Your Ocean City Father's Day Weekend Guide

Ahoy! Things are picking up as we head into Father’s Day Weekend and the official start of summer season.

Our events section is BEEFED UP this week and features concerts, fitness expos, and even LEGO building from across Ocean City and the Jersey Shore.

In the email today:

📆 Upcoming events

🚔 Curfew and backpack ban officially official

🚮 Stinky trash news

🐋 Windmill updates

🔗 News links

🏠 Real estate update

👚 New store alert

🎙️ Joe Conklin is coming to Ocean City

🍩 Ocean City has two of the best donuts in the country

🏖️ Vote Ocean City in New Jersey’s best beach contest

👨‍💼 We’re hiring!

🍺 Drink of the week

🌊 Weather and tides

📆 Upcoming Events in (and around) Ocean City

• June 16

  • Beach Concert - Curtis Salgado (Somers Point)

    • When: 7:00 p.m.

    • Where: William Morrow Beach

    • Description: Curtis Salgado “the man who taught the blues to the Blues Brothers”, multi-award winning rhythm and blues, funk, and soul star.

• June 17

  • Health and Fitness Expo

    • When: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

    • Where: Music Pier

    • Description: Come explore health food and wellness product vendors, various yoga and fitness classes, western line dance and ballroom dance classes, and enjoy a fashion show highlighting the newest styles from local merchants! The event will also feature a Kids Corner. Hosted by the Healthy Living Advisory Council.

  • Beach Fit Expo (Stone Harbor)

    • When: 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

    • Where: 81st Street Recreation Center

    • Description: Free fitness classes. Train with fitness instructors in boot camp, cycling, yoga, Zumba, Pickleball, and so much more

  • Juneteenth

    • When: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    • Where: Haven Ave. between 7th and 8th Street

    • Description: A celebration of African American communities of Ocean City and surrounding areas.

• June 18

  • Skimmer Antique Auto Show and Parade (Sea Isle)

    • When: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

    • Where: Promenade North of JFK Blvd.

    • Description: Parade begins at 1:30 p.m. and runs along Pleasure Avenue from 44th Street to 93rd Street, then runs north on Landis from 93rd Street to JFK.

• June 19

  • Get The LED Out

    • When: 7:00 p.m.

    • Where: Music Pier

    • Description: A celebration of the mighty Led Zeppelin. Tickets here.

• June 20

  • Keb’ Mo’

    • When: 7:00 p.m.

    • Where: Music Pier

    • Description: With five GRAMMYs, 14 Blues Foundation Awards, and a groundbreaking career spanning nearly 50 years under his belt, Keb’ Mo’ stands as one of the most accomplished and respected artists working in contemporary roots music today. Tickets here.

• June 21

  • Farmers Market Returns!

    • When: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

    • Where: Tabernacle Grounds at 6th and Asbury

    • Description: Ocean City Farmers Market returns!

• June 22

  • LEGO Thursday (Avalon)

    • When: 10:00 a.m.

    • Where: Avalon Free Public Library

    • Description: Calling all LEGO fans! The library will supply the LEGOS, you supply the imagination. All ages.

• June 23

  • Beachstock Pregame Big Screen Baseball and Wiffle Ball Home Run Derby (Margate)

    • When: 5:00 p.m.

    • Where: Granville Ave. Beach

    • Description: Home run derby for ages 6 and up, with 10 pitches each. Event is followed by Phillies vs. Mets on the beach at 7:05 p.m. on the big screen outside. More details and register here.

Also note the Ocean City Library has many events for adults and kids alike on their calendar, which can be viewed here.

Other events to look forward to: Antique Auto Show (June 24), Kristin Chenoweth (June 25), Bruce Hornsby (June 26)

🤳 News Bits

Curfew and Backpack Ban Officially Official 🚔

Yesterday, City Council voted unanimously in a second reading and public hearing to approve the juvenile curfew and backpack ban.

Both take effect immediately.

We’ve already covered the new rules extensively, so we won’t re-hash them. You can read our previous post detailing everything you need to know about them here.

But yes, Ocean City does plan on enforcing the backpack rule on all… though you’ll get plenty of warnings and officers will have some discretion.

In short, here’s what you need to know about about new changes in Ocean City this summer:

• beaches close at 8 p.m. to all

• a rather strict juvenile curfew is in effect at 11 p.m.

