On behalf of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, a Silver Alert is being activated for missing 63-year old, white female, who suffers from a cognitive impairment.
Missing Subject: Sharon Smith Berg, DOB 10/8/1955, 63-year-old White female described as 5’9″, 190 lbs., brown hair.
Vehicle: 2013 GRAY ACURA MD TAG 5CY3100
Last Seen: on 9/16/2019 at approximately 10:00 pm in the 12000 block of Salt Point Road, Bishopville, MD
Contact: Please Dial 911 or Contact Worcester Co Sheriff’s Office at 410-632-1111
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”116″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″ number_of_columns=”3″ order_by=”alttext”]How do you spell relief on a hot day in Ocean City, Maryland and beyond? Get a cold treat of course! Searching for the perfect example, we found James Kirk of Berlin, MD! Here is James and his dog, Charlie, enjoying the heat and a treat! Chocolate soft serve was the answer for this afternoon! Looking for something to do with your small ones? Check out our Kid Friendly page!
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”115″ display=”pro_imagebrowser”]Ocean City is a great destination for a getaway, and certainly with the ones you love! We love couples, and there is many ways two can connect or rekindle down on the shore, but don’t forget the shore isn’t just for lovers. With events like Senior Week, Sunfest, OC Bikefest, and many more, Ocean City is the best place to go with friends.
Many have made traveling as a pack a yearly tradition! We ran into a great group of ladies in the last few weeks (pictured here). This group of wonderful women is from Wilkes-Barre, PA, and has been together 60 years with the exception of their newest friend Ann Jones who joined them ten years ago. Most of them have been friends since elementary school. They started their vacation tradition three years ago and this was their first time in Ocean City. While staying for four days and three nights, they have enjoyed the weather and beach most of all, but food and shopping tied for second. We want to thank this group for being #friendshipgoals for all of us! Follow their lead and plan a trip with your besties!
Are you ready for Sunfest?Do you still have some questions? We hope to answer your questions here. We asked the Town of Ocean City everything our readers have been asking us. We hope this helps. If you still have questions please reach out, but we think we have you covered. If you don’t know the band schedule click here.
Food & Drink Questions:
What kind of food vendors can be expected?
Gourmet Tent – 12 vendors
Amish Baked Goods
Craft Beer Brittle
Cinnamon Roasted Nuts
and more
Food Tent – 25 vendors
Crab Cakes
Oysters
BBQ
and more
Midway
Oyster fritters by Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary
Fresh made Kettle Korn
Can food be brought in?
Yes
Will alcohol be sold?
Yes, Beer, Craft Beer, & Wine
Can alcohol be brought in?
No
Is the alcohol served at the event allowed on the boardwalk or beach?
No
Artisan Questions:
How many crafters and artists will be attending?
184 artisans in two tents. ( each tent housing 92 artisans each!)
How many demonstrators will there be and what will they be doing?
12 Artisan Demonstrators
Painting
Engraving on wood and glass
Pottery
Bonsai Trees
Embroidery
Stained glass
and more
Should cash be brought to purchase items or will debit and credit be accepted?
Depends on the vendor; there are ATMs very close by on boardwalk.
Transportation:
Will the convention center have parking and shuttle?
Yes. It will make one stop directly at Sunfest.
Any other ways to get to Sunfest?
The Sunfest Express offers direct service for festival attendees traveling from the Roland E. Powell Convention Center to the Inlet Parking Lot. This is a non-stop express route that takes you directly to the Sunfest grounds for only $3 all day. Parking is free at the Convention Center south lot. Shuttles departs the lot every 30 minutes from 9:00 a.m. until 30 minutes following the end of the evening’s last concert, Thursday through Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Any and all suggestions for those not in walking distance of the fest on how to best coordinate transportation?
Ride the Boardwalk Tram directly to the Sunfest grounds for only $4 per person one-way. The tram runs from 10 a.m. to midnight on Thursday, Friday & Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Due to limited parking around the festival, and for your convenience, park your vehicle for free at the following locations and catch the bus on Coastal Highway – It’s the way to go! $3 all day * Municipal Lot at 100th Street
Take advantage of the Town’s Park & Ride location on Route 50 in West Ocean City. Park your car for free and hop on the non-stop shuttle to Sunfest $3 all day
At the Gate Questions:
Are personal bags allowed to be brought in?
