For some folks, spring officially arrives on the vernal equinox, which takes place this year on March 20. For others, March 1st is when spring officially begins, simply because March is a “spring month.” And for others still, spring’s arrival is closely tied to seasonal birds returning to town or when crocuses and tulips start to pop up in our gardens.

All that being said, no matter when you believe spring officially arrives, I am certain we can all agree that we have had enough of the cold weather, and that “spring thaw” are the happiest words we can hear right now, because that means summer isn’t far behind – and boy do we have some exciting events and activities coming your way this summer!

To ensure that the approaching summer season will be fun and memorable, our municipal employees are working hard to complete improvement projects and also fine-tune our schedule of events (which seems to get better and better each year). To learn what events are listed on Sea Isle City’s 2026 calendar, go to www.VisitSICNJ.com and click the “Event Calendar” link on the home page – and to see our lineup of 2026 summer concerts, outdoor movies and other weekly happenings, click the “Summer Events” link located near the bottom of the homepage.

In addition to signaling spring’s arrival, March is obviously also a big month for people of Irish decent (and the rest of us who also enjoy celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day). In addition to the usual annual “green” celebrations that will once again be happening this month, Irish eyes will also be smiling tonight at 6:30 PM, when the members of the Sea Isle City Garden Club host their yearly Green Auction inside the Community Lodge, where anyone can join them for some laughs and camaraderie. Then, the seasonal fun will continue when our friends at AARP Chapter 710 host their yearly Saint Patrick’s Luncheon on March 12. To learn more about the Garden Club, AARP and the many other civic organizations that call Sea Isle City “home,” please go to the “Clubs & Organizations” page in this E-Newsletter.

In other news, I am happy to report that Sea Isle City’s beaches fared very well during the recent winter storms, and we had minimal beach erosion and dune loss. As we all know, the beach is our “main attraction” and maintaining a beautiful, clean shoreline is very important to making the summer season a success. However, we also recognize how important each of our recreation areas are, because variety truly is the spice of life. Therefore, our beaches, municipal docks, courts, ballfields, parks and playgrounds will indeed be ready when the warm weather arrives.

And speaking of our playgrounds, there will be a special presentation about “Playground Shade” from our municipal engineer, Andy Previti, during City Council’s March 10th meeting. As many of you no doubt are aware, adding shade structures over existing playgrounds has been an evolving conversation during the past couple of years – and while some people are adamant that adding shade to our playgrounds is a very important goal, others have expressed concerns about spending large sums of money on that type of project. Nonetheless, we are all looking forward to learning more about our options (and the costs related to each) during Andy’s report, which I am certain will be thorough and very informative.

This week’s “Shout Out” goes to Sea Isle City’s Public Works employees, police officers, firefighters and EMT’s. While most of us were taking refuge inside our warm homes during and after the recent winter storm, our DPW employees were tirelessly plowing streets and shoveling snow, and our first responders were braving the elements during numerous emergency calls – and for that I am extremely grateful. Our municipal employees are always there for us – especially when the chips are down – and my thanks go to each of the city workers who helped us weather that impactful storm!

Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!

Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio