AC Expressway's Egg Harbor Toll Plaza Free For 1 Hour 5/24

Traveling to the Jersey Shore during a Friday rush hour before a holiday weekend? You might be in luck. The Egg Harbor Toll Plaza will be free to pass through between 5 and 6 p.m. Friday.

Philadelphia-area and South Jersey restaurant chain Chickie’s & Pete's will pay everyone's tolls at the plaza. Chickie's & Pete's is sponsoring the Atlantic City Expressway program for the sixth straight year.

More than 285,000 motorists are expected to use the AC Expressway this Memorial Day weekend. Over 1 million people will travel throughout the state.

Between 11 and 4 p.m. Friday, travelers can stop at the Frank S. Farley Plaza as Chickie's & Pete's and STJA host and provide free family fun, food, samples, vendors, exhibits and more.

The program honors veterans remembered on Memorial Day weekend and serves as a thank you to Chickie's & Pete's customers.

"My dad and my uncles were all in the military," said Chickie's & Pete's founder and CEO Pete Ciarrocchi. "In fact, my Uncle George, who was my restaurant mentor, won the Silver Star for bravery. He was quite the guy and I couldn't think of a better way to honor him.”

Plaza attractions will include the following:

• free giveaways of the restaurant's famous crab fries
• free samples of food and beverages from Starbucks, Hershey’s Ice Cream and Fresh Attractions, courtesy of HMSHost — restaurateur and operator of Farley Service Plaza
• a display of rescue equipment from Atlantic City International Airport and the New Jersey State Police, which operates a station at Farley Plaza
• an NJSP helicopter landing
• attendance from Philadelphia Soul mascot Soul Man and his two soulmates
• a free demonstration from a State Police dog search and rescue team
• a small group of Dalmatian puppies for children to meet, greet and pet
• a visit from ambassadors from the Funny Farm, an animal rescue sanctuary, with animals

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