Next weekend is Coast Guard Community weekend.
Cape May County will celebrate its designation as a ‘Coast Guard Community’ during a Proclamation Ceremony to be held Friday, May 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May. The only active Boot Camp for Coast Guard recruits.
Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Paul Zukunft, (check out his own Facebook page) will officially present the proclamation to the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Mayors from the county’s sixteen municipalities. Cape May County is one of only two counties and fifteen cities in the nation to be designated a ‘Coast Guard Community.’ This designation was sought by the community through a rigorous application process, and was awarded after approval from the Coast Guard and United States Congress. In other words this is a big deal!!!
Cape May County’s designation as a Coast Guard Community reflects the deep and enduring nature of the relationships that the region’s residents share with Coast Guard personnel, families, and visitors. The designation is recognition of what the Cape May community does for the Coast Guard including how we treat personnel and in part how we receive the numbers of families visiting Cape May each week to attend graduation at the training center.
The Proclamation Ceremony kicks off a three-day festival spanning from Friday May 8 to Sunday, May 10, which will honor Coast Guard personnel and their families, as well as celebrate and educate regarding the many deep connections that exist between the Coast Guard and Cape May County.
On Saturday, the festival will include live music, tours aboard Coast Guard vessels, extensive historical and cultural exhibits, children’s activities, and a BBQ with brews from Cape May Brewery. At Saturday evening Community Connections Mixer held at Cape May Convention Hall, attendees can enjoy a concert, taste local products, or watch a movie on the beach.
On Sunday, a Mother’s Day Kegs n’ Eggs Brunch, plus outdoor interactive marine exhibits, kid’s activities, and floral displays on the grounds of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry will wrap up this fun-filled three-day festival.
If your plans have you visiting Cape May next weekend, you are invited to all of the events and tours. Most are free with few exceptions that are ticketed. If you plan to enter the Coast Guard Base, you must present photo ID and bags are subject to search. The usual precautionary stuff.
Click this link to see and print a Coast Guard Community schedule and flyer.
