Beaches emerge from hibernation, summer's on the way
The boardwalks begin to bustle.
The beach patrols start to form.
Businesses open back up after a winter's slumber.
The "help wanted" signs emerge.
The temperatures start to rise.
The flowers bloom and the boards come down.
All in all, these signs mean one thing.
Spring is here and summer is near.
"It kind of puts a smile on everyone's face when you see 75 degrees," said Dean Langrall, director of sales and marketing for Jolly Roger Parks and Thrashers Fries. "That’s what everyone is looking forward to."
Events centered around St. Patrick's Day — such as the annual parade in Ocean City and The Starboard's opening weekend party — and businesses preparing for what's to come are signs that sleepy beach winters will soon turn into busy summers.
The sea of orange construction cones and machinery will soon turn into a scene complete with bathing suits and boogie boards. The cadence of jackhammers will turn into whatever pop song gets to the top of the charts.
At Jolly Roger, crews are preparing for the park's 52nd year. At 30th street, a new carousel arrived on the park grounds days ago and it took a crew of about a dozen to unload it and put it together. At its pier park, three new rides are coming, with names yet to be decided.
"As our general manager likes to say, it's not our first merry-go-round," Langrall said.
In Ocean City, the resort's annual spring Restaurant Week, now in its 10th year, takes place over the course of two weeks — April 17-May 1.
More than 25 area eateries are taking part this year, providing price fixed lunches and dinners ranging from $10-35, as well as exclusive deals.
The promotion allows locals to get a sneak peek at what new restaurants or menus have to offer before the summer crowds arrive. In recent years, the event was moved up from June to May, and then April, at the request of restaurant owners, as a way to hit a time when they need business, Jones said.
This time of year wasn't always when things would begin to wake up in Ocean City. For years, it was a Memorial Day to Labor Day resort. But thanks to a growing golf scene and shoulder season, the scope has expanded, Jones said.
"I think April is just the time of year people are becoming accustom to thinking about opening," said Susan Jones, executive director of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association. "We’re kind of an April to October resort now."
And in Rehoboth Beach, it has expanded even farther. Carol Everhart, executive director and CEO of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, said a mild winter has led to more visitation.
"This is what we see now," she began to explain. "We went from seasonal, to 52 weekends, to 52 extended weekends. That’s what we’ve got now."
As Everhart went through her calendar, she counted nine events taking place in April, events for every weekend in May and seven in June before the 20th.
"Someone's always providing fun or something to do," she said.
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443-210-8125
OC Restaurant week starts April 17
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If you go
OCEAN CITY RESTAURANT WEEK
When: April 17-May 1
Where: See a complete list at oceancityrestaurantweek.com
Call: 410-289-6733
Web: oceancityrestaurantweek.com