Conveniently coinciding with “June Week” whereby thousands of “just released” high school seniors converge to enjoy the beach here in Ocean City MD the OC CAR & TRUCK SHOW offers much for our youthful visitors. With hundreds of vehicles on display, music, entertainment along with celebrity appearances, the Convention Center, located at 42nd Street & Bay, really ROCKS!!! Within, one of the three huge exhibition halls had been turned into a “sound room”…although a bit loud for the uninitiated the happy grins on the participants told another story! Custom cars with equally custom paint jobs, winged doors and trunks filled every available space – space ships perhaps? Several trunks even sported computer game screens with the requite joysticks built right in!
Outdoors, upon a portion of the roped-off parking lot were the trucks, big and little mostly TALL and all shiny! Proud owners stood by while on-lookers stared in awe and admiration! Truly an event geared to the young-at-heart.
For more information visit the website at www.occarshow.com or use direct email contact at occarshow02@aol.com.

Powerboat racing returned to Ocean City MD again this year and created quite a stir! From the Saturday day long viewing of the boats in “dry” and “wet” pits at the Sunset Marina in West Ocean City with fans milling about chatting with the crews to the actual races held just off the beach Sunday one may easily see this event as another don’t miss! Sleek and shiny race boats including the new classes of Supercats and Cat Lites could be seen on trailers attached to huge semi’s that also interested many viewers. Sponsored by OPA Racing LLC and GEICO this 3 race-site series called the “The Miss Geico Triple Crown” begins right here in our town and then heads north to New York and New Jersey for the second and third legs. During the Sunday race events which could be viewed from beach and Boardwalk from 4th to 40th Streets fans cheered on their favorite contestants…including one from our own “Bull on the Beach” – Ocean City’s best “BBQ’d beef” restaurant.
To stay informed please plan to visit www.oparacing.com or www.missgeicoracing.com.

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Driving around our busy resort during the height of the tourist season is sometimes best left to the professionals. Add to that the benefits of not having to find a place to park, feed a meter or a fuel tank - and riding the convenient and low cost Ocean City MD bus system just makes good sense. For a mere $2.00 you can ride all day – up and down Coastal Highway from the Delaware border to the Boardwalk at the Inlet, or west over the Route 50 bridge to the super convenient “Park & Ride” or the White Marlin/Outlet Shopping Center in West Ocean City and back again…over and over. A terrific way to enjoy all that Ocean City has to offer anytime. Enter a bus at any one of the numerous, well-marked stops located anywhere in town, pay the driver, receive your day pass and be on your way. The buses here at the beach run frequently (every 10 minutes in season) and are clean and airy, sometimes filled with happy folks heading to and from the beach along with area workers heading off to their jobs. Many offer convenient wheelchair and handicapped access. And, a well marked “bus lane” that runs nearly the entire length of Coastal Highway makes for safe and easy access and egress for everyone. For locals and visitors alike using the bus in our town is one great bargain! For complete Ocean City MD public transportation information visit the website at www.ococean.com/busflyer.html. Note: To enlarge any photo, just “click”.

Held during Ocean City’s most wondrous annual celebration, our love affair with our automobiles…is one of the most popular events - the Boardwalk Parade. Car after car rolls southward on the Boardwalk passing folks standing with wide grins and awed expressions, evoking in most, memories of ‘the good old days”. Whether it be a shiny restored vintage, custom, hot rod or muscle car…many remember and wax nostalgic. A deep, steady rumble accompanies this parade – the large engines of the past, revved and ready to go. And, the odor of Fisher’s Caramel Popcorn or Thrasher’s Fries wafting through the crowd throughout the parade makes that nostalgia even more delicious! The “CRUISIN’ OC” show, one of the region’s largest and most popular comes to our island for four days in the late spring each year. Throughout the area more than 3,000 of the “best of the best” may be seen driving on almost any road in and around town…many owners along with their most prized wheeled possessions gather in parking lots all over…where they are further polished, admired and ready to be discussed with everybody! To add to the fun there’s live entertainment in the form of concerts…with special music that will also take you back! Make no mistake; it’s a car weekend yet it belongs personally to all of us.
For more information…visit the website at www.specialeventpro.com/cruisin.php or the Town’s website at www.ococean.com/events. Note: To enlarge any photo, just “click”!

