The new beer distributor will bring a local craft brewery to the popular New Jersey Seafood Festival in Belmar.
BELMAR -- A Robbinsville-based beer distributor will serve booze at one of the largest festivals at the Jersey Shore after Belmar banned its previous distributor for locking out 120 union workers.
The New Jersey Seafood Festival in Belmar, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and is the unofficial kickoff to summer in the popular Jersey Shore town, was willing to forego the beer tent after Freehold-based Shore Point Distributing Co. locked out its workers in a contract dispute.
But Belmar Mayor Matt Doherty on Thursday announced that Ritchie & Page Beer Distributing Co. will operate the beer tent at the upcoming festival.
There will be beer at the Seafood Featival in Belmar this year! We are proud to announce that Ritchie & Page will operate the beer tent.
-- Matt Doherty (@mattdohertynj) May 11, 2017
This is an ideal situation for Belmar, Doherty told NJ Advance Media.
"This looks like it will work out better than I had anticipated," he said. "I encourage my fellow mayors to remove Shore Point Distributors from any festivals in their towns and replace them with another beer distributor."
Along with other well-known beer brands, including Budweiser and Heineken, Ritchie & Page also distributes beer brewed by Belmar-based Beach Haus Brewery. That will be one of the craft beer options at the festival, which starts on Friday and lasts through Sunday, for the first time ever, Doherty said.
Shore Point has provided beer at the Seafood festival for the past few years, Doherty said. On April 30, workers were locked out after an agreement on a new contract wasn't reached.
Doherty condemned the actions of the distributor.
"Belmar is a working-class town and we cannot in conscience have a company selling beer at a public venue that's been locking out its working-class employees," Doherty said.
Workers continued to picket outside Shore Point's facility on Friday, the Asbury Park Press reported.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.