4 kid activities adults will love

OceanCity.com
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There is a kind of odd middle ground for people who bring their kids to Ocean City. On the one hand, you want to be a responsible looking adult, but on the other hand there are so many things that look like so much fun. Sometimes it isn’t possible to participate for your own amusement without looking too goofy, but there are lots of ways to enjoy yourself while giving the kids a good time and not spending a blue fortune. For example:

The view above, photo courtesy CoastalPalmsHotel.com

Watch a kid’s Movie on the Beach!

Sometimes, between the beach, dinner and the Boardwalk it is tough to make an evening that doesn’t depend on engaged fun. Don’t get me wrong, I never get tired of following my kids up and down the Boardwalk for hours on end, but in case you do, consider spending a Wednesday night at the movies on the beach.

If you’ve never been, the uptown event features a family friendly movie that also isn’t painfully lame. Grab yourself a couple of snacks and head to the Carousel Hotel on 118th Street, bring a chair of construct one from sand and cover it with a blanket, and let the summer breeze keep you cool while you enjoy a movie on the beach.

Attend and old-timey free circus

Each year Jolly Rogers puts on a free circus on its grounds that is a site to behold. In honor of one of the greatest traditions of Boardwalk life, the free circus (which is held uptown a bit, on 30th street) is aimed at keeping people out and having fun. It develops a kind of culture of fun that is meant to carry through long after the shows (beginning at 5 and 9:30 p.m. respectively) end. Here’s a sneak peek.

Sundaes in the park

Sundaes in the Park!

All throughout the summer, Sundays in Northside Park features Sundaes in the Park. The weekly event provides an opportunity to kick back for an evening and watch an engaging, family-appropriate act (for example there’s a Journey Tribute Band one week) and just enjoy being outside. There are plenty of free events and activities for kids that change from week to week but have included demonstrations by the Salisbury Zoo with life animals, face-painting and other activities to keep the kids entertained. Oh. And there is ice cream.

For a small fee people can build their own ice cream sundaes. I usually tell them I’m making it for one of my younger children. Hang around of an evening and you’ll see fireworks, even if you miss the official…

Ocean City Fireworks!

If you’re coming to town this weekend, you definitely will see the fireworks all over town. In addition to the fireworks at the Inlet, there is also a concert and fireworks display uptown at Northside Park. Remember, no one can hear you “Oooh and Aaah” in a crowd of thousands, so let yourself go. And fireworks aren’t just for the Fourth of July — they’re for every Monday and Tuesday night in the summer! If you’re coming later in the week and want to see fireworks, just swing by Northside Park on a Sunday night.

1776: It is done.

Jeffrey Smith
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The final performance we seemed more in sync than we had for the past four months. We hit our notes; we remembered our lines. Scene three, the longest scene in Broadway musical history, had plagued us through every performance. I had misspoke one of my lines in every performance and rehearsal until the last. None of our mistakes was enough for the audience to notice, but we noticed them. The twenty-plus actors and actresses who graced the stage of the Pocomoke High School for six performances in June—we noticed when we missed our lines. We noticed when we missed a cue.

But on that last night, we didn’t miss a beat. And when the final moment came, when Mr. Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia in 1776, told congressional custodian McNair to ring the bell, I knew it was done. The way the characters in the play felt relief at having finally approved independency from Great Britain, we all felt a sense of relief that it was over.

Except it wasn’t quite relief. It was more than that, and less than that, too.

**

My journey to the stage began last year when I saw The Sound of Music at the Mar-Va Theatre in Pocomoke. Afterwards I talked to one of the stars of the show, Mark Tyler, and he told me he was trying to cast 1776. “I need someone who can do a Scottish accent,” he told me. I answered in my best Scottish brogue, and he smiled. “I’ll keep you posted on auditions.” And so I waited. And waited. And waited. Months passed. I worried that he’d forgotten about me, or that the play wasn’t going to happen.

