By MADDY VITALE
Visitors to Ocean City beaches hit the trifecta on Sunday. It was sunny, temps were in the mid-70s, and it was the first day of the shoulder season that dogs were allowed on the beach.
And beachgoers didn’t seem to mind some erosion left in the wake of Tropical Storm Ophelia, which battered the coast on Sept. 23, flooding low-lying areas and creating dangerous rip currents.
Laura and Conner Maher, of Philadelphia, brought their three children, Addy, 2, and 1-month-old twins Evie and Emerson for a relaxing day at the beach.
“I can’t believe we are here,” Laura said with a smile as she held her twins close to her, protecting them from the sun’s rays. “And the sun is out.”
The Mahers enjoy trips to Ocean City a couple of times a year.
“It’s so family-friendly. We do day trips,” Laura noted.
Conner added that they choose the Ninth Street beach because it is convenient and close to parking.
But erosion at the popular beach caused a dip in the sand, making it tricky to navigate.
So, Conner got creative.
“I made some steps for the family to walk easier to the beach,” Conner noted of the steps he carved into the sand of the mini-cliffs.
“We were fine, but a lot of people might not to go down to the water because of that, so I improvised,” he said of creating the temporary steps in the sand.
Like the Mahers, other beachgoers lounged in beach chairs, even splashed in the surf, while kids made sandcastles, played Frisbee and spike ball. Others strolled along the Boardwalk.
There were also four-legged friends who enjoyed Ocean City. Although dogs are banned on Ocean City’s beaches during the peak summer tourism season, they are allowed to romp on the sand from Oct. 1 to April 30 provided they are on a leash and their owners clean up any messes.
Katie Steelman, of Long Branch, N.J., was excited to bring her dog, Maisie, a pitbull-husky mix to walk on the beach Sunday.
Steelman, who grew up going to Ocean City, came down with her parents to visit her grandmother, an Ocean City resident.
She decided to head to the beach to give Maisie some exercise and to enjoy the great weather.
“It’s beautiful out and Maisie loves going to the beach,” Steelman said. “I’m waiting for my parents so we can eat lunch.”
In addition to Maisie, there were several dogs and their owners strolling along the beach.
Donna Dreyer, of Hillsborough, N.C., relaxed on a beach chair next to her stepdaughter, Katie Hall, of Phoenix, Ariz., who was enjoying pizza.
Their dog, Kenya, an Australian Mountain Doodle, was by their side and rather well-behaved considered she was sitting next to a pizza box.
The family was in New Jersey to visit Dreyer’s mother-in-law in Bridgeton, N.J., who recently turned 104.
“We came to the beach because the sun finally came out,” Dreyer said, as she patted Kenya, who obligingly posed for photos.
