Storm doesn't delay Bethany shore work

OCEAN CITY -- Post-storm evaluations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicate its efforts in conjunction with Ocean City to protect resort beaches played a role in preventing damage from Hurricane Irene.

Sand dunes are the main facet of the Maryland Hurricane Shoreline Protection Project, completed in 1991 with a price tag of $42 million, and they held up for the most part over the weekend. Surf reached the dunes during the storm, but did not overtake them -- partially because the storm's strongest moments occurred during low tide.

"The dunes did their job, and I'm glad they're still there," said Mayor Rick Meehan.

Ocean City's beaches are periodically replenished; the most recent work took place in May.

The project also included a concrete-capped sheetpile bulkhead along the Boardwalk and the placement of 3.6 million cubic yards of sand along the coastline that widened the beach.

"Ocean City appears to be in great shape, and we're proud to say that is a direct result of this project," said Baltimore District Commander Col. Dave Anderson, who visited the town with Project Manager Kevin Brennan on Monday.

The Corps finished a beach replenishment project on Fenwick Island Aug. 13 which allowed the beaches to hold up very well during the storm, according to Town Manager Win Abbott.

During the storm, some of the beach had moved about 30 yards out toward the ocean, but that change is expected to be short-lived, with the sand migrating back onto the shore.

"With natural wind and wave action, it'll build right back up again," Abbott said, adding the project probably paid for itself many times over with the protection it provided during Irene alone.

The Corps' Philadelphia District is slated to begin work on a similar project in Bethany Beach soon after Labor Day, and spokesman Ed Voigt said it is still on schedule despite the storm.

At Assateague Island National Seashore, park rangers allow the beach to experience its natural progression, and haven't designed any projects to minimize storm damage. Irene moved a lot of sand around and changed the shoreline "fairly dramatically," but there wasn't any ocean to bay overwash that reduces beach on the east and adds to the west side of the island, according to Carl Zimmerman, a management assistant at the park.

Park staff were cleaning up the island Monday for a Tuesday reopening. Some of the campgrounds were flooded during the storm, however, and Zimmerman says they won't open until Wednesday, with some staying closed until closer to the holiday weekend.

Ocean City 'dodged a missile' with Irene

OCEAN CITY -- Hurricane Irene fell well short of expectations when she passed within 50 miles of Ocean City's beaches early Sunday morning.

The result went over well with residents, town officials and business owners, along with vacationers past and future, most of whom were preparing for crippling damages.

Instead of the heavily publicized worst-case scenarios, Ocean City is back open for business, and has been since noon Sunday -- less than 12 hours after the storm's most significant period.

No injuries were reported, and the storm brought only minimal structural damage and minor flooding in low-lying areas that is typical of a severe thunderstorm.

"We dodged a missile," said Mayor Rick Meehan on Sunday morning. "I think we're all happy to see how we fared."

The town was able to allow residents and business owners back into town at 9 a.m. Sunday so they could prepare to reopen when tourists began streaming across the Routes 50 and 90 bridges three hours later. The quickness of the re-entry was something Meehan said he didn't think anyone had expected.

Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said emergency service personnel were able to complete their evaluation of the town in a short amount of time due to the fact that most of the damage was "superficial" in comparison to expectations.

Two well-known resort landmarks were damaged during the storm: a portion toward the tip of the Inlet Pier was ravaged and the jetty tower at the entrance to the Inlet was toppled and washed away.

The hurricane passed within 50 miles of the resort's coast early in the morning on Sunday; it brought sustained winds of 60 mph, with the top-recorded wind speed measured at 80 mph. Rainfall totaled 12 inches, and there was a storm surge of about 5 feet, according to information released by Ocean City officials Sunday morning.

Wind and rains were most intense from a period just after 1 a.m. that lasted less than an hour-and-a-half. The storm reduced in power afterward. The beach's sand dunes, which are in place to prevent surges entering town, held up through the storm.

Many who rode out the storm in town were underwhelmed. Steve Vider, a longtime resident who lives on Somerset Street, said he's seen nor'easters do much more damage than Irene. He was strolling around the Boardwalk early Saturday morning, where most of the damage was aesthetic in nature. Some sand had been swept onto the planks, making it difficult to discern where the beach ended and the boards began. There was, somewhat ironically, damage to the facade at Quiet Storm Surf Shop on the Boardwalk and North Division Street.

Fourth Street resident LeAnn Price was nonplussed by the storm, as well. She'd decided to stay because Ocean City is her home, she said with a shrug as she walked around town surveying the limited aftermath. She didn't object to the town's decision to impose a mandatory evacuation, she said.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Price said.

Meehan stuck by his decision to evacuate the town, even if damages from the storm end up outweighing the staggering loss in tourism dollars an empty summer weekend will produce. The information officials had when they made the decision to evacuate made it the right action to take, he said, adding that Saturday night and Sunday morning's conditions were not ones most people would want to vacation in or feel safe being exposed to.

Joe Theobald, Worcester County Emergency Services director, said he considered the actions taken during Irene to be a "successful exercise" that could be beneficial for efficient action in case of future storms.

"If something like this happens next year, they'll remember this year," Theobald said.

Emergency service personnel were pulled off the streets at around 9 p.m. Saturday, when winds reached 50 mph for a span of longer than 10 minutes. There were no 911 calls they were unable to respond to, according to Theobald.

The National Guard was called to the resort but were dismissed by town officials early in the morning to travel to parts of southern Maryland, where more aid would be useful.

"We felt it was responsible to alleviate them of their duties here," DiPino said.

DiPino's Saturday morning prediction that looting wouldn't be a problem held true for the most part:
There was one break-in in which a person took a case of beer but ended up leaving it at the scene.

They were either scared by someone or unable to carry it in the high winds, DiPino guessed.

The sun was shining early Sunday afternoon and people were coming back into town, where they were taking to the Boardwalk and the beaches in droves to enjoy the end of the weekend. Many surfers were quickly in the water, taking advantage of the lingering waves from the storm that are atypical in Ocean City.

The beach was open, but surf access was limited due to the waters. Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin warns the rough surf could continue for the next few days.

"This is the time you really have to be careful, because after these storms it gets really nice and sunny out, and people want to get to the beach and in the water," he said. "You have to realize the water isn't going to calm so quickly."

smuska@dmg.gannett.com 410-213-9442, ext. 14

Wind, surf, rain batter OC

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Palm trees and pirate flags at the nightclub Seacrets in Ocean City take the brunt of the ever-increasing wind from Hurricane Irene on Saturday afternoon. / THOMAS MELVILLE/THE DAILY TIMES

OCEAN CITY -- The officials and residents who stayed in Ocean City despite a resortwide evacuation were hunkered down indoors Saturday evening and into this morning waiting out the myriad of damages Hurricane Irene was expected to bring.

They were treated to what Worcester County Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald referred to as a "three-course meal" of sustained hurricane-force winds at about 79 mph with gusts up to 90 mph, a 4-6 foot storm surge and 8-12 inches of rainfall. The "meal" was expected to peak for as long as six hours, starting at 9 p.m. and calming down between 2-3 a.m. today, according to Mayor Rick Meehan.

The rains and increased winds came as a precursor to the heavier action starting early Saturday morning, bringing the first indications of the storm after an eerily quiet and meteorologically clear Friday night. The hurricane was expected to hover in the higher points of the Category 1 designation, but Theobald said it could make it to Category 2.

Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said about 300 nonemergency personnel had stayed in town in disobeyance of Meehan's mandatory evacuation order, based on a door-to-door check executed Friday. A typical late-August weekend sees a population of at least 200,000 in the resort, she said.

