The Story Behind the Ocean Park 🎆Fireworks: Part 1! 2025 Fireworks on 🇺🇸July 6th at 9:15🎇

Any amount is welcome!

Please donate! Jill Doczi tells the story of how our fireworks show came about:

In the past, neighbors celebrated the day of our nation’s independence starting at sundown and continuing into the early morning hours with their own fireworks on the beaches. From Little Creek Amphibious Base to First Landing State Park, we had a stunning array of light and sound from everything between small sparklers and thousands-of-dollars mini-shows, all illegal, but impressive as a whole for a community.

Over the years, the word spread, and people from outside the community flocked to participate. Sometimes those people showed up a little under-the-influence, excited to share their self-taught pyrotechnic skills. Sometimes they didn’t care as much about the safety of neighbors and sometimes they didn’t have the skills they thought they did — resulting errant shots into dry dune grass, onto roofs and into crowds. Hundreds of fireworks shooting in all directions up and down the beach did start to resemble a war movie.

In 2009, we experienced the Great Fireworks Crackdown. Due to some serious safety issues from the previous year, the city launched a very militant effort to stop the illegal use of fireworks on the Fourth of July along the Shore Drive beaches. In addition to increased beach patrols, they staged police and fire marshal staff at every access entrance. They checked coolers, bags and buggies for explosives and meted out severe penalties. It worked. Fireworks celebrations of Independence Day appeared to have ended on our beaches.

The community realized that maybe it had gotten out-of-hand and unsafe, but we weren’t willing to give up the tradition. How could we celebrate our country in the same patriotic way that centuries of Americans before us have, while not setting each other and our neighborhoods on fire?

In 2010, our then civic league president, Rick Mercadante, proposed we raise funds for a professional show. The city agreed. Word-of-mouth and a loan from the civic league launched our first authorized fireworks show in July 2010.

Donate: www.opcl.org

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Updates from May 15th Bayfront Advisory Commission Meeting

  • Beach Operations Bureau briefed on preparations for 2025 Beach Season. Residential beaches like Ocean Park are cleaned about 3 times a year. For most beach cleaning they start at 2:30 am and use spotters and bright headlights to prevent accidents with people.
  • Shore Drive Phase III ( from First Landing to Lesser, east side of the bridge only) Update
  • Public Works Bayfront CIP Tracker Spreadsheet (see below- updated info in red)
  • “Urban Tree Canopy and Stormwater Management Presentation” by Student Member Aubrey Moore made a strong case for the importance of tree canopy in managing storm water.
  • Commissioners voted to establish an ad hoc Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Committee to contribute to efforts to solve the issues of congestion and illegal activities that negatively impact the Ocean Park and Shore Drive community.
  • Next BAC meeting will be on Monday, June 16th at 3:30 pm at OPVRS (normal meeting day June 19th is a holiday).
BAC Meeting Update – May 2025Download
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What’s the Story with Golf Carts in Ocean Park?

No motorized vehicles are allowed to drive on the beach except by specific written permission of the City Manager. A handicap placard from a car is NOT transferrable to allow driving on the beach. Virginia Beach Codes of Ordinance: Sec. 6-12.

Some reminders about “golf carts” in our community. Although some communities in the area are designated golf cart communities, Ocean Park is not a designated or approved golf cart community. Because of this, to drive lawfully on the streets of Ocean Park vehicles must be street-legal electric vehicles as defined by state and city law. This means they must have all the vehicular requirements, be titled, registered with low-speed license plates from DMV and covered by minimum insurance requirements. They may only be operated by drivers with a valid license or learner’s permit and the driver must follow all the same rules of the road as a normal vehicle. (Virginia Beach Codes of Ordinance: Sec. 7: 65-68 ).

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A Sea of Grass! Stay off the Dunes!

Coastal Transplants has installed sand fences and planted American Beach Grass on the dunes. Sea Oats have now also been planted on the crest of the dunes. “Please Stay Off the Dunes “ signs remind beach goers to leave the grass and dunes undisturbed. Let’s give the grass a chance to get established!

