Lathroums retire, recall memories of Reel Inn

Continued from Page 51 everybody’s been very cordial and very welcoming,” Matt said. “For somebody from out of town coming into town, new, not knowing what to expect, it’s been really great.”

Angie and Scott “Spunk” Lathroum had owned and operated Reel Inn since May 1991.

“When you’ve done it for 31 years and you get a little older, you start to slow down,” Spunk said. “(I) just think it was the right time to do it, because our kids are grown. We want some more of our time.”

Spunk’s first job in Ocean City was serving as a dock boy in 1976 at the marina where the Reel Inn now stands. Back then, the area was just a gazebo nightclub and an open field, Scott said.

The restaurant started as a poolside-dock-side bar without food service in 1983 along with the development of Harbor Island. In the years after buying it, the Lathroums added a small oven to cook pizzas, then a charcoal grill and finally added a full kitchen, they said.

“It was my home away from home. I raised my family there,” Angie said.

Scott said it took them awhile to cultivate a summer-long returning crowd outside of the rush during the White Marlin Open, but now the restaurant is busy all season long.

“We were kind of like the best kept secret in Ocean City,” Angie said.

The Lathroums said it was an honor to be at the center of the White Marlin Open. Spunk said that especially in the last 10 years, they have seen a huge growth in crowds as the tournament gained worldwide acclaim.

“Over 30 years, we’ve watched three generations come through, and it’s marvelous,” Angie said.

One of Spunk’s favorite memories concerns the late Dennis King, a.k.a. “Denny-O,” who owned Pepper’s Tavern, which no longer exists.

On Tuesdays, Denny-O, who was something of a fixture in Ocean City, would serve drinks during guest bartender night at the Reel Inn.

“I loved those Tuesday nights. They were crazy,” Spunk said.

He also recalled a time when Jim Weaver, owner of Weaver Boatworks, brought in a blue marlin so big it couldn’t be held on a scale rated for 1,200 pounds.

“I’m pretty sure we were the first restaurant to do ‘you catch it, we cook it,’ in Ocean City, so you go out fishing and you fillet your fish and you bring your filleted fish to the Reel Inn,” Angie said. “You got to wait for it, but we cook it.”

The restaurant became known for its tuna after the Lathroum’s friend, Mark “The Hammer” Hill, a charter captain, showed the couple a how to prepare the fish with simple marinade. Tuna took off, and now the Reel Inn recipe is somewhat of an open secret.

As the Rishkofskis take the helm, Reel Inn’s customer-favorite classic tuna dishes, like Reel Tuna Bites and the Reel Tuna sandwich continue unchanged.

“We’ve made some changes to their menus ... and we’re doing a lot of specials and feeling out the community to see what do they really want or don’t want,” Matt said.

Two new menu items that have been a popular choice include the Shrimp Kisses, which are shrimp with jalapeno peppers wrapped in bacon, and the Bay Skins, which are potato skins cooked with shrimp salad and cheddar cheese.

The restaurant also sells packaged liquor, beer and wine, and Julie said they’ll crush oranges for customers that they can take them home to make orange crushes.

Orange crushes became a customer-favorite drink under the Lathroum’s ownership. Angie credits Harborside Bar and Grill in West OC for drumming up the drinks demand. Once the Lathroums gave into cus-

Don’t work with just anyone... work with true experienced REALTOR professionals that have worked their entire 35+ years in Real Estate on the Eastern Shore. YOU DESERVE THE BEST! •4BR/3BA tomers calling for Reel Inn to serve the drink during a White Marlin Open, bags of oranges became boxes and boxes became pallets.

This upcoming August, the White Marlin Open will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the fish weighins are in Harbor Island Marina just outside the doors to the Reel Inn, per-usual.

Julie said it takes a lot to coordinate with the fishing tournament’s organizers and the residents of Harbor Island, and that the organizing is year-round.

The Rishkofskis have plans for an extra food tent, three outdoor bars and an additional bar on the patio to accommodate the White Marlin crowds.

“It’s basically the restaurant goes on steroids for 10 days and expands out,” Matt said.

The Rishkofskis said they are enjoying the new adventure, and hope to remain as the owners for many years to come.

“Another 30 years from now who knows what it will be. There’s always room for expansion,” Matt said.

Angie said the Lathroums wish the best for the Rishofskis.

“They have just fallen in there and made it their own. They have not changed the atmosphere. They haven’t changed the host, community feeling, and it’s a nice place. It’s a wonderful place,” Angie said.

WC arts council calls for entries in July competition

(June 9, 2023) The Worcester County Arts Council invites all artists to participate in a juried art competition and exhibit for the month of July at the arts council gallery.

A news release said the exhibition is open to all artists (18 years old and older), emerging or established, with work in all media.

The subject: “Summertime” is open to the artist’s individual expression and interpretation. All entries must be original and completed within the last three years.

Entries must be delivered to the arts council’s gallery between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., June 27 - 29, to be accepted. Artwork will be judged for the competition.

ATTENTION SELLERS! We are still seeing demand for beach properties. Combine that with a smaller inventory of properties to sell and we still have an active market. Call or e-mail us today!

Monetary prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place during an open-to-the-public reception from 5-7 p.m., July 14, at the Worcester County Arts Council’s gallery at 6 Jefferson Street in Berlin.

Visit the Arts Council’s website at worcestercountyartscouncil.org for detailed exhibit guidelines and an entry form.