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Your Ocean City Fourth of July Week Guide
🎡 Ocean City, NJ's only weekly newsletter
Kyle Scott
June 30, 2023
Ahoy! It’s Fourth of July weekend!
No time for pleasantries. The beach party is upon us.
In the email today:
📆 Upcoming events
🚔 Curfew moved back on Fourth of July
🌊 Flood study
🔗 News links
🛟 List of guarded beaches
🍕 Pizza celeb takes over Express Pizza
👚 New store alert
🍺 Drink of the week
📸 Meme of the week
🏠 Real estate update
🎟️ Tickets and discounts
👨💼 We’re hiring
🌊 Weather and tides
📆 Upcoming Events in (and around) Ocean City
June 30
Beach Concert — Martin Barre’s Musical History of Jethro Tull (Somers Point)
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: William Morrow Beach
Description: Martin Barre’s musical history of Jethro Tull founding members tribute to their own progressive rock legacy.
July 1
Concert Under the Stars — Chicago 9 (Sea Isle)
When: 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Where: Excursion Park
Description: Chicago tribute band.
Somers Point Farmers Market (Somers Point)
When: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Where: Somers Mansion, 1000 Shore Rd.
Description: It’s a farmer’s market, folks.
July 3
Ocean City Pops Free Outdoor Concert
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Carey Stadium at 6th and Atlantic
Description: Ocean City pops perform free outdoor concert.
Americana Family Fun Night — Mickey and Minnie Celebrate the 4th (Sea Isle)
When: 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., stage show begins at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Excursion Park
Description: Mickey and Minnie will put on their patriotic best and invite other Disney characters up on stage.
Patriotic Night with Mickey and Minnie, Wonder Woman and Captain America (Stone Harbor)
When: 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
Where: 96th Street Shuffle Board Courts
Description: Character meet and greets, face painting, family fun.
July 4 🇺🇸
BIKE PARADES 🚲
Gardens Bike Parade
When: 9:00 a.m. registration, parade begins at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Longport Bridge parking lot, parade begins at Longport Bridge and then heads east along Atlantic Blvd.
Description: Bike parade. Decorate your bikes!
South End Bike Parade
When: 9:00 a.m. registration, parade begins at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Registration at Our Lady of Good Counsel at 40th and Asbury, parade begins at Our Lady of Good Counsel and then heads to playground on 52nd and Haven
Description: Bike parade. Decorate your bikes!
Riviera Bike Parade
When: 11:00 a.m. registration, parade begins at 12:00 p.m.
Where: Rosemar Lane Park
Description: Bike parade. Decorate your bikes!
FIREWORKS 🎆
Ocean City
When: 9:00 p.m.
Where: 9th Street Beach
Sea Isle
When: 9:15 p.m.
Where: 50th Street Beach
Margate
When: 9:00 p.m.
Where: Huntington Avenue Beach
Avalon
When: 9:00 p.m.-ish
Where: No location given
Stone Harbor
When: 9:00 p.m.
Where: 95th Street Beach
OTHER EVENTS
Junior Olympics (Sea Isle)
When: 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Where: Dealy Field
Description: Free event open to boys and girls ages 3 to 12. Running, jumping, and throwing competitions.
Field Day and Phillies Home Run Derby (Stone Harbor)
When: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where: 80th Street Baseball Field
Description: Kids home run derby ages 7-12.
Kite Flying Competition
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Music Pier Beach
Description: Participation is free, register at the Music Pier.
Mummers Night
When: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Boardwalk
Description: Mummers strut the Boardwalk.
Beach Concert — The Billy Walton Band with Michael “Tunes” Antunes (Somers Point)
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: William Morrow Beach
Description: Saxophone star of Eddie and The Cruisers.
Bay Atlantic Symphony Concert (Avalon)
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: Community Hall
Description: Concert.
