In response to the canceled graduation ceremonies this year, Mayor Leonard Desiderio led a graduation parade June 17.

Since this coronavirus pandemic began, we have seen so many businesses, community members and local authorities doing everything they can to help our first responders and anyone else who needed it.

Abby Waid graduated from Stockton University with a degree in hospitality management. She is the daughter of Travis Waid and Melissa Doyle-Waid, pastor of the Sea Isle City United Methodist Church.

This was no ordinary anniversary.

Gleeson’s Liquors in Ocean View turned 10 on June 10, but the party will probably come later. Some additional – and poignant – factors made this observation unique.

Diane Merson, who cultivated and promoted Sea Isle City as a desirable destination in her role as its tourism representative for the past 27 years, recently retired.

Some people can light up a room with a smile. James Bennett’s smile could light up a room, a gym, a school, a restaurant, a community. A beloved son, brother and friend, he was a man of great fortitude in both his physical and social endeavors, and his sudden passing at 24 leaves a chasm in the heart of Sea Isle City.

When a baby was born in a Sea Isle City residence earlier this year, it was heralded as a rare event, as the last birth in Sea Isle happened more than 40 years ago. Yet at one point in time, it was nearly a routine occurrence.

Sea Isle City’s McHale family lost a vibrant part of its heart when Marlene McHale passed away in early March. Local faith and civic communities lost a dedicated friend.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of U.S. Army Cpl. Michael Crescenz posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor, Sea Isle City issued its 2020 veterans beach tag featuring an image of the 19-year-old war hero and his medal.

Happy summer, all! After an unreasonably cold spring, we sure are due for some summer sunshine to warm our shoulders and brighten our moods.

Once July finally comes along, summer seems to start setting in. By now you are in a routine of beach days, bay swims, ice cream nights and everything in between. It’s a fun time to be on the island when the days are usually filled with sunny skies and the water starts to warm up for the season.

Summer is here! As we head into July and have regained some sense of normalcy during this pandemic, we are excited to see the new businesses that have decided to make Sea Isle City their home. With new fitness spaces and construction options opening their doors, we met up with the owners to bring you the latest buzz within the business community.

It is June 4 and between the COVID-19 pandemic and all the rioting in the streets, it just might be the saddest week of my lifetime. And I lived through 9/11, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Kennedy brothers. John Lennon was a tough night, also.

Christine Donohue of Sea Isle City was honored by family and friends on June 4 with a surprise 80th birthday parade and party.

Summer is finally here! We have been eagerly waiting to shop for months. Fortunately, all of the stores are open and packed with new summer essentials including what you need at the beach, in the yard, to decorate your home and even to entertain with ease. We stopped in the stores around town and picked out summer essentials that you will want to have this season. Happy shopping!

Here’s The Dish is a regular feature in the Sea Isle Times when we take you into the kitchens of some of the best restaurants in Sea Isle City and Strathmere.

I’m so excited to finally be typing these words: It’s time to get ready to have a night out! After three long months of hanging at home, I can imagine everyone is totally ready and super excited to hit the town again. All of the businesses in Sea Isle are open and ready for customers, even if it means staying outside for a little while still. Coastal Palms Boutique is packed with new items for you to shop.

Believe it or not, there was a time when there were more than 15 service stations from Strathmere to Stone Harbor. Not gas-only facilities, but full-service stations. Today, only one remains.

As ubiquitous as the summer sun, Corona is the beer you think of when you think of the beach. You can thank the brand’s marketing department for that one.

As I write this article on the historical Memorial Day (May 30), there are so many things going on. For those old enough, we remember Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and changed Memorial Day to the last Monday in May on June 28, 1968.