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General’s Kitchen serves the traditional Ocean City breakfast

Tony Russo
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It may have been the sun, or it may have been the early hour (11:30 a.m. during Senior Week is the equivalent of 4:45 a.m. regular time) or the massive amounts of food they just had enjoyed, but Dylan Orland and Patrick Mullineaux were squinting and moving just a little slower than one might expect as they left the General’s Kitchen. It was Dylan’s first time in Ocean City but Patrick’s family has a place in town and for him, as it is for many, breakfast at the storied Ocean City restaurant is part of the summer culture.

“When I’m down here with my family we always come, and even though I’m renting my own place this time, it’s just something I look forward to.”

Patrick had had the creamed chip beef omelette, so that fact that he was upright was kind of amazing, but he was a practiced General’s Kitchen patron. Dylan, on the other hand, was still a little surprised he had gotten through the Spanish omelette, “It was a lot of food,” he said.

General's Kitchen wait staff
Ivan Osoiano and Sam Belil take a second to post for a photo during the lull between early and late breakfast at General’s Kitchen.

Just as overindulgence can be the symptom, a hearty breakfast with just enough grease can be the cure, which likely is why the creamed chip beef omelette (or any of the CCB-based dishes at the Kitchen) tend to be popular. Breakfast is a satisfying time and meal. Lunches can be rushed, dinners can be overwrought, but if you’re going to sit down to breakfast while on vacation, time likely is your ally. Especially at General’s Kitchen

While they are on their third location, the iconic name has remained the same, but they have existed at multiple addresses in Ocean City, the staff stays pretty regular. And the staff knows how to navigate breakfast. Owner Bob Noll said most of the staff had been on for multiple years, and many had been on for more than a decade, which is impressive for a restaurant that has been open for nearly 50 years.

Over the last half-century there have been changes beyond just the location. Over recent years, Bob had noticed that families and young people sometimes were only half in the mood for breakfast. It started with the occasional request for chicken fingers for the youngsters, but has grown into a respectable lunch menu.

 

At first, it was a bit of a mental transition. After all, when you are known as the go-to breakfast place, why fool about with lunch. But, just as when they were building their reputation as breakfast people, Bob elected to do a few things very well and grow from there.

General's Kitchen Owner Don Noll
Owner Bob Noll has helped General’s Kitchen stay true to its half-century old mission to feed people well and fairly.

“We had some people in here this morning who were the third generation of people coming here for breakfast,” Bob said. “It is gratifying to have so many people coming back that long.”

Parents who bring children and then grand children to an Ocean City establishment of any sort are the core of what keeps the resort vibrant. It isn’t just for one generation at a time but rather a geographic touch stone for multiple generations who can enjoy it separately as well as together. Like, maybe the cream chipped beef omelette for some and a nice BLT with fries for others.


Making Memories not just on the sand

Jaclyn
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Many families flock to Ocean City because of their childhood memories, traditions. Some have come to visit for the first time. Maybe they just love the beach as so many of us do, but memories can be made so many more places than just where the sand meets the surf!

I have been coming to Ocean City since I was around the age of two. Although some years we may have missed because of life circumstances, more than half of my best childhood memories come from the Eastern Shore!

As a child I always remember spending that one week with all my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents in one house all under one roof. The noise, laughter and excitement never seemed to end, but that one night (only one) we got to go out and SHOP. It is something we waited for all year.

For some reason (now as an adult I know why) I always remembered ” Sea Shell City” my cousins and I would stare out of the car window just waiting to see that big pink building and start screaming “there it is!”

Even as I grew older I always had to stop there, browse around, sometimes I may buy something, sometimes just to see the new items for that year. But I always had to stop.

To this day my children now ask on that one night they are allowed to go shopping “Sea Shell City” is the first stop. To see their eyes light up and their faces fill with excitement as we pull up to that “pink building” not knowing what treasures they will find inside, is something I hope they will remember and pass on to their children for years to come.  

Not only is Sea Shell City something I do with my children every year, but  I have started a tradition just for my kids to remember of our own. About five years ago on the way up Coastal Highway we stopped off at this seafood restaurant. They had a crab chair that is carved out of wood sitting by the entrance. Every year my children one by one get their picture taken in the chair. Even if we don’t stop to eat there we stop for the picture and the memory it brings.

So just remember you can always start a tradition or a special memory with your family, one you have done your whole life or one you want to start of your very own. When you come down to Ocean city, it doesn’t always have to be about the sand!

Review: “1776: The Musical,” Politics We Can All Agree On

Matthew Manos
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A Broadway caliber performance, with a live orchestra, in Pocomoke City? At the local high school? You betcha! The Eastern Shore Madrigals, a music and performing arts group out of New Church, VA, opened their rendition of 1776: The Musical this past Friday, reminding us that Congress has been riddled by ego and dysfunction since the very, and I do mean very, beginning.

But whereas today’s media outlets serve up spin like Micky D’s serves up 75 cent Big Macs, the history of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is a well-documented triumph of the American spirit, and the names John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson are forever ingrained in our psyche. And, trust me: cutthroat politicking is far more riveting when sung in harmony.

