OCEAN CITY — For half a century or more, the iconic Esskay Quality Meats clocks on the Boardwalk have stood the test of time, so to speak, but the decades-long run could be coming to an end.
Roughly since the end of World War II, the Esskay clocks have stood at six different locations along the Boardwalk and have become a familiar landmark for residents and visitors. More than a few parents have told their children over the years to meet back at the Esskay clock at an appointed time, for example.
The designs have changed over the years, but the Esskay clocks have almost always been there, as familiar for many as the iconic Ferris wheel on the pier, the carousel at Trimper’s and even Thrasher’s French fries. However, the future of the clocks remains in doubt with the end date of the town’s current agreement with the Baltimore-based company quickly approaching.
“The agreement comes to an end this year,” said Recreation and Parks Director Susan Petito this week during a Recreation Committee meeting. “We’ve reached out to them to see if we can come to a new agreement going forward.”
There was a time in the early 1990s when the town attempted to move away from Esskay’s exclusivity and offered the rights to advertise on the Boardwalk clocks as a means of generating revenue, but there was little interest from the private sector. As a result, after a brief hiatus, Esskay resumed putting the clocks up each spring and taking them down each fall.
“Years ago, a council person said it would be a great marketing tool and we put it out to bid,” said Mayor Rick Meehan. “Nobody bid on them and the clocks came down so Esskay brought them back.”
Decades ago, there was no formal agreement with Esskay on placing the clocks on the Boardwalk, but for years the company’s deal with the town has been formalized to the mutual benefit of both parties.
For example, Esskay pays the town $5,000 per year for the six clocks with a 10-year contract worth $50,000. In addition, Esskay makes an annual $3,000 contribution to the Ocean City Recreation Boosters, a volunteer agency that helps sponsor youth sporting events in the resort. For its part, Esskay gets 40 gold passes to the town’s Eagle’s Landing Golf Course, a perk valued at an estimated $3,600. In addition, as a somewhat odd perk in the agreement, Esskay would have exclusive rights to any future town-sponsored hot dog eating contest.
Petito said she would reach out to Esskay in an attempt to renew the decades-old agreement.
“It’s not an inexpensive proposition to rebrand those clocks,” she said. “If Esskay want to renew and we can work out some modifications, I think we can keep this tradition going.”
