MANASQUAN — The third annual Manasquan Backyard Crawl was held on May 17 and raised over $55,000 for two local nonprofit organizations. The townwide bike crawl featured 20 hosts who opened their doors for Manasquan neighbors and visitors to enjoy food, drink and music for the cause.
Tiffany Prime, who co-organizes the event with her husband Jay, told The Coast Star, “Everything went really well. We had such great weather, all the food we had for the event was raved about, and all the people commented on the variety of music we had along each route. It flowed smoothly, everyone was happy and it was just another great crawl.”
Prime, who crawled instead of hosting like she had the previous two years, commended this year’s hosts, and said she can see why everyone enjoys crawling so much.
The Backyard Crawl invites participants to travel throughout Manasquan on a select bikeable route of houses where they can taste food and desserts from local businesses, hear music from local musicians and spend time with neighbors and friends, all for a good cause.
This year, funds from the event benefited two local organizations, AVT 18 and the Rae of Light Foundation. AVT 18 supports former Saint John Vianney football player Aaron Van Trease, class of 2023, who fractured his C6 vertebra his senior year of high school. The Rae of Light Foundation was established by Wall Township residents Matt and Jessica Ludwig in the wake of their daughter Jillian’s death in 2023, when the college freshman was struck by a stray bullet in a Nashville park. The foundation provides scholarships and advocates for measures such as Jillian’s Law in Tennessee, which prohibits gun ownership for people who are charged with felonies but are deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial, and also requires such individuals to receive rehabilitative treatment.
Raising between $55,000 to $60,000, Prime estimated, this year’s Manasquan Backyard Crawl sold a total of 1,080 tickets.
“It’s such a powerful day. It’s a real team effort, everyone tries to give me effort but this event takes a lot of teamwork between hosts, crawlers and everyone in between,” Prime said.
This year’s Backyard Crawl hosts included Jane and Jerry Brady, Mike Conforti and Bernadette Viviano, Michelle and Alfonso Perez, Elizabeth Martin and Roger Estafanos, Michelle and Lou Frattaroli, Shanna and Matt Quinn, Linda Wastack, Tom Ganter and Kathy Cassidy, Eileen Korz and Vince DiFabritus, Ronnie and Michael Marone, Danny and Eileen Reilly, Marion and James Ahern, Andi and Mike Parkhill, Deb and Sean Gleason, Lauren and Chris Whitmore and Judy and Al Rodriquez, Lisa and Jeff Haas, Glenn and Jill Guy, Kerry Walsh, Joyce and Andy Manser and Heather and John Kainer.
At each home, local musicians set the tone for the afternoon including GrooveSharks, Sam Jordan, Wavelength, Neon Garage, Indigo Sky, Take Five Band, Los Gringos, Rhythm & Dudes, Hope Road, E Boro Bandits, 10th and D, Kerry Kenny Band, Brendan Coulson, Charlie Kelly, John Refferty, Sunday Brunch, Canning Quintet, Jake Romano and Liam Pollock, Just Killin Time, From the Ground, Hump Day Trio, Tom Vincent, Tanner Grigoli, Sean Maher, Floater and Kings and Queens.
One of the draws for the community event is the opportunity to taste local cuisine. This year’s restaurants and caterers included Tom Bailey’s Market, Olive and Oak, Due Amici’s, Heights 27, Fratellos, Jimmy’s Cucina, Squan Tavern, The Shore Spot, The Nauti Butler, Elks Club, Surf Taco, Little Dom’s Pizza and Italian Cuisine, Hooked Up Pizza!, ABL Appliances, Spring Lake Manor, Rellas, Gee Gees, Hott Carl’s Pizza, Drew’s Market, Joe Leone’s Centro Market, Pastosa Ravioli, J & A Deli, Jersey Mikes, Hey Burger and Walt the Shore Party Griller.
After the event, Prime said, “This is a one of a kind unique event, there’s nothing around here or anywhere really like it, you can’t compare it to anything. There’s 20 complete parties going on around town and it’s for a good cause so it’s really just turned into a great event.”
Planning for next year has already begun, the fourth annual Manasquan Backyard Crawl is scheduled for May 16, 2026. For more information on the Backyard Crawl and to stay updated on event updates, visit the “All About the Manasquan Backyard Crawl” Facebook page.
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