OP To Kick Off 50th Anniversary Year With Sign Unveiling

OCEAN PINES – The Ocean Pines Association will mark its 50th anniversary with special events throughout 2018.

Ocean Pines, the largest residential community in Worcester County, will kick off the year-long anniversary celebration by unveiling special 50th anniversary signs on Saturday, Jan. 6.

“We just want to highlight the community,” said Jenny Cropper-Rines, head of the 50th anniversary committee. “It’s done nothing but get better in the last 50 years.”

Cropper-Rines said the anniversary committee was made up of a variety of community members who wanted to help Ocean Pines celebrate the milestone anniversary.

“We like the community and wanted to do something special for it,” she said.

They’ve developed a series of events, including a gala, golf tournament and beach bash, among others, that will be staggered throughout the year. The committee has even arranged for a special license plate commemorating the anniversary.

“People are really working on making this a great event,” Ocean Pines Association board member Cheryl Jacobs said during an update last month.

Cropper-Rines said the committee had tried to come up with events that would highlight Ocean Pines’ various amenities. While events such as the golf tournament and the gala at the yacht club are already on the schedule, she expects smaller celebrations to be added as more and more community groups take an interest in the anniversary.

The committee is currently working on various sponsorship opportunities for the major anniversary events.

“There are lots and lots of things we’ve been working on,” she said, adding that within the committee there were different subcommittees for each event.

Cropper-Rines and her fellow committee members hope residents will join them Jan. 6 as the year-long celebration begins with the unveiling of the community’s commemorative signs. The ceremony is set to take place at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Cathell Road and Route 589.

Since its beginnings in 1968, Ocean Pines — with more than nine miles of waterfront property on 3,000 acres — has grown to include more than 8,400 lots. The community is home to 12,000 full-time residents and 8,000 part-time residents.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.