MediaWize

As the sun sets and the full moon rises, the night is young for Ocean City High School students. Dresses and tuxedos are traded for messy-buns and t-shirts as juniors and seniors get ready for a night of drug and alcohol-free fun hosted by the After Prom committee. This group of caring adults spend all year planning this amazing night to give students a safe and fun all-nighter, and have been doing so for 25 years...

Mayor Jay Gillian said Friday in his weekly message posted on Ocean City's website that the town is starting to see the results of its spring capital improvement program. The repaving of Sixth Street was finished Friday. All repaving from South Jersey Gas improvements across town is now complete. Paving in the neighborhood south of 55th Street is expected to begin next week, the mayor said.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal will headline a host of local, county, state and federal law enforcement officials who will discuss efforts to address the ongoing opioid crisis at the New Jersey Law Enforcement Training: On the Front Lines of the Opioid Epidemic, hosted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. The training will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 30, at the Tropicana casino hotel in Atlantic City. The event will focus on educating law enforcement professionals form throughout the state about the opioid epidemic ravaging New Jersey.

Work to install three new sewer laterals will require lane closures and detours on Ninth Street from 8 p.m. Thursday through 6 a.m. Friday, weather permitting. The two outbound lanes of Ninth Street and one inbound lane will be closed between West Avenue and Bay Avenue.

Cape May County officials and their economic development partners celebrated the groundbreaking Wednesday of Tech Village at Cape May County Airport. The $6.2 million, 20,000-square-foot complex is the first of three proposed buildings that will serve as an innovation hub for tech businesses that will advance the goal of growing year-round jobs to residents within the county. The first building already has two tenants and is half-rented.

The Real Estate Alliance for Charities (REACH) and the Ocean City Board of Realtors announced wristbands are for sale for the Sunday Fun Day fundraiser on June 9. The wristbands for the event, to be held at Playland’s Castaway Cove on the Ocean City Boardwalk, are valid for three hours of unlimited ride access from 1 p.m. through 4 p.m. and cost $20. REACH is an IRS-recognized 501c(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to provide assistance to local individuals or organizations in need. It is a charity organization created by and affiliated with the Ocean City Board of Realtors.

Driving over the Route 52 Causeway, motorists may notice something gleaming in the distance. The Somers Mansion, the oldest existing home in Atlantic County, has a splash of fresh cream-colored paint, compliments of the volunteers from The Patriots for the Somers Mansion. On Saturday, about 12 members of the nonprofit 501c3 organization, which was formed in 2018 to beautify the state-owned mansion, painted and cleaned the exterior.

Plans for a festive 65th anniversary celebration of one of Ocean City’s premier summer events, Night in Venice, are in the works. Tickets for Night in Venice weekend shows go on sale this Thursday and registration for participating boats and waterfront homes is open. The parade starts at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 13. Chubby Checker of "The Twist" fame will be among the celebrities making appearances during Night in Venice.

Ocean City AARP Chapter 1062 is sponsoring an event for the Cape May County Senior Corps/Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) that will be held on Friday, May 17. The program starts at 12:30 p.m. in Room 111 at the Ocean City Free Public Library, located at 1735 Simpson Ave. The speaker, Rachel C. Sanfo, RSVP program director, will discuss volunteer roles for people 55 and over to showcase their skills learned throughout their lifetimes and to make a positive change in the lives of others, according to an AARP press release.

The “Night Skate 2 and Bowl Jam” event at the Ocean City Skatepark was a huge success on Friday night. Skaters of all ability levels had the chance to skate under the stars and enjoy perfect weather. Lights for the event were loaned and installed by the park’s next door neighbor, the Ocean City Fire Department, allowing skaters to enjoy the state-of-the-art park, which normally closes at dusk, under the stars.