After Long Winter, Jersey Shore Towns Ready For Summer Season To Begin
By Andrew Kramer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Summer unofficially begins this weekend, and down the shore it seems everyone is ready to get things started.
It's been a long, dark winter, but with nice weather forecasted for Memorial Day Weekend, things are looking bright.
"We're looking forward to a great weekend on the beach," says Ed Berger, President of the Margate Business Association.
He says they're ready for what is expected to be large crowds flocking to the shore:
"All our businesses are really geared up for this, and naturally the entire town has been gearing up for Memorial Day weekend. We look forward to this as our kickoff for the year."
Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio is pretty sure beachgoers will be getting a jump start:
"I think they're going to be coming down Thursday, and they're going to enjoy a banner weekend. The weather's going to be great, the beaches are going to be packed."
In Ocean City, painters were putting on the final touches outside Marty's Sports Wear on the Boardwalk. Inside, owner Marty Saul says they're ready to go:
"We always have stuff to work on, but we're always prepared and we're always ready for the crowds to come down."
He says after a winter like the one we just had, he expects to see even more people than usual this weekend:
"A lot of people have cabin fever, they couldn't stand the cold weather, they can't wait for the nice weather to come."
Michele Gillian with the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce couldn't agree more:
"It was a long winter -- a long, dark, grey winter in Ocean City, and we've seen rentals up between 25-30%, so that's a good indicator. Beach tag sales are up."
And everyone is hoping the projected nice weather this weekend further helps take people's minds off the chilly offseason.
