Ocean City to Celebrate MLK Day on Jan. 21

Ocean City will celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at two different events on Monday, Jan. 21: the Day of Service and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ceremony and Soul Food Dinner.

The ceremony, a long tradition in Ocean City, moves this year from its customary date on the Saturday before to the Monday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 21. It will be held at noon at the Hughes Performing Arts Center of Ocean City High School. The ceremony brings the community together to remember King through words, song and dance. After the program, everybody is invited to a free soul food dinner in the high school cafeteria. The Rev. Gregory Johnson of Shiloh Baptist Church will bring back one of the event’s traditional highlights -- his recitation of Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Dr. Beverly Vaughn and the Freedom Singers from Stockton University will perform. The Rev. Marcia Sanford of Macedonia Methodist Church and the Rev. Stephen Connor of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church will give a scripture readings. Ocean City resident Sally Onesty will be honored with the Martin Luther King Award for her support of individuals and families battling the effects of addiction. Ocean City Intermediate School eighth-grader Ethan Meron and seventh-grader James Burke will be honored for their winning essays reflecting on the lasting impact of Dr. King. After the program, everybody is invited to a free soul food dinner in the high school cafeteria. The menu includes fried chicken and other comfort food. Donations will be accepted and benefit OCNJ CARE. The Hughes Performing Arts Center is at Ocean City High School, and the entrance is on the beach block of Sixth Street. Volunteers are invited to join others nationwide in a Day of Service earlier on Jan. 21 to honor Dr. King’s contributions. Residents are asked to participate in a citywide cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon. Sign-up and supply distribution will take place at the Howard S. Stainton Senior Center, located in the Community Center, 17th Street and Simpson Avenue. Hot drinks and refreshments will be available back at the Senior Center after the cleanup. To participate or for more information, please call 609-399-6111. Suzanne Pelkaus, left, of Upper Township, and Ingrid Hickman, of Ocean City, were among 76 volunteers who participated in the MLK Day cleanup in 2017. OCEAN CITY SCOUT TROOP SPONSORS 3^RD ANNUAL SUPER CHILI BOWL Ocean City Boy Scouts from Troop 32 will hold the third annual Super Chili Bowl fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 2 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Howard S. Stainton Senior Center within the Ocean City Community Center (1735 Simpson Avenue). Prizes will go to the top chefs receiving votes from the general public after sampling the many different chili styles. The event is free for chef/participants with $5 per person charged at the door for taste-testing guests. Prizes will be given for Best Chili, Most Unique Chili, Hottest Chili and Best Cornbread. “We’re looking to get chili cooking chefs to enter our friendly fray,” Scoutmaster Dean William Mitzel said. “We’ve had two successful contests so far, and we want this year to be even bigger.” Chili chefs can register by sending their name, email address and phone number to Crystal Erney by phone at 609-335-3598 or by email at [email protected]. Ocean City Scout Troop 32, established in 1964, is a values-based youth development organization, helping to build future leaders by combining educational activities with fun. For more information about this event or about joining Troop 32, contact William Mitzel at (609) 938-0725. The reigning Mr. Mature America Bill Quain hams it up with the show's host, Erik Estrada, in 2018. (Courtesy city of Ocean City) MATURE AMERICA PAGEANT SEEKS CONTESTANTS Registration is now open for contestants in the Mr. Mature America Pageant on April 13. Mr. Mature celebrates the achievements of men 55 years and older. The pageant, now in its sixth year, mixes talent, good looks and self-deprecating humor. The Ocean City Music Pier crowd is raucous and appreciative as the contestants ham it up on stage, competing in talent, poise and interview segments. If you have what it takes to be the world’s next “Mr. Mature” (or if you can talk somebody into it), complete the online entry form available at www.ocnj.us/mrmature or call Michael Hartman at 609-525-9284 for more information. Deadline for sign-ups is March 15. The event is the first and only pageant of its kind in the United States. The Mr. Mature Pageant takes place on the evening of the Doo Dah Parade on April 13 to cap off a day filled with humor and nostalgia. Registration also is open for any individuals, groups or businesses who want to participate in the Doo Dah Parade at noon that day. Joining the parade is a great way to bring awareness to your business or cause before the summer season. Sign up at www.ocnj.us/Doo-Dah-Parade. The Doo Dah Parade was first held in Ocean City in 1986 as an event to herald the end of income tax season. It featured unusual entries like beach chair drill teams and fan clubs of legendary comedians. The parade begins on Asbury Avenue at Sixth Street, proceeds to 12^th Street and turns east to the boardwalk. This year it will pass the Ocean City Music Pier and finish on the boardwalk at Sixth Street. For more than a decade, the parade has been anchored by a legion of dogs from the Basset Hound Rescue League. Costumed creatures entertain the spectators as the 2018 Doo Dah Parade unfolds along Asbury Avenue.