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Fireworks? What Fireworks! July 6th!

From our fireworks Wizard- Jill Doczi: “We don’t have no black cats, no Roman candles, or screaming Mimi’s. We’ve got no lady fingers, fuzz buttles, snicker bombs, church burners, finger blasters, gut busters, zippity do das or crap flappers? I’m telling you we don’t have no whistlin’ bungholes, no spleen splitters, whisker biscuits, honkey lighters, hoosker doos, hoosker don’ts, cherry bombs, nipsy daisers, with or without the scooter stick, or one single whistlin’ kitty chaser.

We have

107 3 inch shells
382 4 inch shells
219 5 inch shells
74 6 inch shells
14 8 inch shells

because this isn’t snakes and sparklers.
This is a REAL show.

If you were having friends and family over on the Fourth and went to South of the Border to get some illegal fireworks like those mentioned above, your time, gas and product would cost more than $25. Look at the value you’re getting — plus you won’t set your cul de sac on fire or lose a finger! This only happens because of individual donations. If every household in Ocean Park donated $25 we’d have more than enough. BARGAIN”. Please donate!

Please Donate! Any amount welcome!
Photo Credit Chris Giersch
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Holiday Plan for the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp

Summer season is here and with it the issues at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp become more acute. Despite ongoing engagement with the COVB Police, Public Works and Parks and Recreation by Ocean Park residents, the civic league and now the Bayfront Advisory Commission residents are negatively impacted by the overwhelmed facility. Congestion on the narrow streets of Ocean Park, boat trailers waiting for access block driveways and often get lost which pose frustrating safety hazards for pedestrians and drivers.

Neighborhood safety is a priority and we will continue to advocate for solutions as we liaise with city leadership.

For more information go to the LBR FAQ OPCL page.

In response to pointed letters this week from many residents, the City Manager Patrick Duhaney offers the following information. 

What is the Public Safety plan for Memorial Day Weekend?

  • Police: The Virginia Beach Police Department is committed to proactively addressing the concerns surrounding the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp. Following an incident in March, Captain Gordon attended an Ocean Park Civic League meeting with Director Kirschman from Parks and Recreation. This engagement allowed us to hear directly from residents about their concerns and share our constructive response.  In response to the community feedback, we have significantly increased our patrols in the area, asking officers to remain visible for a period of time when circumstances allow. This includes patrol officers completing paperwork on-site of the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp from prior calls for service which also enhance their presence within the community.
  • To further discourage any issues, we’ve strategically placed a police vehicle in the parking lot on occasions, serving as a visible deterrent. Additionally, the 3rd Precinct has conducted musters (shift roll calls) in the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Parking lot which also increases visibility. Our Traffic Safety Unit has assisted with increased presence to ensure smoother traffic flow and enhance safety around the boat ramp. We have also intensified parking enforcement to effectively address violations. The feedback from the community meeting has been encouraging, demonstrating that our increased efforts are appreciated. We have also communicated our initiatives to those who couldn’t attend via outreach from the Ocean Park Civic League president. Since the March incident and the resulting increase in our presence, we are pleased to note that no further issues have been reported to the department. 
  • Looking ahead to the upcoming weekend, we are deploying officers on ATVs, UTVs, and a Motor Carrier unit as additional resources for traffic management and beach oversight. Our marine unit, in collaboration with the Virginia Marine Police and Virginia Conservation Police, are resources that we can call upon to address boating violations. In addition, cameras at the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp are being monitored by the VBPD Real Time Crime Center. We will do our best to monitor and address conditions at the boat ramp as they arise, realizing that this will be an incredibly busy weekend for the city with a significant number of events in all four precincts that will draw upon our finite resources.
  • Emergency Medical Services: through the Chesapeake Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad and Ocean Park Volunteer Rescue Squad, will have EMS personnel conducting ATV/UTV safety patrols on the beaches at various times throughout the summer.
  • In addition, the EMS Marine Rescue Team conducts weekend marine patrols off the beaches and in city waterways throughout the summer on Fridays through Sundays. 
  • Emergency Communications & Citizen Services: ECCS is staffed 24/7/365 for informational calls, non-emergency reporting, and 9-1-1 Emergency Services. 
  • Information: 3-1-1 or 757-385-3111
  • Non-emergency: 757-385-5000
  • Emergency: 9-1-1
  • Fire: Fire is upstaffing to ensure Fire boats will be staffed for the holiday weekend and most weekends throughout the summer. 

