Reimagining Your Time in Ocean City, MD
In 1933 Captain D. Frank Parsons was the first angler to take his boat through the new Ocean City inlet to fish for big game. The inlet was opened up by a big hurricane which pounded the coast in August 1933. Later businessmen Frank and Paul Townsend from Selbyville, DE were credited for searching for the first white marlin off Ocean City in 1934 in an area was known as Jackpot Shoal. Although they did not catch one, later in 1934 Captain John Mickle landed the first white marlin. It has been "fish on" since then.
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On 10 July 2020, Paul Williams of WRDE-TV sat down for an interview with OC INSIDER. Check out the video here to see how Paul Comes up with his one-liners, interacts with his news anchors, taught himself Spanish and forecasts the weather. Please click here. (Courtesy Draper Media) Paul Williams serves as chief meteorologist for WRDE-TV and Spanish-language Telemundo Delmarva. “People on Delmarva can count on Paul for an accurate and interesting weather forecast. His three decades of forecasting experience, combined with his ability to communicate in both English and Spanish will serve audiences for both our NBC and Telemundo affiliates,” said Craig Jahelka, president of Draper Media. Paul holds the American Meteorological Society Television Seal of Approval. Most recently he was senior meteorologist for AccuWeather, based in State College, Pa. There he organized and directed weather coverage for The Accuweather Network, seen in more than 60 markets and on ABC’s World News Now. He holds a bachelor of science degree in meteorology as well as a bachelor of science degree in mass communications with a minor in physics from Jackson State University. He also holds a bachelor of science degree in Bible/counseling from Magnolia Bible College. Paul served as the chief meteorologist for LOCAL 24 (ABC) in Memphis, Tenn., and prior to that finished a second "tour of duty" with WLBT-TV3 in Jackson, Miss., from 1999-2014. It was during this time in which Paul reported on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Paul moved back to Missisissippi to finish raising his three daughters and to avoid moving from station to station during their formative years. This move was from FOX61 in Hartford Conn., where Paul's first position as chief meteorologist began in the late 1990s. He has also worked as a weekend morning meteorologist for KSDK-TV NEWSCHANNEL 5 during the massive floods in the early 90s. "I'm thrilled to be a part of the WRDE/Telemundo team! For me, being here means that I am not only a member of the community, but a servant, eager to put my years of experience at the community's disposal,” said Paul. “I look forward to meeting and connecting with the team and community at large." Paul Williams joins co-anchors Madeline Overturf and Matt Pencek on the anchor desk at WRDE-TV this fall with Coverage You Can Count On. He’ll also work closely with WBOC’s Storm Tracker Weather Team to provide life-saving emergency weather information when events warrant. If I were making a movie about surfing and business and needed an actor to play the main role Brendan X. Hanley would be straight out of central casting. Yet he is "REEL" and a great guy to boot. As the youngest of five brothers, Brendan grew up fending for himself surfing and working in surf shops where he began his entrepreneurial endeavors. By the late 1980s after graduating from the University of Maryland, and playing pro lacrosse, Brendan teamed up with Bill Dreibelbis of Quiet Storm fame. Brendan then went on to work for companies like Redsand, Billabong, and Von Zipper. In 2012, Brendan began working for Under Armour and reached the rank of global general manager for outdoor sales. In 2018, Brendan ventured into the world of outdoor angler clothing and opened his business and worldwide headquarters, Pure Lure Reel Fishing Gear, in Ocean City, MD. Brendan talks about what makes him successful and how Pure Lure is so different. To hear Brendan's resume you would think that I would be interviewing a suit and tie, who is a titan of industry. In fact Brendan is entirely different. He conducted the entire interview in board shorts and without shoes due to a tropical storm flooding the first floor of his shop. Brendan took great pride in giving me the tour of Pure Lure's HQS including ambitious plans to kit out the roof of his new building complete with a 20 foot long bar bought from the old Captain Galley restaurant Here family and friends can just hang after a tough day's work. The roof of the building is fitting for Brendan as he ventures into his newest venture. From his perch he his able to see Ocean City as he has always seen it, on top. The fishing boats flying the Pure Lure flag across the street from his office only further show us how Brendan's newest adventure is already successful and full steam ahead. andcre·a·tiv·i·ty /ˌkrēāˈtivədē/ noun
