It had to happen in Saltaire sometime. For the better part of the past decade, if indeed there was a better part of this past decade, what our dim ancestors quaintly called “the weather gods” (a superstition common to primitive religions, a faith-based view of the universe that we of an enlightened scientific age have dispensed with and now call NOAA) have always cooperated with Saltaire’s annual bayfront picnic and Fourth-of-July fireworks display (held promptly – indeed, religiously – a month after the actual Fourth of July, like all our Fourth-of-July celebrations) and provided us with clear, rainless evenings on which to view the exploding skies. But finally, the odds and gods combined to force the event’s cancelation, as glowering, lowering clouds swept relentlessly across the bay, forcing Grucci to call back its barge-load of combustibles.
This was the right decision, and though the weight of disappointment was palpable amongst the many picnickers in charting a course of action, it was unarguable. Not that there wasn’t a light show: Mother Nature provided a spectacular series of doubtless deadly lightning strikes along the south shore, and a PSE&G transformer blew on Crest Walk, enabling adjacent residents to view the celestial light show even more sharply once their power went out. By press time, these events will be almost two weeks in the past, and while history has proven that little ever happens in the course of just two weeks, it’s most likely that the money recouped will be regrouped, escrowed and used to fund the fun next summer, unless it’s lost in the office poker game this Christmas.
Other things that will have already happened by press time: the 47th Annual Jogathon will have been well and duly thonned; the 25th Annual Perlberger Soccer Cup will be in its post-game celebratory cups; and the 108th Annual Village Election will have been run and won, the ballots handled with utmost care for the voter’s intent by well-paid, trustworthy villagers specially trained in ballot-box creativity during – what else? – the 4th Annual Stuffy Parade.
Best of all was the program recently hosted by Village Historian Pat Hennessey, describing Saltaire’s efforts to recover from the 1938 hurricane and featuring Joan Hellthaler, granddaughter of then-Mayor Paul Schmidt. The poster for this well-received event spoke of “how our wonderful community persevered and rebuilt after being left in shambles and about the role played by the Village’s leadership at the time.” I’m unclear whether that reference to the Village’s leadership referred to its role in rebuilding the community or enabling the shambles (e.g., flattening dunes that interfered with one’s view of the ocean, which was no doubt particularly spectacular that Wednesday afternoon), but either way, as Mayor I assure you the present Board will never be outclassed.
