Crowds Enjoy Ocean City During Mask-Free Holiday Weekend

By MADDY VITALE Nibbling on pizza, eating ice cream, playing games on the beach or just strolling with friends at the water’s edge, people didn’t seem to care that the weather was rainy, chilly and cloudy. No, there wasn’t even a hint of sun, but visitors flocked to Ocean City to enjoy the holiday weekend just the same. Although the clouds remained for much of Sunday and the temperatures hovered in the 50s, people refused to let the dreary weather spoil a holiday weekend that kicks off the summer season. And this was the first holiday after Gov. Phil Murphy lifted New Jersey's mask mandate for people who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Mikayla Montalbano, Sean Augustin, Gabby Jacoby, and Grace Carbo, all friends from Collegeville, Pa., had a lot to celebrate. The 18-year-old best friends will graduate from high school in a week. Montalbano’s grandmother owns a home in Ocean City, so they decided to head down to the shore no matter what the weather was like to make memories. “I have been coming here since I was a baby,” Montalbano said, while walking along the water's edge with her friends. “We are spending this weekend doing all good Ocean City things.” Friends Grace Carbo, Gabby Jacoby, Sean Augustin and Mikayla Montalbano, all age 18, of Collegeville, Pa., make the most of the wet weekend. In the fall, Carbo and Jacoby, will be attending the same college, while Montalbano and Augustin will go to other colleges. But until then, the plan is to visit Ocean City a few more times over the summer. “Even though it was freezing last night, we went to the Boardwalk and got ice cream,” Augustin said with a laugh. Carbo seemed to sum up the sentiment of Boardwalk strollers and beachgoers over the weekend. “Even though it is rainy and cold, we are still having fun,” she noted. And while it was too cold for swimming, some beachgoers got up the nerve to take a quick dip and then play a few games of spike ball. Clockwise, Connor McGee, 14, Jackson Devine, 14, Ian Donnelly, 14, and Declan Devine, 12, all of Philadelphia, get into a game of spike ball. Jackson Devine, 14, and his brother, Declan, 12, along with their cousins, Connor McGee, 14, and Ian Donnelly, 14, all from Philadelphia, enjoyed tapping the spike ball in a volley. But just shortly before, Ian hopped in the water and Jackson did so too with a little prompting, Jackson said. “Not bad,” Ian said to describe the chilly water. “He’s crazy,” Jackson said with a laugh. “It’s cold. But by the end, we really couldn’t feel it.” The four teens were spending the weekend at the brothers’ vacation home in Ocean City. By Sunday afternoon, they had already gotten pizza and hit the beach. Later, they had plans for a spirited game of miniature golf. “We can’t miss out on that,” Declan said. For many of the people who visited Ocean City for the holiday weekend, it was part of their family’s tradition, a yearly return in the summer to their favorite resort. Winnie Hays, 3, takes center stage, as her 5-year-old twin sisters, Mae, left, and Bea, pose for the camera. For Melissa and Aubrey Hays, of Downingtown, Pa., and their three girls, 5-year-old twins Mae and Bea and 3-year-old Winnie, it was a first. “This is the first time the girls are experiencing the Jersey Shore,” Melissa Hays explained. “They get to see the ocean, the Boardwalk. They are loving it.” Aubrey Hays added, “It is so nice here for families.” There was plenty to occupy the girls. They each had a favorite part of the trip. “I like the games!” Mae exclaimed. The sisters each spooned out soft ice cream from cups. “I like ice cream the best,” Bea said. When Winnie heard her sister’s answer she chimed in, “I like ice cream but I like chicken nuggets, too.”