Ocean City looks to throw some shade on canopies

It’s not easy running a beach town. Each summer, Ocean City explodes from a relatively quiet town of about 7,000 year-round residents to more than 300,000 people on busy July and August weekends. Hundreds of seasonal police officers, lifeguards and boardwalk shuttle drivers, along with thousands of temporary tourism industry workers manning the motels, shops, bars and eateries, are hired to handle the daunting task of managing an anticipated collective total of 8 million visitors each year.