Doo Dah Parade and Mr. Mature America Pageant Set for Saturday in Ocean City

Lineup for Summer Concert Series on Music Pier Now Complete Erik Estrada will be grand marshal for the 2018 Doo Dah Parade in Ocean City at noon on Saturday (April 14) and return that night to emcee the Mr. Mature America Pageant. Estrada first captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide in his six-year run as highway patrol officer Frank Poncherello in the TV series "CHiPs." He has also appeared in numerous other television and motion picture roles, including the new "Armed and Famous" reality series on CBS. His talent and charm will be a perfect fit for Ocean City’s pageant, which mixes self-deprecating humor with nostalgia and talent in a tribute to men ages 55 and older. The Ocean City Music Pier crowd is raucous and appreciative as the contestants ham it up on stage, competing in talent, poise and interview segments. Estrada will host the fifth annual event and conduct the on-stage interviews with contestants. The pageant is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday (April 14) on the Ocean City Music Pier. The event is the first and only pageant of its kind in the United States. Eight contestants will entertain with a wide range of talents, including everything from comedy to piano to ukulele. Reigning Mr. Mature America Matthew Allen will perform in the pageant before passing on his crown to his successor at the end of the pageant. Judges include Frank Faralli Jr. (the first Mr. Mature America), Miss Pennsylvania Katie Schreckengast (Top 10 at Miss America), and Miss Senior America 2017 Carolyn Slade Harden, who also will perform. Earlier in the day, Estrada will serve as grand marshal in the Doo Dah Parade, Ocean City’s season-opening celebration of all things humorous. The procession features marching bands, floats and a brigade of more than 500 basset hounds. Parade entries will include Allen and the contestants competing for the 2018 title, Schreckengast, the Ocean City High School Marching Band, the HOBO Band, the Wildwood High School Marching Band, the Pleasantville High School Marching Band, the Atlantic City Fire Department Sandpipers, clowns from the Shriner’s Mini Cars and Motorcycle Drill Team and the Northeast Remnant CO 501st Legion Star Wars. The parade route starts at Sixth Street and travels downtown Asbury Avenue to 12th Street, then turns to the Boardwalk at 12th Street and (new this year) finishes on the boardwalk at Sixth Street. The Doo Dah Parade was first held in Ocean City in 1986 as an event to herald the end of income tax season. Anybody interested in participating in the parade can register at www.ocnj.us/Doo-Dah-Parade until the deadline at noon Wednesday (April 11). The traditional finale at the end of the parade includes a “Pie-asco” in which everybody is invited to smoosh their friends with shaving-cream pies. This year’s event moves to Sixth Street and will start as the basset hound brigade reaches the end of the parade route. Tickets for the Mr. Mature Pageant ($18 to $30) are on sale now and available at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice, by calling 609-399-6111, or in-person at the City Hall Welcome Center or the Roy Gillian Welcome Center on the Route 52 causeway. BLUES TRAVELER AND THE MACHINE ROUND OUT SUMMER CONCERT SERIES Concert promoter Bob Rose and BRE Entertainment announced Monday that Blues Traveler and the Machine will complete the 2018 Summer Concert Series on the Ocean City Music Pier. Blues Traveler hit it big in the 1990s with singles like “Run-Around” and “Hook,” but the rock band from Princeton is also known for its jamming improvisational live shows. They will make their Ocean City debut on at 7 p.m. July 30. The Pink Floyd tribute band The Machine is a staple of the summer series in Ocean City, and they will close the series with a single show at 7 p.m. August 27. A pre-sale for both shows (use code BRE) runs 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday (April 11). Regular ticket sales open at 10 a.m. Thursday (April 12). Tickets are also on sale now for the rest of the 2018 Summer Concert Series:

• Aimee Mann: 7 p.m. June 18.
• The Hooters: 7 p.m. June 19 and June 20
• Get the Led Out: 7 p.m. June 25 and June 26
• Indigo Girls: 7 p.m. July 9
• America: 7 p.m. July 16
• Straight No Chaser: 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. July 23
• Blues Traveler: 7 p.m. July 30
• Bacon Brothers: 7 p.m. August 6
• Gordon Lightfoot: 7 p.m. August 13
• The Beach Boys: 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. August 20 and August 21
• The Machine: 7 p.m. August 27

Purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets for these shows also will be available at Ocean City Music Pier box office (oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice) later in the spring. MORE APRIL EVENTS 2018 SPRING FESTIVAL OF GUARANTEED AMERICAN HANDCRAFTS AND FINE ART (April 21 and 22): A show where every offering is guaranteed to be made in the U.S. by the artisan in the booth. Features jewelry, glass, watercolors and oil paintings, beach and bay photography, candles, soaps, lotions, leathergoods, gourmet food items and more.  Show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ocean City Music Pier on the Boardwalk at Moorlyn Terrace. The $3 admission benefits the Ocean City Food Cupboard, Atlantic City Rescue Mission and Gilda's Club South Jersey. For more information, call JoAnne Schaut at 609-365-2239. CYSTIC FIBROSIS WALK (April 28): 10 a.m. registration and 11 a.m. start at the Sixth Street practice field near the boardwalk. For more information, call 610-325-6001. BOARDWALK AND DOWNTOWN MERCHANT TABLE SALES (April 28-29): No Vendors. Sixth Street to 14^th Street on the Boardwalk and Asbury Avenue. SPORTS MEMORABILIA SHOW (April 28-29): A weekend of events and table sales dedicated to athletes and fans. Perfect for collectors. Ocean City Music Pier. For more information, call 609-399-6111. MARCH FOR BABIES WALK (April 29): 11 a.m. registration and 12 p.m. start at Sixth Street basketball courts near boardwalk. For more information, visit www.marchforbabies.org or call 856-874-9050.