Tuesday, July 24, 2007

What to do in the Wildwoods

I'm working on "The Wildwoods" chapter today. No, that's not a typo -- it's called "The Wildwoods" because this section of the book covers three different towns on one five-mile island. I had no idea that North Wildwood, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest were three separate entities with three separate mayors. That says excellent things about how they work together in marketing themselves as a vacation spot.

One of great parts about the Wildwoods, and one of the things that I think has brought it out of the slump it hit in the 1980s and 1990s, is the events. There's things to do all year at the Wildwoods, and I'm kicking myself for not checking into this earlier because I've already missed the Sensational’60s Weekend, Wildwoods International Kite Festival, National Marbles Tournament, Polka Spree by the Sea, North Wildwood Original Italian-American Festival and the Cape May County Lifeguard Championship.

But not all is lost. This weekend is the Co-Ed Beach Ultimate Beach Frisbee Tournament. It'snot for the light Frisbee player. It's a fierce spot. When I interned at a news service in Washington, DC, I spent many lunches on the national mall watching the afternoon games. I'll be in Ocean City on Saturday for the Night in Venice parade, but hope to hop down to the Wildwoods Sunday to catch the beach-side action.

The non-summer seasons are busy in the Wildwoods, too, with an annual Irish Fall Festival, Halloween House Decorating Contest, Barbershop Quartet Weekend, Fabulous '50s Weekend and Wildwood Holiday Spectacular. As much as I joke that I'm not going anywhere near the shore after I finish the book, the Wildwoods might still be calling.

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