"…Kids Say The Darnedest Things…"
Art Linkletter
Batman's first contest emcee job was the Cute Kids Contest at the Sheraton; early '80s. Where are these kids now?
During the early years at the Sheraton, the afternoon would begin, as it now does at the Ocean Club, with giving the run of the stage to children from 5 to 11 years old. When registration for contestants opened, Moms and Dads would rush their kids to the stage for the opportunity to prove that their child was, indeed, the cutest kid on the beach.
For a couple of years, Baltimore’s famed weatherman, WJZ-TV’s Bob "The Sunshine Kid" Turk, would perform the duties of emcee for the Cute Kids competition.
Included in his duties would be to conduct a short interview with the (mostly confused) child. Most of Mr. Turk’s questions were answered with a blank stare, but Bob always made the best of this most difficult situation with his wonderfully dry humor and comments, and provided some of the funnier moments of the day.
"…Macho, macho man.. I wanna be a macho man…"
Macho Man - The Village People
For a brief time (no pun intended) the Best Body on the Beach had a men’s Best Body competition. Body builders from all over the Mid-Atlantic region would sign up to display, in front of a few thousand people, the results of many, many, grueling hours working out in the gym.
Sadly, though, this competition also attracted a few guys that wanted to display their results of many, many grueling hours at the bar. So after a few close calls of breaking the strict Rules of Decorum, the organizers decided to opt for good taste, and safety (rather than sorry), and decided to cut the men’s competition from the Sunday schedule. Sorry, Ladies.
"…She had her drink in her hand, she had her toes in the sand and whoa, what a beautiful girl…!"
Beautiful Girls - Van Halen
By the time the main attraction began - the Woman’s Best Body on the Beach Contest - every inch of sand was covered with beach chairs, beach blankets, and suntanned bodies. If the ocean tide happened to be a bit higher than normal at that time of day, you quickly became extremely good friends, or at least very close, to the person next to you.
The beach was mobbed. The sun hung low in the sky. The runway was set. The contestants were oiled-up and ready. It’s show time!