Next Exit Shore Guide (week of May 29- June 4)

Its Jersey shore high season and festivals are turning relaxing beach towns into busy hot spots.

Cape May will once again jazz June with the Exit 0 International Jazz Festival. Its the third year for the three-day music happening, which replaced the long-running (1994 to 2011) Cape May Jazz Festival. The multi-venue event promises to turn the quaint beach resort town into a jazz village.

Jazz heads will delight in the festival’s three headlining acts – powerhouse vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove and New Orleans’ funky Dirty Dozen Brass Band – as well as want to soak in other performances like Red Baraat’s Bollywood meets funk sound, Matuto’s self-styled “Brazilian bluegrass” and the jazz harmonica of Grégoire Maret.

This year, the jazz fest ties in with the still on-going Cape May Music Festival. Sunday evening’s “A Night in New Orleans” is a special concert in honor of the latter’s 25th anniversary. The concert’s two shows will benefit the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts.

Tickets are available as various three-day, two-day and one-day pass packages or by single ticket for individual shows. Friday, May 30, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday, May 31, 12 p.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday, June 1, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. – Beach Avenue, Cape May, N.J.

Craft Beers and Rock

Those looking to either substitute or supplement Philly Beer Week with a Jersey Shore version may want to head to Sea Isle City and Beach Haven this Saturday (5/31).

Beach Haven will host its inaugural Hop Sauce Festival. It’s a craft beer fair with an interesting twist – pairing microbrews with gourmet hot sauces. For the sampling will be twenty crafts beers, numerous hot sauces and local eats.

There will be plenty of live music, too, from Starlight Girls, Vensaire, The Lawsuits, For the Foxes, Sonni Shine, The Brigantines and Jared Hart.

General admission price is $10 and a separate craft beer sampling bracelet is $25. Children under age 12 can enter for free. Saturday, May 31, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (rain date Sunday, June 1) – Taylor Avenue Waterfront, Beach Haven, NJ.

The Sea Isle City Craft Beer and Rock Festival will showcase over 100 craft brews together with live music from Philadelphia-based rocker, LeCompt. Festival-goers will receive a souvenir glass and enjoy unlimited samples of beers from local, national and even international breweries. Attendees will also get to cast their vote for the fest’s best beer and brewery.

General admission is $60. Designated drivers can get in for $15. Sat, May 31, 3-7 p.m. at 63rd and Landis Ave., Sea Isle City, N.J.

Fete for a bay

Some of the very best of good times involve partnering recreational pursuits with nature. The Barnegat Bay Festival celebrates a vital natural resource by combining environmental awareness with family-friendly fun.

The free, rain or shine function will feature more than 60 environmental organizations, including the Liberty Science Center with its interactive storm flood model and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) with updates on the watershed’s debris removal process. Gardening buffs will want to check out the native plant sale.

Besides eco-education, attendees can take part in numerous bay-centric activities such as kayak rides at the Summit Avenue beach, paddle board clinics, as well as pontoon boat rides and canoe eco-tours along Toms River. There will be plenty of festival food and music from the Greater Pinelands Dulcimer Society, the Acoustic Musicians Guild and the Top Hats, plus a children’s performance by Yosi and Johnny.

Pre-registration is required for the canoe eco-tour. Contact Betsy Hyle at (732) 914-8109. Sunday, June 1, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Wanamaker Complex, East End and Van Sant Avenues, Island Heights, N.J.

Writers Conference

Think you have the write stuff, but want to know more about how to get published? The 12th annual North Wildwoods Beach Writers Conference is a chance for would-be authors to network and learn about their craft. The two-day event features workshops, a roundtable discussion, plus one-on-one consultations with editor Paul Dinas and music magazine writer Alison Ruth. The conference is priced at $190 for both days or $125 for Wednesday only. There is also the option to purchase tickets to individual workshops at $30 per session. For more information, attendees should contact Carolyn Miller at (609) 522-9406 or nwbwc12@gmail.com. Tuesday, June 3, noon to 7:30 p.m. and Weds, June 4, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Wildwoods Convention Center, 4501 Boardwalk, Wildwood, N.J.