Baltimore, Md. (June 18, 2007) - The National Aquarium in Baltimore will host Beyond the Boardwalk, an annual celebration of the ocean and its inhabitants June 28 through June 29 in Ocean City, Maryland.
The festivities, which the Aquarium has supported for more than a decade (formerly called Ocean Awareness Days), aim to connect the public with marine environments and the creatures that live in them and share things people can do at home to lessen their impact on ocean wildlife. This year, the celebration also spread to Baltimore, where a series of outdoor festivals on the Aquarium's pier shared the same messages with Aquarium visitors.
"One of the main goals of Beyond the Boardwalk is to teach people about ocean life while inspiring appreciation for it," says Eve Stelzer, an education specialist at the Aquarium. "We hope that people will not only learn what they can do, but why they should care."
The Dolphin Count will be the first of the Beyond the Boardwalk events. At the count, members of the public can help Aquarium staff and volunteers record the number of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins sighted in the waters off Maryland's coast over a given period of time. These annual surveys help to provide a better idea of the health of the dolphin population along our coast.
That evening, adults 21 years old and over are invited to join Aquarium staff and volunteers at Seacrets Bar and Grille for ocean health themed activities and prizes. All cover charges between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. will be donated to the Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Program.
The following day, families with children of all ages can come out to Sunset Park for Family Fun Day. Aquarium staff along with other institutions concerned with ocean welfare will be onsite with marine animal artifacts, fun ocean health activities, face painting, crafts and more.
Schedule for Beyond the Boardwalk:
Thursday, June 28:
Dolphin Count
Time: 9am-12pm
Locations: Assateague National Seashore, 2nd Street, 20th Street, 37th Street, 50th Street, 67th Street, 80th Street, 101st Street, 122nd Street, 140th Street
Seacrets Event
Time: 4pm-9pm
Location: Seacrets Bar and Grille at 49th Street and the Bay
Friday, June 29:
Family Fun Day
Time: 10am-3pm
Location: Sunset Park at S. Division Street west of S. Philadelphia Avenue (located next to the Ocean City Coast Guard Station)
For more information, please call the Beyond the Boardwalk info line at 410-371-9802.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore, a non-profit organization, is Baltimore's leading attraction, hosting more than 1.6 million visitors per year. The Aquarium's mission is to connect people with aquatic life in order to create a better world for both. It is dedicated to education and conservation through more than a dozen programs that serve the environment and the community.
