The Town of Ocean City has been struggling with the proliferation of street performers on the Boardwalk for several years. Issues have grown as the number of performers increase every year and the acts diversify from spray paint fumes to costumed characters to a pole dancer. However, court rulings in recent years protecting street performer’s First Amendment rights have prevented the town from strictly regulating the acts on the Boardwalk.
In the beginning of the year, the Boardwalk Task Force was created to specifically look into these concerns. Membership consisted of Chair Greg Shockley, owner of Shenanigan’s on the Boardwalk and Ocean City Development Corporation board member; Frank Knight, representing the Boardwalk Development Committee; Lee Gerachis, owner of Malibu’s Surf Shop on the Boardwalk; Bob Rothermel, representing the Downtown Association; and street performer Mark Chase.
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6 comments:
For myself and my wife we love the performers along the boarwalk. We only visit Ocean City about once or twice and summer and its always at night. We chose this time because of the atmosphere that the performers create at that time of the day.
I love to here people playing the violin, some of these odd flute or other wind instruments.
This to me always brings back some of my most beloved times long the boardwalk.
Ocean City has gone way over board with its regulations. Eventually you will not be able to walk one of the of the boardwalk to the other without violating some sort of code.
they annoy me. get rid of them all.
keep only the white ones !
I am not a fan of the street "artists" on the boardwalk, but they are not as bothersome as the criminal element that roams the streets just off the boards.
A. Turlock
The 'performers' block the boardwalk, and in the process spectators clog the boards. Find the notion that they have such a 'right' to be farfetched but...
My solution: For safety of performers and spectators alike:
Put them on the sand against the seawall. Spectators can lean over to look or go down on the sand to view. More folks can pass by on the boards w/o being impeded.
If they are selling, or accepting money make them register like a regular business so OC can get its cut.
Just don't mess with the cute "Pole Dancing Girl".
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