The play, written by Sherman Edwards and Peter Stone and originally debuted on Broadway in 1969, opens with John Adams (Shore native Marty Killman) pleading with the Second Continental Congress to declare independence from England. Adams is peeved that congress has done nothing but, get this, waste time! Through flawless renditions of “For God’s Sake, John, Sit Down” and “Piddle Twiddle,” the Madrigals waste no time jazzing up what these days just puts us to sleep (i.e., congressional ineptitude). Killman is excellent as Adams, and when the time comes that he finally sits, you start to miss him a bit. Fortunately, Adams and his long-distance wife Abigail (a wonderful performance by Christine Swift) message each other through masterfully woven duets, playfully (or is it?) showing that the future president is still just a man and the Mrs. is also equally endowed with certain unalienable rights.

Robert Forrester plays elder statesmen Ben Franklin, confidant to Adams, brandishing an arrogance and a semi-sleaze that you would expect from a casual member of the Hellfire Club. The pair’s political maneuvering is a pleasure to watch, and culminates in a conjugal visit for young Thomas Jefferson (Andrew Widger) and wife Martha (Heather McHenry) that gets Jefferson to draft the document that would, ahem, birth a nation.

Director Mark Tyler really plays up the personalities of the 13 colonies, serving them as foils reinforcing the complexities of such a negotiation. The members spar with each other as is typical to a congressional debate, which is great but not really what most of us plan for a Saturday night. But this is Broadway, er, I mean Pocomoke, and through song, humor, and a splendid cast there is magic that happens. Newcomer and Berlin author Jeff Smith shines as Colonel Thomas McKean from Delaware, sporting a thick Scottish accent while bickering, I mean, debating, with co-delegate George Read (Michael Teets). Coupled with Mike Jump’s role as Richard Henry Lee from Virginia, 1776: The Musical has funny moments that stem from endearing personality quirks rather than the all out political blundering you get today.

But the climax of the show, aside from miraculously garnering all those John Hancocks, is Crisfield’s Richard Thomas, portraying Edward Rutledge, the brash young delegate from South Carolina who vehemently opposes language condemning the slave trade. Rutledge’s soaring rendition of “Molasses to Rum” is a treat to watch, and can hardly be contained inside the school auditorium.

Backed by an excellent pit orchestra led by Chincoteague’s Pat Davis, the closing minutes of the performance deliver all the tension and suspense that you would expect from a moment of this magnitude. A moment in our history where consensus was reached, albeit just barely and not without grave concession.

The final three performances of 1776: The Musical are this Friday, June 17 at 7:30pm and Saturday, June 18 at 3pm and 7:30pm, at Pocomoke High School. Tickets are $12, and there is a Founding Father’s Day special half-off ticket price for father’s attending the Saturday matinee. Visit www.easternshoremadrigals.com for more information.

9 Ocean City restaurants with spectacular views

Tony Russo
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Ocean City restaurants with spectacular views are easy enough to find, if you take the time to look. These are places where the view is as important an aspect of the restaurant’s offerings as the food. While this list isn’t exhaustive, it is the shortlist we were able to come up with that ran the gamut of bayside, oceanside, uptown, downtown and even West O. We’re sure we missed a couple so feel free to let us know in the comments.

Seacrets

The restaurant with one of the most diverse dining experiences around. In addition to all the different places to sit, indoors and out, and all the people watching available, Seacrets has started making its own spirits, tailored to its drink menu.

Fagers

I don’t know if there’s anyone left who doesn’t know about the sunsets at Fager’s Island, but every day they play the sun down to the 1812 Overature, which the bar staff sets by hand.

The Angler

This Ocean City favorite has nooks and crannies galore for you to relax and watch the sun go down or watch the ships come in. The only thing better than a great meal is a great view to accompany it.

Lenny’s

 

In addition to the view, Lenny’s at the Clarion has live entertainment all summer as well as a place to drink with your feet in the sand.

Harpoon Hanna’s

Add the friendly service to the seclusion provided by being set way back on the bay, and Harpoon Hanna’s is an easy uptown choice for sitting and looking.

Macky’s

Macky’s encourages alternate side of the bay parking. It also cuts way down on the lines…

Backshore Brewing Co.

Slide behind the wheel of a bus that isn’t going anywhere and enjoy people watching on the boardwalk with an afternoon snack and a beer brewed fewer than 50 feet from where you’re drinking it.

Mad Fish

Enjoy dinner and drinks on the Harbor either out in the sun or in the shade of the first-level deck. Mad Fish Bar & Grill, new in the summer of 2018, gave the old seafood spot a fresh, modern feel, not to mention a menu full of delicious, fresh fare. Mad Fish view

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ropewalk

One of the best-kept secrets in the transition between mid- and uptown Ocean City, the Ropewalk has terrific food as well as fantastic views.

This post was updated on Nov. 15, 2018, because while OC Fish Co. no longer exists, Mad Fish has since taken its place. New restaurant, same great view! — ed.

