By Allison Perrine
Despite some difficulties communities are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many activities to enjoy in beautiful beachside towns like Sea Bright and Monmouth Beach.
Beaches are booming in Sea Bright, said Mayor Brian Kelly, and he and Monmouth Beach Mayor Sue Howard both said outdoor dining is doing very well in their towns.
Sea Bright beaches are busy this summer, welcoming more sunbathers and swimmers than they have in years past.
“So far, we’ve adapted pretty well to everything related to COVID,” said Kelly of Sea Bright. The beach has been operating largely safely and successfully, and junior lifeguard camp is proceeding on the weekends and select week days. The program is currently full for the season.
The paid parking lots are filling up and most of the restaurants are successfully serving customers. Some had to change their plans as needed but overall, they are working and doing well with outdoor dining, he said. They are still offering delivery and takeout options in addition to outdoor dining.
One thing the town didn’t anticipate is the beaches in Sea Bright being much busier than in summers past, with daily beach badges going quickly, according to Kelly. “We’re selling out earlier in the day,” he said. “We’re having a pretty solid year. Much better than average.” As of July 16, in Sea Bright, season beach badges, including senior badges, are currently not for sale. However, daily wristbands are still available and can be purchased at beach entrances and at the Beach Office, 1097 Ocean Ave. Daily badges are $8 per person; children under the age of 12 and active military members and their families can access the public beaches for free. Badges can also be purchased on mobile devices through the VIPLY application, which can be downloaded at viplypass.com/sea-bright-beach-badges.
According to Howard, Monmouth Beach works very closely with the restaurants in town and has beautiful outdoor dining set up at Beach Tavern, My Kitchen Witch and at MJ’s Restaurant. She encourages people to come out and enjoy the beautiful settings and delicious food, she said.
Howard added that she is very pleased that the borough has been able to operate safely and that its employees are healthy. She said they have worked hard to put safe operating procedures in place at the Bathing Pavilion and throughout borough operations. She is grateful everyone has followed those procedures and that they, too, are safe and healthy.
The article originally appeared in the July 23 – 29, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
