CHRIS KELLY Santa Claus made a special appearance at the Red Bank train station on Dec. 8. Above, Octniel Sandoval, 8, receives a candy cane from old Kriss Kringle.
The borough of Shrewsbury will hold its annual tree lighting ceremony this Friday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. on the front lawn of the Municipal Center.
Jay Ross, a philanthropist from Monmouth Beach, has made a donation of $5,900 to the public library in Sea Bright, according to Councilman Andrew Mencinsky. The money is sufficient to purchase a wanted circulation desk.
Films for preschoolers, ages 3 1/2 to 5, will be shown at the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library, on Route 35 in Shrewsbury, from 10:30-11 a.m. and from 2-2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Short movies for toddlers, ages 2 and 3, will be shown at the library from 10:30-11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19.
The Monmouth Conservatory of Music, in Red Bank, is presenting its Children’s Opera Chorus Holiday Celebration Concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 20 at St. Michael’s Church, 800 Ocean Ave., Long Branch. The program will include excerpts from Handel’s Messiah, popular carols, and other works for the holiday season. Admission is $10, $5 for children and seniors.
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Girl Scout Troop 923, of Fair Haven, traveled to Jackson to check out the Winter Lights display, but ended up being captivated by the gift shop.
The Tower Hill Choir of the First Presbyterian Church, 255 Harding Road, Red Bank, will present its annual Christmas concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. Under the direction of Charles Harris, the church’s director of music, the adult choir will present two works. The first work will be "An Early American Service of Lessons and Carols" by Tim Sharp, which conveys the story and meaning of Christmas through the reading of scripture and both choral and congregational song. The second half of the concert will feature "Light Eternal" by John Michael Talbot, who began his music career as a rock musician in the early 1970s but later turned to music for worship. A free-will offering will be collected.
Waterspirit, an ecology and spirituality ministry, and the Stella Maris Retreat Center in Long Branch are co-sponsoring a winter solstice celebration Dec. 21 from 7:30-9 p.m. at the retreat center, 981 Ocean Ave. The celebration will include reflection, readings and songs. The winter solstice, which will occur at 8:14 p.m., is the beginning of winter. The celebration of winter solstice has a long history that predates the Christian era, celebrated as the birth of the sun. In the early centuries of the Christian era, the church decided to place the birth of the Son at the 25th of December as a way of Christianizing the celebration, according to a press release issued by Waterspirit. For more information, call Carol Dunphy at (732) 923-9788.
The Red Bank Education and Development Initiative is seeking community support. The initiative’s mission is to assure that the academic success of all Red Bank children is on a par with that of the best communities in the country, while promoting cultural awareness and healthy social interactions. To continue this important mission, it needs to raise $125,000 to ensure the success of its 2002-2003 program.
For more information or to make a donation, call (732) 245-5400, visit www.redbankkids.org or send donations to P.O. Box 8157, Red Bank, NJ 07701.
LIBBY KESIL Steffan Mano of Oakhurst protests U.S. sanctions and threats of war against Iraq at the Red Bank train station.
The Unlimited Potential Theater Company (UPTCo), a project of VSA/NJ, is showcasing the winning entries of the ninth annual Joyce Indik New Jersey Wordsmith Competition at the Readers Theater at the Stephen J. Capestro Theater in Edison on Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. For more information or to register to attend, call (732) 745-3913 (TTY).
The Rumson Garden Club’s annual Christmas greens workshop was held Dec. 7 at Bingham Hall. Members created more than 40 wreaths, swags, and table and tray arrangements.
The items were delivered to local organizations such as the John L. Montgomery Medical Home, the Monmouth County Youth Detention Center, the Monmouth County Historical Association, CPC Behavioral Healthcare Center, Aslan Youth Ministries, Love Inc., and Lunch Break. Members also helped trim Bingham Hall, Rumson Borough Hall and the Oceanic Library.
