“The Symphony of Summer” by Madison McGay: Video
These are the sounds that characterize summer in New Jersey. From ice cream trucks to giggling children to the sound of ocean waves.
Summer. We enjoy it for three months of the year, and most of us spend the other nine months longing for it – the warm nights, the long days. The sounds.
The season is so full of life. It’s impossible to spend a waking moment without the vibrant sounds of summer ringing in your ears.
The songs of the season.
On the beach, greedy seagulls screech as they hunt for their next meal, and the sea water ebbs and flows, briefly interrupted by the crashing and breaking of waves on the New Jersey coast.
On roller coasters like Great White in Wildwood or Pirate’s Hideaway in Seaside Heights, the gondolas clatter as they rise into the summer sky, just before they hurtle down the tracks amid adrenaline-fueled, screaming and cheering passengers.
Little children giggle on summer vacation as they dart through the rushing water of an open fire hydrant. They squeal as they fly back and forth on the ever-squeaking chains of the swings at their local playground. They splash and smack in the pool water in 30-degree heat, and their little feet patter as they climb out of the water to find their parents.
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Families chat as they order delicious ice cream cones from a vintage truck while shrill melodies fill the air. At family barbecues, hot dogs and hamburgers sizzle on the grill and the cook scoops them sharply onto paper plates with a metal spatula.
Bicycle spokes clatter and the wind whooshes as someone speeds down our street. A neon golf ball flops after spinning into the hole at a mini golf course. Pickleball players duel on the court with loud bangs. And baseball bats and wooden bats crack as we pop our soda cans in the stands – whoosh!
Throughout the day we can hear some of the world’s smallest creatures come to life. Birds sing in chorus as the sun rises and crickets chirp with their low, high notes as the sun sets. Bumblebees buzz shrilly past. At the pond, invisible frogs croak deeply and the ducks suddenly quack as they wade through the water.
When a light breeze blows, the green leaves rustle on the branches and the wind sets the chimes on the porch ringing. And on the less ideal days, we are surrounded by raindrops that gently drum on the roof as they fall from the sky, briefly interrupted by the gentle rumble of thunder that disappears as quickly as it came.
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These and dozens of other sounds in the air this time of year represent a season well spent.
This is the symphony of summer.
Maddie McGay is the real estate reporter for NorthJersey.com and The Record, covering all things North Jersey living. You can find her on Instagram @maddiemcgay, To X @maddiemcgayyand sign up for their Living in North Jersey Newsletter. Do you have a tip, trend or great house she should know about? Email her at MMcGay@gannett.
