Hear Philly: The Shore Thing - Harlem Globetrotters, Tattoos and The 'Unofficial' End To Summer Block Party
By Andrew Kramer
WILDWOOD, N.J. (CBS) - Things heat up early in the month of August in the Wildwoods when the Harlem Globetrotters come to town for four days.
John Siciliano with the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Authority says they will be entertaining folks on and off the court:
"From August 6th to 9th, the Globetrotters will have a performance in the Wildwoods Convention Center each night at 7 p.m. But also, during the day, they have a basketball clinic, so if you're in town and your children want to participate in a basketball clinic that's held and run by the Globetrotters, we do that every day."
Siciliano says Wildwood basically becomes the Globetrotter's home for the week:
"They go up and down the boardwalk, prior to the events and ride the tram-car and interact with the people. They're really a special organization."
The following weekend, "the best of the best are here," says Siciliano says.
He's referring to the tattoo artists from all over the country who will gather for the Wildwood Tattoo Convention.
"They have L.A. Ink, they have New York ink, they have Miami Ink," Siciliano explains. "They have all the major tattoo artists come to this show and you can't get these artists to give you a tattoo unless you would travel to their home, and here they are in Wildwood.
The Wildwood Tattoo Convention takes place from August 15th - 17th.
Another popular event returns the week after that -- The Sports Card, Toys, Comics and Collectibles Show.
"As you can hear just by the title, it includes a whole lot of things," Siciliano says, "from autograph memorabilia to posters, supplies, toys, comics, beanie babies, comics, you know, the whole gambit."
That same weekend, Siciliano says another sports-related event rolls into Wildwood:
"We also have the Colossal Coastal Roller Derby Expo. For those roller derby enthusiasts, they can also stop in and watch roller derby going on, while at the same time you can attend the Sports Card and Comic Book Show which is free admission."
The dates of that are August 22nd to 24th while the Derby Expo skates into town August 23rd.
And the summer unofficially comes to an end in the Wildwoods with the Labor Day Block Party and Music Festival in Fox Park.
"It's a food, games, entertainment, crafts," says Siciliano. "It's a fun day in the park with all kinds of entertainment and food."
The block party runs from noon until midnight on August 31st.
For more information on all Wildwood events go to www.wildwoodsnj.com.
And that's The Shore Thing for this month.
Follow HearPHILLY on Twitter.
Listen to the full podcast (runs 2:49)…
Listen to podcasts any time at hearphilly.com.