OCEAN CITY, MD – FEB. 24, 2017 – The annual Taste of Finer Things — a “pearing” of fine food and fine wine from 18 local chefs — will take place on Wednesday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m. at Harrison’s Harbor Watch in Ocean City, and reservations are now being accepted. The event benefits the campaign to build Coastal Hospice at the Ocean.
Participating restaurants include Atlantic Hotel, Barn 34, Bonfire, Captain’s Table, Crabs to Go, Desserts by Rita, Embers/BLU, Harrison’s Harbor Watch, Hooked, Ky West, Longboard Café, Macky’s Bayside Bar & Grill, OC Wasabi, Seacrets, Sunset Grille, Sweet Disposition, Touch of Italy and Wockenfuss.
Lauren Glick will provide entertainment.
“This wonderful evening is a chance for lovers of fine food and fine wine to sample some of the best the Ocean City area has to offer and know they’re supporting a great cause – Coastal Hospice,” Stephanie Meehan, chairperson for the event, said. “The setting overlooking the Ocean City inlet at sunset couldn’t be more ideal.”
The event raises funds for the capital campaign to build Coastal Hospice at the Ocean, a hospice residence and outreach center coming to Worcester County. Over the years, Taste of Finer Things has raised more than $153,000 to fund the campaign to build Coastal Hospice at the Ocean.
Reservations are $100 per person and can be made at CoastalHospice.org/Taste. The event sold out early in 2016, so early reservations are encouraged.
The Taste of Finer Things committee members are Meehan, Macky Stansell, Pam Buckley, Karen Cramer, Cathy Donovan, Madalaine How, Marcia Howarth, Elaine Jacobs, Donna Leiner and Gayle Widdowson.
Founded in 1980, Coastal Hospice is a nonprofit health care organization that cares for individuals facing life-limiting conditions but who want to remain as active and engaged as possible. Coastal Hospice cares for patients in their home, nursing home, assisted living facility or at Coastal Hospice at the Lake. The organization serves Wicomico, Worcester, Dorchester and Somerset counties.
Tickets now on sale for Taste of Finer Things in April in Ocean City
Greg Shockley keeps busy year round at Shenanigans
Greg Shockley was siting at the end of the bar, enjoying an iced tea and looking at one of the weekly papers. It was just after noon and the bar was relatively quiet. Labor Day had come and gone and, for those in the know, it was a great time to spend a weekday afternoon in an Ocean City establishment. It still is. Shenanigans will be open another month-and-a-half before they shut the doors for the season and in that time, weekends will remain someplace between brisk and busy. Weekdays are for enjoying, though, and Shockley is doing his best to do just that.
I would have expected Shockley to plan to get away for the winter, but he has none. As the Ocean City staple approaches the beginning of its third decade (it opened in April 1988), the one thing that has remained a constant for Shockley is the winter redo. If you haven’t been there in the summer, you really ought to go. Right on the Boardwalk at 4th Street, Shenanigans has one of the best summertime viewsif you’re a people watcher. It was a different view altogether when Shockley returned to his native Ocean City to run what would be come Shenanigans and the adjacent Shoreham Hotel in 1988. The new restaurant had no detailed operational plan, but that first winter they established at least one tradition from the beginning: The place would look as close to new each summer by the time it opened.
Up the Rebels!
Tweaking was required. During that first winter they redid the hotel lobby, changing it into the outdoor dining area present today. Shockley also started to try and get a handle on what kind of restaurant it would be, he already knew he would leave it as an Irish Pub. When it came to the fare, though, he was a little less certain. In fact, the first season Shenanigans served all-you-can-eat crabs in addition to a more traditional bar menu, but it wasn’t something people embraced. When they switched to focusing on overstuffed sandwiches and other, higher-end bar food is where Shenanigans hit its stride.
There’s another really significant difference between the Shenanigans of the 80s and the one we know today—it wasn’t even open for St. Patrick’s Day that first year, or even the second year. Shockley spent St. Patrick’s Day 1989 in another bar altogether.
“I remember sitting in Tio Gringos and saying to myself, ‘I own and Irish pub and I’m celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in a Mexican place?'” he said. “The next year we were open for the parade.”
That single change set in motion an attitude that turned Shenanigans from a bar indistinguishable from the rest into a destination pub that drew people from St. Patrick’s Day through the entire season. St. Patrick’s Day at Shenanigans is something of a beach people’s reunion, Shockley said: “You see a lot of people you haven’t seen all year.”
