Wear tennis shoes or boating shoes, rather than flip flops or going barefoot. Clothes will likely get muddy, you may wish to take that into consideration while selecting your choice of clothing for this trip.
Be Prepared
Pick up chicken necks or backs at any grocery or bait store, a line for each person, at least one net that may be shared, a measuring tool, and a crab cage or bushel basket (the crabs will stay alive in the water while you continue to have fun) and a styrofoam cooler, from the local convenience store.
Pick a great place
Take route 90 West (62nd street bridge in Ocean City). After crossing the first bridge take the right at the light between the two bridges for the closest location. Approximately a quarter mile down the road you will see a causeway. Be cautious where you pull over if you are not in a four wheel vehicle. There are many “safe” spots to park on the side of the road but there are a few soft spots as well that could cause your vehicle to bog down in the mud.
Assateague National seashore is also a wonderful location (the rangers are usually present to help with guidance), but is a little farther away. Assateague is approximately 12-15 miles from Ocean City. Take Route 50 West approximately 1/2 mile to Route 611, take 611 South to Assateague Island.
Be Patient and follow the laws
Marsh mud is slippery so be careful when you step near the water. Tie the chicken part to the end of the string and drop the end with the chicken into the water while holding the other end of the line. When a crab takes the bait you will feel the tug on the line. Pull the string up slowly until you are certain there is a crab on your line. Use the net to scoop up the prize and place them in the holding cage/basket in the water. There is a limit to the number of crabs you may catch at one time on a hand line; two dozen for male crabs and one dozen for females, and no smaller than five inches, point to point.
Leave only your footprints
At the end of the day pull the holding cage out and put the crabs on ice as soon as possible. Also remember to clean up after yourself. Do not leave bottles, cans or any type of trash behind. Most importantly do not leave your strings or trash behind. Use the trash bag to contain all the trash from the day until you reach an acceptable trash container to dispose of these items. Especially remember plastics kills wildlife and aquatic organisms.
Keep the crabs in refrigeration or on ice until ready to cook. It is not recommended that you cook or consume a crab that is no longer alive.
Even if you are not successful in your attempts and find the need to purchase dinner on your way home, you have created a special memory for your family that will last a lifetime.
If you have been agonizing over the right time to sell your home, condominium or townhouse, now is the time to sell here in Worcester County, Maryland! The sales market is recovering from the market drop, or sales recession, which caused the sales market to lean to definitely benefit the buyer for a period in excess of 8 years. The sales market took a hard hit in 2007-2008 causing the prices to decline quickly. During that time it was not uncommon for a property to be on the market from 1 to 2 years before receiving an offer to purchase.
A slow recovery has been apparent since the late fall of 2014. In 2017 a noticeable, more rapid positive change in the market has been in progress. To put this in chronological order, our market increase of single family homes located in Worcester County that settled between January 1, 2015 and June 22, 2015 that were listed for sale remained on the MLS (multiple listing service) for an average of 178 DOM
(days on the market before the settlement date), with an average sales price of $253,415. There were 387 total of single family homes sold between January 1 and June 22 in 2015.
Single home sales, in the same county, from January 1 to June 22, in 2016 (same time span) were an average of 159 DOM and an average sale of $271,159 with 395 homes sold. An increase of 9.4% of the average sales price and 9% decrease of DOM. This trend has continued increasing the average price sold with fewer days on the market. January 1, 2017 until today 415 single family homes were sold this year with an average sales price of $277,090 and 129 average DOM. Leaving only 432 single family homes available to purchase for the entire county, as of today’s date.
photo by Svetlana (Lana) Leahy
In Ocean City, the condominium or townhouse sales have kept pace. January 1, 2015 – June 22, 2015, 454 condo/townhouses were sold in Ocean City, Maryland, with an average sales price of $270,863 and 208 DOM. From January 1, 2016 until June 22, 2016 there were 476 condo/townhouses sold with 211 DOM and average sales price of $269,506. From January 1, 2017 until today 608 condo/townhouses have sold with 186 average DOM and average sales price of $277,703.
This trend is most notably reported in the May 2017 monthly press release dated June 15, 2017 from the Maryland Association of REALTORS. The market statistics show a major increase in overall properties purchased in Worcester County this May with a 19% increase from May 2016 and sales price increase of 15.2%. The statistics show an overall increase of properties sold for the state of Maryland of 4.1% www.mdrealtor.org and a 4.3% increase in sales price.
Although we have every indication the market will continue to strengthen, the increase in the number of properties sold should encourage potential sellers to prepare your property for a timely sale by performing any necessary repairs, painting, or upgrades as soon as possible then contact your local REALTOR to request a competitive market analysis (CMA). The CMA will provide a clear view of the value of your property, on todays’ market, as well as a glimpse of the properties that will be in direct competition with you.
