30-year tradition brings family to Ventnor beach for fun-filled reunion

Matteo Iadonisi Image
Saturday, September 5, 2026 10:17PM
30-year tradition brings family to Ventnor for fun-filled reunion
In the early 1900s, two Italian immigrants started a family. A century later, their descendants meet each year to have a blast on the beach.

VENTNOR, New Jersey (WPVI) -- The sands of time have scattered across a sprawling family tree, setting the scene for a rowdy reunion that brings the Damiani family back to the beach each year.

It started in the early 1900s when two Italian immigrants met in America and started a family. From their nine children came dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

One of those grandchildren, Vicki Damiani Cahill, says the family reunion had its humble beginnings as a picnic in 1991.

It eventually became an annual beach day featuring tugs of war, musical chairs, and all the other ingredients for fun in the sun.

Today, the tradition continued with a day full of food, dancing, and lots of bug bites on Dorset Avenue in Ventnor, New Jersey.

Watch the video above to see what all the fun means to the family.

RELATED: 53-year-old message in a bottle leads to bittersweet discovery

A South Jersey man found a curious message in a bottle during his clean-up routine, which was set adrift by a 9-year-old in 1973.

Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.