Ocean City Today
OCTOBER 9, 2015
Novel set in OC named finalist for Golden Leaf Award
(Oct. 9, 2015) The romantic suspense novel “Meant to Be” (June 2015) by Jessica James has been named a finalist in the Golden Leaf Book Award contest, sponsored by the New Jersey Romance Writers. Winners will be announced at the organization’s annual conference in October. Combining suspense, patriotism and romance, “Meant to Be” tells the tale of two people who meet by chance on the beach in Ocean City, Md. and find their lives intertwined in a way neither one imagined. One active duty military member described it as, “American Sniper but intertwined with an unforgettable, epic love story,” while Publishers Weekly, the industry’s leading trade journal, called it “an endearing page turner,” and “sweetly sentimental and moving.” James is the author of four awardwinning historical fiction novels and is the only two-time winner of the prestigious John Esten Cooke Award
for Southern Fiction. Her books have hit the No. 1 bestseller list on Amazon in a variety of categories including Military Romance and Christian Historical Fiction, and can be found in more than 100 libraries including Harvard and the U.S. Naval Academy. For more information on the author or her books, visit www.jessicajamesbooks.com.
Wine and Beer Festival at Ocean Downs this weekend Third annual Double Down event to feature Tall Tales, Fin City brewing companies
By Josh Davis Staff Writer (Oct. 9, 2015) The third annual Double Down Wine and Beer Festival will return to the Casino at Ocean Downs, Oct. 9-11. Local companies Fin City Brewing Co. and Tall Tales Brewing Company will pour samples, while regional, national and international wines will also be available through distributor Reliable Churchill. “We felt that our customers would really like to sample some good wine and taste some good beer, so we just thought we’d throw this on the schedule and invite the entire public,” organizer Crystal Layton said. The event will run from 2-7 p.m. throughout the weekend, with live entertainment scheduled from nearly beginning to end, Layton said. Bruder Hill and Sisters, both from Berlin, will have vendor tables. Held outside under a tent, the event is the last large-scale happening of the year for the casino, Layton said. “We try to bring new people in the fold and let them take a look at the
casino, plus taste some really good wine, eat some cheese, some fruit, some bread and crackers and, of course, we also get our locals that come in,” she said. “We advertise it to everybody.” Proceeds will go to the shelter Diakonia, where Layton is also the director of marketing. “I’ve been working with Diakonia for many years and when I started at the casino I told them how Diakonia really needed help,” she said. “This company is really all about the community, and we try to get involved as much as possible. They were on board that it was a good nonprofit to be working with.” Layton said the casino also does a canned food drive for Diakonia each Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas. Tickets for the Double Down Wine and Beer Festival are $30 at the door. “We want everybody to feel like [Double Down] is a great deal because it’s $30 to get in, and then we give them back $20 in free play,” Layton said. “They get to sample some really good wine, eat some cheese and get to look at some of our local vendor’s goods.” The Casino at Ocean Downs is located at 10218 Racetrack Road in Berlin. For more information, call 410-641-0600.
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