Residents will have plenty to do in Berlin, Pocomoke, Ocean City, Ocean Pines

By Kara Hallissey, Staff Writer

(March 29, 2018) Families can enjoy an abundance of Easter activities all weekend long in Ocean City, Ocean Pines, Berlin and Pocomoke.

Here are many of the events taking place:

OCEAN PINES:

• The Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Department will present its annual Easter and Spring Celebration Saturday, March 31, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in White Horse Park, 235 Ocean Parkway.

“Bring your festive basket and get ready to scout the field for lots of colorful eggs,” Ocean Pines Marketing and Public Relations Director Denise Sawyer stated in a release. “This event is free and open to the public.”

There will be many activities for children including egg hunts, carnival games, moon bounces, face painting, pony rides, arts and crafts and photos with the Easter Bunny.

The egg hunts are for children up to age 10. There are designated times for each age group.

The egg hunt at 11:30 a.m. will be for little ones age 2 and under; noon is for youngsters ages 3-4; 1 p.m. will be for ages 5-7; and 1:30 p.m. is for children ages 8-10.

An Easter bonnet parade and contest open to children 10 and younger will begin at 12:30 p.m.

In addition, the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Pines and Ocean City will be selling hot dogs, snacks, cupcakes and drinks.

In conjunction with the Easter celebration on Saturday, the Ocean Pines Farmers and Artisans Market will have extended hours from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at White Horse Park with seasonal produce, baked goods, floral arrangements, eggs, seafood, meat, pet treats and bath products.

Easter candy donations and volunteers are still needed.

For more information or to volunteer at the Easter and Spring Celebration, call the Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Department at 410-641-7052.

BERLIN:

• The Berlin Chamber of Commerce will host its 23rd annual Spring Celebration on Saturday, March 31, on Main Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A pancake breakfast with Peter Rabbit at Rayne’s Reef restaurant will kick off festivities. There are 8:30, 9:15 or 10:30 a.m. seatings available. A reservation is required and can be made by calling 410-641-4775. The cost is $8 for adults and $6 for children.

An Easter egg hunt sponsored by On What Grounds begins at 1 p.m. on the corner of Washington and West streets in addition to free pony rides on Commerce Street from 1-3 p.m.

Participants are encouraged to bring an Easter basket to collect their eggs.

There will be an Easter bonnet parade kicking off at 3 p.m. outside of Worcester Youth and Family. Easter baskets created by On What Grounds will be give out for prizes in five categories: greenest, coolest, most creative, best Mad Hatter and best Easter bonnet.

There will also be games, crafts, face painting, a moon bounce, live music, a petting zoo, food and a Cupcake Walk.

For more information, contact the chamber at 410-641-4775 or chamberinfo@berlinchamber.org.

OCEAN CITY:

• Celebrate Good Friday with a Cross Walk on the Ocean City Boardwalk, Friday, March 30, at noon.

Participants will meet at the Son’Spot on Worcester Street and walk along the Boardwalk to Fourth Street. The group will carry a cross, sing songs and hymns and stop periodically for brief devotions on the cross.

Immediately following, a light lunch and refreshments will be provided at Atlantic United Methodist Church on the corner of Fourth Street and Baltimore Ave.

The Ocean City Christian Ministers Association hosts the Cross Walk and it will take place rain or shine. For more information, call 410-289-6573.

• Check out Ocean City’s 19th annual Easter Art, Craft and Kids Fun Fair on Friday and Saturday, March 30-31, with more than 15 Easter egg hunts, musical chairs, hula hoop and limbo contests, in addition to a number of other activities at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center on 40th Street.

The event begins at 10 a.m. and will continue until 5 p.m. both days with Beanie the Easter Bunny kicking off the festivities each morning. There will be jelly bean guessing contests, coloring tables, egg spoon races, fastest dresser relays, balloon games and appearances by Sponge Bob.

