The Crab Calls It: Another Early Summer for Ocean City

Everybody who's tired of the long winter and windy spring can rest easy: Summer's coming early.

Ocean City's hermit-crab mascot, Martin Z. Mollusk, saw his shadow at Ninth Street Beach on Thursday morning (May 2), and thus predicted the arrival of summer a week early.

The fortuitous sighting was part of Ocean City's annual knockoff of Groundhog Day, which takes place each year on the first Thursday of May. The ceremony on the beach next to the Ocean City Music Pier includes a procession, a wind chimes band and songs.

Despite a full variety of weather over the years and using some creative squinting, Martin has seen his shadow for 38 consecutive years (if you count a partial shadow in 1985).

But for 2013, he had it easy: There was not a single cloud in a bright, blue sky.