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SEPTEMBER 29, 2023
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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BikeFest promoter charged with fraud Chase Micheal accused in Florida of passing more than $500K in bad checks
HUNTER HINE/OCEAN CITY TODAY
The setup for this weekend’s Oceans Calling festival appeared to be a major construction project early this week, as crews labored to erect the temporary venue in less-than-pleasurable weather.
By Stewart Dobson Editor (Sept. 29, 2023) OC BikeFest organizer Chase Micheal’s attempt to build a Florida motorcycle rally into something more like his Ocean City version ended badly last Thursday in Panama City, where Micheal turned himself into the county sheriff after being charged with passing more than a half-million dollars in bad checks. According to the arrest report See MICHEAL Page 9
Big business, big weekend Oceans Calling Festival projected to pump $60M into Ocean City economy By Hunter Hine Staff Writer (Sept. 29, 2023) The Oceans Calling music festival means something different to everyone involved. For visitors, it’s a chance to catch some of the biggest music groups while kicking it on the beach. For businesses and city officials, it’s a chance to showcase Ocean City to new visitors while at the same time main-line a major revenue boost. Tom Perlozzo, the city’s tourism and development director, said that
the “Ocean City Economic Impact Calculator,” which measures the economic value and calculated return on investment of all city events, projected the festival to push somewhere around $60 million into the resort economy over three days. “I mean, it’s an extremely large opportunity,” Perlozzo said. “Heads in beds, room nights. Just off the charts, great.” For C3 Presents, the festival promoters, Perlozzo estimated the cost of entertainment to be around $9 million and the cost of festival infrastructure to be around $20 million, and that doesn’t include a multitude of other expenses C3 faces. But Ocean City doesn’t stand to
incur any costs at all, Perlozzo said. C3 is paying a hefty sum to rent the inlet lot and beach, and it has hired many of its own services, such as security. Per the recently signed contract between city officials and promoters, any city services like police, emergency services and public works that are diverted for festival-related work will be billed to promoters. There is a preliminary number for city help in the agreement, but the price is a fluid, depending on if it costs the city more or less than anticipated, Perlozzo said. Unlike the Oceans Calling layout plans from the canceled event last See BOARDWALK Page 10
Traffic routes Parking lots Bus routes Lodging Show lineup More coverage on Pages 3-12