Smilestones
Mary Shields is flanked by generous donors Carol and Paul Touhey, who helped make this event possible.
SHOOTING STARS BEACH DANCE PARTY A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
More than 200 people came together for the Sea Isle City Shooting Stars Beach Dance Party on Monday, Aug. 11. It was a celebration that united individuals with special needs, their families, and volunteers for an evening filled with music, dancing, and community spirit.
Guests fully embraced the beach theme, arriving in Hawaiian shirts, summer dresses, and plenty of festive flair. The dance floor stayed busy all evening with a DJ, while a photo booth and door prizes added to the fun. Every participant was crowned a king or queen of the night, and left with a crown or tiara, and lasting memories.
“We are really so lucky,” said program coordinator Mary Shields. “The Sea Isle City community has truly embraced our team and supported our program. Our goal is to continue this end-of-summer tradition annually for the kids.”
The event was made possible through the generous support of Mike’s Seafood Run/Walk for Autism, the Sea Isle City Recreation Department, the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City, and local residents Paul and Carol Touhey. Their contributions helped ensure that the Shooting Stars could wrap up the summer in style with a night to remember.
Ellie Kutschera and Nick Matousch
SIC LIFEGUARDS COMPETE IN CAPE MAY’S SUPERATHALON
Nick Matousch and Ellie Kutschera did the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol proud as its two representatives in the Cape May Beach Patrol’s annual SuperAthalon on June 1.
Participants compete in a 2.3-mile run, 1.5-mile row, and a quarter-mile swim. The event is a huge success every year as local beach patrols send representatives to compete in the race.
“The SuperAthalon was first held in 1982,” SICBP Chief Renny Steele explained. “In 2024, the race was renamed the Buzz Mogck Memorial SuperAthalon in honor of Cape May’s longtime chief. 2025 was the second year that there was a female division. The race involves the three skills most applied in ocean lifeguarding.”
Matousch finished in an impressive seventh place out of all contestants. A seventh-grade teacher in the Middle Township School District, he first joined the SIC Beach Patrol in 2013. This was his eighth year representing Sea Isle at the event.
Kutschera was the first-ever female representative for Sea Isle at the SuperAthalon. She had expressed that the SuperAthalon was a male-dominated event, and the support of the patrol motivated her to compete. She is studying chemistry and environmental sustainability at Northeastern University in Boston. Beyond the SuperAthalon, she is very active in the community.
“Ellie is one of the many beach patrol volunteers who work The Heart of Surfing and Shooting Stars programs, both programs that work with special needs children,” Steele said. “She is always eager to participate in beach patrol activities like our volley tournament and the morning row program.”
FLYERS CARAVAN BRINGS LEGENDS TO TOWN FOR FUN DAY
Flyers legends like Bernie Parent and others from the Stanley Cup teams of the 1970s joined the current and next generation of Flyers on the team’s community caravan that stopped in Sea Isle City’s Excursion Park on July 17. Gritty was on hand, of course, and was a big hit with the kids (of all ages). There were giveaways and games as the Flyers and their fans took over the park for a fun day.
FAMILY REUNION IS RELATIVELY HUGE
Members of the extended McFadden/McGinnis family gathered on 71st Street beach on July 20 during their fifth summer reunion … all 142 of them, including 91-year-old Mildred McGinnis. The event that is held every three years spans four generations from across the country, including California, Arizona, Illinois, the state of Washington, and beyond.
Sea Isle has been a beloved vacation spot for decades, and five family members now own homes between 50th Street and 82nd Street. The reunion week was filled with beach days, a golf outing, bar nights, and a Starfish booze cruise – memories they look forward to making again.
Tying the Knot
CAPPELLO, DEGNAN WED
Gerry Degnan and Nicole Cappello were married on June 5 on Sea Isle’s 32nd Street beach. Nicole is the daughter of Joe and Kelly Cappello of Sea Isle City and Bucks County, Pa., and Gerry is the son of Gerry and Maryanne Degnan of Ocean City and Montgomery County, Pa. The couple met through mutual friends, and Gerry proposed in Philadelphia’s Queen Village, after a romantic dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. Nicole has spent summers in Sea Isle at her family’s home since childhood, so it was only fitting for them to exchange vows on the beach she has cherished her entire life. They celebrated with an intimate ceremony surrounded by immediate family, followed by a dinner reception at Anthony’s. Afterward, the newlyweds honeymooned in Newport, R.I. Gerry and Nicole are now looking forward to welcoming their first child, a boy, in September — and can’t wait to bring him to Sea Isle to create new memories together.
NEWBY-SMITH NUPTIALS
Kerry Newby and Matthew Smith were married on Jan. 18 in Newtown Square, Pa. They met in Sea Isle City and were engaged over the 2024 Memorial Day weekend. Kerry is the daughter of Skeeter and Lizanne Newby. She spent summers on 80th Street at the home of her grandparents, Jinx and Joan Lake, and worked at Sunset Pier. She is the niece of locals Rick and Colleen Moretti. Matthew is the son of Nora and Fran Smith of Sea Isle City. He worked summers as a SICBP lifeguard. He is the nephew of locals Nancy and the late Lonzi Iacono. Matthew and Kerry enjoyed their first summer as a married couple in the place where they fell in love.
BUCH, CARTER ENGAGED
Elizabeth Buch and Braxton Carter became engaged on Aug. 9 when Braxton proposed on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Elizabeth is the daughter of Michael and Colleen Buch, of Sea Isle City, and Robin Johnstone, of Sebastian, Fla. Braxton is the son of Enissa and Farrell Borine, of Wayne, Pa. Elizabeth earned her master’s degree from The College of New Jersey and is employed as an early intervention specialist for the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. Braxton has his MBA from Drexel and now works as a senior manager of buxiness development at Universal Music Group. The couple is planning a fall 2026 wedding.