Yes
Are water bottles or glass containers allowed to be brought in?
Yes
Is this an age restricted event?
There is no age restriction. This is a family friendly event. All live entertainment is appropriate. Hayride on the beach, sand art, fun foods, inflatables on the beach.
Are strollers allowed?
Yes
Are pets allowed?
No pets allowed. However, support animals are allowed. Those animals are required to have their vests or other documentation.
Is it handicap accessible?
Yes
Are you allowed to bring your own chair?
Yes
Are restrooms available at the event?
Yes, portable restrooms are available. Boardwalk restrooms are within walking distance.
Will there be fireworks?
No. Sunfest is not holding a fireworks display.
Weather Questions:
If bad weather causes cancellation or delay, how will the information sent out? Is there anywhere to check on updates?
City Wide Emergency Alerts: Citizens can sign up for emergency alerts by visiting: http://oceancitymd.gov/enews and subscribing to “City Wide Emergency Alerts.”
With Hurricane Dorian over the last week, many were rightly cautious about how to spend their time in Ocean City, and how this would effect coming events or their time on the beach. Beaches from Florida and north along the East Coast did see erosion, but overall Ocean City was not hit hard. Weather was constantly updating, and happily trending better as time progressed for the OC area. Rip Tides should still be watched, but the temperature is holding in the high 70’s and the boardwalk is ready for our new group of guests!
Book NOW! Ocean City will be ready for families, couples, singles, and your pets! Why stay home when you can stay here!
The tents are up and Ocean City is prepped for OC Bikefest! Come, see, & most importantly RIDE, Sept 12-15! OC Bikefest will let you work out all those Easy Rider feels! Live Music will be awesome with headliners, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top, & Stone Temple Pilots along with many other bands performing on the Boardwalk & Ocean stages! For more details & ticket info click here. Vendors for crafts and food will be part of the inlet parking lot event.
The Town of Ocean City has posted another update to Dorian’s path and the effects to Ocean City. The update has recommendations and alerts for residents and visitors. The projected path will continue to affect coastal Mid-Atlantic regions. It did make landfall in North Carolina today. Tropical force winds and coastal flooding will affect Ocean City until late tonight. For more of what the Town provided in their update click here.
Although our view form the window looks like this right now, we are stoked for tomorrow! Saturday is still on target for a great beach day and Sunday is mirroring Saturday! If you have delayed plans, book now! Don’t let this great weather pass you by. Our hotels, restaurants, bars and attractions are ready to please!
Ocean City‘s visitors are still happily flocking in! Surfers are some of the most excited due to Dorian’s effect on the surf. Dylan Skelley of Rehoboth Beach,DE, pictured here, was excited for waves yesterday and said he, his brother, and their friends were all excited for Saturday as it was then predicting to have the largest waves due to Dorain. “We will be anywhere between here and Dewey in search of the best waves!,” said Skelley.
Dylan Skelley of Rehoboth Beach, DE
The Ocean City Beach Patrol has modified the surfing restrictions for Friday, September 06, 2019 (only), allowing surfing along all of Ocean City’s beaches. Ocean City has not made any plans to close the beach and beach patrol will staff the beaches at normal hours for this time of year. Rip Current is currently at high risk. Watch for alerts & warnings, and be conscious of beach flag status. Please see the full notification with reminders for everyone’s safety here.
Book now for the weekend and beyond! Temps will be in the high 70s for this weekend! OC Bikefest is Sept 12-15 and weather is also looking good! Sunfest‘s (Sept 19-22) weather is a little too far out to gauge, but the tents can keep you dry if the rain comes! Keep checking in with us for weather updates!
