deliberately noncommercial. But the
boardwalks of Atlantic City, Ocean
City and Wildwood explode with neon
exuberance when the summer skies
darken. Families take to the boards
in search of amusement park thrills,
arcade entertainment, miniature golf,
trinkets and treats.
For nearly 70 years, families have
queued up on Ocean City’s boardwalk
for Johnson’s Popcorn. During a busy
summer day, vacationers munch
through more than half a ton of
caramel popcorn. Much of it is
scooped, still warm, into Johnson’s signature 28-ounce refillable plastic tubs. The business has
been a shore fixture since 1940.
Its original red and white neon
sign continues to lure generations
to a distinctly summer treat.
“It’s not something people
would get every week of the
year,” says John W. Stauffer,
who’s owned the business since
1974. “But when they come to the
shore, they might get it three or
four times in one week. We don’t
put any addictive concoction in
there. What can I say?”
A Midcentury Makeover
Spending summer days at the
shore was a Philadelphia habit
from the turn of the century
through the 1950s. Increasingly
speedy train service made day
trips easy and affordable for just
about anyone. The locals dubbed
those day-trippers “shoobies,”
folks who brought their lunches
in shoeboxes or shook the sand
out of their shoes before driving
home. Shore towns blossomed in
this golden age of hotels, boardinghouses, seafood restaurants and
amusement piers packed with gut-wrenching rides and entertainment.
The construction of the Atlantic
City Expressway and the Garden State
Parkway between 1946 and 1964 made
access to the shore even faster and
easier for New Yorkers and Philadelphians. This postwar generation was
newly flush with homes in the suburbs,
chrome-laden cars and discretionary
income to spend on their broods.
How to lure them? Taking its cues
from the sleek, space-age buildings
popping up in Las Vegas and Miami
Beach, the Wildwoods in southern
Jersey began its midcentury building
boom. Sandy lots and small houses
gave way to futuristic motels like the
Astronaut, the Satellite and the Lollipop. The Caribbean had bragging
rights to swaying, albeit fake, palms.
The Chateau Bleu had a heart-shaped
pool. Huge amoeba-shaped neon
signs above these “Doo-Wop”
Barnegat Lighthouse
properties boasted luxurious amenities: Television! Swimming pool!
On-site parking!
The Shore Reborn
By the 1970s, the shore had lost its
luster. As airfare became cheaper,
families began turning their backs on
the shore and heading for more exotic
locales. Atlantic City tried to stem the
decline by legalizing casino gambling
in 1979. Tour buses came in droves, but
visitors rarely ventured onto the beach
or the boardwalk, and local businesses
and hotels suffered. The Wildwoods’