Your real estate agent will be a valuable asset for you to provide guidance in preparing your property to accomplish a rapid and successful sale of your home.
Need a little creativity and color in your life? Visit the 17th Annual Art’s Alive, a fine arts festival this weekend at Northside Park on 125th Street to enjoy culture in a beautiful setting.
Set near a picturesque bayside park, attendees can enjoy a scenic stroll while perusing art from more than 90 booths, featuring artists from the tri-state region. Other artists have traveled from from states up and down the East Coast to show off their work, be it paintings, jewelry, sculptures or furniture, in Ocean City. More than half of the vendor’s at this week’s festival will be new additions.
All artists will compete for roughly $5,250 in prizes in nine juried categories. Awards for best in show and people’s choice will be presented at the artist reception Saturday night at the Art League on 94th Street.
Attendees can take home their own masterpiece, from soap carvings or ceramics.
“If you’re looking for a family-friendly outdoor event this weekend, this is the one,” Ocean City Special Events Director, Frank Miller said in a press release. “Arts Alive is more than a fine art festival.”
Musicians will also help set a relaxing ambiance in Northside Park. Janet Spahr, who performs with handpans, will create a soothing, ethereal music for the walks on Saturday and Sunday. Island Fusion will perform on Saturday, and will be fusing traditional island tunes with classic rock, blues standard and other music during their set. River & Rhodes, a acoustic duo, will also entertain at the festival on Sunday.
Free childrens activities, including soap carving, drawing and painting, will be offered to younger visitors to make the event more pleasurable for the whole family. Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli will be there and provide variety of delicious food options, like their world-famous reubens and dill pickles. Smoothie lovers can stop by the Maui Wowi smoothie stand for a refreshment if it gets too hot during the Arts Alive festival.
Vendors will also sell beer and wine to adult patrons, truly making “that stroll through our 58 acre park just a little more enjoyable,” Frank Miller said. “Bring the whole family and enjoy art.”
Like last year, official Art’s Alive merchandise will be sold during the event, giving guests another option to take home the festival with them. Merchandise includes pins and T-shirts.
Art’s Alive will take place rain or shine from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on June 24-25. For more information on this free event, contact the Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department at 410-250-0125 or go to ococean.com.
The Air Show wasn’t the only excitement to hit the beach last Saturday – a leatherback sea turtle also, literally, hit the beach. Some spectators thought that the turtle looked to be alive as it was being rocked by the current, but the Ocean City Beach Patrol has said that it was unlikely the sea turtle was alive by the time it was spotted near the shore. There was reportedly a crack in the turtle’s shell, and other markings led some to believe that it died after being struck by a boat.
Delmarva is home to a variety of turtle species, and it’s important that we keep them safe. If a sea turtle washes up on shore, contact the Ocean City Beach Patrol or, at the very least, alert a lifeguard (when live marine animals wash up on shore, the OCBP contacts the National Aquarium). A lot of our turtle species here in Delmarva are endangered – leatherback turtles, like the one that appeared on Saturday, as well as Kemp’s Ridley turtles, green turtles, loggerhead and bog turtles, are all at risk of extinction.
Save the turtles!
Before I get into the cute pictures of local bayside turtles that BL and I found during our adventures, bear with me while I give you a few tips for protecting the turtles on Delamarva. The first one’s obvious: clean up after yourself on the beach. You should be doing this anyway, but sea turtles can mistake trash like plastic bags for jellyfish, one of their main sources of prey.
If you’re on the beach at Assateague or Chincoteague this summer and you spot a nesting turtle, do not disturb it. If they get spooked, female turtles may “false crawl,” or return to the sea before laying their eggs.
Finally, when boating, there are a few things you can do to avoid incidents like the one that may have harmed our sea turtle on Saturday. When you see a turtle, slow down. Follow the speed limit, and also follow channel markers. Avoid boating in sea grass beds, where turtles live.
Those are just a few small, minimally invasive ways that you can help keep the species safe and alive for many years to come.
A few local snappers
There are plenty of reasons why we should try to move the various turtle species off the endangered species list.
Little snapper in the foggy marsh water.
Besides being essential to the region’s ecosystem, I think turtles are great because they look like tiny dinosaurs, and it’s weird.
On Thursday, BL and I went on a turtle hunt in the marshes of Fenwick, DE. First, we saw this little guy on the right, swimming around near a fleet of horseshoe crabs.
And then…nothing. It was a humid, overcast day, but we’d hoped that we could at least get some cool bird photos at the least. The bay was not bustling with wildlife on Thursday, only dragonflies.
