Crowd celebrates reoping of Crest Pier in Wildwood Crest. Photo by Lauren Suit

WILDWOOD CREST — Take a long walk off a short pier.

It isn’t an insult, but an invitation to take a stroll and check out the views from the 90-year-old Wildwood Crest fishing pier. A crowd of residents and summer visitors attended the July 11 rededication, to do just that.

“The first time I walked out on the pier it brought a smile to my face,” said Mayor Carl Groon. “And I hope that it brings a smile to yours as well.”

Grace Rogers, 11, of this community, was definitely all smiles as she clipped the red ribbon to officially open the pier. She maneuvered her wheelchair across the 1,010-foot long pier and was the first to reach the railing that overlooked the ocean.

Most folks at the rededication seemed to enjoy the pier’s new look and purpose. But rehabbing the structure that stretches across the sand, but misses the ocean, had caused a stir among the borough’s residents, with some calling the pier an eyesore that should be torn down and others considering it an important part of history.

The pier had returned to municipal control after being rented and run by a private fishing club for decades. The club, founded in 1917, had at one time over 100 members but couldn’t compete with the borough’s growing beach.

For complete story, see Wednesday's Herald print edition.