Toms River Library to host Bookfest on Sept. 27

The Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library, 101 Washington St., will present its annual Bookfest 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 27.

"Something's Cooking at the Ocean County Library: The Bookfest with Literary Taste" will feature authors whose writings center around food themes, including: Daisy Martinez, Abby Dodge, Lily Binns; Jehangir Mehta, Tracey Seaman, Karen Tack, Barry Landau, Ruby Ann Boxcar, Jennifer Lee, Jennifer Miller, Aliza Green and Jae Steele.

Authors will be available to sign copies of their books.

Crafts and food-related activities will be offered for children.

A dessert-making contest with prizes will be held for teens. Contest rules will be found on the Web at www.theoceancountylibrary. org or www.myspace.com/oclteen. Kitchen sensei will serve up Japanese snacks ranging from Naruto to Sailor Moon. They will also offer a chopstick-use demonstration and competition.

Bookfest is free and open to the public. Last year more than 3,000 people attended the book festival and downtown Toms River's Pizza, Pasta and Pastry fair.

Bookfest has been made possible in part through a grant by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts through funds administered by the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission, the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Ocean First Foundation.