Soaked! Long Beachers say they�ve had enough of wet weather

�It�s depressing!� said Joe Lavin, an avid beachgoer who lives on Wyoming Avenue. �We barbecue less, we entertain less. It�s like a rain delay every weekend.�
Lavin, who co-ownes Us Limousines in New Hyde Park, said he has been spending a lot of time on his treadmill and in front of his computer instead of out by the ocean. �It�s like our kryptonite,� he said of the Seattle-like weather pattern of the last few weeks. �We�re beach people. We live and die for the beach, and if it�s going to keep raining, what�s the sense of living in a beach town?�
The rain has also complicated the plans of visitors. Resident Vanessa Cruthers said a friend was coming from Florida to visit, but they had to cancel their plans for the beach. �Hopefully this weather won�t ruin my daughter�s prom and Long Beach High School graduation,� said Cruthers.
The prom was scheduled for Thursday, and graduation for Sunday.
For some, the constant rain not only affects their free time, but their work days. Christina Santos, owner of Santos Designs, a local florist, said the weather has affected the type of work she will do for weddings and other events. �Summer weddings are usually held outside,� said Santos. �But with this weather, plans have had to be altered, which gives me more work with the decorations.�
Some businesses embrace the nasty weather, and are enticing people to come out of hiding with sales or specials. �When it rains, we pour,� said Minnesota�s Grill owner Tom Corning. The restaurant on West Beech Street started hosting �puddle parties,� featuring drink and food specials that go into effect when the rain begins.
�It just started this week because we can�t take it anymore,� said Corning, who created a rainy-day menu he calls �a rain check.� �We�re trying to make some happiness in this misery.�
The conditions haven�t stopped City Councilman John McLaughlin from taking his daily runs on the boardwalk, but he admits to having cut back on the distance, from seven or eight miles to about five. �Even when I see the weather gets bad, there�s always the same people up on the boardwalk,� said McLaughlin, who finished a half-Iron Man triathlon two weeks ago. �When you�re running, you�re in that groove. When it starts raining when you�re running, you just keep going.�
McLaughlin noted that when the weather gets really nasty he�ll head to a pool to swim, and he admitted that the rain has cut down on the frequency of his bike training.
Long Beach has seen its share of steady stretches of rain this decade. According to City Manger Charles Theofan, in October 2005 the city suffered through eight days of torrential downpours that forced the sewer system to run at full capacity for 48 hours. That month, an average of 13 inches of rain fell on Long Island, pushing past the old record of 11.4 inches, set in 1955.
�That rain was comparable to what we�ve been getting,� Theofan recalled, adding that sewer repairs have kept problems from recurring.
Theofan said he was unsure of how the beach park has been affected financially by the wet weather. �Without question, on rainy days the take is substantially less than a bright, sunny day,� he acknowledged.
According to Chief of Lifeguards Paul Gillespie, guards are on the beach whether it rains or shines, but when it�s wet they can be found staying dry under the boardwalk. Asked when he decides to pull lifeguards off the beach completely, Gillespie explained, �It has to be consistently rainy all day without a stop.� Lifeguards will be on the beach full time beginning Saturday.
�We should have been enjoying many beach days already,� said resident Carolyn Simone-Ejnes. �Hopefully this will end soon and we�ll have the most beautiful summer ever!�
Comments about this story? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.