Welcome and welcome back
The reunion aspect is as much for the staff as it is for the patrons. Shenanigans employees break down (very roughly) into thirds; some have been there for nearly a decade or more, some have been only a few seasons and some are working there for the first time. The mix keeps things fresh for all involved and helps those who have been there the longest feel as if they’re invested in the pub’s future.
Margaret Sandifer has been there for nine years, splitting her time between Shenanigans and her year-round job in Salisbury. She was hanging around with Josh Perry, who’s been coming down from Philadelphia to work the summer at the beach for years, but was only finishing his first month at Shenanigans. They talked about how non-competitive it was there. There isn’t the typical sniping that comes with working in a high-volume restaurant during the height of the busy season.
Shockley said treating people right and getting them to treat each other right was a key component of the restaurant’s long term success. It must have influenced some of his colleagues who made him a member of the Ocean City Hotel Motel Restaurant Association Hall of Fame.
As the employees and colleagues make their winter plans, Shockley is getting ready to enact is own. During the season he has a mania for cleaning that he passes on to the staff. When the season ends, though, is when he can get the tougher work done. Everything gets painted and fixed and some things get replaced. He’s toying this year with the notion of fixing the bar. The goal is constantly to find a way to improve, though. So, whatever that ends up being, when you show up for St. Patrick’s Day, be prepared for more of the same, but better.
This story was updated from the original (Sept. 14, 2016) to clean grammar and flow. — Ed.
Reach the Beach cheer and dance event this weekend
The last week in February each year marks the annual Reach the Beach cheerleading and dance national championship for recreation and school participants will take place at the Ocean City convention center on 40th Street.
Click here for up-to-date registration information.
The competition consists of athletes ranging in age from 4 to 18 years old. They will compete in a two-day event, starting with the solo and small group cheer competition Friday. The cheer-filled weekend continues into Saturday with the recreational and school cheerleading team numbers going until after 10 p.m. On Sunday, recreational teams start at 8:30 a.m. and finish up around 8:30 p.m.
The event brings about 15,000 people to Ocean City and attracts thousands of spectators.
Reach the Beach is the largest recreational and school event on the East Coast. Each year seems to add teams with the number quickly approaching the 300 mark. Teams from New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland and Washington D.C. will compete this weekend.
All participants will receive a Reach the Beach exclusive beach towel and coaches have the chance to win a $5,000 cruise giveaway.
Several award ceremonies will take place throughout the weekend and all teams will receive a placement surfboard.
National champions will be given a jacket and grand champions will receive a banner. Solo and small group winners will take home a trophy. The winner of the season’s best award will accept a banner.
Cheerleading competition in Ocean City awards
There is more than $6,000 up for grabs in high score cash prizes. The recreation and school cheer solo/duet trio teams will receive $250. The high score stunt group will win $500. Recreation cheer teams on Saturday and Sunday, in addition to, the school cheer team will each receive $1,500.
The February national cheerleading competition is one of three other Reach the Beach events that take place in Ocean City, including the national dance competition held in mid March.
Find a family-friendly restaurant
Friday’s admission is $7 for adults (ages 13-64) and $4 for children and seniors. Saturday and Sunday admission cost is $20 for adults and $14 for children and seniors. Children 5 and younger will be admitted for free. Three-day passes are available and cost $30 for adults and $20 for children and seniors.
For more information, call 877-322-2310 or visit theepicbrands.com.
This was revised in February 2017 to change the date information and remove quotes and attribution — Ed.
Marching Towards St. Patrick’s Day.
With Valentines Day behind us, it’s time to fold our mirrors in on February and look straight ahead to St. Patrick’s Day. There’s nothing quite like the St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Ocean City. Like a bear from hibernation, our favorite resort town awakes from its long winter nap. The sidewalks of Coastal Highway will be packed with onlookers standing shoulder to shoulder between 60th and 45th street to witness the Ocean City St. Patrick’s Day parade. The street that practically had tumble weeds blowing down it a few days before now will become a sea of green filled with marching bands and floats carrying riders that will be throwing candy into the hands of waiting children.
No matter what their true ancestry, everyone is Irish St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and all are strongly encouraged to show it. For not only will the residents be coming out of the woodwork, but many vacationers will visit the city this weekend to take part in the festivities. For many this is a chance to see their favorite resort town in a whole different light. The busy summer traffic is replaced by a slow moving promenade, decked out in green, and it’s a sure bet that you won’t see many skimpy bikinis this time of year, but guys wearing kilts are sure to turn some heads as they play their bagpipes good and loud!
