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MARYLAND

Ocean City humming as guests pour in for Memorial Day weekend

REED SHELTON
DELMARVANOW CORRESPONDENT
Beachgoers make their way down the boardwalk in Ocean City on Saturday, May 27, 2017.

Despite the looming possibility of thunderstorms over the weekend, Ocean City was already bustling with traffic and tourists alike as the Memorial Day holiday kicked off early Saturday morning.

Cindy Twilley, owner of Fisher’s Popcorn on the Ocean City Boardwalk, expressed high hopes for business carried by the holiday traffic, which was expected to bring nearly 300,000 people, according to the Town of Ocean City — Government Facebook page.

Twilley said the boardwalk was looking busy so far — a good sign for the longstanding popcorn business, which was established in 1937 — and that pedestrians seemed to be in a great mood with the weather cooperating with the city’s yearly influx of visitors.

Hayley Short, of Salisbury, fills a container with popcorn for a customer at Fisher's on the boardwalk in Ocean City on Saturday, May 27, 2017.

“It’s looking like it’ll be better than last year if the weather keeps doing what it has been,” she said. “We have tons of sunshine so far — which is what we were really worried about — and the traffic is seeming pretty good for the Memorial Day holiday.”

That’s likely to sound like good news for businesses and tourists alike, as most of the nearly 834,000 Marylanders projected to travel during the Memorial Day holiday this year will do so by automobile, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

READ MORE:For Memorial Day, heavy, construction-free traffic

Liz Vander Clute, a crew chief with the Ocean City Beach Patrol, said although the number of people on the beach was about what she’d expect from previous years, she was expecting it to grow as the holiday weekend went on.

“A lot of the time with Memorial Day weekend a lot of it’s weather dependent, and we’re looking at a water temperature that’s a bit warmer than normal,” she said. “Right now the flow of people is pretty normal, but it’ll pick up through the course of the day.”

Children's entertainer, William Campion, right, talks with Anthony Marinella, of Gerrardstown, West Virginia and his two children Anthony Jr., 8, and Gianna, 6, on the Boardwalk in Ocean City on Saturday, May 27, 2017.

An Ocean City resident of 15 years, Jay Thompson said the incoming crowd seemed to promise a busy weekend for his hometown.

“The boardwalk’s been packed since I came out this morning,” he said.

Speaking of packed, Seacrets Jamaica U.S.A. on the bayside at 49th Street was certainly hopping as usual for Memorial Day weekend. The crowd waiting to get in at 11 a.m. to the already packed entertainment compound numbered several hundred, and wrapped all the way around the parking lot. 

Reports said the wait could be up seven hours for people at the end of the line. 

The prospect of a busy weekend in his hometown was a bit of a mixed bag for Thompson, who is a server at a local restaurant.

“It’s honestly 50-50 for me,” Thompson said of the incoming crowds, laughing. “I mean, it obviously means a lot more money coming to me and my city, but the traffic and the tourists will be an absolute nightmare for the next few months.”

READ MORE:Commencement near Memorial Day is good news for local business

John Heil, a self-described tourist from Pennsylvania, said he’s been coming to Ocean City at least once a year for the last five years.

Passersby walk past Funcade on the boardwalk in Ocean City on Saturday, May 27, 2017.

Until this weekend, it was the Bike Week festivities each fall that drew him into town, but he said he’s enjoyed being here so much in the past that it may turn into a Memorial Day tradition for him.

“We love it down here. The atmosphere, the convenience of the bus running through the city, and having the opportunity to stay right here on the beach keeps us coming,” said Heil, who didn’t hesitate to describe his plans for the weekend.

“We’ll be hanging out, drinking and having a good time with whoever passes by, just like most of the rest of the crowd.”