Belmar Seafood Festival

Locals Celebrate Summer at LobsterFest

A summer weekend at the Jersey Shore is reason enough to celebrate, and locals and tourists alike took advantage of the music, food, fun and games at Bradley Beach’s third annual Lobster Fest on Saturday.

From 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., attendees perused the boardwalk. The area’s most popular eateries supplied food, with special focus on seafood in honor of the event’s theme. Mr. Shrimp, Ike’s Famous Crab Cakes and the Lusty Lobster’s booths were popular among those looking for a bite to eat.

“Nothing says summer like quality seafood,” said Belmar vacationer Hank Fitzsimmons. “This lobster is dangerously good.”

For dessert or just a cool snack to beat the heat, beach and boardwalk goers had options like Gelato, Italian ice, smoothies and freshly squeezed lemonade. Also popular was the Amish baked goods tent, which sold homemade cookies, tarts and pies.

PHOTO GALLERY: Bradley Beach Lobsterfest

Drinks and a place to relax were available all day at the beer and wine garden for the adults.

Vendors of all kinds lined the Bradley Beach boardwalk, providing services such as palm reading and airbrush tattoos. Girls of all ages flocked to the booth that offered feather hair extensions.

For the arts enthusiasts, Turkish and African pottery was on display for a wide range of prices. Also for sale were striking hand painted tiles and homemade soy candles.

Guests browsed an enormous spread of jewelry, clothing and home decorations. Selling her “repurposed” jewelry at Lobster Fest was Philadelphia native Judith Jaffe. Her handmade pieces incorporate mechanics of recycled watches and clocks, and are updated with jewels and brightly colored accent paints.

“This festival is such a nice spread of merchandise,” said Jaffe. “And we lucked out with a beautiful day, and a nice afternoon breeze.”

Activities for children included inflatable waterslides, sand art, face painting and carnival games with pet goldfish as prizes.

“This was a such a fun festival to bring the kids to,” said Abbie Clark, who is vacationing in Bradley Beach with her family. “They’re having a blast on the water slide, and the beach is right there so we have the best of both worlds.”

The entertainment lineup for the day consisted of several local artists. Matt Wade, an Asbury Park native, enchanted the crowd with music rooted in Jazz, Blues, Gospel and R&B. The Jersey Shore reggae band Random Test took the stage next, and the group Refuze wrapped up the Festival.

NJ Happenings This Weekend: Belmar Seafood Festival, Wizard of Oz ...

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