Emil R. Salvini is past president of the North Jersey Highlands Historical Society and a life member of the Cape May County Historical Society. Author of several books on New Jersey history, he lives in Wayne, New Jersey, with his wife and two children. They all walk the boardwalks as often as possible.

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Peter Lucia spent his childhood in Asbury Park. He lovingly recalls his city as a "storybook place" and how the "boardwalk stripes the ocean's sandy edge and is weighted in place by the most fantastic pavilions." Peter grew up with his uncle, the now famous Danny Devito, and they are both pictured here sharing a merry-go-round ride next to the boardwalk.

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Asbury Park

On a bright, sunny day in July of 1894, Sterling Elliot, the editor of the periodical Good Roads, was attending a convention in Asbury Park when he found himself in the midst of a sea of spectators. Elliot was at first unsure of the cause of the commotion and flagged down a local policeman. "What's up?" he asked the frantic constable who, after giving the newspaperman an incredulous look, replied tersely, "Baby Show." Elliot has stumbled upon an event that at its peak drew over 100,000 spectators to the one-mile long Asbury Park boardwalk.

The first baby parade was held in Asbury Park on July 22, 1890 and had 200 children competing for the grand prize of, what else--a baby carriage. What a sight it must have been, the bands serenading the oceanfront crowd with "Rock-a-Bye Baby," while Asbury's founder, James Bradley, carrying his trademark white umbrella, led the red, white, and blue caravan. The fearless judges of that first parade were a foolhardy bunch and presumed to award prizes to the handsomest babies. By the time Sterling Elliot visited Asbury Park the current crop of judges had decided it less dangerous to judge the best decorated carriages rather than the physical attributes of the occupants.