Let’s cheer things up, though
So, if you decide to visit Ocean City this year for St. Patrick’s Day, and I certainly hope you do, The Outsider of course, has your back. If everyone in your party is over 21 your options are practically endless. Grab a copy of Ocean City Today, or one of the other publications in your hotel lobby, and you’ll find plenty of ads letting you know what bands are playing where and what type of specials they will be running throughout the weekend. No matter whether we have a parade or not, there will be no shortage of grownup entertainment in and around the town. All you need to do is use your head, make good choices, and above all else please don’t drink and drive.
The Ocean City Outsider.
This story originally was published in 2016. It has been updated for relevance — Ed.
Congratulations to winners of the Ocean City/Berlin Optimists High School Art Contest!
First place painting: Nick Ager: “Trigger” acrylic on wood (Stephen Decatur High School)
First place drawing: Danielle Kuscavage: “Kelsey” Charcoal (Snow Hill HS)
Second place painting: Natalie Turner: “Lennon” Tempera Paint (Pocomoke High School)
Second place drawing: Kira Solomon: “Winter Androgyny” Pastel & Graphite (Stephe…n Decatur High School)
Third place painting: Stephanie Marx: “Under the Waves” Watercolor (Stephen Decatur High School)
Third place drawing: Niamh Lundberg: “ My World” Colored Pencil/Pen & Ink (Stephen Decatur High School)
Honorable Mention Awards:
Painting: Deborah Marini “Bazaar” acrylic (Worcester Preparatory School)
Drawing: Kate Carpenter: “Wishing for a Snow Day” (Stephen Decatur High School)
People’s Choice Award: Nick Ager – ” Trigger” (Stephen Decatur High School)
Exhibit on display at the Worcester County Arts Council until the end of February.
Pictured are Christy Powell, Monica Forrester, Steve Acton, Natalie Turner, Kira Salomon, Niamh Lundberg, Debra Marini, Kate Carpenter, Nick Ager, David Simpson, Alexandra Tobiassen.
Easy Ways to Support Local Art and Community Nonprofits
I wanted to share some easy ways to get involved in the local Ocean City Maryland art world AND do good for the community too!
Here at the Ocean City Center for the Arts we make fundraising fun! Enjoy a stress-free art experience and unleash your inner artist all while raising money for your charity or organization. The charity must be a registered nonprofit and you can register a minimum of 10 people and a maximum of 25. Our instructor will guide your group step-by-step as you create a masterpiece— no experience necessary. Make up to $500 for your charity and support the arts in the Ocean City MD area. We offer painting or pottery classes. For a paint party, bring your own beverage & snacks. We will supply the rest. Paints, brushes, canvases, aprons, easels, and an artist to guide you. Same goes for our pottery party; Bring your own beverage & snacks and we will supply the rest. Clay, tools, aprons, and an artist to guide you. You can call the Ocean City Center for the Arts at 410-524-9433 to set up a creative fundraiser today.
We have recently had community groups plan fundraisers with us including the American Cancer Society, Peninsula Regional Medical Center, and People’s Place.
Here’s another awesome way to get involved. If you are interested in teaching any kind of class at our facility, our Education Coordinator Katrin Huber is looking for instructors for Spring and Summer of 2017. As you may know, we offer classes of all kinds including painting, drawing, writing, mixed media, beading, yoga, pottery, multi-day workshops and even children’s classes. Please call Katrin at 410-524-9433 or send her an e-mail at katrin@artleagueofoceancity.org.
We have not one, but TWO wonderful opportunities coming up for young artists to display their work at the Ocean City Center for the Arts! The Shirley Hall Memorial Youth Art Show opens First Friday, March 3 from 5-7pm and continues thru March 4 – 5 from 11am-4pm. For over 20 years, the Art League of Ocean City MD has organized and presented a youth art show in cooperation with Worcester County Schools. The purpose of this event is to promote creativity and allow the middle and high school students of Worcester County to present their artwork in a professional setting at the Ocean City Center for the Arts. Cash prizes are awarded to the students. This is a great way to support arts education in our schools.
