FREEHOLD, N.J. — Freehold Borough Council candidate Sara Razi is inviting neighbors to a backyard-style campaign cookout next month, complete with grilled food and the borough's first advertised hot dog eating contest.
Razi posted the announcement Tuesday evening on X, sharing a campaign flyer for the Freehold Fall Cookout on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 1 to 5 p.m. at 64 Court Street. Admission is $5 for adults, with children free. Anyone who wants to enter the eating contest must pay a separate $10 signup fee.
"Come hungry. Stay for the fun," the post said, tagging nearby Monmouth County towns including Freehold Township, Manalapan, Marlboro, Howell and Colts Neck.
The flyer makes the political purpose explicit. It is branded "For Sara Razi, Candidate for Freehold Borough Council" and carries the disclaimer "Paid for by Sara Razi for Freehold Borough Council." The event is a campaign gathering, not a borough-sponsored festival.
Razi, a Republican, is running for council in the Nov. 3 general election. She is a first-generation Pakistani American who has lived in Freehold Borough for more than 13 years, attended Freehold Intermediate School and Freehold High School, and works in real estate. She also edits The Boro Pork Roll Newsletter, a local commentary project she has used to talk about borough issues.
64 Court Street is a 1905 residential property a short walk from the county courthouse and downtown Freehold's commercial core, putting the cookout in the same neighborhood as many of the borough's fall events.
That timing is crowded. Downtown Freehold's Monster Mash — a free family Halloween night with games, inflatables and a jack-o'-lantern contest — is scheduled the same Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hall of Records on East Main Street. Residents who want both could attend the afternoon cookout and walk downtown afterward.
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