JERRY WOLKOWITZ Nurjahan Johnson (c) smiles after Tim Mulvaney hands her the keys to a house built by Habitat for Humanity of Long Branch. Mulvaney and a group of six surfers paddled from Cape May to Sandy Hook to raise money for the organization.
The city of Long Branch is looking forward to a final report regarding the upgrade of the phone system to city offices, which is now in full swing.
Departments will be receiving the same or better quality phones than those that are currently being used. Verizon is expected to complete the remainder of the work by Aug. 22.
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It’s off to the races in Oceanport as the Monmouth Park Racetrack prepares for their biggest event: the $1 million Haskell Invitational Handicap. Some last-minute surprises have been announced. The Saudi Arabian royal family have given the go-ahead for War Emblem, one of the country’s premier three-year-olds, to be shipped to Oceanport to run in the Haskell.
JEREMY DEVLIN Members of the Monmouth Beach Fire Department take part in the Busted Hose competition at the Monmouth County Fair July 24.
War Emblem was owned by Prince Ahmed bin Salman who passed away a week ago.
The horse is trained by Bob Baffert. Dana Barnes is War Emblem’s exercise rider.
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The city of Long Branch will be holding another All Nations Day to be held this Saturday Aug. 3 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on lower Broadway. The event will feature lots of ethnic food, music and some vendors.
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It’s that time again. Make room for a delicious, all-you-can-eat breakfast, this Sunday at the Knights of Columbus Home located at 670 Route 36. The special guest chef will be Rich Cuccinello, assisted by Larry Critelli, Bob Finnegan, Frank Reichel and Joe Giddio. They will be cooking pancakes, eggs and sausage, accompanied by juice, coffee and tea. The cost for adults is $4 and for kids under age 12 it’s $2.
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The Seashore Day Camp and School on Second Avenue will hold a very special event on Aug. 5 starting at 9 a.m.
The school has commissioned Kelly Sullivan, a nationally acclaimed artist from Ocean Township to help kids create a life-size painting called "Summer at the Seashore," a six-foot-high painting which will be composed of hundreds of children’s finger smears.
For more information call (732) 222-6464.
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As a city-wide effort to take a bite out of crime, the city of Long Branch will be hosting National Night Out, a national event on Aug. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Be at Slocum Park on Broadway for a neighborhood party. Meet the neighbors, have some refreshments and learn how to take a stand against crime.
The event is coordinated by Cpl. Charles "Butch" Condone and Ronald Cox, president of United Neighbors Inc. (UNI). The event is sponsored by UNI, the Long Branch Police Department and Monmouth Medical Center.
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The African American Achievement Committee in Long Branch is sponsoring a back-to-school-outing Sat. Sept. 7 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Bucky James Community Center on Wilbur Ray Avenue. Kids in grades pre-K through eighth-grade are invited to enjoy a day of games, hot dogs and hamburgers and a chance to win some cool prizes.
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Elks Lodge No. 742 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2140, both of Long Branch, will be holding a luau that will include Hawaiian dancers Aug. 19 from 1-6 p.m. at the Elks club at 150 Garfield Ave.
The event will also offer horseshoes, volleyball, a kissing booth, a Hawaiian photo booth and horse-racing games. The cost per person is $20. Kids ages 8-16 get in for $10; kids under age 8 enter free. For information and to buy tickets, call (732) 870-2224 or (732) 222-9742.
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Long Branch Boy Scout Troop 148 will be holding its annual car wash at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, at the corner of Washington Avenue and Broadway, Aug. 17 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
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The Long Branch Elks fish fry, scheduled for July 5, has been rescheduled for Aug. 2, to be held at the Elks Lodge, 150 Garfield Ave., from 6-8 p.m. The meal is $6.50 per person. Diners will have a choice of fish or chicken. The money will go toward the Elks parade in Wildwood in which the Long Branch High School marching band will perform.
For more information, call George Hussey, parade chairman, at (732) 222-9742.
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The Long Branch Recreation in conjunction with the Long Branch Housing Authority is starting a Double Dutch Program for youth in grades three and up. The program needs at least 30 youths, plus coaches and parent facilitators, to get started. For information, call (732) 571-6545 or (732) 870-3117.
The Long Branch Youth Soccer Club is seeking players for a U10 boys’ team. For further information, call Coach Dominick at (732) 728-0169, or the recreation department at (732) 571-6534.
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The Holy Trinity Rosary Altar Society, Long Branch, will be taking a break for the summer, but will resume its meetings Sept. 16 in St. Joseph’s church hall at 7:30 p.m. under the guidance of Mary Stout, president.