We did see lots of horseshoe crabs in the water, but that’s not exactly a rarity around these parts.
This poor guy was flipped on his back, and although we did flip him right side up, we’d gotten to him too late.
As we were driving away, we saw another snapping turtle on the side of the road. My first thought was: does he need help?! He looked a little lost, but then I saw that he was headed toward a small body of water not too far from us, and knew not to intervene. Another tip: if you ever see a turtle crossing the road, put your flashers on and help them get across. That’s about the only time that you should pick them up. Otherwise, leave them alone.
Luckily, he seemed to have made it safely this far.Making his way to the water, this little guy was a great model. We didn’t get too close – BL was using a telephoto lens.He reached his destination. I hope he has a nice day!
The first Ocean City Film Festival took place last weekend, from June 8 – 11, and it was successful in more ways than one.
First, I want to clarify that I’m not really writing this as a journalist, but as a co-director of the festival, so my outlook isn’t super objective. However, we’ve gotten some really good feedback so far, and nothing catastrophic happened over the course of the weekend, so I’m fortunate enough to not have to report on anything terrible that might have happened. Instead, I get to talk about the adventure of it all, and what we learned from the experience.
I will say that there was a lot of stress involved in planning the festival, especially since none of this has ever been done before. Not in Ocean City, anyway, and the closest that William, the festival director, and I had come to the festival circuit was a one-day volunteer stint at the Maryland Film Festival. We were optimistic, maybe naively so, that such a function could succeed in this town. But because of the incredible amount of support from the passionate and hard-working people at the Art League of Ocean City, as well as our volunteers, our sponsors, and the filmmakers themselves, many of whom were Delmarva locals, it did succeed.
Volunteers like Danielle Whaley and Dennis Smith are one reason why the festival ran relatively smoothly
Going into this, we had no idea if there could be an established community for film in Ocean City and the surrounding regions—we didn’t know if anyone cared enough. We invited a lot of our friends and acquaintances from Baltimore, knowing that if we didn’t draw in any attendees, at least we’d have a few Baltimorean bodies in the seats.
One thing we learned is that, while vacationers are not coming to Ocean City during the summer to sit in the dark and marathon movies, there are locals who really care about film and other art forms, an entire world of culture that people don’t typically associate with Ocean City. There is a small underground culture for art that, right now, is mostly being nurtured by the Art League and groups of friends who get together for drinks and discussion every once in a while. One of our biggest successes with the festival was bringing these people together to network so that they can collaborate in the future and expand the underground. While there’s an endless supply of family entertainment in OC, there isn’t much for artists, and we’d like to change that.
A festival-goer with Rudy Childs, director of “1984: Riding Into Hell”
So, that being said, here’s an abbreviated run-down of what happened: Thursday was our opening ceremony, which was held at the Plim Plaza Caribbean Pool Bar. There was food and drink and a musician playing acoustic cover songs. Most importantly, there was an opportunity for filmmakers and film lovers to meet and mingle, and invite one another to attend their film’s screenings over the weekend. William spoke, followed by local filmmaker Dan O’Hare and local actress/retired teacher Gwen Lehman, who were also on the festival’s judging committee.
Screenings happened on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at venues across Ocean City including the Art League, Fox Gold Coast Theatre, Dunes Manor hotel and Francis Scott Key resort. The 702 film submissions we’d received in total were narrowed down to about 130 of various genres, from horror to documentary to youth shorts by directors who haven’t even graduated from elementary school yet.
The crowd at Friday night’s regional mid-Atlantic showcase watches Stephanie Buckley’s film “Han.”
The screenings themselves were a major learning experience for us—technologically, by some miracle, there were only a few minor mishaps, but the crowds in each showcase varied greatly. Some screenings only saw a handful of audience members. Others, like the horror and regional mid-Atlantic showcases, had much greater attendance. Regional mid-Atlantic, I get—we prioritize Maryland and especially Delmarva-based filmmakers, and who doesn’t want to see something that was filmed in their own backyard? The horror turnout I didn’t expect as much, although the landscape here can be pretty desolate and eerily quiet at times, so for all I know, the Eastern Shore is becoming a horror hub.
