By MADDY VITALE
A sun-splashed sky and blazing temperatures, on a weekend no less, gave day-trippers and vacationers a great excuse to hit the boards and the beaches in Ocean City on Sunday.
Sean Burke, 22, and his brother, Patrick, 21, drove down to the resort on Sunday morning from their home in Drexel Hill, Pa.
They came to surf and practice their soccer moves at the 7th Street surfers’ beach.
“We came for the day. It’s surprisingly hot, so we figured we’d head down and check out the waves,” Sean Burke said. “We like to come here for the surf beach.”
Families filled the Boardwalk. Some sipped cool drinks. Others took leisurely bike rides.
Maria Okenhouse, of Jenkintown, Pa., and her 2-year-old son, Knox, took at quick trip up to the Boardwalk to pick up some iced coffee and other frosty drinks.
The rest of the family, 8-year-old Nolan, 7-year-old Nora, and dad, Stephen Okenhouse, were on the beach enjoying the weather and the water.
“This is the start of our month-long vacation in Ocean City,” Maria Okenhouse noted. “Every year we come down with my mom and rent a home. It is a family tradition.”
Lifeguards watched as children dipped their feet in the water. Some beachgoers waded waist high, while others just stayed by the water’s edge to relax and hear the waves.
Megan and Caleb Bradbury, of Lansdale, Pa., enjoyed a weekend getaway in the resort with their 2-year-old son, Isaiah.
Megan helped Isaiah scoop sand and clump it into a mound at the Eighth Street Beach.
“The hole keeps disappearing!” Isaiah exclaimed.
“Yes, it does,” Megan said, as she smiled at her son’s observation.
“It is a perfect weekend. You couldn’t ask for any better,” Megan noted. “I’ve been coming here my whole life. It is a great place for families”
Caleb added that they usually visit for Memorial Day weekend, but because the weather was so bad then, they decided to come a week later.
“We hope to come back a few more times this summer,” he said.
Lindsay Dougherty, who grew up in Ocean City and lives in Cape May Court House, said there is no other place she can think of bringing her daughters, Marley, 6, and 9-month-old Maverick.
The family was at Eighth Street beach enjoying the comfortable temperature at the shoreline.
“We come down here all the time. I graduated from Ocean City High School. It is a great place to grow up and now I bring my children here,” Lindsay said. “I love it here and so do my kids.”
While some children made sandcastles or just played with goops of sand, others had another way of enjoying the beach.
“I love jumping in the waves!” Marley shouted and giggled before digging in the sand.
