Hear Philly: The Shore Thing - Thrilling Thursday, Free Concerts and A Major Lifeguard Competition
By Andrew Kramer
MARGATE, N.J. (CBS) - July is a thrilling time to be down the shore, and starting the first Thursday of the month, Margate Business Association President Ed Berger says a weekly event takes place to show just that:
"Thrilling Thursdays is a great program. It's been running for a couple of years."
Berger says Thrilling Thursday offers many perks, including...
"It allows everyone to come to Margate and come to the beaches without having to use a beach tag. So if you want to come down and sample our beautiful beaches it's a great day to do it."
He says in addition, there's something for everyone the day before the weekend:
"We also have city-wide sidewalk sales on Thrilling Thursday. All of our retailers, all of our restaurants put on specials. And you can wander the streets of Margate and have a great time. And every Thrilling Thursday evening, behind Lucy the Elephant, we run a movie on the beach. Everybody comes down, brings their beach chairs, brings something to drink, relaxes, and enjoys the sun, into the sunset."
Thrilling Thursday runs through the end of August.
Nearby in Somers Point, another weekly event heats up in July.
"Fourteen free concerts over the space of 13 weeks," explains Carmen Marotta.
Marotta, who coordinates various Somers Point events, says the music is just one of many activities taking place during the concerts on the beach:
"The families come out, the children like to play and have fun and run around. They go out on the beautiful fishing pier. Everybody kind of gets their feet in the sand and we have community organizations who sell things and we have all the things that you want on a beautiful night on the beach, and just really great musical performances...all free, all summer long."
For a full list of weekly performers visit the Tony Mart website.
On top of the weekly, free concerts, one huge one will take place at the end of the month in Atlantic City:
"We invited Blake Shelton to come to do a free concert on the beach and he's coming," says Jeff Guaracino with the Atlantic City Alliance.
Guaracino can't stress that key word enough....free:
"One of the greatest, mainstream artists of country crossovers today will be singing, not for a couple hundred bucks for your ticket for you and your friends, but for a free tickets."
Guaracino compares this to another popular, free concert:
"It's very much our version of the concerts in Central Park that people talk about. This is our concert on the beach and what's terrific is it becomes a group activity. People are looking to bring their friends and spend the day on the beach. They'll bring their boats to the area along the beach that Blake will be there just to listen to the music."
Blake Shelton's free concert takes place July 31st. Lady Antebellum will put on a similar show a few days later. For more go to the DO | AC website.
And as we turn the page on July, thousands will pack the beaches for the annual Margate Memorials. Berger says make sure you save the date:
"August 1st this year, on the beaches of Margate, all of the lifeguard teams from up and down the Jersey Shore come for one of the major lifeguard competitions. Each of the individual municipalities that participate bring up their life boats, have one and two man rowing competitions and a big ocean swim."
He adds Margate Memorials are a big deal on Absecon Island and throughout the coast:
"It is one of the most prestigious trophies a lifeguard can win in the State of New Jersey."
The competition begins late in the afternoon. For more on all Margate events, go to margatehasmore.com.
And that's The Shore Thing for this month.
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Listen to the full podcast (runs 3:27)…
The Shore Thing: Absecon Island in July
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