OCEAN CITY – A new holiday run was approved this week to coincide with Winterfest of Lights on a December evening as well as several other private event permit requests, including the second Komen Maryland Ocean City Race for the Cure.
The Mayor and City Council approved the Jingle Bell Fun Run, which will take place on Sunday, Dec. 2, from 5-7 p.m., and will be a running event in conjunction with the Winterfest of Lights in Northside Park.
The Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department will be partnering with OC TriRunning for the event and will donate the use of the facility. Participants will be requested to bring a gift for Toys for Tots.
According to Recreation and Parks, the event could potentially bring in up to $2,000 in revenue depending on participation. OC TriRunning will pay the town $5, which is included in the registration fee, for every participant over 12 years of age to ride the Winterfest Express.
According to the event’s application, the race course would be on the bike path at Northside Park, through the back of the Montego Bay Shopping Center and into the Montego Bay community.
“We are also encouraging everyone to dress in the holiday spirit and have jingle bells on their shoes, and we are asking participants to bring a toy for tots,” Chris Klebe of OC TriRunning Sports said. “Although this is the first year, we do believe this event can draw being a fun-filled spirited event that helps needy families during the holiday season.”
The Winterfest of Lights will return to normal operation and be open to the general public following the event.
Next, the Mayor and City Council approved the return of the Komen Maryland Ocean City Race for the Cure for its second year on April 21, 2013.
According to Ocean City Special Events Coordinator Lisa Mitchell, the event aims to increase awareness and support in the fight against breast cancer.
A race village will be located in the Inlet Lot and a 5K race will take place on Baltimore Avenue, the Boardwalk and the concrete pad east of the Boardwalk and the Inlet Lot. A one-mile fun run will also take place on the concrete pad east of the Boardwalk and the Inlet lot.
The first Komen Maryland Ocean City Race for the Cure took place on April 22 of this year had a total of 3,662 registrants, despite rainy and wind conditions. Out of those registrants, 2,800 traveled to Ocean City, resulting in an estimated $896,000 economic impact, according to organizers. The event raised about $276,000 for the cause.
The 2013 Komen Maryland Ocean City Race for the Cure has set a goal to have 5,000 registrants, with approximately 3,150 to travel to Ocean City, resulting in an economic impact of about $1 million. Komen is also hoping to raise $500,000 for the cause.
“We are very excited to be planning for the second race here. We were thrilled with the results and support we had last year,” Lenore Koors of Komen Maryland said. “We are working to make it bigger and better, bring more people from west of the Bay Bridge down and make it a whole weekend event. We have lots of ideas so we are really excited, we are hoping to bring a lot of positive economic impact here.”
Mayor Rick Meehan said this time around the town will reach out to community even more so than during the inaugural event.
“This is the year that we have to make sure this town is pink,” Meehan said. “That everybody knows what this event is, when it’s taking place, and really bring in some of our partners in the hotel-motel industry to put it on their marquees and get the pink lights out. Let’s really make this a special event for both Komen and Ocean City, and we will work with you to help make that happen.”
Another event that the Mayor and City Council approved to return to Ocean City is Walk MS on Saturday, April 13, 2013, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
The start and finish line will be located on the Boardwalk at Worcester Street. The participants will walk 1.5 miles north on the Boardwalk to 13th Street, where there will be a rest stop, and then proceed back to the Inlet Lot.
The event organizers requested to use a portion of the Inlet Lot for parking, registration and lunch. There are an expected number of 500 participants.
“The National MS Society serves over 5,500 people in Maryland who suffer from MS, and unfortunately there is no cure,” Kate Amos of National Multiple Sclerosis Society MD Chapter said. “Walk MS is our signature fundraising event, and last year alone it brought out over $1.1 million for the cause. We have had our walk here for several years and last year we rose over $78,000 for the cause.”
The last private event permit request received a three-year approval by the Mayor and City Council for the Ocean City Christmas Parade to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season as a community.
For the next three years, the parade will take place on Dec. 1, 2012, Dec. 7, 2013 and Dec. 6, 2014, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on Coastal Highway from Old Landing Road to 115th Street.