OCEAN COUNTY – It serves as a summer kick off and often includes barbeques, family gatherings and boardwalk visits but this past weekend’s Memorial Day festivities were a bit of a washout.
The first big event for the summer was to be the first Seaside Heights versus Seaside Park Tug of War, with all proceeds going directly to the two borough fire departments and Tri-Boro First Aid Squad.
The new date for the event hasn’t been announced yet. For more specifics visit exit82.com/events/seaside-heights-vs-seaside-park-tug-of-war.
Seaside Heights Police officers present on the boardwalk that day were confident that their borough would be the champions and were disappointed when they learned the event had been postponed.
The windy chilly day may have been a bit unseasonable but it marked the first day that beach badges were required.
“This is my second season. I am a badge checker and greeter and public relations. I love it. I get to be at the beach and talk to people all day,” said Gianna Patricco, 20, of Toms River.
While the weather didn’t bring too many people toward the beach entry point that she was manning, she did get the chance to speak to some people inquiring about the event that got postponed and alerted people that badge season had started.
Strolling the boardwalk northward were Borough employees of Seaside Heights wearing bright yellow hoodies around the public bathroom areas. They had been busy making sure everything was ready for the weekend. “It was pretty cold up here when we were working last night to get things ready,” one worker remarked.
The boardwalk didn’t have too many customers but it was, however, buzzing with workers of new businesses and old favorites opening up for the weekend. Among them was right across from the public bathroom area that featured a large variety of items from the anime genre ranging from figurines to key chains. It was their opening day.
Familiar food fixtures like Midway Steaks and pizza stands like Maruca’s and Three Brothers were looking for hungry customers that day and ice cream stands like Kohr’s and Polish Water Ice were ready for the weekend despite the chill in the air.
A small group of teens were spotted playing an impromptu round of hacky sack while their friends were exiting a boardwalk boutique and joined in on the competition.
There was also the odd sight of Zoltar the fortune teller, an arcade favorite who was facing a wall apparently staring at a closed building while locked inside his case outside. A few onlookers were wondering what the noted turban topped figure was doing there. Perhaps waiting for a kid to wish he was big.
While Saturday and Sunday’s rain may have kept most people off the beach or spending too much time around the boardwalk, eateries kept busy and police calls were at a normal level this past weekend.
Some boardwalks like Wildwood enforced their strict year-round, all-ages closure of the boardwalk from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. with juveniles under 18 having a 10 p.m. Seaside Heights authorities kept watch as no one under 18 was permitted on the boardwalk, beaches, or bayfront between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. without a parent or guardian. Beaches were closed to the public from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Toms River has a curfew for anyone 17 years old or younger between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. in portions of Ortley Beach and North Beach.
Communities around the northern barrier island saw the return of some of the summer residents with bicycle and car traffic seeing an increase, teens and children playing baseball and other games in the street. Seasonal businesses like Jerry’s Farm Market in Ortley Beach started their 25th season, looking forward to the summer of 2026.
Memorial Day itself wasn’t forgotten although some parades were canceled as a result of Monday’s weather. For example, the parade in Toms River was cancelled but a ceremony was held inside town hall. Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873 and by 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I, when the holiday changed from honoring only those who died fighting in the Civil War to recognizing Americans who died fighting in any war.
Residents and visitors crowded the American Legion Post 351 on the Seaside Heights bayfront for an inside ceremony that served to honor those who had lived in the barrier island area who perished while in military service.