Then I got the audition notice, and I got scared. An audition! A cold reading! And probably some singing! Despite my father’s belief that I had the voice of an angel, I knew there wasn’t a bucket on earth large enough in which I could carry a tune. Mark gave me a piece of advice that I’ll never forget. “Just go all out,” he said. “Go over the top, and then go further.” Which is what I did. I went to the auditions and spoke only in my accent. I read lines with as much belligerence as I could muster. I sang “With a Little Bit of Luck” from My Fair Lady because I could sing it in an accent.

In the week that followed all I could think about was whether I would get the part. Had I gone too far? Not far enough? When the call finally came I was over the moon with excitement.

I had no idea what I was doing. Sure I’d acted before—at home. As a boy I would impersonate celebrities I saw in movies or on TV: Ed Sullivan, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart, Peter Falk, Mae West. My favorite was W.C. Fields. I wanted to be a ventriloquist and as a gift one Christmas I had received a W.C. Fields dummy. It was a beautiful puppet, and I spent hours wandering the house with him on my hand, telling my father and my brother, “Get outta here, kid, ya bother me.” I would call my father at work and pretend to be the early 20th century actor known for his quips and wisecracks. I talked for several minutes with him in my W.C. voice, and he spoke to me like I was the man himself, humoring his youngest son. Finally, always laughing at my own jokes, I broke the gag. “Haha, Dad. I fooled you. It’s me!” He never let on that he hadn’t been fooled at all.

This time it was real, though. I wasn’t trying to fool my father but a theatre full of strangers who needed to believe somehow that I was a pessimistic Scotsman from Delaware. I spoke in my accent at home, at school, at the grocery store. When I interacted with a stranger I would speak in the brogue and guage their reaction. Did they believe? My wife got sick of it pretty fast. My daughter enjoyed it at first, enjoyed the play-acting, though by the end of the run of the show even she had grown tired of hearing me speak in “Scottish.” Weeks before our performance dates, during the final stages of our lengthy rehearsal schedule, one of the other actors told me they’d only just found out that I wasn’t really Scottish. I took that as a compliment.

I wasn’t alone in inhabiting my character. The man who played Adams became belligerent and obnoxious on stage. Dickinson perfectly inhabited a character who turns the idea of indepence into a personal indictment of Adams because he knows how many of the congressmen dislike the man. Rutledge, in real life a softspoken and humble young man, was a firebrand of hostility and racial intolerence. It was the combined effort of all of us that brought the play to life. We all inhabited our characters and made each of them our own.

**

We’d only just opened when it seemed that we were closing. Six performances only, and they went by too fast. I tried to live in the moment of each performance, to experience it fully, though by that third day I was exhausted and just looking forward to a week off to regroup.

My Delaware colleague and on-stage rival, George Read, prepared me for some of what would come. Three days before opening night I felt like we were so far from ready. Lighting was still being worked out, some of the blocking was being changed, and I still hadn’t gotten that one line straight. “It’ll all come together,” he told me. “It doesn’t seem like it, but on opening night it’ll just happen.”

Like magic it did. It happened because we were all there, working together, supporting each other, pushing each other and pulling each other. Mark, the director, said, “What makes live theatre so special is that you come together like a family.” And that is exactly how it felt for me: this was, in some way, a new family to me. A theatre family. Like distant cousins who come together and share this one part of their lives, this piece of themselves.

Rutledge waits for his cue.
Rutledge waits for his cue.

That last night I wandered backstage and took candid photos of my fellow castmates. I wanted to capture little moments: Abigail Adams waiting for her cue; Dr. Hall from Georgia sitting next to Jodi, one of the stage managers; Rutledge watching the on-stage action through a narrow slit in the curtain; George Read lip-syncing to Adams’s final song; the Adamses and the Jeffersons waiting for the end of act one like they were in box seats at an 18th century opera. Those were pieces I wanted to remember, the moments behind the scenes, when like a family we let down our facade and acted no more. The lines I memorized will eventually fade away. But those flickering images will live on in my imagination and in my heart.