Legends Board back in Surf’s Up! exhibit

Nancy
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Legends Board back in Surf’s Up! exhibit

13413043_10154186837133211_7623765748912392024_nThe Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum is happy to announce the Legends Board is back in place in our Surf’s Up! exhibit thanks to Bill Thompson and Skill Johnson of the Ocean City Surf Club.

Congratulations to the new legends who added their signatures to the board during the event on Friday. The 2016 inductees are; Dean Thompson, Adam Showell, Chris Hazard, Joe Leib, Sandy MacNutt and Jeff (Scrubby) Shields.

 

 

 

 

The Ocean City Not-Just-Ladies Mah Jongg League

Jeffrey Smith
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Middday on a Thursday and I am in a small lounge in a condominium in Ocean City. Thirteen people sit around three small tables set up in the room, four at each table. (One player sits out each round.) Each player stares at thirteen small plastic white tiles laid out on brightly colored lucite racks. In turn each of us picks up a tile from a stacked wall of tiles, studies it, and either discards that tile or replaces one of the thirteen on our rack with the one drawn. When we drop a tile we say what it is. “Five crack,” or, “Three dot,” or, “One birdie bam.” We are all hoping to put the right tiles together to form mah jongg and win the hand.

Mah Jongg (or mahj), like one of its descendents, poker, is a game of both luck and skill. Four players draw thirteen tiles (in China thirteen is a lucky number) from a deck of 108. Players combine tiles to form particular hands. Unlike poker, however, there are more than fifty hands that can be made with a myriad combination of tiles. There are three suits numbered one through nine: bamboo or bams, circles or dots, and characters or cracks; 28 honor tiles divided into winds, representing the points on a compass, and the red, blue, and green dragons; eight flower tiles; and eight jokers. The first set of mah jongg tiles were developed (from older, more complex card games) in China around 1850 and brought to America in the early 20th century by a civil engineer named Joseph Babcock who worked for Standard Oil Company in Soochow (now Suzhou), China. He wrote the first American rule book, Rules of Mah-Jongg, which became known as the “red book.” During the roaring ’20s Mah Jongg clubs sprang up all over the United States. In 1937 a group of players met in New York City and formed the National Mah Jongg League. They standardized scoring and created the hand cards (with a red cover, an homage to Babcock) that are still used today. These are the cards we are playing with in Ocean City, necessary references to make sure we are collecting the proper tiles to make a hand.

Mah jongg has traditionally been played by women, and the Ocean City League is no exception. Most of these women are retired, though some still work part time in real estate or healthcare. There is a yoga instructor among them who has been playing only a few months (like me). One of her yoga students, a full-time resident named Sandi, became her mah jongg teacher. I’m the odd one out, the aberration in the group, one of less than a handful of men who have ever played here. Maybe that’s why, despite my only having learned how to play a few months ago, they have allowed me to join them.

My introduction to the game was through a part-time titling agent who notarized my home refinancing documents and with whom my wife and I became friends over the last year. Myrna has been playing for more than fifty years. She told me mahj was a game for old Jewish ladies. The Ocean City League may be all women, but I wouldn’t call them old. And I don’t think all of them are Jewish.

Myrna has been playing with this group for a decade, though the group has been playing for a lot longer than that. (How long no one really knows.) Most of the members of the group live here part time. They have houses in Florida, or Pennsylvania, and they come to the city for the summer, or sometimes for the winter (reverse snow-birds, they call themselves). One thing they all have in common is how much they love playing mahj.

There is very little talk while we play. All my focus and concentration is on the tiles. Play moves fast, as Myrna advised me before I came. “You have to call a tile before the next player draws or you miss it,” she said. So my primary goal was to keep play moving, to keep up with the girls. For me, there was no time for idle chit-chat.

I was on call, which meant that I needed only one tile to make a hand. My excitement was palpable, but I was trying to keep my cool. Like poker, mahj is a game played straight-faced. Sure, some players kvetch about not getting the tiles they need, or about looking for jokers. But that’s all smoke, a way to distract the other players from guessing at your hand. Because once they know what hand you have, they can play against you, holding on to tiles they think you might need.

Mah jongg is a logic puzzle in which you must fit your tiles into patterns. You must both commit to a hand and have the mental flexibility to switch gears if your plan doesn’t work. There’s a tremendous amount of luck that goes into the game. Even so, mahj is less about what tiles you draw and, to paraphase Tolkien, more about deciding what to do with the tiles that are given you.

One of the ladies dropped the tile I needed. “I’m calling that,” I blurted. Then, “Mahj!” I proudly exposed my hand. I was so excited I almost leapt ouf of my seat. I turned to the table behind me, where Myrna was playing. “I made a hand!” I told her.

She patted my arm. “Good for you,” she said, as though congratulating me for eating peas. Then she turned back to her own hand. “You’d think he won the lottery,” she joked.

I overturned my tiles and mixed them in with the 94 others on the table and took a few deep breaths. Sure I’d won a hand, but that was only one. Mahj is, after all, only a game. And like life you win some, and you lose some. I won only one hand that day, but most importantly I had fun. I learned a new game, and most importantly, met and enjoyed the company of a group of people, the Ocean City Not-Just-Ladies Mah Jongg League.

