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SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
LIFESTYLE
WINE ON THE BEACH
Festival to include 13 wineries and 45 vendors in the inlet parking lot today, Saturday – Page 25
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OC taxi biz dying in face of Uber, Lyft Regulated cabs losing to unregulated ride sharing
JOSH KIM/OCEAN CITY TODAY
CONFECTION ZONE The Ninth Street and Boardwalk Candy Kitchen sign lies crumpled in front of the shop after strong winds knocked it down around 1:15 p.m. on Monday. Only the sign was damaged.
By Josh Kim Staff Writer (Sept. 27, 2019) The traditional taxi industry in Ocean City is in trouble, as the days when people called or waved down a cab are fading into the shadows of highertech ride share services. Now, people swipe into their smartphones and click on the Uber or Lyft app from their couches, derailing a once prosperous industry and leaving it struggling to survive. “There won’t be taxis in Ocean City in five years at this rate,” said one taxi operator, who asked not to be identified for fear or reprisals. One reason, he said, is the lack of regulations for Uber and Lyft drivers, while his industry must continue to conform to a higher standard. See CAB Page 61
110 barrels of beer on the wall, 110 barrels of beer ...
Suds sales, crowd numbers show biggest Sunfest ever By Morgan Pilz Staff Writer (Sept. 27, 2019) For one thing, beer sales weren’t just up, they were up by 25 percent, which is about as accurate an indicator of last week’s recordbreaking Sunfest crowd as any measure of success organizers might employ. But as frivolous as that might
sound, it goes along with the findings of Special Events Director Frank Miller, who reported this week that the 45th edition of the end-of-summer salute drew a best-ever 317,419 people, almost 50,000 more than last year. The festival kicked off last Thursday with an opening ceremony followed by musical acts. The first day drew in SeeSUNFEST Page 60
MORGAN PILZ/OCEAN CITY TODAY
More than 317,000 people attended Sunfest in Ocean City, Sept. 19-22.