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- Rival Wonderland Proposal Begins To Emerge
Rival Wonderland Proposal Begins To Emerge
🎡 Ocean City, NJ's only weekly newsletter
James Kratch & Kyle Scott
November 23, 2024
Donald Wittkowski | OCNJ Daily
More Wonderland proposals, holiday season arrives, and yep, beach tags for sale!
In the email today:
📆 Upcoming Events in (and around) Ocean City
Saturday, Nov. 23
🛍️ “Earlier than the Bird” Shopping Extravaganza | Downtown | 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., more details here
🐴 Horse and Carriage Rides | Sixth Street | 12-3 p.m., more details here
🎶 Lucinda Williams and Her Band | Ocean City Music Pier | 8 p.m., more details here
Thursday, Nov. 28
🏃 Fast & Furriest 5K Turkey Trot | Ocean City Boardwalk | 7 a.m. registration, 8:30 a.m. run, more details here
Friday, Nov. 29
🎄 Christmas in the Downtown celebration | Downtown Ocean City | 2-5 p.m., more details here
See more local events right here.
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
Also note the Ocean City Library has many events for adults and kids alike on their calendar, which can be viewed here.
🎡 An Alternative Plan For Wonderland
Friends of OCNJ History & Culture has done more than voice its opposition to hotel developer Eustace Mita's pitch to build a luxury hotel and retail area on the Wonderland lot. The local preservation group said it has its own plan for the space and already has significant financial backing.
The pitch will be revealed at a community meeting on Saturday, Nov. 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Tabernacle Baptist Church. Some of the early details:
The group wants the site to remain an amusement park of some type, and it is open to Mita -- who owns the lot -- being part of the project.
President Bill Merritt said the group has already raised over $1 million toward the effort. It plans to pool even more capital to move forward.
Friends of OCNJ History & Culture have effectively merged with the Ocean City Old Home Lovers in the effort, giving the groups a combined membership of 10,000.
Merritt said he believes Mita's ICONA in Wonderland would be "a bad model" for myriad reasons. Among them: It would disrupt the surrounding neighborhood, block sunlight and fail to push people into the downtown area.
Mita has presented his pitch to business and elected officials and given media interviews, but he has yet to formally go public with proposal. That will soon change.
The developer is expected to speak at Third Ward Councilman Jody Levchuk's community meeting on Monday, Nov. 25. It will start at 6 p.m. at the Ocean City Free Public Library's Chris Maloney Lecture Hall.
Mita said he also plans to hold his own community meeting in early December. The date and time are pending, but the meeting will be at the Ocean City Tabernacle.
🚨 False Alarm On The Ferris Wheel
Talk about a tempest in a Tilt-A-Whirl.
There was momentary pandemonium when a published sale list for Wonderland infrastructure included its carousel and Ferris wheel. But it was a mistake, not a stunning and sudden reversal.
Mita reiterated the carousel and Ferris wheel are not for sale and remain part of his plan. Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian -- the former Wonderland owner -- was asked to remove them from the list as he tries to liquidate the rest of the park's attractions through an amusement park trade show in Orlando, Florida.
An interesting note: The original sale list valued the carousel at $250,000. Mita has said he plans to spend $1.5 million to refurbish the carousel, so his overhaul will be six times the ride's current worth. The Ferris wheel was valued at $390,000— Mita said he plans to spend $1 million to move and elevate it.
Seasonal beach tags for Summer 2025 go on sale today.
The tags will be available at a discounted rate of $30 through May 31 of next year. They will be $35 after that. Only seasonal tags are currently available; daily ($10) and weekly ($20) tags go on sale during the summer season. All Ocean City beachgoers ages 12 and older are required to have tags from June 7 to Sept. 1.
You can buy tags online at this link. If you would prefer to purchase them in person, they are available at these locations in town:
City Hall: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Route 52 Welcome Center: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
Henry Knight Building: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday-Friday
Aquatic & Fitness Center: 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday-Friday; 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
46th Street Welcome Center: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday-Sunday.
🎣 Fishing Pier Makeover On The Way
Donald Wittkowski | OCNJ Daily
Anglers will soon get some new digs alongside the Ocean City-Longport Bridge. The Cape May County Bridge Commission will give the deteriorating fishing pier an estimated $500,000 facelift to make it more inviting for fishing and visitors. The goal is to complete the work by next summer; the planned upgrades include:
New concrete benches and railings
A new fenced trash enclosure and new trash receptacles
New fish clean-out stations
Updated electrical conduit and wiring
Repairs to the concrete deck surface and joints
🎅 Take A Photo With Santa Claus
A WTB reader asked when and where she could get a photo of her newborn grandson and Santa Claus for his first Christmas. Here are a few upcoming opportunities:
Santa will take photos in a lifeguard boat at the Ocean City Music Pier from 1-3 p.m. on the following dates: Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 7-8, Dec. 14-15 and Dec. 21-22.
Santa in the Downtown will occur at Mark Soifer Park from 9-11 a.m. on Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 7-8, Dec. 14-15 and Dec. 21-22.
🔗 News Links
🤳 Recommendations
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Thanks! Enjoy the weekend.
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