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    Ocean City Baby Parade
    Ocean City Baby Parade
    Ocean City Baby Parade
    Ebook196 pages58 minutes

    Ocean City Baby Parade

    By Fred Miller and Susan Miller

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    About this ebook

    The Ocean City Baby Parade is the longest continuously held baby parade in the nation, tracing back to August 10, 1901, when the city's first baby show was held. From its beginning with 46 babies in the prettiest, cutest, and fattest baby categories, it has grown into a boardwalk extravaganza with 300 entrants, bands and bugle corps, professionally decorated commercial floats, homemade baby floats, grand marshals, and cartoon characters. Many families plan their vacations around this well-known event, and they are among the thousands of spectators lining the boardwalk each year.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439637425
    Ocean City Baby Parade
    Author

    Fred Miller

    I am a retired jack of all trades, with a BAS in electronic engineering. Along with drawing and painting, there are many things that I like to do, including writing and riding my harley.

    Read more from Fred Miller

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      Book preview

      Ocean City Baby Parade - Fred Miller

      write.

      INTRODUCTION

      The Ocean City Baby Parade can be traced back to August 10, 1901, and Ocean City’s First Baby Show. Except for the years in the early 1900s, the infantile paralysis epidemic of 1916, and the years during the two world wars, the event has been held every year since 1901, making it the longest running baby parade in the country. It has been held continuously since 1946.

      In 1901, Frank E. Darby and Col. John Glaspell decided that what was missing in Ocean City was a way to showcase the many beautiful babies who lived or summered here. Since Glaspell managed the Casino Pier on the boardwalk, the men decided the pier would be the perfect place to hold Ocean City’s First Baby Show. With the support of other prominent citizens, the baby show was advertised. So many inquiries poured in to Glaspell that he appointed a committee, headquartered at Chalfant’s Pharmacy, to dispense information on the show.

      Forty-six babies were entered in the show, with gold medals as prizes given for prettiest, cutest, and fattest baby. Each of the spectators was given one ballot and allowed to vote for one child in each category. The judge of elections was Jerry Neill, a member of Philadelphia’s common council and a guest at the Strand Hotel. According to the Ocean City Daily Reporter, it was the greatest attraction that has yet been provided for summer visitors.

      The baby show was held annually through 1904. Although it was successful, growing larger each year, by 1905, those in charge had tired of it, and the baby show ended. It was not until 1909 that Leo Bamberger, a summer resident from Philadelphia, resurrected the baby show as the Ocean City Baby Parade.

      Although Bamberger was able to get Lit Brothers and Strawbridge and Clothier, two Philadelphia department stores, to donate loving cups for prizes, the 1909 Ocean City Baby Parade had only a small number of entrants. The children had fun parading down the boardwalk wearing paper hats, tooting toy horns, and carrying paper flags. This parade only hinted at the lavish displays the Ocean City Baby Parade would have in later years.

      Wildwood also held its first baby parade in 1909. A good-natured dispute, run mostly by the public relations directors of Ocean City and Wildwood, takes place every year, weeks before the parades are held, about which city actually does have the longest continuously held baby parade.

      Mark Soifer, Ocean City’s longtime public relations director, answered that question pretty conclusively in an article he wrote in August 2008 for the Ocean City Gazette. In the article, Soifer claimed that Ocean City’s baby parade was actually started by the Lenni-Lenape tribe who populated the area in the 1700s. According to Soifer,

      While the men were out fishing, hunting, and gathering shells for their flourishing costume jewelry business, the women grew restless. Cooking and cleaning tepees was not enough to keep them occupied. In a burst of creativity, they decided to start the first annual Papoose Parade and Diaper Changing Competition to show off their little ones. The diaper changing portion of the competition proved rather messy and was soon fazed out, but the grand tradition of showing off babies continues today.

      Within a few years, Ocean City’s First Baby Show evolved into what it remains today: a baby parade like no other. Ocean City’s Queen Infanta rules over the parade. At a gala celebration, usually held the evening before the parade in Ocean City’s famed Music Pier, the queen and her court are crowned. These young women, beautifully dressed, ride down the parade route on an extravagantly decorated float, with Queen Infanta on her throne. Members of the Ocean City Beach Patrol, in uniform, accompany the float down the boardwalk, as they have for all the years of the parade.

      An article in the August 31, 1929, issue of the New York Times stated, Thousands lined Ocean City’s Boardwalk . . . to view the annual Baby Parade. Children from two years old up to thirteen were in the parade, headed by city officials. Lifeguards escorted Queen Infanta, Miss Irene Ahlverg of New York, who was crowned last night.

      Evelyn and Russell Hanscom are credited with restarting the baby parade after World War II and were in charge until 1979 when they retired from the event. Their son Russell Hanscom Jr. continues to help with the parade, and the coveted Hanscom Award, in honor of the Hanscoms, is given each year. There is often a Hanscom grandchild or great-grandchild in the parade.

      Priscilla Parker took over the parade when the Hanscoms retired. Although she was only in charge a few years, it was under her leadership that many more commercial floats were added, and she brought cartoon characters such as Miss Piggy and Mr. Peanut to the parade. Dutch and Doris Dalhausen took over the direction of the parade from Parker and ran it for many years. Both couples and Parker built the baby parade into the spectacular event it is today. Although the Dalhausens are no longer active in the parade, their son Bob still volunteers, and each year he is on the boardwalk at the start of the parade gently guiding the contestants, bands, and floats into line.

      For many years, local civic organizations sponsored and ran the parade. The Commuters Club, a group of men who commuted during the summer from Philadelphia to their families in Ocean City; the Ocean City Hotel Keepers’ Association; the board of trade; the Young Men’s Progressive League; and the Ocean City Fishing Club were some of the organizations. The judges were groups of 25 or 30 women, invited by the sponsors, who volunteered their services. Today the city sponsors the event, but many volunteers still organize and help on

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