Another opportunity to get creative and spread awareness of Manga and Anime as a true art form is the Manga and Anime Youth Art Show. Students will showcase their artwork beginning Friday April 7 from 5-7pm thru Saturday – Sunday April 8 – 9 from 11am-4pm. The show is open to students in middle, high school, and higher education in Worcester, Wicomico, and Sussex Counties. Students may submit work independently or through school. Cash prizes will be awarded on the basis of creativity, originality, and artistic merit. To confirm participation or for questions, email Gallery Manager Katie Brown at katie@artleagueofoceancity.org or 410-524-9433.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us at 410-524-9433!
Of course it’s open, it’s Harpoon Hanna’s: Happy Hour Adventures
I wandered into Harpoon Hanna’s a little before Happy Hour just to take a couple of photos and maybe try and choke down a beer. The hostess was young and pretty and pleasant and went to check to see if the taking-a-couple-of-photos part was OK. I knew from experience that having a couple of beers was OK, so I headed into the bar to wait. The craft beer on tap selection was perfectly acceptable, including a house beer (more on that in a second) but I chose a Lot 3 and settled in.
Increasingly, the better restaurants are making deals with local breweries to produce an exclusive beer. These are often made to pair well with the restaurant’s menu. Ask for the house Pale Ale the next time you’re at Harpoon Hanna’s. I assure it will be the perfect beer for pretty much anything you’re having to eat.
Before too long I was joined by Kelsey Jakubiak, event coordinator for Harpoon Hanna’s, and we found our way outside to the deck. It was winter but the weather was spectacular, one of those February surprises. And it was more than welcome.
Open for business. For Real.
Outside on the deck, Kelsey was talking about why they stayed so busy all year. The Happy Hour crowd already had started to trickle in as we left the bar. By the time we checked back in there weren’t many seats at the bar and many if not most of the surrounding tables already were full.
Harpoon Hanna’s is open 365 days a year. It always has been. One of the tough things about resort restaurants is that a lot of them have different days they are closed during the off season. I know when I’m trying to choose where to go for Happy Hour it can be a trick trying to remember who is open when. There is no such problem at Harpoon Hanna’s. If it is an afternoon during the year, then Happy Hour is on at Harpoon Hanna’s. Off season Happy Hour prices are comically low, but they’re still inexpensive in season.
Kelsey showed off Harpoon Hanna’s pretty extensive complex (in case you’ve ever been, the place is enormous) including the restaurant’s event room and the main dining room. What was fun about the dining room was there was a fire place. If you never have been in the winter, there’s a Great Room-style aspect to the dining room. It was a warm afternoon and Kelsey was mentioning that they often have the fire going the whole time the dining room is open in the winter, but since it was unseasonable warm, they decided to leave the hearth cold.
Experiential advertising
Hanging out on the deck at what (come summer) certainly will be the packed Hanna’s Hideout made me not only wish for summer but plan to return. The best part of living in (or visiting) a resort off season is that you get to test drive the best places while they still are easily accessible. That way, come summertime you know which places are worth the effort to go to and which are, frankly, not. If you can’t cut for me in the winter, there’s no way I’ll have the patience for you come summer.
The folks at Harpoon Hanna’s clearly know what they’re doing. The place has been open more than three decades. It’s always been massive and always been open all year. That isn’t a sign of a place that doesn’t take excellent care of its people at all costs.
Worcester County Commissioners present Black History Month proclamation
Getting a new perspective on Assateague
I headed bayside first, because it isn’t something I often do and since I was looking for new perspectives on Assateague, I figured it was the place to start. It wasn’t bitterly cold, but there was a chill which made it even more surprising to get a load of two guys kiteboarding. Getting a good shot of them getting air was tough, since the kite and the boarder barely fit in the same frame, but I had a little luck with this one.
I’m forever fascinated by the trees at the edge of the water that have had the sand eroded from under them. They eventually fall but then many of them re-root and grow sideways. Others just die and become driftwood or habitat. It feels metaphorical.
This guy is one of those that I think isn’t going to make it, but there’s no harm in hoping. I knocked around a bit more before heading back to the car and pointing it oceanside, where I knew there were tons of great photos to be had.
The wasn’t the best photo I took during my excursion, or even one of the better Assateague pony photos I have ever taken, but it was the only one I got that day. Sometimes in the cold, the horses like to keep to themselves in a place they can stay warm, and who can blame them?
Arts Council holds annual high school competition
During the month of February the Worcester County Arts Council is pleased to present an exhibit featuring entries submitted by local high schools students for the annual art competition sponsored by the Berlin/Ocean City Optimist Club.
