Chamber officials say Sandy has not dampened LBI's spirit

The Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce building, located in Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island, may have suffered from water damage during Superstorm Sandy, but the staff’s positive outlook on local tourism during the upcoming seasons has not been dampened. Chamber officials recognize that the summertime might materialize differently and that they will have to manage expectations, but they are not anticipating anything less than a triumphant year.

Photo by Jack Reynolds
Southern Ocean County Chamber officials
Kelly Randazzo and Lori Pepenella are
optimistic about LBI's 2013 tourism season.

“I think that people are going to be pleasantly surprised, and it’ll be a successful season,” said Kelly Randazzo, the chamber’s membership and events coordinator. “When something like this happens, the community does tend to pull together. People want to be part of the solution, and I don’t think you can keep people from the beach,” she added with a chuckle.

Randazzo also said business connections have actually increased since the storm.

In the midst of the area’s popular Chocolate Week, complete with sweet indulgences, real estate open houses, special dinners and the grand re-opening of the Fantasy Island arcade, the chamber is already gearing up for the Wedding Road Show, set for Sunday, April 21. The self-guided tour is designed to showcase the unique wedding experience that exists on LBI. Registration for the event usually includes brides from as far away as North Carolina. This year even includes a bride all the way from Washington state.

“You get inspired when you hear how much this area means to people, and that kind of carries you because you know it’s very important,” said Lori Pepenella, director of the chamber’s destination marketing organization. “It’s a part of people’s hearts, and you want to make sure that all these things are accessible to them and that they have a good point of contact that’s going to be able to give them the right resources to help them plan their stay or contact the business that they need to get in touch with. That’s what we’re basically here to do, and help the businesses, too,” she added.

The staff is also excited to present its traditional beach opening and wine festival in May during Memorial Day weekend, which will expand this year to incorporate the second annual “Cruisin’ For a Cure” event, a motorcycle and classic car run that benefits David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation. The official summer kickoff celebration, dubbed Soar, Pour and Roar, will offer an abundance of fun activities throughout the weekend, including live entertainment by Ted Hammock and Jason Booth, as well as from Sprinkles the Clown, perfect for amusing the kids, and a buffet lunch.

“It brings people down and familiarizes them with the area before the heavy crowds start coming, so they can kind of acclimate themselves to some new places and hopefully keep coming back all year,” said Pepenella.

Pepenella met with New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and the head of the state’s Small Business Administration on Monday, Feb. 11, to discuss the Show Your Love for the Jersey Shore campaign, which she called a “precursor to their multimillion-dollar spring promotion, set to launch in March. She said the chamber would certainly continue to partner with the rest of the shore communities to help spread the word about the area’s readiness for the summertime.

Photo by Jack Reynolds
Information on many of this year's events
on LBI can be found at the Southern Ocean
County Chamber of Commerce building in
Ship Bottom.

A “We are Southern Ocean County Consumer and Family Expo” will take place at the St. Mary’s Parish Center in Manahawkin on Saturday, Feb. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

June will continue to consist of “Art and Leisure” activities, including the Lighthouse International Film Festival and Viking Village’s Jazzy Scallop and Seafood Festival.

The chamber will also celebrate its 25th Chowderfest Weekend. This year’s theme will focus on next year’s Super Bowl, which is set to take place in New Jersey.

“As far as the excitement and the passion that we have here, that’s certainly not going to change,” said Pepenella. “We’re excited now, and it’s just going to get better,” she added with a smile.

For more information about the chamber’s many events, visit http://www.visitlbiregion.com/, or call 609-494-7211.

This article was published in The SandPaper.