"I believe there was a woman named Prunella involved and some sort of fractured limb," said Ocean Beach publicist Donna Abbott. (Details are on the Web site fracturedprune.com.)
SCENIC BEACHES
Downashore standby
Cape May Point State Park
Other Shores substitutes
In the category of untouched natural beauty, the substitutes north and south of Cape May County easily trump the original.
Island Beach State Park near Seaside Park, N.J., boasts 10 miles of undeveloped beachfront. The catch is that park management holds a strict line on attendance, closing the gates to incoming cars after all the parking spaces fill (as early as 10:30 a.m. on busy summer weekends).
Bike riders and walkers are never turned away, but it's a 3 1/2-mile trek to the nearest bathing area.
In Delaware, the six-mile long Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes is the standout, with towering dunes on the ocean side, including the 80-foot-high Great Dune, and placid waters on the bay side for timid swimmers.
"The beach there and the dunes are comparable with some national seashores I've seen," said Philly-based travel-advice columnist Don Groff - read him at dgroff.com - author of Frommer's Best Beach Vacations, Mid-Atlantic (and a Daily News copy editor by night).
BILL'S AT THE GRIDDLE
Downashore standby
Uncle Bill's Pancake House
Other Shores substitute
Mustache Bill's Diner, Barnegat Light, Long Beach Island
Another case where the Other Shores have the edge. This May, the prestigious James Beard Foundation honored Mustache Bill's as one of "America's Classics."
Owner Bill Smith's cyclops pancakes, with an egg in the middle, are an LBI breakfast tradition. For kids, he'll also shape pancakes to order, as a mermaid or an octopus, for instance. Regulars here also rave about Mustache Bill's fluke and chips.
PRIMO AMUSEMENTS
Downashore standby
Morey's Piers, Wildwoods
Other Shores substitute
Trimper's Rides
Ocean City, Md.
The main attraction at Trimper's is the carousel, a hand-carved beauty from the early 1900s. It has horses, of course, but also some more exotic mounts, including a frog.
More near-equivalents:
Other beach towns with boardwalk rides are Rehoboth Beach (Funland), Beach Haven (Fantasy Island), Point Pleasant (Jenkinson's), and Seaside Heights (Casino Pier).
SUNSET SPECTACULARS
Downashore standby
Deauville Inn, Strathmere
Other Shores substitute
Bayside Ocean City, Md.
Day's end is celebrated nightly with recorded musical accompaniment at Fager's Island Restaurant and Bar (the 1812 Overture) and Macky's Bayside Bar & Grill (Kate Smith singing "God Bless America").
OUT-THERE EVENTS
Downashore standby
Miss Crustacean pageant
Other Shores substitutes
In all truth, there is no comparison to the annual Miss Crustacean Hermit-Crab Beauty Contest in Ocean City, N.J., slated for Aug. 5 this year.
However, other beach towns do have their signature events, including:
_ New Jersey Sandcastle Championships, Wednesday in Belmar;
_ 31st Annual Sandcastle Contest, Aug. 1 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.;
_ White Marlin Open, the big-money ($1.5 million in prizes last year) fishing tournament, Aug. 3-7 in Ocean City, Md.;
_ Crabcakes Festival and Shore Chef Cookoff, Aug. 22-23 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. *
