VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The surf and sand the night before Memorial Day Weekend are ready for people, but Friday afternoon mother nature wasn’t playing nice.
Two tents, owned by Uncle Dave’s Kettle Corn in Virginia Beach, were destroyed after a heavy gust blew them off the boardwalk
“Everything was going well, a gust of wind came through and took the weights and everything. It actually snapped these things directly in half,” said Robert Finney with Uncle Dave’s Kettle Corn. ”It was connected to the pole, locked down, strapped down and just popped completely off.”
When the overcast skies eventually broke up to let the sunshine through, the resort city was ready to live up to its name.
“There’s something for everybody this weekend, it’s gonna be a good weekend, the hotels are pretty much sold out already, there are some that still have rooms left,” said John Zirkle, the president of the Virginia Beach Hotel Association.
He added that the summer outlook is promising for tourists looking for a quick beach getaway.
“It’s pretty much on par, we had a pretty good Memorial Day weekend last year, we had a great summer last year, so far things are pacing to be very similar to that, “ said Zirkle. “That’s the thing about Virginia Beach, you come for one thing but find five other things you want to do while you’re here because the city offer so much.”
Once the beaches are filled, Tom Gil, chief of The Virginia Beach Lifesaving Service, has his lifeguards in full force tomorrow and ready for the dog days of summer
“There are variables that lifeguards on the beach have to deal with the environment, numbers of people, changing tides, decreasing surf, lost kids,” he told 10 On Your Side. “We call it the work of the day, that our guards have to deal with while keeping our eyes on the water. It’s a lot of responsibility but they’ve proven themselves year after year and we are ready for 2022.”
Gil says if you’re getting a tan, or letting the kids have fun in the Atlantic, his guards our making sure everyone has an enjoyable day.
“One thing we don’t mind is when people come to the lifeguards and ask them about the conditions of the day to get an idea of what they’re focusing on,” he added. “What’s our biggest concern of the day? Is it rip currents? Is it just super hot outside? And we’re having heat exhaustion issues all over the beach?“
Virginia Beach isn’t only for vacations this year; they are also looking for employees at the oceanfront.
Both Zirkle and Gil tell 10 On Your Side, that they are both in need of workers and are accepting applications.