For many people, May is a very special month.

In addition to featuring the return of migrating birds, gardens blooming, and beautiful springtime weather, this month is also National Walking Month, Women’s Health Care Month, and National Physical Fitness & Sports Month – amongst other notable month-long observances.

Additionally, there are many one-day holidays in May that people look forward to, including (but not limited to, by any means) May Day on May 1, Cinco de Mayo on May 5, International Nurses Day on May 12, National Senior Fraud Awareness Day on May 15, and, for you “My Fair Lady” fans, there’s even an Eliza Doolittle Day on May 20.

Even though there are many month-long observances and special days of recognition this month, for many of us the arrival of May brings with it the anticipation of another wonderful summer along New Jersey’s shoreline – which always starts with Memorial Day Weekend.

However, before we turn our focus to summer’s arrival, don’t forget that there are many reasons to be in Sea Isle City prior to our annual Memorial Day Ceremony on May 26 – starting with Community Day, with takes place this Saturday, May 3.

If you participated in our Community Day festivities in the past, you probably remember that it’s a day when you can attend a 9:00 AM City Council meeting inside City Hall and catch-up on the business being conducted by your local elected officials.

Moreover, Community Day is also when you can safely dispose of unwanted documents during our free shredding event, place a bid on a bike (or two) during our yearly municipal bicycle auction, speak with city officials and representatives from local civic organizations during our “meet-and-greet” inside the Community Lodge – and, in general, remind yourself why Sea Isle City is such a terrific place to spend time!

In addition to our numerous Community Day activities, the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce will host their annual city-wide yard sale on May 3, which always includes dozens of homes.

To make shopping easier for bargain hunters in search of those one-of-a-kind items during the yard sale, the Chamber will create a list of participating properties, which will be available on their Facebook page on Friday afternoon – so don’t’ miss this opportunity to clean-out your closets and other cluttered storage areas, and sell any unwanted items you may find during Saturday’s city-wide yard sale.

Aside from Community Day and the many other happenings that keep people active during this much-anticipated month, May is also a busy time for Sea Isle City’s Beach Tag Office, which is now open 7-days a week inside the Welcome Center.

If you have not yet purchased your 2025 seasonal beach tags, be sure to do so prior to May 15, which is when the pre-season beach tag rate of $25 expires, and the regular seasonal rate of $30 goes into effect.

To learn more about beach tags, Saturday’s yard sale and our Community Day activities, please see the special sections dedicated to each in this edition of Sea Isle City’s E-Newsletter – and for information about the many other events and activities that are coming your way in the months ahead – please go to www.VisitSICNJ.com.

As you can imagine, our municipal employees are busy preparing for the approaching summer season, and one of the projects we have planned this month is a city-wide street sweeping, which will take place over the course of two weeks.

This project will occur in different neighborhoods on different days; and to ensure that the street sweeping process is as effective as possible, we ask that everyone avoid parking on the curb during the hours of 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM on the days that sweeping will occur.

The streets from 2nd to 44th Street will be swept on Thursday, May 15, and Thursday, May 22; properties from 45th to 70th Street will see the street sweeper pass by on Tuesday, May 13, and Tuesday, May 20; and if you live from 71st to 94th Street, expect to see the street sweeper on Wednesday, May 14, and Wednesday May 21.

This week’s “Shout Out” goes to local veteran’s advocate and radio talk show host Joe Griffies, who was recently added to the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial & Museum in Holmdel.

I am certain Joe will be an instrumental member of that important organization, and I encourage everyone to make a special trip to see the Garden State’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Museum if you can – and if you are not able to make the trip to Holmdel anytime soon, please visit their website, www.njvvmf.org. –Keep up the good work, Joe!

Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!

Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio