MediaWize

In a long-standing Ocean City tradition, city officials will turn a ceremonial wooden key to officially “unlock the ocean” for the season at noon Friday. The free public event provides an early start to Memorial Day weekend and welcomes a long-awaited summer. The “Unlocking of the Ocean” includes a newer tradition: The march of fully clothed business persons into the chilly Atlantic Ocean for the first swim of the summer (to the strains of an Ocean City High School band playing “Pomp and Circumstance”). Details follow on Ocean City's lineup of events for Memorial Day weekend.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday that fully vaccinated people will not need to wear masks indoors, except under certain circumstances, beginning on Friday, May 28. Cape May County has had one of the strongest vaccination programs in the state. CDC reports that 64 percent of the county’s adult population is fully vaccinated. The goal is to reach 70 percent by the end of June, according to a county news release.

The newly rebuilt Ventnor Square Theatre in Ventnor officially opened to the public Saturday with a ribbon cutting, but a couple hundred close friends of the building’s redevelopers got a sneak peek Thursday evening at the 1920s-inspired decor. Theater owners Clint Bunting, Scott Kaufman and former Ventnor resident Brett DeNafo and their partners held a soft opening that featured an open bar, refreshments and a preview of the phenomenal Dolby Atmos sound system in the largest of three movie screens that will rock customers in their reclining seats while watching the latest action movie.

The daily Boardwalk flag-raising ceremony – a beloved tradition in Ocean City – will continue in a new location at the Ocean City Music Pier starting on Saturday, May 29. A dedication ceremony is planned for 8:50 a.m. on May 29 and the flag-raising will take place at that time every day through Sept. 11. The event includes the playing of the national anthem and a medley of patriotic songs. A newly installed flagpole in front of the Music Pier will be dedicated to the memory of three veterans from Ocean City: Joe Caserta, James “JR” Robinson and Bill Cruice. Family members of these men will be on hand for the ceremony.

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.