SOUTH BOSTON — Saturday marked the start of the 75th season of Sullivan’s Castle Island, an iconic landmark in South Boston.
It’s a sign that spring is right around the corner.
“I’ve been coming here for almost 3o years,” customer Alycia LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc may have been first in line Saturday morning but opening day at Sullivan’s means so much more to her than just good food.
“I found out I was actually pregnant with her here,” LeBlanc said about her five-week-old baby. “It’s her first time here today so I’m very excited.”
She drove an hour to Southie for her daughter, Oceanna’s, first big outing.
However, in honor of her father, LeBlanc also used the visit to stop by a memorial bench at the fishing pier nearby.
“My dad passed away almost 15 years ago and it actually took me 10 years to get a bench here,” LeBlanc explained.
Long-time customer Mary Reardon was second in line.
“Since I was a child, I’ve never made it to opening day,” Reardon said.
For Reardon, being at Sullivan’s is nostalgic.
“I’m thinking of my parents who also came here and enjoyed the hot dogs and cheeseburgers,” she said.
Since 1951, the smell of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and seafood has filled the air of Castle Island, and the nostalgia is something the Sullivan family is proud of.
“It’s just something we all look forward to every year, seeing a lot of familiar faces come back, just generations of family members coming back enjoying opening day,” owner Brendan Sullivan said.
Sullivan’s Castle Island will now be open seven days a week until the end of November.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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