Oh my, after nine+ decades: OC's Alaska Stand out, Thrashers in.

 

The Alaska Stand, a Boardwalk staple since the 1930s, is about to disappear.

(View news story:)

Alaska Stand ends 92-year run on Boardwalk | Premium Content | octodaydispatch.com

OC Route 50 Bridge repairs start Jan. 3.

 

(View news story:)

Route 50 bridge repairs will affect car, boat traffic | Premium Content | octodaydispatch.com

Mr. & Mrs. Quigley say "bye, bye OC"

 

During the warm weather season Mr. & Mrs. Quigley, a senior citizen couple, enjoy visits to Ocean City .. on the beach and on the boardwalk.  Inlet parking is a wonderful, and perhaps necessary, convenience.

The Quigley's are not high-tech folks and they're distressed to learn that under a new inlet parking scheme called Park Mobile they won't have access to parking on the inlet lot unless they have a "smart" phone and are proficient in using it.

The Quigley's say they'll miss OC but are pleased the Delmarva coast offers many alternatives without a high-tech entrance requirement.

(View news story:)

Parking Kiosks in Ocean City Will Be a Thing of the Past in the Near Future | Latest News | wboc.com

 

(Updated) Tragedy on Ocean City boardwalk-

UPDATED:

https://www.wboc.com/news/ocean-city-is-reeling-from-the-death-of-a-two-year-old-who-was-hit/article_aa0090ee-6011-11ef-8421-57720f73d93e.html

(WBOC)

(EARLIER)

(View news story:)

UPDATE: Toddler Killed in Ocean City Tram Collision | Latest News | wboc.com

Thinking cool.. at OC-

 

Effort to save a piece of Ocean City history

(Maryland Coast Dispatch excerpts)

OCEAN CITY – A local nonprofit is seeking grant funding to begin a restoration of Ocean City’s historic Henry Hotel.

“Formerly known as ‘Henry’s Colored Hotel,’ the three-story, wood-shingled structured, was erected in the last decade of the 19th century and remains one of the oldest hotels in the city,” the letter of support from the Worcester County Commissioners reads. “More importantly, the Henry Hotel is the last remaining hotel that served black visitors to the ocean resort during the early to mid-20th century. Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Count Basie and Louis Armstrong were guests of the Henry Hotel in the days when black entertainers could perform in major hotel ballrooms, yet could not sleep in the hotels.”

(View the full article:)

07/25/2023 | Nonprofit Seeks Funding For Henry Hotel Restoration | News Ocean City MD (mdcoastdispatch.com)

Public accessibility improvements coming to OC museum

 

           From the office of State Senator Mary Beth Carozza-

Beat the heat at the beach!

 

Think cool..

(Ocean City- January, 2018)

Original plans dashed- OC comes up with new July 4th holiday events schedule

 

(WMDT)

OCEAN CITY, Md.-Town officials have new plans for visitors and residents this 4th of July.

This comes after officials received news the firework company contracted to provide fireworks for two of their shows backed out. They were informed last week that this was due to lack of certified personnel and inventory. In response, the town scrambled to make a new plan.

(View news story:)    

Ocean City creates new, unique plans for Independence Day celebrations - 47abc (wmdt.com)

Coming to former Phillips Crab House location..

 (The Dispatch)

"..the operators say they hope to open the all-you-can-eat seafood and prime rib buffet before Memorial Day."

View news article:

04/11/2022 | New Restaurant To Take Over Phillips Crab House Property | News Ocean City MD (mdcoastdispatch.com)

Think COOL!

They Say It's Cooler At The Beach..

Old Ocean City Building Coming Down

(WBOC)



The building is more than a century old and can not be restored but the owner has an interesting plan for the location's future.

See more at http://www.wboc.com/story/39569892/a-historical-building-in-ocean-city-has-out-lived-its-time

Choose Your COOL At OC

         The Dispatch

OR

Ocean City Beach Lights

From The Dispatch (Ocean City) 

                                        

OCEAN CITY — The Beach Lights display has returned to Ocean City, illuminating the sky starting at 9 p.m. nightly on the Boardwalk near North Division Street. Every 20 minutes through Sept. 2, the lights will change creating a new effect, concluding at 11 p.m.

(More)

https://mdcoastdispatch.com/2018/05/29/ocs-beach-lights-program-offered-nightly-in-summer/

1880's Excursion To The Beach

Undated picture from Ocean City Life Saving Museum

An 1888 Pocomoke City newspaper article tells about a fun day at the beach during a group excursion from Pocomoke to Ocean City (and it only took a few hours to get there).

Read the full article on this Sunday's Time Machine here at the Pocomoke Public Eye.

Puzzling Beach Grass Mounds At OC

From The Baltimore Sun

Scientists are puzzled by mounds of an invasive straw-like grass that washed up at Ocean City this week and beachgoers have been urged to avoid them.

Article:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/environment/bs-md-ocean-city-grass-20170601-story.html

Ocean City's Winterfest Of Lights begins November 17th.

         (picture from OC Today)

Read about it here..
http://www.oceancitytoday.net/p/oc-s-winterfest-of-lights-begins-thursday-nov-17/1594299

Topless Ruling Sought

From The Dispatch, Ocean City..

OCEAN CITY — The Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office has requested an opinion from the Maryland Attorney General on the legality of women going topless in the same areas where men are allowed to go shirtless under the Equal Protection Act, an opinion that could have serious repercussions in the resort area.