There were two workshops over the course of the weekend, one about microbudget filmmaking and the other about screenplay writing, both hugely important topics for aspiring filmmakers. On Saturday evening, there was an awards ceremony at the Art League where, after much consultation by the judging committee, three awards were given out. The Celluloid Crab, which is the best use of analog equipment or practical effects, went to Mike Reilly’s short film “Ellie,” and without revealing too much, I will say the film involves a Tinder date gone awry and copious amounts of fake blood. The Pink Flamingo, or the film most uniquely reflective of Maryland life, was awarded to “Malpractice,” a Baltimore-centric buddy comedy. The Verdict, the award for judge’s choice, was given to Joe Dimaio’s “Sonder,” a beautifully shot coming-of-age short. Award winners were given prize baskets with swag from local businesses and, more valuably, the pride of being recognized by Ocean City’s premiere film fest (I’m only being a little tongue-in-cheek, I swear!).
Damn Fine Film award winner “Bern” was screened at the closing reception
Our closing reception was at Touch of Italy on Sunday night, which is where the Damn Fine Film (aka Audience Choice) award was given (after I painstakingly tallied over 300 online votes). Art is subjective, and I’ll be the first to admit that awards in general mean next to nothing. However, while the film that took home Audience Choice excelled in its use of archival footage, documentary and storytelling, I was surprised that it even qualified for the award. Rob Bell III’s “Bern” is a documentary about Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential candidacy, Black Lives Matter, and how “Bernie or Bust” voters effected the ultimate results of the election. “Bern” won Audience Choice, and what this means, I’m not sure yet. It could be a reflection of the changing demographic and values of people on the Eastern Shore, or of young people in general. It could mean that the climate in Ocean City is shifting, and that it’ll see more art, activism, and politics in the years to come. This could be a very broad and biased assumption to make, but I don’t know. All I know is that “Bern” won Audience Choice at a film festival in Ocean City, and that means something.
Overall, the first Ocean City Film Festival was a ginormous learning experience for those of us that organized it, and for the locals that found their kin over the weekend. I am happy to know that a film festival can exist here, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next year. (More information can be found on social media and on ocmdfilmfestival.com. Questions or feedback can be sent to oceancityfilmfest@gmail.com.)
The annual Ocean City Air Show happened over the weekend and if you’re somehow unfamiliar with the event, fighter jets and other military aircraft take over the skies for two days and fly and perform over spectators on the beach and boardwalk. It’s a marvel that’s unlike anything else in Ocean City, and I was lucky enough to attend for the first time this year. Below are the photos by BL and me (admittedly, mostly BL) and a little bit about our first Air Show experience. We took a bunch of shots but there are 6 of our favorite Ocean City Airshow Photos.
This stunt plane was the first one we saw as we headed down the boardwalk, and it was doing some incredible tricks in the sky – flips and turns and loops that made me nauseous just looking at it. It was hard to take my eyes off the performance, but the boardwalk was so packed on Saturday that I needed all of my focus to weave in and out of the crowd.Another stunt plane. By this point, we’d arrived at our location – the rooftop of a hotel where we have connections with one of the maintenance guys (shh, don’t tell anyone!) – and the view was spectacular. Plus, there was a bar downstairs, so we were sipping on fruity cocktails while we watched the show. It was heaven.Here, a Coast Guard Helicopter conducted a simulated rescue operation, and at first we were worried that someone really did need rescuing. Luckily, the key word here is “simulation,” and it was pretty cool to see, especially when you know someone’s not really in dire need of rescue.I honestly have no idea what this thing is, but it looks intense. As you can tell by the clear, blue sky behind every plane, it was a beautiful day. It would have been perfect if it was just a few degrees cooler, but I really can’t complain. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring sunscreen and my nose is still red from the sun beating down on us all afternoon. Air Show pro tip: come prepared with sunscreen, sunglasses and maybe a sun-shielding hat.Overall, the Air Show was a really neat experience, and I’ll be sure to go again next year. I never thought I’d say this, but it’s worth sitting in traffic and facing hoards of people for.Pictured above are plumes of smoke from descending skydivers. The camera died before we could get any pictures of the famed Blue Angels, but I have a feeling they’ll be back again next year.
OC Screams might be spooky, but it might also actually behaunted.
The two-year-old haunted house on Worcester Street is one of three supernatural walk-throughs by Steelhead Productions, and it’s plenty creepy without the presence of real apparitions. According to manager Holly Starkey, last year’s guests would claim that they felt their ankles being grabbed as they traipsed through the imitation shipwreck’s dark rooms; but this was impossible, she said, because while OC Screams utilizes live actors to amp up their scare factor, the actors aren’t actually allowed to touch anybody. Follow you around and shriek in your ear, yes. Touch you, no.
At first, Starkey thought that the feeling of an ankle grab might be a response to fear. After all, OC Screams is pretty terrifying – floors shake and move beneath your feet, zombified actors jump out of the dark, ornaments hang from the ceiling and brush against your face as you walk by – it’s not hard to believe that, in a petrified stupor, a guest might imagine that a hand has reached out and grabbed them.
