Safety concerns stemming from sporadic downpours resulted in the Ocean City Fishing Club postponing last night’s Open House at the Pier to Thursday, August 1.
A second open house will be held Thursday, August 8. Both events, which benefit the Ocean City Food Cupboard, will run from 6-8 p.m. Pier visitors are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or make cash donations to help feed the needy.
Tom Yucis, OCFC president, said a decision to postpone the first open house was based on concerns for pier visitors’ safety. The pier extends nearly 750 feet on a slight incline from the Boardwalk, over the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Bouts of rain throughout the day and early evening made the pier planks slick in some areas and footing tentative, Yucis said.
“We didn’t want anyone visiting the pier to slip and fall going up the pier or coming back down to the Boardwalk because of slippery boards,” he said. “Our first concern is our visitors’ safety.”
The OCFC food collection program began in 2013, when the fishing club celebrated its centennial anniversary. This year’s collections will be made in memory of Regina Ralston, the manager of the Ocean City Food Cupboard, who died earlier this year. Previously, contributions were given in memory of Bob Roth, a long-time OCFC member who died in 2022 and who had a strong commitment to the Food Cupboard throughout his life.
Fishing club members will be on hand to guide visitors and answer questions about the pier and the organization. The OCFC began a pier extension project in December 2020 to add about 113 feet to the structure. The addition was completed in Spring 2021.