• backpacks and all bags larger than 8 × 6 × 8 are banned from the Boardwalk, beach, and beach end streets after 8 p.m., regardless of age

• no e-bike ban on the Boardwalk— they are still allowed

Stinky Trash News 🚮

There is no one on Earth who hates taking out the trash more than me, so the following news brings me absolutely no pleasure.

Ocean City has officially switched to twice-weekly trash and recycling pickup.

Here’s the schedule:

• Longport Bridge to north end of 9th Street: Monday and Thursday (yard waste Thursday)

• South side of 9th Street to north side of 28th Street: Tuesday and Friday (yard waste Tuesday)

• South side of 28th Street to 59th Street: Wednesday and Saturday (yard waste Wednesday)

In addition, the city has introduced a new weekly trash drop-off service on Sundays at the Shelter Road Recycling Center from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. More details here.

Windmill Updates 🐋

It wouldn’t be a day ending in Y if there wasn’t some obtuse update about the 98 monstrosities Orsted wants to build off the coast.

Because of delays in federal tax credits to European windmill companies, a Paulsboro plant is behind in constructing the giant monopiles for Orsted to drill into the ocean floor. As such, the work, and associated jobs, may move to Europe.

From NJ.com:

But hey, just in case they ever figure things out, Atlantic Cape Community College is looking for instructors for its “Global Wind Organization” training center to teach young hearts and minds how to work in the wind industry.

So if you know anything about blowing hot air, you may want to check it out. That should be a popular program around these parts…

News Links 🔗

• Congratulations to the graduating class at Ocean City High School 🎓

• Ocean City seeks Night in Venice Patrol boats— you’ll be paid in a $200 gas card 🚤

• Ryan Howard spotted in Wildwood 🏟️

🏠 Real Estate Update

If you would like to opt-in, just click the subscribe button right here:

May Market Update 📈

Three charts you need to see about the Ocean City real estate market from our May report:

1) Median Sale Price in 2023

2) Median Sale Price Single-Family and Condo, January-May, 2018-2023

3) New Listings, January-May, 2018-2023

What does all this mean? Read our deep dive over at ShoreCribs.com.

Want to find out how much your Ocean City house or condo is worth? 

We’ve struck a deal with several local agents to do something unique for Walking The Boards subscribers— free market analysis on your property and the agent is not allowed to contact you or else we’ll never work with them again.

Here’s how it works:

• click the button that follows and give us your address

• within 72 hours, you’ll receive from Shore Cribs a competitive market analysis for your house and your three best comps

• that’s it— if you found it helpful, you’ll receive the agent’s contact information and can choose to contact them or not

Does The Shore Have an Affordability Problem? 💸

The Inquirer had an article about some renters opting for exotic all-inclusives over the Shore:

You can pair this with Cape May County’s 2023 tourism report, which we covered in our last newsletter. It notes that the county took in 48% more in occupancy taxes at hotels in 2022 than it did in 2019. And there was a 19% increase in occupancy tax revenue between 2021 and 2022, despite an only 10% increase in visitors over the same time period (ie it cost more).

Another potential canary in the coal mine of pricing is the fact that Ocean City sold 7% less beach tags through May 31 than it did last year. And yet, the city took in $3.1 million in beach tag revenue this year compared to $2.2 million last year thanks to steep increases in beach tag prices. 🤔

Shore prices are outpacing both other hot real estate markets and inflation. Not a recipe for success.

Tips on Getting a Last-Minute Rental 🔐

Perhaps related to our previous section, there are still some decent rentals available for this summer, unlike previous years.

Tips from one of our local partner agents: “To get the best deal you’re going to want to wait until the very last minute if possible. Obviously this isn’t a great tactic for everyone due to scheduling but if you can do it, it’s worth it. Even 2-3 weeks out you can still make an offer and hope that someone will be receptive to it. When looking for that perfect last minute rental don’t be too aggressive and offer someone 50% of the ask price. That’s an easy way to get a quick no. Be fair and ask for your agent’s advice and it will go a long way.”

👚 New Store Alert: Dry Island New Location

I’ll be honest— I hadn’t heard of Dry Island, the apparel store which opened in 2019 and designs all of its clothes in-house to celebrate the uniqueness of Ocean City. But now I’m seeing their wares everywhere.

