I love seafood and I love the Seafood Festival. I bring my family to it every year. The problem is that it’s gotten too big. It’s becoming overcrowded and traffic in town during the event has been chaotic and is becoming dangerous.
I think we advertise it too much. We should not encourage more people to come to Belmar than we have the capacity to accommodate. I say keep the Festival, but let’s tone it down a bit.
*Former Councilman Jim Bean in an October 2014 letter to his constituents in Belmar voting district 1.
Of course it wasn’t only Jim that felt that way. Many Belmar residents, especially those who live near Silver Lake Park, realized the Festival was becoming a problem and needed to be toned town a notch.
But because this administration has an unquenchable desire to report anything they do to be the biggest, best, first, most, etc, the 2015 Seafood Festival was hyped more than ever before. Instead of toning things down, we paid Spark Marketing to really heavily advertise this year’s Festival. It was all over the radio, social media, print media and electronic media. It was even advertised in Chinese:
Well we all know what happened. And unsurprisingly, the disaster that did ensue was framed as something that happened to us instead of something we created.
At last Tuesday night’s workshop session the Seafood Festival problem was discussed. Of course only those in the echo chamber, and who owe their positions to the mayor, were permitted to speak. (I would always have a public session during the workshop.) Mostly they discussed either changing the date or changing the location. When a couple of members of the Council suggested that maybe we should cut back on the advertising, as if this was some sort of original thought, I reached for the Rolaids.
Ultimately the mayor decided to cut the festival back to just Saturday and Sunday and move it up a month to May 14/15. I agree with cutting back to two days but I wouldn’t have changed the date and here’s why:
This graph is from City-Data.com and it clearly shows the steep drop off in Belmar rainfall averages from mid May to mid June.
Mid June was absolutely the best time to have the Festival and we had many many successful June Seafood Festivals until these guys messed with it, and in my opinion, ruined it.
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Funny, a former 3 X candidate for council not surprisingly on another post lauded the “open exchange of ideas”. In a December 2 post he further states that “we should all be proud of the process.” As someone who has grown weary of the fake democratic process, it is important to note that this person is an appointed official and the average Joe, like before had no voice. Adding more irony, this same critic of this blog instructs readers ( if he has any ) to view the Seafood segment on You-Tube. The only problem is, it exists online because of the thoughtfulness of this blog administrator. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!
Many neighborhood non-resident property owners don’t come to Belmar during the Seafood Festival weekend …. they say …. enough is enough.
I’d rather go to the Columns …. in Avon …. for a nice sit down meal …. at a better price.
Belmar is becoming a magnet for nuisances that property owners endure …. Let it rain.
Is the availability and the cost of seafood a concern in mid May? I doubt anything is caught locally anyway. Mostly farmed/frozen isn’t it? http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2014/lobsterchange15.pdf
#2 Singing in the rain…Yes. Pass the aspirins please… summer is right around the corner.
Ho ho ho – Seafood Fesival brings dem hotties let’s get er done. Ok, ok, ok, I’m there and D’Jais up next PIMP DADDIEE
Nice post here about the Seafood Festival. As a long time resident and St Rose Grad (I’m not from Iowa) I attended it yearly and good debate about it is welcome. However the local Hawkeye again is attacking Dave and the site, and because he banned me from commenting on his facebook posts I will comment here. Please people in town be on the lookout for this dangerous disgruntled 3 time loser (elections). Once again his rants about Dave make no sense. I wonder if he gets packages delivered late at night, he could snap at any moment. You know these people always seem so normal, you just never know. Oh yeah by the way “public figure” I don’t post anonoymos
I will make sure to get my rainmaking outfit and manual and put it to use. I will pray for torrential rain May 14 and 15.
I think it rained the majority of days during the month of May, 1980ish. We are seasoned Belmar residents so we do remember. Jerry Lynch didn’t do any rain dances that summer. Business boomed. Take a whack viewing was sloshy and soggy tbough. Gone are the days of subterranean sing-a-longs in ankle deep sewer water.
Guess the fixed the infrastructure between 3rd, 4th and Ocean when they knocked down Lynch’s?
rather see it moved the weekend after labor day as opposed to mid May
Maybe being set up to fail. So “they” can say “We told you so. Summer weekend best time”
#10. Aha, Reverse psychology, you may be right
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