Tribute to the Philippines in Ocean City This Weekend

Ocean City, NJ -- Ocean City’s seventh annual Tribute to the Philippines is set for Saturday.

Opening ceremonies are set for 10 a.m., July 23, in front of the Music Pier, Boardwalk and Moorlyn Terrace.
Mayor Jay Gillian will welcome visitors, and Consul General Mario DeLeon of the Philippine Consulate in New York will give comments.

Four hours of free entertainment will follow.

“The Rowan College FilAm Dancers will kick off the show with their spectacular routines,” Ocean City Public Relations Director Mark Soifer said. “And I am not exaggerating ‘spectacular.’ These are dances where performers hop between clacking boards to music. Imagine two ten foot 2x3s held by assistants at both ends. When the boards are clacked together the dancers jump out, when they are opened they jump in. Over and over again. It is a spectacle.”

The Philippine Community of South Jersey - Modifyd Group will perform Filipino Hip Hop dance routines. The Folk Art Society Rondella will perform traditional Filipino music.

Ocean City resident and Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Dick Richards, the original drummer of Haley’s Comets, will represent American music. He and his popular local band, The Ready Rockers, will present a rousing concert of rock favorites. Richards still tours the world with the remaining members of the Comets. He was also a movie, TV and Broadway performer.

Doug Jewell, owner of Ocean City’s Air Circus, and his team will perform routines as part of the show. Jewell was instrumental in bringing the Regional Yo-Yo Championships to Ocean City. The competition will take place inside the Music Pier all day Saturday with the finals at 8 p.m. Admission is free.

There will be a Trade Fair inside the loggia of the Music Pier from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fair will feature crafts and goods and services from the Philippines.

Filipino nursing organizations will provide free blood pressure testing.

There will also be demonstrations by the City’s Aquatic and Fitness Center and displays from the Ocean City Library and Historical Museum.

For information on the Philippine weekend, call 609-399-6111.

The attached image is an Ocean City Patch file photo