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| Vera’s White Sands Beach Club – new look |
After fifty years under the management of Vera Freeman, Vera’s White Sands Beach Club and Marina will reopen today with a new look and new owners.
Vera, who will not reveal her age, but is suspected to be close to 100, has been suffering from declining health, and chose to offer the sale of her landmark restaurant and marina to Steve Stanley, who she befriended over weekly martinis at the unique bar.
Lisa Del Ricco, Stanley’s wife, and the new manager of the historic restaurant, was still hard at work with the rest of the staff Friday afternoon, preparing for the grand opening tomorrow. “Everything has been redone,” she told The Bay Net, “the piers, ramps, the interior,” and it has all been done in less than five months, since the sale took place in January. The new restaurant will move away from the former Polynesian flair to a more popular beach and boat flavor in both the menu – overseen with new chef Sean McNeally – and the décor. The original bar, however, remains intact in all its leopard-print glory.
As for the other eclectic artifacts from Vera’s travels that have adorned the waterfront club? Many will remain in the restaurant that became their home over the last half a century. Stanley and Del Ricco have designed a room dedicated to the history of the Vera’s, “a kind of museum,” said Del Ricco.
Today the new owners open their doors at 11a.m. for a grand opening that will include live music, a fundraiser for the Leukemia Foundation, and a visiting fleet of boats. Vera’s son, Lee, will attend, and Vera herself is hoped to make an appearance if she is well enough.
There is no admission charge for the grand opening. Vera’s is located off White Sands Drive from Rt. 2/4 in Lusby. For more event details visit The Bay Net community calendar.