Between The Lines

Marquees in Ocean City seem to get a lot of attention from motorists, and some businesses do a stellar job of drawing attention to their signs with a little wit and creativity. For example, Seaside Deli’s sign in mid-town Ocean City has been one of my favorites to observe for years.

Last week, one sign that got a lot of attention was at the former home of The Adkins Company on 55th Street. Word is out that Adkins will no longer operate out of its resort location effective immediately, relying instead on its Ocean Pines and Berlin stores. However, the marquee on the property reported last week that a “Gold Club” would soon be taking over the property, sparking quite a bit of concern in Ocean City.

It’s worth noting most of the fears about a sex shop coming into the site are a bit premature, as the resort now has extremely strict rules against these types of stores as a result of the north-end shop opening a few years ago. While these shops are permitted in Ocean City, they are only allowed in certain areas and cannot be near residential communities, thanks to some clever zoning changes.

That point is moot, however, as it appears all the fuss was the result of a joke by a contractor, according to Ocean City Planning and Development Director Jesse Houston, who reported interior renovations are underway to transform it into a new retail store.

Tickets go on sale this morning for the first-ever Chickenstock Live, a day-long festival to be held Saturday, Sept. 24 from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The lineup for Chickenstock was announced this week and includes Dionne Warwick, Creedence Clearwater Revisited, Kenny Loggins, America and the Marshall Tucker Band.

Ever since the lineup was announced, a variety of opinions have been expressed. As is usually the case, the unhappy folks have been the most vocal, expressing disappointment the acts are not more current. Many have said this would have been an excellent event 15 to 20 years ago, but not today.

While I understand those beefs, I don’t think the lineup is anything to be ashamed of, considering it’s the first year for the fundraising event. I plan to be there and look forward to hearing Creedence’s “Fortunate Son” in person and seeing how much money is raised for the United Way in the process.

As expected, the bill known as the Maryland Dream Act passed the Senate this week. The bill allows the children of illegal immigrants the opportunity to pay in-state college tuition, despite the fact they are not legal residents of Maryland. This is a significant move because it represents thousands of dollars less these students will have to pay.

It’s a controversial issue, one I hope the House of Delegates does not pass, and it was interesting to see the issue does not flow along party lines as expected, at least as far as the shore’s senators are concerned. Senators Jim Mathias, Richard Colburn and E.J. Pipkin each voted against it earlier this week.

This is a tense time of year for many high school seniors, and a snafu at the University of Delaware sent the stress level through the roof for some students this week.

When I was a high school senior, headlines were made when a southern college inadvertently sent all “Congratulations” letters to the folks who were denied and letters of regret to the students who were accepted. That was a colossal mistake that led to some students, who were mistakenly denied and really were admitted, to look elsewhere for their higher education.

This week’s issue involves the modern day admission process at the University of Delaware. According to the Associated Press, a link on the university’s website allowed online registration for an upcoming event for admitted students. Apparently, the link was available to all applicants, whether they were admitted, waitlisted or denied admission.


The school reports the link was opened and viewed by 61 students who were either waitlisted or denied admission before it was taken down.

About The Author: Steven Green

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The writer has been with The Dispatch in various capacities since 1995, including serving as editor and publisher since 2004. His previous titles were managing editor, staff writer, sports editor, sales account manager and copy editor. Growing up in Salisbury before moving to Berlin, Green graduated from Worcester Preparatory School in 1993 and graduated from Loyola University Baltimore in 1997 with degrees in Communications (journalism concentration) and Political Science.