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**

It came too fast, the final scene of the final performance. Hancock sent McNair to ring the bell, and the musical director at her piano in the pit made it ring. I wasn’t on a stage at that moment, though. I was in Philadelphia in 1776 watching history get made. And for that moment I felt the same sense of release my character, Col. McKean, must have felt. That we had finally done it. That our long journey, this long journey, to bring this play to life, was finally done.

Always Swim Near a Lifeguard

Kristin Joson
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“Keep your feet in the sand until the lifeguard’s in the stand!” This is our trademark slogan that you will see many places throughout Ocean City. It’s not just a catchy phrase that you can see on the Seaboard Boat, on back of lifeguard stands and on many other signs throughout Ocean City. It is, in fact, a helpful reminder that swimming in unguarded water is never a good idea. A sad statistic from Ocean City is that 98 percent of all drowning deaths in the past 80 years have occurred when the Beach Patrol was not on duty.
Although this advice applies to pools, it is even more important when swimming in open water such as lakes, rivers and oceans, which have uneven bottoms, changing currents and sudden drop-offs and changes in depth. These factors make RIP currents the third leading cause of weather-related death, according to the National Weather Service (NOAA), ahead of both tornados and Hurricanes.
Will Gray

A common sense solution

I have noticed that people tend to leave their cares, concerns and common sense behind them when they come to the beach. No one can blame them. Vacationers have worked hard and they simply want to enjoy their time by the ocean. Most people believe that nothing bad is going to happen while they are on vacation and that they will never be the unfortunate victim of an accident or injury while enjoying a day at the beach. The possibility of a tragedy occurring with a loved one is the furthest thing from their mind when they choose to go swimming without a lifeguard.
This fact unfortunately came true again last summer when a family chose to allow their seven year old girl to go swimming at 7 p.m. after the Beach Patrol had long gone off duty and cleared the water of all swimmers. Caught in a RIP current, the little girl was pulled into deep water and drowned as others watched helplessly.

However, it is important to remember that the ocean is not just a fun place to spend a vacation, it is a natural, ever-changing dynamic environment, and, like all natural phenomena, if it is not treated respectfully it can be deadly. There are sad stories about people who have lost their lives because they chose to swim when life guards were not on duty. Even experienced swimmers and surfers have lost their lives swimming alone with no one to help them when things go wrong. Lifeguards and people dedicated to water/beach safety feel frustrated by these stories. There is no need for anyone to lose a family member on vacation. It is a tragedy that could be easily avoided.

The best reason to always swim near a lifeguard

The ocean is constantly moving and changing. To the untrained eye it can look calm and safe, but currents on the calmest day can still be dangerous. Do not hesitate aboGirl Guardut approaching the lifeguard and asking about water conditions. They enjoy answering questions and educating beach patrons. Every member of the beach patrol is fully tested and certified before they ever have the privilege of guarding you, your family and friends. Their job is to recognize the danger and educate beach patrons about it. If you hear them blow their whistle, look and see with whom they might be trying to communicate. It could be you.
The lifeguards will use their flags to direct you out of harms way. Often during the summer we see a lot of wildlife activity out in the ocean. There could be whale sightings and very often, dolphins traveling close to shore. Although these creatures aren’t normally harmful to humans, it’s safer to simply move out of their way and let them pass. Lifeguards have a better view of what is going on from their guard stand and will move you away from the less dangerous occurrences such as these and the more dangerous situations such as rip currents.
The Beach Patrol also enforces rules, ordinances and regulations that I am sure some of you find bothersome, but each regulation has been put in place for a reason. The Beach Patrol is responsible for maintaining a safe, secure and enjoyable environment for all of our visitors and ensuring that they may enjoy their vacation time. Please remember that if the lifeguard asks you to play ball at the back of the beach, fill in a hole, or move an umbrella out of their line of sight, they are doing this to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable beach experience and can return for many more.
We hope you enjoy your time here in Ocean City. To help us keep you safe always check in with the lifeguard on the stand and never go in the ocean if the beach patrol is not on duty. This is so important to each lifeguard that they will clear the ocean of all swimmers before leaving their beach at 5:30. Follow the directions of the lifeguards and never underestimate the incredible power of the ocean. Remember our slogan and pass it on to family, friends or anyone whose life you value: “Keep your feet in the sand until the lifeguard’s in the stand!”

