Michiana beaches prepare for larger crowds
BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. (WSBT) — Memorial Day Weekend is here, which means it’s basically summer.
Officials in Berrien County are getting their communities ready for larger crowds, including at the beach.
It really is starting to look like summer at Silver Beach.
Many people playing volleyball, people are out sunbathing, even a few brave souls dipped their toes in the water.
You can tell that summer is around the corner, and this beachside community is ready.
If you see a vehicle like this driving on Silver Beach, this is just one of the measures in place this weekend to keep people safe.
“We will have at least one to two sheriffs here on the daily during the weekend and then our rangers also do patrolling and they enforce the rules, and obviously us managers as well,” said Genevieve Graves, Silver Beach Park Manager.
In addition to the sheriffs, rangers, and park managers scanning the beach, another layer of protection will be present.
“We do have lifeguards for this weekend, which is awesome. We’ve never been able to have lifeguards just because of school and stuff like that,” said Graves.
While daily staffed lifeguards won't be present until mid-June, Head lifeguard Gabriel Link says this weekend there will be 6 guards staffed at all times the beach is open, two for every tower.
“Every guard has their own section to cover, and given there are two of us, we have double the set of eyes,” said Gabriel Link, Head Lifeguard at Silver Beach.
With beach crowds expected to grow this holiday weekend, all lifeguards have a big reminder.
“We aren’t babysitters. We aren’t supposed to keep an eye on your child 24/7. We do have other people we have to watch out for, so parents need to keep an eye on their children and any other family members they have,” said Link.
Whether your holiday weekend takes you to the shore, or up into town, St. Joseph is ready to get this holiday weekend underway.
“Like anything that happens, if you see something, say something. They’ll be officers patrolling the beach. Our reserve officers will be down there along with our full-time staff,” said Steve Neubecker, St. Joseph Director of Public Safety.
If the beach is on the schedule for this weekend, a reminder: water temperatures are only in the 50s, so officials warn that if you are brave enough to enter the water, your body can tire a lot easier, even leading to hypothermia.
