By JACQUELINE DURETT
Correspondent
SOUTH AMBOY — Later this month, residents and visitors will get one of their first tastes of the city’s new arts district, South Amboy ARTS, while also getting to sample plenty of barbecue dishes.
BBQ Showdown 2016 will be held on Sept. 25 at Raritan Bay Waterfront Park.
The third annual event will be run by the city and event promoter iRun New Jersey. On iRun’s leadership team is Diana St. John, who has also been one of the primary driving forces behind the new arts district. She and her colleague, Susan Pellegrini, who have enjoyed collective success in Red Bank and Asbury Park, presented their plans to create an arts district to the council earlier this year and have set up an office on Broadway.
While iRun has promoted the festival before, this is the first year the event will be taking place since the launch of the arts district.
At the event, gourmet barbecue food vendors from throughout the area will be showing off their skills. St. John said attendees can enjoy “a carefully curated assortment of world-class barbecue, from pulled pork sandwiches to barbecued wings and ribs, steaks, mac and cheese, plus gourmet desserts.”
The food vendors will be joined by various retail vendors, exhibitors and musicians. Admission is free but does not include the price of food.
This year’s event has some new elements, St. John said.
“This year we have included a deejay with carnival games for kids and families,” she said. “We have new food vendors, along with favorites from previous years, plus new crafters and vendors.”
St. John said the South Amboy location is great for the event, since parking is available at the nearby NJ Transit train station and a shuttle is available to the event.
She said attendees can enjoy “a day spent with family and friends at one of the most beautiful parks in central New Jersey. This is an event where families and friends meet up, enjoy a great barbecue and just relax with sailboats on the bay as the backdrop.”
St. John said attendees will see a coordinated effort among all the South Amboy ARTS events.
“Each event that takes place, whether in the downtown arts district, the community theater or at the park, brings the community together and showcases various art forms including visual arts, performing arts, culinary arts and film,” she said. “Attendees can look for that influence at signature events like BBQ Showdown.”
St. John also pointed out that those interested in South Amboy ARTS can attend its first event, which is before the barbecue cookoff. An art exhibit called “On Track” will be held at the South Amboy ARTS gallery at the Broadway location. The exhibit runs Sept. 18 through Oct. 16 and features the work of Laura Petrovich-Cheney, who creates her pieces by using wood from buildings and signs that were destroyed by superstorm Sandy.
To learn more about the exhibit, visit www.southamboyarts.org.