Mayor Parasails, Rowed to Beach, Turns Key to ‘Open’ Strand for ‘17

STONE HARBOR – A gray overcast sky and a light wind off the ocean didn’t dampen the spirit of the Stone Harbor holiday crowd that turned out for the traditional beginning of summer. By noon May 27, the parking lots were full; beach tag checkers were at work, and the Beach Patrol staffed the protected areas. The sleepy town with less than 1,000 year-round residents was open for another season.   
Towns up and down the coast have tried a variety of stunts to highlight the annual “unlocking” of beaches. This year Stone Harbor pulled off a very unusual event. Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour parasailed to a spot in the ocean just off the 95th Street Beach. There she was met by lifeguards who rowed her to shore in a lifeguard boat.
As an entrance, it was hard to ignore.
Discussing the planned event at a recent Borough Council meeting, Davies-Dunhour reminded that there was “a lot of room for error.”
The event went flawlessly. Her first word as her feet finally touched the sand, and the firm ground was “Wow!”
Wearing a beach patrol red jacket with the word Mayor stenciled across the right side, Davies-Dunhour led the crowd in a Stone Harbor chant urging the assembled beach goers to make it loud enough “For them to hear it in Avalon.”
She then used the ceremonial key to unlock the beaches, along with Beach Patrol Capt. Sandy Bosacco, and went on to pose for individual smartphone photos with all who asked.
Quizzed about the parasail ride which began at the south end of the borough, Davies-Dunhour said she had a view of the entire Seven Mile Island. “Very exciting,” she added.
For weeks, each of the county’s shore towns has been readying for the start of the season.
In a county with half the second homes in the state and a $7 billion-a-year tourist industry that directly or indirectly supports all of the county residents; “the season” is the lifeblood of the area.
This year a series of beach restorations by the Army Corps of Engineers has refilled sand on the beaches of communities up and down the county shoreline.
In Avalon and Stone Harbor together a $15-million project still has a small area of Stone Harbor’s north end to complete.
Both boroughs have also just finished major dredging projects opening up the waterways of the back bay to the many vessels that travel those channels in the summer.
The parking meters are on. The summer police officers are trained and on duty. The restaurants and businesses are open and prepared for the four-month period when they make the bulk of their living.
For those who visit the shore to open their summer homes, or those who pay for a weekly rental on one of the islands, for those who pack the mainland campgrounds as an alternative way to enjoy the shore, or even those who repeatedly drive here over the summer for a day at the beach, the communities have been preparing in the manner of caretakers for the summer experience of others.
Hopes are high as they always are that this season will avoid serious weather events that disrupt the economy, damage the shoreline or flood the islands.
Revenue lost to weather cannot be easily made up in an economy so tied to a short window of opportunity.
The hopes and fears are the same every year. It is part of the cycle of life in ocean communities that can only be fully appreciated by those who live it. Much planning, effort, and money stand behind that summer experience enjoyed by so many.
Davies-Dunhour addressed the crowd after her dramatic entrance by saying “This is the way to open the beaches.” 
She also made sure to voice the town’s motto “The Seashore at Its Best.”
With that, the annual cycle commences once more with Stone Harbor in its 103rd year as an incorporated resort.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.