I’m looking forward to going back for more next week.

5 Secrets to Awesome Beach Etiquette

Brad Knox
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Summertime is nearing, and the crowds are just beginning to show up in Ocean City. Everyone is looking for a little piece of heaven and some relaxation time while they’re on vacation, and Ocean City happens to be the destination for many. As beaches become more crowded with locals looking to grab some rays on the weekend, and vacationers looking to spend time with family and take a break from the desk chair, it is important to recognize and be familiar with some basic beach etiquette.

Beach etiquette has a fairly simple goal; make sure everyone is happy and has fun! However, when someone is unfamiliar with proper beach etiquette, they can affect the days of all around them. Here’s five tips to make sure everyone enjoys their time at the beach.

image-abcfc98a23e180f0e5242d5cd56942fe9cf0908f

5 Be a good neighbor

Since everyone goes to the beach to have fun (or at least I do) it is important not to intrude on others. Any experienced beach-goer will tell you their biggest pet peeve is when someone else plops their belongings right in their personal space. When you’re putting on sunscreen or shaking your towel off keep in mind the wind direction. Sand or sunscreen in your eyes can be painful and annoying. Give everyone a little space and respect their personal bubble! There’s plenty of beach for everyone.

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4 Be Friendly

It’s important to be nice to everyone, especially the lifeguards. Being friendly on the beach is a must. Go there with a good attitude and spread the joy. Everyone is there for the same reason; to have fun! Most beach-goers are happy to carry on a little small talk. Be friendly with your temporary neighbors. You never know who you may meet on the beach, it is a small world after all. In addition, most lifeguards are happy to have a brief conversation with you, especially if you go up to the stand with a big smile. However, do keep in mind that their eyes are constantly scanning the shoreline for potential victims, so don’t be offended if they don’t make eye contact.

Ocean City Beach Patrol Crew 7

3 Thank the Lifeguard Before You Leave

Lifeguards are on stand every day in the hot sun to ensure your safety and the safety of the others at the beach. Sitting in the sun can be tiring, not to mention the grueling workouts many go through before they even reach the stand. A quick “thank you” before you leave goes a long way.

Thrasher's French Fries
In addition to the arcades and shops, count on Thrasher’s to be open for the weekend.

2 Do Not Feed The Seagulls!

Sure it’s fun to tease them and have a wild animal flock all around you, but there is a logic to this. Seagulls are migratory birds. This means they are supposed to migrate along with the temperatures. If everyone feeds them all summer, they think this is a perfect place to set up home. Many end up starving or freezing to death in the winter when everyone leaves the beach. Oh, and it’s an offense you can get a fine for.

Delmarva Power’s Matt Likovich holds up the 2013 Coastal Cleanup T-shirt design at the kickoff event in Ocean City Sept 4. Volunteers will get a free T-shirt for participating in the trash pick-up in Ocean City this Saturday. (Clara Vaughn)
Delmarva Power’s Matt Likovich holds up the 2013 Coastal Cleanup T-shirt design at the kickoff event in Ocean City Sept 4. Volunteers will get a free T-shirt for participating in the trash pick-up in Ocean City this Saturday. (Clara Vaughn)

1 Pack in, Pack out

Pick up your trash and make sure you have ALL of it. The beach isn’t a garbage can, and it’s likely someone will call you out if you leave trash behind. As they say, “leave only your footprints.”

Now get out there, be safe, and have a great time. The beach is the best place to enjoy a hot summer day.

 

The Stormy Sixties at the Ocean City Museum

Nancy
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The Stormy Sixties at the Ocean City Museum

The Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum recently opened a new temporary exhibit paying tribute to “The Stormy Sixties”. This display focuses on events, lifestyles and growth of that tumultuous time. The 1960’s was a decade of change for America and a very memorable one for Ocean City, Maryland. Although only one man, Hugh T. Cropper, presided as Mayor (1959 – 1970) the Town went through a lot of changes, development and challenges. There were riots, storms, cool fashions, condominiums and as always, a whole lot of fun! In fact, the 1960 O.C. Bureau of Information touted Ocean City as “The Hospitality Resort with Family Fun at Family Prices.”

This exhibit should be nostalgic for all of the “Baby Boomers” out there. Who could forget fun times at The Beach Club, sing-a-longs at The Irish House, your first trip to the newly opened Frontier Town or a ride through Trimper’s Haunted House?  Remember the taste of Ernie’s Donuts or a delicious steak at Mario’s? Do you recall dancing to music of bands like The Admirals or The Red Notes?

Included in the display are many photographs, postcards and advertising from local businesses of that time. Some establishments vanished long ago while others are continuing to operate under the next generation of family members.

All was not fun and games during the 60s. The Labor Day Riots started things off and then in March of 1962 Ocean City endured a devastating Nor’easter that blew through town. Segregation was ending and the war in Viet Nam was beginning.

