(From the festival website)

"Don't Miss The 2011 Hereford Inlet Lighthouse Maritime Festival , Saturday & Sunday, July 16 & 17, 2011 from 9am to 5 pm. The show will take place on the grounds of the historic Hereford Inlet Lighthouse and along Central Avenue fronting the lighthouse in North Wildwood, New Jersey. The outdoor festival is a celebration of New Jersey's rich maritime history. Historians and Authors will join dozens of Artists and Crafters for a weekend long feast for the eyes and mind! We'll also have great food and music as well as activities for the kids. Pirates will wander the grounds and tours of the historic 19th century lighthouse and award winning gardens will be offered too! Festival Admission is FREE with only a small fee to tour the lighthouse. Saturday 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday 9 am to 4 pm, light rain or shine. So come on out and help us Celebrate the Sea in Anglesea!"

Musical offerings will include:

Caryl P. Weiss performing "Sea Shanties - Songs of the Sea", a rousing program of traditional American and British sea shanties.

Jim Albertson performing a program of traditional folk songs, maritime ballads and folk tales in which the audience is encouraged to participate.

My personal observations:

I attended the 2010 Festival, and while it was small in scope, there were many interesting historic artifacts on display and the love of the seafaring tradition was evident in the attitudes of the vendors and presenters. This year's festival is actually featuring maritime folk music, something which was lacking last year, as the only performers I saw or heard about were a "classic rock" cover band that played to a mostly disinterested crowd. The effort that the sponsors, the Friends of the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, have made to present maritime music and lore is commendable and should be supported by any 'Catters in the area. I've toured the inlet and the gardens around the lighthouse and they are lovely and free to explore. I'd really like to see people do their best to support the Festival and its efforts to preserve and honor the great maritime history of the New Jersey shore.

Hope I meet some of you there!