2nd Annual Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Maritime Festival July 16-17

NORTH WILDWOOD – The 2nd annual Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Maritime Festival will take place July 16 & 17, at and around the historic 1874 beacon on Central Avenue in North Wildwood.
The festival is a “celebration and exploration” of New Jersey’s rich maritime history. Twenty local marine related organizations will join with a dozen local authors and historians for the weekend long outdoor show. In additional to the educational part of the festival, fifty booths of artists and crafters from around the country will line Central Avenue. A food court, featuring barbecue, local seafood and various festival treats, will cap off the street.
The festival has doubled in size since its 2010 debut, Hereford Festival co-director, Les Kammerman, states. “Interest in the event has grown substantially since last year. We’ve added many more exhibits, artists, food vendors and even have a troupe of pirates coming! We also have two renowned maritime folk singers performing. This is truly going to be ‘fun and educational’ experience for all those who come out,” says Kammerman.
New to the festival this year are free performances by popular folk singers Jim Albertson and Caryl P.Weiss. Both artists will present “Songs of the Sea” and “Sea Shanties” in the lighthouse’s gazebo. Weiss performs at 11 am and Albertson at 2 pm both Saturday and Sunday.
Guided tours of the 19th Century Lighthouse and award winning Victorian Gardens will be offered; there will be a children’s fun and educational and as mentioned, actors in pirate garb will wander the grounds.
Other special guests at this years festival include nationally renowned lighthouse artist Donna Elias, decoy artist/author Anthony Hillman, authors Steven Winklestein (Lucy’s Big Adventure), Steve Murray (Guardians of the Hereford Inlet), and Anita Hirsch (a Taste of Wildwood). Among the twenty or so marine related groups joining the festival are the New Jersey Lighthouse Society, the Wetland Institute, the Tuckerton Seaport, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center and the Ocean City Life Saving Station.
Festival hours are Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 9 am to 4 pm, rain or shine. Admission is free to all events and exhibits with a $4.00 charge if you wish to tour the lighthouse.
The event is being presented by the non-profit Friends of the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse at 111 North Central Avenue, North Wildwood, NJ 08260. Phone 609-522-4520 or log onto www.herefordlighthousefestival.org for more information.