Went to Shad Fest Today

This is gonna be a quick post because I'm tired from being out in the sun all day today. By tired, I mean I keep falling asleep!

Okay! I went to Shad Festival for the first time today. I've gotta say, it's worth the drive. I walked around, got a gourmet dog cupcake for my dog, went on a steamboat ride, and ate. There were big blowup slides, and this bouncing flipping thing, and another blow up ride for kids to play on. There were bands playing and people drinking. There were activities for kids like sand art and fishing games... Tomorrow is gonna be the rubber duck race. I'm not sure how they release the ducks in the river, but that could be fun to watch. There are cash prizes for the winning ducks and the money raised from buying the ducks go to children's education.

The location is dog friendly. Tons of people were walking around with their dogs, which all the little kids around loved. There's even a "get your picture taken with a wolf" tent.

There were some things going on over at the River Horse Brewery in Lambertville. I'm pretty sure that's where most of the bands were playing and of course there was drinking going on. My boyfriend and I were gonna check it out, but there was a long line to get drink tickets and we had his son along. What 2 year old wants to wait in line so the grown-ups can check out so locally brewed beer? There were people with strollers and kids at the River Horse so if your kid is napping or in the mood to hold still for a bit - don't let it hold you back.

We ate grilled london broil sandwiches, fries, my boyfriend had a pulled pork sandwich, and I had a sandwich from No. 9 Restaurant. I gotta say, my favorite was the braised beef and horseradish creme. I'm pretty sure it was made with the braised shortribs, or prehaps they braised some other cut. The beef was just and tender as their braised shortribs though (my favorite dish I've had there). They also had an oyster poboy sandwich (which I would have also liked to try), some kind of seafood chowder (lots of people were getting it), and of course Shad. There was a blackened Shad sandwich (saw other places serving that up too) and a Shad po boy sandwich. The only problem was that they ran out of the Shad by the time we got around to eating. Hopefully they'll get more for tomorrow! We also enjoyed lemonade and Wild Bill's soda, both of which were great treats on a hot day. The soda was EXTRA cold (my favorite flavors? root beer and birch beer).

There were also hot dogs, burgers, mexican food served up by a local mexican restaurant, flavored nuts, taco salad, fried oreos, japanse food, and a few other things - all served on the street! If you live in the area - it's worth going just for grabbing lunch or dinner. If you don't live in the area, it's still worth going to enjoy the food and the rest of the activities. If you're looking for gifts for upcoming birthdays or Mother's day, Father's day, or maybe a graduation there are artists and crafters selling their goodies.

Oh, and if you wear out Lambertville, you can walk across the bridge into New Hope to explore there too!

Seriously, GO!

Here's to the Delaware River and the towns that sprang up along side it (and full bellies too).
- Cait

P.S. I took a bunch of pictures, so I'll be blogging some later.

Shad Festival - Lambertville, New Jersey - April 25th and 26th

Lambertville, New Jersey is one of my favorite local towns. I haven't spent much time there exploring the shops, but two of my favorite restaurants are located there, Lilly's on the Canal and No.9 Restaurant. Yes, it's disappointing that No.9 Restaurant doesn't have their own website - but the food is completely amazing and the tiny cozy dining room is great. Every year Lambertville hosts Shad Festival in honor of the fish. The Festival highlights the local art's community, there's also live music, activities, and of course FOOD!

There will be all kinds of food there from hot dogs and burgers to fried calamari and of course Shad. There will also be beer and wine tasting and cooking demonstrations.

From the Lambertville website...
"Welcome to the 28th annual Shad Festival, being held on Sat. & Sun. April 25 & 26, 12:30 - 5:30 both days, rain or shine!. Each year the festival highlights our region's arts community, the City of Lambertville, the Delaware River, and of course, our favorite fish, the Shad! The Shad Festival has evolved from a local art show into a nationally recognized award-winning event. Shad Fest features the area's finest artists and crafters, great food and family entertainment, but the two-day extravaganza also serves as a venue for local non-profit organizations to raise necessary operating funds."

I haven't been to this festival before, but I know a lot of people who have gone and they've loved it. I'm hoping to get there this year!

Entertainment Schedule
Art and Crafts
Chamber Member Businesses
General Information

If I get to the festival, I'll be posting a ton of pictures... If you happen to get there - please contact me. I'd love to hear what you thought about it. Oh, and I've never eaten shad, if you have - could you leave a comment letting everyone know what you think of it and how it tastes?

Here's to the Shad and full bellies.
- Cait