The exhibit includes a total of 33 paintings and drawings and is showcased on display at the Worcester County Arts Council gallery located at 6 Jefferson Street in downtown Berlin.
The goal of this competition is to encourage, recognize and honor artistic expression of talented art students in Worcester County as well as to emphasize the importance and support of quality art programs.
The competition offers a total of $1,400 in cash prizes to the student artists. Selection of paintings and drawings entered for this contest was judged by award winning local artist and art educator, David Simpson.
Monetary awards and ribbons for the first, second, and third place as well as honorable mention will be presented to students on Friday, February 10 at 6 pm during an open to the public reception to be held at the Worcester County Arts Council’s Gallery located at 6 Jefferson Street in downtown Berlin.
Visitors to the Gallery are encouraged to vote for the “People’s Choice” award. Voting will end on February 10, 2016. “People’s Choice” winner will be announced and awarded monetary prize at the opening exhibit reception.
Please join us as we celebrate the artistic young talent in our Community!
The exhibit is on display February 1 – February 28, 2017. Gallery hours are Monday thru Friday and some Saturdays, 11 am – 3 pm.
Meeting up at Northside Pit ‘n’ Pub: Happy Hour Adventures
I’ll admit without shame or pride that I never made it up to J.C.’s Northside Pub when it was there, but when the folks from the Pit’n’Pub said they were going to go uptown, I wanted to make a visit. Anyone will tell you that the vibes are different uptown from the way they are below 28th Street, but I always have a blast at the original Pit’n’Pub.
It’s a solid bar. It’s dark enough, but not dense. It’s beach casual, but if you stop in after work wearing a tie (even in the hight of summer) you don’t feel either out of place or unwelcome. I was there late in the season last year and every bartender and server who had the day off swung by for Happy Hour. The best part for me is that is clean without being antiseptic. I have no use or patience for the Applebee’ses and Chilis’es of the world. I like going to bars.
The building at Northside is newer and that has a real effect on the ambiance, but not in a bad way. Where the 28th Street Pit’n’Pub is long and narrow, this bar is square but the first thing I notice that they have in common is that they are both cozy and deceptively big.
Northside is broken up nicely by booths to the right when you come in and a bar and tables to the left. There is a certain pleasure in being able to take the corner seat at a bar when you come in as a couple. My wife and I didn’t make it to the corner, but we got seats just beyond, with the door to our left, which was good enough for us.
Whomever chose the on-tap beers knew what they were doing, because even though it was a little light on local beers, there were enough for me to choose from and enough for anyone who loves craft beer to have their pick.
Solid bar and restaurant menu
What you need to know about the Northside Pit’n’Pub is that they know bar food. This is not to say that the lunch and dinner menus are deficient in any way, but if you’re looking to have a Happy Hour Adventure, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
We went with nachos because (and here’s a pro-tip from a Happy Hour enthusiast) nachos are kinda the arbiter of quality happy hour food. I don’t need them freshly baked, but it’s nice when they’re warm, clearly not from the bottom of a Tostitos bag, and don’t make me feel as if I’m spending too much money on nachos. Yes, I have a low(ish) bar but going to Happy Hours professionally will do that to you.
The nachos at the Northside Pit’n’Pub were better than good, they were what I wanted when I wanted it. There was no fighting over sour cream or worrying that you would run out of toppings before you ran out of chips. It was perfect for two people to share over a couple-three beers.
The other (and possibly best) aspect of the Northside Pit’n’Pub is that, since they’ve been in town awhile, they get better help. Whether it is fair or not, bars and restaurants that are good to their people attract the best. In Ocean City, where people start working in the service industry in high school, that is an asset that can’t be ignored. A good bartender sends off a vibe. You know the second you order what kind of time you’re going to have.
Here’s a quick tell:
If you’re too worried to finish your beer because you don’t have a clear sense when the next one is coming, you don’t have a good bartender. I’ve been to both and I do not believe there is a Pit’n’Pub that employs mediocre bartenders. Again, I’m kind of a professional, but when you catch them checking our your beer even when they’re talking to other people, you are in the presence of a professional. Drink up, they never will let you go dry.
Nothin’ wrong with going uptown
Short version? Check out the Northside Pit’n’Pub and tell me I’m wrong. My wife and I wandered out just after four and the place already was filling up. And it’s wintertime. These folks know what they’re doing, they’ve been doing it well for years.
