WEST CAPE MAY — While the borough’s annual Tomato Festival marks the end of summer, West Cape May’s Lima Bean Festival always signals the beginning of fall.
The festival is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 11 in Backyard Park at Borough Hall and entry is free.
West Cape May has a long agricultural history, and the Lima Bean Festival is one of the ways the borough commemorates its past.
Most of West Cape May’s farms in the 1800s were dairy farms, buy many transitioned into growing crops such as corn and lima beans after the Great Depression.
“Lots of people have icky memories of lima beans from their childhood,” West Cape Mayor Carol Sabo said. “It’s a fun and whimsical way to celebrate our agriculture history and community because our roots are in farming.”
One of West Cape May’s oldest, Rea’s Farm had dedicated 1,000 acres of land to growing the legumes.
Municipal Clerk Theresa Enteado and Deputy Clerk Erin Seer organize the festival every year.
“At some point, West Cape May was unofficially named the ‘Lima Bean Capitol of the World,’ resulting in the Lima Bean Festival being formed in 1985,” Enteado said.
The lima bean is the second harvest festival hosted in West Cape May, the Tomato Festival being the other. While one major difference is that the events celebrate different vegetables, the Lima Bean Festival is its own unique experience.
“Our Lima Bean Festival tends to be a bit of a larger event,” Seer said, “with more vendors and an hour-long magic act by the infamous local magician The Great Loudini!”
The Great Loudini made its debut at the 2023 festival. Due to high demand, the magician has returned every year to be a featured part of the day.
There is an assortment of vendor stalls for visitors to browse and shop at throughout the day.
“Visitors can expect unique handcrafted items and deliciously prepared meals ready to go from our variety of vendors,” Enteado said. “Each vendor incorporates the lima bean theme at their booths in a unique way.”
The borough aims to support and work with local businesses. Enteado and Seer are proud that some of the festival’s vendors have been around for decades.
The Flying Fish Studio, a clothing printing business, is one of the local merchants that’ve been consistent vendors since 1992.
“I love the quirky weirdness of the homage to the lowly lima,” owner Susan Lotozo said, “and I truly love lima beans.”
Lotozo explained that she challenges herself every year to come up with a new shirt idea for the festival.
“I remember in 2006 when ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ had just come out in theaters, I woke up in the middle of the night with the thought — ‘Pirates of the LimaBean,’” Lotozo said. “My favorite part now is seeing folks wearing their favorite shirts from years past.”
On top of vendors, the festival features a different live performance every year. This year, Cape May County native Nolan Quinn will be performing.
The borough began offering free jitney services for festival attendees at the latest Tomato Festival, and the service will also be available during the Lima Bean Festival. The jitney will circle Broadway, West Perry Street and Park Boulevard.
After 40 years of lima bean festivities, Enteado and Seer explained that the festival has gone through some needed changes.
The vendors, while still sticking to the lima bean theme, serve less lima bean-oriented food. These shifts might make the festival seem different, but Enteado and Seer believe that they have led to a better festival.
“While the festival may have changed through the years, the rich history still exists in the minds of many locals and visitors alike, and so does the love for the legume,” Seer said.
The Lima Bean Festival is another way that West Cape May likes to transition the town from summer into new seasonal activities. Just because summer is over, it doesn’t mean West Cape May doesn’t have more to offer.
“We love to see our friends and neighbors out together, enjoying the day,” Enteado said. “We love that our vendors offer more than just lima beans, so that whether you’re a lima bean lover or just a lima bean lover’s friend, there is something at the festival for everyone.”
By JULIA DiGERONIMO/For the Star and Wave
