Last week, I had the pleasure of touring the site where our future Community Center is being constructed – and everything I saw indicated that the building is going to be even more spectacular than I imagined!

If you’ve driven by the construction site (or seen the photos in our recent “Project Updates”) you know that the foundation of the Community Center’s first floor is in place and the facility’s stairwells and elevator shaft have taken shape. As I walked past those towering stairwells and through the spaces that one day soon will be the facility’s lobby, gymnasium, event rooms and expansive under-building parking garage, I was very impressed with the work that is being accomplished, and I became more eager than ever to see this project come to fruition in the autumn of 2025.

I look forward to touring our Community Center site again soon, and I also look forward to sharing more details about the construction process with you – right up to the time we host a Grand Opening Ceremony next year!

Hopefully, you were able to attend Sea Isle’s wonderful Halloween Parade on October 18, which included an array of eye-catching floats, costumed participants and well-decorated vehicles. My sincere thanks go to the employees in our Recreation Office for once again hosting that popular event, and I am also very grateful for the many families, civic groups, and individuals who appeared in the parade – including the participants from this year’s “Shooting Stars” summer basketball clinics, who served as the parade’s Grand Marshalls. –Thank you all!

The day after spectators were delighted by our Halloween Parade, the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce hosted their 2024 “Harvest Classic” festival, which was also very successful. Even though the extreme high tides prevented the event’s hayrides on the beach from occurring, the Harvest Classic put smiles on many faces – thanks to the event’s live music, vendors, pie-baking contest, pumpkin-decorating, and the other free activities that were offered.

My thanks go to the Chamber of Commerce for hosting another successful Harvest Classic, which many people enjoyed! Also, my congratulations go to Bill Kehner, Jr. and Tracy DeCant, who won the first and second prizes (respectively) in the event’s Pie Baking Contest. Additionally, I want to extend my gratitude to each of the local businesses and organizations that added “autumnal cheer” to our community by participating in the Chamber’s annual Harvest Classic Scarecrow Contest – especially our friends at VFW Post 1963’s Auxiliary, who received first place honors.

Looking ahead, I hope you will be able to attend our annual Veterans Day Ceremony on November 11 at Veterans Park, where we will honor the men and women who served in the military. As I have said many times in the past: “Here in Sea Isle City, we don’t just honor our nation’s veterans on Veterans Day, we honor them every day of the year.” Obviously, those words indicate how much our veterans mean to this community – and to our country – so, please do your best to attend our ceremony at Veterans Park on November 11 and show your gratitude for those who helped preserve America’s democracy!

In addition to our Veterans Day Ceremony, be sure to “save the date” for the Chamber of Commerce’s Fall Girls Weekend on November 22, 23 & 24. Then, on Friday night, November 29, don’t miss our annual Holiday Parade and Mayor’s Tree Lighting Ceremony, which will be followed by a variety of family-friendly activities during the Chamber of Commerce’s “Winter Village” on November 30.

This week’s “Shout Out” goes to Doug & Sue Williamson for hosting Sea Isle’s Pick-up Softball Games each week this past summer (and into the fall). The Williamsons are fine examples of community volunteers who clearly love Sea Isle City, and I am very grateful for all their efforts! –Thank you, Doug and Sue!

I hope everybody is having a Happy Halloween!

Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio