by Christopher Robbins

Leonardo. Michelangelo. Titian. Rodin. Some of the western world's greatest artistic talents were Italian, so this Jersey Shore borough's mixture of a Columbus Day festival with an arts fair makes perfect sense. On an otherwise dreary Saturday afternoon, laughter and smiles brightened up Spring Lake's business district for the 2013 Columbus Day Italian Festival and Art Walk.

"It is a great event that brings all these people into our town," said Councilwoman Priscilla Reilly. "We're lucky enough to have this great downtown here when a lot of other communities struggle to build or preserve theirs. Festivals like this are one of the reasons." Spring Lake is part of the Jersey Shore region sometimes called "The Irish Riviera," but if Saturday's festival was any indication, the borough has plenty of Italian heritage to draw from, too.