Ocean Club

All the ingredients for a great meal at the Ocean Club were there -- ambience, ocean view, full moon, innovative menu, perfect service. Too bad the mix wasn't harmonious, at least in the food category.I'm hoping it was a kitchen fluke since I've been here before with more successful results. But at today's prices, it's hard to be forgiving of a botched meal.Oh, there were pluses. The homemade rolls were terrific, the choice of wild rice or potato was nice, the ratatouille was delicious and the desserts were outstanding.

A Pennsylvania woman who was raped in the parking lot of the popular Ocean City club Seacrets in 2008 has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that the club's security staff left her vulnerable to the attack. The woman, who was 25 at the time, is seeking at least $1 million, according to court records. The attack occurred in the early hours of May 24, 2008, when the woman went outside the mega club to make a phone call and left her purse inside with her friends. When she tried to get back inside, club staff told her she was being ejected for being too intoxicated and would not let her find her friends to get her purse, which contained her hotel room key, according to the court filings.

PICK OF THE WEEK: When you see the Admirals perform, you'll get a variety of musical styles."That's what we sell," said Bernie Robier, trombonist for the eight-member group. "We enjoy playing all styles of music."Based in Baltimore, the Admirals are appearing tonight at Horizons in the Sheraton, 101st Street. Earlier this summer, the band played in Rehoboth Beach, Del.The other band members are Doug Lewis, vocals; Barbara Riehl, vocals, saxophone and flute; Tony Neenan, lead trumpet, vocals and flute; Joe "Buzz" Conway, trumpet, flute and wind synthesizer; Harry Johnson, guitar and tenor saxophone; Carmen Strollo, drums, and Tom Thompson, bass, tenor saxophone, sound engineer and chief musical arranger.

For nearly 30 years, the Port Welcome supplied plenty of memories for Baltimoreans who jammed its decks for proms, class trips, office parties, bar mitzvahs, moonlights, and cruises to Betterton, Tolchester and Annapolis. While not the most attractive-looking vessel ever to ply the Chesapeake Bay, the Port Welcome enjoyed years of popularity since its 1959 christening by Maryland first lady Helen Avalynne Tawes. It was built by R.T.C. Shipbuilding Corp. in Camden, N.J., for the Maryland Port Authority, which used it for promotional activities.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Danny Dolan's description of his band, First Class, is simple."We're a good-time party band," he said of the Baltimore-based group. "It's a party. We have a strong local following because of our personalities and because we go out and mix with the audience. We're basically like friends with them. It's personal. We see them having a blast and just hanging out," Mr. Dolan said.He is the lead singer and plays saxophone. Other members are Rick Heyman, keyboards; Rick Colfer, drums, and Dane Williams, guitar.

For nearly 30 years, the Port Welcome supplied plenty of memories for Baltimoreans who jammed its decks for proms, class trips, office parties, bar mitzvahs, moonlights, and cruises to Betterton, Tolchester and Annapolis. While not the most attractive-looking vessel ever to ply the Chesapeake Bay, the Port Welcome enjoyed years of popularity since its 1959 christening by Maryland first lady Helen Avalynne Tawes. It was built by R.T.C. Shipbuilding Corp. in Camden, N.J., for the Maryland Port Authority, which used it for promotional activities.

PICK OF THE WEEK: If you like the music on MTV, you might want to check out the band the Fringe."We do a lot of upbeat stuff. We have a hot dance sound like you would see on an MTV dance show," said Sue Ellen Sacco, female lead for the band, adding, "Our name is short for the Lunatic Fringe. We get pretty silly on stage."Based in Baltimore, the band "gets a good following from Baltimore," she said. "The Ocean City people follow us too. We get a lot of 'repeat offenders.' I have a cordless microphone and I go out and bother everybody and make them sing.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Last year, the Kingpins were on the road 292 days, and since April, the band has had only seven days off.It gets tiring, said band member Terry Baber, but it's worth it.Being on stage has a rejuvenating effect. "That's what it's all about. That's why we're all doing this," Mr. Baber said. "It's people enjoying something you are doing and it's being able to give it to the people."The Kingpins will be performing at the Sheraton, 101st Street and Coastal Highway, tonight and tomorrow and at the Ocean Club, 49th Street and the beach, Sept.

PICK OF THE WEEK: If you go to see the band Savannah at the Ocean Club tonight, relax and have a good time. That's what the Norfolk, Va.-based, five-member band promises."

PICK OF THE WEEK: Fourteen years ago, while the band Target was performing in Rehoboth Beach, someone invited them to Ocean City."We came by accident and just fell in love with the place," says Brian Raehm, the group's business manager and bass player. "We've been coming here ever since."And he thinks their fans are glad they did. "We have people plan their vacations so they can see us," says Mr. Raehm. "We play what can best be described as high-energy contemporary music."It's blue-eyed soul.

