Island Beach State Park Beach Plum Festival On Tap For Today

Has your stash of beach plum jelly run out this year?

Then head over to Island Beach State Park today for The Friends of Island Beach’s annual Beach Plum Festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

The event - the nonprofit group’s biggest fundraiser of the year - will be held at Ocean Bathing Area 1, rain or shine. The festival is free, but a $5 parking donation is requested to help support the festival.

Visitors can watch lifesaving demonstrations by Island Beach State Park lifeguards, go on walks to see native plants, and participate in seining on Barnegat Bay with park naturalists to enclose and catch fish by using large nets with sinkers and floats. A food court with numerous cuisine choices will be available.

“The Beach Plum Festival is always very well-attended,” said Patricia M. Vargo, President of the Friends of Island Beach State Park. “It is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we expect great attendance again this year. With the participation and support of visitors who attend the festival, we can continue our mission of improving and adding additional programs and events at Island Beach State Park.”

Visitors can also pick their own beach plums. This year’s event also includes a paddleboard raffle, music by Ocean County-based classic rock band New Sued Blues, crafts and exhibits.

The volunteer Friends of Island Beach State Park formed in 1996 to encourage protection of the barrier island ecosystem and to enhance both educational and recreational programs at the park. The group now has 175 members, publishes and distributes 30,000 copies of the park’s Visitor Guide annually, has funded improvements to the park’s Nature Center and Interpretive Center, picnic tables, radios for Nature Center staff, and installation of state-of-the-art camera system to monitor an osprey nest at the park, among other needs.

Lifeguards will be on duty on today through Monday, Sept. 18 through Sept. 21, and Sept. 25 through Sept. 28. Park hours are 8 a.m. to sunset.

For more information on Island Beach State Park, visit: www.nj.gov/de/parksandforests/parks/island.html

For more information on the Friends of Island Beach State Park, visit: www.thefriendsofislandbeach.org