Ocean City, MD – (May 30, 2017): ‘Spring showers bring May Flowers’ and that is exactly what Ocean City’s Beautification Committee is looking for when considering nominations for the 2017 Ocean City Beauty Spot Awards. The categories for Beauty Spot nominations including residential, condominium, retail, hotel, motel, commercial, restaurant and Boardwalk. Only nominated properties will be judged and the Beautification Committee is asking for the public’s help in finding those special properties that are evidence of civic pride and community beauty.
“A property can be nominated by anyone, including the resident or owner of a residence or business, a relative, neighbor, friend, customer or just a passerby,” said Beautification Committee Chairperson, Donna Greenwood. “Once all nominations are in, the Beautification Committee will travel around town to view all the nominated properties and will judge them based on plants, flowers, trees, shrubbery, grasses, design, layout, etc. that complement the property.”
According to Greenwood, even those properties with little or no ground in which to plant can imaginatively use containers, planters, window boxes, hanging baskets or something else to improve the “curb-side” appeal of their property can be nominated. Also, those who make an effort to beautify unattractive areas such as dumpsters, electric boxes, etc., can be recognized. The winners, with their awards, will be presented in the fall at a Mayor and City Council meeting.
To nominate a property, please call Donna Greenwood at 410-289-7060, mail nominations to OCBC, Department of Recreation and Parks, 200 – 125th Street, Ocean City, MD 21842 or email to ocbeautification@hotmail.com before the July 5, 2017 deadline. Please be sure to include the property owner’s name, correct street address and a contact phone number, as well as your name with a phone number so that the location and information can be verified.
Ocean City Beauty Spot Award Nominees Sought
They have what you need at Island Watersports Fenwick Island
Mike Ferrari bought what would become Island Watersports Fenwick Island location in 2016 after having run the rental side of the business for a few years. His goal was to expand what had been a rental business into a full-fledged marina. People were used to thinking of Island Watersports as a rental place. It was popular for summer people to spend the day out on the water. What was missing though was the opportunity for people to have the boat they owned it serviced and for other people to buy boats.
So Ferrari put together a staff and set about constructing a business that included boat rental experts, but also focused on sales and service. For the most part, there isn’t too significant a difference, because a good rental company constantly is buying new, top of the line equipment to ensure its customers are renting some of the best equipment available.
This year’s boat inventory includes an exclusive license to sell Berkshire Pontoons and Scarab Jet Skis in Ocean City and Delaware.
Island Watersports boat rentals and marina
Colleen Voigt had worked at a few rental places over the last four years. But the Frederick resident moved down for time a few years ago and came on at Island Watersports. Turning over inventory is just a small part of running a boat rental and marina business. After all, they rent thousands of hours of watersport equipment from jet skis and pontoon boats, to stand up paddleboards, kayaks, etc. If you can use it to have fun on the water you can rent or buy it at Island Watersports.
Another critical part is providing the ancillary services. She said Island Watersports stores boats and jet skis for the winter, which is expected on some level, but also for the summer. It’s one of those solutions to problems you never knew you had. If your summer place changes from year to year or you live a little farther inland, there’s an alternative to having to schlep your jets skis all over to launch and ride them. It also acts as an incentive for people who are on the fence about buying a jet ski in Ocean City for logistical reasons.
Getting your jet ski serviced in Ocean City
Jeff Bentz came on as one of the jet drive mechanics to help build the service business. He’s been working on watercraft for more than a decade and between keeping up the rentals and servicing customers crafts he keeps busy all summer. Part of the responsibility of running a functioning marina, as opposed to just a rental place, is being able to provide sales and service of watercraft of all sorts. Bentz is the jet drive specialist, for example, but other people specialize in, say, outboard motor repair.
Additionally, Island Watersports has a fully stocked DIY repair and maintenance section as part of their service department. They can provide or get their hands on most pieces you need to keep your watercraft looking and running great.
Sharing Ocean City vacation photos
Submit your Ocean City Vacation Photos to win prizes!
This week we got a bunch of great photos submitted by our readers this week. Thank you to everyone who participated! If you submitted a photo and don’t see it in what follows, that probably means you didn’t include an email. No sweat, though, just resubmit it with an email and a description of what is in the photo.
