Neil Burnip
October was first designated as Family History Month by the Monmouth County Genealogy Society and is now celebrated in 13 states across the nation. The society has several special events planned during the month including a "Research Skills Tune Up" Saturday at the Eatontown Community Center, Broad Street. The workshop will run from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., and will cover topics including court, church and cemetery records, and census research. The fee is $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers.
The society also will host the 14th annual Family History Month luncheon Oct. 20 at the Old Mill Inn in Spring Lake Heights. Certificates will be awarded to charter members of the First Families of Old Monmouth Lineage Society during the luncheon. For more information, visit www.rootsweb.com/-njmcgs.
Shrewsbury Players will open their sixth season with Neil Simon’s comedy Rumors at The Presbyterian Church House, 352 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury. Performances will take place Friday and Saturday evenings, Oct. 11-26, at 8 p.m. A 3 p.m. Sunday matinee will be presented Oct. 27, and a special dinner theater performance to benefit the church’s youth group mission projects will be held Oct. 20 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $12, $10 for seniors over 60 years and students, $8 groups of 20 or more, and $30 for the dinner theater. For tickets or information, call (732) 741-0722.
The Culinary Education Center at 101 Drury Lane, Asbury Park, has opened its Windows dining room. International and American cuisine are being featured for the first three weeks of the fall season.
Four course dinners are offered Monday-Thursday evenings from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Dinner prices range from $16-$20, and menus vary nightly. Reservations are required.
Lunch is served Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Reservations are requested. The on-site bakery is open Monday-Friday, 9-10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
The Culinary Education Center of Monmouth County is a collaboration between Brookdale Community College and the Monmouth County Vocational School District. For information and reservations, call (732) 988-3299, ext. 17.
Monmouth Players will hold auditions Oct. 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. for its "Night of One Acts," scheduled for a December production. Auditions will take place at the Navesink Library Theater at the corner of Sears and Monmouth avenues in the Navesink section of Middletown. Actors should bring a prepared monologue, and interested directors should bring a résumé.
For more information, call Lori at (732) 291-9211 or visit www.monmouthplayers.org.
The Mid-State Arts Resource Team (mART) will honor four women as Monmouth Arts Advocates Oct. 24. Honorees are Sylvia Allen, president of Allen Consulting, Holmdel; Rosemary Peters, former mayor of Middletown; Mary Eileen Fouratt, executive director of the Monmouth County Arts Council, Red Bank; and Lillian Burry, mayor of Colts Neck. The event will take place at the Sheraton Eatontown beginning at 7 p.m.
The event will benefit mART’s long-term goal of establishing a new arts center in Monmouth County. An auction of 10 decorated shark sculptures from the arts group’s "Shark Tank" exhibit will be held, and Phase II of the project will begin with the unveiling of a life-sized shark sculpture.
Tickets are $55 each or $500 for a table of 10 and include reception, dinner and auction conducted by William Barron Galleries Inc., Asbury Park. For reservations or information, call (732) 441-2936.
The Garden State Central Model Railroad Club Inc., Oakhurst, will sponsor its 39th annual Model Railroad Show Oct. 18-20 and 25-27. The show will be held at the Garden State Central HO Model Railroad Club headquarters at 607 Eighth Ave., Asbury Park. Hours are 7-9 p.m. Fri. and noon-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Donation is $3 for adults and $2 for seniors and children. For more information, call (732) 775-0881 evenings.
The Borough of Red Bank’s new parking manager has finally arrived, and is at work at his desk in the municipal building. Neil Burnip, former parking manager in Glasgow, Scotland, was introduced to directors at a Red Bank RiverCenter meeting Monday.
"Somebody once asked me what’s in my résumé. I looked over 20-plus years, and it’s nothing but parking and transportation," Burnip told the meeting, promising "to get things moving pretty quickly."
Free information packets on joining or forming a local pod of an organic produce cooperative are available from Purple Dragon Co-op which has local groups in West Long Branch and Loch Arbour. The co-op, based in Glen Ridge, provides organic fruits and vegetables grown at small regional farms at prices closer to wholesale. There are no membership fees. Each member receives a market basket variety of fresh, organically or ecologically grown fruits and vegetables, approximately 20-30 pounds, every other week. Shares cost $41 per delivery. Order size is suitable for a family with two adults and families with children. For more information, call (973) 429-0391.
The Port-Au-Peck Firemen’s Benevolent Association Golf Classic will be held Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. at the Old Orchard Golf Club, Eatontown. The $95 entry fee includes green fees, a dinner buffet and the rental of an electric cart. For more information call Jim Gallo at (732) 222-3323.
The Jersey Shore Running Club and the Middletown Youth Athletic Association will hold the second annual Navesink Challenge, which starts and finishes at Bodman Park in Middletown. Proceeds will benefit the MYAA, which sponsors soccer and baseball programs, as well as other activities. The Navesink Challenge includes two races, both featuring scenic country roads, hills, and trails. A challenging 15K run begins at 9 a.m., and a 5K run/walk begins at 9:10 a.m. Awards will be given to the top 25 men and women in the 15K, and the top 10 men and women in the 5K. Random prizes and a grand prize drawing will also be offered.
Online registration is available at JerseyRunner.com. Participants may also register by mail or in person on the day of the race, beginning at 7:30 a.m. Applications are available at the Running Store in Shrewsbury and Miles Ahead Sports in Manasquan or online at www.jsrc.org. Cost of registration is $20 through Nov. 11., and $25 after Nov. 11. For more information, call the JSRC hotline at (732) 542-6090 or visit the club’s Web site at www.jsrc.com
A Monmouth County Candidates’ Forum will be held Oct. 16 at Monmouth County Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Road, Manalapan. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Monmouth County, the forum will run from 7-8:45 p.m. Participants will include candidates for county clerk, incumbent Claire French, and challengers Robert P. Hull, Libertarian Party, and Joseph Krimko, Democratic Party. Candidates for Freeholder participating in the forum will include Republican incumbent Harry Larrison Jr. and Thomas Powers; Libertarians Jennifer Carter and Joseph T. Conklin; and Democrats Jeffrey Pringle and John P. Szeliga. For more information, call the LWV at (732) 449-3831.
A First Night Red Bank Kickoff Event will be held Oct. 18 at the Red Bank Train Station. Reggae Band Random Test will perform from 5-7:30 p.m. First Night admission buttons and information on First Night events and performers will be available. For more information, call John Austin at (732) 530-2781.
The Brookdale Performing Arts Center will present Art Deco, the jazz trio in residence, in the Experimental Theater Oct. 13 at 7 p.m.
The trio is made up of Joe Accurso on piano, Gary Mazzaroppi on bass and Doug Clark on guitar.
Tickets are $10, and can be purchased in advance or at the door. For information or to reserve tickets, call (732) 224-2411 or e-mail [email protected].