How will the City address Waste Management on our beaches, boat ramps, and parks throughout the weekend?

  • Public Works Beach Operations | Beaches
  • Beach Operations is operating under normal conditions.
  • Regular service for all beach waste containers (barrels) is being provided at beach entrances and those on the sand.
  • Service for these containers occurs each morning around 5:30 a.m.
  • Should Beach Ops receive prior notification of a large unauthorized party on the beach, they will arrange to have roll-off containers for beachgoers to utilize.
  • Parks and Recreation | Boat Ramps and Parks
  • Boat Ramp staff are onsite from 5:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
  • Service for the ramp’s dumpster is provided by a contracted commercial waste hauler and performed on a set schedule. If needed, they can request a special pick-up.
  • Parks Staff will be actively checking all parks and ensuring that waste containers are serviced as needed.
  • Public Works Waste Management | Residential Household Waste
  • Waste and Recycling Collection Services for the residential homes in the Shore Drive/Bay Beach areas occur on Wednesday.
  • To find when your next recycling service day will be, visit https://VirginiaBeach.gov/wastemgt and use the “Find My Trash Day” tool.
  • For service day reminders, residents can sign up to receive text or email notifications at VB Connect
  • To report a miss in service (trash, recycling, bulky or yard waste), residents can create a Service Request at https://vb311.virginiabeach.gov/assist/servicetypes


What happens if the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp Reaches Maximum Capacity 

  • Ramp Signage: Parks and Recreation (PAR) will change all four ramp signs to full to indicate no availability. These are drop down “full” signs located on Shore Drive in the east and west bound directions.
  • Staff at Entrance: PAR will place two staff members at the entrance to the boat ramp, equipped with radios for communication. Staff are there to assist with the notification to boaters that the ramp is full and to continue traveling on East Stratford Road to exit the neighborhood. 
  • If upon exiting the parking lot traffic becomes a problem, staff and/or residents are asked to notify Police to assist in either flushing the traffic out onto Shore Drive and out of the neighborhood. If a vehicle is unoccupied, Police will ticket the violator.
  • Barricade Road: PAR will use crowd control barricades to close off Piedmont Circle access into the facility. Once open spaces are available then staff will let trailers begin entering.  
  • Car Lot and Trailer Monitoring: PAR is going to consistently check the car lot and trailer numbers to ensure proper parking and space utilization. 
  • Launch and Recovery Monitoring: PAR will ensure individuals who are launching and recovering boats are exiting the ramp area promptly and moving to the designated areas. 
  • Ramp Control Staff: PAR will station one staff member for ramp control to maintain order and assist with operations. 
  • Staffing: Parks and Recreation has hired an additional staff person to support the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Supervisors are scheduled proactively during the busiest times. 
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2025 Fireworks on Sunday, July 6th at 9:15!

If you are new to Ocean Park, you are in for a treat! It’s a spectacular show right here on our beach! This event is funded solely through contributions. The civic league undertakes the work of making it happen (thank you Jill Doczi! And other volunteers) but the civic leagues (Ocean Park and Baylake Pines) can’t fund it with their small budgets. It is funded by those of us who love and enjoy it. No monies collected for fireworks go to the civic leagues- All money collected in the Fireworks Fund is spent on the fireworks shows only. The residents and visitors make this neighborhood event happen for our community as a neighborhood (not city wide) event. Your donations are the key so let’s make this happen!!! Go to opcl.org/aboutopcl/fireworks for more information!

Donate today!!
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