We kicked off Mother’s Day weekend on May 11 with OBP’s first community-wide yard sale. A treasure map was distributed that covered 16 participating addresses ranging from Cayuga to Kelp Street in Seaview. Thank you, Lisa Kaufman, for including Kelp Street in Seaview and for offering up a really fantastic array of merchandise. You know, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Although not obligatory, suggested that donations to the OBP fire department raised more than $1,200.
After a hiatus of several years, the OBP fire department spaghetti dinner was held that evening. For many of the longtime homeowners, the spaghetti dinner represents the weekend they open their houses and the start of summer. Working hand-in-glove with the firefighters, the following Saturday, May 18, the Ocean Bay Park Fire Department Auxiliary held its annual plant sale. We all owe a big thank-you to all the volunteers who made it happen.
The next day, on Sunday, May 19, the Ocean Bay Park Association held its spring meeting. It was an opportunity to get updated on what has happened since last year and more importantly what is slated for this season. Besides an update on the state of the beach and infrastructure, a full calendar of upcoming events was presented. I am happy to report that there is much in store, including the return of the community fair.
After a month of mostly rainy weekends, Memorial Day weekend managed not to be a total washout. Beach movie night returned on Sunday, May 26, with a screening of “Sharknado” on the beach at Champlain thanks to Rob Kuhar and Paul Brincat. I was one of the intrepid souls who braved the fog and the mist to sit on the beach and watch a campy take on “Jaws.” I loved it.
The next day, the call went out for volunteers to show up at 9 a.m. and spend one hour to help put up snow fence, which is so vital to the protection of our dunes. The task took much longer than an hour, but Steven Jaffe, Paul Brincat, Aaron Marcu, Dawn Cloutier, Eric Snyder, Gene Raicovich, Jonny Miller, John ‘Ski” Sowulksi, Katie Benrubi, Kurt Rieke and Tom Ucciferri all gave of their time to remove debris and install new snow fence.
Another Memorial Day weekend has now come and gone. Let’s never forget the brave men and women who have fought for and protected our freedom and democracy, especially those who did not make it home.
Correction: The “Rowsbud” photo featured in the May 24, 2024 Ocean Bay Park column was taken by Ellie Mal, not Barbara Gaby Placilla.
