News

The OCNJ Healthy Living Advisory Council will host its first Health, Fitness & Wellness Expo 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 at the Ocean City Sports and Civic Center (Sixth Street and Boardwalk).

The event will feature health food, fitness classes, speakers, vendors and a “Kids Corner” with information on raising healthy children. All are invited to this free event.

The program includes a full schedule of special activities ranging from ballroom dancing to Zumba to bicycle safety.

More than 30 vendors will be on hand with the latest products, services, and information.

The 11th annual Walk for the Wounded will be held Saturday, Sept. 28 on the Ocean City Boardwalk. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Music Pier. A ceremony honoring our military is at 9:30 a.m., and the walk begins at 10 a.m. The entire extended Ocean City community has always come out in full support of this important fundraising event.

The three-mile walk on the boardwalk begins and ends at the Music Pier. All proceeds benefit Operation First Response, a nonprofit organization that provides both financial and emotional support to wounded soldiers and their families. For more information and registration, visit www.operationfirstresponse.org.

Organizers for the OCNJ Half Marathon are expecting a record turnout for three races on Sunday, Sept. 29, and registration is still open.

Last year, almost 1,700 finishers participated in the event, which also includes a 10-mile non-competitive walk/run and a 5-kilometer race.

A total of 1,107 finished the half marathon. Registration for the 13.1-mile race continues through 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. For complete information and registration, visit www.ocnj.us/race-events. Half Marathon entrants receive a 10th-anniversary jacket. Entrants for all distances receive the OCNJ landmark finishers medal and a finish-line gift.

The public is encouraged to come out and cheer for runners. Ocean City mascot Martin Z. Mollusk and the high school’s Red Raider mascot will make appearances.

Volunteer groups man “peppy” water stations and are judged for their themes.

Contact Lisa Rumer at lrumer@ocnj.us if your group would like to volunteer.

The OCNJ Half Marathon and 10-Miler start at 8:30 a.m. The event will include some brief road closings, including the closing of the Ocean City-Longport Bridge from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on race day. Drivers on other streets and Boardwalk pedestrians/bicyclists should anticipate delays as the field of runners passes by.

The Walk for the Wounded in honor of members of the military is Sept. 28 on the Ocean City Boardwalk.

FIRST NIGHT ADMISSION BUTTONS ON SALE

Admission button sales for Ocean City’s First Night celebration are on sale now. It’s not too early to think about making plans for a family-friendly New Year’s Eve in Ocean City.

Families can take advantage of a discount on all-inclusive admission buttons. The buttons are on sale for $15. Purchase them online at firstnightocnj.com, by calling 609-399-6111, or in-person at the City Hall Welcome Center (9th Street and Asbury Avenue) or the Roy Gillian Welcome Center (on the causeway leading to Ninth Street).

The popular non-alcoholic New Year’s Eve celebration features more than 70 entertainment programs at 20 different locations in Ocean City from 4 p.m. till 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31. A fireworks display rings in the New Year at midnight.

New for First Night 2020: the Trammps, Disney’s Imagination Movers, the Duprees with the Ocean City Pops Orchestra, an interactive Country Line Dance experience, the Harlem Wizards basketball stunt act, the Hegeman String Band, the Legacy Band, and the family musical “Elephant & Piggies: We Are In A Play.”

The rides at Wonderland Pier will return this year, and other long-time favorites include the ice-skating rink, inflatables, mentalist Dan Kain, the Philly Keys Dueling Piano Show, magician Chad Juros and the Men of Broadway. For more information and schedule updates, visit firstnightocnj.com.

ALSO COMING UP

Austin Healy Sport and Touring Encounter 2019 (Sept. 25): Car show on the Boardwalk from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.AHSTC.org or call (267) 679-2500.

“The Marvelous Wonderettes” (Oct. 4, 5, 11, 12): The Ocean City Theatre Company presents a smash off-Broadway musical that transports us back to 1958 when the Springfield High prom unexpectedly loses its musical act. The show features a cast of performers from New York City and is presented by special arrangement with Stage Rights. Performances start at 7 p.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling 609-399-6111 or by visiting oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice.

Race Judicata 5K Run and 1K Fun Run (Oct. 5) – A race to raise money to fund scholarships for area high school seniors. Registration starts at 7 a.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier, and the race starts at 8 a.m. The course is on the Boardwalk. For more information, call Pam Kaithern at 609 463-0313.

Jeep Invasion (Oct. 5): Jeeps will be displayed on the Boardwalk between 5th –14th Streets, Noon-5pm. For more information visit NJJeepInvasion.com or email njjeepinvasion@gmail.com.

Firefighters will let kids try out the fire hose on “smokehouses” during the Fire Department’s open house. (Courtesy City of Ocean City)

Boardwalk & Downtown Merchant Table Sales (Oct. 5 and 6): Ocean City merchants offer discounts on merchandise displayed outdoors between Sixth Street and 14th Street on the Boardwalk and Asbury Avenue.

Ocean City Fire Department and IAFF Local 4032 Open House (Oct. 10): With live burn demonstrations, a smoke house, helicopter landing, tours of trucks, and more. This free community event runs 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fire Department headquarters at Sixth Street and Asbury Avenue. Rain date is Oct. 11. For more information, call (609) 525-9182.

Fall Block Party and Fireworks Spectacular (Oct. 12): More than 400 crafters, food vendors, musicians and entertainers fill Asbury Avenue from Fifth Street to 14th Street. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. At 9 p.m., fireworks will be viewable from the downtown section of the beach and Boardwalk. For more information, call 1-800-BEACH-NJ.

Indian Summer Weekend (Oct. 12 to 14): Seafood vendors at the Music Pier (Sat. – Mon.) and table sales with Ocean City merchants offer discounts on the merchandise displayed outdoors between Sixth Street and 14th Street on the Boardwalk and Asbury Avenue.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Ocean City (Oct. 13): The American Cancer Society sponsors a fundraising 5K walk honoring more than 300 survivors in Ocean City. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the practice field at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk. Opening ceremonies begin at 9 a.m. and the walk begins at 10 a.m. For more information, visit www.makingstrideswalk.org/Oceancitynj or call 856-673-5729.

The Ocean City Seafood Festival is a popular fall attraction.

Source: www.ocnjdaily.com