-old James Fecher as his mother and father broke out in laughter.
Jess and Mike Fecher, who also have a 1-year-old son, Charlie, are expecting their third child in July, the family revealed during a memorable, though quiet, New Year’s Eve celebration in Sea Isle City that included the children’s grandfather, Kevin Fecher.
All of them piled into a Sea Isle lifeguard boat in the center of town that serves as a popular tourist attraction and the backdrop for countless photo ops.
The impromptu family gathering in the lifeguard boat allowed the Fechers to reflect on 2020 and give thanks that they were able to remain healthy during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We’re looking forward to continued good health," Mike Fecher said. “We’re also looking forward to turning the chapter on a tough year and hoping for a better year in 2021.”
Sea Isle remains a special place for Jess and Mike, who live in Vienna, Virginia. They got engaged in Sea Isle eight years ago and have a family summer home in the beach town. On New Year’s Eve, they happily shared the news of Jess’s pregnancy.
A "Happy New Year!" sign at the Laricks Real Estate office welcomes 2021.
The Fechers and many others were eager to bid farewell to 2020 during a decidedly low-key New Year’s Eve celebration in Sea Isle. The city’s traditional holiday fireworks display was canceled because of the pandemic.
In addition, restaurants and bars were required to close all indoor service at the unusually early hour of 10 p.m. to comply with Gov. Phil Murphy’s statewide coronavirus-related restrictions on crowds and indoor activities.
Some people, though, said they planned to be asleep well before the stroke of midnight marked the start of the new year.
“I’ll be in bed by 9 p.m. That’s typical for me,” said Michael O’Neill while sharing an early dinner with his 88-year-old mother, Lillian, at O’Donnell’s Pour House.
Lillian O'Neill and her son, Michael, both of Sea Isle, share a toast over dinner at O'Donnell's Pour House.
The O’Neills, who live in Sea Isle, also shared a toast to ring in 2021 and celebrate the end of what Lillian noted was a difficult 2020, because of the pandemic.
“Make it go away,” Lillian said of 2020. “I can’t even see my great-grandchildren.”
Debra Maher, of Exton, Pa., had an equally blunt assessment of 2020.
“Bye-bye, 2020. Good riddance,” she said.
Maher, who has a vacation home in Sea Isle, stopped in at the Diamonds Liquor store to buy a six-pack of Dogfish Head beer. She planned to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a quiet night at home with her partner and their children.
“We’re not going out. We’re watching the celebration on TV,” Maher said.
Debra Maher, of Exton, Pa., picks up a six-pack of beer at the Diamonds Liquor store for a celebration at her Sea Isle vacation home.
Before nightfall, the mild New Year’s Eve weather allowed others to take a relaxing stroll on Sea Isle’s beaches.
Husband and wife Anthony and JoAnn Armentani, of West Deptford, N.J., were celebrating their good luck in finding two sand dollars on the beach.
“It’s very rare to find one at the Jersey Shore. To find one in Sea Isle, it’s a miracle,” JoAnn said.
She plucked the first sand dollar out of the beach on Wednesday, her 59th birthday. She found the second sand dollar, a tiny one, on New Year’s Eve.
“I haven’t found one in 20 years,” she said.
JoAnn said she believed the small marine treasure was an omen indicating that 2021 will be a good year.
As for 2020, she indicated she couldn’t be happier that it was finally ending.
“It’s a big blow,” she said of the pandemic. “I feel numb.”
Joined by their dogs, David and Mikey, Anthony and JoAnn Armentani, of West Deptford, N.J., take a look at a tiny sand dollar they found on the beach on New Year's Eve.
