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mvitale

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Raptors Returning to Ocean City in 2020

The hawks, falcons and an owl that patrolled Ocean City's skies for pesky seagulls wrapped up their work on Sunday. Although it was their last day for 2019, the company that owns the raptors is in negotiations with the city to return in 2020. The birds of prey were credited with chasing away the food-snatching gulls from the beaches, Boardwalk and other parts of town over the summer.

Fall Block Party – Blockbuster for O.C.

Sarah Hall, of Newtown, Pa., and her children, Lucy, 4, and Emerson, 6, walked along Asbury Avenue, checking out some of the hundreds of vendors' tents and displays that dotted the street Saturday for Ocean City’s Fall Block Party. The children’s grandparents, Marilyn and Don Hayden, own a vacation home in Ocean City. Each year, Hall and her family head to Ocean City to visit family for the festive Columbus Day weekend celebration. The Fall Block Party was packed with tens of thousands of people. It is followed by two days of events, including a seafood vendors' festival on the Music Pier and downtown and Boardwalk merchant sales.

Chamber Summit Highlights Robust Tourism

Calling it a tremendous season for the Jersey Shore and for the state, Jeff Vasser, executive director of the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism, detailed some ways he is working on to improve tourism and continue to keep Ocean City at the forefront of popular places to visit. “It seems to be a tremendous year for this area and statewide,” Vasser told an audience at the Flanders Hotel during the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce annual business summit Thursday. Ocean City holds a special place in Vasser’s heart. He grew up in Margate and lives in Linwood, but his children have worked in the resort and love it.

Officials Say Ocean City is Prepared For Storms

With potential coastal flooding in the forecast through Friday, Ocean City officials are taking all measures to stay ahead of the storm as well as keeping the public informed. “With the shift from summer to fall comes with it another nor'easter season for us to monitor,” Frank Donato, Ocean City’s emergency management coordinator, said Wednesday. The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory Wednesday that is in effect through Friday. Strong north and northeast winds are also predicted to extend through the end of the week...

O.C. Fire Department Open House Postponed

Due to the weather forecast, the Ocean City Fire Department Open House that had been scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 10 has been postponed. The new date for the event is Thursday, Oct. 17...

Special Weather Statement: Flood Advisory

A National Weather Service Coastal Flood Advisory will remain in effect for Ocean City through 11 a.m. Thursday (Oct. 10). A more severe Coastal Flood Watch has been issued for Ocean City from 4 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 10) through all of Friday (Oct. 11). Strong north and northeast winds are predicted to extend through the end of the week, and the NWS warns of coastal flooding with successive high tides through Friday. The short-term advisory forecasts water levels to peak in the hours around high tide on the bay side of Ocean City at 6:13 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 9). Forecasters project...

Realtors Offer Warmth in Clothing Drive

Each fall, local realtor Gloria Votta is touched by the outpouring of support the community extends to a clothing drive she started about nine years ago. “The whole community donates,” Votta said Monday. “Residents and people who are second homeowners see it advertised and give. People are so generous.” The “Warmth for Winter Coat, Blanket & Boot Drive” by the Ocean City Board of Realtors began Oct. 5 and continues until Nov. 27.

Shoppers Delight in Downtown and Boardwalk Merchant Sales

People who love to shop had a little taste of what is to come in Ocean City in the way of discounts and deals this weekend with downtown and Boardwalk merchant sales, just ahead of the huge Fall Block Party on Oct. 12. Merchants offered discounts throughout the weekend on merchandise displayed outside their stores between Sixth Street and 14th Street along Asbury Avenue and the Boardwalk.

Jeeps Take Over O.C. Boardwalk

Jeep lovers displayed their wheels and personalities on the Ocean City Boardwalk Saturday afternoon. There was the 2016 Jeep Wrangler called the “Kerminator,” which featured Kermit the frog stuffed animals, a very lime green paint job and a mini-Jeep on the back for the famous amphibian. Then there was the red, white and blue Wrangler “Zombie Tactical Unit.” In all, about 500 Jeeps took lined the Boardwalk from Fifth Street to 14th Street in the Ocean City NJ Jeep Invasion.

O.C. Economic Summit to Feature State Tourism Director

After coming off one of their most successful summers ever, Ocean City business leaders will look to sustain the momentum by holding an economic summit headlined by the state’s tourism director. The Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce will host its annual business summit at the Flanders Hotel on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 8 a.m. to discuss the summer of 2019, strategize for the future and listen to the advice of a top leader in tourism, Jeff Vasser, executive director of the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism.