SUMMER MARCHES OFF INTO THE SUNSET
But not before one last golden day for picnics, concerts, swimming
New London — For Justin Collier, it was a day to sit back, relax and enjoy one of the few remaining days of summer.
The Massachusetts man sat with his girlfriend and young daughter on a bench at City Pier watching the boats bob at their docks while he waited for his ride. He was trying not to think about his return to work in the morning.
Collier was among a host of others who had spent the day at Ocean Beach Park with friends on Labor Day, widely known as the unofficial last day of the key summer tourism season.
The actual last day of summer is Sept. 22, but Ocean Beach and other area beaches and parks are likely to see the number of visitors dwindle as fall nears.
An avid skier who also enjoys the colors of fall, Collier said he’s not the type of person who will shed a tear when summer is gone.
“It’s one of the reasons I live in New England, I guess — the change in seasons and all,” he said.
Others across New London said the end of summer isn’t all bad.
Ken Hochstetler, the owner of Kamp Dog restaurant in New London, stopped at Diane’s Bait, Tackle and Charters on Monday for some bait on his way to his boat in Niantic.
Hochstetler worked until 3 p.m. before he closed up shop to join others who had the day off. He planned an early evening fishing trip.
It will be several weeks before boats start disappearing from local marinas, and Hochstetler said his 16-footer won’t be out of the water until “I start hearing crunching,” a reference to ice in the water.
Tiffany Williams, an employee at Diane’s, said the highly anticipated black fish season doesn’t even start until Oct. 10.
Diane’s was busy on Monday with a steady flow of fishing gear and bait selling to a mix of novices and seasoned fishermen alike. She expects it will stay busy for months to come.
State parks remain open year round, but Labor Day marks the end of the busy season and the last day for open campgrounds and lifeguards stationed at 10 locations across the state, including Rocky Neck State Park.
Swimming areas will remain open but unattended. Water quality tests also cease.
“It’s been a great summer season. We’ve had some nice warm weekends and several weekends where the beaches were full to capacity,” said Dennis Schain, communications director for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. “Our thanks to the legislators and governor for, even in these tight budget times, making sure we had enough money to operate.”
Some of the parks will continue to collect fees over the next several weeks even as maintenance is scaled back.
The DEEP had already reduced some operations last year because of budget concerns, cutting the number of days that lifeguards are on duty, closing some campgrounds and cutting back hours at state park museums and nature centers.
Schain credits park staff for giving visitors a good experience this year and reminds the general public that “Fall is beautiful, and there are plenty of hot days in September.”