DiPino said those who remained may not have been able to get town assistance in case of an emergency after about 5 p.m., when gale force winds were expected to kick in. They couldn't risk their officers, especially in light of an evacuation order that was very publicized.

"When those winds hit about 50 miles per hour, we call them out," said Theobald of the police and firefighters who patrolled the area through the day.

Two Bulgarian students named Mustafa and Ianis opted to stay, even though they are among the group of international students who were the first ordered to evacuate on Thursday morning. They withheld their last names, so as not to get in trouble with the agencies who helped them acquire a work assignment on the coast for the summer. On Saturday afternoon, they were standing outside on the balcony of their apartment on Philadelphia Avenue, watching the wind and rain.

They noted that many of the other international students had left two days before for a shelter in Baltimore, and that they felt better in their temporary home in town.

"It's hard to make a decision when you don't know what's going to happen," said Ianis, who said his main storm-related concern was that the roof of their building might fly off.

If conditions got too dicey, they planned to go across the Route 50 Bridge to the shelter at Stephen Decatur High School. They had a couple other friends down the street who had a car who would pick them up if they all decided to leave.

Phil Stoer, a 24-year-old local who works at the Holiday Inn on 17th Street, wanted to be around for Irene. He stayed in town with about 30 other employees to help prepare the building for the storm. They'd spent most of Friday filling bags with sand and lugging them up on the beach in an effort to prevent flooding of the hotel's ground floor.

He and the other employees planned to ride the storm out in hotel rooms, so they could help begin needed repairs as soon as the storm allowed.

"How many times are you going to have the opportunity to be oceanfront for a hurricane?" Stoer said, adding he didn't think the damages would be as extensive as the worst-case scenarios people had been predicting.

In some cases, people who had originally planned to stay had left after experiencing second thoughts.

Among them was Andrew Webster, a 23-year-old who lives on 38th Street. Some of his friends had decided to leave, and he didn't want to stick around alone.

"We wanted to stick around so we could go surfing, but we got kicked out of the water anyway," Webster said.

City Manager Dennis Dare spent the storm at the Public Safety Building on 65th Street with many other city officials, including Meehan, Theobold, council members and representatives from all of the city's emergency service entities. They had set up an outpost, and Councilwoman Mary Knight and many others came through the doors Saturday morning wielding trays of food for everyone.

Dare said any preparations that could have been taken were already in place by Saturday morning, and that the town was already looking toward recovery before the storm even hit.

"It's just a matter of how hard it hits," Dare said. "Some things are going to float that have never floated before, and some things are going to blow that have never blown before. It's just a matter of what the weaknesses are."

Senator Jim Mathias stayed at his family home in town until about 11 a.m. Saturday morning, monitoring the storm for Royal Plus, Inc. a disaster management company he works for. Mathias often travels to hurricane and other natural disaster sites for the company, and was heading to Snow Hill, where they had set up a command center to continue monitoring the storm and to contribute to recovery efforts.

Mathias' two children had left the area earlier in the week to avoid the storm, he said.

"My family is safe, and Kathy is up in Heaven, so she's watching us," Mathias said of his wife, a longtime city employee who recently passed away.

Meehan was optimistic about the way the town's structures might handle the storm, saying Ocean City's buildings typically exceed code requirements. He and DiPino also said they didn't think looting would be a problem during or after the storm.

"That's just not the kind of community we have in Ocean City," DiPino said.

An assessment of the damage would immediately follow the storm, and would be used to make a decision on when people might be allowed back across the bridges into town to survey their property, Meehan said.

"This is Ocean City. We usually get through it," Theobald said.

smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14

 

 

As prepared as we can be

People in Ocean City fill up bags with sand in preparation for Hurricane Irene on Friday. / MARK WILSON/GETTY IMAGES

OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City's streets were vacant Friday afternoon, on a day when they're normally teeming with people. The reason was an uninvited guest: Hurricane Irene.

Mayor Rick Meehan said he guessed at least 90 percent of people in Ocean City heeded instructions to evacuate.

"People are understanding the severity of the storm," Meehan said. Asked if there would be fines imposed on those who decided to stay, he said, "The fine is not being bright."

Meehan said he and several Ocean City department heads, along with some police and first responders, would ride out the storm in the Public Safety Building, which was built to serve as storm headquarters.

But he said when the storm is at its strongest, beginning this afternoon, it would become too dangerous to send rescue crews to emergency calls.

From 6 p.m. today and until at least Sunday evening, Ocean City will shut down its sewer system; a toilet would likely overflow when flushed. Since Ocean City's plant serves much of West Ocean City as well, county officials ordered an evacuation of West Ocean City and the area east of Route 611. They did the same for all properties in South Point, including Cape Isle of Wight, Mystic Harbour, Snug Harbor, Assateague Point, Frontier Town campground and Castaways.

Worcester County officials said their Top 3 concerns are rainfall, wind and storm surge. The county can expect 6-12 inches of rain, 3-5 feet of storm surge above the high tide levels, and sustained winds of at least 75 mph with gusts up to 100 mph, according to Teresa Owens, director of Worcester County Emergency Services.

Projected hurricane paths based on meteorological computer models usually show varying routes as a storm churns up the coastline, Owens said. Not with Irene.

"All models have been exactly the same, within miles of each other," she said. "Bottom line, best-case scenario, we are going to get flooded, we are going to get wind damage. The ground is going to be saturated. We're going to get hammered all night Saturday."

She said any county employees who had planned vacations have been called back. All hands are on
deck until the storm and its aftermath have been handled.

"Most of you have been training a long, long time for this," Bud Church, president of the Worcester County Commissioners, told a room full of department heads and members of law enforcement at an emergency planning meeting Friday. "We're as well-prepared as we can possibly be."

Church's remarks were interrupted by his own ringing cellphone. "It's the Board of Education," he told the assembled staffers, with a smile. Church put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear the robocall explaining how schools would be closed Monday.

Monday was supposed to be the first day of school for Worcester County students, but the board put that on hold so some of its buildings could be made available as shelters. Those schools are Stephen Decatur Middle School (pets OK), Stephen Decatur High, Snow Hill High and Pocomoke High (pets OK).

The school year won't begin until evacuees are safely out of shelters. Shelters will remain open as needed and more will be made available based on demand.

Owens expected they will soon fill up because nobody will be turned away.

"They're going to rough it," she said. "They're not coming to the shelters to be comfortable. You're going to be on the floor. They will be safe but not real comfortable."

The Casino at Ocean Downs decided to close today and Sunday, after initially announcing a closure not beginning until Sunday. In Ocean Pines, the homeowners association encouraged waterfront properties and places prone to flooding to vacate. But no broad evacuation advisory had been issued for Ocean Pines as of Friday afternoon. The Assateague waterfront parks were cleared out Friday.

County crews have been "working feverishly" since Tuesday, laying sandbags at public buildings prone to flooding, inspecting bridges and securing loose items at construction sites, said Public Works Director John Tustin.

Fire companies will not respond to calls for service once sustained winds reach 45 mph, said Worcester County Fire Marshall Jeff McMahon. "While you still have time to evacuate, you should," he said.
For county law enforcement, a major area of concern is the low-lying property between Stockton and Bishopville, said Worcester County Sheriff Reggie Mason.

Mason will have extra deputies in those areas to make sure people get out safely, in addition to the 25 deputies patrolling the entire county sector-by-sector for the duration. Another 20-25 deputies will be on call should more manpower become necessary, he said.

"I want people to know we're out there," Mason said. "If you need help, we're there. Right now, I feel prepared and ready to go."

Mason expects main roads to be inaccessible as a result of flooding and fallen trees, especially around the Pocomoke Forest area.

