LAMBERTVILLE: City to celebrate shad for the 30th time

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — This weekend the city will mark the 30th anniversary of the Shad Festival with crafts, art, music, food and entertainment for the whole family.
   The event, mounted each year by the Lambertville Area Chamber of Commerce with the help of corporate sponsors, traditionally draws thousands over two entertainment-packed days.
   The festival, set for April 30 and May 1, began as a celebration of the annual spring return of the shad to the Delaware River. In the 1970s, the river was too polluted to support the shad’s migration to spawn, but with cleaner water the shad came back. The cleanup of the river coincided with the start of the city’s rise of better fortune. The local economy had been in decline since its heyday of rich manufacturing traditions.
   Visitors will be able to view a demonstration of seining, the Native American method of catching the shad with handcrafted nets. The seining will take place on Lewis Island with Steve Meserve. Mr. Meserve is the grandson of Fred Lewis, whose father, William, took over the commercial fishery on the island in 1888.
   Seining will take place 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, weather and river conditions permitting. Because the bridge to Lewis Island is out, visitors will have to watch the demonstration from an area near the Lambertville-New Hope free bridge, according to festival coordinator Ellen Pineno.
   The Shad Fest is a three-time winner of the Governor’s Conference on Tourism Best Event Award.
   Tasty dishes featuring the festival’s namesake will be available at two locations. Hamilton’s Grill Room, 8 Coryell St., will have a shad roe tasting, 12:30 to 3 p.m. both days. Owner and chef Jim Hamilton and executive chef Mark Miller will give a demonstration of their preparations with heavy cream, fresh garden peas and bacon. Also, Ennis Market, 5 N. Union St., will offer fresh shad, jumbo roe, shad chowder and shad wraps.
   The day isn’t just about eating and ecology. The festival is a fundraiser for local nonprofit organizations, including fire departments and youth groups.
   The festival raises also money through the popular poster auction to finance college scholarships for local high school seniors interested in studying art. Local artists this year have created and donated more than 100 original posters. The auction will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. in the recreation room at the First Presbyterian Church, 31 N. Union St.
   In addition to benefiting art students through their auctioned posters, artists also can win big. Up to $3,000 in prize money, donated by local businesses, will be awarded.
   Last year, an impressive poster was hand-stitched by Pat dipaula Klein, with a similar piece entered into the auction this year. Entitled “Shadfest 2011,” Ms. Klein picked up on the design of the masthead from the chamber’s blog site to create her design. “You simply need to see this piece in person to be able to appreciate the handwork involved,” the chamber said. “This piece is stitched to linen and loosely applied to the 11 inch by 17 inch, acid-free poster board.”
   A newcomer to the poster auction is Graham Preston, of Bucks County. His whimsical entry was created in the style of acclaimed book illustrators of the last century, such as Maxfield Parrish and N.C. Wyeth. Entitled “Hold on to Your Cap,” it depicts children riding shad against the backdrop of the Delaware River looking toward Bowman’s Tower. It is one of the larger size posters, 18 inches x 28 inches, painted in acrylic.
   Posters may be previewed at http://2011shadfestposters.blogspot.com.
   If you can’t make it to the auction, absentee bids are being accepted. Phone bids also can be arranged. For information call the chamber at 397-0055.
   The chamber is still accepting donations to increase the pot of prize money. Donors can send a check made out to L.A.C.C. to 59 N. Union St., Unit B, Lambertville. For more information call 397-0055.
   The prize categories are Best in Show, first place, second place, third place, Shad Humor Award, All About the Shad Award, Outstanding Skill/Technique Award and Best Original Painting any medium. Ribbons will be placed on the winning posters by midday Saturday. Posters will be exhibited starting Friday night at the artists’ reception, 7 to 9 p.m., at the First Presbyterian Church’s recreation room. The exhibition will resume Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and also Sunday until about 2 p.m. when the display is broken down in preparation for the live auction. The auction will start at 3 p.m. and is expected to last about three hours.
   The Shad Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., rain or shine.
   For a list of events, visit www.lambertville.org.