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Fond Memories of Ocean City

by Marion Hayward Chambers

2007

Marion Chamber in 1998

I have a lifetime of fond memories of Ocean City, Maryland. During World War II, I spent many childhood hours on the beach and boardwalk. I worked sometimes at the Wil-Mar Restaurant on the corner of Somerset Street and Baltimore Avenue. My girlfriends and I liked being on the beach at Caroline Street where the lifeguard station was located. The big life boat sitting in front of the building, ready to launch for rescues was our meeting place in summer. We saw the Coast Guard men guarding the beach. Sometimes they were on foot, sometimes on horses, which were stabled then on Assateague Point, just across the Inlet. Down at the end of the boardwalk at the inlet was the Coast Guard Tower where the men took shifts sitting high up there with binoculars, trained to watch out to sea for subs and other ships they observed and reported on.

Both the Army and Coast Guard patrolled the beachfront on Assateague and up from Ocean City to Rehobeth, especially at night as enemy subs were off shore. At night we had to have blackout blinds on our windows to keep out light facing the ocean. I met my husband David Chambers when he was in training with the 111th infantry. For a three year period, he was in the Pacific fighting the war with Japan. They trained at Solomons Island, Ocean City and Assateague beaches. His company took turns patrolling beaches at night while they were here. We were married when he got home after the war.

The boardwalk was always a delight to me, even to this day. My brother had a summer job pushing the wicker trams, carrying people who wanted to tour along the boards that way. He also worked in the pull the strings for a prize booths. Trimpers Rides were always a fun time. My children Paul and Keith spent all the time they could on those rides. When company came, they all went to the Merry-go-round as we always called it. I loved to ride on the Ferris wheel. Still do!!

“Sand between my toes” as my Dad said about me, made me end up living in Ocean City where we have been in the same house for 54 years. Many changes have come with time and progress, but I still love every day that comes to me in Ocean City.

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