‘Baby parade’ scheduled for May 15

The Hoboken Historical Museum will present the 10th Annual Hoboken Baby Parade on May 15, at 1 p.m.

The parade begins at Sinatra Park—located at Fifth Street on Sinatra Drive —and proceeds along the waterfront to Pier A. The parade is free and registration begins at noon. The rain date is May 22.

“Parents and caregivers are encouraged to dress up their babies, toddlers and older siblings—and, of course, themselves and their strollers,” according to a release. “Trophies are awarded for Best Dressed Child, Most Creative Carriage, and Best Dressed Family.”

According to the release, the parade “originated as a way for the public health authorities to identify newly arrived families or families with newborns and to encourage them to take advantage of basic health services.”

For more information, visit HobokenMuseum.org.

Giants work out in Hoboken

With the NFL lockout in place, does that mean professional football practices will be moved to Hoboken? Well, that was the case last week.

As players are prohibited from working out at NFL stadiums due to terms of the ongoing lockout, Hoboken resident and Giants quarterback Eli Manning organized practices for a group of Giants players at Hoboken High School last week, according to multiple reports.

Rumors around town indicate the Giants will have a few more practices this coming week.

New Hoboken residential building to rise on ex-gas station site

By late 2013, Advance Realty expects to build a new, 140 luxury unit building at 14th and Willow streets. The development group recently started the environmental cleanup of the site. The building, Willow 14, is expected to be seven stories high.

Construction is expected to begin either in late 2011 or early 2012, once the environmental cleanup is done, according to a representative. The cleanup is being done by the engineering contract firm Posillico, according to a release.

The site was previously used as a gas manufacturing property and gas station up until 2005, according to a press release.

In addition to the 140 apartments, the property will also feature 22,000 square feet of retail space and 376 below ground parking spaces.

Advance Realty intends to pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for the development.

Hoboken resident finalist in ‘Sexiest Vegetarian’ contest

The competition to be named PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door is heating up, and Hoboken resident Kyla Garcia may just take home the grand prize. She's beaten out hundreds of other entrants from across the U.S. to become one of 10 female contestants to advance to the final round in PETA's contest. Two winners (one female and one male) will be crowned PETA's Sexiest Vegetarians, and each will win a free trip to Maui.

“On average, vegetarians are slimmer and healthier than meat-eaters are—and they save more than 100 animals a year from factory farms, slaughterhouses, and fishing nets,” said PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “One look at our radiant finalists proves that there's nothing sexier than compassion.”

Garcia, 24, is an actor who teaches bilingual theater to young children. She went vegetarian in 2005 after watching PETA's hard-hitting “Meet Your Meat” video exposé. She credits her vegetarian diet with helping her to lose weight, gain muscle mass, get healthier skin, and experience increased energy levels. She leads an active lifestyle and loves running, boxing, and yoga. She also adores her cat, Wylie Coyote, whom she rescued while on a trip to Aruba.

The second round of voting ends May 23, and the two winners will be announced on May 31. Each winner will spend seven nights in beautiful Maui, courtesy of the PETA Member Advantage Program.

Pier C Park will be closed for final construction; to re-open next week

Pier C Park will be closed beginning on May 7 due to construction in the playground area. The construction is anticipated to last for one week.

The park will be closed during construction for safety reasons, but the entire park, including the playground area, will be fully open to the public at the completion of the construction.