By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Santa Claus has left the North Pole to take up his new residence at the Sea Isle City Historical Museum.
Well, sort of.
Just in time for Christmas, the Santa costume worn for more than 10 years by Sea Isle’s Rocky Santarcangelo when he lovingly played St. Nick at holiday events in town has been put on display in the museum.
The red outfit, complete with Santa’s cap, black boots, spectacles and flowing white beard, was one of the highlights Saturday during the museum’s annual holiday open house.
Joyce Molter, the museum’s president, said that Santarcangelo was happy to see the Santa display when he and his wife, Monica, stopped by earlier in the day at the open house.
“Rocky was in and was so surprised when he saw Santa,” Molter said, noting that Santarcangelo’s wife took photos of him looking at the display.
Rocky Santarcangelo – yes, the first five letters of his last name really are “Santa” – entertained countless children at Christmas parades and other holiday events in Sea Isle over the years. Molter noted that Santarcangelo remains a beloved and iconic figure in town.
Now in his 80s, Santarcangelo retired as Santa after portraying him in the city’s 2022 Christmas parade and tree lighting ceremony. In tribute to him, Sea Isle donated his Santa costume to the museum.
Abby Powell, the museum’s former president, found parade pictures of Santarcangelo during his Santa days and they have been made part of the display.
Giving the Santa display an old-fashioned touch is a vintage record player with classic Christmas albums. Molter played Christmas songs while visitors circulated through the museum during the open house.
The quaint museum occupies a wing of the Cape May County Library at 4800 Central Ave. Vintage toys, old-fashioned ornaments, wreaths and poinsettia plants are among the holiday decorations adorning the exhibit areas.
The museum brims with thousands of historic keepsakes, some of them predating Sea Isle’s founding in 1882 by visionary real estate magnate Charles K. Landis.
Emily Lawson, of Cape May Court House, and Colleen Begley, of Avalon, discovered the museum for the first time while visiting the Sea Isle library Saturday. Lawson was accompanied by her children, June, 5, and Conrad, 2, and Begley had her 5-year-old daughter, Katrina, with her.
“It was a nice surprise. I didn’t even know they had a museum,” Colleen Begley said. “I love the little towns that value their history and have the space to celebrate it.”
Begley and Lawson’s children enjoyed some of the museum’s artifacts, including an old hand-carved wooden merry-go-round horse that was saved from the rubble of Marconi’s Carousel, one of the many Sea Isle buildings destroyed in the colossal 1962 “Ash Wednesday” storm.
Molter said there will be a presentation of old photos and artifacts on March 16, 2024, to showcase how the local community banded together to respond to the devastating storm. The presentation is being prepared by museum volunteer, Caitlin Haffert, with help from her father, Pat Haffert, who experienced the fury of the 1962 storm.
“She wants to show the town’s perfect response to our perfect storm,” Molter said of Caitlin Haffert.
Since taking over as the museum’s new president this year, Molter has been looking to capitalize on the public’s interest in storms. Research material in the museum includes thousands of photographs, maps, books, pamphlets, and personal remembrances, plus collections on specialized subjects such as the 1962 storm.
The museum’s centerpiece exhibit features more than 20 vintage wedding gowns, the oldest dating to 1880. Preserved in pristine condition, the gowns were worn by Sea Isle brides. The wedding gown exhibit is decorated for the holidays.
On average, about 2,500 people visit the museum each year. Molter is hopeful that the holiday open house will introduce the museum to even more visitors before it shuts down for the slow season in January and February, except for private appointments. It will reopen in March.
Kathy Racz, one of the visitors to the holiday open house, said she is fascinated by the 1962 storm and has a personal connection to it through her husband, Jim.
“He used to go to the carousel and ride it before it was destroyed by the storm,” she said of her husband. “He would go around on the carousel and try to grab the gold ring.”
Linda Swift, another visitor, said she enjoys going through the museum during the holiday open house. She has made it a tradition.
“It’s beautifully decorated for Christmas. Every time I come here, I discover something new about Sea Isle. All of the old pictures show how Sea Isle used to look like versus what it looks like now,” Swift said.
More information on the Sea Isle City Historical Museum, including the operating hours, is available by visiting www.seaislemuseum.com or calling (609) 263-2992.
