By MADDY VITALE
There is no need to be depressed that summer is over. The weather is still mild and beautiful. Parking is free and for the last days of lounging on the beaches, there are no beach tag fees.
And there is something else. Sea Isle City is giving vacationers other reasons to keep coming back to their favorite shore town.
The city and its Division of Tourism continue to host family-friendly events and the biggest one of the fall is coming up.
To kick-start the autumn season, Sea Isle is hosting the Fall Family Festival, Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18.
The popular annual event at Excursion Park runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 17 and features amusements, an art bar, a food court with plenty of foods to choose from and live music.
And for shoppers, the Promenade will be transformed into a mega-outdoor mall of sorts along the oceanfront walkway. A host of vendors will be selling jewelry, artwork, seasonal decorations, clothing, household items and more.
On day two of the Fall Family Festival, Sept. 18, vintage autos will take center stage along the Promenade for the antique car and truck show.
Sea Isle City Public Information Officer Katherine Custer noted that the Fall Family Festival weekend, like Skimmer Festival weekend in June, draws the largest crowds of any of the city’s events, because of the activities and the weather.
“The Fall family Festival comes at a time when people need to be reminded that even though summer ended, it is still a wonderful time of the year to be at the shore,” Custer said. “The Skimmer Festival and Fall Festival are two of the largest events of the year.”
Custer added that there will be plenty of food for festivalgoers.
“We will have a nice selection of food for when people get hungry,” she said. “You can build up quite an appetite shopping on the Promenade and having fun at Excursion Park.”
Like the Fall Family Festival, the Skimmer Festival in early summer offers similar events and activities in a two-day extravaganza at Excursion Park and on the Promenade. There is also shopping on the Promenade and amusements and a food court.
And Father’s Day features a classic auto show on the second day of Skimmer weekend, which, like the Fall Festival, is also on the Promenade.
Both events attract thousands upon thousands of people each year, Custer has said, with the Fall Family Festival serving as the signature event for the fall and Skimmer Festival as the same for summer.
So, whether it is fall or summer, or winter or spring for that matter, Sea Isle’s motto, “A City for All Seasons,” seems to hold true.
For more information go to visitsicnj.com