Get your lunch on the beach from Beach Bites

Tony Russo
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Like many forehead-slapping great ideas, Beach Bites grew out of the place where necessity and inspiration coincided. Brandon and Kimberly Davis were on the beach and enjoying themselves one afternoon late last summer in Ocean City. They were ready for lunch but weren’t ready to leave the sand yet, especially given that they had a pretty prime spot. They began to fantasize about how cool it would be to get someone to bring them real food for them to enjoy on the beach. Beach Bites was born.
“We thought about it and it was just amazing that this hadn’t been done already.” Brandon said. “We went back home to Baltimore at the end of our stay and started putting together a business plan.”
For couples, bringing take out to the beach is actually very common. It’s an alternative to having to choose to leave the beach at lunchtime. Sometimes rather then pack a picnic couples will pick one up. The only downside is that when you bring carry out to the beach you have to contend with the sun, keeping things appropriately hot or cold until they’re ready to be eaten. This was one of the great coups of beach bites, it allows for takeout but eliminates the worry over how long you have until you eat the food.
Once you’ve decided when you want to eat and what you want to eat all you have to do is snatch it from their delivery people and enjoy your beach lunch. Although hatching the idea was easily done, executing it was a bit more complicated at first. Brandon and Kimberly needed a website and (in this age probably obviously) an app. Before you can have an app designed you have to have a good idea about how it will work.
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Ocean City lunch on the beach app

Download the app from their website (you can not download the app from GooglePlay or the App Store and just use the website on your phone, but the app simplifies things), choose the restaurant, choose the food wait for the sound of the dinner bell. Behind the scenes, it is a little more complex. Brandon and Kim work with local restaurants to have a stripped-down version of good food that is also beach friendly. For example, even though you might love the Cream of Crab soup from the 45th Street Taphouse, it’s not really appropriate for the beach. Wings though, and heartier foods or sandwiches that are a part of what some of the better Ocean City restaurants serve menu tend to be appropriate.
In addition to organizing the menus (Beach Bites regularly adds new partner restaurants) the pair also had to conceive of logistics. They have hired drivers who wait for the call and then go to the restaurant to pick up the food, they have an operator on duty so if there are any questions or or if there is any confusion it can be quickly eliminated, and, finally, they have the all-important partnerships with the restaurants.
Once you make the call and the food is ready they meet you at the nearest beach entrance, say, 57th St. The driver has a flag in one hand and a bell and the other to get your attention. He or she also has your cell phone number to improve coordination. They meet you, swipe your card and send you back to your beach to enjoy your lunch.

An evening at Ocean City Fish Co.

The Outsider
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What follows is a food opinion piece from one of our independent columnists –Ed.

As I’m sure a lot of you out there already know we’ve recently had a changing of the guard at one of Ocean City’s long standing favorite eateries. The former Captain’s Galley has been decommissioned. Its former building is now enjoying its 2016 inaugural voyage under new ownership as Ocean City Fish Co. Yes indeed, for many years the Captain’s Galley was a staple among locals and visitors alike, many of whom used their crab cakes as the bar to measure all others against. However, I must admit to you (the readers) that I was NEVER a part of this fan club for the former establishment. Truth is I stopped just short of campaigning against it.

