Seafood Fest Activities In Point Pleasant Beach To Move?

The Festival of the Sea, one of Point Pleasant Beach's premier events for more than 40 years, may make one of its biggest changes.

The seafood festival, hosted by the Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce, could move the food and music portions of the event from their streetside locations on both Arnold and Bay avenues to a new location.

Mayor Stephen Reid told Patch that the community is considering moving the location of the music and food to the parking lot behind Borden's on Arnold Avenue.

Other new spots have been discused, but Little Silver Lake will likely not be considered as a possible location, Reid said. The mayor said that location could pull people away from the downtown, where community leaders want to direct business.

The festival has featured delicacies such as crab cakes, shrimp skewers, paella, soups and bisques, lobster and other seafood items. But other vendors will remain on the Arnold Avenue streetside.

Reid said community leaders and the police are considering the move because of safety concerns.

"You have over 50,000 people on the Main Street," said Reid, adding that the community has to be prepared for any potential problems that could arise on a crowded roadway.

"We're not joking around," he said. "We're trying to be prepared for anything."

Carol Vaccaro, executive director of the Point Pleasant Beach Chamber of Commerce, said her group will do whatever it can to make sure the new location works.

Point Pleasant Chamber of Commerce photo