Ocean City Takes a Fall for Autumn

Ocean City's ode to the coming fall season went off on Friday morning, and, as intended, it was a flop.

As part of an annual late-August tradition, the city invites anybody to take a fall for autumn in the King and Queen of Plop Contest. The event includes an array of staged dramatic and athletic falls onto the sand of the Ninth Street Beach near the Ocean City Music Pier.

The contest — like a series of other summer events in Ocean City, from french-fry sculpting to a Miss Crustacean Pageant — is designed to provide free family entertainment for participants and few laughs for Boardwalk spectators.

Friday's contest included everything from a "puppy plop" to a domino-effect "soccer plop" to a clumsy not-quite-a-home-run-trot plop to an award-winning gymnastic chest-bumping plop.

Winners were as follows:

• Queens of Plop: Olivia Cook and Sophia Whelan
• King of Plop: Samuel Kaplan
• Second Place: Gabrielle Kaplan
• Second Place: Colin McCusker
• Third Place: Madeline Kaplan
• Third Place: Soccer Plops
• Honorable Mentions: Madison Wood, Abby and Corbin Garwood, Marissa and Gianna Demitis, Jack Cook, Carl Cook and Seth Cook