Hey Baby, It's The Third of July

Wanna see 4th of July fireworks over the ocean in Rehoboth Beach this year?  Make sure you get there a day early.  

On July 3, Rehoboth Beach is hosting a fireworks display at 9:15 PM following a bandstand concert by The Funsters at 8 PM.  

Fireworks in Rehoboth Beach on July 3

They recommend taking the Jolly Trolley or DART bus to get in and out of town that night as parking will be scarce.  No one will do that, so get there early enough to secure a space somewhere in town (or close to it).



If you would rather wait until the 4th, you have two firework display options in Ocean City, MD:

Fireworks on Beach at Division St. @ 9:30 PM.  Get there early to check out a concert by 80s tribute band,  The Reagan Years at 8 PM.

OR

Fireworks at Northside Park (125th St) @ 9:30 PM.  Concert by The Janitors at 8 PM.

July 4th Fireworks in Ocean City, MD (South)

In Bethany Beach, there is a whole day of Independence Day activities planned: Parade at noon, horseshow throwing contest at 2 PM, awards ceremony at 7:15 PM, fireworks at dusk, and an evening concert by the Air National Guard of Northeast.

Independence Day Parade in Bethany Beach

Since I've finished the latest seasons of Orange Is The New Black and Game of Thrones, I'm looking forward to spending some time outside and enjoying all the the beach has to offer.  I will be at my beach house on vacation over the next week or so.  In between eating and sleeping, I hope to do some outlet shopping, take lots of walks (to burn off the extra calories), and spend some quality time with my family.

Everybody be safe and enjoy the 4th!  

Oh, The Canvas Can Do Miracles...

There are many ways to mark the start of Summer, but my new favorite is to tune in to the Yacht Rock Channel on SiriusXM (Channel 18).  This limited-time treat offers the tunes that take you back to your youth as you sat on the beach with your parents and your portable radio.

The 2016 season of SiriusXM Yacht Rock started on 6/20 at 5 PM EST

For the next three months, I will use this station as my own personal background music as I make my way toward the sand each week and cruise along the Atlantic coast.

Here are 25 reasons you should tune in too:

1.  Robbie Dupree - Steal Away
2.  Gerry Rafferty - Right Down The Line
3.  Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze
4.  Christopher Cross - Sailing
5.  10CC - Dreadlock Holiday
6.  Boz Scaggs - Lowdown
7.  Looking Glass - Brandy
8.  Christopher Cross - Ride Like The Wind
9.  Player - Baby Come Back
10.  Atlanta Rhythm Section - So In To You
11.  Eagles - One of These Nights
12.  Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)
13.  Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes
14.  Ace - How Long?
15.  Little River Band - Reminiscing
16.  Eagles - I Can't Tell You Why
17.  Chicago - Saturday In The Park
18.  Ambrosia - How Much I Feel
19.  Firefall - You Are The Woman
20.  America - Ventura Highway
21.  Pablo Cruise - Whatcha Gonna Do
22.  Hues Corporation - Rock the Boat
23.  Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right
24.  George Benson - Gimme The Night
25.  Alan Parsons - Eye In The Sky 

The beach is gearing up for the upcoming 4th of July Weekend.  Check back later this week for lots of info about fireworks displays and other cool stuff to do.

Happiness Is...

It seems that Summer is now in full swing.  When I roll in to town on Thursday nights, it's nice to see the bustling streets, the ice cream stands open for business, and the excited families that are in town on vacation.  There is a palpable happiness at times when it's super crowded and everyone has the common goal of having a good time.  How cool is that?

I'm looking forward to having a good time this weekend.  I plan to hit the Arts Alive art show at Northside Park in OC (6/26-6/26) and enjoy a walk by the bay with live music and friendly people selling their wares.

Art in the Park

I may also check out a band or two this weekend.  Dogfish Head Brewpub in Rehoboth Beach is hosting Pale Barn Ghosts on Friday night and Wyland on Saturday night.  Both shows start at 10 PM.

My search for the area's best crabcake has been a bit stalled lately.  I tried a Crabby Burger at Harpoon Hannas last week and it was smothered in a crab dip that was really delicious (and definitely something that I will soon be ordering a whole bowl of - with a side of crackers!).  But I really need to get out there and start trying the cakes.  Tough job, but someone has to do it.