If you want to submit a photo, click here for the rules and to upload your Ocean City Vacation photo for a chance to win prizes including Jolly Roger passes and gift certificates to local restaurants.
Early bird
Vacation reminiscing
A nighttime excursion in Ocean City
Wet fun in the Ocean City Sun
I “heart” Ocean City!
Happy Hour Nirvana at Anthony’s Liquors
“You’re not going to ruin this, are you?”
I don’t always mention when I’m writing about a place because it can feel gross and false. Instead I like to hang around, observe and chat as long as possible so I get a little bit more of a genuine feeling about the place. I was halfway through my second pint and talking with the couple next to me when I mentioned that I was a work and that I was writing about Anthony’s Liquors on 33rd Street. Mary was concerned that people would find out about Anthony’s bar and that she and her husband, Steve, who have a place walking distance from the iconic liquor store, wouldn’t have the place to themselves. When cool places get popular, it calls to mind the purported Yogi-ism, “No one goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.”
In my defense, there already were a bunch of people milling about in the small bar when she said that, and they didn’t follow me there.
When I arrived, well before Mary and Steve, there were just a couple locals, late 60s, flushed and Ocean City Irish looking with no hint of tan. Both addressed the bartender, Emily Vaughan, familiarly and talked old white guy bar talk to one another. It almost made me wish we all were smoking and that it was 11 a.m., except that if it was 1978, we wouldn’t have had the kind of beer selection we did. They both had been to many if not most of the breweries in the region and we talked about the early days of Eastern Shore beer while Emily kept it coming.
A craft beer bar
Craft beer drafts are $5 per pint during happy hour, which probably added both to my interlocutors locutoring and their wishes not to be photographed. Eventually they turned inward a bit and I got the rundown from Emily. The bar, tucked away in the back left hand corner of the store, began primarily in acquiescence to the liquor rules (you need a bar if you want to sell liquor). She said it took them awhile to find themselves as a bar until they honed in on their craft beer. Just because the bar was there to serve alcohol didn’t mean alcohol had to be the main attraction. The store usually has sampling nights Tuesday-Saturday, which really helps people get a sense of the depth and breadth of the Anthony’s Liquors possibilities. But by the time Mary and Steve slid up to the bar, bringing the patron total to five souls, and the assemblage all were drinking craft beer.
With craft beer as the hook, getting people to sit and stay awhile was easy enough. This is a seasonal bar and great for afternoon drinking. Mary and Steve split a massive Italian sub the aroma of which made me homesick for Jersey (plenty of onions, quality meat and not stingy with the vinegar and oregano). A couple quality beers and a massive sub and you’re out the door for under $20? I was amazed it wasn’t packed. And then it was.
Drinking while you wait
Jeff Was and Brian Beam piled in and ordered a couple of Orange Crushes. The guys were in from Johnstown, Pa. and staying Saturday-Saturday. They had paid their respects at Buxy’s and were moving up the block. Like the rest of the patrons at Anthony’s Liquors, they lived walking distance from the bar and intended on taking advantage of the fact. Before too long, though a family wandered in and set up shop against the front-facing windows. Then a guy came in on his own, and then another.
The first one ordered a pint and handed over two fives, Emily told him one would cover the beer and he looked confused for a minute.
As it turned out he, like with many of the other new arrivals, was having a beer while his dinner (or late lunch, it was just after 5 p.m.) was prepared. He eyed the televisions over the bar, leaned up against the window stool and enjoyed a quiet moment in a packed but still quiet bar.
The music wasn’t aggressive, neither did the televisions blair. Competing conversations caused a bit of a buzz, but not a roar. I probably was the loudest person in the room (although I’m kinda used to that title).
That was the real attraction and what Mary feared losing: a packed bar that felt and sounded like a mostly-empty one. I don’t imagine it ever will get standing room only crowded but if you’re looking for a quiet place to enjoy a great beer (or something else, it is after all a full bar) knock yourself out. If you didn’t know about Anthony’s subs and deli, now you do and have no excuse. For my money, I recommend following Mary and Steve’s plan. Have a couple of pints, split a sandwich and talk to strangers until they’re not anymore.
It’s photo sharing season again!
