MARGATE – Following a night of rain showers and power failures due to a transformer fire, the sun shone on the first day of the city’s annual Fall Funfest by the Bay. A cool and cloudy morning made way to a sunny and a bit sweltering afternoon of family fun, entertainment, shopping and eating.
Although many questioned if the event would be cancelled like it was last year, organizers took to social media to say the event would be held rain or shine. And, the public obliged by turning out in droves to browse the artwork, crafts, and kitschy products on display. Community groups manned tables to share information about what’s going on in their group and provide giveaways to those who approached.
At Ray Scott's Wetlands Wonderland, teacher Jessica Quevas was doing what she does best – engaging children and adults in learning about the flora and fauna of the marine environment. Her husband Bob Blumberg acquired a bushel of beach plums from a farm in Cape May and made jars of beach plum jelly. Cuevas encouraged visitors to try it on a Saltine cracker.
“Tastes a little like cranberry and it has a little tartness,” she said encouraging a senior citizen to try it.
Blumberg said beach plums grow in sandy soils and is a native plant that can be found growing in the wild in sand dunes. Last year, he distributed beach plum starter plants to the community on Arbor Day.
In the next tent over, artist Michael Neall of Marlton Lakes, who operates as Skelfish Metals, was displaying his stainless steel art creations.
He was a sheet metal worker for 30 years, but an arm injury led him to a new career path in art.
“With the injury and the loss of my job, I decided to venture into the arts,” he said.
He has been making and selling his art pieces at festivals for the last five years.
“I started making the striped bass pieces for my fishing buddies in Somers Point and it grew from there,” he said.
Neall uses stainless steel as his canvas and burns and grinds the designs into the metal to create unique colors and patterns.
“I create the overall design and then when I use the torch and then a grinder, you never know what the end result will be, so all the pieces are unique. The final design really depends on how I’m feeling that day and what music is coming from my headphones,” Neall said.
Miss New Jersey Elizabeth Mendel of Cape May County strolled up the avenue with her mom as her escort stopping to take pictures with festival goers.
Being Miss New Jersey is keeping her busy, Mendel said, and she is anxious to get to the Miss America Competition being held in Orlando in January. When she’s not representing the State of New Jersey at community events and business meetings, she works with her sister at the family’s clothing store in Wildwood, which features the SandJamm line of T-shirts, sweatshirts and caps.
She is also currently conducting a fundraising campaign to raise funds for the Miss America Scholarship Foundation and the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign.
“I’m so happy to be here at the Funfest and I’m having fun meeting people,” she said.
The festival continues through the evening hours with the adults-only “Funfest After Dark” along the Margate Pier. The night includes adult beverages and live entertainment.
The fun continues on Sunday with Steve & Cookies Dog Show in the restaurant parking lot on Monroe Avenue.
Parking is available at the Eugene A. Tighe School parking lot and a free Jitney that will take you to the festival.
Margate held its annual Funfest by the Bay Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28-29, 2024.SUNDAY
Live Bands
12–12:50 p.m. Dan Barry
1-1:50 Friend of a Friend
2-2:50 Sunrise Cries
3-3:50 Blue Street Band
4-4:50 The Company
Activities
1:30 a.m. – Registration for 27th annual Dog Show at Steve & Cookie’s By The Bay
11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. Ray Scott's Wetlands Wonderland: Scott’s Dock Eco Tour. Purchase tickets at Scott’s Dock, seating limited to 22. Call 609-822-6819 to reserve a seat. Informational displays with native plant nursery seed giveaway, Sustainable Downbeach spinning wheel environmental questions and prizes, wetlands educational display, terrapin turtle display, Monarch butterfly display with Mary Lanahan, fish aquarium, beach and bay displays and find a shark tooth.
1 p.m. Dog Show begins
1-3 Parade: ACUA mascot Supercan, costumed characters
12:30-5 p.m. daily Pumpkin Decorating ($2) take a photo of the decorated pumpkin and send to [email protected] by Sept. 30.
Copyright Access Network 2024
