Freeholders to Establish ‘Coast Guard Community’ Events

COURT HOUSE – At their next official meeting March 10 at 7 p.m., Cape May County Freeholders will vote upon a resolution addressing the U.S. Coast Guard’s recent designation of Cape May County as a “Coast Guard Community.” U.S. Coast Guard Captain G. Todd Prestidge, Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Training Center Cape May (“TRACEN”), will be present at the March 10 meeting to receive official notice of the Freeholders’ actions.
The “Coast Guard Community” designation, announced after several levels of Coast Guard flag review and confirmation by the U.S. Congress, is scheduled for official presentation to Cape May County at a Proclamation Ceremony at TRACEN May 8, by Admiral Paul Zukunft, the Coast Guard’s global Commanding Officer.
To honor and celebrate the designation, this week the County is authorizing a three-day “Coast Guard Community Festival” at which the Proclamation Ceremony will be the central ceremonial event. The festival will take place May 8 to May 10. Additional events and educational opportunities include tours of Coast Guard boats, Cape May harbor and commercial fishing vessels; exhibits of current and historic Coast Guard-related items; children’s activities; a Search-and-Rescue operation; and numerous social events including a barbecue, dinners with entertainment, and a Sunday morning breakfast honoring Coast Guard spouses. (Additional details will be provided in weeks leading up to the Festival.)
Also in this week’s Resolution, County Freeholders will designate the first full week in May of each year as “Coast Guard Community Week” in Cape May County.
Only one other county in the United States has earned the designation of Coast Guard Community. “This is an enormously significant honor for the County, and my colleagues and I wish to support it in every possible way,” said Freeholder Director Gerald M. Thornton, who was active in the County’s application for the designation, a process that took over a year. Freeholder Will Morey now will serve as Festival Co-Chair, along with Cape May City Mayor Edward Mahaney, in planning Festival Events with a Steering Committee appointed from municipalities throughout the County.
TRACEN, the Coast Guard’s fifth largest base, is the only venue in the country where Coast Guard recruits receive their basic training. It also includes commands that engage in missions such as vessel support, participation in air/sea rescue, investigative services, communications and homeland security services.
For more information about the Coast Guard Community designation and the Coast Guard Festival, go to www.coastguardcommunity.org.