(Full article here:)

http://www.mdcoastdispatch.com/2016/10/24/worcester-states-attorney-seeking-attorney-generals-opinion-on-topless-women-equal-protection-at-root-of-claim/

Trimper's Unique Reputation

(Picture and article courtesy of The Dispatch, Ocean City) 

                                                                                   Photo by Chris Parypa

Trimpers Rides Confirmed As Country’s Oldest Family-Owned Amusement Park

(Likely Even The World’s)

Jul 19,2016 by Shawn Soper

OCEAN CITY — It should come as no surprise to the generations of visitors to Ocean City, but Trimpers Rides and Amusements at the foot of the Boardwalk is the oldest “family owned and operated” park in the U.S. and technically the world, a noted amusement park historian confirmed this week.

Two years ago, Trimpers was featured on a Fox Business News channel show entitled “Strange Inheritance” and it came to light the iconic park on the foot of the Boardwalk near the Inlet was likely the oldest family-owned amusement park in the U.S.

National Amusement Park Historical Association historian Jim Futrell was interviewed during the show and commented on the family’s ownership longevity. The Trimper family reached out to Futrell following the show’s taping and asked him to research the oldest amusement parks in the nation and across the globe and determine if his statements made during the “Strange Inheritance” show were verifiable.

“It came about when they were filming ‘Strange Inheritance’ and they interviewed Jim Futrell, who is an amusement park historian and has written several books and done extensive research on the subject,” said Trimper family spokesperson Brooks Trimper this week. “We followed up with him after the show and he did some research and confirmed we are the oldest ‘family-operated’ park in the nation and technically in the world.”

Futrell compiled the list and determined Trimpers was certainly the oldest family-owned park in the U.S. and made a strong case for the oldest in the world.

“As you see, Trimper’s ranks as the 24th oldest operating amusement park in the world, but in terms of family ownership, it ranks second to Blackgang Chine in England,” said Futrell. “So, you could safely say that no family in the U.S. has owned an amusement park longer than the Trimpers and still make the argument that it is worldwide because Blackgang Chine was not really an amusement park until well after Trimpers was.”

Trimpers currently ranks 24th on the list of the oldest amusement parks in the world, but first in the U.S. in terms of owned and operated by the same family and technically in the world. The Blackgang Chine Park opened by the Dabell family on the Isle of Wight in the U.K. is the oldest family-owned amusement park in the world on the list, but it began with Victorian gardens for visitors to the island and later a complete whale skeleton that founder Alexander Dabell purchased and bleached and reconstructed in the park as an attraction.

For decades, Blackgang Chine operated with the whale skeleton and other oddities. It wasn’t until after a family trip to the U.S. in the 1960s that the Dabells began adding amusement park rides in the traditional sense, according to Fentrell. Today, Blackgang Chine has evolved into a themed-part with different areas such as Dinosaurland, Frontier Land and Nursery Land, for example.

Again, there are older parks in the U.S. and around the world, but none has had the same family ownership and operation as the Trimpers. For example, the Lake Compounce Park in Connecticut was opened in 1846, but the current ownership group has only operated it since 2008. Iconic Cedar Point opened in Ohio in 1870, but its current owners have operated the park only since 1957. Coney Island opened in 1886, but its current owners have only operated the park since 1996.

There are others on the list in the U.S. that are older than Trimpers and have been operated by the same owner longer, but in each case they are owned and operated by the cities in which they are located. For example, just ahead of Trimpers on the list is the Columbian Park in Lafayette, Ind., which opened in 1892, but it has been owned and operated by the city of Lafayette from the beginning.

Trimper said he was pleased Futrell’s research confirmed Trimper’s as the oldest family-owned park in the U.S. and technically the world.

“We’re very excited to hear it,” he said. “Our family has a long history here and we like to believe our family is part of the reason Ocean City was established, not the only reason obviously, but we’ve been a big part of it for well over a century.”

Brooks and his brother, Chris, are now the fifth generation of Trimpers to operate the iconic Boardwalk park and at least that many generations of visitors have enjoyed the amusement park over the last 120 years or so.

In 2008, the park’s future was threatened when a highest and best use property assessment of the substantial waterfront site threatened to raise the property taxes substantially to the point the family had to consider a different use, but state and local officials worked with the Trimpers to resolve the issue. Brooks Trimper said this week there is no reason to believe the park will not continue to operate just as it has for the last century or so well into the future.

“There is nothing in the plans to change anything anytime soon,” he said. “We’re going to continue this as long as there are generations coming to enjoy the park. We’ve had generations of our family operating it, but more importantly, we’ve had generation after generation coming to enjoy the park.”

Daniel Trimper and his wife, Margaret, opened the park in 1893 with a pair of hotels and a handful of amusements. In 1900, after a severe storm, Daniel Trimper rebuilt the Sea Bright Hotel and modeled it after the Windsor Castle in Great Britain and the two hotels coupled with the growing amusement park became known as the Windsor Resort.

In 1912, Trimper’s purchased the massive carousel that still operates today from the Herschell-Spillman Company in New York. The massive carousel is 50 feet in diameter and was driven by a steam engine in the early days. The unique carousel features 45 animals including, of course, a variety of horses, but also includes a menagerie of other animals such as a cat, dog, frog, rooster, deer, goat, lion, tiger, ostrich, pig and dragon, for example.

Over the years, the Trimpers added numerous rides in the historic indoor portion of the park and several have historical significance, including the smaller carousel and the kiddie Ferris wheel, which date to the 1920s. In the 1950s, the Trimper family began adding outdoor rides and the pace of expansion increased through the 1960s with new rides being added nearly every year. One of the most popular rides in the park, the double-loop Tidal Wave roller coaster, was added in 1985 and has become a fixture on the downtown skyline.