By MADDY VITALE
They may be dueling Fourth of July bike parades, but there isn’t much competition between the two. It’s just the north and south end neighbors and tourists having a great time, decking themselves and their bicycles out in patriotic displays to celebrate and relish the holiday.
“It is a kickoff for July 4. Families get together for the parades. It is so neat seeing all the different generations attending the parades. It is an honor to be the mayor when I see these parades and all of the people who come out to enjoy them,” Mayor Jay Gillian said.
The parades are free for participants and there is no advance registration. They begin at 10 a.m. July 4 at opposite ends of town.
Registration for the south end parade starts at 9 a.m. in the Our Lady of Good Counsel parking lot at 40th Street and Asbury Avenue and features floats as well as bicycles. This parade ends at the playground at 52nd Street and Haven Avenue with refreshments for participants.
Registration for the Gardens Civic Association Bike Parade starts at 9 a.m. July 4 in the parking lot at the foot of the Ocean City-Longport toll bridge. The route makes its way to East Atlantic Boulevard with a finish near Beach Road.
“This year, I will try to leave early and get down to the south end,” Gillian noted of going from one parade to the other.
A few years ago, the south end parade was in a bit of trouble. There was no organizer.
A couple of years ago, the city and the city’s department of Community Services and the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce helped to support the parade to ensure the tradition continues, Gillian said.
“It’s a great parade. The city tries to help with all the events. This is one of those traditional yearly events that bring all the families together,” he said. “Families look forward to it. It is the fabric of Ocean City.”
While it is unclear is just how long the south end parade has been going on, Gillian and Duane Sonneborn, head of the Gardens Civic Association’s north end parade, agree it has been decades.
“It isn’t as old as the north end parade. The one down there had to give it up because they stopped and no new blood was coming in,” Sonneborn explained. “That was at least two years ago. There wasn’t any in 2020 and in 2019 I don’t think there was a parade. The mayor didn’t want to see the opportunity dry up. I’m glad the mayor and the city could help keep it going.”
As for the north end parade, Sonneborn noted that there were small parades that date to the 1950s, but the parade as is it known today goes back to about 1969, when the Gardens Civic Association was founded.
There were some individual parades and block parades, but not like what we have now, he explained.
This year’s parade will not veer off from what works year after year, tried and true traditions.
And something is working.
“It’s a lot of fun every year. We normally say we get 600 participants, but I think we got 1,000 last year. I’m looking forward to beautiful weather,” Sonneborn said. “We still have the same layout and music by the city and we have the police department. We have the treats and the snacks. We are looking forward to another big parade.”
Other holiday weekend events include free patriotic Ocean City Pops concerts at 8 p.m. July 3 and July 4 at Carey Stadium, which is located on the beach block of Fifth Street.
There will be a kite-flying contest and yo-yo exhibition on July 4. For more information, call 609-399-6111.
After the Pops concert, fireworks will cap off Ocean City’s festivities on the Fourth of July. The fireworks show can be viewed between Fifth Street and 14th Street.
The fireworks display will highlight a holiday weekend filled with family fun. The beach curfew in Ocean City has been extended to 10 p.m. for July 4 to allow families to enjoy the fireworks from the beach, as well as the Boardwalk.
