By Steffen Klenk
For the past two years, Sue McElwee has been making heartwarming beachfront displays. A mother of four, McElwee began the tradition of placing a Christmas tree on North Street Beach. Last year, at the height of the pandemic, the tree was carefully decorated in ornaments, tinsel, and surrounded by messages of hope, love and prayer, written on clam shells.
What started as something small grew even larger. The marvelous display made national headlines. After the holiday season, the tree was taken down and donated to Funny Farm Animal Rescue. This was replaced by a giant peace sign and other creations shaped entirely from clam shells. Additionally, in June, the same shells were used to form a congratulatory sign for the Ocean City High School graduates.
In recent weeks, beachgoers spotted another display. A beach teepee was placed at the sandy entrance to the beach at the top of Morningside Road.
The beach teepee is made from bamboo. To set it up, McElwee takes three base pieces, wraps them on the ground, stands them up and wraps the remaining pieces together at the top. The entire set up only took 20 minutes, according to McElwee. “I determined the length of it by how long the inside of my car was so I could fit the bamboo in there.” In years past, the teepee was placed at North Street beach. However, because of a new snow fence that was recently installed on North Street, the teepee was moved to Morningside Road.
This yearly tradition that began three years ago, McElwee says was inspired by a picture of a similar teepee on Instagram. The teepee on North Street was created as a place for kids to hang out and take photos. “I thought it would be fun to bring it to our beach,” shared McElwee. “The teepee was created for fun.”
The teepee also honors the lives of two very special young girls, Charlotte and Annie, both of whom were born with many health challenges. The story stuck with McElwee. “If there was any way I could do something to give the family and friends of those girls a little glimmer of life, I definitely want to continue to do that.”
However, last week, during Night in Venice, the beach teepee was taken from its location on Morningside Road. The news was shared on social media the following Sunday with a simple message asking for its return. While it is unknown exactly how it happened, the community is rallying behind Sue McElwee in her effort to make our part of the world a better place for all. McElwee’s delightful and magnificent displays continue to touch the hearts of many individuals that visit the North End of Ocean City.
You can see more of Sue McElwee’s photos and displays by visiting @mothergypsea on Instagram.
Steffen Klenk is a multimedia journalist. He resides in Ocean City and enjoys capturing the eclectic moments of shore life.
