450 Corvettes Take Over Ocean City Boardwalk

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The Boardwalk Corvettes Club roared on to the Ocean City Boardwalk with an estimated 450 Vettes.

The Boardwalk Corvettes Club started in the fall of 1983 at the time of the "new" C-4 introduction. Members get together to share their experiences in owning a Corvette make long-lasting friendships.

Paul Edgell said he and his father-in-law Ed Wood started the club. Edgell devised the idea and told Wood, who worked at the Ocean City Municipal Airport. Wood then proposed the idea to the city administration and they approved.

"After the third year, the club was brought in due to the need to expand," Edgell said. "From the third year on, it was the Boardwalk Corvettes."

Carrie Dickinson is co-chairperson of the Boardwalk Corvettes and an Ocean City resident. Dickinson said the club holds a roster of 75 members. According to Dickinson, this years theme is the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, which started in 1969. The feature cars of the show were three 1969 Stingrays.

"Corvette Forum named this one of the top five Corvette shows in the country," Dickinson said.

John Flynn of Juliustown belongs to the Lakes Corvette Club.

"We've been coming down here for a number of years," Flynn said. "It's been a fantastic venue and the people are friendly."

According to Flynn he describes the upkeep on his car as a "devotion of love." Flynn has driven his Corvette to Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, took four trips to Alabama, five to Watkins Glen and went to Clayton, New York this past August.

Ann Walling of Aberdeen celebrated her 50th anniversary with her 1969 Corvette Stingray, "Survivor." Walling said a teacher named Bob sold her the car. The car has been a part of her family for many years since.

She drove her daughter Tina to senior prom in it. Her youngest daughter, Maria, would get embarrassed when Walling dropped her off at school because the Corvette was "too loud."

Over time she took it off the road and stored it in the garage for nearly 10 years because Walling's daughters were of driving age. According to Walling, they could not drive stick shift and the insurance had tripled.

Soon enough, neighbors began to ask Walling if she still had the Corvette and when they could see it. The car grew to become a community legend known as the "Lloyd Road Vette." Over the past five years, Walling and her husband Don have worked with mechanics and experts to have the car brought back to fighting shape. They got classic registration plates and classic car insurance.

The Boardwalk Corvettes Club is a non-profit organization that supports the causes of Ocean City Ecumenical Food Cupboard at St. Peter's United Methodist Church and the Humane Society of Ocean City.

"Fun Awards" were distributed at the show and ranged from "Most Illegal Looking" to "Oldest Corvette" to "Most Stoned." According to Dickinson, the judging is comical in nature but awards are given out to the favorite C-1 through C-7 models.

Next year the club will celebrate their 30th annual celebration but the theme has not yet been determined.

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