Jersey Shore Sport and Leisure Is Ocean City Through and Through
Through 150 Years Of Changes — Ocean City Sports and Recreation Still Remain.
And Remains Popular.
This fall marks the end of a time-honored tradition in Ocean City, NJ. Ocean City’s historic Gillian’s Wonderland Pier — a staple in the beach town since the Great Depression in 1930 — closed its doors after 94 years of operation. The closure marks the end of a family tradition in Ocean City — enjoyed by vacationing families for over a century.
Known since 1881 for its Blue Laws, which have kept the island alcohol—free, Ocean City, New Jersey, has been a leisure destination for Delaware Valley residents and Americans alike for almost 150 years. The Lenni Lenape utilized the island for fishing for hundreds of years before.
Right in front of the historic New Jersey Pier — this year was the 45th Anniversary of the popular one-mile T. Carey Master’s Swim — started in 1979. T. John Carey was not only a New Jersey Ocean City High School swimmer in 1930, he would win the 1934 individual Lifeguard Championship.
Also this year, Ocean City’s Carey Stadium, in the shadow of the peer, played host to the Fourth Battle of the Beach, a three-day bonanza of incredible New Jersey high school football.
This Halloween marks another anniversary in Jersey Shore history: the 50th Anniversary of the impact of Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel and movie Jaws. Jaws wasn’t just a horror movie; it was a cultural phenomenon.
PHOTO: WikiCommons
Based on the Peter Benchley novel, it’s been half of a century since young Producer Steven Spielberg set out to make what would be one of the greatest screen thrillers of all time — complete with iconic characters such as Quint, who revels that he spent his service in World War II aboard the USS Indianapolis who delivered one of the atomic bombs before being torpedoed about 600 miles off the coast of Guam. The sinking of the USS Indianapolis sent nearly 900 of the 1,195 men into the water. After several days of floating in shark-infested waters — only 317 men were pulled from the water several days later.
In 1975, US beach towns like Ocean City saw an incredible decline in vacationers who feared going into the water.
Happy Halloween, Philly.
PHOTO: WikiCommons
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