-By Elliot Walker
The fireworks were not the only thing exploding on the Fourth of July at Rye Town Park.
Tempers flared as admission to the beach was denied to residents and permit holders who thought they could watch the pyrotechnics from the beach. Instead, residents were denied access to the beach after 8 p.m. during the hectic holiday.
In response to that reaction, the Rye Town Park Commission decided on Tuesday to reverse course and allow the beach to remain open for residents on July 4 until the fireworks have ended. In addition, the beach may also remain open for “special events approved in advance by the Rye Town Park Commission.”
The commission’s decision, however, does not apply to other nights when there are fireworks.
Residents were stunned to learn on the Fourth that the beach was restricted to patrons of the Barley Beach House restaurant who had paid $40 to attend a beach party that featured a buffet, Hawaiian dancers, and live music between 6 and 10 p.m.
The Barley Beach House shares its revenue with Rye Town Park.
The anger over denied access was compounded by reports of rude behavior by park employees. One resident said her extended family was spoken to very rudely when they tried to go on the beach, and her teenage nephew was insulted and asked to produce an ID.
In 2022, the Rye Town Park Commission decided to close the beach at 8 p.m. and limit beach access to residents and permit holders. The stated goal was to improve safety, because people often continued to enter the water when lifeguards were no longer on duty. The Rye Town Park Commission said that policy was not met with objections last year, when July 4 was a particularly rainy day.
Admission to the beach was allowed until 8 p.m. “or later for special events or fireworks.” But Rye Town Park Commission President Gary Zuckerman said park staff were not aware that access to the beach could be extended.
Zuckerman pointed to a memo that showed that the Barley Beach House proposed and received approval for the July 4 event and others at a February 2024 Commission meeting. The restaurant also held the same event on July 4, 2023.
It was not just the beach closure that caused an outpouring of negative reaction, but the need to pay $40 per person for admission to the Barley Beach House event as the only way to be able to access the beach during the fireworks.
On a Barley Beach House Facebook post announcing the event, one angry resident commented that “two-thirds of the beach was empty” while residents and permit holders were unable to access it.
Zuckerman disputed the accusation that the town beach was “privatized” by this event, saying that the Barley Beach House party was a “public event, and anyone could have bought a ticket.”
