The 2012 Dew Tour got underway yesterday morning in Ocean City with much fanfare, and the celebratory mood is expected to continue throughout the weekend, mainly due to the fact the resort is thrilled to have it and the Dew Tour seems excited to be here.
The festive celebration thus far has been impressive but not nearly as remarkable as the major transformation that took place on the beach in downtown Ocean City over the last two weeks. It’s startling to see what has transpired.
With contractors working around the clock, a three-block parcel of open beach became the Dew Tour site and a haven for extreme sports fanatics, featuring several different ramps, bowls and courses as well as a village setting that will feature live entertainment as well as a jumbo screen for attendees who may not be able to grab a seat to watch the action.
This year’s event is free and with that comes some good and bad. Attendance at last year’s event set an all-time Dew Tour record, and that figure should be surpassed easily this year, thanks largely to the fact the event is free, the numerous additions to the event, specifically more live music, and word carrying over from last year’s popularity.
Unfortunately, there are folks in the city government who do not think the Dew Tour in Ocean City is as valuable to the area as it truly is because of all the expenses it involves for the city.
While there are considerable costs to the city, the detractors are blinded by erroneous and foolish ideologies that confirm a short-sighted approach.
The city will reap the benefits of the Dew Tour exposure for years to come and there’s no denying that fact. Any questions regarding that can be easily quelled by the fact NBC was hyping the upcoming Dew Tour and Ocean City consequently, during its three-week international Olympics coverage.
Thanks to the tremendous national television exposure of the actual event broadcast, Ocean City has been introduced to people who previously never heard of it before the Dew Tour came here. Last year Ocean City never looked better than during the television coverage of the Dew Tour, and there’s no reason to expect it will not be represented even better this year.
This weekend marks the second year of the Dew Tour in Ocean City and a review of previous Dew Tour campaigns in recent years shows commitments of more than two years are rare. That’s not to say it’s not possible the event could return next summer, but it should be considered a reach. That’s why we encourage residents and visitors to check it out this year. We may never see anything like this in Ocean City again. Then again we might, but don’t risk missing out on the experience. It’s quite unique.