Hurricane Dorian, now a Category 2 Hurricane, is following the predicted path along the East Coast, but the Carolinas seeing landfall is still viable. Coastal flooding and beach erosion especially at high tides in Warned Hurricane areas of Northern Florida, Georgia, and Carolinas are likely today and overnight. Large swells are expected to impact the coast from its current locale to North Carolina from today to overnight. Damaging winds and flooding from rainfall are also possible for Warned Hurricane areas. The National Weather Service has issued the following Watches & Statements for Ocean City:
graphics/images provided by weather.comgraphics/images provided by weather.com
By Saturday, Ocean City will be almost rain free with only a 10% chance of rain at that point! Surfers and vacationers we spoke to today were looking forward to the mostly sunny weather for Saturday with a high of 77°! Surfers especially were see the large swells as it means more “hang time!” We can’t estimate the amount of rain from now through Friday, but Saturday & Sunday are shaping up nicely! We are still cautioning rip currents, so please swim only on guarded beaches. See the graphics provided by The Weather Channel and check back with us for more updates.
Hopefully, you enjoyed the boardwalk, the sand, & the water while visiting Ocean City over Labor Day Weekend, but please tell us you haven’t fallen prey to the myth that has long taken over so many people’s lives? This myth has caused many to forgo summer activities and abandon the thought of getting away after Labor Day. Labor Day is NOT the last weekend of summer! A campaign started by Odyssea Watersports #keepsummergoing has spread, and we are ecstatic to hold the megaphone to let everyone know!
Weather is an average 76° in September, and there are still four more weekends in September not to mention all the days in between! It might be hard to imagine for those that only come in June, July & August, but October is often still temperate and although swimming may be off the list for you, the average temperature only falls ten degrees. 66°! That’s just an air conditioned room or a balmy day for those living in higher latitudes! With many places offering entertainment, dining, lodging, and shopping, beyond September, Ocean City is the place to be!
We are asking for your help to grow this campaign and educate the disillusioned and unaware. Tell those that have been misinformed. Awaken those that have gone back to school and work and long for June to come again. Shout to all to come to Ocean City now! Book a room, rent a condo, reserve a table, eat fries, share popcorn and if you do any of the above…Take a pic and caption it with #keepsummergoing Post it on our FB page!
We know some will be tough to convince, and we have come prepared. Here are some points to declare when they say summer has come to an end:
Tactics to help you combat the naysayers:
Remind them that Fall doesn’t officially start until September 23rd
Ask them why they are wearing shorts if it isn’t summer?
Invite them to barbecue, (“foodbabies” makes even the grouchiest person happy)
If they still don’t believe (a fairy won’t lose its wings) tell them “Thank you” because if there wasn’t a Debbie Downer there wouldn’t be an end to ”tourist season” One of the best parts of September in OC is the elbow room!
Events in September are some of the best attended events in OC! Don’t be left out. Don’t watch from some live feed. Book a place to stay and indulge!
Go to our events page to search the month of September for all that is happening. Here are a few you might enjoy:
held at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. The Expo will showcase hunting, fishing, boating, and more! The outdoorsman wanting to break free in all of us will be thrilled! Tickets are from $8-$15.
is celebrated at the Inlet with both inside and outside stages for live music. Food, crafts, & merchandise will be on hand. Ride out to see motorcycle love at its finest!
The Bay Hopper provides a two-hour trip with unparalleled views of the Ocean City skyline and its natural counterpart- Assateague Island! Sit back and relax, take in the smell of the salty sea air, and crack open a cold, local craft beer, brewed right here on the Eastern Shore. Tickets are $35 (includes 2,12 oz. craft beers).
With these and so many more opportunities, push the envelope, how long can you #keepsummergoing ? Throw caution to the wind & wait to buy your Fall wardrobe until it feels like Fall. Thumb your nose to turtlenecks; fall will be here soon enough. Embrace the remainder of summer instead of putting it in the rear view mirror. Book Now!
Hurricane Dorian delivered Category 5 winds to the Bahamas over the Labor Day weekend; but the storm has weakened to a Category 3 in strength since then, and its track is predicted to stay off the east coast. Current estimates say it could make landfall in the Carolinas some time on Thursday. The Weather Channel also states that Delmarva Peninsula could see effects from Dorian Friday into Saturday. We can’t estimate the amount of rain at this point, but from what is being said we will most likely see just a wet start to our weekend. Rip currents could be strong, so please swim only on guarded beaches. See the graphics provided by The Weather Channel and check back with us for more updates.
graphic/image from weather.comgraphic/image from weather.com
Now, however, we have perfect weather in Ocean City. Mostly sunny and 76° is the forecast for today and it couldn’t be more lovely! Although they say “mostly” sunny we are hard pressed to find a single cloud right now! The bicycles are rolling by on the boards. Warm donuts have been served for a great breakfast treat! Arcades are swirling and buzzing as a new high score is achieved. Vacationers are currently either laying poolside before going to the beach, or on the beach covered in their favorite SPF! If you are worried that Hurricane Dorian will dampen the end of the week, come now!
