Historic Ocean City Churches: St. Paul's by the Sea

For Holy Week and the Easter season, we continue a series of photos on the three oldest congregations in Ocean City, Maryland. (First Presbyterian Church was featured last week, in time for its 100th anniversary.)

St. Paul's by the Sea dates back even farther. St. Paul's is, in fact, one of the two oldest churches in Ocean City. The St. Paul's building is the first to be designated a U.S. historic landmark in Ocean City.

The first Episcopal parish in the resort was formed in 1878 as a summer mission of St. Paul's in Berlin. The first congregation held Episcopal services at Congress Hall, located on the site of the present inlet. The first church was build nearby in 1881.

The present, historic, church building was constructed beginning in 1900 at Third Street and Baltimore Avenue, and the first service in the church was held July 7, 1901. A rectory was built next to the church on Third Street in 1913. The present rectory building (which today houses church offices) was constructed on Baltimore Avenue in 1923. And St. Paul's was reorganized as an independent parish in 1924. A modern parish hall occupies the Third Street site of the original rectory.

You can enlarge the pictures by clicking on them.

Palm Sunday in Ocean City, Part 5: Sunbathing and Skateboarding

Sunday afternoon was the first time this year, far as I know, that was warm enough for sunbathing in Ocean City, Maryland.

Small groups of people were scattered up and down the beach. By 1 p.m., it was so warm that adventurous folks were sunbathing in swimsuits. When you lie flat on the sand, you don't feel the breeze, so you're warmer than if you're standing up.

The vast majority of people were content ride bikes or stroll the Boardwalk, where many shops were open, rather than venture onto the beach.

Bicycling is allowed on the Boardwalk all day through April. On May 1, bicycling on the boards will restricted to mornings, but biking will be extended one extra hour this year. In recent years, bikes have been prohibited on the Boardwalk after 10 a.m. The Mayor and Council decided to extend the biking time to 11 a.m. this summer, seven days a week. To make room for bikes, the starting time for the Boardwalk tram will be pushed back from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.

I didn't see anyone swimming. One toe is all you need to tell you the water is too cold.

Of course, it's always warm enough for skateboarding. About a dozen young people were practicing their skills at the Ocean Bowl Skate Park, at 3rd Street and St. Louis Avenue. Can you believe it? A woman asked me last night if there are things for her young teenagers to do in Ocean City -- and I forgot to tell her about the skateboard park! There is a charge to use the park, by the day or the season; helmets are required; and a parent is needed to give permission, the first time a youth signs up to use the skateboard park.

Palm Sunday in Ocean City, Part 4: Cheering at the Convention Center

The parking lot at the Ocean City Convention Center was completely full this afternoon, and so was the big Municipal Lot on the south side of the Convention Center. The American Cheer and Dance Academy's Reach the Beach international competition is in its final day.

A large group of cheerleaders was having an impromptu celebration in front of Rita's Ices, on the north side of the Convention Center. Maybe their team won something, or maybe they were simply celebrating being alive on a beautiful Palm Sunday in Ocean City, Maryland.

As you can see by the decorated SUV above, events at the Convention Center attract large groups of people from far and wide, like Long Island, N.Y. The events are an economic boost for Ocean City, and a pleasant weekend of discovery for the visitors. If not for the cheer and dance internationals, those nice folks from Long Island might never have found Ocean City. We're happy they visited, and they are welcome to return for a summer vacation, or any old time.

Palm Sunday in Ocean City, Part 3: Business

As Spring progresses in Ocean City, Maryland, it gets more difficult every week to keep track of which businesses are open, and which are still closed. With the nice weekend weather we've been having this spring, restaurants and hotels and stores are reopening almost daily.

The picture above of Anthony's is a case in point. They'll be opening tomorrow, Monday. Anthony's, popular for its hand-carved roast beef, has been in business on Philadelphia Avenue since 1954. It's a small drive-in restaurant right out of 1950s Americana. I hope it never changes.

