In 1990 Kevin Tinneny of Cherry Hill, New Jersey began a
tradition that remains ongoing in 2021. Annually he
organizes family and friends and provides hot dogs and
drinks to the life guard team that protects beach goers
along the Wildwood, New Jersey shore. It’s the Tinneny
and Perrucci families way of showing their appreciation
to the life guard team for all they do to protect the
thousands of people that use Wildwood Beaches.
The
following article was Published
in The Wildwood Sun By The Sea Magazine, Summer
2021:
“Kevin
Tinneny
had the thoughtful idea to start a Hot Dog Run back in
1990 as a way of saying THANK YOU to the Beach Patrol!
It all began when his nephew, Michael Tinneny, was a
lifeguard with the Wildwood, New Jersey Beach Patrol.
His family wanted to do something to give back to those
who kept the beachgoers safe on a daily basis all summer
long. Since they liked to make sure Michael had
something to eat when they went to his beach, they
thought, why not bring lunch to all the guards?
The crew involved in the annual hot dog runs.
Every summer, Chief Tony Cavalier checks the tide table
(they need low tide for the jeep to run) and sets aside
a Saturday in August for the event, with a driver to
assist in the operation. Kevin and his extended family
bring enough hot dogs & buns so that each lifeguard gets
2, with their choice of mustard, ketchup, sauerkraut or
any combination. They also receive a soda and a snack.
At first, this continued for just the 3 years that
Michael was a lifeguard on the Wildwood Beach Patrol.
But several years later in 1999, Kevin’s
daughter, Gina Tinneny, became a lifeguard for the
patrol, a job she held for 6 years. The Hot Dog Run was
resurrected at that time and has continued every summer
since, even though Gina is no longer a guard.
Commenting on the reaction of the life
guards Kevin said,
“Its
amazing how appreciative the guards are,
it’s as though they are getting surf and
turf!”
As of 2021, the mainstays of the operation are Kevin,
his wife Maureen and her sister Gina and her husband
Dave supplemented by other members of the Perucci family
and friends. Typically 50 life guards, including the
Chief, Captains and Lieutenants are fed on the beaches
of Wildwood and North Wildwood.
Kevin is the son of
John and Helen Diamond Tinneny of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania; grandson of
James
and Gertrude Spence Tinneny
of Philadelphia and great-grandson of
Patrick
“Yankee Pat” Tinneny
of Goladuff, Newtownbutler, Co. Fermanagh, Northern
Ireland, Greenock, Scotland and Philadelphia and his
wife Margaret Malloy.
Photos courtesy of Maureen Perrucci
Tinneny.
