SOUTH PADRE ISLAND WELCOMES JULY 4 WITH CLEAN BEACHES, FIREWORKS, FUN

Islanders gear up for holiday weekend after narrow miss by Hurricane Alex

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – After emerging unscathed from the threat of Hurricane Alex, residents of South Padre Island are gearing up for a celebration.

As normal life resumes, the town is preparing for what is traditionally the busiest weekend of the year: the July 4 holiday weekend.

            Three consecutive nights of fireworks displays over the Laguna Madre Bay are planned for Friday July 2, Saturday July 3 and Sunday July 4. All of the island’s accommodations and attractions are unscathed and open as normal, from surfing schools to dolphin watches.

            The island sustained some minor flooding due to heavy rainfall prior to Alex making landfall about 110 miles south of the island. The flooding has abated and the island has returned to normal, Quandt says.

            “The sandbox is open,” says Dan Quandt, executive director of the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. “The beaches are great, the fireworks will be spectacular and everyone is thrilled that Alex passed us by, so it’s definitely a party mood down here.”

            So far this year the island has seen strong growth in the number of visitors to the island. In the first quarter of 2010, taxable lodging sales on South Padre Island were up 29.5 percent, leading into strong bookings for the summer season.

While the threat of Hurricane Alex has led to some cancellations for the holiday weekend, Quandt wants to reassure visitors that the island is open and island businesses are ready to welcome visitors over the holiday weekend.

“The best thing that beach lovers can do now is come to the beach,” Quandt says. “We’re recovering nicely from setbacks like the recession and Hurricane Dolly in 2008. So hopefully getting swatted at by Hurricane Alex will be a very minor bump on the recovery road.”

For more information on visiting South Padre Island visit www.sopadre.com or call 1-800-OK-PADRE.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kelly Morris, 210-843-9900, kellymorrispr@gmail.com 
Karen Kolivosky, 210-204-7387, kkolivosky@satx.rr.com

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND
CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
7355 Padre Blvd.,
South Padre Island, TX  78597
(956) 761-3005  *  (956) 761-3024 fax

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