By MADDY VITALE
The cuteness factor was as high as the heat index at the Ocean City Baby Parade Thursday, where babies dressed as everything from cotton candy to mermaids led to the oohs and aahs of the hundreds of spectators who lined the Boardwalk to watch with amusement.
The parade, in its 111th year, is one of the oldest in the country. Each year it features children ages 10 and under dressed in costumes, cruising the Boardwalk in themed wagons, floats and strollers.
The procession began Thursday morning at Sixth Street with children finishing at 12th Street, while all other entries including dignitaries, musical acts, bands, pageant title holders and other organizations finished at 14th Street.
Michele Gillian, executive director of the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, summed up the importance of the event.
“The Ocean City Baby Parade is one of our signature events in Ocean City,” she said. “It really brings generations together.”
Gillian continued, “I am thrilled with the turnout and the participation. This is what Ocean City is all about.”
Paula White, of Collegeville, Pa., dressed her 10-month-old granddaughter, Delaney Lesczynski, as cotton candy. A photo of White with her daughter, Delaney’s mom, from the 1986 baby parade, was displayed prominently on the float.
“I did this with my daughter and we wanted to keep the tradition going,” White said.
The crowds were entertained by the Ed Coles Entertainers, the Fred Hall Orchestra and the Absegami High School Marching Band. Newly crowned Queen Infanta Giovanna “Joey” Dattilo was also part of the parade lineup.
Prior to the parade getting underway, Mayor Jay Gillian watched the entertainers practice their routines to roll down the Boardwalk and said, “I’m just happy that we continue to keep this family tradition going. It is an important part of Ocean City.”
As temperatures soared into the high 80s, some parents shaded their children from the glaring sun with some savvy-designed wagons and floats or pulled up the top of the strollers to protect their little ones from the rays.
Before the event began, the city and the Chamber of Commerce set up a staging area in the Sports & Civic Center to keep the children and their parents and guardians cool inside until the start of the event.
Allison and David Drew, of South Philadelphia, brought their 14-month-old son, Dylan, dressed as a sailor. The Drews were pleased that their son seemed content in his stroller as they rolled by heading toward the Music Pier, where judges awaited the arrivals of the participants.
Bill and Donna Heap, of Ocean City, did their best, as did their 18-month-old daughter, Lilliana, to highlight the Ocean City Beach Patrol by dressing up as lifeguards
“We are all about Ocean City,” Bill Heap said.
Each child received a memento at 12th Street for participating in the parade, and awards were given out when they completed the parade at 12th Street.
In addition to division awards, special honors included the Leo Bamberger Founders Award, Hanscom Award, Dahlhausen Award, Canale Award, Outstanding Twins or Triplets, Baby Traveling the Greatest Distance to Participate, Best Float, Best Musical Act and the new Mark Soifer Award.
Following are the winners and more photos of the parade:
Bamberger Award
Number: 401
Names: Giavanna Todd
Theme: Giavanna’s Gelateria
Hanscom Award
Number: 400
Names: Dior Fulton
Theme: The Hungry Caterpillar
Dahlhausen Award
Number: 702
Names: Lilly Parsinitiz
Theme: Spikes Dinosaur Tour of the Jersey Shore
Canale Award
Number: 707
Names: RD, Bodie and Oakley Webber
Theme: OC-On in a Melon!
Soifer Award
Number: 706
Names: Owen Bowker
Theme: Toy Story in OC
Most Outstanding Twins or Triplets
Number: 705
Names: Mariah & PJ McMahon
Theme: Two Sweet Twins
Greatest Distance Traveled
Number: 416
Names: Elizabeth Gerger
Theme: From the Shores of Madison, Ohio!
From: Madison, Ohio
Division A Section 100 Winner
Number: 100
Names: Delaney Leszcynski
Theme: Sweet As Cotton Candy!
Division A Section 100 Runner Up
Number: 104
Names: Grace Labriola
Theme: A Carousel of Dreams
Division A Section 200 Winner
Number: 202
Names: Heap Babies
Theme: OC Lifeguards
Division A Section 200 Runner Up
Number: 200
Names: Alexandra & Isabella Vitale
Theme: Mermaids of Corson’s Inlet
Division A Section 300 Winner
Number: 303
Names: Grace & Tierney Kane
Theme: Butterflies
Division A Section 300 Runner Up
Number: 302
Names: Lillian Albright, Thomas & Samantha Dickinson
Theme: As American as Baseball, Apple Pie and OC
Division B Section 400 Winner
Number: 402
Names: Evelyn Joanna Stencler
Theme: Baby Yoda
Division B Section 400 Runner Up
Number: 416
Names: Elizabeth Gerger
Theme: From the Shores of Madison, OH
Division B Section 500 Winner
Number: 503
Names: Vivian & Nicholas Firmani
Theme: OCNJ Space Race
Division B Section 500 Runner Up
Number: 509
Names: Jackson & Cameron Davis
Theme: Country Western in OC
Division B Section 600 Winner
Number: 601
Names: Jacob Lynch, Sawyer & Savannah Moulen
Theme: Mario Brothers
Division B Section 600 Runner Up
Number: 602
Names: Cameron & Allessandra DaSilva, Deacon & Johanna Jones
Theme: Mario Kart
Division C Winner
Number: 703
Names: Beckett & Kenna Adams
Theme: Pollination: Save the bees and butterflies!
Division C Runner Ups
Number: 704
Names: Luca Chmielewski
Theme: Sitting on The Dock of the Bay!
Number: 701
Names: Dominic & Calvin Pezzella, Cameron & Jordan Monks, Emma Pacholski
Theme: Moanna
Best Float: OCTC Show Choir
Best Musical Act: Absegami Marching Braves
