By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

The Ocean Pines Season Kickoff is gearing up for its second year. Community residents will have the opportunity to explore all the neighborhood has to offer, including amenities, small businesses, clubs, and organizations.

This year, the Ocean Pines expo will be held at Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, May 17 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees can ask amenity representatives membership questions, find volunteer, social, and club opportunities, and discover small, local businesses.

Linda Yurche, the Ocean Pines Association’s Communications Committee leader, and Gary Miller, the chair of the Aquatics Advisory Committee, are co-captains of the event.

Last year’s kickoff yielded a sizable turnout. Yurche is hopeful that Ocean Pines residents will continue to foster that sense of community and enjoy the expo just as much this time around.

“Seeing neighbors connect with one another is the thing that really gives me the most satisfaction at the end of the day,” she said.

Food vendors will also be onsite for participants to grab lunch as they browse the booths. Kona Ice was present at the expo last year and has signed on to bring its shaved ice to the kickoff once again. Yurche said they are working on getting other trucks, like Hooper’s Crab House and That Kitchen, which offered refreshments in 2024, to return.

The event was located at White Horse Park in its inaugural year, but as exhibitor space sold out and the event drew in approximately 1,000 attendees, the kickoff will now be held at the Veterans Memorial Park to provide more room. This deviation will allow organizers to expand how they promote neighborhood connection.

One such way is utilizing the remembrance park’s new gazebo, which was finished in November. According to Yurche, she and her preparation team will add seating inside the structure for those who might need to find a moment in the shade and then assemble the food options around the building.

“The new pavilion at the Veterans Memorial Park will become sort of like a picnic area,” the kickoff co-chair said. “We’ll have tables in and out of the pavilion, so if you need shade, you have a spot to sit. And we’re going to surround that space with food trucks and food vendors … So, we’re hoping people will come, walk around, buy lunch from a food vendor, and hang out with friends and neighbors. We’re expanding the way we sit and enjoy and connect with each other.”

When May 17 was confirmed as the event date, organizers sent out an email to last year’s exhibitors, and a quarter had responded within 24 hours, confirming their 2025 participation. Yurche said they currently have 20 groups signed up, like Delmarva Cat Connection and Delmarva Chorus, which is “way ahead of where we were at this point last year.”

Organizations that wish to set up a booth have until May 5 to register. Space is free for nonprofits that bring their own table or $20 if they request a table from Ocean Pines. Vendor space for businesses is around $75.

“One of the great things last year was all these small businesses came out, and if you make it too expensive, it doesn’t work for them,” Yurche said. “We tried to make it affordable for small businesses.”

Businesses and organizations can also come on as a sponsor for $500 to $2,500, with benefits including signage, social media promotion, and advertising.

TidalHealth has signed on as the kickoff’s platinum sponsor, a move that was spearheaded by Miller, Yurche said.

“[TidalHealth] had said they were interested, and then [Miller] is such an ace at rounding up sponsors,” the Communications Committee leader noted. “He is a go-out-and-talk-to-everybody guy. He just kept in touch with people, and he worked with TidalHealth to make this happen, so we’re excited.”

The initial idea behind the expo was to promote the community’s amenities ahead of the summer season. As last year’s planning took off, this was expanded to include clubs, volunteer opportunities, and the businesses surrounding the neighborhood.

 Yurche maintained that fostering connection among residents and the various opportunities available to them is the kickoff’s main goal.

“Last year was the first time we did this, and at the time, we thought we should have an event to kick off the season to remind people the amenities are open,” she said. “We were also really thinking that coming out of the pandemic, a lot of clubs and organizations were quieter. People had moved [into the neighborhood] and didn’t even know there was a chess club or a flower club. So, part of the thinking last year was, ‘let’s remind people of all the great things there are to do in Ocean Pines and all the ways you can get involved.’”

Business and organization representatives and individuals looking to volunteer at the event can email opseasonkickoff@gmail.com for registration and more information.

“We would love some new volunteers, new vendors,” Yurche said. “Anyone who wants to get involved early, this is the time to get in on the ground floor.”

Organizers expect a high turnout, similar to last year’s event, and hope people will be eager to leave their houses and enjoy the neighborhood in the sunshine as winter winds down and the warmer season kicks off.

Yurche also noted that she believes the expo will create a positive community atmosphere heading into the busy summer months.

 “I think the value of this event now, and hopefully going into the future, is that it connects people, businesses, and organizations in a positive way,” the event co-chair said. “When you’re on social media, you hear people complaining about this and that. There’s always something that could be better, that people could do better, and you can get a downer view if you just listen to what people say on social media. When they come together in person and see their neighbors, all of a sudden, all of the good stuff comes back to you, and I think that guides our vision.”