Business plunge to follow; flag-raising to resume
OCEAN CITY – Ocean City officials will turn a ceremonial wooden key to officially “unlock the ocean” for the season at noon Friday, May 27. The free public event provides an early start to Memorial Day weekend and welcomes a long-awaited summer. Reigning Miss New Jersey Alyssa Sullivan will sing the national anthem.
Coupled with that longstanding tradition, there will be the annual march of fully clothed business persons into the chilly Atlantic Ocean for the first swim of the summer (to the strains of an Ocean City High School band playing “Pomp and Circumstance”).
Everybody is invited to participate in the Business Persons Plunge. It’s a chance to get some exposure for businesses and organizations or just to start Memorial Day weekend with a splash. Groups and individuals can sign up in advance at www.ocnj.us/bizplunge.
The Unlocking of the Ocean and the Business Persons Plunge take place on the beach adjacent to the Music Pier. Participants are encouraged to muster at 11:30 a.m. Call (609) 399-6111 for more information.
Flag-raising
The daily boardwalk flag-raising ceremony – a beloved tradition in Ocean City – will begin for the 2022 season at the Ocean City Music Pier starting on Friday, May 27. The event includes the playing of the national anthem and Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” The Ocean City mayor and veterans will meet this week to set an exact start time for the daily event – but it will be near 9 a.m. Check back for updates this week.
Saturday morning, May 28, brings the Memorial Beach Challenge, as athletes complete a two-mile obstacle course that covers much of the beach between Fifth Street and 15th Street. Proceeds from the event benefit The 31 Heroes Project, an organization that specializes in creating programs, financial support systems and future opportunities for service members, veterans and their families. The race begins at 8 a.m. near the Ocean City Music Pier. It also includes a Kids Fun Run and Memorial Paddle Out. Visit memorialbeachchallenge.com for more information on the races and for registration.
Memorial Day Service
Ocean City’s Memorial Day Service starts at 11 a.m. Monday, May 30 at Veterans Memorial Park (500 block of Wesley Avenue). All are encouraged to attend. The keynote speakers will be local VFW Post Commander Mike Morrissey and American Legion Commander Bob Marzulli.
The National Moment of Remembrance is also set for May 30. Established by Congress, the event asks Americans, wherever they are at 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, to pause in an act of national unity for one minute. Greg Murphy of Buglers Across America will sounds Taps from the Ocean City Music Pier to commemorate the moment. The performance will be broadcast on the boardwalk public address system.