Township gears up for 14th annual SummerFest
BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer

BRICK TOWNSHIP - Corporate sponsors will be picking up more of the costs associated with SummerFest 2008, including five nights of fireworks.

The eventual goal is to have the 14-yearold township tradition pay for itself, Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis said.

"It's less expensive," the mayor said. "We've cut back on the number of acts and redirected staff."

This year's program's official name is the "Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper SummerFest presented by Commerce Bank."

It will kick off July 3 with shows by the 1910 Fruitgum Company and Cornell Gunter's Coasters.

This year's lineup includes five concerts, a car show onAug. 21 and the annual Night Out Against Crime and Kids Day Celebration onAug. 5.All of the events will be held at Windward Beach on Princeton Avenue.

The other shows include:

• July 17 - Beatlemania Now

• July 31 - Robert Eric Band (Billy Joel tribute) and Hot Rocks (Rolling Stone tribute)

• Aug. 14 - The Landsharks (Jimmy Buffett tribute band)

• Aug. 28 - Country music artists Nikki Britt and James Otto

The concerts will be followed by a fireworks display.

The township will run free shuttle buses to Windward Beach from locations throughout the township. Residents are advised to take the buses because parking is limited at Windward Beach, the mayor said.

Shuttle buses will leave from Midstreams Elementary School, Drum Point Elementary School and the Foodtown parking lot at 5 p.m. The final bus run will leave at 8 p.m. Return trips from Windward Beach to the parking locations will start at 9 p.m. Children under 16 must be accompanied by adults to ride the buses.

The shuttle bus rides are free, even for nonresidents.

The township plans to broadcast the concerts over loudspeakers, so people can enjoy the concerts from their boats, Acropolis said.

"We have a 35-foot screen," the mayor said. "We're going to try and set it up on the water, so people from the boats can see the acts from the stage."

A food court featuring a variety of vendorswill open at 5 p.m. The vendors include Amos Concessions, Nomad Pizza, Amusement Park Concessions, Texas BBQ, Mom's Concessions, Land & Sea Catering, Tony's Italian Sausage, Debbie O's Ice Cream, and Grand Central Kettle Korn.

The other sponsors include ShopRite of Brick Township, Ocean Medical Center, Birdsall Engineering, T&M Associates, Verizon, Comcast, iMac Insurance Management and Consulting, The New York Times and Geico.

Each SummerFest night will also feature a 50/50 raffle run by a nonprofit organization. The Township Council recently held a drawing to choose the five organizations that will participate.

"In the past, only one group was ever included," Acropolis said. "This year, we decided to give every nonprofit organization the chance to raise funds at SummerFest."

The township is still looking for more sponsors. Any business or professional that wants to participate should contact Jody Kerkloz at 732-330-4443.

The GOP-dominated Township Council began making changes to SummerFest last year. They decided to tone down the doo-wop-heavy SummerFests of the past and offer a variety of entertainment.

Council members also trimmed the number of SummerFest nights from 10 to five shows.

This will be the second year the event has been coordinated by New Egypt-based Global Producers Services Inc., which was paid $68,500, the same as in 2007.

Global Producers replaced LaGuardia and Associates in 2007, the firm that coordinated the annual event for the previous 10 years, when Joseph C. Scarpelli was mayor.