In a longstanding Ocean City tradition, city officials will turn a ceremonial wooden key to officially “unlock the ocean” for the summer season at noon Friday, May 27.
The free public event provides an early start to Memorial Day weekend and welcomes a long-awaited summer.
Reigning Miss New Jersey Alyssa Sullivan will sing the national anthem.
The “Unlocking of the Ocean” includes a newer tradition: The march of fully clothed businessmen and women into the ocean for the first swim of the summer (to the strains of an Ocean City High School band playing “Pomp and Circumstance”). Everybody is invited to participate in the event, dubbed the Business Persons Plunge.
It’s a chance for the locals to get some exposure for their business or organization or just to start Memorial Day weekend with a splash. Groups and individuals can sign up in advance at www.ocnj.us/bizplunge.
The Unlocking of the Ocean and the Business Persons Plunge take place on the beach adjacent to the Music Pier. Participants are encouraged to gather at 11:30 a.m. Call 609-399-6111 for more information.
The daily Boardwalk flag-raising ceremony – a beloved tradition in Ocean City – will begin for the 2022 season at the Ocean City Music Pier on Friday, May 27.
The event includes the playing of the national anthem and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian and veterans will meet this week to set an exact start time for the daily event – but it will be near 9 a.m. Check back for updates this week.
Saturday morning, May 28, brings the Memorial Beach Challenge, a spectacle to behold as athletes complete a two-mile obstacle course that covers much of the beach between Fifth Street and 15th Street.
Proceeds from the event benefit The 31 Heroes Project, an organization that specializes in creating programs, financial support systems and future opportunities for service members, veterans and their families.
The race begins at 8 a.m. near the Ocean City Music Pier. It also includes a Kids Fun Run and Memorial Paddle Out. Visit memorialbeachchallenge.com for more information on the races and for registration.
Ocean City’s Memorial Day Service starts at 11 a.m. Monday, May 30, at Veterans Memorial Park (500 block of Wesley Avenue). All are encouraged to attend. The keynote speakers will be local VFW Post Commander Mike Morrissey and American Legion Commander Bob Marzulli.
The National Moment of Remembrance is also set for May 30. Established by Congress, the event asks Americans, wherever they are at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, to pause in an act of national unity for one minute.
Greg Murphy, of Buglers Across America, will play “Taps” from the Ocean City Music Pier to commemorate the moment. The performance will be broadcast on the Boardwalk public address system.
