By MADDY VITALE
A weekend snowstorm that blanketed the area meant one thing for some visitors to Ocean City.
It was time to make snowmen, stroll the boards, grab a slice of pizza and just “chill.” While it wasn’t like the Boardwalk was bustling with visitors Saturday afternoon, there were people out from groups to solos.
Even though the temps were in the mid-20s, some brave souls even ventured onto the snowy beaches and walked along the water’s edge, despite the biting cold and whipping winds.
Others dipped in and out of the shops to get warm and make some purchases.
Debbie and Dave James and their son, Evan, live in Folsom. And while it isn’t a world away from Ocean City, only around a 30-minute drive, the scenery is much different.
“We live on 20 acres in the woods. We were on our ATVs this morning and the grounds were covered in snow,” Dave said. “It’s such a drastic change from here.”
The decision to visit Ocean City and walk along the Boardwalk was an easy one, Debbie James said.
“We come here frequently. We like it in the offseason,” Debbie said. “It’s fun and right now it’s so beautiful.”
And they were on the Boardwalk Saturday with a specific purpose.
“We came to get pizza,” Evan noted.
The family also took photos with a snowman created on the Boardwalk at Ninth Street.
Unlike his parents, Evan, 26, doesn’t typically go to Ocean City. Saturday was a treat for him.
“I like it. It is cool. It is a different experience for me because I don’t get to come up here a lot. Even with the snow, it’s cool,” he said.
Like the James family, Toni Giuliano, of Galloway, and her son, Francis, 15, a Cedar Creek High School student, enjoy Ocean City year-round and especially during the offseason.
Francis also brought along his friend, Tessa, 14, of Egg Harbor Township.
“We wanted to come up here today and look at the beautiful snow,” Toni Giuliano said. “We were hoping the snowman was up here and we were happy to see he was.”
The snowman brings back warm memories for Giuliano.
“We have a picture when Francis was really little and he was standing with him, so to come up and see someone made the snowman again is just a gift, really. We’re thankful,” she added.
There was another snowman, albeit a much smaller version than the one at Ninth Street and Boardwalk, built under the Music Pier’s arched sign.
Some visitors walked into the loggia at the pier and looked out at the vista of snow-covered beaches and pounding waves.
No matter what they did, it was a dramatic change in scenery from just months before, when the beaches were packed and the Boardwalk swelled with vacationers and residents enjoying the balmy temps.
