Summer has officially begun, and hundreds of residents and visitors flocked to Onset Beach on Saturday to bask in the sun and splash in the surf.

Perhaps the surest sign of summer, however, is the return of the Sandman: Rodney Johnson. 

Johnson made his Onset debut on Friday, and returned Saturday with many of his family members and friends. Working to the sounds of soul music played through a portable, waterproof speaker, Johnson sculpted a man-eating shark and a seal. In a new innovation, Johnson incorporated a water feature: Water squirted from the seal’s mouth at the touch of a button. 

“I love it. I am so happy, and it's nice that with everything closed down, people can be together here,” Johnson said. “I’m still doing my thing, and trying to make people happy.”

Johnson said that in Onset, people can let all their woes go. 

A family from Fairhaven was busy building a pyramid out of sand while burying one sibling. 

Traci and Steven were in town to visit friends, and their young son, Jaemis, was enjoying his first excursion to the beach. 

“It’s a nice beach for families because of the shallow water and the gentle waves,” Traci said.

Other visitors to the beach snacked on pizza from Marc Anthony’s, sunbathed, and paddled kayaks rented from Nemasket Kayak’s new location in the renovated Onset Bay Center.

While most beach-goers were not wearing masks, the majority maintained good social distancing. There was also a steady breeze, which is said to reduce the risk of transmission.