Hear Philly: The Shore Thing - Gumbo, Sand Sculptures and 'The Planet's Biggest Beach Party'
By Andrew Kramer
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) - Things get underway right off the bat in June on Absecon Island with LeTour de Downbeach on the 1st of the month.
Margate Business Association President Ed Berger says the annual bike ride covers all the points:
"Le Tour de Downbeach is really the big event of the year with the entirety of Absecon Island."
This event is run jointly between the Margate Business Association and the Ventnor Merchant's Association, and stretches across the entire island.
"It's a 14-mile bike tour that goes from end of Longport all the way up to the other end of Atlantic City," Berger explains, "and ends up back in Margate again at Tomatoes' Restaurant for a big block party and barbecue."
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.
The Raw Oyster Cult will be one of the bands performing at the Jersey Gumbo Cookoff & Music Festival, June 21st in Somers Point (just offshore from Absecon Island).
Carmen Marotta coordinates various Somers Point events and says dozens of the best restaurants and chefs in Atlantic County will be competing:
"It's an open-tasting. Everyone that comes to the cookoff can taste all they want and vote for the People's Choice of their favorite gumbo."
Marotto says there is plenty of variety:
"Last year, I made Jersey Crab Gumbo with fresh crabs in a seafood stock with shrimp. Chef Richard Spurlock makes a cajun-style andouille sausage and chicken gumbo. Sophia's Restaurant in Margate, they made a cajun-style duck gumbo."
All that and much more will be served beginning at noon. For more go to the Tony Mart website.
Sand sculpting started in Atlantic City a long time ago and Jeff Guaracino with the Atlantic City Alliance says they've brought back their Sand Sculpting World Cup beginning June 19th.
"We have 20 sand sculpting artists from around the world who are coming to Atlantic City to create these amazing, larger than life sand sculptures and they compete for prizes."
And he says based on last year's event, the more than 200,000 spectators expected will get to see a variety of incredible sculptures:
"People took some sea life and made them into giant displays. Others took sculptures of the Roman and Greek Gods and those kinds of cities. Others did mythology."
The sand sculptures will be on display until July 6th. For more go to the DO|AC website.
And rounding out the month in Absecon Island is Margate Beachstock on June 28th -- an event Berger describes as "the planets biggest beach party."
"It's a great day on the beaches of Margate. You have anywhere between 10,000-15,000 people show up in a two-block stretch. It starts with a stand-up sanctioned paddle board race early in the morning and runs through the end of the evening where we do a movie at the library and a big bonfire at the beach."
The party starts at 7:30 a.m. and Berger says it continues all day and night:
"It's music all afternoon, cold beer, hot sunshine, lots of bikinis and lots of things to do."
For more on Beachstock and all Margate events visit the Margate Has More website.
And that's The Shore Thing for this month.
Listen to the full podcast (runs 3:18)…
The Shore Thing: Absecon Island
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