By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Kathy McFarland got a pretty good sense of just how big Sea Isle City’s Fourth of July was shaping up from her vantage point at the entrance to the beach at John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
“It’s busy – as busy as ever. It’s much busier than last year. The people are coming. They are backed up getting onto the beach,” McFarland said, shaking her head in astonishment.
McFarland, a Sea Isle beach tag inspector, described the dramatic contrast between this year’s blockbuster Fourth of July celebration with the gloominess and uncertainty of the 2020 holiday, when the pandemic was raging.
“You get to see everyone’s faces this year. There are no masks,” she said. “People are more relaxed. They’re happier. They’re not scared this year.”
Indeed, Sea Isle’s beaches were packed with maskless sunbathers for the holiday. Social distancing seemed to be a thing of the past. A sea of colorful umbrellas, cabanas and tents dotted the sand in the popular downtown beaches.
Jim and Jess Bova, vacationers from New Ringgold, Pa., joined their children, Ellie, 6, Wesley, 5, and Sawyer, 3, at the water’s edge on the 40th Street beach to dig in the wet sand as the refreshing surf and breezes cooled them off.
Minutes earlier, Ellie and her dad headed out into the 68-degree ocean to jump some waves. Ellie’s hair was soaked.
“It was kind of cold,” she said of the water temperature. “But it was fun when the waves came crashing down.”
The Bova family arrived in Sea Isle on Saturday for a weeklong vacation. They are staying at an offshore campground with about 30 other family members.
For their vacation, the Bovas are planning to dine on seafood and get a few drinks at Sea Isle’s bars, while their kids are looking forward to riding their bikes and making a visit to the Cape May County Zoo.
“We’re also going to eat lots of ice cream,” Jess Bova said with a laugh about the entire family.
Farther up the beach, sunbathers Jackie and Bob Lindner, Dana Phillips and Barbara Serge were easy to spot – despite being in the middle of the big crowds – because of their Sea Isle City-themed flag flapping in the breeze.
“Awesome,” was how Jackie Lindner described the holiday.
“The people are back,” said Lindner, a vacationer from West Chester, Pa. “The beaches are filled. Last year, they were not so filled. We have that old-time feeling now.”
“We’re getting back to normal,” Serge, a resident of Ocean View, added while referring to the easing of the pandemic.
Angela DeVito, of South Philadelphia, was lounging on the 42nd Street beach with a big group that included seven families.
“We’re taking advantage of every minute of it,” DeVito said of the sun-splashed holiday afternoon.
As to be expected with a mega Fourth of July, getting into town and finding parking took some patience.
There were some traffic backups on Sea Isle Boulevard in the early afternoon. Once in Sea Isle, drivers had to circle around while hunting for premium parking spaces.
Finding a quieter spot to enjoy the holiday in Sea Isle, Rich and Janine Falk, their 6-year-old son, Jack, and their Welsh corgi, Merlin, took a walk around the municipal marina on 42nd Place.
The Falks, who live in Upper Deerfield Township, N.J., and have a family summer home in Sea Isle, were relieved that they no longer had to follow the same COVID-related safety precautions as they did last year during the Fourth of July.
“It’s really a big difference,” Janine Falk said. “Last year when we went for a walk, we would cross the street to avoid the crowds. This year, it is more relaxed, more enjoyable and more normal.”
Rich Falk noted that when he was taking photos of Sea Isle’s beaches last year he would have to wear a mask “out of an abundance of caution” to protect himself and other people.
“It’s nice not to have to wear a mask anymore,” he said.
Marian Stevenson and her 14-year-old son, Jaime, were also at the marina for the holiday, but they were out on the water, paddling around in their kayaks.
The Stevensons, of Springfield, Pa., spent an activity-filled holiday weekend in Sea Isle and were planning to cap things off by watching the Fourth of July fireworks.
“Friends, family, fireworks and good food,” Marian Stevenson said while ticking off all the boxes for a fun holiday.
“It’s gorgeous. It’s relaxing,” Jaime Stevenson added as he paddled away.