If deputies on patrol see any residents in dangerous places riding out the storm at home, they'll take down the residents' names and the names of their next of kin. The deputies will come back later to check on those people, Mason said.

» Staff Writer Charlene Sharpe contributed to this report.

 

OC empties ahead of Irene

OCEAN CITY -- An insistent evacuation of Ocean City began at midnight, and the resort hoped to
have all residents and visitors out of town by 5 p.m. today, as a hurricane heads for Delmarva.

At midnight, Phase 3 of the resort's evacuation plan went into effect, meaning everyone other than
emergency workers had to make their way across the bridges and out of town.

The decision was made late Thursday after overnight forecasts nudged the projected path of Hurricane Irene closer to the Delmarva coastline than had been expected Wednesday. Mayor Rick Meehan signed a local state of emergency declaration, which essentially shuts down the entire town. The sale of alcohol is banned, and all businesses were asked to close.

For Ocean City, Irene's eye "will pass very close by or just offshore later Saturday night into Sunday morning," Accuweather Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said Thursday.

It will bring heavy rain -- a predicted 9.5 inches in town -- that is expected to cause substantial coastal flooding, along with sustained hurricane-force winds reaching 90 mph, with gusts near 120 mph.

The highest wind speeds from the hurricane should occur at about 9 a.m. Sunday morning, according to an evacuation notification from Ocean City officials on Thursday. Gale-force winds are expected to begin affecting the resort Saturday at about 5 p.m., with hurricane-force winds kicking in Sunday at about 4 a.m.

"You got people with no idea what the hell's about to happen to them," said Worcester County Commissioner Virgil Shockley, who said he thinks not everyone will follow the evacuation order.

"You'll have people on the top floor of some hotel for a hurricane party."

Shockley said people need to get where they need to be by tonight, and they need to stay there. He likened the storm's potential to a "real nor'easter" multiplied by three.

If people don't heed the evacuation notice and stay in Ocean City, police who encounter them will take their name and next of kin information, said Ocean City police spokesman Mike Levy.

"After that, you're on your own," Levy said. If the town goes to Phase 4 of its plan, police and fire services will be suspended until the storm is over, he said.

After 5 p.m. today, the public will not be allowed to drive, bike or walk into town, Levy said.

Ed McDonough, spokesman for the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, said he didn't anticipate mandatory evacuations for all of Worcester, Wicomico and surrounding counties, but that it hadn't been ruled out.

He said evacuees are more likely to be sent to local shelters than across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. If wind speeds in the area of the bridge reach 55 mph or higher during Irene's duration, the bridge will close.

In Somerset County, officials were expected to begin evacuating Smith Island, according to Yvette Sterling, assistant director of emergency services. Irene is expected to hit that area Saturday night at around the same time as high tide in Crisfield and Deal Island.

Somerset could see 6-12 inches of rain and tidal surges of 2-4 feet, which could cause serious flooding in coastal areas.

"I think Sunday morning's going to be a mess," Sterling said.

Ocean City's evacuation began with its first phase Thursday morning, when it asked planned visitors to stay away from town and began to evacuate its foreign-student summer work force. They were taken from the Roland Powell Convention Center by municipal bus first to Arthur W. Perdue Stadium, and then to a shelter in Baltimore.

The evacuation of some 4,000 students is expected to be completed sometime this morning.

"I'm not that scared, but it's good they're doing this," Elena Viscovatih, a native of Moldova, said while she waited with a bag to board a bus. "When we came here, we didn't expect to meet a hurricane. Last year, nothing like this happened."

One student from Moscow was distressed about the evacuation. She had a plane ticket for Saturday that would take her to New York. From there, she had planned to fly back to her home country.

"I don't know what I am supposed to do," she said in tears. "What do I do?"

» Staff Writers Liz Holland, Brian Shane and Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.

Ocean City officials order evacuation on Friday

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A crew at Sunset Marina in West Ocean City lifts a boat from the water on Wednesday as Hurricane Irene strengthened. The couple that owns the boat, Dream Catcher, also has property in Florida and decided to shore up both locations as the path of the storm was uncertain. / LAURA EMMONS/THE DAILY TIMES

OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City officials have ordered a mandatory evacuation starting at midnight tonight.

At that time, phase 3 of the resort's evacuation plan will go into effect, meaning everyone other than emergency personnel must leave.

A town statement said effective at midnight, "All persons other than identified emergency personnel are ordered to evacuate. Visitors are asked to return to their principal residences. Ocean City residents are asked to seek shelter elsewhere.

"Utilizing the authority under a local State of Emergency, the Mayor is banning the sale of all alcohol in Ocean City and requests that all businesses close beginning at midnight. All incoming traffic to Ocean City, Maryland, will be limited to emergency personnel."

The full statement is at fb.me/X8Ihj2zy

The decision was made this afternoon after overnight forecasts nudged the projected path of Hurricane Irene closer to the Delmarva coastline than had been expected during the day Wednesday.

Irene's eye "will pass very close by or just offshore [of Ocean City] later Saturday night into Sunday morning," AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said Thursday.

"Periods of heavy rain, damaging sustained tropical storm-force winds with hurricane-force wind gusts (95 mph), and serious coastal flooding will occur Saturday night into Sunday. Expect significant beach erosion with a storm surge averaging 2 to 4 feet, but locally it can be higher. There will be waves topping seawalls Saturday night," Sosnowski forecasted.

The predictions are subject to revision as the storm progresses north from Outer Banks, N.C., on Saturday.

Resort officials are monitoring the situation constantly and are prepared to get any messages regarding the storm out to the public quickly, according to Joe Theobald, Worcester Emergency Services director.

Weather updates will be posted on the town's website, offered via a recorded information line at 410-723-6666 and on 1670 AM.
 

"As of now, use common sense and pay attention to what's going on, and be prepared for a strong storm," Theobald said from his office Wednesday. "Everyone should have a personal plan."

 

Ocean City hasn't been evacuated since 1985, when Hurricane Gloria, a Category 5 storm, passed about 50 miles offshore and practically destroyed the Boardwalk. The town has since become much less vulnerable to storm damage due to beach replenishment efforts.

Theobald said there is a likelihood of stormwater accumulation downtown, a commonplace occurrence during downpours.

"It's going to be bad weather most of the weekend," said AccuWeather forecaster John Gresiak, who added waters will still be "very rough" through Sunday, even after the storm passes.

"I wouldn't recommend going swimming Sunday, even if the skies are beginning to clear," he said.

Time for dry dock

Ocean City Councilman Joe Hall said it's important to be concerned and prepared, but not worried, due to the "ample warning" the town typically has in regards to hurricanes.

"You just have to take the precautions necessary to protect life and property," Hall said. One of the preemptive measures he has taken is to remove his boat from the water and put it in storage, a commonality among boat owners in the area in the days before a serious storm.

The phone has been ringing off the hook at Harbor Marine, a boat sales, service and storage business on Sunset Avenue in West Ocean City. Customers are calling now to get their vessels out of the water before Saturday, when they'll keep them in until October, according to office manager Monica Shoemaker.

News of a forthcoming hurricane can cause mixed feelings for surfers in the area, said Lee Gerachis, owner of Malibu Surf Shop. Many are excited at the potential to see surf of a quality rare to the area but they also don't want any destruction.

Ideally, the surfing community hopes for the storm to be trapped about 150 miles off the coast, which
generates a good surf with beautiful weather, Gerachis said. If it's close enough to cause much damage, the winds are often too powerful for surfing safely.
 

"According to the generated computer models I've seen, it's not looking too favorable," he said.

 

In Wicomico County, David Shipley, the newly appointed director of emergency management, as well as officials from the county's Department of Public Works are closely watching storm models.