Now don’t get me wrong I wanted to like The Captains Galley (that’s the hope I have every time I try a restaurant), however when I took my family there 16 years ago, we experienced some of the worst service that we’ve ever encountered anywhere EVER. I won’t bore all of you by going into detail by complaining about a now debunked establishment, but let me just say it was bad enough that my family and I agreed this was a “one and done” and I can tell you that even after decade and a half we could never get past it, so in the immortal words of Mr. Wonderful – They were “dead to me”!
When news broke of ownership changing hands, I yawned before I even finished reading the headlines. After all, when it comes to this resort, too often it can feel like a little seven family mafia town, all just swapping names, properties, managers, and chefs alike, only to end up with slightly different versions of the same old dog and pony shows. However, when I found out that the new owner would be none other than Joe White, from Joe’s Shrimp Boat it immediately got my attention.  I said to myself, “This is good… this is VERY good.” I’ve been eating at Joe’s for years, and have had the pleasure of writing many positive reviews on his Route 611 establishment, and the fresh seafood that they’ve come to be known for.
crab cakes
Crab Cakes at the Ocean City Fish Company.

Ring That Dinner Bell!

We rolled up on the Ocean City Fish Co. late in the afternoon one Saturday. We were greeted by a couple of friendly young ladies at the hostess station. When we requested a table outside on the upper deck, they smiled, said “absolutely!”, and then one of them kindly escorted us to our table. Our waitress arrived promptly to take our drink order, her hospitality went hand in hand with her knowledge as she didn’t hesitate to educate us on certain craft brews that they offer. She asked if we had ever been here before, and then proceeded to explain the specials, how the menu works in regards to the side dishes, and the salad bar – this is what I like to see in a restaurant. This shows me they have systems in place and that there are procedures for the staff to follow.
We ordered some appetizers for the table: a basket of wings and 1/2 dozen of oysters on the half shell. The sauce for the wings could’ve been a bit hotter for my liking, but probably hot enough for the average diner. The oysters were huge, not quite like Elk Horns or anything, but noticeably larger than most Eastern Shore varieties. We helped ourselves to the salad bar where I was pleased to find a large bowl of romaine upon which to build my foundation, along with plenty of other fresh items to choose from. When you think salad you should think color. Face it, we’ve all been there and nothing worse than being limited to some chopped up white iceberg that’s on the fast track to turning brown, and then having to turn around try to make a salad out of stuff that you’d throw out if it were in your own refrigerator.
We were able to finish both the appetizers and our salads before our entrees came out. My son’s burger had long crispy bacon strips hanging out over a generous sized patty that was cooked a perfect medium all the way through. My wife ordered the crab cakes that were the embodiment of what you’d want in this Eastern Shore classic. The cakes were large, cooked to a beautiful golden brown on the outside,and beneath the crusty exterior these babies are packed full of sweet jumbo lumps of white crab meat, with so very little filler that it leaves you wondering how they even get these spicy treats to hold together. The flounder that I ordered was one of the largest portions I’ve probably ever been served in my life. It was a nice thick filet that they cooked to perfection with lemon and butter so that the flavors of the fish were only enhanced, not masked. As good as this flounder was I did however encounter a few bones. Yes, this CAN happen. When I brought it to the waitresses attention, she immediately sent someone over, but not just “someone”, The owner himself came to the table, he has no idea who I am, but I of course recognized him. He apologized, and offered to personally cut me another piece himself. I’m 100 percent certain, this was an isolated event, and I would go back and order the flounder here 6 days a week and twice on Sundays, but by this time I had already stolen about 4-5 forks full of my wife’s crab cakes, so I explained to him that I’d sorta switched gears (and needed to replace what I took)… he didn’t even hesitate when I asked for another crab cake instead.
OceanCityFishCo2

The Real Message Here

This level of service goes a long way with me. If you go out to eat and you think to yourself that there will never be issues I’ve got news for you, you’re wrong. Trust me, no matter where you go eventually something is going to go wrong. Sure, it’s no fun facing it when it happens, but you’ll learn real fast what kind of establishment your dealing with when you bring the problem to their attention. A reputable business with responsible management will stand behind their product, and make it right, just as was the case here. I’ll not only return, but I’ll go back playing at a higher confidence level because I know they take pride in what they do and they care about their business.
Last, but certainly not least, we ended our meal with some delicious desserts that they offer from Rita’s. The coconut cake is light and moist and it has a very authentic fresh coconut taste that you’d expect from a high end bakery like Rita’s. I’d have to say it runs a close 2nd to the coconut cake my wife makes, and this one doesn’t leave my kitchen a wreck, so I’d call that a victory!

