TOMS RIVER, NJ:  Mangia to your heart's content at the 4th annual Pizza, Pasta, Pastry Festival in Downtown Toms River Saturday, September 26 on Washington Street, plus enjoy the Ocean County Library's Bookfest 2009.  

The Pizza, Pasta, Pastry festival runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will offer tempting treats for the whole family, along with live musical entertainment, inflatable children's rides, vendors, crafters and eating contests. Admission to the event is free.  In the event of heavy rain, Pizza, Pasta, Pastry will be held the following day (September 27).  

 Italian food lovers who are up for a challenge have five exciting events to enter; Ocean County's only pizza eating and cannoli eating contests, a garlic eating contest, a pizza dough "throwing" contest, and a garlic peeling contest.  Eating contestants will devour as many pizza slices, cloves of raw garlic or cannoli as possible within a set time.  The "Throw Dough" contest challenges contestants to keep their imitation pizza dough spinning the longest without stopping or dropping the "dough".   Contestants in the garlic peeling contest will be given whole bulbs of garlic and will have two minutes to completely peel as many cloves as possible.  Children can also test their competitive skills in a pasta eating contest

Registration for all the contests will take place day of the event at the festival table, located across the street from the Library.  Fun prizes will be awarded to the winners.  Entry in all of the contests is free.
As the name implies, pizza isn't the only thing on the day's menu. Attendees can also sample delicious pastas and other specialties, including decadent desserts such as cannoli, and marvel at the pasta making demonstrations by Capone's Gourmet Pizza & Restaurant throughout the day.

Festival-goers will also enjoy the musical stylings of the Metropolitan Festival Band and St. Peter's Brass Quintet.  Both bands will entertain the crowd with Italian music and more, including Broadway show tunes and jazz.

New this year is a children's coloring contest in conjunction with the festival.  In keeping with the theme of the festival, the contest entry form features an animated slice of pizza for contestants to decorate. Winners will receive recognition on the Downtown Toms River website, be introduced on stage at the festival and receive a $25 American Express Gift Card.  Contest entry forms are available on the Downtown Toms River website ( <http://www.downtowntomsriver.com/> www.downtowntomsriver.com ), at the Community Connection booth at the Ocean County Mall, the Toms River branch of the Ocean County Library, the information desk of Toms River's Town Hall and at the Downtown Toms River office.  Deadline for entries is 5:00 pm on September 18, 2009.  See entry form for complete contest rules.  

In addition, the Ocean County Library's BookFest 2009 takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its Toms River branch, at 101 Washington Street.  For the past two years the Ocean County Library's annual book festival has revolved around a food theme, and this year's will be no different.  It also offers crafts, cooking demonstrations, music, fun and excitement.

The lineup of more than one dozen authors for this year's "Something's Cooking at the Ocean County Library...a taste of the arts," includes:

• Mike Colameco, host of PBS's "Colameco's Food Show" and WOR Radio's "Food Talk," with his soon to be released book (Aug. 31) "Mike Colameco's Food Lover's Guide to NYC";
  David Leite with his regional cookbook "The New Portuguese Table" which enables readers to tour Portugal vicariously as Leite contextualizes the nation's recipes;
• Tara Mataraza Desmond, who co-wrote "Almost Meatless: Recipes that are Better for your Health and the Planet." A food writer and recipe developer, she has contributed to television productions for the Food Network and to several cookbooks, including those for Philadelphia restaurants "Fork" and "Vetri";
• Brian Yarvin with his recently released "The Too Many Tomatoes Cookbook: Classic and Exotic Recipes from Around the World" and "Farms and Foods of The Garden State: a New Jersey Cookbook"; natural nutritionist Tracee Brenner, author of "Simple Foods for Busy Families," who teaches people about the importance of eating "real foods" like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, along with an assortment of delicious herbs and spices;
• Ed Jackson and Becky Sue Epstein with "The American Lighthouse Cookbook," a celebration of the local cuisines with 300 recipes that have long been the staples of lighthouse keepers and their families;
• John Schlimm, a member of the Straub Brewery family of Pennsylvania, with his latest book, "The Ultimate Beer Lover's Cookbook: More than 400 Recipes That All USE Beer," promotes itself as the largest beer cookbook ever published;
• Liz Scott with her "Zero Proof Cocktails: Alcohol-Free Beverages for Every Occasion" provides 100 fruity, fizzy and festive drinks that are even tastier than their spirited counterparts;
• Sharon Bowers presents special Halloween recipes in her book "Ghoulish Goodies: Monster Eyeballs, Fudge Fingers, Spidery Cupcakes and Other Frightful Treats";
• Marvin Korman's "In My Father's Bakery" is a memoir of Bronx life in the 1930s and 40s, revealing what it was like growing up in a Jewish family during the Depression and during World War Two.

The Pizza, Pasta, Pastry Festival is funded in part by a grant from the Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders.  For a free vacation guide call (800) ENJOY 33, or visit  <http://www.oceancountytourism.com/> www.oceancountytourism.com.  

Also sponsoring the festival are Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Toms River, New Jersey Natural Gas, Comcast, United Water Toms River, Extra Space Storage, Mr. Alan The Original Florist, Capone's Gourmet Pizza & Restaurant, Shore Photography and radio stations WJRZ and WRAT.  

For additional information on the festival or to enjoy the event as a volunteer, call 732-341-8738 or Allen Consulting at 732-946-2711, or visit  <http://www.downtowntomsriver.com/> www.downtowntomsriver.com.