Point Beach Festival Set for Today

Visitors to the Festival of the Sea in Point Beach are urged to use shuttle buses on Saturday, since the event usually draws about 60,000 visitors and parking is limited.

The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., with Sunday scheduled as the rain date. There is no admission fee.

Most of Arnold and Bay avenues will be shut down to vehicular traffic for the event.

A shuttle bus will pick up passengers, starting at noon, in back of  Point Borough High School (in the parking lot that has the speed bumps) and drops off passengers at begins, said Carol Vaccaro, chamber executive director.

Another bus will run from the NJ Transit train station parking lot on Route 35 north and Arnold Avenue and stop at Broadway and Baltimore; Broadway and Ocean; Perk's Cafe at Ocean and Central; on Arnold between Ocean and Baltimore; Baltimore and Arnold and back to the train station, according to Pat Minovich, office manager at Brigg's, which is contracted to provide the transportation.

Another route is from Route 35 north at Washington Avenue to Laurel Avenue and then back to 35 and Washington, Minovich said.

Minovich said the "buses" are actually vans.

At the Festival of the Sea, which is being held for the 34th year, visitors can sample seafood and other dishes from 25 local restaurants.

There will also be a wine garden, arts & crafts, pony rides, antiques, health, business and non-profit booths, kiddie games and live entertainment.

The Festival is a recipient of a "Top 100 events in North America" award from the American Bus Association.

The chamber pays $6,800 as a special event fee to the Point Beach police department to work during the festival and $4,000 to off-duty Point Beach public works employees to clean up after the festival is over, Vaccaro said.