The creative adult is the child who survived and nowhere was this more obvious then when Brendan recounted his story of Mr. Von Zipper to start his second business, a sunglasses company. Von Zipper was dreamed up by Brendan and his buddies while sitting on the back of a boat (possibly drinking something). Brendan told the story of how his friends created a whole back story of Mr. Von Zipper, a vaudeville character with his own personal entourage long before Dos Equis created their own Dos Equis Man. The concept was so popular that he was invited to showcase his sunglasses at a trade show where Brendan actually brought the Von Zipper character to life by hiring the grandfather of an OC friend to play the role of Von Zipper. To finalize the illusion of the "importance" of Mr. Von Zipper, Brendan hired four burly bodyguards to "protect" Von Zipper at the show. It was a huge hit. A Family Affair While Pure Lure Reel Fishing Gear is a reflection of Brendan's own unique personality and creativity, he admits openly that he could have never made the jump from Under Armour without his wife's and family's support. Brendan's wife and three adult sons all have some role in Pure Lure, from working in the showroom to managing the warehouse. Brendan also employs various other local Ocean City residents who have worked with him over the years. A Man of Faith While Brendan and I spoke at length on a variety of subjects, Brendan seemed to enjoy most when he talked about his church in Salisbury, MD and giving the opportunity to take kids fishing for the first time. Please see the video interview here. Brendan Talks Business Me and Brendan spoke at length about Pure Lure and what distinguishes his outerwear from other's. He talks about his new lady angler line, how his product is tested right here in Ocean City, and how he plans to build his brand in the future. Please check out all of our videos on Brendan or please just stop by and see him at his world headquarters at 12808 Harbor Road, Ocean City, MD (across the water from Sunset Marina and close to Harborside Bar). He is always welcoming and he or his family members will greet you in their showroom. Brendan talks about his board shorts, tees, and uniqueness of his designs Brendan talks about his current and future lady angler series Brendan talks about his 2020 professional goals 2020/2021 Goals and Aspirations. Brendan talks about his relationship with Bass Pro Shops Brendan talks testing environment and how he gets his products tested right here in Ocean City Brendan talks about Ocean City White Marlin Tournament Pure Lure Reel Fishing Gear Owner Talks About What Makes Him Successful Brendan Hanley of Pure Lure Reel Fishing Talks About Things You Didn't Know about West Ocean City, MD On 17 July please look for our full interview with Brendan Hanley of Pure Lure Reel Fishing Gear. Brendan grew up in Ocean City and has an almost storied career from the stock rooms of surf shops in Ocean City to the boardroom at Under Armour. He traded it all to start his own clothing line and we got a chance to interview him. Pure Lure is also the official sponsor of the 2020 White Marlin Open. My interview with Anna Bushnell, owner of Dolle's Candyland. Can you explain the genesis of the book Dolle's Candyland and why you chose to write it now. "It was during a move where we moved from a house my father was born in. As you can imagine when you have sort of a family estate there is a lot of stuff behind the walls. I ended up moving to a larger home where my parents decided to downsize and I had boxes and boxes of photos and things from Dolle’s that are really priceless to the family. I basically became the holder of all things historical. In looking at that (the photos) it became apparent I didn’t know who a lot of the people were or where the photos were taken because my grandfather is actually the one, so it’s actually my dad’s dad, who started the business and he didn’t even have my dad until he was 55, so he was long gone before I came along. I started to investigate who were the people in the photos in part because my father had a stroke a few years back and it dawned on me that people aren’t going to be around forever so I started working on it with my father to get it all done. It has always been a dream of mine because so many people love Ocean City history and to portray that in book form is kind of my dream. Actually I started organizing the pictures before the book was even thought up. Arcadia Publishing called me about two weeks into when I decided to organize the pictures so it became very organic for me to transition it into a book." Many manufacturers claim David Bradley was one of the first sellers of salt water taffy. The legend goes that a huge storm hit Atlantic City and flooded the boardwalk. Bradley’s store was flooded and the ocean water soaked his entire stock of taffy. In one account, a young girl asked if the store still had taffy for sale. Bradley jokingly told the girl to grab some “salt water taffy.” Others refute this story by noting that Joseph Fralinger, the first to sell salt water taffy in Atlantic City, previously called salt water taffy "Ocean Wave", "Sea Foam" and then eventually "Salt Water Taffy". The saga of salt water taffy continued into the early 1920s when a candy shop owner from Atlantic