Santa trades his sleigh for a paddleboard at new event

SPRING LAKE — The Spring Lake Business Improvement District (BID) hosted its first-ever Christmas in July Santa Paddle on Spring Lake last Saturday at 10 a.m., an event the group hopes will become a permanent addition to the annual fall time Witches Paddle fundraiser.

Paddlers came out adorned in their best holiday-themed outfits and decorated boards in support of Asbury Park and Belmar’s Blue Dot: Social & Community Wellness, a local organization. Blue Dot is described as a community-connection project promoting physical, cognitive and social health for adults with and without neurological and developmental disabilities, as well as supporting the BID’s upcoming borough-wide projects.

The idea for a summer Santa Paddle stemmed from the major success that the October event has seen over the past five years, BID Executive Director Dawn McDonough told The Coast Star.

“Last year after the Witches Paddle, we raised $12,000 or $13,000 for our organization, and the Child Advocacy Program of Monmouth County, that we decided let’s do a Santa Paddle, let’s do something in summer when summer residents are here and see if we can get some legs with this, and hence the Santa Paddle has now begun,” said McDonough.

McDonough said that BID officials were very pleased with the turnout at their first Santa Paddle, seeing over 50 registrants at the weekend event despite moving it to Sunday due to weather, including many new faces that have not participated in the past.

Some participants showed as The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, while others were elves and Santa Claus, with Christmas trees and Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer taking center stage on the paddleboards.

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