Surf's Up

Thursday is the kick off to Ocean City's Art of Surfing Festival. It's held at the Music Pier (9th Street and the boardwalk, Ocean City) from August 2 to 4 and features art shows, live bands and everything surf you could imagine. And it's free. You can't beat that.

The showcase band Thursday night is The Silence, a fantastic Philadelphia-area band I've written about a time or two, and the biggest reason I'm headed to the Music Pier tomorrow night. They're also involved in some terrific causes, including the High Tides Memorial Fund and Surfrider Foundation, and they obviously know their surf. Lead singer Evan McIntyre is the kind of guy who surfs on Thanksgiving day. And the kind of guy who promised me a surf lesson -- I'm holding you too that, Evan.

I'm being told that the doors to the concert venue open at 7pm and the band will be on soon after. Again, it's free. So what are you waiting for?

While we're on the topic of surfing and Ocean City, I have to tell you about Surfers Supplies (3101 Asbury Avenue, Ocean City, 609-399-8399). I can't believe this one slipped under my radar until I started working on this book. It's been in Ocean City since 1962 and is an actual surf shop -- not one of these places that sells only surf-inspired wear and maybe, just maybe, a few boards. You walk into Surfers Supplies and see surf boards, not the latest and greatest Roxy fashions. “In most places, they’re in the back. They’re the core of our business – we put them right up front,” says Greg Beck, co-owner of Surfer Supplies. Becks' one of three guys who bought the legendary surf shop when the first owner decided to retire. He's also been working there since he graduated from high school, and swears up and down that he'd be surfing on Thanksgiving, too, if his family didn't live in Delaware.

Surfers Supplies is a big part of the Ocean City Art of Surfing Festival. Even if you don't know how to hang ten, it's worth checking out. And, as if I have to hit you over the head with this, it's FREE!

What I'm listening to: Rockin' the Suburbs by Ben Folds.
What I'm reading: These Things Ain't Going to Smoke Themselves by Emily Flake.