For many years the public relied on real estate agents for nearly all property information. For most people, the world of real estate is somewhat vast and complex, but with the right information, that world becomes much smaller. Historically, real estate agents have had access to information that was not readily available to the general public.
The majority of the public relied on real estate agents for such information as:
Past owners
Property sales history
Year it was built
Square footage
Appraisal value
The main source of that information remained a mystery for years. Of course, everyone knows the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) provides some of that information, but there were other sources as well.
Many years ago, SpecPrint, Inc. supplied large hard bound books for use, mainly by REALTORS . Those books contained all the above information plus items like:
Mapping
Boundary lines
Plats
Assessment and Taxation information
Neighboring land
Now, this information is available to everyone online: www.specprint.com SpecPrint, Inc. is a company that provides a wealth of information on every property in the United States! In fact, founded in 1980, SpecPrint has grown to be an industry leader in the field of real estate information. For easier cross referencing SpecPrint now offers property data details by:
Owners names and addresses
Lot size
Sales dates, etc.
All information provided by SpecPrint allows the easiest reference to assist in locating any such information and is available in a number of different formats for your convenience. The SpecPrint Real Estate Directory Service is the easiest way to transform the county assessor’s office into book form. It is also available online. The Directory Service includes assessment maps and real property information – all gleaned directly from the assessor’s rolls.
The Information Isn’t Enough Though…
Although this information is invaluable to consumers researching a particular property, it cannot replace an experienced REALTOR. A REALTOR would be better able to apply this information to your specific needs. Realtors have the expertise, negotiating skills, connections, ethics, and sage advice that the internet cannot provide. Beyond that, they often know of properties before they can display on the internet. Even though most sites will boast real-time up-to-date listings, Realtors often know of properties before they are active. If using the internet and other great tools like specprint.com can provide to be prepared to buy or sell a property, don’t forget the most important tool in your basket, a REALTOR.
Our special thanks to SpecPrint, Inc. for the information supplied and for assisting in this blog.
Happy Friday, Ocean City lovers! Every week throughout the summer, we accept photo submissions for our Photo Friday contest. From the posted photos, we randomly choose a winner to receive a prize, usually two tickets to Jolly Roger Amusements. This week our winner is Wendy Schultz, who submitted a photo of the the amusement rides at night, and won two tickets to Jolly Roger. Congratulations!
WE ONLY HAVE ONE MORE WEEK!! Our last contest for the 2019 Summer season will conclude on August 30, 2019. Don’t miss out on a great prize!
You could win, too — justsubmit your vacation photos here! Even if you don’t win, you get to share your Ocean City pictures with the world. Just remember, you must include your full name and email address in your submission in order to win. (It also helps your chances to submit photos that are large, horizontally-oriented and not pixelated or blurry.)
From sunrises to sunsets and sunny days to stormy skies, here is a selection of your pictures of Ocean City for our Photo Friday contest. This week our winner is Ray Schearer, who submitted the picture of the stormy skies over Assateague Island, and won two tickets to Jolly Roger. Congratulations! You could win, too — just submit your vacation photos here. Even if you don’t win, you get to share your Ocean City pictures with the world. Just remember, you must include your full name and email address in your submission in order to win. (It also helps your chances to submit photos that are large, horizontally-oriented and not pixelated or blurry.)