"The track of the storm is really going to drive exactly what we do," said Shipley.





Public Works and first responders get periodic updates from Shipley, who said he plans on communicating with the public through news releases. If the power goes out and limits media access, the county can use its reverse 911 system to place automated messages to landlines and registered cellphones.

Watermen bracing for the hurricane began pulling up crab pots Wednesday; they expect to lose out financially because of the storm.

"I'm probably not going to work for another week or so," said Billy Welch, a waterman out of Crisfield.

He pulled 250 crab pots on Wednesday, and anticipates pulling another 250 today.

"They cost about $30 apiece and they won't stand a lot of wind; they will get rolled up and lost."
Power outages could affect the area even further during the storm, and the Maryland State Fire Marshal urged residents Wednesday to use flashlights instead of candles, if possible, and to proceed cautiously if using and refueling a portable generator.
 

» Staff Writer Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.

 

Accountant facing 10-year sentence

SNOW HILL -- Accountant William W. Scott was found guilty on three counts of theft, convicted of stealing more than $800,000 from three Ocean City condominium associations.

Judge Richard Bloxom said the state's evidence -- which included a recorded confession Scott voluntarily gave to the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation -- and the testimony of multiple witnesses proved to him there was no reasonable doubt Scott had taken money that did not belong to him and he was not authorized to take.

Two of Scott's crimes carry a sentence of 20 years, with 10 years suspended and five subsequent years of probation, while the third carries a sentence of 15 years with five years suspended and five years of probation. The sentences will be served concurrently, meaning Scott is likely to be incarcerated for 10 years total. Restitution will be included in the sentence, at an amount to be determined at a later time.

During sentencing, Scott, 37, of Bishopville tearfully apologized to his victims and family, and told the court he had secured two job offers within the state where, if he avoided prison time, he could begin working toward paying back the association members from whom he'd stolen the money.

"I want to make things right," he said.

Scott told the court he thought initially that his exit strategy from his financial problems would be to take his own life, but that he ultimately decided against it, saying he couldn't abandon his six-year-old son.

His wife, Elizabeth, tearfully urged Bloxom to give Scott a short enough prison sentence to allow him to contribute more positively to society and his family. "He is a good person," she said. Chasity Simpson, Scott's public defender, asked for leniency based on Scott's voluntary confession.

Scott acknowledged that since his crimes had become public knowledge, some of his family members have distanced themselves from him. There has also been disdain and public confrontation from former clients and others. Scott admitted he had been trusted by many of the people he stole from.

Bloxom told Scott he felt the court's sentence had to reflect society's "condemnation" of Scott and its "repugnance" at the crimes he committed. Bloxom shared an anecdote from his days as a Worcester County public defender, when a client of his had been convicted of theft and felt he'd received too stiff a sentence.

"He said, 'You know, it seems to me like the more money you steal, the less time you serve,'" Bloxom said.

The judge said there is a perception that sentences are "disproportionately lenient" in cases like Scott's, where the perpetrator has never before been in trouble with the law and has been trusted with other peoples' finances.

Bloxom went on to say the court had no reason to doubt the sincerity of his aforementioned apologies, but his thefts were "staggering in their amount," and the manner in which they were executed were "surprising and shocking" in their deviousness.

Scott was acquitted of one theft charge wherein he was accused of stealing money from an individual who had mailed him a check paying for a portion of her condo fees. Bloxom ruled that Scott had been stealing from her condo association, and not her, since Scott was authorized by the association to collect dues.

The amount of restitution Scott owes will be determined once it is decided what the associations are to do with money Scott occasionally transferred between the entities' accounts.

OC couple takes leap of faith

Kelly Dodson, center, and Daniel Williams, an instructor with Ocean City Skydiving Center, do a tandem skydive above Ocean City on Thursday. / DANIEL WILLIAMS

WEST OCEAN CITY -- Patrick Swayze helped change the trajectory of Josh Dolan's life.
In 1991, Dolan went with friends to see "Point Break," a film starring Swayze and Keanu Reeves, he explained from a perch in the Ocean City Skydiving Center's office. The film includes one of the most popular filmed skydiving scenes of all time. Dolan decided he wanted to try it out for himself.

Soon after, he and some friends went for a dive, and he really enjoyed it -- so much so that he's done it more than 10,000 times since; his wife, Jeanice Dolan, has parachuted from a plane more than 1,000 times. The couple now owns and operates the skydiving center at the Ocean City Airport, where they employ two full-time professional tandem jumpers, two pilots, two parachute packers and some office help to maintain their seasonal business.

"People always laugh when I say that, but it really is the truth," John Dolan said of his affinity for the "Point Break" scene.

The Dolans bought the business 10 years ago from a man who decided he'd had enough of it.

"It was one of those things where one man's dream is another man's nightmare," Dolan said while he sat in the office's waiting room, watching recent divers come in and asking about their experiences.

'It was so beautiful'

The process starts with an instructional video shown in the waiting room while skydivers-to-be fill out waiver forms. After that, they get suited up and the diving instructors fill them in on what they'll be doing.

A Cessna 182 takes skydivers up to more than 12,000 feet in about 15 minutes, and the tandem jump from 2-and-a-half miles high is made with one of the professional divers. The amateur and the pro are strapped together, and the pro is in control of the chute.

"When the doors open up, that's really when it was scary," said Kelly Dodson, a Baltimore native who came to the airport so she could check skydiving off her bucket list.

Dodson jumped from the same plane as her friend, Gina Smith.

"We always do these types of things together," said Smith, who admitted to an initial fear; but she and Dodson said they want to do it again.

"There was a little while there where I was afraid I might pee my pants, but then it just becomes a thrill and a rush," Smith said.

Diving professionals Daniel Williams and John Judy -- who have both eclipsed the 10,000-jump milestone -- speak with the divers as they make their descent, and point out various coastal landmarks.

They're solely responsible for the operation of the parachute equipment, so customers can enjoy the scenery without worry.

The whole process takes an hour or so, and the landing takes place in a field by the airport.

"It was so beautiful, and the guys give you a little tour of what you're seeing," Smith said. "They were great."

All in the family

Williams and Judy make as many as 12 jumps a day. Judy comes from a family of parachuting enthusiasts, and he's been diving most of his life. He began packing parachutes when he was 9, he said.

The Dolans are enthusiasts as well, and the center is a family business. Their children, 10-year-old
 Jenna and 7-year-old Chase, help out at the office when they're on summer vacation from school.

"We have a lot of fun here," Jeanine Dolan said.

The parachute packing process takes 10-15 minutes and is more intricate than one may think. It's much more than just stuffing it in a bag, and the Dolans' packers are certified.

The way the process works, one can't complete the next step of the packing if something has been done improperly in the previous step, which helps ensure safety, according to Jeanice Dolan.

There is also a reserve parachute in the storage backpacks, as well as a tiny computer that monitors rate of descent and altitude, and will automatically deploy a parachute if needed.

"Those days of thinking your parachute isn't going to open are pretty much behind us," Jeanice Dolan said.

In its decade of operation, the center has had a 100 percent safety record.

Rates start at $249 per person paying cash, and $259 for a credit card payment. Videos and photos of the jump taken by staff can also be purchased at varying prices. Reservation guidelines and more information is available at www.skydiveoc.com.

smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14

 

 

Comedian brings flair for humor to Ocean City

Comedian Dennis Ross performs at the Princess Royale in Ocean City. / LAURA EMMONS/THE DAILY TIMES

 

 

OCEAN CITY -- Dennis Ross equates his urge to do stand-up comedy with a drug habit, except it comes with a payoff of audience approval instead of a chemical high.

