Hear Philly: The Shore Thing - Biking Through Absecon, Beers On The Boardwalk and The 'Planet's Largest Beach Party'
By Andrew Kramer
MARGATE, N.J. (CBS) - Absecon Island is full of fun events all summer long.
Ed Berger, president of the Margate Business Association, says the first big one of the season gets all the resorts on the Island involved:
"Le Tour de Downbeach is really a great family event. It's a combination of efforts between the Margate Business Association and the Ventnor Merchants Association. We run a bike course -- it's a family bike course -- that runs all the way starting in Ventnor, all the way to the end of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, all the way down through the end of the point in Longport, a quick turnaround and a big family barbecue at Tomato's Restaurant on Amherst Avenue."
Le Tour de Downbeach pedals through Absecon Island June 7th, with a rain date scheduled for June 14th.
Craft beer festivals continue to grow in popularity and Atlantic City is hosting one in June...right on the boardwalk.
"We just thought, why not do something outdoors, on the boardwalk and just capitalize everything that Atlantic City is," says BJ Hamilton.
Hamilton is one of the organizers of the Atlantic City Boardwalk Beer Festival which takes place just outside Harry's Oyster Bar.
"What we have here is a large, outdoor courtyard area and a huge boardwalk outcove," he explains, "and we're just going to bring in breweries from around the country really. We have 30-40 breweries, two beers each and we're going to do a nice little beer festival."
The festival will feature two, four hour long sessions.
"When you get here you, you come in, there'll be live music, DJ entertainment, there'll be games, you'll have four hours of unlimited beer samplings from all the breweries, there'll be food available for purchase, and it'll just be a really nice, festive atmosphere," Hamilton says.
The festival takes place June 13th with an afternoon and evening session. For more information, including a list of the breweries, or to purchase tickets go to www.boardwalkbeerfestival.
And if that isn't enough, one of Absecon Island's biggest events returns to Margate at the end of the month.
"Beachstock is the planet's largest beach party," Berger says.
He says when you have a beautiful town like Margate, it just wouldn't be right unless they try to throw the biggest beach party they possibly could:
"It starts early in the morning with yoga and a stand-up paddle race on the beach, runs all the way throughout the day with lots of bands and music, food. We usually get around 10,000-15,000 people coming down to the beach that day. There's activities for kids, in fact there's an entire stage just to keep the kids entertained throughout the course of the day. And it all winds up at night with a battle of the bands and a great bonfire on the beach."
It sure does sound like the planet's largest beach party, doesn't it? Beachstock takes place June 27th.
For more on that and all Margate events go to www.margatehasmore.com.
Or CLICK HERE to learn more about all events taking place throughout the Jersey Shore this summer.