Ocean City Pops Free Outdoor Concert
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Carey Stadium at 6th and Atlantic
Description: Ocean City pops perform free outdoor concert.
July 5
Farmers Market
When: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Where: Tabernacle Grounds at 6th and Asbury
Description: Farmers market.
Wacky Wednesday — Pie Eating Contest
When: 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Where: Music Pier
Description: Celebrate America with a good old-fashioned apple and cherry pie eating contest. No hands allowed. Contest is free. Open to all ages.
Freckle Contest
When: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Music Pier
Description: Just what you think it is.
Crafty Wednesday (Avalon)
When: 10:00 a.m.
Where: Avalon Free Public Library
Description: Join Miss Paige for a fun arts and crafts project. Kids of all ages welcome.
Movie Under The Stars — Minions: The Rise of Gru (Sea Isle)
When: 8:30 p.m.
Where: Excursion Park
Description: Outdoor movie.
July 6
Sand Sculpting Contest
When: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Where: 6th Street Beach
Description: Open to kids, teens, adults and families. Registration is free.
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.
Family Night
When: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Where: Boardwalk
Description: Family-friendly entertainment on the Boardwalk
Thrilling Thursday (Margate)
When: 6:30 p.m., movie at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Granville Ave. Beach
Description: Dairy Bar giveaways, Duck-A-Palooza Games, followed by Minions: The Rise of Gru
July 7
Beach Concert — Mardi Gras in July Starring James Andrews (Somers Point)
When: 7:00 p.m.
Where: William Morrow Beach
Description: Mardi Gras in July concert.
Also note the Ocean City Library has many events for adults and kids alike on their calendar, which can be viewed here.
We include events from Margate to Stone Harbor. You can see the full list of events in all nearby Shore towns with the following links: Ocean City | Sea Isle | Margate | Avalon | Stone Harbor | Somers Point | Wildwood | Cape May | Ventnor
Ocean City has a full page dedicated to its Fourth of July events here.
Other events to look forward to: Disney Princess: The Concert (July 9), Kenny G (July 10), Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat (July 11), Joe Conklin (July 15)
🤳 News Bits
Curfew Moved Back on Fourth of July 🚓
You yell barracuda, everybody says “huh”, “what”?
You yell curfew, we’ve got a panic on our hands on the Fourth of July.
GOOD NEWS: Ocean City’s 8:00 p.m. beach curfew will be moved back to 10 p.m. on the Fourth of July.
Meanwhile, a bill is circulating around the state house in New Jersey that may help law enforcement better deal with underage drinking and drug use— something that, according Ocean City authorities, has contributed to the city’s difficulties in dealing with rowdy crowds of juveniles on the Boardwalk and beach.
The bill will introduce a $100 fine and immediate notification of the juvenile’s parents or guardians rather than the current process of issuing three written warnings.
Here’s how Mayor Gillian described it in his weekly update last week:
Legislation that would give our police officers more tools to help keep teens safe and to control the crowds that have disrupted our beaches and boardwalk made it through a state Assembly committee yesterday. The bill could be voted on as soon as next week. It would give police the authority to search juveniles with alcohol “in plain sight,” and it would remove the threat of criminal charges for deprivation of civil rights against officers who try to enforce the law.
Flood Study 🌊
A state and federal study looking at flood zones and potential remedies for the Jersey Shore was released this week. We will have a deeper dive in our next Shore Cribs real estate newsletter, but for now, you might find it interesting to look at the flood maps projected for once-every-five-year storms in 2080:
This is 50 years out, but it can still inform decisions about which parts of the island to focus on and what remediation steps can be taken now.
In short, you want to be in the grey or dark blue areas— higher ground that is less prone to severe storms, even 50 years from now.
Ocean City is currently rated a 4 in the FEMA flood insurance rating system. This allows homeowners to get a 30% discount on flood insurance. But with certain remediation efforts, the city can get to a 3 rating, giving homeowners a sweet, sweet 35% discount. And here I thought you could just call Geico to save 15% instantly.
