By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
You can forget about having one of those quiet winter getaways at the shore this weekend.
Sea Isle City is expected to be packed with thousands of visitors for a big Presidents Day weekend celebration.
The centerpiece of the weekend is a major fundraiser for autism awareness. Many others will be in town for a weekend of partying, dining and shopping.
Still others may be brave enough to take a dip in the chilly ocean to, unofficially at least, carry on Sea Isle’s former Polar Bear Plunge tradition.
All in all, the town is expected to emerge from its winter hibernation for the holiday, giving the bars, restaurants and retail stores a nice boost in business.
“We think it’s going to be a great weekend for all the retail shops and restaurants. I get the sense that downtown, along with the entire island, is going to be busy, especially since the Mike’s Seafood Run-Walk for Autism, which is such a great event, has been moved to Saturday,” said Kathy Larkin, manager of the Ocean Drive bar and its sister property, O’Donnell’s Pour House, on Landis Avenue.
The crowds began arriving Thursday and Friday, including visitors who stopped by the Sea Isle City Welcome Center for information about the Presidents Day festivities. Many of them also bought beach tags or T-shirts benefiting Sea Isle’s Environmental Commission.
“Thursday and Friday at the Welcome Center have been much busier than usual,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
The influx of visitors into town just as the weekend gets started suggests that it’s going to be an exciting holiday, Custer noted.
“We’re expecting it to be a wonderful weekend in Sea Isle City. The businesses I’ve spoken with said they are prepared and ready to welcome their patrons.”
Some of the businesses are expected to offer special deals and blowout sales through the entire weekend as an extra incentive for visitors.
The largest single event over the holiday weekend is the Mike’s Seafood Run-Walk for Autism. The run-walk is returning as a live event after going virtual the last two years during the height of the pandemic.
Mike Monichetti, owner of Mike’s Seafood, is expecting about 4,000 participants in the run-walk when it starts at 12 noon Saturday on the Promenade at John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
“I couldn’t be more proud to have this event in Sea Isle City, the place where I grew up,” he said.
Monichetti and his wife, Jeannie, started the event 15 years ago to raise money for autism support groups, special services schools and families of special needs children. Over the years, the run-walk has raised more than $1 million for autism-related causes.
The Monichettis have four children, including two who have autism, Kara, 22, and Michael Jr., 20. Having autistic children and knowing the challenges that parents with autistic children face on a daily basis served as their inspiration for starting the fundraiser.
“We’re going to bring some awareness, raise some money and help people with autism,’ Monichetti said.
Following the run and walk, an awards ceremony and after-party will be held in large, heated tents in Excursion Park next to the Promenade at JFK Boulevard. The after-party will feature food and family-friendly entertainment.
Although it is traditionally held on the Sunday of Presidents Day weekend, the autism awareness fundraiser is shifting to Saturday this year. Organizers wanted to have the flexibility of reserving Sunday as a rain date if needed, but the forecast is for sunny skies Saturday.
On Sunday, the Oar House Pub in Sea Isle will team up with the Kelly’s Kidz nonprofit organization for a baggo tournament benefiting St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Bags will start flying at 1 p.m. inside a heated tent at 4210 Park Road next to the Oar House.
In years past, Presidents Day weekend was dubbed “Polar Bear Plunge Weekend” in Sea Isle. The weekend of partying, dining and shopping was highlighted by the annual Polar Bear Plunge, a wacky tradition for 25 years that drew thousands of participants and spectators for a frigid dip in the ocean.
The Polar Bear Plunge was canceled in 2021 because of the pandemic. In 2022, a new city policy took effect that no longer allows privately run events such as the plunge to be held on public streets, parking lots and municipal property.
When it enacted the policy, the city cited the strain that private events put on the police department and Public Works crews when they were held on public property. Potential liability lawsuits being filed against the city were another reason for the new policy.
Still, smaller groups of unofficial plungers jumped in the ocean during Presidents Day weekend in 2022. The same thing is expected to happen this Saturday on different beaches along the island. It is not illegal to jump in the ocean, even though there is no official plunge.
While the official Polar Bear Plunge will not be held again this year, the business community is still gearing up for a blockbuster holiday weekend of entertainment and special events at the bars, restaurants and shops around town.
“I do think it’s going to be very busy,” Custer said.
As a precaution for crowd control, Sea Isle’s police department will receive help from the Cape May County Sheriff’s Department and other police departments throughout the weekend.
Sea Isle Police Chief Anthony Garreffi said police will be out on patrol to prevent anyone from drinking alcohol in public, blocking the streets and sidewalks or causing any other disruptions over the holiday weekend.