As the summer approaches, we want to remind you to share your favorite beach photos with us. Whether your photos are blasts from the past or accounts of your latest Ocean City adventure, we all would love to see them. Lots of times people who can’t make it down for one reason or another visit both our OceanCity.com Facebook page as well as this site for a taste of the beach. Sometimes just seeing people enjoying themselves in Ocean City really can lift your spirits.
It’s in that vein that we’re launching our summer photo series. Each week, we’ll publish some of our favorite reader-submitted photos for you to enjoy. We encourage you to use the comment section to tell us which are your favorites. The best photos will be announced and the winners given prizes that include dining gift certificates and tickets to Jolly Roger Amusements.
Please read the rules carefully if you want to participate because we often have to disqualify great photos because they don’t have any identification and because they are too small. All photos must be at least 1200 px (either vertical, horizontal or square) to be considered. The photographer’s email address also has to be included for us to be able to name a winner. Check the rules out here and submit.
Meanwhile, here are some of the photos that recently have been submitted. Enjoy and let’s make this a fantastic summer!
3 Senior Week suggestions that are way less bonkers than they sound
Over the next month or so, dozens if not hundreds of recent graduates will be in Ocean City celebrating and blowing off steam before reckoning the next chapter in their lives. For many, the Ocean City trip is the first opportunity to be fully responsible for themselves for an entire week. Most kids will come back with fantastic memories, and a little too much sun. A few will make dumb choices and have their summers (at the very least) ruined. We put together this list of Senior Week suggestions as much as a list of things to do as a template for designing Senior Week diversions that keep students engaged. Of course, visit our Events page for a guide to what’s going on this week or the Play it Safe page for more tip tricks and distractions for your grad. For parents, there are better ways to tilt the odds in your kid’s favor than hoping for the best or declaring an injunction against bad behavior. Help your student plan out activities that keep them engaged.
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Play a photo game
Have your student share photos of their adventures with you. It doesn’t have to be on Facebook, although making a Senior Week Facebook for the group of graduates might be worth it for them now and later. Challenge them to post three photos a day of them doing something in Ocean City. Clearly, this won’t prevent them from doing things you would rather they wouldn’t when they’re off camera, but knowing people are watching might better help them make well-thought-out decisions.
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Establish personal records
Set a biking or walking goal for the week, to see if they can bike 200 miles or get more than 70,000 steps for the week. Get a map of Jolly Rogers and see if they can ride all the rides in a single day. If so, how many times? If might seem a little goofy to read but never underestimate the value of bragging rights, especially among a group of friends.
Rent a jet ski as a graduation present
We actually just did a story on the program at Odyssea Watersports that allows underage students to rent jet skis. It requires parental consent, which is way easier to get in advance than on the day. One of the things that came out in the story is that all groups of five are accompanied by a guide for safety. A sixth person rates an extra guard. It’s a great way to spend an hour on the water, and it can be exhausting and exhilarating. This last part is key, because if you get their adrenaline up you might burn enough of the chance taking under professional adult supervision.
Memorial Day memories
Memorial Day started after the civil war to recognize men and women who have died serving our country, though it did not become an official federal holiday until 1971 celebrated on the last Monday in May. While many Americans still go to the graves of those who have served, or to national memorial sites, plenty more celebrate Memorial Day as the start of summer.
Here in Ocean City a lot of concentration is put on preparing for the crowds we’ll get when Memorial Day comes, because it is the start of the summer season. I had asked Lauren Taylor, owner of the Captain’s Table on 15th street and the boards, about Memorial Day and the start of summer, if changes in the duration of school year had changed the amount of business that comes to Ocean City this time of year.
“I started working here in the 60’s when I was in high school, and nothing has changed,” she said. “Memorial Day was always the biggest weekend, the beginning of the season, and July 4th was the biggest one of the summer, and then Labor Day has always been the traditional end. It used to be because people were in manufacturing, and they got three day weekends and so that was the only time they could go, and now that people travel more, they take more short vacations with fewer long ones, so they like to get away for weekends. Memorial Day has been traditionally when the weather gets a little bit better and everyone’s had cabin fever and they want to get out.”
Ocean City Guide to Memorial Day Weekend
But while Memorial Day around here has become very much about the business because this is a tourist destination, people do still care about the reason it exists. Plenty of locals have enlisted or have family enlisted. Everyone knows someone who has served, or died for this country. Veterans wear their medals or uniforms, family’s go to the graves of loved ones, or have barbecues or bonfires in honor of them. While it is a summer and celebratory holiday, it is not a forgotten one.