In an interview with Bunk Mann for his book Vanishing Ocean City, a local resident recalled a memory of the Labor Day Riot; “We were living over Soriano’s at the time and Art was called to the Fire Department. I was on the second floor porch and I could see the hoards of people coming down Baltimore Avenue. It was scary – I’d never experienced anything like it in my lifetime and my husband was out there in the middle of it hosing them down.” (Janice Davis, wife of Ocean City Firefighter Art Davis)

Another quote from Mr. Mann’s book deals with happier memories; “I got my first job at the Funcade Casino selling skeeball tickets and in 1969 I was elevated to cashier. I was the guy at the change booth and in the days before cell phones I was at the center of activity on 9th Street. In those days 9th Street was the center of the universe! Everybody would leave messages with me to pass on to their friends and I knew where every party was.” (Mayor Rick Meehan)

The Museum is located at 813 S. Atlantic Avenue (Boardwalk at the Inlet) and is now open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. For more information call (410) 289-4991 or visit our website; www.ocmuseum.org.

Spend the day on on the Fenwick beach!

Jaclyn
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For many people yearning to sit on the beach just for one more minute in the summer while they are daydreaming back at home gardening or taking the trash out,  but don’t have the money or time to take off work for a week long vacation, Fenwick Island is the place to stop, specifically, the Fenwick beach.

The  cost to get into this state park is very affordable. They are open from 8am to 4:30pm everyday. Fenwick offers many accommodations that will help your quick trip to the beach much easier than you think

There is a consation stand on site and is open every day. They offer a variety of different foods drinks snacks and ice cream to keep the kids and you happy. They even offer lunch specials each day. Usually consisting of two different items they are featuring that day. Very affordable pricing and a varrity of items.

Having this luxury right at your footsteps is just like walking up to your hotel pool side grill grabbing a bite to eat and heading back to where you wanna be, watching the waves and feeling the sand!

You can always leave the park to grab a bite to eat and come back at your leisure because your park pass lasts all day. I would advise not doing so on weekends though because the park can become filled quickly and then line to enter can become rather long. The policy once the park is full is one car in one car out so it may take awhile to re-enter.

With little ones bathroom breaks can become a problem if you don’t have a hotel or room to go back to….not a problem either! The Fenwick beach has working bathrooms.

When you are ready to leave the beach and head home, you probably want to leave the sand at the beach. Fenwick also has a bath house where you can shower and change with a large area to do so.  

So when you want to take a day trip to the beach without all the hassle of checking in and checking out where to stay and where to eat, stop in at Fenwick Island, you won’t have to leave the park until you are ready to head home.  

Lightning II fighters to summer at Wallops

OceanCity.com
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During the summer of 2016, a detachment from the F-35 Lightning II Pax River Integrated Test Force (ITF) will operate from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Wallops Flight Facility along Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

The F-35 Pax River ITF will conduct flight test operations with two F-35B Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) variants and two F-35C carrier variants while Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River is implementing a runway intersection construction project. The detachment will conduct operations from mid-June to mid-July.

Three F/A-18 Hornets and one F/A-18 Super Hornet from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 based at NAS Pax River will accompany the F-35s, while two KC-130 aircraft from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 20 at NAS Pax River and one KC-10 refueling aircraft from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst will support F-35 operations in the Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility Virginia Capes (FACSFAC VACAPES) over-water Warning Areas, extending offshore eastward into the Atlantic Ocean. Operations will take place during business hours every Monday through Friday, including one Saturday during the detachment.

The U.S. Navy has long maintained a successful partnership with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. In particular, the Wallops airfield provides support for fleet training, facilitates test and evaluation of weapons systems, and provides target launch facilities, refueling capabilities, and a communications and telemetry relay back to the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Atlantic Test Ranges control room for easy data exchange and test monitoring. By partnering with NASA at Wallops, the Navy extends its range capabilities well out into the Mid-Atlantic operating areas.

The F-35 Lightning II is the world’s most advanced multi-role fighter. The F-35 combines low observable stealth technology with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, and advanced sustainment capabilities.

The F-35A is a replacement for the Air Force’s F-16 Falcon and the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, complementing the F-22A Raptor. The F-35B replaces the U.S. Marine Corps’ AV-8B Harrier aircraft and delivers combat flexibility for use at short or damaged airstrips, austere expeditionary operating sites, major bases and from amphibious ships.

 

Katie & Jon

Jennifer Sabini Evans
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Katie & Jon

Golden Sands Atrium WeddingPlanning a wedding in Ocean City, was by far, a fun and stress-free experience. The short of it: our beach front wedding (and reception) was held at The Atrium at the Golden Sands, our flowers were beautifully done by Ocean City Florist, our cake was deliciously created by Cake Art (in Salisbury), DJ Paul Parrinello played at our wedding (all the way from Pikesville), Ocean City’s own Rev. Eileen Dudley helped make our ceremony great and our rehearsal dinner was so graciously hosted by Smitty McGee’s Irish Pub in West Fenwick Island.

