In Sea Isle, the Beaches Are Free - on Wednesdays, at Least

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI With inflation hitting everyone in the wallet these days, a $5 bill certainly doesn’t have the buying power it once did. But that didn’t discourage Sienna Kerwood from thinking about a few things she could treat herself to with five bucks. “Maybe some ice cream,” she said. “Or maybe I could buy a bracelet or a little souvenir to bring back home.” Kerwood and her friend, Anna Coulter, visitors from Pennsylvania, were enjoying a free day at the beach in Sea Isle City on Wednesday – saving them from having to plunk down $5 for a daily beach tag. “We don’t have tags. That’s one reason we’re here today,” said Kerwood, of Glenside, Pa. For more than 25 years, Sea Isle has offered a perk to beachgoers by not charging them for beach tags on Wednesdays. Throughout the summer, Wednesdays are the one day of the week when Sea Isle’s beaches are free. “Not only are Wednesdays popular with families, who enjoy a free day on the beach when traveling to Sea Isle for daytrips, we also see a variety of different groups come to town on Wednesdays, including churches and other organizations, as well as busloads of young people attending summer camps,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said. Lifeguards Carly Mulvaney, left, and Callie Reed protect swimmers at the 42nd Street beach. So on Wednesdays, there’s no need for beachgoers to run into the ocean or pretend they’re asleep to avoid the normally ubiquitous beach tag inspectors. “The city is happy to offer everyone a free day on the beach each Wednesday. However, in addition to our visitors, the policy also benefits our hard-working beach tag staff because it gives them a consistent day off each week,” Custer noted. There is one exception to Wednesdays for free beach days. If the Fourth of July falls on a Wednesday, beachgoers still have to pay for a tag. Kerwood and Coulter, who will be attending Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia as freshmen this fall, were happy they didn’t have to pay for beach tags Wednesday. “Five bucks is five bucks. We love free beach days,” Coulter, who lives in Warminster, Pa., said of their modest windfall. Just down the 42nd Street beach a little way from Kerwood and Coulter, members of the Rappold family of West Milford, N.J., were in the midst of their weeklong vacation in Sea Isle on Wednesday. Ted Rappold and his wife, Debbie, said that the entire family, including their daughters, Alyssa, 15, and Brooke, 12, had seasonal beach tags. But Ted noted that two of their friends, Craig and Karla Knox, were joining them in Sea Isle later on to take advantage of the free beach on Wednesday. “They’re coming here today because it’s a free beach day. It makes it easier for them,” Ted said of Craig and Karla Knox, who live in Kinnelon, N.J., and are vacationing in Cape May. The Rappold family, of West Milford, N.J., is spending a weeklong vacation in Sea Isle. Although the Rappolds had already purchased seasonal tags, they said that having one day a week when the beaches are free makes Sea Isle more attractive to summer visitors. “This is a good way to draw more people,” Ted Rappold said. He believes that visitors will be more inclined to patronize Sea Isle’s stores, bars and restaurants if they can save some money on beach tags. “This means they’re going to buy more stuff at the stores,” he said. Beach tag sales generate about $1.4 million in annual revenue for Sea Isle. The revenue covers the cost of keeping the beaches clean, collecting the trash, employing lifeguards and hiring summer police officers. Sea Isle officials estimate the city loses out on a couple thousand dollars of beach tag revenue during the free beach days over the entire summer. But for the amount of goodwill it does, it is certainly worth it, they say. This sign reminds beachgoers that beach tags are required, but doesn't specify that Wednesdays are free.