OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
JUNE 30, 2023
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Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em? Not so fast Cannabis consumption still must abide by certain rules
HUNTER HINE/OCEAN CITY TODAY
ISLAND IN THE SUN
A developing island in Isle of Wight Bay provides refuge for boaters and sunbathers who seek a break from the crowds. Shoals and islands near the Route 50 bridge rise, recede and drift according to the dictates of the powerful tidal currents that flow under the bridge to and from Ocean City Inlet.
Hopefully, ka-boom! After three dud years, Ocean City expects powerful Fourth of July fireworks displays By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (June 30, 2023) The last time the Town of Ocean City was able to go all out for Fourth of July fireworks, the world was a different place. It was 2019, the pandemic had yet to exist, and nearly 300,000 people gathered on July 4 to watch the night sky light up in celebration of America’s independence both downtown on the beach and uptown at Northside Park. In 2020, covid hit, jumpstarting a string of unrelated incidents that re-
sulted in the cancelation of every one of the resort’s large annual fireworks shows for three years straight. But now, with July 4, 2023, just days away, city officials are hoping to bounce back with a literal bang with a fresh contract, some new parameters, and a host of precautions and preparations for shows both uptown and downtown. “Covid was such a game changer in a lot of ways, and it’s unfortunate how it’s all worked out,” Ocean City Special Events Director Frank Miller said this week. “But I think we’re fi-
nally getting the gears synchronized again, so to speak, when it comes to being able to work with a fireworks provider.” Last fall, city officials signed a three-year contact with Pennsylvania-based Celebration Fireworks to host shows annually on July 4 on the beach near the inlet downtown and Northside Park uptown, as well as on New Year’s Eve at the beach. The contract was strategically bid out with elements to ensure that the shows would go on. See FIREWORKS Page 3
By Hunter Hine Staff Writer (June 30, 2023) Fireworks won’t be the only thing burning this Fourth of July, because recreational cannabis becomes legal starting on Saturday, and the two local dispensaries are opening to all customers 21 and older. Hi Tide Dispensary, a vendor of medical “You are not cannabis lo- allowed to smoke cated off Route cannabis in the 611 in West designated Ocean City, smoking areas made a Facebook post on located on the June 23 saying Boardwalk and that customers beach.” must bring a Ashley Miller valid driver’s license, governOCPD ment ID or passport to purchase recreational cannabis at Hi Tide after July 1. The next day, its Facebook posted a disclaimer telling medical cannabis patients to stock up before July 1, because dispensary operators anticipate long lines. On Wednesday morning, Hi Tide made another post, this time telling customers that Facebook is constantly sending them warnings, and that if information on the page isn’t up to date, the dispensary’s profile might have been suspended or shut down. Hi Tide could not be reached after several contact attempts. Positive Energy, another medical cannabis dispensary on Route 50 in West Ocean City said on its website that it too will be able to sell recreSee CANNABIS Page 10
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Fireworks to return with bangs Continued from Page 1 “We learned a lot over the last year,” Miller said. “We talked to a lot of different fireworks companies and definitely found out that … it’s difficult post-covid to get a company that’s able to do two shows simultaneously, especially large scale shows like we have in Ocean City because it takes two crews to do that.” Celebration, he continued, stood out not only for having the resources to hire and lodge two full crews in town from July 3-5 for setup, detonation and tear down, but also for a positive track record with the city. “We’ve worked with Celebration Fireworks during a few different occasions, last year being the July 5 show,” Miller said, referring to a smaller show held the day after the holiday on the beach. “They’ve done a fabulous job for us,” Miller continued. “So they contracted with us this year. And they’ve been awesome.” Miller added, though, that the reasons for the cancelations the last three years were not exactly within anyone’s control, especially that of city officials. In 2020, covid forced the cancelation, as it did with most events that year. In 2021, the planned rebound shows were promptly nixed after fireworks prematurely went off while crews were setting up the equipment on the beach the morning of the holiday. “Two years ago with the fireworks detonating on the beach, that was due to manufacturer error in the packaging of the product, even outside the control of Starfire, the company that we had used that year,” Miller explained.
He added that the city’s extra parameters for safety, which is always the goal with fireworks shows, helped ensure that no one was hurt during the premature detonation. “Our safety radius is bigger than what the state requires,” Miller explained. “I think it speaks a lot to the fact that we understand large crowds, we understand big events, and the fire marshal has planned accordingly with that.” Last year, just weeks before the July 4 show, the vendor that had been hired ended up backing out due to a labor shortage. Miller said those types of circumstances, along with the weather, are beyond the city’s control, but always possibilities. He and other city staff and officials are hoping this year will be different. “We are excited fireworks are back this year at Northside Park and downtown,” Mayor Rick Meehan said in an email earlier this week. “The weather is looking promising so far. We are really looking forward to celebrating July 4th with our residents and visitors with two great shows!” Miller also pointed out some minor changes to the setup area, namely at Northside Park, that viewers should note. Unlike the most recent shows, the fireworks will be set off from the park’s soccer field instead of the pier, which will change the viewing area some. “It will limit where people can view from and it will probably condense the crowd a little at Northside Park, assuming it’s the same level of crowd,” Miller explained. He added that the beach show is expected to be a little lower in the sky this year, which may make viewing See FIREWORKS Page 7
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