Make Your Own Pottery Bowl for the Empty Bowl Project
This year is our fourth annual Empty Bowl Project at the Ocean City Center for the Arts! For a $20 donation in advance, you get one family-friendly pottery bowl making session as well as admission to a wonderful soup dinner on Friday, March 31. By participating in this event, you are helping to fill the food pantry at Diakonia and support the missions of the Art League of Ocean City. Two great causes wrapped into one event!
There are still six bowl making sessions available and spots are filling up FAST! You can call the Ocean City Center for the Arts at 410-524-9433 to reserve your spot today.
- Saturday, February 4 – Session 2 from 3-4pm
- Tuesday, February 7 – Session 2 from 3-4pm
- Thursday, February 16 – Session 1 from 1-2pm and Session 2 from 3-4pm
- Tuesday, February 21 – Session 1 from 5-6pm and Session 2 from 7-8pm
The soup dinner on March 31 is a great chance for us all to come together at our location on 94th Street bayside in Ocean City, Maryland. The dinner will go from 4:30 to 8:30 pm with continuous open seating. Soups, breads, and desserts are donated by local restaurants and served to all guests in the ceramic bowls that they made themselves. What a cool experience! After you enjoy your soup dinner, you take your bowl home as a reminder of all the empty bowls around the world. It is also a reminder of your support for those right here in our community. If you do not get a chance to make a bowl yourself, you can come the night of the dinner and pay $25 at the door to receive a ready-made bowl and admission to the soup dinner. In addition to a delicious dinner, we will have a silent auction, a cash bar, and live music. We will also be accepting cash donations that evening. Visit our website at www. artleagueofoceancity.org for more details.
Winter at Seacrets? Why not?
I’ve been attending beer festivals professionally for the better part of five years, but Love on Tap, held during the winter at Seacrets, was the first one I saw from backstage. The behind the scenes aspect of the event was different from what I was used to. For example, people asked me questions and expected things of me. Usually, I just drink, Tweet and take the occasional crowd shot. The photography was the biggest difference. When I was a reporter covering these events, I took enough photos to ensure that there were several for the editor to choose from. This time, I needed different event coverage (Side note: If I took your photo, you can find it at ShoreCraftBeer.com’s Facebook page).
One of the great tragedies was that I couldn’t have as many of the beers as usual. Not only because I wanted to stay relatively clear and because I had to drive home, but also because there always was a chance that someone could need my help or opinion. Fortunately, the folks at Seacrets are so good at their jobs no one needed anything from me. Mostly I smiled and nodded as I checked people in at the front door. As the afternoon came to an end, I just collected my things and made my way home. Piece of cake.
Between the time that the first person came in and the moment I pulled out onto Coastal Highway bound for home, I learned a bit about the process that I hadn’t known before. I also learned things about the demographics and the venue that hadn’t jumped out at me previously. For example:
Young people really do like craft beer
First off: Yes. “Millennial” is so overused that it has cruised past cliche and gone directly into tedium. Second: That millennials are drinking craft beer in greater numbers than any preceding generation is well known and established. That said, the fact that they attended in the numbers that they did and all behaved themselves was merely only notable, it was inspiring.
Drinking craft beer and drinking it responsibly is so intertwined with the culture, it is as if aggressive overconsumption never had been an issue in the first place. The younger people truly were there to enjoy themselves together. I bumped into one young lady who was celebrating her 21st birthday at the event with a bunch of her friends. Sure, they were having a bunch to drink, but they weren’t lined up at a bar somewhere doing 21 shots and heading to the hospital.
Craft beer festivals tend to encourage people to enjoy themselves enthusiastically without getting rowdy. Again, hats off to the professionals at Seacrets for understanding crowds (it is really astounding how well they get crowd control without being aggressive), but also hats off to the young attendees who have set the new standard for how the next generation appreciates craft beer as a cultural phenomenon.
People made the trip
In addition to the hundred or so people who booked hotel rooms to come to the event, another several hundred more made the drive, taking advantage of condos and second homes or just grabbing a hotel once they got to town. A full two thirds of attendees were from more than 100 miles away, something on the order of 75 percent traveled from greater than 50 miles. People from Pennsylvania, Baltimore and the attendant metropolitan areas, many of whom had come to town for the October Shore Craft Beer Festival, came and brought friends. I spoke with a couple who have a place in town and keep an eye out for the opportunity to come down. As beer enthusiasts, attending the last two events made utter sense to them. They don’t need an excuse to plan a weekend at the beach, but if they get one, they totally will use it.