Mention dining out in Ocean City MD and chances are the first question you’ll hear is, “How’s the crab soup?” Anyone who knows this area knows their crab soup – and their favorite, be it red or white. This event, in its fourth year, called the “White Marlin Festival & Crab Soup Cook-off “ is really all about sampling and then determining the soup-making prowess of the entrants – who is currently making and consequently serving the BEST in town? Although taste is subjective this is a serious competition – chefs and recipes do change! This year 10 contestants vied for 2008 braggin’ honors, the three in the “red” category were loaded with fresh crab, vegetables (the best of the locally grown, in season) and spices. The seven remaining entries were the “whites”, containing fresh, sweet lump crab gently folded into an appropriately seasoned, rich cream base. Sherry along with other secret ingredients are sometimes added to make that special difference. We attendees cheerfully paid our fee (a reasonable, $12) and were given a paper numbered 1 – 10 along with two tickets with which to vote for the “best red” and “best white” soup at the end of our tastings. We then proceeded to the appropriately numbered tent and were given a generous sample – and sample we did - ’til we were very full! Some of the cups were rimmed with lemon and Old Bay giving the soup an even greater “shore style” flavor! And, yes, there were some community exhibits, face painting and clowns for the kids – even some lively music in the background but the Crab Soup Cook-off contest was surely the reason for the day! This festival is sponsored each year by the Downtown Association and is conveniently located just steps from the Boardwalk in the Somerset Street Plaza. For more information phone 410-289-1413 or visit the website at www.downtownassociation.net. Note: To enlarge any photo, just “click”!

Each year thousands pass hurriedly, almost unknowingly, by the entrance to this little known park site at the traffic light on their way across the Rt. 90 Bridge to Ocean City MD. This area, almost an island is bordered on the west by the St. Martin’s Neck River, the remainder surrounded by the Assawoman and Isle of Wight bays. Termed a salt marsh island it provides an important greenway and is owned by the state of Maryland and Worcester County. The state portion of the island is a wildlife management area used for recreational boating, fishing and shell fishing by visitors from neighboring areas. The park portion, under the auspicious of Worcester County provides the very essence of the natural seashore. Upon entering and immediately looking to the right one sees the salt marsh – home to a large variety of shore birds…this day a large white heron. In the distance the shoreline of the community of Ocean Pines is revealed. Also located on the west side is a small sandy beach. Looking southward, the waters of the inland bays are visible along with those nearly always-present bay breezes…making this an ideal place to visit on a warm summer day to enjoy the quiet space. Following the road to the left along the natural shoreline, one quickly comes upon an open area which offers an entrance to a long, sturdy pier jutting straight out into the Isle of Wight Bay. The pier is ideal for strolling and offers an impressive view of the exciting Ocean City skyline complete with its many identifiable buildings. Picnic tables are provided. Spend an hour, spend the day the Isle of Wight Nature Park will impress you! Admission is free! Please remember the natural environment is Worcester County’s most valuable resource!

For more information on this and our other area parks visit the website at www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/counties/worcester.html.

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Long known as that quiet little town located just off Rt. 50, 7 miles west of Ocean City MD, Berlin is rapidly becoming a partner destination here on the Shore. This past weekend along with SPRINGFEST 2008 in OC, Berlin offered a couple of quality attractions to fulfill anyone having a need to have fun and enjoy a weekend of season welcoming attractions. First up on Friday evening, there was annual Spring Arts Night…wherein local shops; galleries and restaurants within the downtown historic area offered displays of original works from local artists and artisans. Note that in the 5 years since Berlin became the holder of a Maryland State designation as an official Arts and Entertainment District, it has become hometown too more than just a few nationally known artists. Arts Night is fun, roaming the streets at dusk viewing some really fine art in shops housed within charming and landmark architecture, munching on tasty treats served throughout the town and being part of a relaxed crowd - who could ask for more?
The second event quickly followed on Saturday – the “first” annual Berlin Jazz/Blues Street Festival. Being a “first time” one could not be certain of the “depth” of this event despite efforts in planning by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce. It was with pleasant; even a bit awed, surprise that this viewer confirmed this joyous activity would no doubt become one of the special highlights on the annual Town calendar. Throughout the day, seven live and lively bands each offering their own unique styles of jazz and blues performed on alternate stages set at either end of the downtown district. Limited seating was available (bring your own next year!) However, few viewers were challenged, many finding curbs or leaning on tree trunks and buildings a comfortable spot from which to enjoy the sounds of some really terrific music played out of doors on a fine spring day.
For further information on these and other Berlin Town events visit the Chamber website at www.berlinmdcc.org

