July 2023 OCDC

Music and Events • Marinas • Boardwalk • Museums • Amusements

Downtown Ocean City has everything

July is finally here. For many visitors to our resort town, when they think of Ocean City, they think of the Fourth of July. This month we have many events that should have tourists and local alike flocking to Downtown OC.

It wouldn’t be July in Ocean City without Fireworks. In Downtown OC, we have a massive fireworks display on the Boardwalk for our 4th of July celebration. Come down to Caroline Street and Boardwalk before the fireworks and check out Downrange, the U.S. Army Band.

Don’t worry if you don’t make it down for the holiday fireworks, we have smaller displays scheduled for the rest of the month as well. Check out the events calendar in this edition of the Discover Downtown for dates and times.

Ocean City does enjoy its classic cars, and on July 9 and July 23 the OC Cruzers will continue their car displays on Somerset Plaza. On display will be a rotating selection of customs, hot rods, muscle cars, and classic autos as well as live music. This is a free event open to the public, and a great excuse to walk the boards after seeing the classic cars.

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 kicks off this month with performances on Thursday nights. This July’s concerts at the stunning Sunset Park include rock and country acts, featuring Juke Box Hero, Jimmy Charles, Saved by Zero, Lennex, and Rogue Citizens. There is also Beach Dance Party on Monday nights at the Caroline Street Stage on the Boardwalk with live DJs. 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

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Discover Downtown Ocean City

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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 afternoon 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 Lifesaving 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 (check out the schedule in the edition of Discover Downtown).

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 sports or fishing? Head on over to the bayside!

Caroline Street

Wicomico Street

South Division Street

Festivals and activities abound

Boat and personal watercraft rentals, parasailing, fishing trips, after dinner cruises, Assateague Island nature tours and even a pirate ship are all available. Fishing at the inlet and on public piers is another great option. We thank you for making Down-

town 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.

Families enjoying Ocean City’s famous Boardwalk.

GREAT GAMES!

GREAT GAMES!

GREAT PRIZES!

GREAT PRIZES! GREAT FUN!

GREAT FUN!

Create A Family Tradition

Create A Family Tradition

As So Many Families Have

As So Many Families Have

Since 1963

Since 1963

Daily DeepSeaFishing

‘Young Artists Paint OC’ in July for prizes

Every August for 18 years, the Art League of Ocean City hosts “Artists Paint OC Festival,” where professional painters take their easels and paints to capture iconic outdoor scenes. This year, it’s the kids’ turn to join in the creative fun, with an allnew event geared just for them“Young Artists Paint OC,” a “plein air” painting event.

Plein air painting is about leaving the four walls of our studios and homes behind and experiencing painting in the great outdoors. The practice goes back for centuries when artists wanted the freedom to paint “in the open air,” which is what plein air means. July’s young plein air artists will create outside somewhere in the resort or sur-

rounding counties and paint what they see right in front of them: the Boardwalk, the ponies on Assateague, their cousins playing in the surf.

Here’s how it works. Any young person age 6 to 17 is eligible to enter a plein air painting they create during the month of July 2023. There is no fee to enter. Before they start painting, the young artist should check out the complete set of rules on the Arts League’s website at OCart.org. Or they may come by the Ocean City Center for the Arts at 502 94th St. bayside for information.

The paintings must be completed from July 1-31 and painted outdoors “en plein air.” The finished paintings must be turned into the Arts Center

Grant enables OCDC mural project at new rec complex

The Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Maryland State Arts Council as part of Public Art Across Maryland (PAAM) Program.

The funds will be used to plan and design a mural that will later be completed at the Downtown Recreation Complex, specifically a prominent wall at Ocean Bowl Skate Park.

The Downtown Recreation Complex is in the process of adding a new playground, skate park improvements, new pickleball and tennis courts and new basketball courts.

The redesign also will feature a large bayfront open space that will could be used for future events.

“We think the updated park is going to be a great resource for Downtown OC and we are excited to have an opportunity to further enhance the space,” OCDC Executive Director Zach Bankert said. “The goal for the mural is to celebrate Ocean City’s strong skate and surf culture,

while providing a piece of modern art for the public to enjoy.”

The artists involved in the design and painting of the mural will be Maryland artists. Artists will be asked to submit a portfolio of work that aligns with the scope of the mural project. Three artists will be commissioned to design a mural concept for the skate park, with one of those designs selected for the final project.

The selection committee charged with managing the project will consist of representatives from the OCDC, the DTA Public Art Committee, the Art League of Ocean City, Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department, and professional artists.

A “Call to Artists” will soon be released with details on artist commission, project details, and a request for portfolios. Members of the public will also be surveyed to ensure support for the project. The commissioned designs will also be made available for public comment.

by August 3 to be eligible. Paintings must be original works of art, painted with acrylics, oil paints, pastels, watercolors, pencil, ink and wash, or other traditional media.

Young artists may use their own materials, or free painting kits are available at the Arts Center. Digitallycreated artwork is not eligible. There is no charge to enter. Limit one entry per young artist.

The first 100 young artists to return a plein air painting back to the Arts Center will receive a “Young Artists Paint OC” tee shirt. All of the entries will be displayed during the main Artists Paint OC event Aug. 12 and 13 at the Ocean City Center for the Arts. Winners will be selected,

and $500 in prizes awarded.

“This is a great new fun opportunity for the young up-and-coming artists of our community and their guests to come together and get creative,” Rina Thaler, Art League Executive Director, said. “We hope any young person interested in the arts will take up the brush and make a plein air painting. Then bring your family and come to the Arts Center for their show in August to experience what it’s like to have your art exhibited.”

The event is sponsored by a grant from the Worcester County Arts Council.

More information is available at OCart.org or by calling the Arts Center at 410-524-9433.

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