Big crowds in Wrightsville Beach

Wrightsville Beach — Large beach crowds kept ocean rescue teams busy Sunday. Wrightsville Beach Fire Chief Frank Smith said there were at least 15 water rescues throughout the day, but none of them were serious. Considering the large crowds, Smith said that number is relatively low. There were at least five incidents of lost children, all of whom were eventually found.

Visitors and locals alike enjoyed the sunshine. Stacia Bradley of High Point visited Wrightsville Beach for the first time. “It’s beautiful today. It was a little of an overcast yesterday, today’s a little bit warmer, very sunny, and you see there are a lot of people out here on the beach, so very nice,” she said.

All the people on the beach needed a place to park, which turned out to be quite an issue for parking officials. People parked along the road, on construction sites, and anywhere else they could find an open spot.

One ticket-writer said he wrote about 20 tickets on Saturday and more than 80 on Sunday. He also said some people told him they would accept a $30 ticket in order to have a close parking spot.