By MADDY VITALE
Street performers will face higher licensing fees and new restrictions when they entertain crowds on the Ocean City Boardwalk this summer.
The new regulations, approved by City Council in a 7-0 vote Thursday, are designed to give the city more control over the performers and prevent them from becoming disruptive to Boardwalk businesses and visitors.
City Councilman Jody Levchuk, co-owner of the Boardwalk and downtown Jilly’s shops, said the new ordinance will clean up the existing regulations for the performers.
“What we are doing is really helping out the overall dynamic and atmosphere of the Boardwalk,” Levchuk said.
He noted that he respects the Boardwalk entertainers, what they do and why they do it, however, he said that they can be disruptive.
“It is very disruptive to the Boardwalk. It’s disruptive to employees who work in many of the stores,” he said. “There is a lot of money to be made if you do it right. And I am well aware of what someone could do on a particular day. But that’s not what it’s about.”
Levchuk added that there are quite a few talented Boardwalk performers. He pointed out that the Boardwalk Merchants Association has the ability to hire the performers.
He also said that after considering the situation over many years, he feels that everyone “came to a good place with this.”
Boardwalk performers appeared before Council to give their thoughts about the restrictions. They also unsuccessfully appealed to the Council members to reconsider the ordinance.
The ordinance limits where the performers can play, for how long and increases the cost of the license to perform. It designates two zones for performers — Fifth through Eighth Streets and 12th through 14th Streets.
The license to perform will 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.
Andrew Ehrhardt, of Egg Harbor Township, plays the saxophone on the Ocean City Boardwalk.
He told Council that the changes would make it harder for Boardwalk performers to “share their talents with the public,” noting that the increase in registration fee “will turn away many who won’t be able to make back the fee money through their performances.”
Ehrhardt asked Council to consider “what the Boardwalk performers make.”
“I make little kids stop in their tracks, their eyes widening, and minds wondering. I make the elderly remember songs, friends and times long forgotten,” he said. “I give stressed parents a few moments to relax. I make teenagers dance. I give people a reason to think of others and not just themselves.”
When asked for his reaction after the Council vote, Ehrhardt said he is “very disappointed.”
The initial ordinance on the Boardwalk performers was adopted in 2017. In 2019, Council eliminated the use of amplifiers by the Boardwalk entertainers after complaints about the volume.
Wes Kazmarck, president of the Boardwalk Merchants Association, spoke on behalf of the merchants during Thursday’s meeting.
He said that the Boardwalk merchants voted unanimously in favor of the new ordinance and restrictions.
Like Levchuk, Kazmarck said that Boardwalk businesses rely on the tourism season to make their living. The ordinance, as crafted, is a good compromise, he said.
“We are trying to find a way, and I understand that it is probably not everything that they want, and frankly, probably not everything that the Boardwalk merchants want, but that’s what a compromise is and that is what we are hoping to achieve here today,” he said.
Bryan Woolbert, a visually impaired performer who is one of the best-known Boardwalk entertainers, is a pianist, vocalist, producer and keyboardist.
He has been performing on the Ocean City Boardwalk for eight summers. He does it because he enjoys the response from the public, the joy that it brings. It is not about the money, he said. And the new restrictions will not deter him from doing what he loves, he told Council.
“Inspiring families, just getting some little kid to dance, playing a song that maybe some older folks would remember from good times in their life, that’s worth a lot more to me than the green stuff that flows in the buckets,” he said. “Honestly, if the city is going to raise the permit fee and new timing restrictions, I’m not complaining. I’m just thankful to be here. I want to work together with everyone.”
Flutist Marie Sacks-Wilner, of Galloway Township, has been performing on the Ocean City Boardwalk for years and told Council she will continue to do so, despite the new restrictions, including a “steep” permit fee.
“We are a motley group of buskers. Are we a perfect lot? Not by a long shot. Do we have drama surrounding us? Well, I don’t think it would be an Ocean City summer without some,” Sacks-Wilner said. “But we do have one common bond, and that’s the love of performing. For those of us who have had the experience, I can tell you, it is joyful and spontaneous and on a really great night, I think it’s magical.”
