Night in Venice week filled with family fun
One highlight is the return of open houses on the 14th Street Fishing Pier. The Ocean City Fishing Club will welcome the public to tour its pier for the first time since visits were suspended during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Two open houses will coincide with the city’s Family Nights on the Boardwalk. The first will be held Thursday, July 27, and the second will be Thursday, August 10. The pier, located on the Boardwalk at 14th Street, will be open to the public both evenings from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The public is encouraged to bring non-perishable food or make a cash donation that will be given to the Ocean City Food Cupboard, a tradition that began in 2013, when the fishing club celebrated its centennial anniversary. This year all the food items and cash will be given in memory of Bob Roth, a long-time OCFC member who died in 2022 and had a strong commitment to the Food Cupboard throughout his life.
Fishing club members will be on hand to guide visitors, answer questions and demonstrate casting and fishing techniques. The pier extends nearly 750 feet from the Boardwalk, over the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. The club began a pier extension project in December 2020 to add about 113 feet to the structure. The addition was completed in spring 2021. The Ocean City Fishing Club, founded in 1913, has a strong commitment to community involvement through its youth fishing tournaments, awarding scholarships and advocating for recreational fishing. OCFC is the oldest continually operating fishing club in the nation.
The club’s Boys and Girls Surf Fishing Tournament will be held Saturday, August 12, rain or shine, at the city’s north end beach near the Ocean City-Longport bridge. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. for youth ages 8 to 16. Fishing will start at 10 a.m. and end at noon, followed by awards presentations.
WEEKLY HAPPENINGS
The popular weekly Farmers Market on the grounds of the Ocean City Tabernacle is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday through Sept. 14. The market features the best of fresh produce from local farms in the region, along with a variety of craft vendors.
Family Night on Thursday, July 27 will bring two Mummers bands to the Ocean City Boardwalk from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with the Greater Kensington String Band strutting between Sixth Street and 10th Street and the Quaker City String Band performing between 10th and 14th streets. On Tuesday, July 25, Mummers Night will return to the Boardwalk from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with more string bands providing entertainment.
Downtown Asbury Avenue will feature entertainment, face-painters, balloon sculptors and more from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday (July 27) for Market Days and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday (August 1) for Funtastic Tuesday.
OCEAN CITY POPS CONCERTS ON THE MUSIC PIER
At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27, The Jersey Tenors will take the stage with the Pops at the Ocean City Music Pier. The four perfomers will bring music from Frank Sinatra to Frankie Valli to Figaro. They are Jersey-born and -bred and Jersey-proud, and they have lots of Broadway and operatic credits to their names. The latest opera and rock mash-up sensation will include some of opera’s greatest works alongside the best of Josh Groban, ABBA, Queen, Journey, Elton John, Kool and the Gang, Bon Jovi, Springsteen and Whitney Houston.
At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 30, one of the most dynamic performers on Broadway today, Michael James Scott, returns to Ocean City. Scott has played the Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin” internationally, including Broadway, London, the North American Tour, and originating the role in the Australian production for which he won the prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He’s also known for originating the role of the Minstrel on Broadway in “Something Rotten” and originating Dr. Gotswana (aka The Maggots Guy) in “The Book of Mormon.”
For tickets to either show, visit oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice, call 609-399-6111 or stop by the Music Pier Box Office.
SUMMER CONCERT SERIES FEATURES AIMEE MANN
Aimee Mann will take the stage at the Ocean City Music Pier at 7 p.m. Monday, July 31. Grammy-nominated artist Aimee Mann has released 12 solo albums since the group ‘Til Tuesday disbanded in the early 1990s.
Check the Music Pier Box Office for ticket availability or visit Ticketmaster.
FAMILY THEATER SERIES FEATURES ‘RAPUNZEL’
The Greater Ocean City Theatre Company (OCTC) will conclude its family-friendly theatrical series on Tuesday, August 1 with a performance of “Rapunzel.”
The show is at 10:30 a.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. From the Emmy-winning team behind the mega-hit television series “Friends,” comes a familiar tale with a fantastic new spin.
Visit oceancitytheatrecompany.com for more information and to purchase tickets.
What else is happening on Night in Venice Weekend?
A new addition to the Night in Venice weekend festivities this year will be a five-kilometer run and one-mile walk sponsored by the Ocean City High School Cross Country/Track and Field Booster Club.
This event will take place at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 29, 2023 at the Ocean City Intermediate School on the morning of the annual Night in Venice boat parade. The race will follow a flat, out-and-back course along Haven Avenue and the adjacent bike path.
Prizes will be awarded for all age groups. Online registration is available at: www.runsignup.com/NIV5k. Race-day registration begins at 7 a.m. on the basketball courts behind the Intermediate School (near 18th Street and Haven Avenue).
Tickets for a July 28 concert featuring two Philadelphia-based bands – the Trammps and Russell Thompkins Jr. & the New Stylistics – are on sale now.
The “Night of Philly Soul” will start at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 28, at the Ocean City Music Pier and will be a perfect warmup for Ocean City’s Night in Venice on Saturday, July 29.
The Trammps began in Philadelphia in 1972, and by mid-1975, the band became one of Atlantic Records’ hottest disco acts. In 1977, “Disco Inferno” was the top song on the international disco scene. It was part of the “Saturday Night Fever,” and it helped the Trammps win a Grammy Award. Other hits include “Zing Went the Strings Of My Heart,” a remarkable remake of a tune originally recorded by Judy Garland in 1943, “Hold Back The Night” and “Where Do We Go From Here.”
For more than 30 years, Russell Thompkins Jr. was the original lead singer of the Stylistics. His impeccable falsetto voice led the group to international fame and recognition, recording such hits as “You’re A Big Girl Now,” “Stop, Look, Listen,” “You Are Everything”, “Rockin’ Roll Baby”, “Betcha By Golly Wow”, “Break Up To Make Up”, “Stone In Love With You” and many more. The band received a Grammy nomination in 1974 for “You Make Me Feel Brand New” and a plaque on Philadelphia’s Walk of Fame in 1994.
Tickets will be available online at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice, by calling 609-399-6111 or in-person at the Music Pier Box Office, City Hall, the Welcome Center on the Ninth Street causeway, and the 46th Street Information Center.
