MediaWize

Ocean City is planning to open the 2021 season with a number of safe events for families. As the recovery from the pandemic continues, look for further announcements on events throughout the year. The events lineup for May follows.

The Ocean City Fire Department will help the Easter Bunny greet children throughout town on Saturday, April 3. The Easter Bunny will ride atop a fire engine leaving from the station at Sixth Street and Asbury Avenue at about 10 a.m. and finishing at City Hall on Asbury Avenue at about 12:30 p.m. Easter Sunday will feature more family-friendly holiday events. Details follow.

Ocean City school officials are asking students and staff to continue to be cautious and follow public health precautions designed to protect from COVID-19, especially over spring break so that they may take their next big step in their return to school, according to a news release. The district is gearing up to make a full return to in-school instruction just after spring break comes to an end. Preschool students and grades 7-12 are the last to be brought back on April 12. In order to have this come to fruition and “finish the school year strong,” students need to continue to follow the CDC guidelines, the release stated.

Ocean City High School will be hosting its first Virtual Job Fair next month and is in search of local businesses to participate. The decision to implement this as a virtual opportunity was made to maintain the safety standards set forth by the Cape May County Department of Health, according to a school news release. Details about the online job fair follow, including sign-up information.

Mayor Jay Gillian announced Friday that Ocean City now owns the entire block of land where a former car dealership was once located next to the Community Center. The plan is to preserve the property as open space, Gillian said. More information on the land deal follows in his weekly mayor's message to the public.

The New Jersey Storm Ready Board has approved an application by Cape May County to become a “StormReady” county. Cape May County is the first in the state to achieve this countywide designation, the county announced in a news release Thursday. The designation not only recognizes the county’s efforts with communication and preparedness for weather-related events, but also provides a means for communities that participate in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System to earn an additional 25 points to help maintain or increase discounts on flood insurance policies.

Three Ocean City High School students placed in a state-level photography competition run by the Ocean County Camera Club last week, according to a school press release. High school students from 15 New Jersey counties were entered in the 2021 PSA Youth Photography Contest. The Ocean City students who placed will now move forward to the national level competition run by the Photographic Society of America in the Photojournalism, People and Architecture Categories.

Ken Wisnefski, owner of OCNJDaily.com is assuring readers that OCNJDaily did not publish a controversial editorial that allegedly threatened harm to Congressman Jeff Van Drew. The editorial was published by The Ocean City Sentinel and Wisnefski is asking that all thoughts and opinions be directed to them exclusively. Confusion over which publication printed the editorial has resulted in several calls and emails threatening harm to Wisnefski and his family.

Ocean City is planning to open the 2021 season with a number of safe events for families. “We’re looking forward to the return of as many events as possible this year, but health and safety will always be our top priority,” Mayor Jay Gillian said. The lineup of spring events follows.

There are all different tastes when it comes to books. The Ocean City Free Public Library wants its patrons to take it literally. People can create edible books at home and send photos to the library via email or Facebook. Categories are Funniest, Most Appetizing and Best Visual Presentation. Voting takes place from April 1 through April 8 and the winners will be announced on Facebook.