This story originally was published June,6 2016 — Ed.
Desiree & Raymond
My husband and I were married at The Golden Sands Club on May 20th, 2017.
Our wedding was initially supposed to take place beachfront with cocktail hour and appetizers for our guests but due to extreme winds it was moved inside to the atrium which was where our reception was taking place. The staff at the Golden Sands was extremely professional and accommodating with the day-of change and we couldn’t be happier. Our pictures were still taken on the beach and they came out beautifully.
We chose an Ocean City wedding because our families love visiting the beach every summer and own property in Ocean City, Maryland, so this was the perfect place for us to share our special day.
The atrium at The Golden Sands is absolutely beautiful with floor to ceiling windows, tons of natural light and a wonderful staff. We were on a modest budget and I searched high and low and what we accomplished was beautiful.
Our color palette for the wedding was blush pink, silver and white. Every detail was perfect. My bridal party, mom, and every other member of the family absolutely loved the wedding and the views.
Rev. Howard Travers officiated and his tone and words were beautiful. We truly had a magical day in Ocean City and although it was cruisers weekend we wouldn’t change anything!
A lazy afternoon at the Maryland Wine Bar
Niki Kellett, Kerrie McCarthy and Erin Gilgunn were road-tripping their way back to Massachusetts having started in Florida. They were taking an alternate route, winding their way vaguely up the coast when they stopped in Berlin to get some food and knock around for awhile. The ladies popped in at the Maryland Wine Bar hoping against hope that they could get a couple of wine slushies to take on their stroll around town.
Learning the wine ropes
Open Mics at the Maryland Wine Bar
As part of the Arts and Entertainment District in Berlin, the Maryland Wine Bar participates in all of the 2nd Friday events, booking entertainment to play in the adjacent space. It is a coffee shop by day and a wine lounge in the evening. Wine and the arts go together pretty well, and there’s something romantic about music with a bottle of wine, so they try and have a little more of it when they can.
In addition to the occasional pop-up event, each 3rd Wednesday there’s an open mic in the lounge hosted by George and Pat Bilenki, but there always are a couple of fun things going on in the Maryland Wine Bar. Check in with them on Facebook or at their website for up to day hours and information.
Get cultured at the Life Saving Station Museum’s open house
International Museum Day is Thursday, and what better way to celebrate by taking a tour of the Life Saving Station Museum on South Atlantic Avenue? Here’s another incentive: the museum is waiving its admission fee for the day and having discounts at the gift shop!
This year’s theme of International Museum Day is contested histories: saying the taboo, and gaining awareness for controversial moments and ultimately acceptance. Ocean City may look like the idyllic summer town, but there were several controversial points in its history, like how only two hotels, the Henry and the Pines Hotel were built to house black lodgers in a time of segregation.
Other instances, like Ocean City’s burgeoning surfing scene, were also hot-button issues. When surfing first washing onto the resort in the 1940s, older residents and city officials complained of the sport populating the waters and fears it would lead to a counterculture. The Life Saving Station Museum has a great exhibit detailing the timeline of when surfing started and the local response to where it is today.
The Life Saving Station Museum also has a new exhibit to entice visitors titled “Native Americans: First Contact On Lower Delmarva.” This exhibit has prints, first-hand accounts and artifacts that show how Native Americans first lived on North America at the time when Europeans arrived. The exhibit, brought by the Salisbury University’s Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, also shows how their way of life was impacted afterwards.
Other popular exhibits include the 250 gallon aquarium on the first floor contains several sea creatures indigenous to Ocean City. There’s also a shark exhibit that shows a close-up look at teeth of a Tiger shark and other creatures. In the height of the summer, Museum Curator Sandy Hurley also offers children a “show and tell” of the aquarium exhibits as the summer goes on, so there’s a reason to come back. Fish feeding and rope tying demonstrations are also scheduled in the future.
To get the full scope of Eastern Shore roots, there’s a exhibit on the second floor that honors powerful industry families in Ocean City. These families started flagships of Ocean City’s Boardwalk businesses, like Dolles Candyland and Fisher’s Popcorn, that are remain today. Check it out!
