108th Annual OCNJ Baby Parade
Disney Junior’s Choo Choo Soul Leads
108th Annual Ocean City Baby Parade on Thursday
The 108th annual Baby Parade is set for 5pm Thursday, August 10, and the tradition offers a chance for parents to show off Ocean City’s newest generation. The parade will feature more than 100 children cruising the Ocean City Boardwalk in themed strollers, wagons and floats.
Genevieve Goings and Constantine “DC” Abramson, the stars of Disney Junior’s “Choo Choo Soul,” will serve as grand marshals for the parade, which also will include marching bands, performers, decorated floats and an array of special guests.
The parade is free to watch from either side of the boardwalk. Spectators are welcome to bring beach chairs to watch from the railing along the ocean side of the boardwalk. The parade will start at Sixth Street with children finishing at 12th Street and all other entries continuing to 14th Street.
Before serving as grand marshals in the parade, Choo Choo Soul will perform a show at the Ocean City Music Pier at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday. Ticket prices are $20 orchestra and $18 solarium and are on sale now at oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice, at 609-399-6111 or in-person at the Music Pier Box Office and city welcome centers.
Goings and Abramson are entering their 11th year of entertaining pre-schoolers and parents worldwide. Born from the mind of a Silicon Valley video game developer, Choo Choo Soul began as a hip-hop/soul children’s album of music that “won’t drive parents crazy.” The album caught fire and the brand was acquired by Disney and developed into a live-action television feature in 2006 that encouraged young viewers to get up and dance to their funky, urban sound. Choo Choo Soul began touring the country in 2007, performing for thousands of children in more than 100 cities across the globe.
In addition to the array of themed Baby Parade entries competing for awards, musical acts include:
Ed Coles Entertainers
Original Hobo Band
Pitman High School Marching Band
OCTC Spotlight Performers Show Choir performing a medley from “Teen Beach” movie
The cast of Disney’s Mary Poppins appearing in Ocean City August 8-11
Special guests and dignitaries include:
Miss New Jersey Kaitlyn Schoeffel
Miss New Jersey’s Outstanding Teen Augostina Mallous
Miss Ocean City McKayla Perry
Junior Miss Ocean City Stella Schwartz
Little Miss Ocean City Charlotte Erickson
Mr. Mature America Matthew Allen
Mayor Jay Gillian
Martin Z. Mollusk
Queen Infanta and her court
The 12 Contestants competing for the title of Miss Ocean City
Ocean City Fire Dept.
Ocean City Police Dept.
Ocean City Beach Patrol
Ocean City’s Boy Scout Troop Color Guard
Floats and special entries include:
Ocean City Yacht Club
Ocean City Sailing Foundation
Shore Memorial Hospital
Shore Mother’s Club
Various Ocean City businesses
More information is available online at ocnj.us/babyparade or at the Welcome Center on the ground floor of City Hall at Ninth Street and Asbury Avenue.