CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Doug the Quahog making his prediction in 2015 at the Flying Bridge in Falmouth.
BARNSTABLE – The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce is celebrating the first day of summer on Monday by digging out Doug for the 8th Annual Quahog Day.
Doug the Quahog will make his prediction on how many beach days the Cape can expect to see this summer by telling his human sidekick Johnny Quahog, who is also known as the Secretary General of the Quahog Republic and the only person who can understand Doug.
The special emcee of this year’s event is NECN Meteorologist Pete Bouchard, who said he will have to defer the predictions to Doug’s expertise.
“I haven’t had a bunch of experience in forecasting seasonal forecasts or much luck in doing that either. I mean whenever we put out a winter weather forecast it always ends up on its tail,” Bouchard said. “Of course, living in the ocean he might have some connection with Mother Nature that I don’t.”
Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce CEO Wendy Northcross said she is eagerly awaiting Doug’s prediction.
“We know if we have great beach weather we will have a great summer season,” she said. “We’re ready to roll out the red carpet, welcome him and Pete Bouchard and anybody else who wants to gather around and have a fun day.”
Quahog Day is used to promote the Cape, the shellfish industry and more importantly that it is open for the summer the season for the world to visit.
The event was created after the recession after advertising budgets had been cut as a cheap way to promote Cape Cod.
“Quahog Day just also happens to be really zany, really fun and kind of kooky and if you got to work hard you might as well have some fun doing it,” Northcross said.
Northcross said she is hearing that bookings for this year have been good.
“People are looking at strong wedding bookings, they are looking at strong group business. They are looking at really neat things to do,” she said. “Every year it seems like there are a few more events. There’s special art exhibits. There’s some special activity to drive demand.”
Northcross reminds that public that the Cape is never sold out.
“We always have some room at the inn,” she said. “It just becomes a little more challenging to find something on Fourth of July weekend or the early parts of August.”
The chamber thinks the Cape will have a solid summer season.
“Low gas prices. High employment rates. It all adds up to good business for Cape Cod,” Northcross said.
Weather is also a factor during the summer for Cape businesses and Bouchard said the summer warmth is coming.
“It’s just a matter of time that it turns around and ironically the warmth is surging in on the first day of summer,” Bouchard said. “So it will be apropos that we are down there talking about summery weather because it is going to be nice and warm at that point.”
Quahog Day will be held at Mattakeese Wharf on Barnstable Harbor at 2 p.m.
Last year Doug predicted 80 beach days at the Flying Bridge in Falmouth.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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