But then employees started feeling it too, Starkey said, and that’s when the OC Scream team realized there might really be a ghost on their premises. And the employees take their jobs seriously. Many of them are trained actors, and others are theatre students who just really love Halloween.
“It’s a really awesome summer job, you get to let out a lot of stress just screaming at random people,” said Kelly Starkey, an actor and makeup artist at the haunted house. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Kelly Starkey is one of the few actors who says she hasn’t been desensitized by all of the jump-scares although, for her, they’re just part of a day’s work.
“I don’t like haunted houses at all, but I work in one,” she said. “They still get me.”
Kelly Starkey has been an actor and makeup artist at OC Screams since it first opened last summer
Ocean City locals and frequent vacationers are already familiarized with one haunted house on the boardwalk. The Trimper’s dark ride, guarded by a giant bat and the famously decapitated count Wolf Von Vinderstein, has been an OC marvel since the 1960s. But that ride, for all of its classic camp and nostalgia, doesn’t offer the horror-movie-level terror that OC Screams does. In fact, in the newer, two-story haunted house that’s just off the boardwalk, an entire narrative lies within its walls.
“The story basically is that a ship went missing a little over 50 years ago in Ocean City and popped back up last summer in the ocean, and we dry-docked here off the boardwalk,” Holly Starkey said.
While the haunt is, right now, understandably ocean-themed, Starkey speculated that this could change in the future.
“The theme is the same as last year, we’re still on the ship and I’m not sure if we’ll do the ship theme again next year, or maybe change a few things around to keep everybody interested,” she said. “But it’s mostly our actors – our actors try to change things up and give everybody a new experience every time they come in.”
OC Screams opened its doors for the season over Memorial Day Weekend, and it’ll be open full-time – Tuesday through Sunday – starting this Tuesday, June 20.
A brief “training” period for new actors began only a week before Memorial Day, at a day-long orientation followed by a dress rehearsal where employees’ friends and family were given a sneak peak of this summer’s terrors. Much of the actor’s job is improvised, and the jumping-out-of-the-dark-and-screaming thing is pretty self-explanatory.
I can’t go into too much detail of what’s inside the shipwreck without ruining the surprise or spoiling the fear that will surely strike your heart upon entrance. Most of the magic of OC Screams relies on the fear of the unknown.
I will say that the animatronics and props are uber-realistic, and the actors are very skilled at what they do. After my heart had already stopped a number of times after being scared, I literally held my breath and tiptoed around one bloodied prop – the only one that didn’t end up screaming in my face.
What I saw of the haunted house was great, and I was satisfied. Admittedly, I did not stay the whole time, as my videographer partner BL was too spooked to go through the curtains of a pitch-black room on the second floor. I was trembling a little by this point, so that was fine by me. We walked out of through the red curtains that signify an emergency exit, where many panicking guests have been escorted out before.
You’ll certainly enjoy the experience if you’re a thrill-seeker who’s outgrown the rides on the boardwalk. You will not enjoy it if “Titanic” gave you nightmares.
Ocean City, Maryland – (June 20, 2017): The arts are alive at Northside Park this weekend, June 24-25, for the 17th Annual Art’s Alive fine art festival. Encompassing the park’s picturesque lagoon, this bayside event offers attendees a scenic stroll with music, free children’s activities, food, beer, wine and art.
Art’s Alive hosts over 90 artists displaying and selling their work while competing for over $5000 in prizes. These local and travelling artists come to Ocean City to demonstrate their creativity and skill in 12 categories including painting, jewelry and ceramics. Children will get the opportunity to try their hand at various art activities at no charge. From soap carving to painting, families will be able to take home their own Art’s Alive masterpiece.
“If you’re looking for a family-friendly outdoor event this weekend, this is the one,” commented Ocean City Special Events Director, Frank Miller. “Arts Alive is more than a fine art festival. We have music by Janet Spahr (both days), Island Fusion (Saturday) and River & Rhodes (Sunday), activity stations all around the lagoon for kids to take part in and beverages to make that stroll through our 58 acre park just a little more enjoyable.”
While at Art’s Alive, event participants can purchase and enjoy a craft beer or glass of wine from the Art League of Ocean City. In addition, Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli will provide a variety of delicious food options. Also, smoothie lovers can stop by the Maui Wowi smoothie stand and cool off as you make your way around the lagoon.
Art’s Alive will take place rain or shine from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. “Bring the whole family and enjoy art and Ocean City this weekend at Art’s Alive,” Miller finished.
For more information on this free event, call 410-250-0125 or go to ococean.com.