You can read the full 117-page report here if you want to get nuts over Fourth of July Weekend. Poor Sea Isle, never stood a chance.
News Links 🔗
🛟 List of Guarded Beaches
Ocean City has released an updated list of guarded beaches.
The Ocean City Beach Patrol guards beaches from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekends and holidays and from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
The following beaches will be guarded through Friday, July 7, 2023:
• Seaspray Road
• Surf Road
• Atlantic Blvd. (at Morningside Rd.)
• North Street
• Stenton Place (starting Saturday 7/1)
• St. Charles Place
• Delancey Place
• Park Place
• Brighton Place
• 5th Street
• 7th Street Surfing Beach
• 8th Street (extended hours to 8 p.m. starting Saturday 7/1)
• 9th Street (extended hours to 8 p.m. starting Saturday 7/1)
• 10th Street
• 11th Street
• 12th Street (extended hours to 8 p.m. starting Saturday 7/1)
• 14th Street
• 17th Street (starting Saturday 7/1)
• 18th Street
• 20th Street (starting Saturday 7/1)
• 22nd Street
• 24th Street
• 26th Street
• 28th Street
• 30th Street
• 32nd Street
• 34th Street (extended hours to 8 p.m. starting Saturday 7/1)
• 36th Street
• 39th Street
• 42nd Street
• 44th Street
• 46th Street
• 50th Street
• 53rd Street
• 55th Street
• 58th Street
There is a moderate risk of rip currents, so please, this weekend and always, swim at the guarded beaches.
As a reminder:
🍕 Pizza Jew Cometh
What if I told you there was a man who goes by the name “Pizza Jew” who used to work in the kitchens at Ocean City favorites Manco and Manco and Kessel’s Korner, who is known far and wide for his pizza producing prowess, and that he’s coming back to town to sling “heaters” at the newly reopened Express Pizza in The Gardens?
Because that’s exactly what’s happening.
Margate native and Philly area food celeb Mike Fitzick, the man behind the now-closed Bakeria 1010 in Linwood, and Bar 1010 in Philly, announced on his Instagram that he’s heading up the revamped effort at Express Pizza:
Here’s the text in full:
“mike_fitzick
This summer I'll be taking over the kitchen at @expressocnj and bringing South Jersey old school 90's style heaters. For those of you not in the cult, Express Pizza is a longstanding neighborhood gem. It's one of those local staples featuring a very unique cornmeal bottom pizza. And I'm bringing everything back. We're getting the band back together: Crispy thin crust pizza, cheesesteaks, buffalo chicken cheesesteaks, tenders and other munchies are all on the roster. The r&d for square slices are undergoing as we speak. I'm thinking maybe more of a thinner crusted Bakeria style with a 4×4 party cut. Tomorrow at 11am is the super soft opening so come by and grab alil something with those expectations in mind. There's still have a couple wrinkles to have ironed out before an official grand opening so bear with us. Hope to see you guys 🥳
PS: did you know I worked at Express 12 years ago when I was a pizza mercenary?”
HOT DAMN. That’s in spittin’ distance from yours truly, so let’s dial up one of those heaters on a Wednesday afternoon— Express’ second day in soft launch:
Phenomenal crust. Now, if I’m being honest, I could have used a little more cheese and sauce to keep pace with the exquisite-crunch crust. But this is far from a full review as Express is still developing their process. I did, however, eat four pieces in nine minutes, so take this as a soft endorsement. We aim to speak with the PJ himself soon… and look forward to trying the Bakeria-style squares.
👚 New Store Alert: Soulberri Smoothies + Bowls
While we’re on the topic of North Side fare, let’s talk about Soulberri Smoothies + Bowls, which just held its grand opening at 340 Ocean Ave. in the North End.
This is Soulberri’s second location (the first is in Brigantine). It is owned by former New England Patriots fourthree-time Super Bowl Champion*, PA native, and current Brigantine resident, James Develin.
