Who doesn’t love a baby? Asbury Park Founder James Bradley started the baby parade in 1890, where 200 babies paraded the boardwalk, and 30,000 spectators watched. At its peak in 1929, the parade drew a crowd of over 175,000 spectators and had over 1,000 participants.
The contest had morphed into a supersized beauty contest for anyone under 18, and it was far larger and far more elaborate than the fledgling Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City. For the town, hotels filled with visitors from all over the country during the week-long festivities leading up to the event. Babies could not come alone.
By 1919, they had moved the parade to Ocean Avenue and the prize for the best float would win a car. Decorated pre-ambulators were marched by fancily dressed mothers. They crowned a queen and her court, and awarded prizes in multiple categories: by age, best twins, youngest babies, etc. They carefully stipulated that they were judging the outfits, the prams and not just the baby.
Charlotte Hance Fritz, the 17-year-old daughter of exporter Jerimiah Fritz of Ocean Avenue in Spring Lake won the title of Queen Titania XXXVIII in 1929. The title was named for a princess in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The queen had her own anthem, composed by famous band leader Arthur Prior.
The 1929 Queen was the late 1920s ideal with a short blonde bob and head scarf like Clara Bow’s, a fair complexion like Greta Garbo, a trim athletic build and long legs like Emilia Erhardt.
These titles were special. Carol Lombard had used her California bathing queen title to launch a movie career and a marriage to Clark Gable. For Charlotte, it was all a blur of ten days from interview and selection, getting a sequined dress made for her at Steinbach’s Department Store on Cookman Avenue, the grand opening ceremony at Convention Hall, a grand banquet in her “Castle”, a themed dinner at the Berkley-Carteret, multiple teas and luncheons, culminating in the parade itself, where she had never seen so many people.
Organizers bragged their parade drew more national press than any event except for political conventions. Charlotte was famous throughout her life. The social pages mentioned her as a former queen when throwing a card party for her friends in 1932. Again, when she was seen swimming at the Bath & Tennis in 1935. Another time when she was invited back for the relaunch of the parade in the 1950s (now Mrs. Rose). Finally, in her obituary at 97 in 2010, where it was mentioned as “the highlight of her life”.
The depression and then the war hurt the viability of the parades. The 1932 parade was the last large event, and when it returned after 1954, the event was scaled down and more local.