More than a quarter of a million people come to Ocean City in the summertime and thousands of them walk the 27 blocks of the Boardwalk each day. In “What Are You Doing Here?” we stop a few of them and find out what brought them to our corner of the Eastern Shore.
Meron Alemayehu arrived on the Boardwalk at the wrong time. She was bundled up in a jacket that was too large for her on a cold and overcast day. The wind whipped the hair around her face while she leaned on the railing while waiting for a friend to get off of work.
Timing hasn’t really worked out Meron. She’s been in Ocean City for a few weeks on a F1 work study visa, and the weather has been pretty cold. But she’s optimistic her luck will change.
“Man, I’m from Mississippi! It’s too cold out here for me!” Meron said with a laugh. “I’m literally waiting for summer, so I can go in the water. It’s too cold for swimming…. I can’t wait!”
Meron decided to come to the regional family-friendly resort for the same reason like other international students do: the work. But she’s different from others that hold a J1 visa that have trouble with biking on the wrong side of the street and use Ocean City has a means to explore United States treasures like D.C. or New York. She’s a junior at Jackson State University, studying business and finance. Meron is from Ethiopia, but decided to come to the United States because the schools were better than the options back home. Meron did not choose Ocean City, but rather followed her sister’s footsteps. The two came from Ethiopia together, but the sister came to the resort last summer.
“She started dating a store owner here and when she told me about it, she said it was fun, good hours and a lot of money,” Meron said.
Her older sister didn’t lie. Meron’s working 10-15 hours a day at a Boardwalk T-shirt store she can’t remember the name of. She knows it’s near Second Street, though, but they all blend together in cramped storefronts in splashes of loud colors.
“They all kind of look the same to me,” she said.
Like with this blog, Meron quickly picked up that the Boardwalk is one place where truly all types of people, from different religions, races and places, all convene in a single moment. In her brief time working in customer service, she said she came across some characters. Senior week in particular brings out some amusing interactions. Meron noticed that there’s been less than savory behavior from some eccentric customers on the Boardwalk, even though there’s signs posted everywhere saying “No Profanity” or “Keep Our Boardwalk Air Clean.”
“The craziest family that came in our store bought shirts that have “bitch one,” “bitch two,” you know, and they bought some for the whole family,” Meron said. “I’m thinking the dad was “bitch one,” and the little girl was “bitch five.” I was like, ‘What?! Ocean City’s wild.’”
Meron’s plans for the summer hopefully include taking a walk on the wild side herself.
“I want to check out the nightlife, I hear it’s pretty cool at Seacrets. I hear there’s go-karting,” she said.
But the number one priority is Ocean City’s main attraction: the beach.
“As soon as it gets hot, I’m going to be on the beach 24/7. I’m just waiting for the weather to come out. So far, it’s all living up to my expectations – it’s so beautiful and busy! I work a lot of hours, so there’s not enough of time to do things. But hopefully, I’ll make time,” she said.
Tips to Help Rental Property Owners Be More Successful in Ocean City Maryland.
The summer rental season is upon us here in Ocean City, Maryland. The time has come for rental property owners to prepare vacation properties for summer time guests. The following paragraphs contain some helpful hints for a successful and trouble free summer.
One of the more important chores to prepare your vacation property is a complete spring clean. Check mattress pads, pillows, pillow protectors, shower curtain liners, replace any worn or stained items and be sure all comforters are cleaned/dry cleaned. Turn all your breakers on and test your air conditioning system to be sure it is functioning properly. Change out the air filter each Spring and Fall. Make sure there is a broom, mop and vacuum in the property. Tenants will use them and it will help to keep your unit in good condition through the season. Using a canister type vacuum will more likely be used since replacement vacuum bags may not always be available.
Photo by Svetlana (Lana) Leahy
Check for leaks or drips under sinks and behind water closets . Occasionally seals and washers dry out over the winter while not being used regularly, they often crack, and can cause major water damage if not noticed early on.
Check the window sills and door tracks. Dirt can accumulate in windows, screens and sliders over the winter. Dirt in slider tracks may cause the rollers on sliders to wear down, and make them difficult to open and close in the rental property. Lock any owners’ closets to protect private possessions. Leave notes for tenants explaining any unusual procedures necessary for easy operation in the property (I.e. If the TV works by a switch, or if instructions and password is required for Internet access). Check door locks to be sure they lock and unlock smoothly. Sometimes the salt air can cause the locks to stick, frequently a lubricating spray will take care of the problem. If there is a glass slider to a balcony make sure the lock does not automatically engage and therefore lock prospective tenants out on the balcony.
FUN IN THE SURF!