I remember Anthony's from a trip to Ocean City during a college break before Easter in 1968. One student's family had recently purchased a brand-new condo on 47th Street, which was close to the northern edge of town. You could drive all the way to Delaware and not pass anything except sand dunes and Bobby Baker's Carousel (with the Wiretap Lounge).

We stopped at Anthony's, which was closed for the winter, so a friend could use the phone booth on the corner to call her parents.

(It's hard to believe, but college students didn't have cell phones in 1968; I doubt that the term "cell phone" had been thought of. If you were away from home and needed to make a phone call, you stepped into a "phone booth." This was not an inconvenience, because phone booths were everywhere. A phone booth was a quaint and civilized luxury that allowed you to make a call in privacy, if you wanted to close the door, and also protected you from the rain. At one time, it was considered humorous to see how many students could squeeze into a phone booth. You can still see examples of phone booths in ancient "Superman" TV shows. But that era of civilization and comedy is long gone. The phone company did away with the booths and simply attached "pay phones" to poles and the sides of buildings. No more privacy, no more shelter from the rain. No more Superman. Now everyone has a cell phone, and the pay phone has become an endangered species. But I digress.)

So my friend calls her parents, leaving the phone-booth door open so that the rest of us could stand outside and eavesdrop. I distinctly remember her telling her parents that Ocean City was a "ghost town" that spring.

Easter 1968 is long ago and far away from Easter 2009. Ocean City is definitely not a ghost town this Palm Sunday weekend. Plenty of businesses are open. Traffic is almost heavy on the Coastal Highway, and the Boardwalk is busy. Anthony's is still doing business at the same corner. It still has a couple of picnic tables out front.

Palm Sunday in Ocean City, Part 2: A Tree Blooms at City Hall

All manner of trees and wildflowers are blooming in Ocean City and West Ocean City. I snapped a photo of this beautiful tree outside City Hall about noon today, Palm Sunday.

Could someone please identify the tree? It's not a dogwood tree, is it? I can tell the difference between a bird and a tree, or between a bumblebee and a flower, but I'm usually stumped when it comes to an actual name.

I understand we have some attractive cherry blossom trees at the Northside Park, but I haven't had a chance to see them for myself. I can remember when there was hardly a tree, or even a blade of green grass, in Ocean City, except for lots of wild grass and other plants on the dunes north of the developed part of town. Then most of the dunes were obliterated during the building booms of the 1970s.

But Ocean City has done a lot of planting in the past 30 years. Engineers decided that the best way to protect the town from storms was a healthy system of dunes. So the dunes were reestablished and grasses planted, and now we have a nice dune line starting at 27th Street and going north. And we have trees and other plantings lining the highways in many places, and sometimes in the new, improved, median strips.

Palm Sunday in Ocean City, Part 1: Boardwalk

You remember what I said about jackets and windbreakers yesterday? Please disregard that advice. But the advice about sunglasses and/or hats with visors is still operable. And, umm, better add sunscreen to the list of necessities.

Right now, early Sunday afternoon, LOTS of people are on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland, and many are wearing short-sleeve shirts, shorts, some flip-flops. A minority have on light jackets or sweatshirts, but after walking a few blocks, you end up carrying the sweatshirt or tying it around your waist.

Specifics: The gusty wind died down Saturday evening, and some people were walking comfortably on the Boardwalk at midnight. The temperature isn't varying much. It was 58 degrees at midnight, and 58 degrees when I drove to church at 9:50 a.m. Palm Sunday. By noon, it was 63, an hour and a half later, 66. I imagine we'll hit 70 before the afternoon is out. A light breeze out of the southwest, barely noticeable. Gas is $1.95 a gallon for regular.

Yes, people are sunbathing on the Ocean City beach this afternoon. Most are wearing shirts and pants, but some swimsuits have appeared. There will be some sunburned shoulders in Ocean City before the day is out. No, the ocean is not warm enough for swimming, but many of the hotels have indoor pools. I have some pictures to post later today.

Sunny and Seasonable in Ocean City for Palm Sunday

Many people from around Maryland are enjoying a sunny Palm Sunday weekend in Ocean City, Maryland.

