LONG BRANCH, N.J. -- There is only one town that gives itself over to Dorothy Parker for a whole day, and that is Long Branch, New Jersey. The seaside town on the Jersey Shore is where Dottie was born on Aug. 22, 1893. Her birthplace is a national literary landmark. And Sunday, Oct. 14, was the second Dorothy Parker Day.

PARKER DAY 2007 From top: The signage, dog catcher reads Parker, blessing of the pets at the dog walk, visiting Dottie's birthplace. See the photo gallery.

The weather was beautiful and in the low 70s, with sun shining the entire day on the shore. The turnout was strong for all of the events. Everything went off without a hitch and participants ranged in age from eight to eighty.

There were four events in town on a brisk Sunday. In the morning, a reading of her verse and a discussion of her life were held for a crowd of 65 at the main public library, paying tribute to her career as a writer. A luncheon at local eateries was a tip of the cap to her days at the Algonquin Hotel with her Vicious Circle friends. This was followed by more than 20 dogs (and 60 humans) who took part in the first Dorothy Parker Dog Parade, which passed 732 Ocean Avenue, the address where her family cottage once stood. Finally, the events wrapped up with a cocktail party at a cozy joint, The Mix Lounge, just a short walk from where she was born.

The morning began at the wonderful Long Branch Free Public Library, 328 Broadway. Warm applause greeted a screening of “The Sexes,” a short film based on Parker’s 1927 short story. Members of the community and others then read Parker poems. Among the highlights: Long Branch City Council member David Brown, a former mailman who read “Inventory” said he delivered the U.S. Mail for 30 years, and one of the highlights of his career was the day in 1992 when the local post office dedicated a commemorative Parker stamp. Councilman Brian Unger read “Epitaph” and said he was proud of Parker’s liberal and radical past. Three of Parker’s poems about her four-legged friends were read. Helen Pike, author of Asbury Park's Glory Days, read, “Verse for a Certain Dog” and Marie Sylvester read “To My Dog.” But the person who brought the house down was Ira Haase, the city animal control officer. Having the dogcatcher read “Balto” was classic. We also liked the participation of the New Jersey Repertory Theatre, which brought from actress Natalie Wilder to read “Men I’m Not Married To” and actor Glen Stoop to present “The Veteran.” There were also two talks. Kevin Fitzpatrick dispelled any notion that Parker ever had a mean thing to say about Long Branch. Monmouth University history professor Dan Weeks gave a fascinating talk about Alexander Woollcott, who was one of Parker’s dearest friends, and a native of nearby Colts Neck, N.J.

After the library talk, the crowd moved about a mile and a half south to the West End section of Long Branch, which is the part of town that Parker’s parents had a summer cottage. There was lunch to be had at the local eateries. The hungry gravitated to Jessie’s Café and Manna’s Pizza, trying to recreate the Round Table on Brighton Avenue. We did not have but an hour, however, as the highlight of the day was coming up.

The Dorothy Parker Dog Parade was a smash success. The organizing committee put together a nice walk around the picture-perfect Lake Takanassee, just off Ocean Avenue. Deacon Eugene Somma of St. Michael’s Catholic Church came out to the parking lot of the church in full vestments to offer a Blessing of the Pets. The deacon told the crowd he was a dog owner himself, and recounted the story of St. Francis of Assisi, who is the patron saint of animals. He gave a blessing, and a little holy water, to all of the doggies gathered, no matter what religion they were. Many of the dogs came in costumes as literary characters. We spotted an Edgar Allan Poe outfit on Max, while Rosie, a Yorkie that Parker would have taken home with her, was decked out in pearls. A longhaired Chihuahua named Chip stole hearts, but we all had a laugh at Nick, with a martini glass attached to his collar. Ten prizes were handed out to the favorite dogs. Many posed for photos in front of Mrs. Parker’s former house. She would have liked the ones who did their business in the grass nearby… Doggie Gift Bags were distributed with dog scarves, treats and other goodies.

It was such a beautiful walk around Lake Takanassee that many who did not have dogs just enjoyed the pleasant stroll. Some had taken the train from Penn Station in Manhattan and were making their first trip to Long Branch. We had to head to the cocktail party… but took a detour. Merchants on Brighton Avenue, the main shopping and business street in the West End part of Long Branch, got into the spirit of the day. We had a wine and cheese party in Shelly’s Jewels at 55 Brighton Ave. and Hy’s Spot Antiques at No. 61.

Then we walked down the block to The Mix, 71 Brighton Avenue, at 4 P.M. It is such a classic little cocktail lounge, and the place really went all out for the party. They handed out Parker cocktail menus to all guests. You could have a Dorothy Parker Martini for $5! (Gin, French Vermouth) and the Dottie’s Toddy (Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey with a dash of Midori, shaken with lemon and lime juice, splashed with Sprite). But the best deal of the day, and $15 cheaper than New York, was the $11 Vicious Circle Martini: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and Chambord, shaken on ice!

The party at The Mix was fantastic and the crowd divine. For a Sunday afternoon in the sunshine on the Jersey Shore, it could not be beat. We all talked about making the event bigger for 2008, and what a fun day it was. Dorothy Parker never said she didn’t like Long Branch or being born in Jersey. If she saw how many people remember her in the town she came into the world in, she probably would have liked that.

Future Events: Dorothy Parker Day will be an annual event in West End; it will be held the first Sunday after Columbus Day in October. Check on the news blog for details.

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2007 Parker Day Photo Gallery.