By MADDY VITALE
Sea Isle City bustled with activities from family-friendly events to deals and discounts at restaurants, bars and retail shops over Presidents Day weekend.
Thousands of visitors gave the city’s businesses a healthy boost during the offseason.
“Presidents weekend at The Ludlam Hotel and Bar was electric,” said Amy Glancey, co-owner of The Ludlam and Shorebreak Cafe with her husband, Chris Glancey. “The town was alive with energy, excitement, and joy.”
The Glanceys’ businesses offered lots of entertainment and vendors selling food.
“We had the Boy Scouts selling hotdogs, popcorn and hot chocolate,” Amy Glancey noted Tuesday, adding that there was also a barbecue truck and an ice truck throughout Saturday afternoon.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio noted that “all indications were that it was a banner weekend.”
“It was a fabulous Presidents weekend. I was so happy to see so many people in Sea Isle City,” Desiderio said. “In the past, this weekend has served as our ‘unofficial’ kickoff for the coming season.”
He continued, “It was great that the Mike’s Seafood Run/Walk For Autism returned and was very successful. The weather was good for February and played an important part in many people being out and about. This is a sign that summer is around the corner.”
Mike’s Seafood Run/Walk For Autism brought in an estimated 4,000 participants and spectators to town to raise funds and awareness about autism. The event was held on Saturday on the Promenade at John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
“It was a wonderful reminder of the power of community in Sea Isle City,” said Glancey, who lives in Sea Isle. “Over 30 members of our family enjoyed participating in the walk too.”
Kathy Larkin, manager of the Ocean Drive (OD) bar and its sister property, O’Donnell’s Pour House, on Landis Avenue, said they were busy throughout the weekend.
“It was a successful weekend all around,” Larkin said. “Both the OD and O’Donnell’s were busy from Thursday to Sunday. It was great to see so many of our summer friends enjoying Sea Isle in the winter.”
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.
There was one event missing from the holiday weekend – the Polar Bear Plunge. While there were contests and costume parties celebrating the tradition that was once a staple in the city for 25 years, there was no plunge and will not likely be one in the future.
The plunge was canceled in 2021 because of the pandemic and the following year, the city enacted a policy stating that the city would no longer allow privately run events such as the plunge to be held on public streets, parking lots and municipal property.
Sea Isle’s police department and the Cape May County Sheriff’s Department and other police departments were on hand over the holiday weekend to make sure there weren’t any problems.
Police were even on horseback as part of their patrols throughout town.
