With the snip of a yellow ribbon June 22, Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi, Borough Council members and Cape May County officials celebrated the grand opening of Surfside Park, located at 30th Street and the beach. Hundreds of residents and visitors joined the celebration and enjoyed a night out at the park featuring music, food and fun for everyone.

“The feedback that we have received from the creation of Surfside Park has been nothing short of extraordinary, and overwhelming,” Pagliughi said. “This park will provide a lifetime of smiles and fun experiences for generations to come. Avalon is deeply appreciative of the support for the park from the Cape May County Open Space Program.”

Introduced by Big 5 Hall of Famer Fran Dunphy, Jimmy and the Parrots performed a concert on the newly constructed stage. Many people brought their beach chairs and blankets to sit on the lawn for the show, while some took advantage of photo ops in the replica Avalon lifeguard boat and lifeguard stand. The Avalon Recreation Department supplied funnel cakes, soft pretzels, cotton candy and water for the crowd. Kids enjoyed the state-of-the-art playground, complete with a slide off the boardwalk, as well as face painters and visits with characters inspired by Elsa and Captain America.

Throughout the summer, Surfside Park will feature free family events such as Surfside Live on Monday nights and Surfside Jam on Friday nights. For more information, go to avalonrecreation.org.