Crowds flock to Asbury Park for an early taste of summer

ASBURY PARK, N.J. (PIX11) -- The beach and boardwalk in Asbury Park, New Jersey was buzzing Wednesday with people enjoying the first taste of the summer season.

“It was the first nice day that we’ve had in a while,” said Ashley Kennedy, who came down for the day from Port Jervis, New York.

Mike Flood and his wife drove down from Little Falls when they heard about 90-degree temperatures in the forecast. 

“We talked and said, ‘Hey, it’s gonna be a good day to go down to the beach,’ said Flood. “Sun, beautiful day, no clouds - absolutely gorgeous.”

Eileen Flynn and Roseann Losa enjoyed the day walking the boardwalk. “We love Asbury Park,” said Flynn. “It’s just so much energy. It’s just a fun place to be.”

“Oh, it’s exciting,” said Losa. “Look at all the people on the beach and eating and enjoying themselves. It just makes it so special.”

Most of the shops on the boardwalk are already open ahead of the holiday weekend.

“It’s been really busy,” said Kasey Hughes, who works at Wanderlust, a boardwalk clothing shop. “But super fun and easy, and I love being on the beach so it’s been awesome.”

Francisco Rodriguez, the manager at Pucker Lemonades & Beach Fries along the boardwalk, said business is starting to pick up as the season gets underway.

Rodriguez said they just received ten cases of Idaho potatoes for the weekend rush.

“[We have to] essentially cut all the potatoes into fries, we have to prep that,” said Rodriguez. “We have to get ready all the lemon. We have to do all the sugar cups, which is just measuring that ahead of time.”