Wednesday, January 2 - Winter Events Planned In OC

Winter in the Ocean City area represents a significant slowdown for life at the beach, but there's still plenty of events worthy of dotting the calendars of residents and visitors. The following is a look at some of the upcoming events on tap.

Jan. 19-20: Nautical & Wildlife Art Festival and North American Craft Show, Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay: Nautical & wildlife fine art will be presented under one roof with painters, artists and sculptors from 15 states on hand. Craft show featured shore's largest juried craft exposition. Event hours  are Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Jan.  25-27: East Coast Commercial Fishermen's & Aquaculture Expo, Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay: Come check out the latest gear, equipment and services related to on and offshore fisheries, as well as all facets of the aquaculture industry. Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Feb.  3: Super Bowl Sunday Scramble, Eagle's Landing Golf Course: Tailgate party with 18-hole scramble tournament. Scoring is done in traditional football manner awarding points for touchdowns, field goals, extra points and penalizing for safeties. Each player has the chance to throw the bomb, giving his or her team a chance to score the winning touchdown. Game starts at 10 a.m., giving you time to watch the big game later in the day.

Feb.  9-10: Collector Car Auction, Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay: Live auction of collector cars, classics, street machines, exotic sports cars, muscle cars and much more. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Feb.  10: Mid-Atlantic Symphony Concert, Community Church at Ocean Pines, Route 589: A unique symphony concert featuring Bach's 'Concerto for Harpsichord,' Vivaldi's 'Concerto for violin & cello,' & Mozart's 'Eine Kleine Nachimvsik.' Sunday, 3 p.m. Pre-concert lecture, 2 p.m.

Feb.  15-17: Seaside Boat Show, Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay: The 25th annual event features fishing boats, jet skis, pontoons, trailers, motors, marine construction contractors, electronics, sailboats. Also Segway rides and crafts. Friday, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Feb.  22-24: Reach the Beach Cheer & Dance National Championships, Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay: One of the largest competitions on the east coast. Friday, 4-9 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Feb. 29-March 2, March 7-9 and March 14-16: St. Patrick's Indoor Soccer Tournaments, Northside Park, 125th St.: It's estimated that more than 100 teams over three weekends will take part in this growing tournament for players ages 10 to adult.

March 8: Handbell Ringers Concert, Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay: The American Guild of English Handbell Ringers, Area III gather for its spring festival, which culminates with a concert featuring 600 handbell ringers. Registration required to participate in event, concert free and open to the public Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

March 8-9: Ocean City Hot Rod & Custom Car Show, Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay: Premier indoor car show featuring exotic customs, classics, street machines and muscle cars along with special feature attractions, entertainment, vendors & more. Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

March 14-16: Home, Condo & Garden Show & Art & Craft Fair, Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay: Fresh ideas on decorating, remodeling, accessorizing or building your home all under one roof. Over 200 exhibitors display new products and services for home and garden, complemented by artists showcasing their most creative crafts and gift items. Friday, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

March 15: St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival, 60th St. south to 44th St.: Annual parade and festival celebrates the 'wearin o' the green.' It's an Ocean City tradition with over 100 entrants including marching bands, floats, law enforcement groups and more. Followed by entertainment, food & beverages at festival. Saturday. Festival, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., parade at noon.

March 21-23: Easter Art & Craft Fair, Convention Center, 40th St. & Bay: Over 100 exhibitors will be displaying unique hand-crafted items including wearable art, jewelry, lawn and garden décor, toys, florals, fine art, caricature and more. Admission includes Easter Kids Fair, which features continuous events, activities and entertainment including Beanny the Easter Bunny, egg hunts, coloring tables, magic and puppet shows, clowns, sand art, dancing, games, contests and more. Friday, 11-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

March 22: Spring Celebration, Main St., Berlin: Events for adults and children alike. Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, games, crafters, entertainment, food and more. Also Berlin's Annual Pig Race day.

March 29-30: Adult Basketball Tournament, Northside Park Recreation Complex, 127th St. & Bay: Perfect for those looking for a tough competition. Team entry allows you to join with friends and test your skills against others for tournament champion. Open to ages 35-plus. Additional session April 11-14, open to all ages.

March 30: Mid-Atlantic Symphony, Community Church at Ocean Pines, Route 589: Performances feature the Peabody Violin and Peabody Children's Chorus. Admission. Sunday, 3 p.m., pre-concert discussion, 2 p.m.