Cape May Oktoberfest Returns Sept. 26 with Food, Music and Bavarian Flair

Issue #805

September 10, 2026

In partnership with

 

In This Cape May Local Scoop Issue…

 📆 Cape May Events

☀️ Cape May Local Weather 

 🍺Cape May Oktoberfest Returns Sept. 26 with Food, Music and Bavarian Flair

 🏃Gateway’s ‘9 to 5’ Opens Sept. 24 With Special Dolly Parton Tribute Planned 

🛶 NJ Run for the Fallen Begins Five-Day Journey in Cape May Sept. 23

Cape May Local Scoop’s Events Are Sponsored By: Survivors of Cancer

👇 Here’s what’s going on in the Cape May Local Area👇

 September 10

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 Cape May Oktoberfest Returns Sept. 26 with Food, Music and Bavarian Flair

Cape May will bring a taste of Bavaria to the Jersey Shore when its annual Oktoberfest returns Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.

The free festival will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., transforming a section of downtown Cape May into a German-inspired promenade filled with food, beer, live entertainment and shopping.

Festivities will stretch along Carpenter Lane between Ocean and Perry streets and continue toward Beach Avenue, putting visitors within easy walking distance of the Washington Street Mall and surrounding downtown businesses.

Festivalgoers can enjoy German-inspired food and music while visiting beer vendors and food courts throughout the celebration. Artisan tables will also feature crafts, antiques, collectibles and other items.

The downtown location gives visitors an opportunity to explore Cape May's shops, restaurants and other businesses while attending the festival.

Oktoberfest is an annual celebration inspired by the traditional Bavarian festival and has become part of Cape May's fall event calendar.

Admission is free. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, will serve as the rain date.

Gateway’s ‘9 to 5’ Opens Sept. 24 With Special Dolly Parton Tribute Planned

Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point will bring “9 to 5: The Musical” to the stage this September and October, with two casts performing the workplace comedy featuring music and lyrics by Dolly Parton.

Performances are scheduled for Sept. 24-27 and Oct. 1-4 at the theater, located at 738 Bay Ave. in Somers Point.

Based on the 1980 film starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Parton, the musical features a book by Patricia Resnick and a score by Parton, including the familiar title song.

The story follows three women working under an egotistical and sexist boss who decide to take matters into their own hands. Along the way, the characters confront workplace inequality while developing friendships, confidence and a determination to change their circumstances.

Gateway's production has been in development for nearly a year and will feature two casts sharing performances during the show's two-week run. Artistic Director Phil Pallitto is directing the production.

The theater says the decision to use two casts gives more local performers an opportunity to participate while allowing each group to bring a different interpretation and chemistry to the characters.

Gateway is also planning a special event during the Friday, Sept. 25, performance. Audience members are encouraged to come “All Dolled Up” in Western-inspired attire featuring rhinestones, fringe and other styles associated with Parton.

The theater plans to use the performance to celebrate Parton's music and legacy while raising money for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, a program that provides free books to children from birth through age 5.

The production's themes of workplace equality, friendship and empowerment remain a central part of the story more than four decades after the original film was released.

Evening performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 24-26 and Oct. 1-3. Matinees will be held at 2 p.m. Sept. 27 and Oct. 4.

NJ Run for the Fallen Begins Five-Day Journey in Cape May Sept. 23

The 18th annual New Jersey Run for the Fallen will begin in Cape May County on Wednesday, Sept. 23, launching a five-day tribute honoring New Jersey military service members who died while serving the country.

The 2026 event runs from Sept. 23 through Sept. 27, traveling from Cape May to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and Museum in Holmdel.

The annual remembrance brings together military personnel, first responders, supporters, Gold Star Families and communities along the route. During the journey, participants stop at designated Hero Markers honoring individual New Jersey service members.

At those markers, fallen service members are remembered by name, and participating families, friends and fellow service members have an opportunity to gather in their honor. Flags and biographical cards are also presented at designated stops.

This year’s event begins Sept. 23 with a remembrance ceremony and dinner for New Jersey Gold Star Families at the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum at Cape May Airport.

The running portion begins Thursday, Sept. 24, at Sunset Beach in Cape May Point.

From there, the route makes its way north through communities across the Jersey Shore and other parts of the state. Scheduled areas along the journey include Wildwood, Ocean City, Toms River, Point Pleasant, Sea Girt, Asbury Park and Long Branch.

The run concludes Sunday, Sept. 27, at the Gold Star Family Memorial at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial and Museum, located at 1 Memorial Lane in Holmdel. The final day coincides with National Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day.

NJ Run for the Fallen primarily dedicates its individual miles and Hero Markers to New Jersey service members lost in connection with the Global War on Terror, while the organization says the broader mission recognizes fallen New Jersey military members from throughout the nation’s history.

Organizers encourage members of the public to attend Hero Marker ceremonies along the route as the runners pass through their communities.

The 2026 event marks the 18th annual NJ Run for the Fallen.

A complete schedule of Hero Markers, stops and estimated arrival times is available through NJ Run for the Fallen at NJRFTF.org.

Which well-known architect, who worked on the United States Capitol, also designed an addition to a historic hotel in Cape May?

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 Answer to the September 9th Trivia Question 

Which Cape May location is famous for being the best spot to find the so-called "Cape May Diamonds"?

A) Beach Avenue
B) Washington Street
C) Sunset Beach
D) Cape May Lighthouse Park

Answer: C) Sunset Beach

Sunset Beach in Cape May is well-known as the best spot to find Cape May Diamonds, which are actually quartz pebbles that have been polished by nature to resemble diamonds​​

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