Atlantic City Weekly

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OCEAN CITY — It happens late in the week, Wednesday Aug. 3, to be exact, but it’s just one of those things that screams Ocean City.


We’re talking, of course, about the Miss Crustacean Hermit Crab Beauty Pageant at 1pm at 6th Street and the beach.


What? 


For Ocean City, the pageant barely qualifies as silly.


According to the city, “The contest is sanctioned by NASCRAB, the National Association of Crab Activities at the Beach, an Ocean City Organization. Past winners of Miss Crustacean include Crabopatra, an exotic Egyptian Crab; Copa Crabana, a sultry show girl crustacean; Crab Salad; Taxi Crab and Pirates of the Crabibbean. 


“The winner waddles down a flower bedecked runway while adoring throngs sing “Here It Comes, Miss Crustacean.” She is also awarded the coveted, Cucumber Rind Cup, a loving cup with a cuke stuck in the middle. A cucumber provides a year’s supply of food for a hermit crab, according to some nutritionists.”


OK, that does qualify as silly. 


But the event has certainly brought its fair share of attention to the city. Miss Crustacean has been featured in a question on Jeopardy, named one of the 10 outstanding events in the country by U.S. News and World Report, been featured on London TV, translated into Japanese, German, Spanish and other languages and discussed throughout the world on radio.


It has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and many Sunday supplements and magazines plus the Nickelodeon TV network, NBC, ABC, and CBS TV.


Several years ago Ocean City was contacted by Virginia Beach, Va., asking permission to run a similar event and was granted a franchise.


The pageant is part of a day’s worth of events and is followed by the King of Klutz Hermit Crab Races. Again, according to the city, “Crabathletes compete on an eight-foot plywood oval. The world record time of 3.6 seconds was set by Hermie 30 years ago. Hermie has long since departed to that Great Hermit Tree Crab Sandbar in the Sky, but his record remains as an inspiration to all contestants. A bugler from the Ocean City Pops Orchestra sounds the call to the starting gate for every heat. A cake dish cover serves as the starting gate and all heats are timed.”


The event is also preceded by a sand sculpting contest at 9am also at 6th Street and the beach.


Registration for the pageant starts at noon and for the crab races at 1pm. 


Entry is free. For information, call 525-9300. 


During the summer months, Ocean City holds a number of weekly events, from farm markets at the Tabernacle grounds Wednesday mornings to Mummers Night on the boards every Tuesday evening.


But on Thursday’s through August, the city’s bed and breakfast owners have come together to give guests a great look around at the city’s picturesque inns and historical sites.And you get to see it all in a trolley.


The Inn to Inn and Historic Tours are presented by the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers of Ocean City. 


The tour starts at the city’s 7th Street and Central Avenue parking lot and run from 2-4pm. Tickets are $13.


Some of the sites include three of the city’s historic inns, the Ocean City Lifesaving Station and a sightseeing tour of the City’s historic district. n 



This week’s events:



Thursday, July 28


The Fabulous Grease Band 


Music Pier, Moorlyn Terrace and Boardwalk. The Fabulous Greaseband is a seven-member “Best of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Party Band.” $20. 7pm. Call 525-9300 or vist ocnj.us.


Friday July 29