Nearly 400 vendors will line Sea Isle’s Promenade and offer a wide variety of items for every member of the family.

The summer of 2011 may be coming to a close, however the fun will continue in Sea Isle City long after Labor Day, thanks to the many autumn activities and festivals listed on the resort’s calendar of events.
Sea Isle’s most well-known autumn happening is the gigantic Fall Family Festival Weekend, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 17-18.
This year’s Fall Family Festival Weekend will begin on Saturday morning with a huge Seaside Vendors Market along Sea Isle’s ocean-front Promenade from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. With nearly 400 vendors selling a wide-range of merchandise for every member of the family, the Seaside Market is the festival’s biggest attraction.
Also on Saturday morning, a free Sand Sculpting Demonstration and Contest will take place on Sea Isle’s JFK Boulevard Beach starting at 90 a.m., which will be led by Chuck Feld, a professional artisan from Sand Pounders Sand Sculptors.
After learning ways to build a better sand castle, participants will construct their own creations during the Sand Sculpting Contest. All sculptures will be judged at noon, and afterwards trophies will be awarded to the contest’s top winners in several categories.
While the excitement is building at the Seaside Market and the Sand Sculpting Contest, free children’s activities and live music will entertain families at Excursion Park, JKF Boulevard and Pleasure Ave. (adjacent to the Promenade) between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Fall Family Festival will also feature a fabulous Food Court in front of Excursion Park on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
On Saturday night, the pop-band Split Decision will perform a free concert at Excursion Park’s Band Shell starting at 8 p.m. Concert-goers are reminded to bring folding chairs and beach blankets, because the park’s bench seating often fills-up quickly during concerts.
On Sunday, September 18, Fall Family Festival Weekend will continue at 9 a.m. with the Sea City Historical Museum’s 8th Annual Gerard A. Desiderio Antique Auto Show, which will feature a bevy of classic cars and trucks along the Promenade between 29th St. and JFK Blvd.
After families marvel at the sparkling chrome bumpers and well-maintained interiors of the many vehicles in the auto show, they can enjoy Free Guided Historical Trolley Tours of Sea Isle City, which will depart every half hour in front of Excursion Park, 10 a.m. to noon.
Live music by The Snake Brothers will add to the morning’s enjoyment from 10 a.m. to noon on the Promenade at JFK Blvd.
Also on Sunday, the Sea Isle City Environmental Commission’s 2011 Beautification Awards will be presented to this year’s winning property owners at 12:30 p.m. on the Promenade at JFK Blvd. For more info about this event, phone 609-263-3537.
Then, at 1 p.m., the top vehicles in the auto show will receive trophies on the Promenade at JFK. Afterwards, Fall Family Festival Weekend will come to close with an Antique Auto Parade, which will feature the classic vehicles from the auto show.
For additional information about the 2011 Fall Family Festival Weekend, visit www.seaislecitynj.us or phone Sea Isle City’s Department of Tourism, organizers of the event, at 609-263-TOUR.