OCEAN PINES – Association officials say Sunday’s fireworks display in Ocean Pines drew a record number of attendees.
On Sunday, the Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Department hosted a Fourth of July fireworks celebration at Veterans Memorial Park. Recreation and Parks Director Debbie Donahue said between 2,800 and 3,000 people came out to the park this week, shattering previous attendance records.
“That’s just at the Memorial Park,” she said in an interview Monday. “That doesn’t include the surrounding areas. That’s about 1,000 more people.”
Donahue said the association averages 2,000 attendees at its Fourth of July fireworks display. She noted, however, that more people attended for this year’s celebration after the Town of Ocean City canceled its fireworks shows earlier in the day.
On Sunday morning, the Ocean City Fire Department responded to the beach at Dorchester Street after fireworks were unintentionally discharged during setup for the town’s evening fireworks show. As a result, the resort announced the cancellation of both its downtown and uptown fireworks out of an abundance of caution.
“Ocean City’s unfortunate situation probably contributed to our big crowds, and there’s no way to tell how many people were parked in surrounding areas and probably watching from their homes,” Donahue said this week. “It was a spectacular event.”
Ocean Pines officials this week said the use of a different fireworks vendor allowed the association to continue with its fireworks display on Sunday. Donahue noted the day’s festivities – from the Annual Freedom 5K to the evening carnival games and fireworks display – were a success.
“Everybody, from the fire department, to public works, to the police department, knew what their job was and did it well,” she said.
Donahue also applauded the police department for handling vehicular and pedestrian traffic near the event.
“Everything dispersed within 45 minutes,” she added. “I think it went really well, and the fireworks were just phenomenal.”
Police Chief Leo Ehrisman credited work by a pre-preparation team that also included public works, recreation and parks, the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department, and the local neighborhood watch. He said the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office also helped direct traffic before and after the fireworks.
On July 4, Public Works Director Eddie Wells said the first workers arrived at around 6 a.m. to set up for the Freedom 5K, and the last left just after midnight. Among their duties, public works staff helped block off roads, and shuttled food and water for the countless workers and volunteers.
“We took care of the police, and the neighborhood watch guys and anybody else that was working,” Wells said in a statement. “We were riding around with coolers of water and food and keeping everybody happy.”
The Fourth of July celebration also marked the first major event since the COVID-19 outbreak shuttered many happenings in 2020, including last year’s fireworks display.
“It was very cool to have all the people back out again and having a normal Fourth of July, with everyone joining us and the kids having a great time,” Donahue said. “It was a perfect day to get back to some normal type of holiday fun.”
A video of the Fourth of July fireworks finale, as well as pictures of the event, are available for viewing on the association’s Facebook page.
“It was a very busy day, but it turned out great,” Donahue said.
In addition to the Fourth of July celebration – which featured carnival games, food vendors, and inflatable slides and bounce houses – the association recorded record-breaking numbers throughout the Pines.
Donahue said the Ocean Pines Racquet Center had a record number of pickleball plays, and Aquatics Director Kathleen Cook said pools were at capacity for much of the weekend.
Ralph DeAngelus, co-founder of the Matt Ortt Companies that runs the association’s food and beverage operation, also reported packed restaurants and a new single-day sales record at the Ocean Pines Beach Club on July 4.
“Obviously, good weather is always number one, but we also saw the desire for people to get back to normal,” he said in a statement. “We did a lot of large parties for dinner and saw a lot of families – a lot of groups of sevens and eights and nines and tens. People are getting together again for the holiday, which they weren’t able to do last year.”
General Manager John Viola said the entire holiday weekend was both a financial success for Ocean Pines, and a much-needed return to normalcy.
“Across the board, we saw people coming back out in large numbers to enjoy our amenities,” he said. “Our team put in a lot of hard work and a lot of long hours behind the scenes. We were happy to see everyone again, we’re grateful for the good weather on Sunday, and we’re looking forward to a busy rest of the summer in Ocean Pines.”
