Wooden Boat Festival Takes Place Saturday in Downtown Toms River

The Annual Wooden Boat Festival is taking place in Downtown Toms River this Saturday and even in its 30th year it continues to thrill the young and old. Chet Ehrman with the Toms River Seaport Society and Maritime Museum explains the reason for the interest in wooden boats. "They're unique. They're special. People enjoy repairing them and fixing them up for show and there's a lot of industry out there yet in wooden boats, both building and repair."

Ehrman says this year's feature boat carry's some international significance that actually connects Ocean County to the world. "Our feature boat a Portuguese Seaweed Harvesting Boat. They are used in Portugal on the West Coast. There's a man in Bayville by the name of Jack Henriques who built this particular boat himself from his memory of having built them in Portugal and working on the boats, gathering the seaweed."

There will also be some 30 vendors, food, Pirate re-enactors and boat building sessions. WOBM will also be there all day.

The Wooden Boat Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Huddy Park on Water Street. For more information go to the Toms River Seaport Society and Maritime Museum Web Page Here