WEST CAPE MAY — West Cape May’s annual Tomato Festival is set for Aug. 30 in the borough’s Backyard Park at 732 Broadway.
The festival is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is free all day. The event is filled with vendors of all sorts, from local restaurants to hand-made crafters. All proceeds benefit the West Cape May Shade Tree Commission, which manages the tree canopy’s well-being throughout the borough.
The Tomato Festival is one of the borough’s harvest festivals to celebrate farmers and the different produce of the season.
“One of the things we do with these festivals is celebrate the agricultural history in West Cape May,” Mayor Carol Sabo said. “We are an agricultural community, and we want to make sure we highlight that history of ours.”
The festival is held around Labor Day every year to mark the end of summer and the beginning of a new season.
“There’s a different vibe having it on the unofficial end of summer,” Sabo said. “It’s a way to get together to highlight our local vendors and farmers and celebrate the end of summer.”
Municipal Clerk Theresa Enteado and Deputy Municipal Clerk Erin Seer are in charge of organizing the festival.
“There’s free admission, live music and a variety of vendors with crafts and food,” Enteado said. “We like to have a good mix of activities.”
Every year, the festival includes a new element. This year, the Board of Commissioners is encouraging people to participate in the best tomato ensemble contest and to dress up in their best tomato-themed outfit.
“Last year they had the largest tomato contest, and this year they’re doing a costume contest,” Sabo said.
Festival attendees who want to compete are asked to wear a creative tomato-themed outfit. Contestants can buy, make or find their outfit, and are allowed to compete individually or as a group.
Two local businesses donated prizes that will be presented to the contest winners and the three commissioners will be judging the contest.
Festivalgoers can sign up for the contest between 9 and 11:45 a.m. at the festival coordinator’s booth. Winners will be announced at noon that same day.
The Tomato Festival hosts local vendors from and around Cape May. Every vendor will follow the tomato theme in a creative way, unique to their booth.
“We give top priority to local businesses and people who make their crafts themselves,” Enteado said. “It’s such a great community event that brings us together, and I love seeing people and saying ‘you did a great job again this year.’”
Patrons can shop for hand-made products and try different food and drink items from local restaurants.
“We have some quirky and creative vendors who take off with things related to tomatoes,” Sabo said. “There’s always something that accentuates the regal nature. The pottery, music and food are always a great draw.”
A local band will be performing throughout the day, and the festival will have speakers set up around the property for people to enjoy the music wherever they are wandering.
“She’s really good at it,” Enteado said, referring to Seer’s choices for the live music. “She’s found people that we really love and want to keep coming back.”
For the first time, the borough will be offering free jitney services to and from the event. The pickup and drop-off locations will be displayed around the festival. Parking is limited, and the borough encourages festival goers to utilize this new service.
“It’s a constant loop around West Cape May. You can hop on our jitney and come to the festival,” Enteado said.
In addition to the Tomato Festival, the borough organizes a Lima Bean Festival in October.
“I’ve not heard of another tomato festival,” Sabo said. “There are harvest festivals, but you’re not going to find another lima bean festival. It’s unique because we’ve always been known as the quirkier side of Cape May. We have a unique character, and that’s being rural on a farm half a mile from the beach.”
By JULIA DiGERONIMO/For the Star and Wave
