By TIM KELLY
What brings more than 100 folks to the alley behind 3rd Street on 18 consecutive Independence Days?
The answer isn’t the holiday per se. It’s the Wiffle ball game that takes place in the evening prior to the fireworks and other July 4th fun. It’s kind of a Wiffle “ball” – a big party centered around that age old adaptation of baseball using a plastic ball and bat.
The John Walton Wiffle Ball classic includes other activities played by families and friends, but the main attraction is getting together, laughing and enjoying the company of friends and family.
“I look at some of these (teenagers) and I remember when they were babies,” said Tom Cleary, of Ambler, Pa., who has a second home that backs up to the alley. “We’re in our third generation now. John is the guy who makes it all happen. He puts in a lot of work and he’s so gracious. Everybody is welcome and everybody has a good time.”
Walton, a local realtor and 3rd Street resident, also originated the Business Persons Plunge, the campy “unlocking” of the ocean and unofficial opening of the summer season, during which participants march into the ocean wearing business suits.
“We are in the 18th year of both events, so it’s a lot, but it’s worth it,” Walton said.
While the “Plunge” is an official city event and receives a lot of promotional support, the Wiffle ball classic is a labor of love and more personal to John and those who attend.
“This is about family and friends. Wiffle ball is just the centerpiece we built it around,” Walton noted.
There is also a hula hoop contest, an all-female musical chairs competition that Walton describes as “fierce,” music, food and drinks. The 7-inning Wiffle ball contest includes the choosing of sides, a ceremonial first pitch and the singing of the National Anthem.
Things were quiet until just before the scheduled 6:30 p.m. game time, when dozens of folks appeared, seemingly from nowhere and began warming up for the battle at “Third Street Park.”
Of course, they didn’t come from nowhere. Some came from Toronto, Canada, including Andrew and Maggie Jamieson, Sarah Kiernan and Cindy Walton.
Tim and Jessica Swatzell brought 18-year old nanny Dylan and special needs children Sawyer, 4, Sparrow, 2, Sully, 1, and 5-month old Skyler in a mobile home from Bakersfield, California, to O.C. on a four-day cross country journey to be on hand.
And then there were Huynh and Christine Lam, who would not be deterred even when their flight from Denver was canceled. No other airlines could get them to the East Coast in time.
So they did what any determined Wiffle ballers would in that situation: drive 90 minutes back home to Colorado Springs, pick up a few more items they needed for the trip and point the car east with 9-year-old son Griffin and daughter Hayden, 3. They covered the nearly 2,000 miles over two days.
“This vacation is huge for us,” Huynh explained, adding that the family missed last year’s event because of travel restrictions due to COVID-19. “It is the one time during the year our whole family can get together. We weren’t going to miss it again.”
Such determination spilled out onto the Wiffle ball field, where the players, young and old alike, put their passion into pitches and swings, as did the women in the musical chairs contest, which Jessica Swatzell won.
The event has evolved over the years, Walton said, with its first adaptation going back years prior to Wiffle ball, as the tradition became stronger all the time.
“The cogs change from year to year but the machine keeps going and growing,” he said. “We started out with kids’ games, probably going back almost 30 years. Wiffle ball is what stuck.”
For the record, the “Bay” team defeated the “Beach” squad, 7-4. And while the cast might be different from year to year, there’s a crew of regular characters who have been present for all or most of the 18-year Wiffle ball run.
Among them is John Dunfee, of Springfield, Delaware County, Pa., described by Walton as “a Hall of Fame pitcher” who won 12 of the 18 games and got his first save yesterday as the closer. They call him the “Dancing Bear” because of his burly build and ability to make the plastic ball dip or rise on command.
Matty Prudente, of Maple Shade, N.J., whose two homers earned him the Most Valuable Player honors, has a unique calling card. He provides a humorous running commentary on the game, delivered with his native Southwest Philly accent.
And if you think it’s easy to play Wiffle ball while describing the game to a crowd of 100 people, well, you’d be wrong. He gave a good account of “towering” home runs hit by Dunfee’s sons, Shane and Brent, although it really wasn’t about the on-field action.
“My whole family plays and that’s why it’s fun,” Griffin Lam said. “If I don’t get a hit it really doesn’t matter.”
Griffin, however, did get a hit.
“This party is typical of what you find in Ocean City,” Tom Cleary said. “Good, family activities with a spirit of fun. Some of the older guys are very competitive. Having the young kids be a part of it keeps things moving and reminds us it’s a game. That is what John accomplished here, and that’s why everyone enjoys it so much.”