After an unpromising start with rain and clouds everywhere Friday morning, the clouds cleared by mid-day Friday, bringing bright sunshine and temperatures in the low- to mid-60s -- right around the average for this time of year. The sun and the 60s are expected to continue in Ocean City through Saturday and Sunday. About half the stores on the Boardwalk are open, and plenty of restaurants and hotels are open to choose from.

The the weather is breezy, winds about 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 and occasionally even 40. One young woman on the Boardwalk yesterday with a baby stroller told me it was a beautiful afternoon, but the wind made it feel chilly. The breeze is usually stronger on the Boardwalk than it is even two or three blocks inland, and it's noticeably brisker on the Boardwalk than across the bay in West Ocean City.

The bright sunshine will make it feel warm or even hot in your car if you have the windows up, but on the Boardwalk you'll want a light jacket, or a sweater and windbreaker, and maybe sunglasses and a hat with a visor for the sun.

Here's a Boardwalk walking tip: When you first get onto the boardwalk, notice whether the breeze is coming from the north or the south. Then start walking into the breeze. That way, when you're ready to turn around, you'll have the wind at your back while you walk back. You can definitely feel the difference between walking into the wind or with the wind behind you.

Historic Ocean City Churches: First Presbyterian

Palm Sunday, Holy Week and the Easter season, is an appropriate time to begin a series of posts and photos on some of Ocean City's historic churches.

We'll start with the First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City, because the church is celebrating it's 100th anniversary on Saturday, Apr. 4. The Presbyterian community in Ocean City dates to 1892, when a Sunday school was organized. Around the turn of the century, a chapel was built at the corner of North Division Street and Baltimore Avenue. It was the Ocean City Mission Chapel, under the direction of the Buckingham Presbyterian Church in Berlin.

The First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City was officially organized 100 years ago, in 1909, and the congregation continued to hold services at the small downtown church for many years. Eventually, the congregation needed more space for parking. In 1955, a site for a new church was purchased at 13th Street and Philadelphia Ave., which was in the sand dunes north of Ocean City at the time.

The big modern Presbyterian Church was opened at 13th Street in 1963, and the congregation, both year-round residents and summer visitors, has been worshiping at that location ever since. The church's Web site is http://ocpresbyterian.org/index.php?id=home

Palm Sunday Weekend in the 60s

Is this already Palm Sunday weekend? Seems like Lent started only yesterday. Spring is moving right along.

The American Cheer and Dance Academy's Reach the Beach All Star and College Internationals will be at the Ocean City Convention Center all weekend. The partner stunts competition will take place Friday evening, beginning at 6 p.m. Doors open 4 p.m. Friday admission for fans is $6 for adults, and $3 for children and senior citizens.

Team competitions will be Saturday and Sunday, beginning at 8 a.m. both days. Doors open at 7 a.m.; Saturday and Sunday fan admission is $18 for adults, $12 for children and senior citizens, and children age 4 and under free.

Here in Ocean City, Maryland, we're looking at daytime high temperatures in the low 60s all weekend. There's a 50 percent chance of rain and thundershowers on Friday. The forecast is for all sunshine on Saturday, and mixed clouds and sunshine on Sunday.

Ocean City Ferris Wheel by Ted Gurtner

Photo COPYRIGHT by Ted Gurtner. No reproduction without the express consent of the photographer.

Here's a picture that captures the spirit of Ocean City, Maryland. This photograph, courtesy of Ted Gurtner of Ocean Pines, has the ocean water running up on the sand, and a few people out walking. I think it must be early evening, judging by the fisherman and the nearly empty beach. There is a lifeguard stand, but no lifeguard. In the background, quietly dominating the scene, stands the majestic Ferris wheel.

At first glance, the picture looks like an ordinary digital photograph. But take a closer look. (You can click on the picture to see a much larger version.) Ted enhanced the photo with a watercolor effect to create an unusually vivid portrait of the beach.

Enlargements of Ted's art (suitable for framing) are available for sale. He can be reached at 443-856-8264 or e-mail: ztag88@yahoo.com