One Final Thought

Normally this would be the end of my article, but before I sign off on this one, I’d just like to take a second to say that we had a great airshow weekend in Ocean City, Md. The weather was picture perfect, the United States Air Force Thunder birds never disappoint, and the rest of other performers kept those of us in attendance entertained from start to finish. And, since we’re handing out compliments I feel I must tip my hat to the town for taking the necessary steps to ensure the large crowds were accommodated for and well supervised in a comfortable family friendly way. The ability to pull off events such as this in a safe family friendly atmosphere is one of the reasons I love OC!
Sincerely,
The Outsider.

Beach Patrol Ready for Summer

Kristin Joson
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The Ocean City Beach Patrol begins its work Labor Day Weekend

This summer is an especially exciting time for the Beach Patrol. We opened this season out of the new Beach Patrol main headquarters building. Although it was finished as we ended last season, this is our first summer that we are fully operational out of the new building. We are proud to be a fitting landmark as people enter the downtown area. This will surely be a summer to remember.

Another source of excitement is the anticipation of the 8,000,000 people that will visit Ocean City this summer. Sun worshipers, graduates, boogie boarders, surfers and just about anyone that wants to get away for a great vacation will be arriving. Most beach goers will have an enjoyable and relaxing time. But, if something goes wrong on the beach or in the ocean, you know who is there to help. Ocean City employees over 200 Surf Rescue Technicians (SRT = lifeguard) that man stands over 10 miles of beach. Our Surf Rescue Technicians are the fastest, bravest, best trained lifeguards in the world making thousands of rescues each summer. At the beach when there is an emergency, seconds count and you can count on your Surf Rescue Technician to be there when and where you need them.

For the best chance of survival, you need someone on the beach who is well trained and can see the dangers develop: someone who can prevent accidents before they happen and respond instantly if they occur. Did you know that ninety five percent of a good lifeguard’s work is preventative and their most important skill is scanning? Yes, scanning is a skill and our guards are trained to continuously look for potential problems.
Our guards are prepared and eager to fulfill our three-part mission: education, prevention and intervention. This mission guides our organization.

As an educator in Charles County Public Schools and the Beach Patrol’s Public Education Coordinator, I know the importance of the first part of our mission. Education is not only one of the best gifts you can give someone but it is also incredibly empowering. Ocean City Today has been a valuable asset for us in helping to achieve the educational part of our mission. Understanding the dangers that our ocean presents, allows a person to make decisions to keep themselves and their family safe while vacationing in Ocean City. I can’t tell you how many times someone has shared with me that they really just had no idea about certain safety messages. Each week I will continue to share some of the most important things to remember in order to make your stay safe and enjoyable.

Feet in the sand

With that being said, let me remind you of one of our most important messages; “Keep your feet in the sand until the lifeguards in the stand!” The ocean is unpredictable and statistics show that most of the drownings in the world occur during a time when lifeguards are not on duty. In Ocean City Maryland 99% of all drownings that have occurred in the near 80 years of the Beach Patrol, have occurred when guards were not on duty.

You might also be interested to know the statistics of a typical summer season for the OCBP as we fulfill our mission:

• Returning Lost and Found Individuals (1,000 – 2,000)
• Minor First Aids (1,500 – 2,500)
• Medical Emergencies with EMS (100 – 200)
• Head/Neck/Spinal responses (80 – 100)
• Police assists (75 –125)
• USCG / DNRP assists (10 – 25)
• Preventative actions in water (75,000 – 150,000)
• Surf Rescues (2,000 – 4,000)

Although we are dedicated to guarding and maintaining safety along Ocean City’s beaches seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., this is not our only role. We pride ourselves with another important role and that is to be ambassadors for the Town of Ocean City. As some of the most visible Town employees, our unofficial role as an Ocean City ambassador is something we take pride in. Members of the beach patrol are motivated, competent, professional assets to the Town of Ocean City. While each of us brings a great deal of positive attributes to the Town, being a part of this great organization allows each of us to receive even more in return.