On both days, John Donaldson will perform Magic n’ Fun at noon, followed by a 2 p.m. juggling act from Cascading Carlos, who will also be on hand to teach juggling lessons.

For adults, more than 70 vendors will be featured in the art and craft show offering a wide variety of unique gifts and creative accessories including jewelry, art, décor, toys, and florals. There will also be door prizes.

Admission costs is $4 for adults and $3 for children ages 4-18, and includes most activities. Children ages 3 and under, and members of the military, police or fire department are free with an ID. Seniors (60 and older) pay $3.

There will also be pay-as-you-go activities, including sand art, face painting, hair wraps, temporary tattoos, figurine painting, make-your-own crafts, a duck pond, photos with the Easter bunny, moon bounces, an obstacle course, swings, a rock climbing wall and a shark slide.

Visit www.oceanpromotions.info/ events/easter-arts-crafts-and-kids-fair/ for a full list of events and times, and participating vendors.

• The Hippity Hoppity Hayride with the Easter Bunny returns to the inlet on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Boardwalk. The horse-drawn hayride leaves from the inlet lot near Thrasher’s fries and travels around the pier to North Division Street and back. The cost is $10 per person and children 3 and under ride free.

For more information or to make reservations, call 443-783-1409.

• Ocean City Recreation and Parks and the Worcester County Health Department are teaming up to sponsor a free one-mile “Every Bunny Walk” at Northside Park on Saturday, March 31.

Registration will take place at 10:30 a.m. before the walk starts a half hour later led by the Easter Bunny. After the walk, participants can check out a few vendors who are slated to provide information on health.

Pre-registration is encouraged for the “Every Bunny Walk.” For more information or to register, call 410-632-0056 or email regina.mason@maryland.gov for a registration form.

• Peter Cotton Tail makes his annual visit to Northside Park Saturday, March 31, during Ocean City Recreation and Park’s annual Easter Bunny Fun Shop from 1-3 p.m.

The event on 125th Street is sponsored by the Ocean City Recreation Boosters and includes an egg hunt, arts and crafts, face painting, temporary tattoos, the chance to dye Easter eggs, and nearly a dozen carnival games such as a lollipop tree, pin-the-tail-on-the-bunny, a duck pond, Easter egg ring toss, bunny putt-putt, bean-in-a-basket, bunny hoops, a jelly bean guessing contest and bunny darts.

In addition, refreshments, visits from the Easter Bunny and new this year, Magician Tom Foolery, captivates audiences courtesy of Dickens Parlour Theatre, closes out the festivities for children 2-10 years old and their families.

Ocean City residents pay $6 and non-residents $8 per child to enter the Fun Shop. Everyone must pre-register and space is limited. Register in person at the Northside Park Recreation Complex on 125th Street or online at http://oceancitymd.gov/ oc/departments/recreation-parks/.

For more information, call Ocean City Recreation and Parks at 410-250-0125.

• The Ocean City Christian Ministers Association will host a community Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday, April 1 from 6-7 a.m. on the Boardwalk at North Division Street. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Ministers and musicians from several Ocean City churches will participate in the service that combines preaching and singing. Bleachers and chairs will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket.

If it rains, the sunrise service will take place in the Atlantic United Methodist Church on the corner of Fourth Street and Baltimore Ave. Call 410-289-6573 for more information.

POCOMOKE:

• Community clergy will have a Good Friday service today, March 30 at noon. It will be at Pitts Creek Presbyterian Church at 208 Market Street in Pocomoke.

For more information, call 410-957-2383.

• Salem United Methodist Church will have an Ecumenical Easter sunrise service on the Pocomoke River, Sunday, April 1, starting at 6:35 a.m. on the dock directly behind the church. Pastor Brian Albert will speak and Salem Brass will provide special music during the service. Attendees should dress warmly and bring their own lawn chair. Following the service, breakfast will be served at the church. Call 410-957-0991 for more information.