Eileen at the Golden Sands was very insightful, helpful and easy-going. Eileen had suggestions from table overlays to timing the ceremony with the sunset. This location has gorgeous views and is very military-friendly. Eileen helped us pull off the stress-free wedding we wanted within 6 months, as my fiance (now husband) was deploying shortly after our wedding date. The ladies at Ocean City florist were creative, easy to work with and ultimately produced beautiful purple orchid and white rose arrangements.

After a day or two of fun cake tastings in and around the Ocean City area with my willing aunt, Cake Art in Salisbury won us over. Ms. Susan Patt took her time to meet with us, draw various designs and offer fun suggestions (like graham cracker crumble around the base of the cake with our names to resemble sand). To this day, our family and friends still talk about the deliciousness of the cake (the European Buttercream frosting is an absolute must!). Our goal for the ceremony was for it to be meaningful yet fun and relaxed, and Rev. Eileen Dudley made it just that. If you’re looking for a place to host a laid-back rehearsal dinner, the staff at Smitty McGee’s Irish Pub in West Fenwick Island were very accommodating. We are already thinking about a 10-year anniversary party at The Atrium!

A Boardwalk Down Memory Lane; or, Daddy-Daughter Day on the Boards

Jeffrey Smith
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Three years ago, a few days before Memorial Day Weekend, I visited Ocean City for the first time. My wife was interviewing for work in Salisbury, and I was taking care of our then three-year-old daughter, exploring the area, seeing what there might be to do here. We had a couple hours to kill, and I knew the Atlantic Ocean was close by. So I drove our rented car along US 50 and crossed a narrow four lane draw bridge, passed through a traffic light, and parked in the first spot I found. There was a big sign overhead: Welcome to Ocean City. We didn’t have bathing suits, and though my daughter was a great swimmer she had demonstrated, on two trips to Mexico, a decisive dislike of the ocean. So we avoided the sand and the beach and opted for a stroll on the boardwalk.

We didn’t make it far. Shortly after our arrival on the boardwalk the Ocean City Police Department arrived on bicycles. We watched as they lined up, received some instruction, and then learned how to ride their bicycles up a short set of stairs. As each cyclist rode up the steps, a gauntlet of cadets were lined up to pull each to the top if they faltered. My daughter screamed with delight as each cadet succeeded in the climb.

At some point, as we watched, a seargant appeared. He knelt in front of my daughter, who had the look of one who has just seen her first celebrity. He handed her a small pin in the shape of badge. It read, Junior Police, Ocean City. She jumped up and down and begged me to pin the silver pin on her purple shirt.

My wife had two more interviews in other parts of the state, but somehow I knew right then that this was the place we would live.

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Last week, for several days, my daughter begged to go to the beach. “We haven’t been to the boardwalk in months,” she said. So I agreed, and on the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend I took her out of school about two hours early and we drove that same stretch of road, over the narrow four-lane bridge, through the traffic lights, passed the White Marlin Fountain. I parked in hourly parking spots beneath the Welcome to Ocean City marquee, and we climbed the same steps that we had seen those cadets ride up three years ago.

My daughter is six now, a much better swimmer, and she loves the ocean. Today, though, she didn’t want to go to the beach, though she had been talking about the beach for a week. Instead, she wanted to walk the boardwalk, what I have come to learn the locals call the boards. There was a new sculpture on the beach, a whale that seemed to be rising out of the sand itself. She climbed on top of it and stood proudly on the whale’s head. This has become a much more familiar place to us now. I know that from here Thrasher’s is just a few blocks south, and there’s a Dumser’s Dairyland stand a couple blocks north.

“Should we get some ice cream?” I asked her. Three years ago I’m not even sure she even knew what ice cream was.

“Let’s wait,” she suggested. A daughter has a world of surprises in store for an unsuspecting father.

We walked up the boardwalk. She wanted to go into the shops, to look at clothes. She’s only six, and already she wanted to shop for clothes. I pictured her in ten years, wandering the boards not with her father in tow but leading a group of friends. They wander into Quiet Storm and go upstairs and look for new bathing suits to wear all summer long. Now she could find nothing that fit her, and I convinced her that the four bathing suits she has would last through this summer, and hopefully into next. She tried on a hat, admired a skateboard because it was pink, and gave the clerk a start when she pulled on a rubber bracelet. “I don’t want her to break it,” the clerk said.

Outside the sun shined and despite being nearly summer a cool wind made it feel more like a fall day. My daughter took my hand and pulled me north. “Let’s get some ice cream,” she said.

We didn’t see any police officers, and the boardwalk wasn’t very crowded, really. It was still early on Friday; the bulk of the tourists hadn’t arrived yet. But for my daughter and I, with a couple hours to kill, the summer tourist season had begun. I found the picture I had taken three years ago and showed it to her, and she laughed. She was too young then to have remembered the day, but she remembered the pin, which she still has, stuck in a board on a wall in her room. My little Junior Officer of the Ocean City Police.

4 OceanCity.com Facts You Never Would Have Guessed

Tony Russo
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While at our core we document Ocean City culture and events as well as the things to do and see in Worcester County generally, it is easy to forget that there are other things to see and do on the site. We were reflecting recently that the only thing that is more impressive than the interaction we have with our readers is how much that interaction shapes OceanCity.com every day. So as we gear up for another big season, we thought it would be fun to remind people about the lesser-known OceanCity.com facts that are at the heart of many other people’s enjoyment of it.

