UPDATE 12.21.18: "Appeals Court Rules Against Ocean City, Remanding Dumsers Case Back For New Trial" via The Dispatch
I wrote this several weeks after the news stories began chronicling the issues surrounding the southern boardwalk location of Dumser's Dairyland. It's complicated and so I will just refer you here to the newly created group on Facebook, titled "SAVE DUMSER'S ON THE INLET AND NATHAN'S BUILDING IN OCEAN CITY, MD". See the end of this post for links and additional photos.
For years I took the reality of having very little family as "just the way things were". While it seemed that everyone else was surrounded by aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins, I had none, as the only and few distant relatives lived either 3,000 miles away on the West coast, or across the Ocean in Europe. Gravitating to places of significance and meaning became a way of life to me as a teenager, and the areas which began to hold a special part of my heart grew to become almost pieces of who I was. The Mall and monuments of Washington, DC became a frequent destination, as did the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia and the coastline of a place called Delmarva. In their own way, each of these sites was special and significant, giving me a place I could return to again and again, offering a respite and a familiar feeling that I was home.
The Ocean City boardwalk became one of those locations with meaning, for it was here I came as a child to ride bicycles with my father and learned how to fly kites on the sandy beaches of this town. Making that turn at the southern tip of O.C. and pulling into the inlet parking lot, there was always a familiar skyline dotted with the businesses and landmarks I'd grown up with and come to love just as so many of you do today. Trimper's Amusement Park, the pier, the shell shops and Dumser's were some of the distinctive establishments which dotted the landscape along the wooden boardwalk, ones that stood the test of time and came to represent the tradition and families and history of the resort.
Fast forward a few decades and we now live here, just outside of Ocean City, and the sparkle and shine that this town held for me hasn't faded. I still love driving south on Coastal highway to that curve by the Oceanic Motel which leads to the inlet parking lot. My eyes still seek out those familiar landmarks and buildings, and when I see them and their lights and signs and familiar faces, once again, I smile at knowing I am in a place that I love.
The southern location of Dumser's Dairyland, like so many other essential elements of Ocean City, is a part of summertime memories for countless individuals and families. It is not something which can be measured or weighed or assessed in value, but rather an ingredient which built the boardwalk and inlet area into the destination we are able to appreciate and enjoy today. While some establishments have faded from our landscape, the quality ones which remain continue to bring joy and smiles to the faces of locals and visitors alike. When such landmarks are removed, it's unlikely that anything else could be built which would bring as much happiness - and yet the desire to "move on" often destroys the character of a place.
We as a society already lose much of the things each year which make our communities special and distinctive, operating in "the name of progress". On this issue, let us stand together to maintain and preserve the iconic landscape that we've come to know and love; rather than becoming known for tearing down history, let's work to celebrate and preserve it. Here are a few photos from the last couple of years of the location at the southern tip of the boardwalk.
Photos of the boardwalk locations:
• Save Dumser's Dairyland on the Boardwalk Facebook Group "SAVE DUMSER'S ON THE INLET AND NATHAN'S BUILDING IN OCEAN CITY, MD"
• September 3rd: "Despite pending appeal, Dumser’s to close by Oct. 31"
• August 10th: "Ocean City Wins Court Case Over Boardwalk Building"
• See their website
• Facebook Page
Locations of Dumser's Dairyland in Ocean City, MD:
•12305 Coastal Highway
•4901 Coastal Highway
•501 South Philadelphia Ave
•601 South Atlantic Ave
•2 South Atlantic Avenue (boardwalk)
•Wicomico Street (boardwalk)
•12702 Ocean Gateway, West Ocean City
community advocate | marketing consultant | dedicated to small business | fan of
classic cars & hot rods | beach lover | believer that "together we accomplish more"
