TOMS RIVER, NJ:  If you’re passionate about your pizza, and most New Jerseyans are, we have the event for you.  The Pizza Pasta, Pastry Festival of Downtown Toms River will take place from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturday, September 29 (rain or shine), on Washington Street and admission is free.

The menu is Italian, the tastes are mouth-watering and the fun lasts all day.   Pizza fanatics will be challenged at Ocean County’s first ever pizza eating contest!  Contestants will race to devour as many slices as possible in 10 minutes for honors and prizes at the Festival.  The contest begins at 2 pm and the first prize winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Palumbo’s Restaurant in Toms River. Adults (18 and over) must pre-register by calling Allen Consulting at 732.946.2711 before September 28 at 4 pm. The registration fee is $10.00.

Children are included, too, with three pasta eating contests at 12:30, 1:30 and 3:00.  They can sign up on the day of festival at the contest table located across the street from the Library. Fun prizes will be awarded to the winners!   The kiddies will work up an appetite on inflatable rides and other games.

Pizza isn’t the only tempting treat for attendees to enjoy.  Stop by and sample some of the area’s most delicious pastas or nibble on some of the glorious desserts.  Neapolitan delights will transport you from the beaches of New Jersey to the shores of Italy.  Try a slice of your favorite pizza with a wide array of toppings.  Polish off a bowl or two of pasta in many tempting varieties but leave room for dessert, because some of the best pastry chefs around will be on hand to lure you with cannolli and other decadent creations. 

After indulging your taste buds, take a stroll and visit the specialty craft and merchandise vendors, watch the special walk-around characters entertain the crowds and enjoy a pasta cooking demonstration by Capone’s Gourmet Pizza & Restaurant throughout the day.

You may also want to pick a favorite spot and listen to the sweet sounds of Italian music by  Metropolitan Festival Band and the soulful sounds of Tomardo performing Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and other favorites.     

In addition, the Ocean County Library’s BookFest 2007 takes place from 10 am to 3 pm at its Toms River Branch, at 101 Washington St.   Admission to the Bookfest is free.  Stroll down author’s alley to see what’s hot off the presses from New Jersey authors and publishers.  Get autographs, enjoy listening to readings, stories and music, plus craft activities and writing workshops, with special events for teens and children.  An exciting list of authors will be attending to showcase their cookbooks and answer your food questions! 

Featured authors include

• Biker Billy, ‘Biker Billy Cooks With Fire’;
• Delilah Winder, ‘Delilah’s Everyday Soul: Southern Cooking With Style’;
• Father Joseph E. Orsini;
• Phoebe Damrosch,  ‘Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter’;
• Laura Shapiro, ‘Something From The Oven’;
• Melissa Jacobs, ‘Love, Life and Linguine’;
• Ann Waldron;
• Chef Robert Catherine, ‘Romantic Dinners for Two’;
• Brian Yarvin, ‘Farms & Foods of the Garden State: A New Jersey Cookbook’;
• Priti Gress, ‘Flavorful India’;
• Alan Rosen, ‘Junior's Cheesecake: 50 to Die For Recipes For New York Style Cheese Cake’;
• Oswald Rivera, ‘Puerto Rican Cuisine in America’;
• Laura Scehenone, ‘A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove’;
• Pam Abrams, ‘Gadgetology’;
• Jill and Megan Carle, ‘College Cooking’;
• and Eileen Cameron, ‘G is for Garden State’.

The Pizza, Pasta, Pastry Festival is being hosted with the additional support of sponsors Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Toms River, Jersey Central Power & Light, FirstEnergy Foundation, Lackland Self-Storage, Comcast, Lacey Limo, Flowers By Addalia, Capone’s Gourmet Pizza & Restaurant, United Water Toms River, Ray Catena Lexus and WJRZ and WRAT radio stations.      Click here for additional information on the festival.  To enjoy the event as a volunteer, call 732-341-8738 or Allen Consulting at 732-946-2711, or visit www.DowntownTomsRiver.com.