With Wonderland Pier closed, ideas to attract people range from rotating carnivals to music shows, movie nights and a council dunk tank
OCEAN CITY — With the Wonderland Pier amusement park closed, the group Friends of OCNJ History & Culture has been cultivating ideas to attract visitors to that end of the boardwalk.
Proposals range from rotating carnivals in the neighboring parking lot to movies and gaming experiences shown on the wall of the Wonderland building to kite-flying contests and a splash pad for kids.
Wonderland Pier had been the main attraction at Sixth Street and Boardwalk for nearly 60 years, drawing people to that northern end of the business district. Many fear with that gone, businesses at that part of the boardwalk will suffer.
Developer Eustace Mita, an Ocean City resident, has been pitching a 252-room hotel, complete with 10 to 13 retail stores and a number of rides, to replace the amusement park. His project is called Icona at Wonderland, a nod to both the former amusement park and to Icona Resorts — high-end hotels Mita has in Cape May, Diamond Beach, Stone Harbor and Avalon.
Those plans have drawn considerable response, much of it negative, from people who don’t want a hotel in what is zoned and been historically used for amusements.
Mita has made no formal application to build the hotel, but has said he would like the city to create a redevelopment zone that would allow him to build it. He has said it could take two to three years to build the hotel.
Friends of OCNJ History & Culture is fighting the hotel proposal and asking the city to redo its Master Plan to figure out what would best replace Wonderland.
In the interim, however, most acknowledge there will be a void at that part of the boardwalk during the busy summer season.
Ocean City Councilmen Keith Hartzell and Jody Levchuk have called for ideas such as a major play area with activities for children next door to Wonderland. Adjacent to the former amusement park is the city parking lot between Fifth and Sixth streets plus a large beach area on the land side of the boardwalk used for volleyball. The city administration said it has been considering uses there as well.
Bill Merritt, a co-founder of Friends of OCNJ, appeared at the Dec. 19 City Council meeting and distributed a proposal described as Ocean City’s Carnival by the Sea, “a dazzling and changing mix of attractions that come alive day and night.” He said the group took to Facebook to solicit ideas from the community and even graded them on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the easiest idea to implement and 10 being the hardest.
Some of the ideas would be on the boardwalk between Fifth and Sixth streets, others in the parking lot, some on the beach in front of Wonderland and others on the volleyball court, among other locations. One idea — a drone light show — would actually be above Wonderland.
Merritt cheekily noted his favorite idea was a Council Person Dunk Tank.
The ideas, rating and locations include:
— Rotating carnivals in the parking lot to allow churches and non-profits to make some money. (Rating: 5.)
— Car shows on the entire boardwalk. There are a number already, but do more. (Rating: 2.)
— Movie night, projected on the walls of Wonderland surrounded by food vendors. (Rating: 2.)
— Splash pad for little kids on volleyball court. (Rating: 7.)
— Concerts on a small stage with musical acts nighty on the ocean side of Wonderland. (Rating: 4.)
— Kite-flying contest north of Sixth Street. (Rating: 2.)
— Scavenger hunt along boardwalk ending at the north end. (Rating: 4.)
— Face-painting and balloon animals in front of Wonderland. (Rating: 2.)
— Portable skate park in the parking lot when no carnivals are there. (Rating: 6.) The city’s first skate park was in the parking lot next to Wonderland before the city built the permanent one between West and Asbury avenues near the Fifth Street fire department headquarters
— Urban art on the walls of Wonderland to let kids express themselves. (Rating: 6.)
— Gaming wall projected on Wonderland. (Rating: 6.)
— Thomas the Tank Engine ride with cars to run on the boardwalk. (Rating: 7.)
— Stargazers series of telescopes with science teachers or astronomers teaching about the night sky at Fourth Street. (Rating: 4.)
— Themed dance parties with a temporary band shell in front of Wonderland. (Rating: 5.)
— Weekly sand castle contest on the beach in front of Wonderland, something already done, but do more often. Rating: 2.)
— Street performers including stilt walkers, comics, magicians in front of Wonderland. (Rating: 2.)
— Climbing wall on the volleyball courts. (Rating: 4.)
— Arcade on the ocean by moving 20 games out onto the railing in front of Wonderland. (Rating: 3.)
— Light show nightly on the walls of Wonderland. (Rating: 5.)
— Giant board games such as chess and checkers on the boardwalk from Fourth to Sixth streets. (Rating: 4.)
— Drone light show above Wonderland. (Rating: 5.)
— Portable roller skating rink: a roller surface on the boardwalk from Fourth to Sixth streets. (Rating: 7.)
— Quiet disco: People put on headphones and all dance to the same music. (Rating: 2.)
— Meet the first responders, including lifeguards, police and firefighters, and show off equipment in the parking lot. (Rating: 2.)
— Local contractors day to meet contractors in the parking lot. (Rating: 2.)
— Flower and plant show where nurseries present offerings on the boardwalk from Fifth to Sixth streets. (Rating: 2.)
— Council Person Dunk Tank on boardwalk Fifth to Sixth streets. (Rating: 3.)
— Food trucks on the boardwalk every night between Fifth and Sixth. (Rating: 2.)
— Chili cook-offs in the parking lot. (Rating: 2.)
— Dessert-themed food trucks on the boardwalk between Fifth and Sixth streets. (Rating: 2.)
— Doughnut Day face-off between providers between Fifth and Sixth on the boardwalk. (Rating: 2.)
— Muscle beach with Santa Monica-style exercise equipment on any beach from Sixth Street north. (Rating: 4.)
— Fire pits from Third to Sixth streets on the beach that people could rent. (Rating: 8.)
— Dog park on one section of the beach anywhere north of Sixth. (Rating: 5.)
— Morning yoga in front of Wonderland. (Rating: 2.)
— Farmers Market on Sunday mornings on the boardwalk or parking lot. (Rating: 4.)
— Artists gallery with pop-up shows on the boardwalk from Fifth to Sixth streets. (Rating: 3.)
“Now is the time to experiment, learn and act,” the Friends of OCNJ write in the Carnival handout. “With the community’s creativity and the city’s support, we have the chance to make the most of this transitional period and set the stage for an exciting new chapter on the boardwalk.”
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