Ray Schearer’s photo of the storm on August 4th taken on Assateague IslandJames Ebenhoch enjoyed the sunsets and sunrises of Ocean CityDeonna Lyn Our loves the beach in Ocean City MdSunset at Northside Park, by Melissa KizisJodie Kerns’ boys love Ocean CityMichele Scopel Muir’s view from the Princess Bayside.Hit by a wave on the beach near Flamingo Motel. Love their expressions says mom Kelly Jay.Brian Kelly was enjoying the sunset at the AnglerGreat picture of Marissa Gayle Custis and Jolly Rodger taken on the BoardwalkJennifer Hieber son enjoying a day on Assateague IslandGirl on a beach by Jennifer HieberMichele Bernot’s view of the fireworks at Northside ParkJason Carst was looking out through the lagoon to the bay at Gullway on 28th Street.Don Baker said he was coming back from the OC Princess Fishing Boat when he got this image.Kelly Jane Thomas caught the sunrise on 45th streetSplash! by Chrystal LeighThis little boy is taking it all in. By Heather BucklewOn top of the world by Julie Snyder
The confusing history of the white marlin and blue marlin that earn anglers millions during Ocean City’s White Marlin Open in August each year.
Every August, Ocean City hosts the White Marlin Open, the world’s largest billfish tournament. In 2019, more boats entered the tournament than every before. These boats are impressive to see and those fishing and those observing contribute significantly to Ocean City’s economy each summer. To find out more about the White Marlin Open, visit our page dedicated to this tournament.
White Marlin
Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources has a lot to say about the white marlin. This fish is one of many billfish that create a thriving sport fishery off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland. “Every summer, as the waters warm, billfish make the journey to Maryland’s offshore waters to feed. These pelagic swimmers remain off the coast until water temperatures drop again in the fall and they head back south.” The marlin prefer warm surface water, but can be found in waters deeper than 300 feet.
The white marlin is one of four species common off our coast:
White marlin, Kajikia albida
Roundscale Spearfish, Tetrapturus georgii
Blue marlin, Makaira nigricans, and
Atlantic sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus
Originally, the white marlin was named Tetrapturus albidus. This placed the white marlin in the company of the spearfish which have a fossil record dating back 15 million years. In 2006, some scientists did genetic testing and discovered that the white marlin and the striped marlin should be in their own genus, Kajikia. They are distinct from the spearfish genus of Tetrapturus and also separate from the blue marlin which are in the genus Makaira..
The scientists were confused, but so were fishermen. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science began doing DNA testing on the fish weighed in during the Mid-Atlantic $500,000 Tournament since 1992. They discovered that 18% of the white marlin weighed in were actually roundscale spearfish I haven’t seen any numbers for how many of the white marlins caught in the White Marlin Open in Ocean City over the years were actually roundscale spearfish.
White marlin usually do not exceed 5.5 feet and 80 pounds. However, the world record for a white marlin is almost 182 pounds caught in the waters off Brazil.
Blue Marlin
Those fishing in the White Marlin Open tournament in Ocean City, Maryland also hunt for the Blue Marlin. This is a much larger fish. National Geographic describes them as “one of the largest and most beautiful fish in the ocean.” They are cobalt blue on top with a silvery-white underside. The world record Blue Marlin was caught off the coast of Kona, Hawaii and weighed 1,376 pounds and was over 16 feet long. Some commercial fisherman and others have caught bigger fish , but they were not officially weighed. These fish start life when the eggs are fertilized in the water, outside the bodies of the fish. Their diet grows as they do until the Blue Marlin becomes one of the largest, fastest swimming and most successful predators in the ocean. They slash through dense schools of fish to stun their prey and then return to eat the fish they stunned and killed.
Females can be up to four times larger than the males and release millions of eggs multiple times when spawning, thereby hoping to ensure at least one grows to adulthood. Bue marlins were originially thought to be divided into multiple species. DNA testing this time conflated all blue marlin into one species. So, if you catch a blue marlin, it’s just a blue marlin, if you can say that about one of the largest and most beautiful fish in the sea.
Their meat is a delicacy particularly in Japan. During the White Marlin Open, some fishermen keep their fish once weighed. For those anglers who choose not to keep their fish, the tournament donates any extra fish to food banks in the Ocean City area.
