In Sea Isle, Plans Begin for Memorial Day Weekend

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI An annoying combination of rain, winds and temperatures barely creeping out of the 50s made for a dreary day in Sea Isle City. It didn’t matter to Mary Anderson and Lori Muller. They were buying something that seemed completely incongruous with the less-than-ideal weather Wednesday – beach tags. With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, Anderson and Muller were thinking of sunny skies and relaxing days on the beach as they prepare for the arrival of the summer tourism season. “Every summer, we look forward to coming to Sea Isle – absolutely,” said Anderson, who has been vacationing in the resort town since 1964. Anderson, who lives in Limerick, Pa., has a summer home in Sea Isle on 36th Street. She bought two beach tags on Wednesday for her family. “It’s a family place,” she said of Sea Isle. “We’ve met a lot of nice people here over the years and we are still friends with them.” Welcome Center worker Gina Karrasch holds a handful of beach tags up for sale. Wednesday was the last day that seasonal beach tags were selling at the discounted price of $25 each. From now on, they will cost the regular price of $30. "They're ready for the season," Gina Karrasch, a member of the beach tag staff at the Sea Isle City Welcome Center, said of the customers rushing in to buy beach tags. Muller bought nine beach tags at the preseason price. Asked if she is eager for Memorial Day weekend to arrive, she smiled and replied, “One hundred percent.” “I was thinking that in 10 days, the sun is coming out. I’ll take the heat,” she said while giving her unofficial weather forecast for the holiday weekend. “For our family, it’s what it’s all about.” Muller and her husband live in West Chester, Pa., but have a vacation home in Sea Isle on Venicean Road. Starting in the 1970s, her grandparents owned a summer home in Sea Isle and later on so did her parents. “I have been coming to Sea Isle since I was born. We always spend the summers here. For me, it’s a good gig. Now, my husband and I own a home here,” Muller said. Paid parking is now in effect through Labor Day. For now, at least, Sea Isle is quiet. The beaches and Promenade were largely deserted Wednesday during the bout of rainy weather. Yet summer is coming. One sign that it is almost here is that Sea Isle activated its paid parking for the season on Wednesday. Motorists will now have to pay for parking through Labor Day weekend. Katherine Custer, Sea Isle’s public information officer, predicted that 2024 will be a strong summer season, as long as the weather cooperates. “It’s going to be great,” Custer said. “We have a tremendous lineup of summer concerts and other family-friendly entertainment in Excursion Park. Our recreation office has more camps, clinics and other activities than ever.” Custer noted she has been hearing that the local business community is also preparing for a big summer. The beaches are quiet now, but will come alive during Memorial Day weekend. For vacationers who have not yet booked their lodging, Custer said she has been told that there is still a nice selection of summer rentals ranging from single-family homes on the beach to condos. The one wild card is the summer weather, she pointed out. “I have it on excellent authority that we will have excellent weather from now until Labor Day,” she said, laughing. Joe McMaster, another member of the beach tag staff at the Welcome Center, also used a bit of humor to guarantee beautiful weather for the summer. "They ask us if we can help bring in the warm weather," McMaster said of the beach tag customers. "I tell them, 'I've placed a call. It's on the way.'"