The Ocean City Life Saving Station is just one of thousands of museums participating in the International Museum Day this year. The holiday was started by the International Council of Museums in 1977 to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society, and it’s been growing every since. International Museum Day broke its record for participation in 2016, with more than 35,000 museums hosting events in some 145 countries.
The Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum is located on the south end of the Boardwalk at 813 South Atlantic Avenue. For more information, call 410-289-4991 or visit www.ocmuseum.org . The open house will be held on May 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The museum is also open May and October daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and June through September daily at 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission fees on typical days are $3 for adults, $2 for seniors over 62 years old or active duty military service members, and $1 for children from ages 6 -17. Children under 6 are free.
Ocean City Offers $5,000 Prize for First White Marlin of the Season
Ocean City, Maryland – (May 15, 2017): Calling all anglers! The summer season is approaching in the White Marlin Capital of the World, and the Town of Ocean City is proudly continuing the tradition of awarding a $5,000 cash prize to one lucky angler. This year, the angler who catches the first white marlin of the season out of the Ocean City Inlet will not only receive a $5,000 cash prize from the town, but an additional $5,000 from a coalition formed to support this celebrated tradition.
“Ocean City is the White Marlin Capital of the World and home of the White Marlin Open,” commented Mayor Rick Meehan. “We are proud to continue the tradition of offering a cash prize to the angler who reels in the first white marlin of the season!”
Anglers who belong to the Ocean City Marlin Club or are fishing aboard a member boat will be awarded an additional $5,000 by the Marlin Club, making this year’s first white marlin catch worth up to $15,000. Finally, the winner will get a free entry into the HUK Big Fish Classic fishing tournament that is held in Ocean City in July and will be recognized at a Mayor and City Council Meeting.
New Summer, New Story at the Dunes Manor
The Dunes has been preparing for summer all year, and now that it’s nearly upon us, the management and staff are in full summer mode. They’re organizing under the banner New Summer, New Story at the Dunes Manor.
That is not to say that the Dunes hasn’t been doing some of the following things for years, only that there is a refreshed attitude that accompanies them. The plan is to remind people that the Dunes is among the most family friendly places in this family friendly resort town.
Plan to stay awhile
When you come to stay at the Dunes Manor, there is an expectation that you may want to stay there exclusively. To that end, they have built an itinerary of sorts that allows guests to do arrange their week so that the only time they have to leave the hotel is to take a few steps down to the ocean for a dip.
Each of the properties in the Dunes family gives you access to each of the others. So, for instance, if you choose to stay in the Dunes Court and want to bring your family across the street to participate in the Mad Hatter Tea Party or one of the Mermaid events, it only is a matter of a few steps from one property to another.
Family Fun Time at the Dunes
One of the centerpieces of the #NewSummerNewStory approach the Dunes is taking involves an emphasis on family fun. The Dunes always has provided outlets for parents (or grandparents) and kids to do things together right on the property, but this year the emphasis is on structure.
In addition to one time and special events, the #NewSummerNewStory program features weekly events that families can participate in together and anticipate attending together long before they even arrive. The idea is that whether you want to make sure there is something to do any given day (or even every given day) the Dunes has your answer.
Their events calendar includes Weekly flamingo pool party Saturdays, A Mad Hatter Tea Party as a twist on their improved proper daily high tea, a Lego pirate treasure hunt, beach crafts and tons more.
Every event the Dunes holds also will feature selfie stations and props for easily contextualized summer memory photos.
Fun inside and out at the Dunes
On a sunny day, you might want to use the sand castle building supplies at the Dunes to build and color your own sandcastle on the beach, or take advantage of the hotel’s partnership with Jolly Roger Amusement Park to spend a day riding the rides at a special rate.
But sometimes the weather gods aren’t on your side and the rain comes. The Dunes Manor has an anti-rain contingency plan to keep things fun inside the hotel while you weather the storm. In addition to their daily tea parties, and “Miss Shirley” on the piano, a rainy day is a movie day at the Dunes (as it is at home).
The hotel sets up a small theater in the ballroom to make the most of any disappointing weather that might find its way to the Ocean City coast.
To learn more about the Dunes Manor App, specials, coupons and loyalty program visit DunesManor.com.
