Ocean City Guide: Memorial Day Weekend Events

For seasoned lovers of summer—the ones who count down the days through winter, then rue each passing day of summer—this week is a glorious one. All the good times and good food and good company are still ahead. Not a day of summer has expired yet.

Astronomers and meteorologists continue to maintain that summer starts on June 21. But everybody in Ocean City knows that it starts on the Saturday before the last Monday in May—otherwise known as the start of Memorial Day Weekend.

And of all the weekend attractions that Ocean City has to offer, there's really only one that ever really matters: the weather. You can't predict the weather—least of all on the barrier islands. But here are some things that are certain to happen next weekend:

: The Memorial Day Weekend festivities start at noon Friday, May 27, when Mayor Jay Gillian and Ocean City Beach Patrol members turn a large wooden key to officially open the ocean for the season. Goofy? Sure. But we can't interrupt a tradition that has brought decades of great summers.

The Cumberland Regional High School Choir will sing "Under the Boardwalk" as Martin Z. Mollusk, the city's hermit-crab mascot, is carried to the ocean to signal the start of the .

"Pomp and Circumstance" will play as more than 100 merchants and business professionals march, fully-clothed, into the 60-degree ocean. This year's plunge will be dedicated to Ted Prior, an Elvis performer and talented musician who died on April 14. One of Prior's recordings will play during the ceremony.

: The Philly Phanatic will be in Ocean City 5 p.m. Friday for the grand re-opening of Jilly's Eighth Street and Boardwalk store. There will be give-aways, refreshments and other surprise guests, along with a 25 percent discount on merchandise.

: The Ocean City Fire Department holds its annual American Cancer Society benefit 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 28, on the beach at Fifth Street. Four person coed teams compete in recreational and competitive divisions. Call 609-412-6663 or visit Facebook: Ocean City Firefighters FMBA Local 27.

: The American Legion Auxiliary will hold a yard sale 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 28, at the Post Home, 3304 Bay Ave. Call 609-398-6480. A  will be held in conjunction with the yard sale. Full- sized hoagies will be $5. Pick-ups can be made between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Post. Pre-orders are requested. Call Jack Hagan at 609-304-3088.

: Windsong at Wesley at 1501 Wesley Avenue opens as a designer show house this weekend. The house is open ($25) noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and all proceeds benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for childhood cancer research. See .

: The legendary band performs 8 p.m. Saturday, May 28, on the Ocean City Music Pier. For advance tickets ($30): www.brownpapertickets.com 

: Ocean City's colorful dog walk on the Boardwalk is set for May 29. Registration begins 11:30 a.m., walk starts at noon at Boardwalk and Moorlyn Terrace. Canine Fashion and Talent Contest starts at 1 p.m. For information call 609-399-2018 or access www.hsocnj.org.

: WXGN'S fourth annual fundraiser for disaster relief is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, May 29 at the Music Pier. It features artists including SPOKEN, SiLOam, Compelled, Ryan Payne Band, Chicago Winter, The Eternal Affect, Ashlyn, ChaseN@fta, Synaesthesia, Prayzm5, Through the Static and Not My Own. Tickets are $12 at the door.

: Joe Castillo will display his amazing work by constantly changing drawings from a back-lighted table onto screens. This unusual display is set for the Tabernacle, Fifth Street and Wesley Ave., at 7 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Call 609-399-1915 or visit octabernacle.org. 

: The Nor'easters amateur soccer team plays the Long Island Rough Riders at Carey Stadium, at 6 p.m. Sunday. Call 609-525-9999 or visit oceancityfc.com. 

: At 9:15 a.m. on Memorial Day, lifeguards will row a short distance off the Moorlyn Terrace Beach opposite the Music Pier and place a wreath in the Atlantic Ocean. The ceremony is in remembrance of all the men and women who sacrificed their lives "so that the rest of us could live free." The ceremony can be viewed from the pavilion area at the south side of the Music Pier or from the beach.

: The Ocean City Youth Athletic Association all-star baseball games are set for 10 a.m. Memorial Day. Major League (ages 10 to 12) and AAA (ages 8 to 10) play after opening ceremonies at 10 a.m., and the Rookie League (ages 7 to 9) game follows. The teams are part of Cal Ripken Baseball. Mayor Jay Gillian and Freeholder Sue Sheppard (a former City Council member) will be present to throw out the first ball of the game. Steele Nugent, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and his son, Steele Nugent Jr., who will soon travel to Fort Bragg for special forces training, will be on hand. Second-grader Julia Wilson will sing the National Anthem, and OCYAA President Greg Donahue will speak to the young players about the meaning of Memorial Day.

: The annual Memorial Day Service is set for 11 a.m. Monday at Veterans Memorial Park, Fifth Street and Wesley Ave. Principal speaker will be Lt. Col. (Ret.) Michael R. Hrycak, who will be introduced by Jim Scanlon, U.S. Army Veteran. Mayor Jay A. Gillian will offer remarks. The most somber part of the service will be the Reading of the Honor Roll, the names of those who died in the "service of our country," by Bob Marzulli and Brendan E. Gheen. 

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GUARDED BEACHES: Ocean City Beach Patrol lifeguards will be on duty 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the following beaches: St. Charles Place, Brighton Place, Eighth Street, Ninth Street, 11th, 12th, 14th, 18th, 26th, 34th, 44th and 57th streets. The ocean water temperature as of May 20 was 61 degrees.    

BEACH TAGS: Seasonal beach tags ($20 until May 31) are on sale:

• On the city website (although there is a $5 mailing fee for the entire order).
• At City Hall (861 Asbury Ave.), 9 a.m.-4 p.m daily.
• At the Roy Gillian Welcome Center (16 E. 9th St.), 9 a.m.-4 p.m Monday to Friday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
• At the Henry S. Knight Building (115 12th St.), 9 a.m.-4 p.m Monday to Friday.
• At the Ocean City Aquatic & Fitness Center (17th and Simpson), 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday to Friday; 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
• At the Ocean City Music Pier (Boardwalk and Moorlyn Terrace), 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.

The price goes up to $25 on June 1.