Thursday, July 12, 2012

103rd Wildwoods Baby Parade to Salute America’s Heroes on August 1st

PRESS RELEASE

The Wildwood Civic Club presents the 103rd Wildwoods Baby Parade on Wednesday, August 1 at 6 p.m. on the Wildwoods Boardwalk, with a rain date on Thursday, August 2.

The theme of this year’s baby parade is Saluting America’s Heroes, and participants are encouraged to dress in patriotic or military-themed attire.

Registration will take place from 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, August 1 at the Wildwoods Convention Center, located at Burk Avenue and the Boardwalk in Wildwood.

The line-up will commence on the boardwalk just outside the Convention Center at 5:30 p.m. The parade will step off promptly at 6 p.m. and proceed north on the world-famous Wildwoods Boardwalk to 16th Street in North Wildwood – where awards and prizes will be given.

This year the Highland Youth Performance Ensemble (HYPE) cadets, ages 6 – 11 will be joining the parade as steppers and will march the length of the boardwalk and perform on the stage in North Wildwood as the parade ends.

Parents can register children in one of seven different categories including Cutest Baby Boy, Cutest Baby Girl, Fancy Children, Most Original Children, Best Dressed, Costumed and Floats. Participation in the Wildwoods Baby Parade is FREE!

The Grand Marshal for the 2012 Wildwoods Baby Parade is Brigadier General (Retired) Jeffrey L. Pierson, Sr. from the New Jersey Army National Guard, a Wildwood High School graduate with 40 years of military service. Throughout his military and civilian careers, he has served in numerous commands, administrative, training, and staff assignments, from company level to major command level. General Pierson has received several military and civilian awards, decorations, and honors.

Among these are the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards), the Army Commendation Medal (3 awards), the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal (3 awards), the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (3 awards), the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, the National Defense Medal, the New Jersey Good Conduct Award, the New Jersey Medal of Merit (37 awards) and the New Jersey Medal of Honor (6 awards), along with many others.

Queen Oceania and her Court will be in attendance along with local dignitaries, Miss North Wildwood, Elmo from Sesame Street, Lighthouse Pete, McGruff the Crime Dog, Sparkey the United Way Duck, Ronald McDonald, Eddie the Eagle, and Curley Fry and Sunny C. Gull from Morey’s Piers.

A complimentary trolley service will be available during the parade to transport participants between the parking area surrounding the Wildwoods Convention Center and 16th Street in North Wildwood.
 For additional information please contact Tracey DuFault of the Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce at 609-729-4000 or by email at tdufault@gwcoc.org.

For additional information about the Wildwoods, visit www.WildwoodsNJ.com or call 800-992-9732

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About the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority

The Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority (GWTIDA) was formed in 1993 to consolidate the tourism economy of its three founding municipalities: Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and North Wildwood. The Wildwoods have won numerous travel and tourism awards, heralding the resort for its beaches, boardwalk and attractions. In 2010, the Wildwoods Doo Wop Architecture was named “One of the Top Ten Architectural Wonders in America” by AOL.com. The Wildwoods were also named among Smarter Travel’s Ten Best Beach Towns in America in 2010, as well as one of Sherman’s Travel’s “Top Ten American Boardwalks” for the second year in a row. In 2009, the Wildwoods were selected as one of Time.com’s “50 Authentic American Experiences.” The Wildwoods made the list of “15 Destinations on the Rise” for TripAdvisor in 2012. In addition, the Wildwoods were also voted “Best Town” in the 2009 and 2011 PHL-17 Philly Hot List, Jersey Shore Edition contest. The Wildwoods were also named “Best Beaches in New Jersey” in the 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Top Ten New Jersey Beaches public survey, sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. Wildwoods’ beaches were also named “Best Beach for Family Vacations,” “Best Beach for Tourism,” “Best Beach for Events,” “Best Beach for Eco-Tourism” and “Best Beach for Day Trips” in the same surveys. The Tourism Authority operates the Wildwoods Convention Center and acts as the island’s destination marketing organization overseeing the development, research, planning, marketing, advertising, promotion, public and media relations encompassing the tourism, meeting and convention industry in the Wildwoods. Additionally, the Authority funds, assists with and hosts more than 180 annual special events to enhance the visitor experience and extend the tourism season, including the Thunder On The Sand Race Series, Family Nights On The Boardwalk, Friday Night Fireworks, the New Jersey State Barbeque Championships and Anglesea Blues Festival, Classic Car Shows, the International Kite Festival, Irish and Italian Festivals and the National Marbles Tournament, among others. For more information about the Wildwoods, contact the GWTIDA at 1-800-WW-By-Sea (800-992-9732) or visit its web site, www.WildwoodsNJ.com.

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