Harpoon Hannas Crab Dip

My vacation is coming up soon and I will be spending 9 or 10 glorious days at my beach house with the people that I love more than I love crab dip.  Stay tuned for more photos and silly stories!

Celebrating Fathers Day @ The Beach

Even though most Dads like to sit around and do nothing on Fathers Day, there are a few cool things happening in the DE/MD resort towns this weekend that may appeal to those who like to actually get out and do things.

In Ocean City, it is the OC Air Show weekend.  This is one of the coolest things that I have seen since buying my house in OC.  Seriously.  While you can probably see planes all over the island that day, the best seats in the house are definitely at or near the inlet and boardwalk.  Despite the recent  Airforce Thunderbird crash, they are still on the schedule for the OC show.  Taking your Dad to this amazing event would be a truly memorable Fathers Day gift.

After the air show, head over to the bay side of Ocean City, and catch a sunset ride on a horse drawn carriage.  Rides are $10 and leave from Da Lazy Lizard on 1st St.  They take you on a 1 mile loop along the bay to see the sun set and smell the wonderful smells of fish and horses.

If your Dad once wore skinny ties and parachute pants, he may enjoy going to hear 80s cover band,  The Chest Pains at the Longboard Cafe on Saturday night.  Show starts at 8 PM.  I checked out their menu and it looks a bit yummy.  I might actually have to go to this (with or without the old man).

If your Dad once wore flannel shirts with the sleeves cut off, 90s cover band, Bayside Tigers are playing at the Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach on Friday, June 17.  Tickets are $10.

If your Dad is still wearing his flannel shirts with the sleeves cut off when he's not working at the bank, he will probably enjoy the modern country sounds of  Philbilly at the bandstand in Bethany Beach 7:30 on Saturday June 18.  

Whatever your Dad is into, I'm sure that you can find something fun to do with him this coming weekend.  

Or, maybe, just leave him the hell alone.  That's probably what he really wants.

Happy Father's Day to all you "Mer-men" out there!

Sorry Ladies - My Daddy's Taken

Now that I've had a couple of days on the sand, I can pretty much tell you how this summer is gonna go down:

1.  Man buns (are they not done yet?)
I've noticed several versions of this trend on several body types. I believe that there are only a few men that can actually pull off this look well.  Those men are not in Ocean City, Maryland.  If you're in Ocean City and you're rocking a man bun, run to the nearest barber and hack that stringy turd off of your neck. 

2.  Stupid T-Shirt Decals
What a lame year for t-shirts on the boardwalks!  Could they not come up with anything original this year?  For Christ's sake - it's an election year!

In my search for this years, "T.H.O.T." or " I'm with Stupid", all I could find was "I'm not gay, but $20 is $20" and this mess in the photo below.

Not even an option for Cutie 2, 3, or 4!

3.  Smoking On The Beach

It's illegal to light up on most parts of the sand.  But, guess what?  Nobody fucking cares!  Ocean City has removed the orange butt barrels that they had at every dune crossing last year and replaced them with some other type of small, weird ashtray that nobody will ever use.  Last week, I was sitting in the crosswinds of at least three smokers within 20 feet of my chair (which was close to the surf and not in near the designated smoking area).  All we can do is hope that seagulls shit on their cigarettes.

Where the butts should go

Where the butts will actually go

4.  Long Lines for Fried Food

Ocean City, MD is a two-faced town with different personalities at each end.  The North end is more reserved and health-conscious and the South end is for the sinners.  Since the boardwalk is at the South end, that's where everyone goes for the "bad" stuff - fudge, taffy, ice cream, funnel cake, and those ever-popular Thrasher's French Fries.  I'm not saying you can't get some bad stuff at the North end.  It's just that people are more likely to exercise it off after they eat it or, perhaps,  not count doughnuts as a food group.

In line for fries in OCMD

5.  Super Short Short Summer

My God - can shorts get any shorter?  They're not even really shorts if you can see ass cheek... are they?  Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if the short short trend didn't go hand in hand with the new really fat ass trend (can you tell I'm in a bit of a mood? It's because I was born with a fat ass 30 years too early).  Bring back the 70s style shorty shorts for men and I'll shut up.

Yup

There you have it.  My predictions for the Summer of 2016.  I'm sort of like a psychic, aren't I?  

No matter how the summer ends up, I'm really looking forward to spending as much time at the beach as possible.  See y'all in the Thrasher's line!