Beachgoers endure rainy start to Memorial Day weekend at the Jersey Shore

OCEAN CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- The weather was not ideal to kick-off Memorial Day weekend at the Jersey Shore, but visitors made the best of it.

The weather was cloudy and misty as the unlocking of the ocean took place in Ocean City, followed by the Business Persons Plunge.

Business owners and members of charitable organizations marched into the ocean, officially kicking off the start of the summer beach season.

"I thought it was going to be cold, but it was actually really refreshing," said Heather Neville, owner of Goodies.

The ocean was much too cold for 2-year-old Hadley and her dad, so she set up shop a little farther back on the beach path.

"It's too windy, and you can feel the mist, the fog, and the rain hitting you down there, so we're just playing down here," said Michael Lloyd of Ambler, Pa.

In Longport, the fog lingered into the afternoon.

One group quickly abandoned their beach plans when they saw the conditions.

"We came down, thought we were going to get some sun and obviously not," said Jennifer Munn of Chalfont, Pa.

Many people at the shore attend Memorial Day ceremonies to observe the true meaning of the holiday.

There will be a Memorial Day service Monday at 11:00 a.m. at Veterans Park in Ocean City.

The weather was not ideal to kick-off Memorial Day weekend at the Jersey Shore, but visitors made the best of it.