Keeping visitors safe

The Town continues to do a great job of attracting visitors with major entertainment venues such as Springfest, the OC Air Show and the newly expanded Performing Arts Center as a draw to get people to make Ocean City their vacation destination. The Ocean City Recreation Department continues to provide free family entertainment six days a week to enable families to have a fun evening while not having to spend a lot of extra money. .
Many people will be attracted to visit and vacation in Ocean City this summer. What people experience once they are here will likely determine if they return for another event or a vacation. This is why the Beach Patrol feels it is our job to make a difference in every visitor’s experience. We are first and foremost concerned about safety on the beach and in the ocean, and secondly we are continuously aware of how we as beach patrol members conduct ourselves when we interact with those we meet on the beach or anywhere in the town.

lifeguardtalk

While we exist to provide a public safety service, when we take the extra steps to make someone feel welcomed, we become more than just employees of the beach patrol and the Town of Ocean City, we become a lasting part of their Ocean City experience.
We often say, “A lifeguard has hours of boredom and moments of trauma.” Most of the time they are scanning/watching and waiting to be called into action. This happens over 90 percent of most days. You will often find a lifeguard talking to the public and educating them about beach conditions for the day, but it is not uncommon to find that same lifeguard sharing their favorite place to eat or relax.
Ocean City is a vacation destination and we are in competition for the continued loyalty of our visitors. We will continue to do our part as surf rescue technicians and as ambassadors for the Town of Ocean City. To get current information about the beach patrol, beach safety, as well as daily stats and current beach conditions, you can follow us on Twitter, Instagram or “like us” on our Official OCBP Facebook page. We’ll never know how many lives have already been saved by the lifeguards’ vigilance. But you can help and do your part by reading our safety advice each week and sharing the information with others. We also encourage you to check in with the lifeguard each time you visit to learn about current conditions. Each day they write a beach or ocean tip on the back of their stand. We can’t wait to be a part of your wonderful experiences in Ocean City, and always remember to “Keep your feet in the sand until the lifeguard’s in the stand!”

This Farm to Table Dinner Will Make Your Mouth Water

Savannah Geary
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From onions to oysters, and from clams to coffee, Eastern Shore farmers, growers, and roasters provide a variety of delicious goods to please the palette. On August 19, chefs and farmers will come together in the second annual Serving Up the Shore, a farm to table dinner presented by Chincoteague Bay Field Station that showcases one of the best parts about living on the Eastern Shore—the food.

The local food movement has grown in popularity in recent years, and for good reason. It not only supports the local economy, but food also spends less time traveling and is therefore fresher. Serving Up the Shore celebrates these locally-grown and produced ingredients by putting them in the hands of popular chefs from around the Eastern Shore.

Chefs include Laura Davis of the popular Tide and Thyme blog, Bill Wainwright of 45th Street Taphouse in Ocean City, Desmond Edwards of the Jackspot in Chincoteague, and Rosie Moot of Pico Taqueria in Chincoteague.

“Local foods are my passion,” said Edwards. “Supporting local farms and just trying to focus on community I feel is the vision behind this dinner, and I’m very excited to be part of it.”

As the chef in charge of the main course, Edwards plans on making pan-seared rockfish, with tomatoes, potato soubise, chicken pate, nasturtiums, and clam broth with clams from Chincoteague’s Ballard Fish and Oyster Co.

Other featured ingredients for the meal include coffee from Eastville’s Eastern Shore Coastal Roasters, microgreens from Terrapin Farms in Berlin, and fresh vegetables from Perennial Roots Farm in Accomac, Va., among others.

All proceeds from the event go toward environmental education programs for local students. Tickets for the farm to table experience are on sale now for $75. You can get your “locavore” on by visiting the Serving Up the Shore webpage, or its Facebook event page. Stay tuned for dish announcements and profiles of the farms and chefs.

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.  

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