OCEAN CITY — It’s now safe to go back on the boardwalk after an Upper Township boy’s “Jaws”-themed float won Division C in the 112th Ocean City Baby Parade on Aug. 11.
Owen, 8, and his father, Frank Bowker, were chummy dressed as Quint and Sheriff Brody. The float featured a scaffolding with a giant great white hanging from a hook and even included a billboard advertising Amity Island.
Bowker said they use their float each year for the city’s Baby Parade and Halloween Parade.
“A couple of weeks after the Baby Parade, I start working on Halloween. By September, I’ve got my idea and am starting to develop it,” the father said, noting this year’s Halloween entry will be the trick-or-treaters from the Peanuts special, with Owen portraying Linus.
The parade has been a boardwalk favorite for generations, this year including 65 entries featuring children ages 10 and under parading along the Atlantic Ocean in themed strollers, wagons and floats.
People came from as far away as New Mexico — Southwest Sweetie Anna Evelyn Koffler from Santa Fe won the award for the greatest distance traveled to participate.
Eric Knight and Bill Soloway of The Wheelmen high-wheel bicycle club rose to the occasion, pedaling around the parking lot in preparation for the parade.
Northfield residents Tom and Stephanie Richards brought Jackson, 2.5, and Gracie, 14 months, over to the island for the event. Tom said they used the Thomas the Train model for Jackson’s second birthday party and decided to put some wheels on it and take it out for another spin. They also took part in the Northfield Fourth of July Parade, he said.
“We decided to reuse Thomas because he was too cool,” he said, pointing out the seat in the engine. “I hope he stays in it. We’ll see.”
The family, who have been living in the area since 2018, were runners up in Division C.
This year’s Bamberger Award went to Arabella and Juliet Czabator for The OC Ballerina Sisters.
A man who will wear a tutu to make his daughters’ life special is one of the good ones, as Mike Czabator proved. He and his wife, Jess, of Downingtown, Pa., built the ballerina-themed float overflowing with pink taffeta to cart around Arabella, 3, and Juliet, 7 months.
“Our oldest is a ballerina, so we figured we would take what we have in their room and bring it to life,” Jess Czabator said. “We are hoping that we bring smiles to people’s faces.”
She said her in-laws have a house on the island and they visit most weekends.
“We figured why not get engaged in some of the activities now that they’re old enough?” she said.
As sweet as the ballerina sisters were, nothing was sweeter than Grace Labriola, 2¾, in her amazing ice cream cart. Featuring a solid body on three wheels, the cart had multiple cones, sundaes and other treats painstakingly built out of light spackle and plaster, baked in molds and hand-painted. Grace’s father, Jeff, a middle school art teacher, helped a little.
It was the second go-round for Grace, who was in a carousel float last year.
“She loved it, so we spent the whole summer planning it out,” Labriola said.
Their creativity earned them first place in Division A Section 200 for Grace’s Ice Cream.
Another award winner was the Elizabeth Fox, Bradley Trinkner and Jackson Fox entry for Cruella de Vil. While there weren’t 101 of them, there were six adults dressed as Dalmatians and the three children as dog nappers with a great big Panther De Ville. The Cape May County family took home the Dahlhausen Award.
It was hard to tell who was the star of the show as Karryssa Libener and her crew showed up from under the sea. Libener was looking a bit fishy in her scale leggings, yellow tutu and purple scalloped top holding her adorable 5-month-old daughter Audrey outfitted as “octobaby.” Friend Jasmin McCarroll was a jolly jellyfish in her pink dress and hat with googly eyes, while Brooke Nothstein, 5, was the spitting image of Ariel, the Little Mermaid, and mother Kelly Nothstein was sleek in her shark outfit.
Their float was a simple stroller — good thinking as the walk is a bit long with an infant — decked out with carefully cut swimming pool noodles and taffeta assembled to resemble the ocean floor.
“We were really excited to join this year for her first baby parade,” Libener said.