*Walking The Boards does not endorse or discourage wearing your Nick Foles jersey to Soulberri.
Soulberri’s Brigantine location currently has 181 reviews on Google with an average of 4.5 stars.
I caught up with James after the grand opening last week. He explained how he’s always had the entrepreneurial mindset and has shifted his focus post-football. He’s excited to bring some healthy options to the North End, a few blocks from the hustle and bustle of downtown Asbury.
This fits perfectly into my healthy summer routine! Now I can swing by and grab a fresh cold smoothie while biking home after tennis… just before devouring four pieces of 90’s-style heaters from Express Pizza and topping it off with…
🍺 Drink of the Week: Cape May Tan Limes
I was holding off on my personal favorite Beer of Summer for this section until this most important Beach Week.
Tan Limes is damn near perfect. Light, refreshing, a hint of lime. It is a mainstay in my Summer Shore Beer Fridge™. Holds a permanent spot in the right 2, deck 2 (R2D2) location. A favorite with family and friends. Just don’t take all the stock from Super Liquors next time you go, because I need more.
📸 Meme of the Week
😭.
Fun fact: Here’s the official Wikipedia definition for “shoobie”:
Shoobie is a New Jersey, Delaware, and Southern California slang term for a tourist who visits the seashore for a day (a daytripper) or summer-only residents. Shoobie is used in the Southern New Jersey coast (along with other parts of the east coast), and resort towns in California. The term "shoobie" originated in the late 1800s, and it derives from daytrippers taking the train to the New Jersey beach, with their ticket price including a boxed lunch packed in a shoe box.[1] Later it was used to refer to anyone who brought a picnic lunch to the beach resorts. Either way, these daytrippers deprived local businesses of the revenue the tourists would have spent on food. Homeowners (whether year-round or seasonal) often walk to the beach barefoot or remove their shoes immediately upon reaching the sand.[2] Similar terms are "Benny," which is mostly used in the Monmouth County and northern Ocean County resort towns of the Jersey Shore.
Shoobies are essentially a mixed blessing for local beach residents. They bring in enormous revenue during the summer months (less so if they bring their own food), but at the same time they add numerous obstacles and annoyances to day-to-day life. In that sense, shoobies are not unlike the tourists who visit any resort area.
Never knew the etymology. All are welcome to Walk The Boards, though.
🏠 Real Estate Update
Did you know Walking The Boards has a newsletter dedicated to Ocean City Real Estate?
If you would like to opt-in, just click the subscribe button right here:
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Chock full newsletter coming next week. We’ll reserve the real estate coverage this week to that email.
🎟️ Tickets and Discounts
Tickets for a special Night in Venice viewing stand went on sale this morning at 9 a.m. It is $4 for kids and $8 for adults. You can get tickets and details here.
Tickets for the Night of Philly Soul also went on sale at 9 a.m. today. You can get tickets here.
Bergerrealty.com just added a spot for last-minute discounted properties that owners are trying to rent. Head over to this link and call 609-391-0500 or send an email to [email protected].
👨💼 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].
🌊 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 (6/30)
Low: 5:35 AM
High: 11:40 AM
Low: 6:12 PM
Saturday (7/1)
Low: 12:47 AM
High: 6:31 AM
Low: 12:32 PM
High: 7:02 PM
Sunday (7/2)
Low: 1:40 AM
High: 7:26 AM
Low: 1:24 PM
High: 7:53 PM
Monday (7/3)
Low: 2:32 AM
High: 8:19 AM
Low: 2:18 PM
High: 8:44 PM
Tuesday (7/4)
Low: 3:23 AM
High: 9:12 AM
Low: 3:12 PM
High: 9:35 PM
Wednesday (7/5)
Low: 4:14 AM
High: 10:06 AM
Low: 4:08 PM
High: 10:27 PM
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