Another gentleman who had been in the fall grabbed me with a critique about the event planning. He was adamant that he was having a good time and would come to pretty much any kind of beer event we held, but he had what I think was a useful suggestion and elected to share it. In a world of Internet trolls, there is nothing like an honest critique that genuinely takes everyone’s best interest into account. People don’t only not mind making the trip, but they want to do their part to ensure events like this continue and grow. They like being a part of things, which is cool to hear.
Ocean City couples photos, just in time for February
Getting photos together is one of the grandest part of the Ocean City vacation experience. In what follows we’ll take a look at some of the couples photos you guys have submitted over the years. We love it when you share your photos on our Facebook page, but sharing them at our OceanCity.com submissions page allows us to make sure they get a permanent place on our site.
Sometimes the best part about being a couple is taking turns being in photos. Selfies are fun, but appreciating one another is funner!
Some of the most memorable beach memories start away from the water as people explore Worcester County, which has much more than a beach. How’s that for an extra bonus?
Something tells me this photo wasn’t taken recently…
After too much time in the desert, there’s nothing like sand that also has a beach. What a great way to get a little R&R! Thanks for your service!
Table-based crab fights aren’t just for kids! Getting great seafood in Ocean City begins with being willing to have a good time.
Ocean City is a great place to try new things. Parasailing in Ocean City and Jet Skiing in Ocean City are only the start! But, to be fair, they are a pretty great start…
Sometimes even the people with the best intentions get photobombed! It doesn’t matter. Being at the beach is about having a little silly time, even when you’re also trying to have some time to yourselves.
A guide to winter surfing
Surfing is a lifestyle for many Ocean City locals who have grown up in the water. Surfers line the coast during the summer trying to sneak in a few waves in boardshorts before the winter waters come back, and given that the water is only warm enough for boardshorts three to four months out of the year, its truly a race against time. If all goes well Ocean City may get four truly surf-able swells the entire summer, but when tourism slows down, the waves pick up, and the water temperature drops like a wrecking ball. Surfing on the East Coast truly does not hit full potential until a cold nor’easter blows through and leaves a six foot clean swell to play on. Typically when this happens, the water temps are in the mid 50’s; if you’re lucky. If you’re dedicated to surfing enough that your willing to drop a few hundred dollars on some equipment, I can guarantee you wont be disappointed with the results.
First, you’ll need to pick up a wetsuit. Wetsuits are made of a material called neoprene and they come in different thicknesses. The thicknesses most common for winter surfing are 3/2, 4/3, and 5/4. The numbers are representative of the thickness of neoprene in different areas. For example, a 4/3 suit has a thickness of 4 millimeters in the torso, and moves to a slimmer 3 millimeters in the arms and sometimes the legs. The thickness you chose is personal preference, but keep in mind that a 3/2 suit during January is not going to cut it.
Second, buy some booties, gloves, and a hood ifyour suit doesn’t have one built in already. Believe it or not, your head, hands, and feet are the main areas for heat loss. Nobody enjoys calling a surf session early because their feet are numb. Make sure all of theseproducts are top of the line because a cheap pair of booties can and will ruin a winter session. Most local surf shops like K-Coast will have the proper thickness of booties, gloves, and hoods for the Ocean City area.
When you’re all set in brand new neoprene, its time to hop in the water. The biggest challenge for many is throwing on the thick suit in a near empty parking lot with a wind chill that feels like 15 degrees, but if you can get yourself by that, you’re halfway through your first winter surf session. If you have trouble working up the courage to throw on a suit outside in the blistering cold temperatures, try putting your suit on in the car, or even better; at your house if you live close enough tothe beach. If your suit is damp and freezing, pouring some hot water into it will often be the best remedy, and the same goes for your gloves and booties. Nothing feels better than some scorching hot water on a freezing day. If you plan on using a hood, be sure to pick up some ear putty for plugging your ears. Surfer’s ear is real, and it can happen to anyone.
If you make it into the water, take notice of any leaks you feel coming in through the suit. Its important these get sealed so the suit can preform to its best ability. Other than that, enjoy the solitude and get to know anyone else brave enough to be out in the freezing ocean during the winter. Once you’re able to endure the cold water, you’ll find yourself begging for winter to come and get rid of the crowds during the summer.
This story was updated Jan. 30, 2017 — Ed.
