Working in Ocean City for my first summer back in 2004 I was met with harsh criticism for trying to claim that I was in some way a local. Over the years I slowly grew closer to this community and would now at least consider myself part of it. My inspiration for addressing localism in Ocean City comes from my second experience in the seasonal cycle and transition into summer after a long and cold winter. Working on the boardwalk I have had a front row seat for Springfest, Cruisin OC car show, and soon the Memorial Day weekend. I realize now that all of the celebration and excitement doesn’t belong to the residents of our town and county. We all see the cardboard cutout backdrop of summer time that we help hold up with our service to the tourism industry. We enjoy for a short time in the fall and spring, the same relaxing days that our summer tourist counterparts enjoy. The thing that has become apparent is the lack of ownership over the things that people enjoy most about this town. We here at Good Clean Fun Life try to give back to the members of the community by drawing attention to people and places that enrich the eastern shore experience. We hope that over the summer you find things here to call your own and that we all can claim as authentic representations of our community. Stay tuned all summer long for fresh exciting content from friends of all sorts.
Despite everyones new found cheerful summer attitudes, I have recently found myself more disgruntled than anything. I have to preface this post by stating that I am not nor have I ever claimed to be a Worcester County native. My short stint as a resident of this great county has instilled a sense of community for which I am grateful, however claiming local status has gotten me in trouble from an early age.