Why the Best of Ocean City is more than a contest
The Ocean City experience is made up of pieces, it is more mosaic than photograph. Each of your Ocean City memories make up a part of the overall Ocean City experience. At the bottom, that’s what the Best of Ocean City® is all about. It is a chance to reflect on the things we love about the resort and to acknowledge our connection with them. There are many things we enjoy for no reason we can describe. There are some, however, that we like better than others for very specific reasons. For example, people who surf like the beach better than the mountains. People who ski feel the opposite. But whether we have reasons or just feelings for liking the things we like, thinking about how they give us pleasure is an important part of remembering why we enjoy them.
As we gear up for the season, OceanCity.com is once again sponsoring the Best of Ocean City® voting and awards. The idea is to amplify everyone’s excitement about coming to the resort and focus it, both to help the attractions that people prefer and to highlight others that new visitors, or less avid travelers might not even know about.
Give your Best of Ocean City reasons
If you haven’t heard about the voting process before, this is how it goes. Visit our Best of Ocean City® page of our website and vote on your favorite things. It’s simple enough. If there is a business you feel is missing from a category, shoot them a note on Social Media encouraging them to sign up. It doesn’t cost the businesses anything to participate and we always are excited to be able to promote popular as well as up and coming beach businesses and attractions. It’s also important to know that the contest isn’t limited to Ocean City proper. Attractions and businesses from any of the surrounding towns are also there for the voting.
One of the twists we’re suggesting for this year is that, when you vote for a particular place, or if you have a favorite photo of you and your friends enjoying Ocean City, tag the post #BestOfOceanCityBecause. We’ll share some of our favorites with Ocean City enthusiasts just like you across all of our social networks. Make sure you still vote for your favorites, but if you want to give extra love to a place, this is how to do it. You don’t even have to have a reason people can relate to.
If you met someone special at a local bar, or had a memorable birthday party that included a trip to Jolly Roger, just let us know with a photo and a hashtag so we can pass it on.
Vote early and share, share, share.
Although the voting will remain open until Memorial Day weekend, you definitely should plan to get your votes in as soon as possible. Although there is (clearly) a competitive aspect to the Best of Ocean City®, there also is a celebratory aspect to the event. It is a way for fans and patrons to tell their favorite places what makes them special. Vote so they have a great showing, but also post on social media so they know who their top fans are. Moreover, following along will allow you to see the Best of Ocean City® presentations at the local businesses. The presentations will take place during the runup to the 4th of July weekend. Feel free to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to see what your friends and fellow Ocean City enthusiasts stand on the Best Of Ocean City as we wait for the warm weather to come for good.
Top 5 Ocean City Diners
I’m a fan of the greasy spoon diner. The kind that serves mediocre coffee but amazing food that’s the hallmark of the American experience: Cheesy eggs! Pancakes as large as your face! Golden chicken and waffles! In Ocean City, there’s no shortage of diners with vinyl seats and where you can order late breakfast without shame. Here’s the top five places you need to stop by after a long day on the beach – or recovering from a crazy night.
1. Layton’s Family restaurant on 16th Street
This place excels in two diner staples: low prices and huge portions. But putting that aside, Layton’s is the place where you sit down at the counter, thinking you’d be helped in 15 minutes, but it’ll actually be five. Favorite items are the sweet potato pancakes and the crab-topped Neptune Benedict eggs. It’s an absolute must to take home a box of melt-in-your mouth donuts. Flavors include vanila oreo cookiee and chocolate raised.
2. Malia’s Cafe on 18th Street
Tucked behind the Spinnaker hotel, Malia’s has a fresh beach theme – fitting since it’s a block from the ocean. Seaside murals and dreamy mermaids are painted onto the walls. But the real star is the refreshing menu, with vegetarian and carnivore options for lunch and dinner. The falafel come highly recommended for lunch, but for breakfast, there’s the red, white and blue pancakes. These are made with strawberries, blueberries and shredded coconut baked in the batter. Fresh and fluffy goodness!
A guide to Ocean City Restaurants
3. Sahara Cafe on 19th Street
An oasis of appetizing foods, and most on a massive breakfast menu. And the king of that menu is a cheesesteak topped with sweet peppers and onions fried eggs and crab meat called Joe Smooth A Go-Go. Great deals can be found here, like $7.50 weekday waffles and pick two lunch combos. This is one of the rare places on this list that’s open for dinner – and has 2 dishes, from sirloin steak to ravioli, for $20.