He said it's something he can't see himself not constantly seeking, and he worries often about when he can get it next.

"Once you get this need for the approval, nobody really leaves (comedy)," Ross said of the profession he decided to pursue. He found his flair for comedy in college, where he wrote a humor column for the school newspaper. One day 20 years ago, he decided to try to perform his jokes on stage.

Ross spent one day putting together an act and performed it at an improv in New York. He's been doing it ever since, but said he's only been good at it for about the last three years.

Ross performed in Iraq recently and has worked with comedians like Louis Black and Chris Rock. His latest gig landed him in Ocean City, where he's performing stand-up at the Princess Royale Hotel six nights a week for the summer's duration.

When the 53-year-old comedian from Barnegat, N.J., took the "Waves of Laughter" job, he was wary of how the crowds in general might behave toward him and his material. He'd been to the resort to perform a few times, but never for a long stint, and some of his comedian friends had warned him about volatile audiences.

"They said there'd be hecklers every night, that people would be drinking all day and saying horrible things, but so far pretty much everyone has been great," Ross said.

He's extra happy with that because he said some nights he is better than others, but it's difficult to discern whether this is true, or if it's just more of his worrying about his craft and livelihood.

"That's just Dennis. He's always worrying," said Johnny Watson, a close friend who has been opening for him most of the summer.

Ross' trepidation is a daily thing that hits a head a few moments before his opening act comes on. He gauges the attendance in one of the hotel's small conference rooms -- it fits a few more than 60, but they've pushed capacity to 74 on their best night of the summer so far.

Ross and others have converted it into a makeshift comedy club, equipped with stage lighting, a wicker chair and a maroon sheet backdrop. Then he thinks a little bit about the new material he's been writing, wondering what works and what doesn't and what he's going to try out that night. Ross and Watson spend time writing at the hotel almost every day.

"We're always trying to get better," Ross said. "That never stops."

On a Monday night in August, Watson took the stage at 9 p.m. and Ross sipped water and watched him from the back of the darkened room. There were about 30 people present for the show, but that level of attendance at an actual comedy club in a big city would be astounding for a Monday night, Ross said, keeping it in perspective.

"These people all paid to come here and see us, so that's great," he said a couple of minutes before

Watson finished and brought him on the stage for his set. It's $20 a person to see the show, and for $75, a couple gets two tickets to the show, two drinks and the hotel's seafood buffet beforehand.

$800K Worcester theft trial extended

SNOW HILL -- A trial began Wednesday against a self-employed accountant who pled not guilty to accusations of multiple counts of theft totaling more than $800,000 in condominium fees.

The trial was expected to last one day, but Judge Richard Bloxom opted to take a few days to look over documents submitted before hearing closing arguments and deciding on a verdict in the bench trial. Proceedings will continue Aug. 16 at 1 p.m.

State's Attorney Steven Rakow played for the court a recording of a Feb. 9 conversation William W. Scott, 37, of Bishopville had with officers from the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation wherein
Scott waived his Miranda rights and told police he had taken money from three Ocean City condo associations and used it for other purposes. Scott had come to the Berlin state police barrack of his
own volition and asked to speak to police.

Last year, Scott served as treasurer for Sheriff Reggie Mason's campaign.

His problems began in 2007, he said, when Robert Hammond, an owner of Atlantic Physical Therapy, hired him to do his taxes and gave him $70,000 to use to pay them. Scott used the money for personal expenses, and said he meant to pay Hammond back but never did.

Scott alleged that in December 2009, Hammond found out his taxes hadn't been paid for the past two years, and told Scott he needed to present him with a cashiers check for either $170,000 or $190,000 -- he couldn't recall the exact figure.

Scott paid Hammond, he said, and continued to do so monthly, usually in installments of $3,000. He said Hammond threatened numerous times to alert authorities to Scott's illegal actions if he didn't pay.

"The only way I could think of to get the money was through the condo associations," Scott said in the recording.

The WCBI enlisted the aid of the FBI in an investigation of the alleged extortion, and had Scott engage in a monitored phone conversation with Hammond, according to testimony from Trooper 1st Class Kyle Clark.

According to Clark, Scott told Hammond he could no longer afford to pay him money each month, and Hammond told him to speak with his lawyers. The call did not give the bureaus an adequate reason to pursue Hammond, and the investigation did not continue, Clark said.

Numerous condo association members and officials -- many of whom said they'd thought of Scott as a friend -- testified they had caught wind of potential financial problems associated with Scott and found their association's bank accounts drastically depleted when they checked them. Scott allegedly used rubber stamps and forged signatures to write checks from the associations to his company. On occasion, he would transfer money from one association's account to another's.

Sunset Village Condo Association President Steve Davis said he checked the association's finances to find only $8,000-9,000, when he was expecting $240,000-$250,000.

"That was when I got that feeling in my stomach you get when you're like 'we're in really, really big trouble now,' " Davis said during his testimony.

One of the Assateague Condominium Council's accounts contained $21, and another contained $54, while the highest contained $1,700, according to Treasurer Larry Perkins. He was expecting "hundreds of thousands."

Hurricanes could arrive soon

OCEAN CITY -- The tropical storms will be coming soon enough. But for now, coasts along the Eastern Shore are experiencing the calm seas that commonly come before them.

Forecasts call for "no wave" conditions regularly, meaning meteorologists aren't expecting waves taller than 1 or 2 feet. The conditions indicate a lack of storms moving through the western Atlantic Ocean.

This happens most years along the East Coast in the time leading up to August and September, the most active months of hurricane season, according to Rob Miller, a senior meteorologist for Accuweather.

Throughout August and September, however, it's expected to change as hurricane season reaches its peak. This year is supposed to be a more-active-than-average season, with Accuweather calling for 15 named tropical storms. Eight are slated to be hurricanes, with four of those brewing to a Category 3 or higher, according to meteorologist Andy Mussoline.

Ocean City Emergency Services Director Joe Theobald said the town plans and prepares annually for hurricane season -- which officially began in June and runs until Nov. 30 -- regardless of the forecast.

"It only takes one hurricane to give somebody a really bad day," Theobald said. He suggests visitors and residents know evacuation routes -- Route 50, Route 90, Route 54 and Route 1 -- and have a family plan put together they can execute in the event of a significant storm.

Theobald also stressed a collaborative effort between city staff and the community that should be
coupled with vigilance.

"Mother Nature doesn't care, so we have to," he said.

Hurricane activity

Mussoline attributes this year's above-average predictions to warm water in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. The temperatures were high in 2010, and a La Niña over the Pacific Ocean contributed to a higher-than-average year for tropical storms. When there is an El Niño on the Pacific Ocean, hurricane season tends to be less eventful, as was the case in 2009.

This year, there is neither, so there is nothing indicative to meteorologists that the weather will be more tame than the average season, Mussoline said.

Meteorologists make their storm projections by evaluating past years that have similar weather variables and patterns that closely resemble the most recent fall, winter and early spring months. An average year sees 10 tropical storms, with six becoming hurricanes and four reaching major hurricane status at a Category 3 or higher.

In 2010, there were 19 storms and 12 hurricanes, but none of them made landfall near the Delmarva Peninsula. In fact, Ocean City has never seen the eye of a hurricane overhead in modern times, but the town has been sideswiped by several.

There is no way to predict before they form which storms will or will not reach land, or where they will if they do.

There was minimal impact to the U.S. last year, and the forecast is to have more of an impact this year, according to Mussoline's analysis of 2010's storms. The impact may not be directly related to landfall, but to the strong waves, winds and heavy rains that can create costly damages to coastal areas, he warned.

"It really doesn't have to make landfall to be damaging," he said.