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Always eagerly anticipated however sometimes receiving rather rough treatment by Mother Nature, the stars seemed to be in perfect alignment this year for the annual Springfest 2008! Beginning Thursday, May 1st and lasting through Sunday, May 4th each day built upon the last with nearly ideal weather conditions in the Ocean City Maryland area. The warm sunshine and soft breezes at the Springfest inlet site required for most a quick trip to the closet for summertime gear – shorts, broad-brimmed hats and sunglasses! This fun festival features almost constant live entertainment (mostly free) on two stages, two huge arts and craft tents with over 184 vendors and filled with hand crafted creations, a food tent containing a variety of terrific Eastern Shore style food specialties (second to none in our opinion) and a country fair style midway lined by vendors offering more interesting stuff. Crowds were everywhere; along the boardwalk going to and from the fest…the line waiting for those famous salt and vinegar spiced fries from Thrashers was endless and nearly every bench seat was taken with folks just basking in the sunshine welcoming the wonderful summertime season which is now upon us. Today however will find the tents being carefully packed away waiting the even bigger festival…Sunfest 2008, running from September 18th through the 21st which marks the beginning of the fall beach season. For more information on these and other seasonal events visit the Ocean City Parks and Recreation website at www.ococean.com.

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Large lumps of really fresh, sweet crab meat bound together with little but imagination make up the very special crab cakes for which this fine eatery has long been known! Got your attention? The HOBBIT is back! Now located at the end, bay side, at 81st Street and Coastal Highway beneath the new Rivendell condominium project, this new incarnation is nothing if not fabulous. Stopping by early one evening recently we were overwhelmed first with the attractive décor…brown and tan tones combined with crisp white napery and sparkling crystal set the backdrop for the magnificent 12’ tall windows overlooking the inland bay…where the surrounding views are really spectacular – especially at sunset. The other nearly overwhelming feature is the food – the freshness and quality of the ingredients and the careful preparation. Tender Bibb lettuce with roasted beets and creamy feta along with a plate of excellent Clams Casino made up our first course. Then came the second course - The Veal Pistachio – an old favorite rendition of tender scallops of veal, Madeira wine, mushrooms, and fresh cream with fresh-shelled pistachios sprinkled about is again presented on the new menu and is delicious. My companion’s crab cakes, described above, were outstanding – he was willing to share a bite but not too much! And, this companion, being a life long java maven commented that the coffee was the best he’s had in a long, long time, in fact, exceptional. From the list of accompanying vegetables – a la carte, we selected the squash – which was tender, lightly seasoned and good. Alas, due to the generous size of our entrée’s we were ‘forced’ to share a dessert and what a dessert it was! Homemade Strawberry Shortcake – a towering confection made in-house with FRESH strawberries, real whipped cream and the most light and flavorful of ‘cake’, surely a triumph of the season appropriately celebrating the return of the Hobbit to Ocean City Maryland. We cannot forget to mention the really fine service we received – from the greeting upon arrival until our departure the friendly and efficient Hobbit staff (many from the old restaurant) helped make our visit just perfect!!!
The restaurant opens at 5 pm and we suggest reservations – the telephone number is 410-524-8100.

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One exciting portion of the list of seemingly endless events offered during the increasingly popular Delmarva Birding Weekend occurs here in our own backyard – the Shore Bird Explorer Cruise. Check-in and boarding one of the two very full, yet still comfortable pontoon boats on a mild and sunny afternoon at the Talbot Street pier here in Ocean City MD was easy. Easier yet was the almost immediate “spotting” of the birds. Our tour boats – appropriately named the Assateague Explorer(s) headed north under the Rt. 50 bridge for a glimpse of the wildfowl resting (we’re right smack dab on the Atlantic Flyway) and nesting on Skimmer Island…that little but growing spit of sand viewed just north of the bridge. All manner of waterfowl and shore birds live in our area including some rarely ever seen species once believed to be gone from the Maryland coastal region. We turned and continued our journey southward along the inlet down alongside the north shore of Assateague Island. While underway all it took was a shout from one of the guides and all eighty pairs of binoculars turned toward the marsh… and in one quick second those fortunate enough to possess what looked to be a small camera with a 20” lens began clicking away… Our guide identified the mating pair – in a most reverent tone - of a species currently unknown to Maryland waters. Other names of birds, once unfamiliar began to resound - oystercatchers, cormorants (double crested), black-backed gulls, loons, ospreys, rails and royal terns – even the elusive piping plover. Throughout the too short, 2 hour trip excitement reigned! Upon returning to the dock everyone was invited to a little reception – a time to compare notes – at the Angler Restaurant. All attendees had fun, some by adding to his or her “life list” – others just enjoying anew what we who live in the area daily take for granted – enjoying this very special region in which we live, our own backyard!
For further information about all area “birding” related activities year round visit the website at www.delmarvabirdingweekend.org.

Note: To enlarge any photo, just “click”. My apologies for not using one of those ‘oh so cool’ cameras with the l o n g telephoto lens. Maybe next year!