What’s Happening in OCNJ 5/4/22
Ocean City’s hermit-crab mascot will seek his shadow in a local version of Groundhog Day at 11 a.m. Friday, May 6, on the beach at Ninth Street. Martin Z. Mollusk has successfully predicted an early summer every year for more than four decades (sometimes, of course, with the creative use of flashlights by his handlers). Everybody is invited to join the fun as we collectively jump-start the long-awaited arrival of summer.
Special guest host will be meteorologist “Nor’easter” Nick Pittman. Martin Z. Mollusk will instruct Nor’easter Nick, who had the audacity to name himself after a common coastal storm, on the proper methods of weather forecasting and on the absence of inclement weather in Ocean City.
The Martin Z. Mollusk Day tradition in Ocean City dates back to 1974, when legendary Ocean City Public Relations Director Mark Soifer created the early-season promotion.
Janis Ian on her “Final Tour” will kick off a great season of shows at the Ocean City Music Pier with a special pre-summer concert at 8 p.m. Friday, May 6. The singer-songwriter just released a new album titled “The Light at the End of the Line,” and the show will feature special guests, including Tom Chapin and Livingston Taylor.
Ian’s 50-year career in music began with hits like “Society’s Child” and “At Seventeen.” Tickets for the show are available through Ticketmaster or at the City Hall Welcome Center (861 Asbury Avenue) by cash or check only.
At noon on Saturday (May 7), Mustangs, Corvettes and other high-performance American cars will rumble onto the Ocean City Boardwalk for the Modern Muscle Car Invasion. As many as 500 vehicles will remain on display on the boardwalk from Fifth Street to 14th Street until 5 p.m. For more information, visit modernmusclecarinvasion.com.
Ocean City’s popular Spring Block Party will return 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 14. Typically held on the first Saturday of May, the event is a week later than usual this year, because Mother’s Day falls on May 8.
More than 350 crafters, food vendors and entertainers will line a mile of Asbury Avenue from Fifth Street to 14th Street as part of the semi-annual event. For more information, call 1-800-BeachNJ.
Shoppers can get an early taste of the block party on May 7 and May 8, as local merchants will sell discounted merchandise at table sales outside their businesses from Sixth Street to 14th Street along Asbury Avenue and the Boardwalk. The table sales will continue on Block Party Weekend May 14 and May 15.