City, NJ John Edminston attempted to trademark the name and was ultimately denied by the U.S. Supreme court. Is "where does the name salt water taffy come from" the number one question asked by your customers today? "We have always gone back to the Bradley legend… who knows if it’s true. With Fralinger's… they were the original salt water taffy people in Atlantic City so maybe they have a story as well. It’s a little bit confusing because people think our salt water taffy has salt in it, or that it has salt water in it. We at Dolle’s get asked that every day, but we do have salt water taffy that does have salt in it, sea salt. This taffy has become increasingly popular like salted caramel because people have grown a good taste for it" Is it true that Daniel Trimper asked your family to come to Ocean City from Brooklyn to open up a carousel? That carousel burned down in the great fire of 1925. I find it ironic that perhaps if there was no fire, it would be Dolle’s Rides in Ocean City today. "Actually I found a missing link on newspapers.com that clarifies the legend that Daniel Trimper invited my family down here. According to the newspapers my family was in Brooklyn and they moved to Baltimore where they had amusements. One side of the family would build and operate the mechanics of the rides and the other side would do the carving. My family had several carousels in parks in Baltimore and my family rented several parks with Daniel Trimper together. So my grandfather, Rudolph Dolle and Trimper were partners in renting these parks out. It’s believable that Trimper invited my grandfather to Ocean City as the Trimpers were growing Ocean City at the time. I don’t think that it would have turned into anything bigger because our merry go ‘rounds were a lot smaller than Trimpers and I think that’s why they decided not to rebuild after the fire in 1925. They had the candy thing going and it was good for business" Also while Dolles displays prominently over a store in Rehoboth Beach, DE that store is actually owned by the Pachide family, which was sold to them in 1959 by your grandfather. "Dolle's in Rehoboth vs. Dolle's in Maryland. So back in the 1920s my grandfather went up to Pennsylvania to learn more of the candy making trade and ended working with a man named Thomas Pachide. Pachide moved to Salisbury, MD and worked with my grandfather. They became business partners and started buying different properties including one in Bethany Beach and one in Rehoboth Beach. Pachide and my grandfather split the properties so that Pachide got the land in Rehoboth and my grandfather got the one in Bethany where we put a hotel. He didn’t realize by letting the name go to Pachide it would cause so much confusion. Thomas Ibach, the grandson of Pachide, is the one that owns Dolle’s in Rehoboth now. They own the rights to the Dolle name in Delaware where we own the rights in all of Maryland" How have you adopted to the social media landscape and do you consider it necessary to sell salt water taffy and other sweets?
" It’s a great tool and we can use it to show the behind the scenes at Dolle’s. For instance today my brother is going to be making some peanut brittle so I will feature it online. We never record things and save them. It’s just a live view of the day-to-day of our operation. A lot of people think we are some big corporation but it’s all families here. My kids and nephew work here so we want to show this is a family business. You know I do all my own social media. Before I worked with interns for social media content however in order to make it personal I decided to take over the social media. It gets really personal when people say bad things about Dolle’s. We seem to do better with Facebook than the other platforms and do have an Instagram page." In addition to salt water taffy your stores sell chocolate, caramel corn etc. Who decides what you sell? "So we have always sold salt water taffy, caramel corn, caramel and fudge and back in 1978 we redid this building and purchased a chocolate shop on the corner and my father wanted to get his hands into making chocolate. That business took off. We ended moving our taffy making equipment down the street and expanded the chocolate business. We also go to trade shows and learn new flavors like cotton candy flavor. We pretty much try to stay with our roots. I am sure one day our flavors will fade away and we would need to adapt to new flavors." What’s one thing people don’t know about Dolle’s or Ocean City? " This year without our foreign students, everybody here is our community. When you walk down the boardwalk, a lot of people are related to one another in many levels and a lot of times these families’ ties go back generations. We have a really tight knit community and work together closely. You may think that our competitors are our die hard enemies and we hate them, but that’s not the case at all. We rely on each other as neighbors and as good business neighbors and we definitely support one another with." Check out a segment where Anna talks about what is in Salt Water Taffy here. |
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