By MADDY VITALE
Ocean City’s Boardwalk becomes a veritable entertainment mecca over the summer for an assortment of singers, musicians and other street performers hustling for tips.
But over the years, since an ordinance was adopted in 2017 creating some guidelines on the entertainers, namely the hours of play and locations, there have been some revisions. The latest significant change came in 2019, when City Council eliminated the use of amplifiers by the Boardwalk entertainers.
Fast forward to 2024. Council introduced an ordinance Thursday night that would restrict where the performers could play, for how long and increases the cost of the license to perform.
The buskers, as some call them, have generated mixed feelings from the public, city officials and the Boardwalk merchants.
Before Council voted to introduce the ordinance, Ocean City resident Sheila Hartranft urged the members to reconsider some of the restrictions on the entertainers.
“I like buskers, the entertainers on the Boardwalk. They break up the monotony. They make you feel good about going up there, and especially my flutist. She's there almost every day,” Hartranft said, referring to a woman who performs at Ninth Street.
Ocean City resident Sheila Hartranft urges the Council to reconsider the fee for performer licenses.
Hartranft maintained that by creating restrictions, it will hurt the performers – especially the young ones “who decide to do something positive with their time.”
“If they have the ambition to pick up their guitar, and go up to that Boardwalk and entertain a few people, and sometimes very well, I don’t think they should be punished,” Hartranft continued. “While I understand that there should be a fee, it really should be minimal. I do not think they should be punished with an unreasonable fee.”
The ordinance designates two zones for performers. The areas would be Fifth through Eighth Streets and 12th through 14th Streets.
In addition, the license to perform would increase from $50 to $200. The entertainers can perform from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. However, city events such as Family Night, Mummers Night and parades would take precedence.
Mayor Jay Gillian said in a statement that the changes creating two zones for the Boardwalk entertainers to perform “will allow for better placement of the performers and for safer pedestrian flow along the Boardwalk.”
He also noted that the “updated ordinance also provides for the Boardwalk Merchants and the city to provide a greater range of entertainment seven days a week along the Boardwalk.”
A public hearing and final vote on the ordinance are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 25 at the 10 a.m. Council meeting.
The performers fall under the purview of the city’s Community Services Department, which handles the licenses and assigns the performers each night.
Dan Kelchner, director of the Community Services Department, said during the Council meeting Thursday that somewhere between 15 to 20 Boardwalk entertainers perform on any given night, not typically more than that.
City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson explains the ordinance.
City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson explained that the ordinance was a culmination of feedback from many sources since the 2017 ordinance. She added that the intention is not to “punish” the performers.
“We’ve had many summers with Boardwalk entertainers. We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from the public, Council, merchants and employees on the Boardwalk and taken all that into consideration. We’ve gotten a draft ordinance for revising some of the procedures,” McCrosson explained.
McCrosson also noted that the city's primary concern is the safety of the pedestrians in the heart of the Boardwalk. She said pedestrians will be "under the watchful eye of the public safety officers who are up there.”
Several Council members said revisions to the ordinance were necessary.
Council Vice President Karen Bergman said, “I am happy to move this forward. I know that when we did it in 2017, it was just experimental. Now that we tweaked it, I think it will make a lot of the public and also the business owners happy.”
Councilman Tony Polcini agreed and said “from past experience, I think it will make a lot of business owners happy.”
And Councilman Terry Crowley addressed the increase in price for the performance license, noting that the city’s code enforcement and police officials have to be taken into account with the costs for the performers.
“There is a cost to the city for the performers that are up there. I think it is fair for the city to raise the fee and manage this process a little more refined than we have in the past,” Crowley said. “I think it will be beneficial for the merchants, tourists and the entertainers. I think it is an all-around win.”
Flutist Marie Sacks-Wilner has been performing on the Ocean City Boardwalk for years.