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A bus pilgrimage to Mount St. Mary’s seminary and the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Md., is being sponsored by the Holy Trinity Rosary Altar Society, Long Branch, and Father Dan Swift. The trip will leave at 8 a.m. Oct. 17, and return at approximately 9 p.m. The cost is $40. Pilgrims will enjoy a buffet lunch and have time to visit the basilica of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton at the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity, as well as the Grotto of Lourdes. Call Blondie for more information, (732) 935-0992.
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The Greater Long Branch Chamber of Commerce’s annual golf outing will be held Aug. 15 at the Colts Neck Golf Club. The fee is $145, which includes greens fees, a golf cart, locker room facilities, a golf shirt, a continental breakfast, a barbecue lunch and awards. There is a limit of 100 golfers. The fee for the outing is $20. For more information, call (732) 222-0400.
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In memory of firefighter Robert "Bullet Bob" Feeney, who died Jan. 16 and left a wife and four children, members of the Long Branch Fire Department have created a fund which will assist the Feeney children in paying their college tuition. If you wish to donate to the fund, send a check to: Children of Bob Feeney Educational Fund, P.O. Box 563, Long Branch, NJ 07740.
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The Oakhurst Methodist Church will hold a garage sale Aug. 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Look for bargains on bicycles, toys, books, games and household appliances. Don’t forget to stop at the bake sale table. For more information, call (732) 531-1150.
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In Ocean Township, volunteer drivers are needed for Meals on Wheels. The program assists homebound seniors living in the township. For more information, call Bob at human services at (732) 222-7737.
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The Greater Long Branch and Ocean Township Chambers of Commerce presents a "Day at the Races" on Aug. 29 starting at noon at Monmouth Park Racetrack. Cost per person is $35 which includes admission, program and a buffet lunch in the private Rivalry Rooms. Seating is limited so hurry and call for reservations at (732) 222-0400.
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The Ocean Township Historical Museum is selling memorial bricks to raise money. The bricks will be used to construct new pathways on the grounds of the museum, and the money raised will support preservation of the 200-year-old Woolley Homestead as a museum. The bricks are priced at $100 each. For information, call the museum at (732) 531-2136, or the bricks committee chairman at (732) 531-9187.
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As the Eatontown Borough Council struggled with the wording of an ordinance banning the feeding of geese in Wampum Memorial Park, Councilman John J. Collins said it had to be expansive enough to cover providing food for them on the sidewalk right next to Route 35.
"We don’t want to have geese walking across Route 35," he said.
This prompted Councilman Theodore F. Lewis Jr. to deadpan: "Not necessarily. We are trying to get rid of the geese."
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Russell T. Olivadotti, a West Long Branch member of the Shore Regional High School Board of Education known for his occasionally crusty remarks, passed out a compliment instead at the board’s last caucus meeting to Derek Byzinski, one of the student members of the board, telling him he admired his haircut. "I wish I had that much hair," the balding Olivadotti opined.
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A free workshop on "How to Survive the High Cost of College" will be held at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 10 at the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library on Route 35 in Shrewsbury. William Lynch, a consumer advocate and expert on college funding, will share tips such the little known legal "loopholes" in the financial aid formulas that will increase the eligibility for financial aid, and how to pick colleges that give the best financial packages.
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Monmouth University will hold its annual summer reunion for alumni from 2-8 p.m. Saturday at the Tradewinds in Sea Bright. The reunion will celebrate the classes of 1992 to 2002, with special recognition being given to the newest alumni, the class of 2002. Admission is $5 per person, and includes an "all you can eat" barbecue, entertainment, and prizes for the class with the most alumni in attendance, and to the person who traveled the farthest.
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Artwork by the students of Judy Garifine at the West Long Branch public schools will be on display at the West Long Branch Public Library during the month of August. A Meet the Artists reception will be held from 7-9 p.m. today. The exhibit is called "Art at the Top" after the display area in the Board of Education office on the second floor of the Frank Antonides School.
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An admissions representative from Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, will be on hand at the West Long Branch Public Library from 10 a.m. until noon Monday to answer questions and provide information about the school.
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The United Methodist Women of Old First United Methodist Church on Locust Avenue, West Long Branch, will hold a one day only clothes sale from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Aug. 17. Most men’s, women’s and children’s clothing will be sold at $4 a bag. The exceptions are coats, jackets and suits which will be priced from $5 to $10.
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Monmouth University, West Long Branch, announced that Lawrence Perruzza, a biology major at the college from Old Bridge, was awarded an undergraduate research fellowship from the American Society for Microbiology. He is using the fellowship to continue his research on sources of fecal contamination in the Manasquan River estuary. Perruzza is one of only 26 students who was given fellowships this year from the ASM. He will receive a $2,500 stipend and $900 in travel expenses from his fellowship to attend the ASM national meeting next year in Washington, D.C., where he will present his work.