A sign in type guest book is a handy way of receiving feedback from your tenants. Use the first page to welcome guests and encourage them to use the remainder of the book for comments, suggestions or to memorialize their best vacation ever in beautiful Ocean City, Maryland!! Further it gives tenants a contact with that property and provides memories they may likely revisit in the future.
By making a rental property as user friendly as possible, and showing guests that their comfort is important, it will encourage guests to return year after year. Remember, repeat tenants feel a sense of belonging in properties where they have had a wonderful experience and they feel their needs were heard, and met, right here in Ocean City, Maryland!!
We’ve had such a great response to our weekly photo contest, that we thought we would expand it to include a separate category for sunsets. You guys do a fantastic job of posting sunsets on our Facebook page, so we thought you might like to submit them for a chance to win Jolly Roger tickets. Here’s how it works. Each Friday we’ll announce the sunrise sunset winner. We will update this page every day as new entries come in. Feel free to look at them all and to share.
“The Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office received a request last summer from a woman who believed it was her constitutional right to be bare-chested on Ocean City’s beach. At that time, the State’s Attorney reached out to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office for an opinion on the matter, which we are still anxiously awaiting. The Mayor & City Council are strongly opposed to this idea and are taking the matter very seriously by exploring what legal actions can be taken to prevent this from happening. While we respect Ms. Covington’s desire to express what rights she may have, Ocean City is a family beach resort and we intend to do whatever is within our ability to keep it that way.”
There was a request to the Worcester County States Attorney last summer by a woman who believes it is her constitutional right to be on Ocean City’s beach without a top.
The states attorney has reached out to the attorney general’s office and is waiting an opinion. The Police Department is working closely with the states attorney and Beach Patrol on how to properly enforce any incidents that arise. The mayor & city council strongly oppose this idea (one assumes they mean toplessness and not working with the states attorney and beach patrol–Ed.) and are working to determine what legal actions can be taken to prevent this from occurring.
Another summer is upon us, and that means it is time to announce the Best of Ocean City for 2017. These are your favorite businesses in town who produce your favorite foods and drinks. The Best of Ocean City is the only “Best Of” type event that is not dependent upon advertiser input. These are purely the most popular businesses that are the most popular with their clientele.
Millions of people visit OceanCity.com each year to find the best things to do, the best places to go. Many of them also share their experiences by voting in the Best of Ocean City each year. To you folks, Thanks for the recommendations and keep up the good work!
P.S. If you don’t like the results, The Best Of Ocean City 2018 begins soon, so stay tuned!
Rebecca Hardy and Seth Irwin were lounging in the shade, enjoying a pair of the adirondack chairs placed strategically around the Ayers Creek Adventures property. A couple, Peter and Linda Hutchinson, already was out on the creek. The next school tour wouldn’t arrive for another few hours, so there were some minutes of quiet to enjoy. And I cannot impress upon you enough the depth of the quiet that can be found less than 200 yards from Assateague Road. Ayers Creek Adventures is entering its 8th season and each year, so far, has been better than the last for owners Suzy and Steven Taylor. When they started the business, it was just the two of them taking tours out on the creek, renting people kayaks, and designing excursions. Over the last several years, a combination of return guests with positive experiences and the people who they’ve told, has helped sustain and grow the business.
New digs on old land
Suzy Taylor, owner of Ayers Creek Adventures behind the counter in the ecotourism company’s remodeled field house.
Steven has been fixing up the different aspects of the property bit by bit over the years, making the entire place more efficient and welcoming. The most recent addition is a converted chicken house. It acts as the retail counter as well as a canoe and kayak display area. Ayers Creek Adventures sits on Steven’s family property. As with so many of the other places on the Eastern Shore, it used to be a farm. The early 20th century chicken house required significant restoration.
You still can see the age on some of the original beams, but it is rustic without being run down. Up against the wall you’ll find rows and rows of kayaks and canoes on mobile racks Steven built to make the storing and toting the boats easier. There also is plenty of private space in some of the other sections of the building for changing.
The best way to launch a kayak
Linda Hutchinson cruises in to the Yak-A-Launcher at Ayers Creek Adventures after a day out on the water. The launcher makes it really easy to get in and out of the vessel.
Ayers Creek Adventures was among the first in the area to put a Yak-A-Launcher to work. It’s an apparatus that floats in the shallows to help people who might otherwise have trouble getting into and out of kayaks. The launcher looks a bit like an upside down goal post on floats. You stand on the floats, holds the center bar and then ease into the vessel. From there it’s just a mild push off to start an adventure. When you return to the mainland, maneuver the kayak back through the upside down uprights, pull yourself up and step out onto the dock. It’s a piece of cake.
Spectacular views before you even get started
The view from the Ayers Creek Adventures kayak launch site.
