First Babies Are a Hit!

‘Here come the First Babies!’ said one of the announcers along the parade route as spectators clapped for the seven kids riding in the yellow Jeep Wrangler and bright-blue PT Cruiser convertible. All were First Babies of the Year in Pacific Palisades, a tradition that began in January 1954 under the sponsorship of the Palisadian-Post and has been maintained ever since. ”New to the parade this year, the entry was organized by Tiffany Hu Epstein, mother of First Baby 2000 Evan Epstein. ‘It was my dream,’ said Tiffany, who made T-shirts for the kids to wear in the parade, with their year of birth on the front and back. ‘The parade is such a big deal for the Palisades, and we’d never met any of the other First Babies.’ ” ”Though some parade watchers seemed to know a couple of the former First Babies, and called out their names as the cars went by, most Palisadians have only ever read about them in the Post. Others wondered out loud, ‘What are First Babies?’ and their friends enlightened them. ”Each year’s contest winner receives gifts from local merchants, including savings bonds, certificates for skin care and massages for the parents, baby clothes, books and photo processing. ”Though they are not all babies anymore, as one spectator commented, the kids, who ranged in age from 1-1/2 to 15-1/2, enjoyed meeting for the first time and waving to the crowd as they rode in cars donated by Palisadian Jim Buerge of Buerge Chrysler-Jeep. ”’It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance,’ said Matt Heartney (1994). Matt is a fifth grader at Echo Horizon School in Culver City. ”’I think it’s so sweet that everyone’s clapping for them,’ said Matt’s mom, Linda, who, along with dad Matt and 13-year-old sister Katie, walked alongside on the sidewalk. The Heartneys lived in the Palisades for about 15 years before moving to Santa Monica last year. ”Also in the Jeep with Matt were the oldest First Baby participating, Daelan Blankfein (1989), and the youngest, Harry Haygood (2003), who sat in mom Clare’s arms. Though Harry may still be a bit too young to understand the Fourth of July or his First Baby status, he certainly seemed to be soaking up the celebratory atmosphere and even honked the horn before the Jeep took off down Via de la Paz. ”’Harry, was that you?’ Daelan asked playfully at the sound of the horn. Now 15, he’s a 10th grader at Liberty Academy in Westlake Village and has two sisters. While he lived in the Palisades, he attended Calvary Christian School. ”The contingent’s only girl, Georgia Raber (1998), decided July 3 that she would ride in the parade. ‘She was afraid she would miss seeing the parade [if she rode in it],’ said her mom, Nancy. The Rabers have lived in the Palisades for almost 10 years. ”Georgia, a first grader at Calvary Christian, got the prime seat in the back of the PT Cruiser between Evan Epstein (2000) and Timmy Ellis (2001), whose moms Tiffany and Kirsten both rode with them. Sammy Marguleas (1999) rode in the front seat with his mother, Sue, who drove the car. This was old hat for Sammy, who rode last year in a golf cart with his parents, representing dad Anthony’s Palisades firm, A.M. Realty. ”’When Sammy’s preschool celebrated the ‘Star of the Week,’ we included his First Baby article on his poster,’ Sue said. Sammy, who has a sister and two brothers, will be starting kindergarten at Corpus Christi in September. ”Timmy Ellis, whose older sister Veronica marched with the Brownies, attends Palisades Presbyterian Nursery School. His mom, Kirsten, said she felt the First Baby cars were an important addition to the parade because ‘we need to increase the representation of families in the Palisades.’ ”First Baby car organizer Epstein has lived in the Palisades with her husband, Scott, for about five years, and they’ve taken their son to watch the parade every year. Evan, who attends the Palisades Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles, rode his bike in last year’s parade with his former preschool, Totally Kids. He told the Post that his favorite things about the Fourth of July are the parade and the fireworks. ”Except for Matt Heartney, who was born on January 3, 1994, and Harry Haygood, born on January 4, 2003, the former First Babies who rode Sunday share the same January 1 birthday. ‘We can wish all these babies a happy half-birthday,’ one parade announcer told the crowd, who cheered loudly.