The students of the Tower Hill Primary School in Red Bank will be singing holiday songs for Young at Heart, an outreach program to senior citizens, on Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. at the Tower Hill Church.
CHRIS KELLY On Dec. 5, New Jersey was hit with its first substantial snowstorm of the season. Above, the day after the storm, Amanda Grohol (l), 15, of Tinton Falls and Jen Merezio, 15, Middletown, enjoy the slope of Cemetery Hill, West Long Branch.
The Young at Heart program meets on the second Friday of each month. Lunch is provided, and programs such as entertainment and educational sessions are featured.
Also, the first-grade students are participating in a unique curriculum that teaches about the 50 states by cooking foods native to each state.
The program for second-graders focuses on world geography, and the third-grade curriculum explores traditions and cultures.
The series takes place every second and fourth Thursday of the month.
Bonnie Thompson is the cooking coordinator.
The primary school’s open house is scheduled for Jan. 18 from 9-11 a.m. For more information, call Susan deBrigard, school director, at (732) 747-1393.
The Monmouth County Civic Chorus, directed by Mark Shapiro, will sing Handel’s Messiah plus Christmas "Pops" on Dec. 22 at 4 p.m. at the Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank. The oratorio will be performed with chamber orchestra, along with favorite carols.
Soloists include Kenneth Budka of Marlboro, Douglas Clark of Tinton Falls, Gerald Metz of Freehold, Bruce Nobles of Highlands and Kenneth Wasser of West Long Branch.
Tickets range from $15 to $40, with senior/student and group discounts available. For information, call (732) 933-9333 or order online at www.monmouthcivicchorus.org..
The Tower Hill Choir of First Presbyterian Church in Red Bank will present its annual Christmas concert, Light Eternal, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m.
Under the direction of Charles Harris, director of music, the choir will present two works, "An Early American Service of Lessons and Carols" by Tim Sharp and the traditional "Service of Lessons and Carols" which has become a tradition for the choir during the advent and Christmas season. The second half of the concert will be "Light Eternal" by John Michael Talbot. The choir will be accompanied by a small orchestra for the piece, which will feature Robert Morris, tenor, with additional accompaniment by Rick Lawler on guitar.
There will be a free will offering during the concert and child care for kindergarten ages and younger will be provided for requests made prior to Dec. 9. For more information, or to make a child care reservation, call (732) 747-1329.
On Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rumson Fair Haven High School auditorium, the Tower Singers, symphonic band, orchestra, jazz ensemble and the Band of the Two Rivers will perform in the annual holiday concert. There is no charge for either event. All are invited to attend.
Betty Buckley will perform at the Count Basie Theatre at 99 Monmouth St. on New Year’s Eve 8-10 p.m. Tickets range from $40 to $100 to attend.
Linda Kwiatek, manager of resident services at Seabrook, Tinton Falls, has been named the 2003 Social Work Leader of the Year by the Society for Social Work Leadership in Health Care (SSWLHC).
A resident of South Amboy, Kwiatek has been with Seabrook for the past two years.
A 20-year veteran of the field of social work, as both an educator and counselor, she also serves as president of the New Jersey chapter of SSWLHC.
She holds degrees from Adelphi University, Garden City, N.Y., and Boston University of Social Work.
"Fort Hancock Christmas in the 1940s" is the theme of the annual Christmas open house being presented this weekend and next weekend at the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. For the occasion, History House, a restored home on Officers Row overlooking Sandy Hook Bay, will be decorated with the sights and sounds of Christmas in the 1940s.
The decorated History House will be open from 1-5 p.m. on Dec. 14-15.
There will be a special evening open house from 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, when period music will be played and refreshments will be served.
The Festival of Trees will be held at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel, on Route 35 in Eatontown, from 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17.
It will feature Christmas trees that have been decorated by various charitable organizations.
Visitors can vote for their favorite tree by placing a donation in a box with that charity’s name.
Both the Eatontown Municipal Band and the Memorial School Choir will perform during the evening.