Sunfest In Full Swing In OC

OCEAN CITY - Ocean City
celebrates the start of the fall season with a weekend of food, arts and crafts
and live music when Sunfest 2008 shines on the resort's Inlet lot through
Sunday, Sept. 18-21.

Ocean City's most popular festival, the 34th annual Sunfest,
kicked off with a parade yesterday morning on the Boardwalk. It will delight
all ages with over 180 crafters, live entertainment and hayrides on the beach.
In and around four big-top tents, there is something for every member of the
family to enjoy at this event.

Sunfest always features
great musical performances and this year is no exception with headliners
including country music's Rodney Atkins, who performs at 8 p.m. on Friday,
Sept. 19, with tickets prices from $20 to $35, and The Commodores, who will
entertain at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, with ticket prices offered from $15
to $35. 

Also, enjoy free
performances by The Shades of Blue Orchestra on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. and the Key
West Band on Sunday at 5 p.m. Performers also include Jay D. Henley & The
Stone Broke Band, Lauren Glick Band, Quiet Fire, Shore Jazz w/ Holly Lane, Larzine,
Poole & The Gang, Teenage Rust, Sir Rod, the Recreation Line Dancers, Bob
Sima, Rick K and the Allnighters, Phillips Ragtime Band, Rising Sun Reggae
Band, Mary Lou and the Untouchables, J.R. Booker, Frankie and the Pack, Jesse
Garron's Tribute to Elvis, and RED. All are sure to be a hit.

Admission to the
festival is free. Tickets for headline acts are on sale at the box office
located in the Roland
E. Powell
Convention Center. Box
office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or you may order
tickets by calling TicketMaster at 1-800-551-SEAT; in Baltimore,
call 410-547-SEAT, and in Washington
D.C., call 202-397-SEAT.

Of course, it wouldn't
be Sunfest without plenty of delicious Eastern Shore
food and this year's event promises more of the tasty fare. Sunfest visitors
will enjoy everything from crab cakes to oyster fritters, Philly cheese steaks
to Greek gyros and BBQ. The Gourmet Tent is a must try, featuring coffees,
fudge, nuts, candies and delicious pastry items.

Also, this year at
Sunfest will be 12 demonstrating artists who will dazzle you as they create
their artistic designs right before your eyes.

Sunfest hours are 10 a.m.
to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Parking is
restricted at Sunfest and visitors are urged to use one of the park and ride
locations and ride buses to the festival grounds. Park and ride locations
include the West Ocean
City Park
and Ride just off Route 50 in West Ocean City,
where you can park for free and take an Ocean
City bus to S. Division St. Shuttle
bus service from the West
Ocean City
Park and Ride to downtown
is $1. In town, Ocean
City offers a
ride-all-day-for-$2 bus service. The Boardwalk tram also offers service daily.

Also, this year the
Sunfest Shuttle will operate from the Convention Center south lot on 40th St, where you
can park for free and ride the trolley direct to the festival grounds, under
the $2 ride-all-day fare

Below is a look at the
weekend's live entertainment schedule.

Sunfest Entertainment

Friday, Sept. 19

Outdoor

11 a.m.: The Gridloc
Band

1 p.m.: Poole & The Gang

3 p.m.: Rick K & The
Allnighters

5 p.m.: Lauren Glick
Band

6:30 p.m.: Jay D Henley
& The Stone Broke Band

Indoor

10 a.m.: Rick K &
The Allnighters

Noon: Phillips Ragtime
Band

2 p.m.: Jay D Henley
& The Stone Broke Band

4 p.m.: The Gridloc Band

8 p.m.: Rodney Atkins

Saturday, Sept. 20

Outdoor

11 a.m.: Rising Sun
Reggae Band

1 p.m.: J.R. Booker

3 p.m.: Mary Lou and the
Untouchables

5 p.m.: Jesse Garron's
Tribute to Elvis

6:30 p.m.: Quite Fire

Indoor

10 a.m.: Randy Lee
Ashcraft & the Saltwater Cowboys

Noon: Bob Sima

2 p.m.: Kevin Kline

4 p.m.: Rising Sun
Reggae Band

8 p.m.: The Commodores

Sunday, Sept. 21

Outdoor

10 a.m.: Quite Fire

Noon: Larzine

2 p.m.: Randy Lee
Ashcraft & the Saltwater Cowboys

6 p.m.: Key West Band

Indoor

11 a.m.: J.R. Booker

1 p.m.: Shore Jazz with Holly Lane

3:30 p.m.: The Shades of
Blue Orchestra