Hurricane Gloria

Hurricane Gloria in 1985 is an example of a major Category 5 storm that caused significant damage to Ocean City and resulted in an evacuation, a safety measure that hasn't gone into effect since.

Ocean City spokeswoman Donna Abbott was working as a reporter at the time, and she recalls interviewing resort evacuees at a shelter set up at Stephen Decatur High School.

"From what I remember, it passed us about 50 miles offshore and didn't directly hit us, but it was the most significant damage we've had from a storm since earlier in history, and there hasn't been anything as significant since," she said.

Half of the Town Council left the resort during the storm to help set up a spot for evacuees at Berlin's Maryland State Police barracks, but the other half stayed in town. Among them was Roland "Fish" Powell, who was mayor at the time. He said he wouldn't recommend it to most people.

"It was very windy, I'll tell you that. ... A storm like that is not something to be taken lightly," Powell said. "It pretty much obliterated our Boardwalk."

After the storm, Boardwalk repairs were needed, along with repairs to a lot of the properties in the area -- especially the oceanfront ones -- according to City Manager Dennis Dare, who was presented with the burden of organizing many of the repairs. Front-end loaders and other special equipment was needed to clear the sand off Coastal Highway and the resort's side streets, and city staff were removing things like barbecue grills and pieces of porches from the streets, Dare recalled. The storm drains throughout town had to be vacuumed, as well.

"It took us probably more than a day to get the streets clear enough to allow property owners to come in and secure their property before the town was allowed back in," Dare said.

He pointed out that a storm of the same caliber as Hurricane Gloria would probably not have as much of a devastating effect on the town now due to beach replenishments that have taken place since. The town now has a manmade dune line and other features to combat tropical storms that may travel near the resort.

Hurricane Gloria was a partial catalyst to getting the beach replenishments underway, according to Dare, and he added it produced a very rare occasion that saw town, county, state and federal government cooperating to get it done.

"Everybody has something to lose when there's a disaster on a beachfront community," Dare said. "If property is damaged, then the city, county and state lose property taxes, and the federal government, in a disaster, comes in and helps."

If hurricane damage to town occurs during tourist season, commerce is lost along with sales tax, creating more losses in revenue as well, Dare said.

"The money spent (on storm protection measures) has been saved many times over, and that was the whole idea," he said.

smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14

Boardwalk Elvis takes a breather

OCEAN CITY -- Norman Webb loves to sing, and he says he'll never stop.
He used to ride his bicycle from his home in Showell to Ocean City often, where he would stroll up and down the Boardwalk with a radio perched on his shoulder, belting out tunes by his favorite artist, Elvis Presley.

Hence, the nickname "Boardwalk Elvis." It's what people began calling him, and that's how he's known to those who live near the resort or visit often. Webb fostered his reputation by serenading Boardwalk patrons for more than 30 years, he said.

People still see him riding up and down Route 589 on his bicycle, which is adorned with a license plate on the front that says, of course, "Elvis."

Webb turned 72 on July 4, so the commute to the resort isn't one he can easily make on his bike anymore, but it doesn't stop him from occasionally getting out in public and singing a few songs. These days, he simply stays a little closer to home, and can be found occasionally at Whiskers Bar & Grill in Ocean Pines.

"I like to go there and sing karaoke," Webb said recently while working at The Gazebo, a fresh produce outlet on Racetrack Road where he has been putting in part-time hours for the past six years.
When he's not there or traveling on his bike, Webb spends time at his home doing some gardening on a half-acre plot.

He made a recent appearance at Whiskers, where he sang Elvis' "All Shook Up," and "Under the Boardwalk," by The Drifters, as a sort of homage to the venue where he's had his largest audiences.
Webb still goes into town every year during Springfest and Sunfest with his friend Laura Anderson, who is The Gazebo's manager.

Around the holiday season, Webb switches acts. He dresses up in a Santa suit and rides his bicycle around in an effort to spread some cheer.

"He is just really such a great person," said Anderson.

Webb's memory isn't what it used to be, but he still looks back fondly on the time he's spent on the Boardwalk, and people in the area certainly still remember and adore him.

One look at the Facebook page "Boardwalk Elvis is Alive," which has more than 660 members, shows the mythical identity Webb has built for himself through the years. People post photographs of Boardwalk Elvis sightings, like he's the local Waldo or Carmen San Diego. Even his trips to McDonald's in Ocean Pines attract fanfare.

One man even recently posed the idea of "some kind of recognition" for Webb; he suggested a statue be erected somewhere in his honor.

Webb is well-versed on Elvis, and even once made a trip with his father to Tennessee so they could visit Graceland Mansion. He can't settle on a favorite song by "The King," though.

"I don't know, I love 'em all," he said, and he continues to spread that love to anyone who will listen.

smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14

Droves detour to the Dew Tour

OCEAN CITY -- The tone set in the first two minutes of the Dew Tour's official opening at its Boardwalk entrance Thursday is one athletes, organizers and Ocean City officials hope will endure through the weekend.

Hundreds of eager fans, some of whom had waited for more than two hours for the doors to open, stormed through the entrance and onto the sand toward Festival Village in the moments immediately following the cutting of a lime green ribbon.

BJ Carretta, group director of marketing and events for Alli Sports, told Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan that the amount of people waiting to get in was the largest of any he's seen on the opening morning of a Dew Tour event.

The controlled chaos at the beginning of the event meshed with Shaun White's first impression of the town, which was made while he ate dinner while people watched Wednesday night.

"I was just blown away," said White, who said he liked the energy and how many people were running around town near the Dew Tour stadium.

White is fresh off of an ESPY win for Action Sports Athlete of the Year, and is in town to compete in the skate vert competition.

Laura Caruso and Erika Szumel, both 15, were among the crowd waiting to enter hours before the ribbon cutting. They vacation in Ocean City, and had decided to come for the tour to see what its first time in town would be like. Also, they were on the lookout for White.

"I don't know, I might ask him to marry me," Caruso said.

The crowd is expected to grow throughout the weekend. Tickets are already sold out for the events taking place today and Saturday.

"This is unbelievably positive for us, to start on this note," Carretta said of the early crowd. "Being here set up on the beach is completely different from anything we've done before, and this location helps us foster a great environment for our first skate bowl and surfing competitions."

Festival Village is comprised of more than 20 booths and is free to all for the entirety of the weekend. The booth sponsors, interactive activities and free samples are eclectic, to say the least. Attendees can sample various Mountain Dew flavors before heading to the J.C. Penney or Woodward Camps booths, where they can pad up and skate a miniature vert ramp or skate park.

After that, they can hit the Paul Mitchell booth and get a $15 haircut, with the funds donated to the Ocean City Skate Bowl.

Steve Reilly, a 14-year-old from Prince Frederick, Md., came to town specifically for the Dew Tour and looks forward mostly to the inaugural skate bowl competition. He tried out the J.C. Penney vert, something he said he wasn't expecting to see at the village.

"It's pretty sweet," he said during a brief break in his session.

Councilwoman Mary Knight and her daughter, 22-year-old Frankie, walked around the festival after the ribbon cutting. Frankie Knight took the Paul Mitchell representatives up on their low-priced haircut offer. Meehan said he was considering stopping in and getting a little color put in his hair sometime this weekend as well.

"I mean, this is all about fun," said Meehan, adding that the Pantech Open would most likely be the most exciting event of the summer.

Athletes will also sign autographs in and near the village at random times throughout the weekend.

Skateboarder Bob Burnquist and BMXer Jamie Bestwick will supplement the Toyota booth's many interactive activities with autograph sessions Saturday at noon and 5:30 p.m., respectively.

