The Kids Are Taking Over Avalon’s July 4th T-Shirt Tradition

The Kids Are Taking Over Avalon’s July 4th T-Shirt Tradition

Every summer, there are a few things Avalon families know to expect around the Fourth of July.

The docks start filling early. Kids keep one eye on the bay. Boats line up. People wave from bulkheads, balconies, decks, and paddleboards. And somewhere in the middle of it all, one very loaded boat makes its way through the bay with thousands of official Avalon July 4th t-shirts ready to fly.

It’s part boat parade, part town tradition, part organized chaos, and fully Avalon.

The annual t-shirt toss began in 2009 with the Szyfman family and a group of shore friends who thought it would be fun to add something extra to the Fourth of July boat parade. What started with a few hundred shirts and a small crew (and just a few citations from the Borough) has grown into one of the most anticipated traditions of the holiday week.

Today, approximately 6,000 shirts are printed with support from local businesses, rolled, rubber-banded, loaded onto one boat, and tossed to crowds along the bay. The shirts have become more than just something to catch. They are a yearly keepsake, a local collector’s item, and for many families, a sign that Fourth of July week in Avalon has officially arrived.

This year, The Outnumbered, captained by Paul Sudell, will be bringing up the back of the parade packed with shirts and a full crew of student t-shirt tossers ready to send this year’s design into the crowd.

And with thousands of tees on board, we are all hoping The Outnumbered lives up to its name without actually being outnumbered by the weight of the shirts. Staying afloat is very much part of the plan.

But before the shirts are printed, rolled, loaded, tossed, launched, chased, traded, and proudly worn around town, there is one big question.

Who gets to design it?
Each year, students from Avalon Stone Harbor Elementary School are invited to create their own version of the official July 4th t-shirt design during art class with Miss Conte. The students come up with their artwork, submit their designs, and then the real judging begins.

The designs are given to the Szyfman family for a blind review, with no names attached. The family chooses their top favorites, then sends those designs to the original crew behind the parade for final input.
It is a true community decision, and this year, it came with a first.

The winning design was created by Stone Harbor Elementary School fourth grader Emily Davis, making her the first Stone Harbor student selected for the official Avalon July 4th t-shirt.

And yes, this is also where I fully disclose that Emily is my daughter.

So yes, bragging. Big time bragging.

This year’s design celebrates America’s 250th anniversary with red, white, and blue fireworks, patriotic popsicles, and a perfectly Avalon little play on words.

When asked about the idea, Emily explained it very seriously.

“Get it?” she said. “Because Avalon is cooler by a mile… like a popsicle?”

Her design now appears on the front of the official shirt, with sponsor logos featured on the back. Thanks to the support of local businesses, the shirts are produced and distributed free of charge to residents and visitors during the celebration.

But the best part is that this tradition has grown up right alongside the families who started it and their kids who are now best friends.

Max, Jen and Adam Szyfman’s son, is now the clear boss of the boat crew and runs a tight ship when it comes to t-shirt distribution. Emily, this year’s t-shirt designer and general goofball, will be tossing tees alongside her brother Declan. Viviana, daughter of boat captain Paul Sudell, will be on board too, giggling and tossing with her siblings Ava and Adriana. And then there are the littles Dylan, Korson, and Kyle who run amuck and sneak candy as the adults are distracted with fishing t-shirts out of the water.

In other words, what started as a group-house idea has officially become a full-blown family-run tradition.

A bunch of friends started it.

A bunch of fourth-graders and best friends will carry it on.

This year, the shirts are getting even more attention before they ever hit the water.
New this year, Gully’s is joining the fun on Tuesday at 7:30pm with a community t-shirt rolling event before parade day. Everyone is invited to join in on a t-shirt rolling competition, with winners receiving Gully’s gift cards.

It is a fitting way to celebrate a tradition that depends on a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Before parade day, each shirt has to be individually rolled and secured with a rubber band so it can be tossed from The Outnumbered and launched toward the waiting crowds during the parade.

ACE Screen Printing, the t-shirt printing company behind this tradition, is helping lead the effort to recognize what has become a very Avalon kind of production. It takes student artwork, local sponsors, volunteers, families, business owners, one very important boat, and a whole lot of rubber bands to pull this off each year.

Also new this year, the holiday fun starts a little earlier with a Golf Cart Parade on Friday at 6pm.

The main event takes place Saturday at noon, when the Avalon Fourth of July Boat Parade brings the shirts back to the bay.

Find your spot on the bay and keep your eyes on The Outnumbered.

Somewhere on that very full boat, Max will be running the crew like he has a clipboard hidden somewhere, Declan will be holding down the back of the boat, Emily and Vivi will be tossing tees and laughing until they fall down, Ava will be chasing after the little ones, and Adriana, well, Adriana will be somewhere in the mix, completely rogue and having the time of her life.

The adults may still be driving the boat, lifting the boxes, and pretending they are in charge.

But let’s be honest.

The kids have officially taken over.

And if you catch a red, white, and blue popsicle tee this year, just know it came from a tradition that started with a simple Avalon idea and has somehow turned into exactly what it should be: loud, funny, family-run, friend-powered, and cooler by a mile.