4. TC Diner in West Ocean City
If you want a hole-in-the wall dinner, look no further. Standard breakfast here is done well, including a egg and scrapple sandwich and funny-looking omelettes that are stuffed with whatever filling you want. This place is a little off-kilter where no two mugs are the same, vinyl checker tablecloths with photos of old Ocean City, but don’t be turned off. Piping hot food that’s homemade…. What else could you want?
5. Decatur Diner in West Ocean City
This place is famous for two things: its smallness and the Pipeline. The place gets slammed, so be prepared to wait a little for a table, but the food is worth it, from their greasy burgers, golden fried chicken and chipped beef.
The Pipeline is a behemoth of the best of recovery foods combined. It’s a block of home fries, onions, cheese and eggs, topped off with gravy. I highly recommend it with their signature peppercorn gravy and splitting it with a friend. If you take it home, (and if you order a whole one, you will) you’ll have breakfast for days.
Life-Saving Station Museum will join in International Museum Day
Ocean City, Maryland – (May 9, 2017): In honor of International Museum Day, the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum will be holding an Open House on Thursday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be free admission for all and discounts in the Museum Store.
The theme of International Museum Day 2017 is Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums.
This theme focuses on the role of museums that, by working to benefit society, become hubs for promoting peaceful relationships between people. It also highlights how the acceptance of a contested history is the first step in envisioning a shared future under the banner of reconciliation.
The International Council of Museums (ICOM) established International Museum Day in 1977 to increase public awareness of the role of museums in the development of society, and it has been steadily gaining momentum ever since. In 2016, International Museum Day garnered record-breaking participation with more than 35,000 museums hosting events in some 145 countries.
The Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum is located on the south end of the Boardwalk at 813 South Atlantic Avenue. For more information, call 410-289-4991 or visit www.ocmuseum.org .
Ocean City pulls bait and switch on memorial benches
Town threatens to remove memorial benches if families don’t cough up extra dough.
On May 5, 2017, a conversation began in the 15,000+ member Facebook group Ocean City Cool owned by Robert Banach, regarding a new letter that has gone out to current Ocean City memorial bench owners. In it, owners were told that they needed to pay an additional $1,160.00 refurbishment fee for their benches else they would lose ownership. Almost 100 comments were generated, many from upset bench owners and would-be buyers, concerned with the ten-year term cost on top of the initial bench fee. One of those owners is Linda Halbritter.
When Linda Halbritter retired to Ocean City, Maryland, she brought with her the memories of her childhood spent alongside her mother and sisters playing in the ocean, building sand castles, and wandering the boards. In honor of her late mother who passed away unexpectedly in 2011, she purchased a memorial bench on the boardwalk to celebrate her memory.
“We were very close and her injury and untimely death caused me a lot of grief,” said Halbritter.
Since Halbritter’s mother was cremated and she has no grave to visit, the bench brings both a sense of peace and a place to create new memories with family. Halbritter brings her grandchildren to visit the bench where they can take part in the memory of their great-grandmother in Ocean City.
Halbritter purchased the memorial bench in October 2012 for $1,700.00. She received a purchase of agreement that included the information being written on her mother’s memorial bench plaque, where to make the check payable to, and where the bench would be placed.
So, when Halbritter received a letter in the mail five years later stating that she needed to fork over an additional $1,161.00 to keep ownership of the bench, she was astonished.
“Imagine someone you love passes away and you bury them. The cemetery calls and says you have to pay an additional fee to keep the headstone on the grave,” she said.
Council says ‘Sorry for your troubles’ to surprised families
Halbritter took her frustration to the city council and after contacting each member, one returned her emails and calls. Councilman Wayne Hartman advised that he would look into the situation and get back to her but there was no rush since there was plenty of time before her ten-year restoration term was up in 2022. I spoke with Councilman Wayne Hartman about the matter.