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We Maintain an Active Forum for Ocean City Enthusiasts

Sure it’s old school, but our forum is one of the most active and knowledgeable around. Comprised of both locals and people from around the region who just love Ocean City, the forum is a place to reminisce but also to get info. Our forum members aren’t paid and they aren’t constrained in their views and recommendations. If you have a question on Ocean City, someone there has an answer. Heck, when we can’t find an answer that’s where we go.

 

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We Have Weekly Contests

Photo Friday is a chance for you not only to share your photos from your Ocean City trip but also to win prizes. Just submit your photo through our website. We pick the four best and let the nearly 150,000 people who follow our Facebook page vote. The winner gets two tickets to Jolly Roger and the runner up gets the cover photo on our Facebook page. If you’re into sharing your Ocean City experience, though, we have another idea for you…

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We Can Make You Internet Famous

We accept regular contributions to our blog from our readers. We edit them and add photos when necessary, but people who are interested in breaking into the blogging world contribute photoblogs and essays as a means of sharing their Ocean City Experience with as wide a variety of people as possible. But it isn’t just for professional writers. Sometimes people just contribute because they have an experience they want to share or need to let people in on a secret spot that they don’t think enough people enjoy. Heck, they even write about day trips they take outside of Ocean City.

We Know Ocean City Deals

It is something of an open secret that OceanCity.com is the best destination for gift certificates and coupons. Working with local partners, we’re able to provide discounted gift certificates that can mean keeping your wallet a little heavier a little longer. More important, though, just browsing the coupons gives you the opportunity to try a place or experience you might not otherwise have tried.

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We Are Hotel Central

Yes. This is a fifth category, but we’re pretty sure you would have guessed this fact, do it really doesn’t count as something you never would have guessed. Still, it doesn’t hurt to give you a friendly reminder that if you haven’t booked yet, go ahead and do that now…

Day Trippin’: St. Michaels, MD

Amy Smith
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lunchSt. Michaels is the epitome of a postcard-worthy seaside town, and it is only a short distance from the Ocean City beaches, making it the perfect target for a day trip. With its rich history of hard-working oystermen, long standing traditions of sailing and boatbuilding, and a picturesque location on the Miles River, there is truly something for everyone to appreciate here. If you are looking to get a taste of what St. Michaels has to offer but only have one full day, I’ve got you covered! Rain or shine, you will have a great time following this detailed itinerary centered on quaint Talbot St.

Arrive in town before 9 am in time for an amazing breakfast at Crepes by the Bay. Here you will find both savory and sweet options, perfect for a filling breakfast before you start exploring. Check for today’s specials as they are always amazing – I suggest splitting a savory and a sweet with a companion so you can have the best of both worlds!

St Michaels museum

After breakfast, head to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and the Hooper Strait Lighthouse to learn about the history of Maryland life on the Bay, shipbuilding, oystering, and more. The lighthouse is set up to show what it looks like inside and is a very accurate insight into the spartan and often lonely life of the keeper of the light. Climb the lighthouse for great photo ops of the waterfront! Walk the grounds, watch apprentices at work learning the arts of shipbuilding and sailmaking, and admire the many detailed exhibits. If you like what you see, come for a visit in June during the St. Michaels Antique and Classic Boat Festival where you can see stunningly restored wooden hulled classics, vintage race boats, and other antique and Chesapeake Bay-related boats.

All that exploring has likely made you hungry, right? Make a beeline to the cheerful green awning of Bistro St. Michael’s where you will find freshly prepared lunch choices for even the most demanding diets, including vegan and gluten free. Try an Eastern Shore specialty such as the Oyster Pie or the cream of crab soup – you can thank me later!

Saint_Michaels_Historic_District

After lunch, stroll Talbot St and indulge in some serious retail therapy with a nautical edge. Here you will find everything from unique, delicately handcrafted jewelry at SilvaWear to antiques at Gatsby’s, as well as lots of fun home décor shops such as The Preppy Redneck, Take Me Home, and American/Holiday. If local art is something you seek out, ask for Stan at The Candleberry Shoppe. He owns this unique store filled with lots of local artwork, children’s items and custom signs. You can even find an amazing selection of imported Italian foods, wines, pottery and gifts at Sympatico, and if you’re lucky, you may even stop by during a wine or olive oil tasting!

Regardless of what you like to drink, there’s always a great spot for you to check out in St. Michaels. If you are a craft beer lover, head to the tasting room at Eastern Shore Brewing and try one of their flights as you enjoy a friendly game of cornhole or listen to the live music from 4-6 on Saturdays.

Eastern Shore Brewing in St. Michaels
Eastern Shore Brewing in St. Michaels

Wine more your style? Try St. Michaels Winery for a wide selection of locally made wines and fun accessories. Flights are also available and bottles are reasonably priced. By the way, St. Michaels hosts an incredibly popular Winefest every April in case you are planning a repeat visit!