She liked Ocean City because it’s a “wonderful family town, absolutely beautiful. The food on the boardwalk is phenomenal this year.”
Twins Brandon and Lillian Heap each had an identical pirate ship, complete with a helm, mast and red flag. Parents Bill and Donna Heap clearly spent the costume funds on themselves, sporting great pirate outfits.
Dressed as wizards from Hogwarts, James and Nequoita Plourde of Ocean City were carting along a mini Harry Potter — Odin, 10 months — complete with lightning bolt scar and pet owl Hedwig.
A repeat contender, Ken Luciana was pulling along a hermit crab cage with grandson Luca Chmielewski, 5, inside. Luca, from Bridgeport, Pa., was a runner up in Division C.
Luciana, with three prior parades under his belt, said the key is to construct a float that is light weight but sturdy enough to stay together.
Award winners are as follows:
Bamberger Award
Number: #201
Names: Arabella Czabator & Juliet Czabator
Theme: The OC Ballerina Sisters!
Hanscom Award
Number: #102
Names: Parker Young
Theme: Return to Mr. McGregor’s Garden
Dahlhausen Award
Number: #503
Names: Elizabeth Fox, Bradley Trinkner & Jackson Fox
Theme: Cruella de Vil
Canale Award
Number: #200
Names: Rhys Berry
Theme: USPS
Soifer Award
Number: #706
Names: Elliot Tate Sullivan
Theme: Elliot The Milkman
Most Outstanding Twins or Triplets
Number: 506
Names: Joseph & Jayson Petrini
Theme: Life is Sweet in OC!
Greatest Distance Traveled
Number: 103
Names: Anna Evelyn Koffler
Theme: Southwest Sweetie Anna
From: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Division A Section 100 Winner
Number: #101
Names: Paula White
Theme: Carousel Cutie
Division A Section 100 Runner Up
Number: #100
Names: Cecelia Carey
Theme: Celebrating 70 Year & 5 Generations in OC!
Division A Section 200 Winner
Number: #202
Names: Grace Jean Labriola
Theme: Grace’s Ice Cream
Division A Section 200 Runner Up
Number: #203
Names: Ella Vitale & Alex Vitale
Theme: In a world of Ducks, be a Peacock!
Division A Section 300 Winner
Number: #300
Names: Delia Beyer, Jonas Beyer & Quentin Beyer
Theme: Pirate Ship
Division A Section 300 Runner Up
Number: #301
Names: Tierney Rose Kane & Liam Patrick Kane
Theme: The Belle and Beau of Ocean City
Division B Section 400 Winner
Number: #409
Names: Taylorann Jane Larsen
Theme: Meet The Flintstones
Division B Section 400 Runner Up
Number: #404
Names: Lainey Graham
Theme: Chicago Style Hot Dog
Division B Section 500 Winner
Number: #506
Names: Joseph Petrini, Jayson Patrini, Quincy Long & Madelyn Long
Theme: Life is Sweet in OC!
Division B Section 500 Runner Up
Number: #502
Names: Gianna Every
Theme: Roaring 20’s
Division B Section 600 Winner
Number: #602
Names: Fiona McMaster, Isaiah McMaster & Amelia McMaster
Theme: Aloha From Pennsylvania
Division B Section 600 Runner Up
Number: #603
Names: Asher Smith & Gage Smith
Theme: Goose & Maverick Fly By OC!
Division C Winner
Number: #701
Names: Owen Bowker
Theme: Jaws
Division C Runner Ups
Number: #704
Names: Jackson Van Richards & Gracie May Richards
Theme: Thomas The Tank Engine
Number: #702
Names: Luca Chmielewski
Theme: Herme’ The Crab
Best Float: Minions of Ocean City
Best Musical Act: Ocean City Stompers Band
Susan Cox was behind the wheel of a cherry red Volkswagen Beetle, its top down to accommodate Miss Night in Venice Gracie Anderson, 15, of Downingtown, Pa. Cox is a member of the Miss Night in Venice Committee.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
