Shore hoping for post-Irene rebound this weekend

OCEAN CITY, N.J. - The Jersey Shore has been dusting the sand from its welcome mat since Hurricane Irene left the coast Sunday.

From Long Beach Island's Old Barney to the gourmet dining rooms of Cape May, a single question now looms: Will the tourists come back?

Last weekend, a week before the Labor Day holiday, summer's traditional swan song, officials ordered a mandatory evacuation of all of Cape May County and coastal areas in Atlantic, Ocean, and Monmouth Counties. The unprecedented order rousted as many as 1.2 million people at the height of the vacation season.

That "interruption of momentum" has Shore officials and business owners nervously scanning the horizon this week, according to Diane F. Wieland, director of the Cape May County Department of Tourism.

"Last week was jamming until the evacuation order. This week leading up to Labor Day is always a little slower because you have people in the back-to-school mode," Wieland said. "But the abrupt movement away from the Shore has created a big question mark for everyone here."

Irene did minimal damage at the Shore. Elsewhere, particularly in North Jersey, residents are still dealing with floodwaters and the wreckage left behind.

"Our hearts go out to the people who ended up with a lot of storm damage and problems," said Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce. "But we think the best solution for them is to come down here and enjoy the beautiful weather in what's left of the summer."

Gillian, whose family operates Gillian's Wonderland amusement pier on the boardwalk, said business in Ocean City was down as much as 70 percent at the start of the week. But people have trickled back to "America's Greatest Family Resort," she said.

"I think now we're doing about 80 percent of what we had last year at this time," Gillian said Thursday. "With good weather this weekend, we could be back up to normal levels."

Despite a still-jittery economy, things had been going swimmingly at the Shore this summer. June and July brought weeks of nearly uninterrupted sunshine and high temperatures, and until last week, August's record rain usually did not fall until after sundown.

The summer of 2011 was on course to be one of the best seasons in four or five years, said Karen Barlow, a manager for five Ocean City beach-block hotels and condos, including the Impala Island Inn and the Beach Club Hotel.

Then came Irene.

"We'll never get that week back," said Barlow, referring to the lingering effects of the evacuation order.

But things are looking up for Labor Day, Barlow said.

"We only have seven or eight rooms left in all five of our properties, and by the weekend those will be gone," she predicted. "We're hoping that all the people who missed out because of the storm last week and this week will come back down in September and October and see how great it is down here in the shoulder season."

That wish is shared by Bill Middleton, who owns Bayview Marina in Ocean City. Marina owners are fearful that boaters who removed their craft from slips in preparation for the storm might decide not to return this year.

"Once those boats are out of water, that's it for the summer. They're not coming back," Middleton said.

If the weather holds, he said, he might be able to recoup some losses through boat rentals or parasailing and waterskiing for at least a few more weeks.

Officials elsewhere say they will just go with the flow.

In the doo-wop Wildwoods, which rarely skip a beat, authorities have shifted gears and rescheduled last weekend's events - including the Block Party and Music Festival and a comic book and collectibles show at the Convention Center - for this weekend.

They will serve as the kickoff to the Wildwoods' "Second Season Celebration," said John Siciliano, executive director of the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority.

In Ocean County, officials also are choosing to look forward rather than backward.

"This is 'Super September' in Ocean County because we have so many special events and festivals happening," said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. "Our roads to the barrier islands are open, the weather forecast is good, and we expect an excellent weekend from Point Pleasant and Seaside Heights to Long Beach Island."

Never a place to let a little rain and wind get the best of it, Atlantic City has launched a promotion that throws sand back in the face of Irene.

At least five casinos are offering "Goodnight Irene" hotel rates as low as $55 a night. Other promotions offer a four-pound Nova Scotia lobster for $95 at the Atlantic City Palm and a Cat-5 Hurricane souvenir-glass drink special at bars and restaurants at Caesars Hotel & Casino.

"There was a lot of displacement caused by Irene. But at this point, businesses really have to focus on what's ahead and find ways to make lemonade out of those lemons," said Wes Kazmarck, owner of the Surf Mall in Ocean City and president of a boardwalk merchants' association.