Perhaps you are more of a hard liquor connoisseur? You are in luck as this town is also home to the Lyon Distilling Company, offering distillery tours (2 and 4 pm) and FREE rum tastings on the weekends. Mixed drinks featuring their white and dark rums are also available at their tasting room, and their products are available for sale both at the distillery and local sprit shops.

crab house

End your busy day in St. Michaels at a seafood restaurant with outdoor waterfront seating, such as the Town Dock or St. Michael’s Crab and Steak House. Ask for a table by the water and enjoy the view as you relax and unwind. There’s nothing like the fresh salt air, evening sunset, and fresh Maryland seafood to cap a fun-filled day trip. Thanks for joining me, and have a safe trip home!

A Trek through Chincoteague’s Taxa

Savannah Geary
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Taxa are the many different groups biologists use to classify living things. Some are large – like Animalia, the animal kingdom – and others are smaller – like Callinectes, the genus to which the Atlantic blue crab belongs. At Chincoteague Bay Field Station, students can experience all types of organisms from across many different taxa found right here on the Eastern Shore.

Diamondback Terrapin Turtle
Class: Reptilia

Reptilia

is a class of vertebrate animals that lay their eggs on land. Examples include birds, lizards, snakes, and turtles. When trawling along the bottom of Mosquito Creek, students from Titusville Middle School found a diamondback terrapin, the only turtle species in North America that lives in brackish water. Students took turns holding and taking pictures with their new reptilian friend before releasing it back into the water.

Bacteria

Domain: Eubacteria

Eubacteria is a domain that contains many varied types of single-celled organisms. Some produce their food through photosynthesis, some consume other organisms, and others are decomposers, which recycle nutrients in an ecosystem. Sam, one of the Field Station’s educators, showed a bacterial colony to a group of eighth graders from Allen Middle School during their Maritime Forest trip, where students split up into groups and looked for other types of decomposers in the ecosystem.

Squid

Phlyum: Mollusca

The phylum Mollusca is comprised of soft-bodied invertebrates that excrete a hard shell from their mantle. In their live organism lab, students from Danville High School were surprised to find that squids are part of this phylum. One student said, “I had never seen one of those before. The texture of it and the squishiness of it was really odd to hold in real life.”

Marsh Cordgrass

Informal Division: Angiosperm

Scientists are constantly uncovering the way different organisms are related to each other. That means there can be some debate in terms of how to classify types of life. Angiosperms, or flowering plants, were once considered a phylum, but are now just a handy way to categorize plants with flowers and a special layer called an endosperm in their seeds. Salt Marsh Cordgrass, which can be found all over the area’s marshes, is a part of this informal classification. (Yes, cordgrass has flowers. They’re just very small!) Students from Green Acres School explored how the grasses turn into peat when they visited Chincoteague’s marsh ecosystem.

Marine Debris

Species: Homo sapiens

Homo sapiens is a very intelligent species of primate with advanced social structures and technology. For better or worse, H. sapiens has impacted the planet in a variety of ways. The species unfortunately creates large amounts of waste, which – if not disposed of properly – can damage other organisms and their habitats. Fifth graders from Young Scholars Charter School experienced this damage first hand on a Marine Debris trip to Wallops Island, where they collected five bags of trash.

Humans and a Campfire

However, the H. sapiens species also has a remarkable ability to make connections to other orgasms and each other. Fourth and fifth graders from Evangelical Heights Christian Academy discussed these connections around a campfire on their free night. Of all the organisms that call the Eastern Shore home, humans have the greatest impact and capacity for learning.

Chincoteague Bay Field Station, located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, offers programs for schools, home school students, college students, adults and more. Visit our website to learn more and to plan your next adventure.

Train to become a volunteer for Coastal Hospice

OceanCity.com
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Coastal Hospice & Palliative Care is offering an introduction and training course for anyone interested in volunteering at the nonprofit organization that serves Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties. The course is open to anyone, and attendees are not required to commit to volunteering. There is no cost to attend.

Coastal Hospice depends on a dedicated staff of volunteers to fulfill its mission. Patient volunteers offer comfort and companionship to patients and their families, provide transportation and deliver supplies. Other volunteers support the staff with office work or assist at the Coastal Hospice Thrift Shop in Berlin. Volunteers also have opportunities to work directly with veterans as part of Coastal Hospice’s We Honor Veterans program.

Everyone interested in volunteering is invited on Wednesday, June 15 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. For those interested in volunteering for patient care, the session will continue on Wednesday, June 15 from 1-5 p.m. and conclude on Wednesday, June 29 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The training course will be held at the Coastal Hospice Volunteer Offices, Philmore Commons, 224 Phillip Morris Dr., Suite 202, Salisbury, on the northwest corner of U.S. Rt. 50 and Phillip Morris Dr., in the building west of M&T Bank.

Along with information about opportunities for volunteering with Coastal Hospice, the course will include discussions about end-of-life changes, the hospice philosophy, admission criteria, and patient rights.

For more information or to register for the course, call Sally Rankin, manager of volunteer services, at 410-543-2590.

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.

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