U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May and the Cape May County Coast Guard Community Foundation are scheduled to hold the annual Coast Guard Community Festival, Saturday, May 7, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the base.
The event is free and open to the public.
“We are excited to resume the tradition of hosting the annual Coast Guard Community Festival after two years of having to cancel the event due to Covid-19,” said Capt. Kathy Felger, the commanding officer of Training Center Cape May. “Our partnership with the foundation allows us to celebrate one of the events that really makes Cape May County feel like the Coast Guard’s hometown.”
Guests will be able to tour Training Center Cape May, the nation’s only boot camp for Coast Guard enlisted personnel. In addition, local Coast Guard cutters and helicopters will be available for public tours.
The Coast Guard Recruit Band and Drill Team will give performances, marching through the festival grounds during the day. Food, vendors, and live entertainment will be available.
Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City will be conducting a search and rescue demonstration on Cape May Harbor. There will be tours of the Cape May Harbor highlighting the importance of the Coast Guard to the commercial fishing industry.
Training Center Cape May is the Coast Guard’s only enlisted basic training program where more than 80 percent of the service’s workforce receives basic instruction to become Coast Guard men and women.
The Cape May Coast Guard Community Festival is designed to highlight the positive relationships between local Coast Guard personnel and the communities that we live and serve in. The festival helps the service inform the public of the Coast Guard’s role in facilitating New Jersey maritime commerce, maritime safety, and the partnerships between local, state, and Coast Guard personnel during major events.
The full festival event schedule can be found at www.coastguardcommunity.org