Newsletter - April 6: What To Do This Weekend in Ocean City

Ahoy! Welcome to the first ever newsletter solely about news and events in Ocean City, New Jersey.

This is our first email, going out to more than 600 residents, vacationers, and business owners.

We have an experienced team of local writers and digital media entrepreneurs behind this, and we can’t wait to become your go-to resource for everything OC and The Shore.

In the email today:

📆 Upcoming Easter weekend events

📱 5G towers backlash

🐋 Whale report leaves more questions about windmills

🔗 News links

🏠 Real estate update

🎬 Movie filming in Ocean City is not for Hallmark

🦀 New restaurants coming to OC

🎟 50% off tickets and discounts

🌊 Weather and tides

📆 Upcoming Events in Ocean City This Weekend (Easter Weekend)

• April 8th

  • Visits With The Easter Bunny

    • When: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

    • Where: Soifer Park

  • The Great Egg Hunt

    • When: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

    • Where: 6th to 14th street along the boardwalk

    • Description: Stop by participating stores, until supplies last. Rain date: April 9th.

• April 9th

  • Easter Sunrise Service

    • When: 6:30 a.m.

    • Where: Music Pier

    • Description: A traditional non-denominational service by the sea. All are welcome.

  • Dueling Pianos Show

    • When: Noon

    • Where: In front of the Music Pier

    • Description: The Philly Keys will be performing their hit dueling pianos show.

  • Easter Fashion Stroll

    • When: Judging begins at 1 p.m.

    • Where: In front of the Music Pier

    • Description: Come dressed in your Easter's best for our Fashion Stroll and meet the Easter Bunny. Prizes awarded.

Other events to look forward to: Doo Dah Parade (April 15, 6th-12th street Boardwalk, featuring Mickey Morandini), Sports Memorabilia Show (April 29, Music Pier)

🤳 News Bits

5G Towers📱

Everyone’s freaking out about a proposal to place Verizon 5G towers atop a building on 33rd and Haven… owned by Eustace Mita, who most recently angered virtually everyone on the island with his failed proposal to build a hotel at 5th and the Boardwalk.

Key details:

• A proposal to install 5G cellphone antennas on a commercial building has raised concerns among neighbors about potential health effects.

• The antennas would be located closer to the ground and residential areas compared to existing cell towers in the city.

• The FCC and WHO state that no adverse health effects have been established due to mobile phone use, though other studies are less definitive on the safety of 5G.

• Verizon says that all its networks comply with FCC safety standards for radio frequency.

• On Wednesday, the planning board tabled the plans until an independent engineer’s report on possible health impacts of antennas is finished.

Naturally, Mayor Gillian has become the punching bag again thanks to his business relationship with Mita.

From the AC Press article:

Here’s a video clip (1:24:15 mark) of the exchange from a council meeting in March featuring an ALL-TIME MAYOR GILLIAN RANT:

NOAA Releases Report on Whales 🐋

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is the main government body on the issue involving whales and windmills, released a report on Tuesday… and it seems to raise more questions than answers.

Here’s what the report found:

• The NOAA report found that New Jersey's Ocean Wind I project may "adversely affect" whales and marine mammals, but it won't seriously harm or kill them.

• It determined that the project won't jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered species or destroy or adversely modify designated critical habitats.

• The project includes measures to minimize and monitor adverse effects on whales, particularly the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

• No serious injury or mortality of any endangered whale is anticipated as a result of the project, with effects on right whales limited to temporary behavioral disturbance.

So “adversely affect” seems to be defined as temporary behavioral disturbance, which of course raises all sorts of questions about what the hell that means.

News Links 🔗

• City tries to figure out what to do with Bayside Center 🏯

• Tornado officially touched down in Mays Landing 🌪

• Random study names Ocean City one of best beach towns to live year-round 🏠

• Renderings of a 60-unit affordable housing complex on 4th street were revealed yesterday 🏘

🏠 Real Estate Update

This week in the wild world of Ocean City real estate our on-staff team of local real estate agents reports a little up-tick in sale inventory. It’s nothing phenomenal, but there were 29 new listings to hit the market in the past seven days.

The median list price of those 29 properties is a whopping ~$1.25 million, as single-family homes continue to lead the charge:

Two listings in particular stood out as “rare finds” that may be worth keeping an eye on.

1) 310 Surf Rd.

This property has a massive footprint at 95x125 ft.

It’s a double empty lot asking $3.45 million. One lot is also available for $1.725 million.

2) 5209-11 Asbury Ave

Asking $1.59 million, this is a full duplex and is in great shape. It’s rare to have the opportunity to purchase a whole duplex in OC.

We’ll soon have daily updates on real estate in Ocean City— both for renters and buyers-sellers. So stay tuned.

🎬 Movie Filming

In case you haven’t seen on Facebook yet, So Fly Christmas is being filmed in and around Ocean City right now.

But despite rumors, it is not a Hallmark movie. It’s for BET and is set to air sometime around the holiday.

The main character apparently works at a music store, hence the decoration seen at Grassroots Music here on Asbury.

Here’s a video of some of that scene (Facebook link).

If you have any pictures of the filming, feel free to share them on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WalkingBoardsOceanCityNJ

🦀 Dining News

Ventnor-based PJ Buckets is coming to 8th and Ocean, replacing the grilled cheese shop that made the Mr. Beast Burgers. While I’ll pour one out for that hot and soggy carnivorous habit I enjoyed during happy hours on the beach, I’ll look forward to PJ’s many boils and crab or lobster Mac and Cheese. Let’s go!

Pennsylvania-based Old School Burgers is coming to 3401 Asbury this spring.

Brigantine-based Soulberri Coffee + Smoothies is coming to 340 Ocean Ave. You’re not going to believe this, but they sell coffee and smoothies. The OC Cleanse™— America’s hottest new diet!

Don’t forget to get your Dockside Dinner Club cards for the season. $150 for a couple, $250 for a family. Dockside Dinner Club is one of the only ways to BYOB in OC since it’s a club not a restaurant, duh. May I recommend the tilapia, which is delicious if not a bit inconsistent.

🎟 Tickets and Discounts

• Playland Castaway Cove is offering 50% off ride tickets (50 for $25) right here. You can also get steep discounts on Mini Golf and Seaside Go Kart Speedway at that link.

• Wonderland Pier is also offering 50% off ride tickets. Same deal as Playland. Get them right here.

• Get 20% off assorted mini golf, Frenchy’s and Escape Room right here.

• Same deal at Jilly’s Arcade— get 50% off gift cards right here.

🌊 Weather and Tides

As always, we recommend getting up-to-date forecasts from THE GOAT of South Jersey weather, NorEaster Nick, directly on his Facebook page.

Tides (9th Street):

• Thursday, 6th

  • Low: 3:14am

  • High: 9:10am

  • Low: 3:27pm

  • High: 9:31pm

• Friday, 7th

  • Low: 3:53am

  • High: 9:46am

  • Low: 4:00pm

  • High: 10:06pm

• Saturday, 8th

  • Low: 4:32am

  • High: 10:23am

  • Low: 4:33pm

  • High: 10:45pm

• Sunday, 9th

  • Low: 5:11am

  • High: 11:05am

  • Low: 5:07pm

  • High: 11:29pm

• Monday, 10th

  • Low: 5:55am

  • High: 11:53am

  • Low: 5:47pm

  • High: 12:20am (next day)

• Tuesday, 11th

  • Low: 6:47am

  • High: 12:49pm

  • Low: 6:38pm

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Thanks! Enjoy the weekend.