Ocean City Spring Block Party Packs for Fun

By MADDY VITALE

There was something for everyone Saturday at one of Ocean City's signature events, the Spring Block Party.

Downtown Asbury Avenue was transformed into a mega-shopping extravaganza where 350 artisans offered everything from housewares to clothing to jewelry. Anyone who was hungry and attended the blockbuster event probably left full. Barbecue wafted through the air at one vendor while caramel corn popped at another.

The Spring Block Party, like its fall counterpart, offers a multitude of choices for shoppers, foodies and visitors, not to mention a range of entertainment from solo crooners to live bands performing on the street corners of Asbury Avenue . The mile-long event showcases everything the city has to offer as a kickoff to the tourist season.

Thousands of shoppers filled the avenue throughout the day for the block party, sponsored each year by the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce. Gray skies and some rain did not deter visitors from coming to the event.

Mary Frasier and her mother, Tina Frasier, of Nazareth, Pa., have been coming to Ocean City for many years. To be precise, Mary is 25 years old and has been visiting us since she was nine months old. Her mother, in her sixties, has been coming since she was five.

But Saturday was their first time at the Spring Block Party.

We always come to the Fall Block Party to celebrate my birthday, Mary Frasier said.

We had a lot of fun today, noted Tina Frasier. There are so many choices.

The mother-daughter duo bought a phone case, clothes, a yard sign and even chips and guacamole in about an hour.

Throughout the afternoon, Big Daddy Duo, a popular group that performs hits ranging from country to pop to rock-n-roll, entertained from Mark Soifer Park where some families gathered to listen on benches.

Members of the Ocean City Pops Orchestra performed inside City Hall, while maestro Vince Lee played keyboards atop the City Hall steps, due to the threat of rain showers in the afternoon.

Visitors also lined up at City Hall to purchase pre-season beach tags at a discounted rate.

In addition to food and merchandise, entertainment included pony rides for children on the grounds of Ocean City Tabernacle.

Shannon Reardon, of Blackwood, New Jersey, brought her 1-year-old son, Henry Moore, and 4-year-old daughter, Kit Kat, for a day of fun.

Like the Frasiers, it was the family's first time attending the Spring Block Party and they were enjoying the day.

We've been here about an hour. We have popcorn. We touched everything. We had soup all the way up Asbury Avenue,” Shannon Reardon said with a laugh. “The children are having fun. They've already eaten half a bag of popcorn. We're having a really good time.

Denise Gropp, of Bear, Del., and her sister-in-law, Kim Gropp, of Wilmington, Del., completed numerous errands in less than two hours.

They were focused.

We come every year. We love it, said Denise Gropp. We've done some shopping, but we're not done yet.

They stopped to eat a hamburger and a gyro between purchases.

The two men used a cart to transport their purchases.

We have flowers and plants and a Mother's Day gift, which is a secret, Kim Gropp noted. We also have dog treats.

Like other Spring Block Party visitors, the Gropps have been visiting Ocean City for years.

We grew up here in Ocean City and come back year after year, Kim Gropp said.

We have block parties every year in the spring and fall,” said Denise Gropp. At least 20 of us went there.

When asked what makes Ocean City block parties different from other block parties, Kim Gropp said it's simple, it's Ocean City. It's a special place.

Denise Gropp added: Yes, and we love supporting local sellers.

For more information about Ocean City and its events, visit vacationoceancity.com Or ocnj.us.