410-213-9442, ext. 14
smuska@dmg.gannett.com

Up-, up-, up-and-comer

OCEAN CITY -- Mitchie Brusco was the best competitor in the Dew Tour's skateboard vert qualifier.
He was also the youngest, and the 14-year-old outdid 30 other competitors with his first-place finish. Some of them were more than twice his age.

Next, he will compete in this evening's semifinals, where a finish in the top seven would land him in head-to-head competition with Pierre-Luc Gagnon, the 2010 Dew Cup champion. Gagnon and fellow skating legend Bob Burnquist were among the pre-qualified skaters who stopped by the vert ramp Thursday to watch their competition. They looked on while Brusco pulled off solid runs -- he finished with an 81.25 out of 100 -- and quickly became a crowd favorite.

"It feels amazing," Brusco said Thursday evening while he relaxed in an on-site lounge set up for competitors. "This is really all I've ever wanted, to be able to qualify."

Brusco acknowledges his qualification as his biggest professional accomplishment to date, but hasn't allowed the success to get to him. He said many of the competitors held back, looking only to qualify for the semifinals and not particularly to finish in first place.

"It will be a different story tomorrow," he said.

If he reaches the finals, he also will go up against Shaun White and Andy MacDonald, who finished second and third, respectively, in 2010 Dew Cup standings. White has competed professionally as a skateboarder since he was 16, but went pro in snowboarding years earlier. When White found out Brusco, of Kirkland, Wash., had qualified, he advised him to try and block out the nerves that probably will come with the competition and to focus on executing a good performance.

"To each his own, but for me it was always the nerves," White said. "I had all the tricks, but I had to try and block out the feeling of pressure and do what I had to do."

Later, White spoke of the importance of the younger competitors and the enjoyment he gets from watching them succeed. He asked how high in the qualifier Brusco had finished. When he learned it was first, he said, "Well, maybe I'm the one that should be asking him what to do."

Brusco's emotions might be less intense to an extent, since he's skated before against Gagnon, White and most of the other pros in town. In fact, they're all friends, he said, a vibe that surrounded much of the competition that took place Thursday. He is still "super nervous," though, he said.

"If you're not nervous, you're not gonna care," he said. Brusco said he would prepare for the semis by relaxing and hopefully sleeping in.

Australian Kyle Baldock finished at the top of the BMX Park qualifier standings, advancing to the field of 22 to participate in this afternoon's semifinals.

One of them will be Jeremiah Smith of State College, Pa., who eyed up his competition Thursday from the athlete area above the park course. After a practice session Wednesday, Smith said he was feeling confident about his chances despite not having recently focused much on park riding.

"This is a sick course," he said. Fellow competitor Ryan Nyquist designed it.

Baldock and Smith will have their hands full if they make it to Saturday's final, where 11 competitors will attempt to take out Jamie Bestwick, who has won the Dew Cup every year since the tour's inception.

"It's difficult when the best guys in the world are hunting you down," Bestwick said. "I have to fend off everybody, so I really have to be kind of creative and rely on my experience in order to make my riding better than everyone else's day to day."

White and Smith each addressed the heat and humidity's potential effect on skaters and BMXers this weekend. Smith recently returned from a trip to Iraq and said the level of humidity here makes him sweat much more than he did while in Iraq, which he said was "about 10 times hotter."

"It's definitely a factor, because that's going to make you get tired a lot faster," he said.

White said he's found that California heat is much different than East Coast heat, due to humidity, and that it could affect skateboarders because of the endurance their various runs require. He doesn't have a particular plan to battle the heat, beside staying in the shade between runs and drinking lots of water.

"I'm just gonna wing it," he said.

The weather could be a particular factor for skateboarders like Burnquist, MacDonald and Bucky Lasek, who are competing in both the skate vert and skate bowl events.

smuska@dmg.gannett.com 410-213-9442, Ext. 14

Need a party? Just call the Batman

Mike Beatty uses MP3s and a laptop computer to store his music collection working as a DJ. He says he approaches his craft meticulously putting together playlists. / THOMAS MELVILLE/WORCESTER COUNTY TIMES

 

OCEAN CITY -- In 1981, Mike Beatty and his wife, Cindy, sent a humorous telegram -- remember, this was '81 -- to a friend in Ocean City. The friend owned a bar, where Beatty would be playing as a disc jockey the following week.

As part of the joke, they decided to use a trick name. They considered "Fred and Wilma," along with some others, before they settled on signing it "Batman and Robin."

When they showed up for the gig at the now-defunct Bayside Pub -- the current location of Buxy's Salty Dog Saloon -- the sign out front was in on the joke: it welcomed "DJ Batman." Beatty's been going by the moniker ever since.

"I guess it stuck," Beatty said as he set up for his twice-weekly "DJ Batman's Hair of the Dog" radio show on Ocean 98, a show he's been doing Saturdays and Sundays for about six years as a supplement to his prolific DJing.

After his radio show, Beatty planned to stop in at M.R. Ducks, so he could get instructions on where he'd be setting up his gear a few days later. He would be playing the bar for the first time as the first DJ to ever play there, he said, and he was nervous.

Beatty said M.R. Ducks is one of two bars in Ocean City he's always had his eye on but had not gotten to play, and that he was both nervous and excited to do the show.

The last time Beatty was nervous for a show? "Last night, and then the night before that," Beatty said, despite having DJ'd more than 8,000 times in his life at venues all over the East Coast and in the Caribbean. "Every night and every crowd is different."

"Don't worry about it," Joey Cappo said to Beatty about his upcoming gig. Cappo was finishing his Saturday morning show in Ocean 98's studio, the inner sanctum of Seacrets. "You're gonna rock it, and it's not going to be a problem."

After so many appearances, it wouldn't be surprising to see a jockey start to slack a little bit, to start playing a specific playlist over and over again, based on a cookie-cutter evaluation of the venue and crowd. But Beatty doesn't do that, he says. He approaches his craft meticulously, spending the entire week putting together playlists for his radio show. Then, he'll alter them as the show progresses, based on requests and his own change in mood or remembrance of a song that would fit appropriately into one of the 30 or so song slots.

Beatty's experience and dedication is reflected by his music collection and the equipment he has used through the years. He switched from records to cassette tapes before going to CDs. He now uses MP3s and a laptop computer. He's got more than 62,000 songs on a tiny flash drive that fits easily in his pocket.

"That's my radio show. It's unbelievable," Beatty said as he looked at the tiny device in his hand, reflecting on the days when one-third of his van would be filled with music recordings. These days, he sometimes gets to work on his scooter.

Through the years, Beatty developed a sleep pattern not too different from a bat's. He sleeps twice a day, for three hours each. He rests in the hours before he has to leave for a show, and then sleeps for another three after returning home, which is around 2:30-3 a.m.

"I'm usually up early, because I love getting to see the sunrise," Beatty said. "I miss a lot of sunsets, though."

Beatty's adeptness for working a crowd has improved, as well. He's come up with some entertainment tricks, like something he calls the "15-year Theory," based slightly on nostalgia. Beatty maintains that if you play a song that was released about 15 years ago or more, people of the generation that grew up with it tend to love it. Years ago, he would get run out of a place for playing disco, he said, but now it's something some people constantly want to hear.

"If you play 'MMMBop' now, certain crowds absolutely love that, and it works," Beatty said about Hanson's huge 90s hit. "You learn there are no bad crowds, only bad entertainers, and there's a song out there that can get every crowd.

"When it works, man, there's nothin' better."

smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14

 

Bucky no stranger to the beach

Bucky Lasek competes in a half-pipe event at last summer's Las Vegas stop on the Dew Tour. 