On Tuesday, September 7, 2004, GRACE POE BRAWNER, 96, of Ocean Ridge, FL. She was the wife of the late H. Peirce Brawner, of Ocean Ridge, who died in 1981. Mrs. Brawner was born February 7, 1908, in Baltimore, MD and lived in Ruxton, MD, Gibson Island, MD, Raleigh, NC, Charleston, WV, Wellesley Hills, MA and Cleveland, OH before moving to Florida in 1958. She was a descendant of Robert Morris and Phillip Livingston, signers of the Declaration of Independence, and George Poe, who served as an officer in the Revolution and was with General Washington at Valley Forge.

OCEAN CITY -- Fourth of July festivities are expected to attract a good crowd to Maryland's Atlantic resort, but tourism officials say visitors so far this year have been a bargain-conscious lot.Tourists are opting for value packages and dining specials.No longer can businesses assume that people will spend freely, said Alex FauntLeRoy, executive director of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce."The amusements are starting to offer special deals and passes," he said. "The consumer is looking for value, and they are stretching their recreation dollar.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Fourteen years ago, while the band Target was performing in Rehoboth Beach, someone invited them to Ocean City."We came by accident and just fell in love with the place," says Brian Raehm, the group's business manager and bass player. "We've been coming here ever since."And he thinks their fans are glad they did. "We have people plan their vacations so they can see us," says Mr. Raehm. "We play what can best be described as high-energy contemporary music."It's blue-eyed soul.

PICK OF THE WEEK: When you see the Admirals perform, you'll get a variety of musical styles."That's what we sell," said Bernie Robier, trombonist for the eight-member group. "We enjoy playing all styles of music."Based in Baltimore, the Admirals are appearing tonight at Horizons in the Sheraton, 101st Street. Earlier this summer, the band played in Rehoboth Beach, Del.The other band members are Doug Lewis, vocals; Barbara Riehl, vocals, saxophone and flute; Tony Neenan, lead trumpet, vocals and flute; Joe "Buzz" Conway, trumpet, flute and wind synthesizer; Harry Johnson, guitar and tenor saxophone; Carmen Strollo, drums, and Tom Thompson, bass, tenor saxophone, sound engineer and chief musical arranger.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Last year, the Kingpins were on the road 292 days, and since April, the band has had only seven days off.It gets tiring, said band member Terry Baber, but it's worth it.Being on stage has a rejuvenating effect. "That's what it's all about. That's why we're all doing this," Mr. Baber said. "It's people enjoying something you are doing and it's being able to give it to the people."The Kingpins will be performing at the Sheraton, 101st Street and Coastal Highway, tonight and tomorrow and at the Ocean Club, 49th Street and the beach, Sept.

PICK OF THE WEEK: If you like the music on MTV, you might want to check out the band the Fringe."We do a lot of upbeat stuff. We have a hot dance sound like you would see on an MTV dance show," said Sue Ellen Sacco, female lead for the band, adding, "Our name is short for the Lunatic Fringe. We get pretty silly on stage."Based in Baltimore, the band "gets a good following from Baltimore," she said. "The Ocean City people follow us too. We get a lot of 'repeat offenders.' I have a cordless microphone and I go out and bother everybody and make them sing.

OCEAN CITY -- Fourth of July festivities are expected to attract a good crowd to Maryland's Atlantic resort, but tourism officials say visitors so far this year have been a bargain-conscious lot.Tourists are opting for value packages and dining specials.No longer can businesses assume that people will spend freely, said Alex FauntLeRoy, executive director of the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce."The amusements are starting to offer special deals and passes," he said. "The consumer is looking for value, and they are stretching their recreation dollar.

On Tuesday, September 7, 2004, GRACE POE BRAWNER, 96, of Ocean Ridge, FL. She was the wife of the late H. Peirce Brawner, of Ocean Ridge, who died in 1981. Mrs. Brawner was born February 7, 1908, in Baltimore, MD and lived in Ruxton, MD, Gibson Island, MD, Raleigh, NC, Charleston, WV, Wellesley Hills, MA and Cleveland, OH before moving to Florida in 1958. She was a descendant of Robert Morris and Phillip Livingston, signers of the Declaration of Independence, and George Poe, who served as an officer in the Revolution and was with General Washington at Valley Forge.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Danny Dolan's description of his band, First Class, is simple."We're a good-time party band," he said of the Baltimore-based group. "It's a party. We have a strong local following because of our personalities and because we go out and mix with the audience. We're basically like friends with them. It's personal. We see them having a blast and just hanging out," Mr. Dolan said.He is the lead singer and plays saxophone. Other members are Rick Heyman, keyboards; Rick Colfer, drums, and Dane Williams, guitar.

All the ingredients for a great meal at the Ocean Club were there -- ambience, ocean view, full moon, innovative menu, perfect service. Too bad the mix wasn't harmonious, at least in the food category.I'm hoping it was a kitchen fluke since I've been here before with more successful results. But at today's prices, it's hard to be forgiving of a botched meal.Oh, there were pluses. The homemade rolls were terrific, the choice of wild rice or potato was nice, the ratatouille was delicious and the desserts were outstanding.