Dear Friends,
I want to thank everybody who attended Monday’s 9/11 memorial ceremony. I particularly want to thank Becky Wynne, who was the keynote speaker for the event and celebrated the life of her brother, Rick Blood, who died in the World Trade Center attacks in 2001. Like all of us, Becky and Rick shared a love of Ocean City. Her speech was a moving reminder of how fragile life can be and of the importance of cherishing all the moments we share on Earth. If you were not able to attend the event, it will air on OCTV-97 at 7:30 p.m. Sunday and again at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
I’m sad to report on the unexpected death of Ed Speitel on Monday at age 61. Speitel was an Ocean City resident, engineering company owner, active member of St. Damien Parish and board member of the Ocean City Housing Authority. Michele and I would like to extend our condolences to all of his family and friends. We’re grateful for his friendship, his character and his service to all Ocean City residents.
William “Bill” Scheible retired Wednesday after a career of more than 30 years as artistic director of the Ocean City Pops. Sept. 13, 2017 was proclaimed “Bill Scheible Day” in his honor. Bill conducted more than 1,000 performances, 50 musicals and a wide variety of other productions during his exceptional career. Scheible kept alive an Ocean City tradition that began in the 1920s and continued to evolve to include music of every variety — from opera to Elton John. I want to thank Bill for his outstanding service and wish him the best in retirement. The future of the Pops will be bright because of the foundation he helped to build.
The latest forecasts call for Jose to pass by Ocean City as a hurricane on its journey over the Atlantic Ocean in the next several days. The center of the storm and the worst of its wind and rain are expected to remain offshore. But it appears fairly certain that Jose will generate big and rough surf that will build by the end of the weekend and peak on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Ocean City Beach Patrol will close all guarded beaches for the season after Sunday (Sept. 17). I urge everybody to swim only at protected beaches (see list) this weekend and to stay out of the ocean next week as the conditions get worse.
The Ocean City Tourism Development Commission in conjunction with the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce recently introduced a new smartphone app that includes all the latest information on weather, events, shopping, eating and enjoying everything in Ocean City. The app is a great tool to keep up on all the latest information on having fun here in town, but it also includes technology that can deliver targeted notifications in the event of weather emergencies. Search for “Ocean City Vacation” for the free app and look for the dark-blue OCNJ icon.
Jose is still a long way away, and the weekend forecast looks warm and dry. It should be ideal for the Airport Festival 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and the Boardwalk Aerobatic Air Show at 1 p.m. Sunday. The weekend festivities also will include a pyrotechnic performance by a skydiving team over the boardwalk on Saturday at 8 p.m. Team Fastrax will land on the beach between Seventh Street and Eighth Street. For more information on the air shows and other events, visit oceancityvacation.com. Miss New Jersey Kaitlyn Schoeffel, who was second runner-up in the recent Miss America Pageant, will greet fans before and during intermission of the Ocean City Pops season finale on Sunday (Sept. 17). For ticket information, visit www.oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice.
I hope you all enjoy the weekend.
Warm regards,
Jay A. Gillian
Mayor