Hartman said that he wasn’t on the council when the Memorial Bench Dedication program began. Public works came to the city council with the issue of benches not lasting as long as they had originally expected. He said the benches needed refurbishing due to salt water and graffiti. Hartman also said that the ten-year term letter included three options for bench owners:
- To keep the bench on the boardwalk: where the cost to do so is currently averaging $1,161.00. “It is important to note that the ‘cost of restoration’ will be specific to whatever the actual cost is at the exact time of restoration.”
- To not fund the cost of the restoration: you can remove the bench for personal use. Note, there is no help from the city for removal of benches.
- Donate the bench to the town of Ocean City: the city can keep the bench, but they will return the memorial plaque to you as a keepsake.
New 2016 memorial bench owners were notified of the ten-year refurbishment term at the time of purchase, but previous owners weren’t notified until spring 2017. The term letter was sent from Deputy Director of Public Works, John VanFossen who I was unable to reach for commentary. VanFossen is the Manager of Maintenance. Thomas Dy, however, contacted Linda Halbritter.
“In response to your letter sent last week and as you stated, there was no ten-year term assigned when you first purchased your bench however, to try to address your concerns, the Mayor and City Council are now faced with the reality of budgeting $100,000 + annually just to cover current restoration charges for all the dedicated bench program participants,” Dy said. ” Note, this amount does not include the Town’s in-house Public Works costs for general maintenance support which we still provide.”
He goes on to say that there are 900+ benches to maintain and that, “…it’s become such a large amount the Town could not continue to fund each year alone. Basically, the program couldn’t survive without the financial help from its participants.”
If the costs of the program were superseding the amounts charged for the benches, it is unclear as to why the program wasn’t halted until a solution was found.
“If you purchase a bench do you think the bench will last forever? No. Do you want a memorial on the boardwalk that has been defaced by salt water and graffiti or do you want it pristine like the other benches?” — Wayne Hartman
According to Councilman Hartman, the benches are sold pretty close to acquisition costs from the manufacturer and the current purchase price for memorial benches are around $2,500.00. Information for how to purchase them can be found online at: https://oceancitymd.gov/oc/departments/public-works/boardwalk-bench-dedication/. The current price does not include the ten-year term restoration fee that will be assessed after the restoration period is over.
No guarantees against future blind increases offered
In 2008, Brian King and his brother-in-law purchased a memorial bench for their wives as a gift to honor their deceased parents. They didn’t expect to receive a letter in 2017 asking for an additional $1,160.00 to restore the bench. King spent his college years as a Salisbury student working in Ocean City. As an adult, he and his family visit four to five times a year.
“It frustrates me to no end. We had an agreement. The bench itself becomes a memory where kids take pictures on it every year, now the city is playing on people’s emotions. How can they just change the rules? What’s next? And where does it end? I don’t trust them at all.”
Hartman claimed he will make sure that the ten-year term is the only one enforced during his time on city council as long as he is still voted in by constituents. There is no plan at this time in place to ensure that no additional fees are assessed for the memorial benches.
Sharon Hagy and her husband were gifted a memorial bench for their 50th wedding anniversary last year from their four daughters, only this time the daughters knew about the ten-year term because it was stated in the new bench memorial agreement. When Sharon found out about the additional upkeep fees that would come down the road, she and her husband started putting money aside to help defray the costs on their children. “When our daughters got us the bench, they were also looking ahead to future years, planning to visit the ocean as a family, even after we may be gone. The memories will always be a part of them and this bench represents all the love and good times we have shared there. I can’t imagine having our memory bench removed, or donated to someone else because our children or grandchildren can’t afford a refurbishing fee,” said Hagy.
Hartman added that any bench that belongs to a deceased couple will have its plaque removed if the new refurbishment fee isn’t paid.
“Who is taking care of the benches for the couples who are gone?” asked King. “Are they just throwing those plaques away?”
Essentially, the current cost of a memorial bench is not $2,500.00 but is actually $3,660.00 for ten years when you add on the cost of the ten-year term at the end of the refurbishment period. For customers like Halbritter, King and Hagy, priceless memories are made on the Ocean City memorial benches. But the city is holding those memories hostage until the owners pay up or give back their boardwalk property.
To contact Ocean City’s City Council or Mayor for comment please visit: https://oceancitymd.gov/oc/city-hall/mayor-and-city-council/.
Photos courtesy of Linda Halbritter, Brian King and Sharon Hagy.
