MediaWize

Mayor Jay Gillian gives a rundown on the 2020 municipal budget adopted Thursday night by City Council. After the pandemic struck, the city reworked the budget to keep local property taxes stable. "With all of the extraordinary circumstances we faced this spring, everybody had to go back to the drawing board with new revenue and expense projections," the mayor said in a statement Friday. His full statement follows.

Due to ongoing public health precautions during the coronavirus pandemic, Ocean City’s calendar of special events from the June 27 Antique Auto Show through the month of July will be canceled, the city announced Friday. The cancellations include shows and concerts on the Ocean City Music Pier, Wacky Wednesday activities, Fourth of July events and fireworks, Night in Venice, sand sculpting contests, and the Freckle Contest, among others.

Ready’s Coffee Shop & Restaurant closed temporarily following a small fire behind the building at 415 E. Eighth Street, according to the eatery’s Facebook page. Minimal damage was reported to some electrical wires on the exterior of the building. An electrician was called in to make repairs to help Ready’s get back in business as soon as possible.

Surfers from all over South Jersey came out in droves to compete in the first sanctioned contest on the East Coast since the coronavirus pandemic. There were over 100 entries for the June 13 contest held at the 7th Street beach in Ocean City. The contest started at 8 a.m. and ran all day with over 30 heats of fun, competitive surfing at all levels of competition. There were longboard divisions, shortboard divisions, a bodyboard division and one of the the day's highlights was the debut of a new division called the "mini-groms," which is a 10-and-under age group that was allowed a "push-in" assist by a parent.

Miss the grand old game? Check out Howie Newman’s Musical Baseball Show on July 9. Through the magic of Zoom, the Ocean City Free Public Library is presenting a virtual baseball concert on Thursday, July 9, at 7 p.m. This unique program, featuring singer-songwriter Howie Newman, includes baseball songs, trivia, stories about his time on the major league beat and a few surprises. Details follow on how to register for the free show.

Mayor Jay Gillian announced Monday that Ocean City's Fourth of July fireworks and Night in Venice boat parade have been canceled in response to social distancing requirements during the coronavirus pandemic. His statement follows.

Outdoor municipal and private-club swimming pools will be able to reopen on Monday, June 22. Summer camps will be able to use their pools when they reopen on July 6. To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Cape May County Department of Health has issued social distancing guidelines for the pools. The guidelines follow.

With the arrival of the summer tourism season, Mayor Jay Gillian is urging everyone to do their part in helping to protect the health and safety of the community during the pandemic. "I know it can be uncomfortable and an inconvenience, but I would like to see a lot more face coverings – in crowded spaces outside and in all public spaces inside," he said in a statement Friday. In his statement, the mayor also pays tribute to the organizers of the city's annual Juneteenth celebration. His entire statement follows.

The Ocean City Free Public Library will offer “Curbside Pickup Service” beginning Monday, June 22. This service allows patrons to borrow library materials without coming into the building. Details follow.

The Ocean City Tabernacle will open for outdoor, in-person worship services this Sunday, June 21, at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Social distancing guidelines will be observed as recommended by the CDC.