White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland: Conservation and Sportsmanship
The White Marlin Open has been at the forefront of billfish conservation for 42 years. They proudly host this tournament formatted for anglers to win millions of dollars while maintaining very high release rates. All fishermen are required to use circle hooks which reduce the mortality rate of released fish because it increases the likelihood of the fish being hooked in the mouth. Those using these hooks are not supposed to set the hook, but rather wait for the hook to set itself as the fish is reeled in. In 2018, almost $4,000,000 in prize money was awarded. 695 billfish were caught and 687 of them were released. In 2019, the largest year to date based on boats entered in the tournament, showed well over 1,000 white marlins caught during the first three days of the tournament.
If you aren’t already acquainted with them, memes are a wildly popular and fun way to express a struggle, experience, relatable moment and pretty much anything else you can think of. Memes are online inside jokes that are shared between friends, and sometimes even shared between thousands and thousands of people.
OCMDMemes, short for Ocean City, Maryland Memes, is an account on Instagram that creates and shares memes. It’s become quite popular, amassing over 830 followers in just over a year. The account even had one of its meme reposted by the official Old Bay Instagram account.
The owner of the OCMDMemes account remains anonymous, but I was lucky enough to get an interview with them and ask them some questions about their memes.
No, this isn’t a real thing, but Old Bay’s official Instagram did repost it! Photo by OCMDMemes.
Q: What inspired you to start the meme account?
A: This is kind of ironic, but I think I was upset about somebody getting hurt because they crossed in the middle of the road. It was an idea I had for a while so I started it with the goals of, one, making memes, obviously, and two, getting people to use the crosswalk.
Photo by OCMDMemes.
Q: Do you make all the memes? Or do people also send them to you for you to share?
A: Yeah, I make most of the memes. I tag people in any posts that contain memes they’ve sent to me.
Q: What inspires you to make your memes? Do they come from personal experiences?
A: A lot of it comes from what I’m doing or what’s going on. I burn my feet at the beach, and I make a meme about it. H2Oi comes into town, I make a meme about it. Etc., etc.
Photo by OCMDMemes.
Q: How do you stay up to date with all the new meme trends? Do you ever get overwhelmed with trying to keep up?
A: I think staying up to date with the trends just involves being active on the internet. Honestly, I don’t use social media that much. Memes are everywhere, so it’s not too hard to find ideas.
Q: I see that people have started to submit memes to you. Do you think your page is bringing people together?
A: I hope so. The main goal was always to get people to use crosswalks, but I’m not sure if that’s going well. Seeing people comment or send me stuff related to Ocean City makes me happy.
Photo by OCMDMemes.
Q: Where do you see the account heading to in the future? Do you plan to keep posting memes?
A: I don’t know where the account is headed. I truly never thought I’d be doing the stuff I am now because of a meme account. I’ve made a lot of new connections and it’s really interesting to see the kinds of people that reach out to me. Although I plan to keep posting memes, I’m worried that I’ll run out of ideas or that the content will all start to seem the same.
Q: You just hit the one-year anniversary on your account and had a giveaway, will there be more giveaways when you hit milestones in the future?
A: Yes, there will be. I don’t plan to start selling stickers anytime soon unless people express a lot of interest in it, but I want to keep giving them out in whatever ways possible.
Photo by OCMDMemes.
Q: You’re anonymous. Do you get a lot of people asking about your identity or who you are?
A: All the time. I get people that [direct message] me random things they think I’ll find funny, and then as soon as I respond, they go, “Tell me who you are please, I won’t tell anybody.” Maybe sometime in the future I’ll tell people who I am, but until I decide to, nobody is getting any information. Staying anonymous has definitely been an experience.
Q: Do you see your account as a way of educating tourists? For example, the memes about not littering and using the crosswalk.
A: Yes. I want tourists to see the posts about those things and stop doing them. There’s nothing more annoying than the fact that some tourists will trash our town and then leave because they will never have to deal with the consequences of it.
Photo by OCMDMemes.
Q: Do you have a message you want to spread or something you want to say?
A: #usethecrosswalkocmd! But seriously, if I see you crossing the street in the middle of nowhere, I WILL yell at you. I have done it before.
Photo by OCMDMemes.
Thank you, OCMDMemes!
It’s great to see someone trying to spread an important message in a funny way. You can find their account on Instagram by searching OCMDMemes, and a link will also be on this page so it’s easier to find. Please give them a follow, you’ll have tons of laughs and you can send their memes to a tourist you know!