MediaWize

This time last year, the Ocean City Theatre Company (OCTC) was canceling all programming and refunding tickets to its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, OCTC’s Artistic Director Michael Hartman announced that live theatre in Ocean City is back with the 2021 Summer Children’s Theatre Series at the Music Pier, according to an OCTC news release. Details on the shows and ticket information follow.

Friends of the Ocean City Pops held the 11th Annual Esther Weil Student Music Competition at the Music Pier at Moorlyn Place on the Boardwalk. There were 21 contestants this year. A list of the winners follows.

A 48-year-old tradition will continue virtually this year as the annual Ocean City Flower Show presented by the Garden Club of Ocean City will highlight floral creations and garden displays via photographs submitted by enthusiasts of all ages and levels. Here is your chance to show off your home gardens and flower arrangements. Individual flowers, container gardening, flower gardens, vegetable gardens, house plants, and door wreaths are all welcome. As long the plants are living, they will be accepted.  Details follow for submitting photos for the show.

Gibson Electrical & General Contractors will begin a planned lighting replacement project at the Fifth Street tennis courts on Tuesday, May 18. The contractor will be working from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily during the project. The courts will be closed to the public during those working hours on weekdays. The courts will be available at the end of each weekday and for the entire day on weekends, according to a city news release.

World-renowned guitarist Phil Keaggy will appear at the Ocean City Tabernacle for a free concert Saturday, May 22, at 7 p.m. Tickets are not required. Seating is limited due to social distancing requirements and will be on a first come, first served basis. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., with pre-concert worship led by local artist Dakota Mason starting at 6:30 p.m. With a solo career spanning more than 40 years and 60 albums, Keaggy is considered one of the most admired and respected guitarists in modern music.

On a sunny spring weekday morning, strollers slowed to a stop in front of a stretch of plexiglass to watch crews working to restore the entrance to Playland’s Castaway Cove. Fire destroyed the main entrance at 1020 Boardwalk in January in a Saturday morning blaze that drew national attention. Almost before the embers cooled, owner Scott Simpson vowed the amusement park would be open by summer. The fire gutted the Boardwalk arcade and offices, as well as additional businesses, but spared most of the rides behind the shops. The rides are already open for weekends, according to Brian Hartley, vice president of Playland. He said 25 of the 32 rides are ready to go already, and by Memorial Day weekend, operations should be close to 100 percent.

Sometimes, even the wacky stuff can acquire meaning if you do it long enough. On Friday, May 28, local business owners and multiple other participants are set to gather on the beach at noon near the Music Pier at 825 Boardwalk near Moorlyn Terrace for the symbolic unlocking of the ocean and the Business Persons Plunge. This will be the 18th year for the event, according to John Walton, one of the founders who has participated every year. As he describes it, the madcap plunge is a photographer’s dream. He wears a business suit and carries a briefcase, as do many other participants.

Mayor Jay Gillian gives an update on a series of road projects in Ocean City in his weekly message to the public. He is also inviting the public to a town hall meeting on May 22 that will include a presentation by Police Chief Jay Prettyman on the state's new marijuana laws. His entire message follows.

Mayor Jay Gillian and Police Chief Jay Prettyman will hold a Town Hall meeting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 22 at the Ocean City Tabernacle (550 Wesley Avenue). Topics will include New Jersey's legalization of marijuana, juvenile justice reform and police liability.

Night in Venice will return to Ocean City for the 66th time at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 24. Registration is now open to all boat and bayfront home owners who want to participate in this year’s celebration. Details follow for spectators, boat owners and bayfront home owners.