Ayers Creek Adventures offer sunrise, sunset and moonlight paddle tours as well as tours of the salt marsh, and forested wetlands. And those are just the basics. Of course you are free to rent a kayak and explore for yourself or have a paddle tour customized for your group. Kayak excursions are great for youth trips, team building, or just having a bunch of friends get together.
Suzy said she even has had bachelorette parties take out the eight person stand up paddleboard for a few hours of fun on the creek and bay. They also rent tandem kayaks and canoes. It’s a great way to spend a couple of vacation hours, or even an entire day.
The Commissioners announce the appointment of Donna Bounds, as the new Worcester County Jail warden.
“Warden Bounds is an outstanding professional who knows the Worcester County Jail, and she is highly respected by public safety officials throughout the state,” Commission President Jim Bunting said. “She is the right person to lead the Worcester County Jail.”
Bounds is a certified corrections officer, who is dedicated to the humane treatment of legally confined inmates, and who has 35 years of experience overseeing all aspects of Worcester County Jail operations. She is part of the outstanding team whose ongoing commitment to excellence and years of leadership have played a pivotal role in the jail earning the Recognition of Achievement Award from the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards (MCCS) for achieving 100% compliance for 14 consecutive years.
“I would like to thank the County Commissioners for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Worcester County as the new warden,” Bounds said. “I look forward to continuing to work in unison with the team of dedicated staff and professional correctional officers at the jail and all our partner agencies to maintain the security and safety of the jail.”
Bounds is a 2003 graduate of Wilmington University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, and a graduate of Wor-Wic Community College, where she earned correctional officer certification in 1982 and an Associate of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice in 1989. She received certification from the Maryland State Police to collect DNA samples. Bounds is also Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) certified by the Department of Justice, and a state-certified in-service corrections instructor.
Prior to being appointed to serve as the new warden, Bounds rose through the ranks at the Worcester County Jail, where she began her career in 1982 and was most recently promoted to shift commander in 2006, operations commander in 2007, and security and custody assistant warden in 2011. She is the PREA coordinator for the Jail as well as the liaison between the jail and allied agencies, including the State’s Attorney’s Office and criminal court system. She has played a key role in developing and enforcing jail policies and procedures.
Bounds is a lifelong Worcester County resident who was born and raised in Snow Hill.
Memorial Weekend has come and gone in Ocean City and not things are about to get real. Over the holiday weekend we had a bunch of people here in town taking early summer snapshots, and a bunch more people at home remembering their own Memorial Day’s gone by. They send along all sorts of great photos, including some really great proposal memories.
Remember to send in your best vacation photos and we’ll be happy to share them here.
The best way to keep track of a three year old while on the beach!! 5/26/17 On the beach at 30th street!
Nothing like Ocean City Boating
Getting ready to spend the day out on the water in Ocean City.
Boardwalk Shot
Getting photos on the Boardwalk always is worth the effort. It’s a great way to build memories while encouraging a little heightened fun!
Family Traditions begin in Ocean City
Baby Coopers first Memorial Day trip to the beach with their grandfather! Let the Ocean City traditions begin! #36weeksdown4togo
Beach babies
I think I’ll stay out of the water today…..Kids on the beach ocean city near 146th street
Day Tripping off the island
Frontier Town OCMD 2016, My Kids Chris and Gabi.
“Seriously! How cool is this ocean thing?”
This is Hoyt, my 1 year old. Taken Springfest weekend 2017! He enjoyed everything, from the beach to the food tent!
Mermaid sighting in Ocean City
Introducing a new generation to the salt life. Photo was taken in front of The Golden Sands on 109th st, July 28, 2016. Our first granddaughter was almost a year old. This picture was worth the 2x trek to the room to lug the tents, chairs, playpen, bouncer, coolers, diapers, etc. Everybody’s inner child surfaces in 0cean City. “Mermaid Reese-y princess by the sea”
Hotel views you can take with you
Beautiful, sunny Ocean City from the Grand Hotel and Spa.
When it comes to surfing, start ’em young
If you’re not exhausted, you’re doing it wrong!
The beach won. Lily Kelly 56th Street, 5/27
Desperados on the Boardwalk
This sassy little sombrero is Nolan Casey from Ridgely, Md. This photo was taken June of 2016 while we were visiting for the MML convention. Something we come to do every year. One of our favorite things to do while visiting is take Nolan to have his Old Tyme photos done on the boardwalk. A tradition we plan to do every year.
Need a little creativity and color in your life? Visit the 17th Annual Art’s Alive, a fine arts festival this weekend at Northside Park on 125th Street to enjoy culture in a beautiful setting.
