CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nueces County Coastal Parks Director Scott Cross says, if the weather is nice, crowds flock to coastal beaches every year during the Thanksgiving holiday period.
He expects more of the same this year, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic providing extra incentive to spend time outdoors.
"That’s been the relief for most people throughout this whole COVID thing is the beach," Cross said. "They can get out there and spread out in the fresh open air with a nice breeze. So I think it lends itself well to the holiday weekend.”
Getting beaches ready for the holiday weekend has been quite an undertaking for Cross and his crews.
“It’s been a long battle, man," he said. "A really long battle."
Extra attention was paid to the area near Bob Hall Pier.
The pier itself remains closed because of Hurricane Hanna Damage, but crews had to clean-up the storm-damaged asphalt parking lot piece by piece.
Beachgoers appreciate the effort.
“It’s calming," members of the Irving family of Corpus Christi said about the beaches. "Away from the city, and it’s safer and it’s more calm right now. I love it. Relaxing. It’s very relaxing.”
While health leaders urge holiday gatherings to be limited to only the people who live in your home, the Irving family gathering consisted of several households.
If such gatherings are to take place, doctors urge those groups to remain outdoors.
It's yet another reason the Irvings chose the beach for their Thanksgiving celebration.
"We are maintaining our distance from other people, and we are taking precautions, and we’re doing what we’ve got to do to make sure that we stay safe," a family member said.
