Boardwalk

A fire that raged out of control for more than two hours last night destroyed a block of shops and eateries on Wildwood's boardwalk, fire officials said. At least 400 firefighters from nine volunteer fire companies battled the blaze, which broke out at 7:54 p.m. in the row of one-story wooden buildings lining the boardwalk between Spencer and Young Avenues, fire officials said. The fire was declared under control shortly after 10 p.m., but officials said firefighters would remain on the scene through the night.

It's only the best for baby when Ocean City has its annual tiny tots parade on the boardwalk. There are marching bands and string bands and prizes for the cutest girls and boys. This year, there were little ones in antique prams and all sorts of creative get-ups, some helped along by their parents. Even some commercial floats joined in. About 266 children, all younger than 10, took part when the 81st annual show began at Sixth Street on Thursday. Almost two hours later, when the 38 judges - all female - had completed their task, they had more than 30 awards to give in different categories.

Atlantic City may never reestablish itself as "America's Favorite Playground," even though we still hear the slogan in certain optimistic, gung-ho circles at the Shore. But don't tell that to the folks sponsoring Beach Fest '95 this weekend. Billed as one of the largest free family festivals on the Eastern Seaboard, the three-day event is being sponsored by the Atlantic City Offshore Racing Association (ACORA), which has dedicated itself to promoting the city. Although most of the entertainment these days is in the casino-hotel showrooms, the showroom in this case will be the Atlantic City beach and Boardwalk, from one end to the other.

What's in the mysterious crate on the Port Charles waterfront, marked "Atlantic City Tumble Dry"? And what will happen to renegade rookie policeman Frisco Jones and his new wife, Felicia, unjustly accused of filching $45,000 and a fur coat? Will they be done in by the sinister septuagenarian hit woman, Edna Hit? "As we say on the show, tune in next time," said Jerry Balme, coordinating producer of "General Hospital" (weekdays at 3 p.m. on Channel 6), the outrageous Los Angeles-based television soap opera, which taped a series of scenes on the Boardwalk here yesterday.

As an adult, I find the expression trite now. But as a child, I thought it a truly magical destination. It was the boardwalk in Wildwood - the only place I ever wanted to be. Its path was infinite, impossible to conquer in a single night from Sportland to Fun Pier. To this day, I can still smell the creosote that permeated the air on a humid August night. I can recall walking with my parents, wondering where all those rides, lights and arcades had come from. Who put them there, and why?

The officially appointed screening panel convened at 9 a.m. Friday for a 3 1/2-hour meeting inside the Red Lips Saloon in TropWorld Casino & Entertainment Resort at Brighton and the Boardwalk - up in the second-floor, indoor "Tivoli Pier," which is past the Ferris-wheel marquee and the sand- castle roller coaster and the "Knockdown" and "Three-in-Line" pitch- ball booths, and beyond the skee-ball booth as well as the "Jersey Derby" and "Milk Cans"...

To Anthony Catanoso, it has never been a question of whether there should be an amusement park on the Steel Pier, but how he was going to sustain it. "I tell people that I just prepared for the eighth anniversary of our last year," said Catanoso, the president of Atlantic Amusements, which, with the help of the Trump Organization, revived the rides on Atlantic City's most famous pier 14 years ago. Last year, though, the Trump Organization, which...

Nine businesses were destroyed and fifteen people suffered minor injuries when a stubborn fire erupted before dawn along the boardwalk yesterday, causing an estimated $2.5 million in damage. More than 100 firefighters from several Cape May County communities battled the blaze in the 3900 block of the boardwalk for more than six hours before bringing it under control about 10:15 a.m. The boardwalk itself did not appear to be damaged. The fire occurred in one of the last rows of old wood-frame buildings on the boardwalk.

It's deja vu all over again on the Jersey Shore, where Wildwood officials are trying to finish a $3.5 million boardwalk renovation as the calendar marches briskly toward spring. In an uncanny coincidence, the resort finds itself in a predicament involving a boardwalk, a deadline, and a controversial rain-forest hardwood, just as Ocean City - its Cape May County neighbor 25 miles north - did this time last year. On one side of a gaping hole in his town's beloved promenade is Wildwood's sweating mayor, pondering what will become of 2 1/2 blocks of the boardwalk's most heavily trafficked section.

The arson unit of the Atlantic City Fire Department yesterday examined the debris of a fire that ravaged the Boardwalk entrance to the Steeplechase Pier, destroying six vacant buildings and a fast-food restaurant. "We're going through the debris, piece by piece, and so far we haven't uncovered anything suspicious," said William Glenn, deputy fire chief. On Saturday, 125 firefighters barricaded the Boardwalk and battled the fire for more than seven hours before it was brought under control.