Perhaps that’s because this super original, super local clothier just opened its Asbury Ave location at 965 Asbury Ave.

Consider this post my plea for one of these navy trucker hats.

🎙️ Joe Conklin Is Coming To Ocean City

Local-famous radio personality and comedian Joe Conklin - known for his endless Philly sports impersonations - is coming to the Music Pier on July 15 with a unique show.

Here are some of the details from Conklin’s team: Featuring City Rhythm Orchestra-it's not a traditional stand up comedy show. It's really, really unique. Joe's singing voice is incredible and he's joined by other members of his family. There's music, tributes to Philly sports, and of course, Joe's many voices. This is the first time he has performed at the iconic Ocean City Music Pier. Bernie Parent will be there, with other potential guests in the works.

You can get tickets right here.

🍩 Ocean City Has 2 of the Best Donuts in the Country, Per Very Important Study

The website Tasting Table put together its list of the best individual donuts in the country— and two of Ocean City’s finest made the cut.

1) OC Sand (Fractured Prune)

honey-glazed, cinnamon sugar

This looks delicious, don’t get me wrong. We’re big Fractured Prune fans around here. HOWEVER, the chain has locations throughout Delmarva and, sadly, “OC Sand” gets its namesake from a cheap knockoff version of America’s Greatest Family Resort. For that reason, I’ll choose any other donut at Fractured Prune but this one.

2) Overboard (Nauti Donuts)

cake donut, covered in chocolate icing, and then loaded with pieces of real bacon bits

This is actually part of a balanced breakfast in Ocean City. Doctors say to top it off with sister-restaurant Uncle Bill’s blueberry pancakes.

Side note: I don’t think Tasting Table actually visited and tasted all of these donuts. Still, it’s a fun read right here.

🏖️ Vote Ocean City in New Jersey’s Best Beach Contest

Another day, another contest the real Ocean City is going to win.

This time, the city is asking for your help in remaining undefeated in a New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (🤷‍♂️) poll.

Vote for Ocean City here.

👨‍💼 We’re Hiring!

Love Ocean City? Love the Shore? Good a social media? Have a passion for real estate?

We’re hiring for two roles:

1) Writer

Looking for someone with professional experience in digital media, journalism, or anything where you have to hold the attention of an audience.

You will write about news and events in Ocean City. Bonus points if you have a working knowledge of the entire Jersey Shore or real estate.

2) Social Media Manager

Looking for someone to plan and run our social media accounts— Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter.

You must be able to show awesome examples of your work.

Both of these roles can be full- or part-time, or freelance, depending on the person.

If you are interested, either respond to this email or email me at [email protected].

🍺 Drink of the Week: Happy Dad Fruit Punch Seltzer

Could it be any other drink this week?

I had been seeing Happy Dad around, but it wasn’t until I saw their giant display and new flavor at Super Liquors that I decided to give them a try.

They claim it has electrolytes, but I was more interested in the alcohol.

Unlike the gamut of all other seltzers that generally fall under the umbrella of berry or citrus fruit, Happy Dad concocted a kid-like fruit punch flavor.

It’s surprisingly good. It’s the most soda-y of the seltzers I’ve had (without all the sugar— it only has 1g), so prepare for the carbonation. But it’s light and refreshing with a very soft fruit punch kick. OHHHHHH YEAHHHH.

Drink this one super cold on a hot day and tell yourself that the electrolytes won’t let you get dehydrated.

🌊 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):

• Friday (6/16)

  • Low: 1:31 AM

  • High: 7:20 AM

  • Low: 1:18 PM

  • High: 7:41 PM

• Saturday (6/17)

  • Low: 2:19 AM

  • High: 8:06 AM

  • Low: 2:02 PM

  • High: 8:22 PM

• Sunday (6/18)

  • Low: 3:04 AM

  • High: 8:50 AM

  • Low: 2:44 PM

  • High: 9:02 PM

• Monday (6/19)

  • Low: 3:47 AM

  • High: 9:33 AM

  • Low: 3:24 PM

  • High: 9:42 PM

• Tuesday (6/20)

  • Low: 4:29 AM

  • High: 10:15 AM

  • Low: 4:05 PM

  • High: 10:21 PM

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Thanks! Enjoy the weekend.