 

OCEAN CITY -- Bucky Lasek has been to Ocean City many times, dating back to his childhood, when he would travel to town from his native Baltimore to skate and compete at the Ocean Bowl Skate Park.

He was back again a couple weeks ago for a vacation with his wife and three daughters. They'd scheduled it before even knowning he'd be returning to town weeks later -- this time, on business for the professional skateboarder.

Starting July 21, Lasek will be competing in the skate vert and skate bowl portions of the Dew Tour's kick-off stop. He says having a stop at a beach location for the first time will be a big deal that will set a "whole new standard" for the tour.

"The environment is going to be one of the best settings ever, with everything the ocean has to offer from the food to the rides to the people watching and the water," said Lasek, who has finished first in year-end Dew Cup standings three times since 2005. The cup is awarded to the competitor in each event who has the highest cumulative point total after the four events, one of which will be held each month through October.

Lasek expects a large turnout for the four-day event, and knows for sure his friends and family will be in the crowd.

"I'm totally stoked, because the stands are going to be filled with all my family," said Lasek in a phone interview while visiting relatives in Baltimore. "They're gonna have to get more seating for the fans."
Lasek recently healed from a fractured ankle, and spent some time this week at Woodward West

Skateboarding camp in California, where he hopes to get polished up before heading back east for the beginning of the Dew Tour.

He will be going head-to-head with Bob Burnquist, another veteran skateboarder. Burnquist is slated to compete in the Dew Tour's vert contest as well as its inaugural skate bowl contest. The bowl is a concrete structure made of concrete -- essentially, an empty swimming pool -- and the vert is a wooden half-pipe.

It will be interesting to see how the new competition goes, as well as how the handful of competitors participating in both events will hold up, Burnquist said in an interview while he was heading to a physical therapy session. He recently returned from a competition in his native Brazil, and said he'd added the sessions to work out some shoulder issues in the days before the Pantech Open. His shoulder is "upset with him," but he'll deal with it, he said, and will be able to compete.

"If you're doing a bowl and vert event in the same weekend, those are very cardio-intensive sessions where you use your legs a lot," said Burnquist, who occasionally struggles with asthma. "You can have all the tricks, but if you don't have the legs you're not going to last."

The tour will also feature BMX vert and park contests, along with a free concert, specialty surfing competitions and a festival village, where competitors like Burnquist and Lasek will interact with fans. Event sponsors like Toyota and Mountain Dew will have interactive and promotional booths set up as well.

Jeremiah Smith, a BMX park rider from Cincinatti, Ohio, said he's looking forward to returning to Ocean City to get started on his third year on tour. He's been in town a few times to do some recreational street riding, he said, and is confident he'll do pretty well in the competition despite the fact he hasn't been focusing too heavily on ramp riding lately.

"It's a very nice place, and the scenery is sweet, so I'm looking forward to hanging out and riding a little," said Smith, who added he especially likes participating in the Dew Tour because many of his close friends do as well.

Smith admires the Dew Tour because it gives younger, more unknown riders the chance to compete in big contests with some of the sport's stars.

"It's great to give them the opportunity, and it's always nice to see some of them come and make a name for themselves," Smith said by phone from State College, Pa., where he recently relocated to run a Woodward camp.

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan is looking forward to an exciting weekend where he will get to watch some of the "finest young athletes" in the world in person, as opposed to on television.

"I just marvel at watching these guys and girls being able to do the things they do on these tracks and halfpipes, but I don't think I'd try a single one of them myself," Meehan said, laughing. He's also been impressed with the way the athletes seem to interact with fans, especially the young ones. "They're
very approachable, and very connected," he said.

On July 20, Lasek and some other competitors will check out the Commotion Down the Ocean event at the newly-renovated Ocean Bowl Skate Park, where amateur skateboard competitions will be held.

The event will raise funds for Grind for Life, an organization created by pro skater Mike Rogers to help families who need support while traveling long distances for cancer care. The event takes place from 2-9 p.m., with registration for the competitions beginning at 11 a.m.
smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14

 

The Dew Tour has landed

Courses and seating for the Dew Tour Pantech Open are under construction on Tuesday in Ocean City. Events begin today with the free Festival Village opening at 11 a.m. and the Skateboard Vert Qualifier at 12:30 p.m., along with the BMX Park Qualifier at 1:30 p.m., Skateboard Bowl Qualifier at 5 p.m. and BMX Vert Qualifier at 5:30 p.m. / LAURA EMMONS/WORCESTER COUNTY TIMES

 

OCEAN CITY -- The Dew Tour's inaugural stop in Ocean City begins today and lasts through Sunday, bringing action sports galore to a resort town thrilled by all the attention.

More than 40 of the world's premiere action sports competitors will be in town to take part in skateboarding, BMX and the nationwide tour's first-ever surfing competition. NBC is scheduled to televise finals in two competitions, airing Dew Tour coverage from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, during the BMX park finals, and from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, for the skateboard vert finals, according to event organizers.
Points are up for grabs at the Pantech Open in BMX park and vert competitions, skateboard vert and the new skateboard bowl competition. A Dew Cup champion will be crowned in each category at the tour's final stop this October in Las Vegas. The traveling tour lands in Portland, Ore. in August and Salt Lake City in September.

Jamie Bestwick has dominated the BMX vert competition, winning the Dew Cup every year since the tour's inception seven years ago. He'll start the competition with a bull's eye on his back this evening in the vert qualifier. The qualifying rounds for each of the on-land competitions will take place today.

"It's difficult when the best guys in the world are hunting you down," said Bestwick. "I have to fend off everybody, so I really have to be kind of creative and rely on my experience in order to make my riding better than everyone else's day-to-day."

Bestwick is up against the likes of Chad Kagy and Francisco Zurita in the vert competition, which concludes with a final Sunday afternoon. It comes before the skateboard vert final, where Shaun White, Bucky Lasek, Bob Burnquist and Andy Macdonald are likely finalists.
Skateboard vert semifinals will take place Friday afternoon, and BMX vert semi's are slated for Saturday afternoon.

Lasek, Burnquist and MacDonald will also participate in the skateboard bowl competition, and will make it to the finals Saturday evening if they qualify for and make it through the semifinal round Friday afternoon.

Veteran and course designer Ryan Nyquist will pit his experience against younger riders Jeremiah Smith and Brett Banasiewicz in the BMX park competition, with semifinals Friday and finals Saturday.
Since the Pantech Open is the first Dew Tour stop in a coastal site, the organizers have opted to include a tow-at-surf surfing competition scheduled for Friday evening. Vince Boulanger, a hometown boy who graduated from Stephen Decatur in 2007, will participate in the contest along with surfers Kolohe Andino and brothers Eric and Evan Geiselman.

Bestwick looks forward to the competition, but also to interacting with the fans, he said, something many of the competitors get to do at the tour's Festival Village, which is free and open to the public during most of the long weekend. The athletes congregate there for autograph signings, and representatives from sponsors like Toyota, Pantech and, of course, Mountain Dew will have booths set up where they'll be giving out free swag and hosting a slew of other attractions.

"When the contest is going on it's a huge dogfight, but when it's over that's when you get to take in the surroundings and really get a feel for how appreciative the fans are," Bestwick said.

A free concert headlined by hip-hop artist Kid Cudi will take place Saturday evening following the skateboard bowl final, as well.

While Ocean City is accustomed to hosting substantial events in the summer, the Dew Tour is bigger than most, slated for live television coverage and heavily corporately sponsored. The mayor, Rick Meehan, has talked about nothing else on his Twitter feed since July 9. "Today we begin the 48 hour count down before the Dew Tour begins," he Tweeted Tuesday.

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