30th Annual Chowderfest Coming Up This Fall In Beach Haven

BEACH HAVEN, NJ - It's never too early to start thinking about Chowderfest.

This year's landmark Long Beach Island event will celebrate its 30th anniversary. It will be held on Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30.

The main attraction - the Chowder Cookoff classic on Sept. 30 - features samples of all kinds of chowder from a number of area restaurants. Visitors vote on the best "red" or "white" or creative chowder samples. The winners are selected at the end of the day. For a list of participants, click here.

The event begins on Saturday, Sept. 29 with a free Merchant Mart from 10 a.m. to p.m., which showcases a number of handmade products for sale, many of them from local vendors. Attendees can spend the day with dozens of merchants to shop for end of season bargains, localized specialties and gourmet food.

There's also a beer garden with custom beer and hard ciders.

Chowderfest is held at the Taylor Avenue and 9th Street waterfront in Beach Haven.

"Everything we are doing is to showcase the local musical talent, restaurants and businesses" event coordinator Todd Elsasser has said. "The expanded footprint is a great way to see what local businesses and people can do"

Tickets for the event are $30 for adults and $10 for children ages 4 to 10. VIP tickets are $65, which gets you early admission and a Chowderfest T-shirt.

Photo: Patricia A. Miller