The Brightside: Blowing kisses and making moves: Elara’s shot at Baby of the Year
WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. — One Wicomico County baby is hoping to win the title of 2026 National Baby of the Year. I had the opportunity to meet the bundle of joy and speak with the Boscana family in the latest edition of The Brightside, sponsored by Choptank Electric Cooperative.
Meet Miss Elara, a cute little pumpkin, that may not be walking just yet, but she’s taking baby steps toward winning one of the cutest competitions of the year.
Elara’s mother, Johanna Boscana, said her daughter’s outgoing personality has a way of brightening everyone’s day.
“She’s actually very extroverted, and she literally would say hi to anybody,” Johanna said. “One day we were sitting at a restaurant, and she was sitting by the door, and every single person that came in, she’ll wave and then blow a kiss.”
In a touching moment, Johanna looked down at her daughter as she reflected on what Elara means to her.
“She’s the love of my life. I don’t know how else to explain it for me. Obviously, she’s my daughter, so she’s perfect,” Johanna said.
Random acts of kindness come in all shapes and sizes. For Elara, they come in the form of a smile — one she freely shares with anyone who passes by.
“A lot of people would tell me, actually, you should put her in Huggies, or she looks like a Gerber baby,” Johanna said.
Through those little moments, Elara’s parents realized just how much personality their little girl has — and how she could make a difference for babies around the world.
The National Baby of the Year competition benefits Baby2Baby, a nonprofit that provides children living in poverty with essential items.
“Even just food, diapers, right? It’s something that all babies need,” Johanna said. “So making a small difference just by casting a vote or just having your baby look cute, I mean, I don’t think it’s easier than that.”
The experience is also teaching the family an important lesson: Being kind, accepting others and treating everyone with love matters far more than winning a trophy.
Elara’s father, Orlando Boscana, said he hopes his daughter grows up to be a kind person despite the challenges she may encounter in the world.
“We want her to grow up to be, like, a really kind person and nice because, you know, things are crazy out there,” Orlando said. “I mean, and there’s bad. But, you know, that’s … I told her, I was like, I don’t want her to focus on the bad. I want her to be a good person.”
As Elara competes on the national stage, she’s also putting Salisbury on the map and showing what the community is made of.
Johanna said, “I think we can make a big difference and a big impact, like, nationally,” Orlando added, “Maybe Elara can make a big difference in the world, but she doesn’t even know yet.”
If you would like to vote for Elara, you can do so here.
