Ocean Pines holiday celebration breaks record for attendance

By Greg Ellison

(July 8, 2021) Following the sudden cancellation of Fourth of July firework displays in Ocean City on Sunday, corresponding crowd surge was seen at the Independence Day festivities in Ocean Pines.

Recreation and Parks Director Debbie Donahue said the return of pyrotechnics at Veterans Memorial Park after a covid-19-induced hiatus, attracted a record-breaking turnout of roughly 3,000 people.

“Ocean City’s unfortunate situation probably contributed to our big crowds, and there’s no way to tell how many people were parked in surrounding areas and probably watching from their homes,” Donahue said in a news release.

Prior to dusk, children celebrated the holiday with a huge array of inflatable slides and bounce houses.

Photo by Greg Ellison
Bouncy house exuberance is on display during the children’s event preceding the Fourth of July fireworks show on Sunday at Veterans Memorial Park in Ocean Pines.

Other highlights included carnival games, food and drink vendors, along with DJ Rupe spinning tunes.

Donahue applauded Schaefer Fireworks for staging a successful and safe display.

She also credited the Ocean Pines Police, the public works department and the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department for helping to produce the July 4 celebration.

“It takes all of us, it’s not just a Recreation and Parks event,” she said. “I really want to thank all the different departments that helped us pull this off.”

Police Chief Leo Ehrisman noted the affair involved an early preparation team comprised of staff from Public Works, Recreation and Parks and the fire department.

Ehrisman said the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office assisted with traffic control before and after the fireworks.

Additionally, Public Works Director Eddie Wells said his staff took care of safety-based road blockages and delivering food and beverages to volunteers working the event.

“We took care of the police, and the neighborhood watch guys and anybody else that was working,” Wells said. “We were riding around with coolers of water and food and keeping everybody happy.”

Donahue said after the lull in activities last year made the return of celebration this year exhilarating.

“It was a spectacular event,” she said.

The anticipated surge of people after resort officials shuttered Fourth of July fireworks was challenging, Donahue said.

“I just kept saying, ‘Where are they all coming from?’ [and] ‘What am I going to do with all these people?’” she said.

Despite the curveball, Donahue said association staff excelled at handling the crowd.

“Traffic made it out perfectly at the end of the night,” she said.

Better yet, Donahue said post event cleanup was done in less than an hour.

“It was crazy,” she said.

General Manager John Viola said overall the holiday weekend proved to be both a financial boon and return to form for the community after the covid-19 pandemic.

“Across the board, we saw people coming back out in large numbers to enjoy our amenities,” he said. “We were happy to see everyone again, we’re grateful for the good weather on Sunday, and we’re looking forward to a busy rest of the summer in Ocean Pines.”