CHRIS KELLY Jim McIlvain, Middletown, performed with the St. Peter Brass Quartet for passers-by who traveled through Red Bank on Saturday.
The borough of Sea Bright will hold its annual organization meeting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 4. The boroughs of Shrewsbury and Little Silver will hold their organization meetings on Monday, Jan. 6, the regular meeting night of their Borough Councils. Shrewsbury’s organization meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m., prior to the regularly scheduled 8 p.m. start of the council meeting. Little Silver’s organization meeting will take place at 8 p.m., the usual council meeting start time.
*****
Kathryn Serkin, of Little Silver, a sophomore at Rider University, Lawrenceville, has been named patient relations chairperson for the Rider chapter of Up ’til Dawn. The national student-led program, made up of more than 100 colleges and universities, is on a mission to save the lives of children stricken with cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases. Members of Rider’s Greek organizations, along with scores of other students, have raised more than $4,000 to date, earmarked for the advancement of research and treatment of young patients at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Serkin, a communications major at Rider, is the daughter of Jeffrey and Kathleen Serkin. She is a graduate of Red Bank Catholic High School.
*****
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Karina Medina participates in the celebration honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, at St. Anthony’s Church, Red Bank, on Friday.
Red Bank has decided to go ahead with talks leading to membership in the Monmouth County Regional Health Commission No. 1, despite objections raised by a member of the Borough Council.
With the retirement of its health officer imminent, the council opted to go with the advice of Borough Administrator Stanley Sickles and Chief Financial Officer Bruce Loversidge, who recommended talks leading to membership on the regional health commission, which would provide public health services to the borough.
The decision not to replace retiring Health Officer Fred Richart and to join the regional commission instead is expected to save Red Bank close to $80,000 while providing the same level of service to residents, according to Borough Administrator Stanley Sickles.
The vote was contrary to the wishes of Councilwoman Jennifer Beck, who chairs the Code Enforcement Committee responsible for the borough’s health office. Beck wanted to explore two options — joining the Monmouth County Health Department vs. the regional commission.
According to Beck, there’s a substantial difference in the fee the borough would pay for joining the former over the latter. Beck said the borough would save $30,648 and receive comparable service by joining the county health department vs. the regional health commission.
But the council voted last week to pursue membership in the regional commission, and talks are proceeding prior to Richart’s Dec. 31 retirement date.
The borough will continue to provide animal control services and maintain the registrar’s office in addition to paying for public health nursing services by the Visiting Nurse Association of Central New Jersey — at a cost of $30,000 — services not included in the regional commission’s assessment.
Fair Haven, Rumson and Little Silver, which contract with Red Bank for services by the health officer, are also discussing membership with the regional commission, which has made proposals to those municipalities,
*****
The Shrewsbury Stop & Shop raised $981 for Lunch Break, a nonprofit soup kitchen in Red Bank, to help provide hunger relief to local residents. The money was raised as part of Stop & Shop’s annual "Food for Friends" campaign, according to the company. With the sale of paper turkeys and other fund-raising events held at the Quincy, Mass.-based company’s 330 stores throughout the Northeast, Stop & Shop customers and associates raised more than $1 million to benefit local hunger relief agencies.
*****
The Woman’s Club of Little Silver will hold its next meeting at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at the Woman’s Club building on Church Street at Rumson Road. The program will be a piano concert performed by club scholarship recipient Christopher "Topher" Ruggiero, a graduate of Red Bank Regional High School. Ruggiero currently attends Ithaca College for the Performing Arts. Everyone is welcome to attend his performance. For more information, contact Rita Ulan at (732) 747-3339.
*****
The Little Silver Garden Club will meet at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9, at the Woman’s Club of Little Silver at Church Street and Rumson Road. Cindy Webster, a member of the club, will conduct a "Challenge Class" in which eight volunteers will have the opportunity to design an arrangement and take it home. Members also will have the opportunity to enter the monthly competition for design, "Tea Time," in which a design of fresh and/or dried plant material is arranged in a cup with saucer. For membership or other information, call (732) 842-7169 or (732) 758-8030.
*****
Christ Church in Shrewsbury will mark the conclusion of Jubilee 300, the celebration of the Episcopal parish’s 300th anniversary year, with several events on Christmas eve and Christmas morning, the church’s actual birthday. All activities will take place in the church and parish house, located at Broad Street and Sycamore Avenue. The public is invited to attend.
At 4 p.m. on Dec. 24, the Family Christmas Eucharist service will be followed by a birthday gala in the parish house and unveiling of the children’s Jubilee Cross. Fifty children and young adults decorated 90 tiles which make up the 6-foot 3-inch high, 5-foot 3-inch wide Jubilee Cross with images of their choice, ranging from a Nativity scene to the sun, the moon, the stars, the ocean, fish and flowers. At 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, the traditional Service of Lessons and Carols will begin and will be followed by a Christmas Choral Eucharist and champagne fete in the parish house. The Christmas Day Eucharist service will begin at 11 a.m. on Dec. 25.
*****
Riverview Medical Center recently held its 35th annual Junior Volunteer Recognition Award Ceremony honoring the juniors who collectively donated 14,500 hours in 2001. This year, Red Bank resident Leslie Potter received the highest award given to a junior volunteer with the most hours.
*****
With flu season lasting from November through April, it is still not too late to get an annual influenza (flu) vaccination. In an average year, influenza is associated with more than 20,000 deaths nationwide and more than 100,000 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Contact your physician to schedule a flu shot, or call Meridian’s RN On Call service, toll-free at (800) 560-9990 for more information.
*****
The Tower Hill Primary School is a nonprofit, nonsectarian school offering K-3 grades. Individualized instruction and commitment to small class size are the school’s philosophy.
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 information, contact Susan deBrigard, school director, at (732) 747-1393.
*****
The Red Bank Education and Development’s mission is to assure that the academic success of all Red Bank children is competitive with that of the best communities in the country, while promoting cultural awareness and healthy social interactions. The Initiative needs your support 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 07701.
*****
The Red Bank Senior Activity Center, 80 Shrewsbury Ave., provides many services for seniors, such as educational classes, daily transportation, weekly grocery shopping trips, medical transportation for local doctor appointments, a daily nutritional meal, health programs and weekly seminars, social and recreational activities and holiday parties, as well as local senior clubs that meet monthly at the center. For information, stop by any time or call (732) 747-5204.
The center will be closed on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, and Jan. 1, New Years Day.
The center is offering morning and afternoon crafts classes. Morning hours are from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and afternoon classes are from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Classes meet Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Sing up now.
*****
Waterspirit, an ecology and spirituality ministry, and the Stella Maris Retreat Center are sponsoring a Winter Solstice celebration. It will be held on Dec. 21 from 7:30-9 p.m. at Stella Maris Retreat Center, 981 Ocean Ave. The celebration will include reflection, readings and songs. The winter solstice, which occurs at 8:14 p.m., is the beginning of winter. The celebration of winter solstice has a long history which 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 information, contact Carol Dunphy at (732) 923-9788.
*****
The following are reorganization times and places for Red Bank, Rumson and Fair Haven:
Red Bank
Jan. 4 at noon
Council Chambers
Rumson
Jan. 1 at noon
Council Chambers
Fair Haven
Jan. 1 at 11:45 a.m.
Sickles School Auditorium.