So, the world has turned upside down and spun around a few times in the past year, so we may all be a little out of balance. In case you forgot, the tourist floodgate are about to open, and this is our last local weekend for the beaches and boardwalks.

I know what you're thinking because I've experienced it, too. Everything is already getting busy. i was at Jenk's Boardwalk 11:30am last Tuesday, and it was pretty much hopping. Not that we're complaining. We know how much local business needs a record summer, and we're rooting for it.

Listen to Lou Russo mornings on 94.3 The Point and download our free 94.3 The Point app.

But let's be honest, nobody wants to spend an hour of their beach time looking for a parking spot. So, let's take advantage of the lesser crowds while we can. We love Local Summer in September, so why not Local Pre-Summer in May?

Let's spend this weekend celebrating our amazing beach and boardwalk businesses as they gear up for what is destined to be a summer for the record books, and for the right reasons, too!

Let's cherish that parking spot we find this weekend, and know that if we can't find one next weekend, that's a good thing. it means local business is getting the boost they so desperately need.

And when you visit your local businesses thank them for hanging in there and always being there for us. And remind them that we will never, ever take advantage of them, the boardwalk, the beach or fresh air again!

So, go enjoy the weekend and let's get ready to show the enthusiasm and patience we're all going to need to get through what could be the most monumental summer in Jersey Shore history. We hope so!

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LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

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