OCEAN GATE – There were lines of vendors selling their wares. There were food trucks. There was that community feeling that has been hard to find lately.
Ocean Gate Day is a huge event for the small borough. Year-round residents and those who have summer houses look forward to it every year. While other events like Stafford’s Founders Day or the Halloween parade in Toms River were cancelled, Ocean Gate Day isn’t big enough to break the governor’s limits on gatherings.
That’s not to say it wasn’t impacted, though. The cardboard boat race, where people of all ages try their best to set sail on boats made only of cardboard, tape, and crazy decorations, was cancelled by its organizers, the First Aid Squad. During the race, people line up shoulder to shoulder on the beach and on the pier and it would have been impossible to social distance.
Although it was just as well, since the wind and recent storms created some choppy water. There weren’t even very many people on the beach.
But it was still possible to have crafters and vendors fill the streets. This was one of the few events like this locally and you could feel the relief of people coming to make a day of it like they had in years past. Booths had a bit of space between them. Some people wore masks. Some did not.
Vendors sold crafts, jewelry, toys, decorations and sports memorabilia. A lot of the items, as is often the case at Ocean Gate Day, had a nautical theme.
Local nonprofits used this time to drum up support for their causes.
The Ocean Gate PTO was selling school-themed items. Shirts and other apparel bore the logo of the school. They were also selling 4Ocean bracelets. These are made from recycled materials and proceeds go to clean up the ocean.
The booth also had a free takeaway craft, where kids were making potters they could decorate and take home, said Nicole Sides, vice president of the PTO. The kids have been cooped up for a while, and it’s good to engage their creativity this way.
That was a theme with other people at the event, too. They were glad for a time they could get out and have a normal kind of event.
Michael Testa, Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, was with his other knights selling burgers, hot dogs, chips, and drinks. This was one of the only times they’ve been able to hold a fundraiser for their organization.
They normally do pretty well at the Berkeley concert series, but they had been rescheduled to August and the first one was cancelled. Then, the second one had rain.
The coronavirus has hit their group hard, he said.
“We’re a social organization. Most of us are over 60. Three members have died. I’ve known eight who died and some were young,” he said.
This was the first time they’ve had a booth at Ocean Gate Day and business was booming. He had to run to the store to replenish supplies.
The money goes to various good causes, he said. They donate to the parish, or help a family get on their feet. They had a tip jar for Arc, which takes care of adults with disabilities.
He said he was just talking to others about what makes someone volunteer, especially in difficult times like this.
“What makes someone donate time? I feel like, for a lot of us, we have to do it,” he said.
