From the edge of the bay to the aisles of the recently relocated history museum, the Town of North Beach appears to be a popular place to visit.

Summertime numbers for the town’s two noted venues were divulged Thursday, Sept. 12 during the monthly meeting of the North Beach Town Council.

Grace Mary Brady, president of Bayside History Museum Inc. reported over 4,000 visitors have perused the many historic replicas, artifacts, photographs and displays since the museum’s relocation in May. The museum is now located in the county-owned North Beach Community Center.

North Beach Mayor Mark Frazer commended Brady for “making this an outstanding museum so quickly.”

Brady gave credit to the museum’s large group of volunteers. She also mentioned the ties forged with other local facilities, such as the Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum and Calvert Marine Museum.

The museum is open every Wednesday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. through Oct. 31 and every Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. between the beginning of November through the end of April. The museum will be closed the Sundays after Thanksgiving and Christmas and on Easter Sunday.

Waterfront manager Richard Ball reported that the revenue for the town’s waterfront is up $14,884 from this time last year. The revenue comes from beach visitors and various rentals. Surveys done by town staff have determined the largest number of visitors to the North Beach Waterfront this summer season hail from Prince George’s County (1,826), followed by Montgomery County (714) and Calvert (584).

“I think the numbers we got are quite impressive considering the bad weather,” said Councilman Kenneth Wilcox.

How to parlay the volume of town visitors in running a successful business in North Beach will likely be one of the components of a consultant’s study. The town council opted to delay final approval of a request for proposal (RFP) seeking a consultant to conduct an economic development study for the town.

Councilman Greg McNeill he would like the study to subsequently aid in compiling “a roadmap on how to operate a business in North Beach.” The roadmap, McNeill explained, should be “a five or six-page document” for potential North Beach businesses containing strategies for capitalizing on being in a beach town. “A comprehensive understanding of the seasonality of the town,” said McNeill.

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