Times Talk
This is a photo from the south end of the beach fill project in 2010.
BEACH REPLENISHMENT EXPECTED SOON
As you might have read here last month, Sea Isle City came in second in the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s annual poll in which the public votes for its favorite beach in the state. This fall, a major refresh is planned that can only help Sea Isle retain its lofty reputation.
A $30 million beach replenishment project that also includes Ocean City and Strathmere was announced late last summer, and is finally expected to start after Labor Day. The most recent replenishment here was performed in 2020. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection oversee the replenishment projects in a partnership with the municipalities, and the primary funding comes from the federal government.
Work crews have worked continuously to keep the beaches in good shape until replenishment can provide a longer-term solution to repair beaches that have eroded due to storms.
The primary areas that are expected to receive replenishment are the beaches from 29th Street to 53rd Street, and 73rd Street to Townsend’s Inlet. The sand will be dredged from Corson’s Inlet and a location several miles from Sea Isle.
Mary Shields and Elizabeth Buch volunteering during the Shooting Stars program this summer.
SHOOTING STARS CLINIC A WINNER AGAIN
The Shooting Stars weekly summer basketball clinic for children and young adults with special needs concluded its second annual six-week run Aug. 2. Sponsored by Sea Isle City’s Division of Recreation, participants of varying ages and ability levels gathered at the Dealy Field basketball courts to practice their passing, shooting, and dribbling skills, free of charge.
Mary Shields, who advocated for the program several years ago, has run it both summers so far.
The players who participate in the program take home much more than improved basketball skills. Because of the clinics, friendships have been formed among the players and the young volunteers, Shields noted. Shooting Stars has also brought joy to the players’ parents.
On the last day, each player who participated went home with an Olympic-style gold medal, which served as a badge of honor and a reminder that each one of them is a star.
“It was an amazing success,” Shields said. “Each week we worked with a new organization who sponsored the practice.”
Mike’s Seafood Run/Walk for Autism and a variety of business sponsors supported the program, and their names appeared on the commemorative T-shirts that every participant and volunteer wore.
The volunteers were primarily teens and college students. In addition to the volunteers, businesses and Division of Recreation, the program also had the backing of civic organizations and municipal employees.
“It’s just a magical program,” Shields said. “It’ll be there as long as I’m around.”
On Aug.15, hundreds of people participated in a procession to Sea Isle City’s 44th Street Beach for a blessing of the ocean.
St. Joseph Church Deacon Joseph Murphy prepares for his ride out to toss a ceremonial wreath into the ocean.
Father Perry Cherubini, pastor of St. Joseph Church (center, standing) is shown with some of the more than 700 individuals who attended a Wedding of the Sea Festival on Aug.15.
ST. JOSEPH CHURCH CELEBRATES WEDDING OF THE SEA
In Roman Catholic tradition, Aug. 15 marks the celebration of the widely held belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was assumed body and soul into heaven. To commemorate the Ascension, a tradition known as The Wedding of the Sea started in Venice, Italy around the year 1000. During the Middle Ages, civil and religious leaders of the city performed a “wedding” between Venice and the Mediterranean Sea, symbolizing the maritime dominion over ancient Venice.
Centuries later, the tradition lives on. On Aug. 15, St. Joseph Church parishioners attended Mass at 4pm, then participated in a grand procession with Father Perry Cherubini and Deacon Joseph Murphy behind the statue of Mary to the 44th Street beach. The deacon was rowed out to sea in the iconic Sea Isle boat with the guidance of Sea Isle City Beach Patrol lifeguards and twin sisters Molly and Maura Quinn. They rowed him out past the breaking waves and Murphy cast a flower arrangement adrift to bless the ocean. While the surf was rough, Murphy returned to shore with a smile and said, “I’m a fisherman and boater, so I’m used to it.”
The ceremony culminated with a festival back at the church featuring games, food, activities, music, and gift basket raffles. With gratitude for the community’s participation, Father Perry noted that the tradition and celebration continues to grow year by year and will “absolutely” return in 2024.
