August 2023 OCDC

Downtown Ocean City has everything

Discover

August is finally here, and whether you’re in Ocean City for big fish, 4x4s, or your annual family trip to the beach, Downtown OC has something for you.

This month, the Town of Ocean City welcomes the famous White Marlin Open, known as “The World’s Largest and Richest Billfish Tournament.” With huge prizes for a variety of fish species (the most notable being the marlins), people flock to the Harbour Island Marina to watch the boats bring in the day’s catch and hopefully get a glimpse of “the big one.”

The Marlin Fest at the inlet parking lot is a more re-

cent event that will feature live music and entertainment, and of course the weigh-ins broadcasted on jumbo screens. Even if you’re not entered in the tournament, many visitors enjoy a one-day charter to go out and catch tuna or rent a boat or Jetskis to explore the Assawoman Bay.

If you prefer to offroad trails to rolling waves, then you’ll enjoy this year’s Jeep Week. Spread throughout town will be all sorts of events for Jeep enthusiasts. In Downtown OC, there will be a beach course around Somerset Street for drivers to test their skills navigating sand obstacles and there’s parade down the beach the length of the Boardwalk.

For those who appreciate the arts, the Art League of

Ocean City will put on its 18th annual Artist Paint OC Festival. Artist will be seen throughout town, including the Boardwalk, painting local landscape scenes of Ocean City landmarks. These artists can be observed by the public while they create these pieces, which will be for sale later in the day at the Art League’s Ocean City Center for the Arts.

We are in peak season, and ready to cut loose with some live music in Downtown OC. Our annual Sunset Park Party Nights concert series continues this month with performances on Thursday nights.

Watch 50 artists paint ‘plein air’

Every August for 18 years, the Art League of Ocean City hosts the “Artists Paint OC Festival,” where for four days, 50 artists spread out across the resort and Assateague Island to paint iconic scenes “en plein air” and create beautiful collectible works of art. The public then gathers to celebrate their art in an on-going festival. Baltimore Magazine recently listed “Artists Paint OC Festival” in their “50 Reasons Why We Love Our Beach.”

So what exactly is “plein air”? It’s not “plain” air spelled wrong! It’s actually a French term meaning to paint “in open air.”

Painting outdoors as the light changes over the hours and the weather is a presence itself is much different and brings much different results than painting within the four walls of a studio. The paintings become more spontaneous and free, capturing the spirit of the place where they were painted.

And Ocean City, its iconic Boardwalk, Assateague Island, and the surrounding marshes provide a wealth of painting opportunities for these 50 professional artists.

On early Sunday morning on Aug. 13, the artists cluster on the Boardwalk for a two-hour painting competition that’s as much fun to watch as waves breaking on the beach.

The five-day competition among the artists is fierce: They’re competing for more than $5,000 in cash prizes made possible by the Peter Glenville Foundation, Worcester County Arts Council, Worcester County Tourism, Ocean City Development Corp. and private donations.

Veteran participant David Simpson of Parsonsburg, Md. paints with intention, often selecting meaningful locations.

“For plein air, I always like to go to places where I spent meaningful time in my life and that have intrinsic value. I grew up in Ocean City, so whether it’s places like Stinky Beach or the inlet, I like my paintings to be special to me,” he

explained. “I love when people pass by when I’m painting and have a conversation, and then come back to buy my work at the sale. Then you know what you’re doing is real and successful.”

This year, there are two opportunities for you to buy the just-created one-ofa-kind art that’s already framed and ready to hang. The public is invited to the “wet paint sales” on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 5-8 p.m. and on Sunday, Aug. 13, from 1-3 p.m. Both sales are at the waterfront Ocean City Center for the Arts, 502 94th St. bayside, and both are free to attend.

The Saturday night party and sale will feature complimentary hors d’oeuvres, a cash wine and beer bar, and live music. Sunday’s afternoon show and sale will include outdoor music under the tent, a cash bar with Bloody Marys and mimosas, and hors d’oeuvres. The Artists Paint OC exhibition will hang in The Sisson Galleria of the Arts Center after the sales through Sept. 30.

Laura Era, master plein air painter and owner of the Troika Gallery in Easton, Md., will judge the artwork, and has also generously donated a custom portrait as part of a raffle fundraiser for the Art League.

The galleries of the OC Arts Center are open every day with free admission, and we invite you to bring the family for a fun and rewarding experience. Admission is always free, plus you’ll find a unique gift shop, changing art exhibitions, art classes, plus free family art projects every Saturday during the summer.

You’ll find more information at OCart.org or call 410524-9433.

Downtown has it all in Ocean City

Continued from Page 1

Monkee Paw, Lauren Glick Band, Dunehounds, and Full Circle.

There is also Beach Dance Party on Monday nights at the Caroline Street Stage on the Boardwalk with live DJ’s, which is followed by a weekly fireworks show. The Sunset Park Party Nights and Monday Night Beach Party and Fireworks are all family-friendly and free to public. Details are in our events calendar. Ocean City is the perfect place for family fun — offering great hotels, restaurants, rides, arcades, festivals and sporting events. All that is in addition to our main attraction, our gorgeous, FREE, soft, sandy beach and 2.5-mile Boardwalk.

Whether you’re an early riser who enjoys the quiet sunrise over the ocean each morning, or part of the late-night crowd looking for night life in a tropical setting, downtown is the place to be. Don’t forget to grab dinner or a drink at one of our Bayside bars and restaurants … the local’s only secret is that the bayside sunsets are better than the Oceanfront sunrises.

Family-friendly activities abound. After a day of playing on the beach building sandcastles, children will marvel at the bright lights and sounds of the carnival rides that run throughout the after-

Continued on Page 8

Downtown: from history to sit-down dinners

Continued from Page 6

noon and evening hours.

Endless varieties of pizza, ice cream, French fries and other summer treats are available. You’re sure to find the perfect T-shirt or souvenir while visiting the multitude of shops along the boardwalk and side streets in Downtown.

If your tastes are more of the gourmet variety, we have that covered too. Visit one of the many sit-down restaurants, offering many variations of seafood, steak, pasta and more. Don’t go home without sampling our famous Maryland blue crabs, steaming hot, coated with

Old Bay, or a delicious crab cake prepared the Eastern Shore way.

The re-designed Boardwalk trams are now operating. You can board the tram anywhere along the Boardwalk and take an enjoyable ride from the inlet to 27th Street, stopping anywhere along the way. Stop by the Boardwalk Info Cottage for a full tram schedule.

Art and history abound in downtown. The Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum at the south end of the Boardwalk, open every day, offers countless stories, of how the early residents of Ocean City built this amazing place. The museum

offers daily, family-friendly programs.

Taking a self-guided walking tour is a great way to enjoy Downtown and learn about its history. The tour highlights many of the historic buildings in Downtown. You may also enjoy the Utility Box Art Tour, featuring utility boxes that have been transformed into works of art by local artists.

Both Walking Tours and Utility Box

Tour brochures are available at the Downtown Information Booth on the Boardwalk near Caroline Street or can be downloaded from the Ocean City Development Corporation Website,

www.ocdc.org.

Looking for water sport or fishing? Head on over to the bayside! Boat and personal watercraft rentals, parasailing, fishing trips, after dinner cruises, Assateague Island nature tours and even a pirate ship are all available. Fishing from the inlet and public piers is another great option.

We thank you for making Downtown Ocean City your vacation destination. The fun doesn’t stop with the changing of the seasons, so if you enjoy your June visit, be sure to plan a trip back in the fall or winter for all of our off-season festivals and activities.