The Jamesburg Civic Association will host the Great American Olde Tyme Circus on June 30 on the grounds of JFK School, Front Street and Davison Avenue, Jamesburg. Show times are 5:15 and 7:30 p.m.
Advance-sale tickets are available through June 29 at the following Jamesburg locations: Sweet William and Thyme, 27 E. Railroad Ave.; Barbara’s Antiques, 35 E. Railroad Ave.; King Auto Parts, 67 E. Railroad Ave.; Little Shop of Treasures, 28 W. Railroad Ave.; PNC Bank, 36 W. Railroad Ave.; First Constitution Bank, 1 Harrison St.; and Gray Rock Supply, 64 W. Railroad Ave. Advance tickets cost $9; children age 2 and under will be admitted free of charge.
Tickets purchased at the gate cost $11; children age 2 and under admitted free of charge. Advance-sale tickets will not be available on circus day.
For directions or more information, call (732) 521-2040 and leave a message.
Weight-loss support group seeks members
TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) New Jersey Chapter No. 153, a weight-loss support group based in Spotswood, is seeking new members. The aim of the national TOPS nonprofit organization to educate and encourage its members to lose weight using sensible means.
Meetings are held from 5:30-7 p.m. on Mondays at United Methodist Church, Manalapan Road, Spotswood. A nominal membership fee is charged for administrative costs, and minimal monthly dues are collected.
For more information, call Trudy or Denise at (732) 656-1561 or log on to the group’s national Web site at www.tops.org.
Richard Rodgers to be topic of library program
Dr. Donato D. Fornuto, professor emeritus of music at William Paterson University, Wayne, will present a program titled “Rodgers and Hart; Rodgers and Hammerstein” at noon on July 8 at the Spotswood Public Library, 548 Main St.
Fornuto, who has taught jazz as well as classical harmony and counterpoint, will illuminate the career of Richard Rodgers with biographical information and anecdotes. The presentation will feature sing-along opportunities and “Name-That-Tune” quizzes for audience members.
The program is free of charge. Reservations are recommended. The public is welcome. Refreshments will be served.
For more information and to reserve, call the library at (732) 251-1515.
The program has been developed and funded by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
O.B. Library trustees set meeting for July 13
The Old Bridge Library board of trustees will hold its regular monthly meeting at 7:30 p.m. on July 13 at the Old Bridge Main Library, Route 516 and Cottrell Road. The public is welcome. Formal action may be taken on agenda items or other matters that come before the board.
Safe-driving courses coming to S.R. Library
Two AARP-sponsored driver safety courses are planned for July at the South River Public Library, 55 Appleby Ave. The first course will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 14 and 15; the second is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 16 and 23.
Classes are open to licensed drivers; there are no age requirements. Cost is $10. Membership in AARP is not required. Interested individuals must register in advance.
Upon completion of the course, students will receive a certificate entitling them to a 5-percent discount on the major portion of their automobile insurance premium for three years and a 2-point reduction in their Motor Vehicle Commission record (if applicable). call (732) 254-2488.
Etz Chaim to sponsor June 26 Magic Show
Etz Chaim/Monroe Township Jewish Center will present its annual Magic Show from 3-5 p.m. on June 26 at the Monroe Township Community Center, Monmouth Road.
The event will feature clowns, magic and illusion, unicycle juggling and rolling globes.
Tickets are free of charge for children ages 12 and under; youngsters must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is $5 for adults.
For more information, call Nancy at (732) 723-1119.
‘Miss Saigon’ first up for Plays-in-the-Park
Middlesex County’s summer theater, Plays-in-the-Park, will open its 43rd season of musicals with a production of “Miss Saigon,” set for 8:30 p.m., June 28-July 9, at the Stephen J. Capestro Theater in Roosevelt Park, Edison. There will be no performances July 3 and 4. A sign-language-interpreted performance is planned for July 6, with a July 7 rain date.
The box office will open at 5:30 p.m. on performance days. Patrons must bring a low-back lawn chair, which they may place in the outdoor seating area immediately after purchasing a ticket. Chaise lounges and chairs taller than 40 inches will not be allowed.
Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors age 62 and above. Children age 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.
The theater, which is handicapped accessible, is located off Route 1 south, just south of the Menlo Park shopping mall, Edison.
For more information, call (732) 548-2884, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mondays-Fridays.
Funding has been made possible in part by the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, through a grant provided by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, and by the financial support of the Friends of Plays-in-the-Park.
Retired federal workers
schedule July 9 cruise
National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Chapter 1533 will sponsor a sunset cruise of New York Harbor aboard the SeaStreak out of Atlantic Highlands.
Cost is $25 per person.
For more information and to reserve, call Susan at (732) 615-0514.
Youngsters invited to
‘Come Into the Castle’
In-person registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. on June 30 for “Come Into the Castle,” a youth program set for 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on July 5, 3:30 p.m. on July 7 and 10:30 a.m. on July 8 at the Old Bridge Public Library Main Branch, Route 516 and Cottrell Road.
Participants in the program, which is open to youngsters who have completed kindergarten-fifth grades, will listen to stories about castles, create a castle collage, see what it is like inside castle walls and learn how royalty live.
For more information, call (732) 721-5600, ext. 5028. Library card number will be required at registration.
‘Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds’ June 26
Old Bridge Public Library, 1 Old Bridge Plaza, will present “Dragons, Dreams and Daring Deeds” June 26 at 1:30 p.m. The free program will feature magician Mark A.S. Dolson’s “Wings of Magic,” and craft projects for the family.
For more information, call (732) 721-5600, ext. 5033.
Registration under way
for 5K run, health walk
Frog Hollow Swim and Tennis Club, Ferris Street, South Amboy, will hold its annual 5K run and health walk June 25, with registration at 7:30 a.m. followed by the 5K at 9 a.m.
There will also be a youth “fun run,” awards, T-shirts, a post-race barbecue, and all-day swimming and tennis. Proceeds will benefit South Amboy’s fire and first aid departments. For more information, call (732) 727-9094.
Business networking
event slated for June 28
Network PLUS, a business-to-business networking group that provides members with leads to help them grow their businesses, will sponsor its next networking event at 6 p.m. on June 28 at Panico’s, 103 Church St., New Brunswick.
Admission is $10 and includes hors d’oeuvres. All interested individuals are welcome to attend. Network PLUS has almost 1,000 members meeting at more than 80 different locations throughout New Jersey, offering breakfast, lunch and after-work events. The group’s goal is to grow to more than 10,000 members within the next three years. Each event is led by an experienced and trained facilitator who is part of the Network PLUS management team. For more information and to register, call (732) 254-8440, or e-mail [email protected].
Environmental panel
to sponsor nature walk
The Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership will sponsor a nature walk through Milltown’s Mill Pond Park and surrounding waterways from 1-4 p.m. on June 26. Participants will also examine environmental problems. Interested individuals should meet at 1 p.m. at the Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership headquarters, 85 Washington Ave., Milltown. Walk leader will be Andrew Besolde. Call (732) 249-5297.
Ballet video to be shown
at O.B. Senior Center
Maria deKeely will introduce “Coppelia,” a ballet video to be screened at 10 a.m. on June 27 at the George Bush Senior Center in the Old Bridge municipal complex, Route 516 and Cottrell Road.
The ballet tells the story of Dr. Coppelius, a toymaker and magician who attempts to bring life to his beautiful doll Coppelia. The doctor is fooled by the mischievous Swanilda, who masquerades as Coppelia and saves her lover Franz from the doctor’s magic. For more information, call (732) 721-5600, ext. 6620.
Separated, divorced
group slates meetings
Passages, a nondenominational, self-help group for separated and divorced adults, holds meetings at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 505 Main St., Spotswood.
The organization, which offers small weekly discussion groups and a calendar of social outings, is designed to provide emotional support to individuals going through the pain associated with separation and divorce and help them find the answers to get on with their lives.
A $3 donation is requested.
For more information, call Robin at (732) 238-7822 or Wayne at (732) 438-5216, or e-mail [email protected].
Local filmmakers plan
open casting, crew call
Local filmmakers Kevin Keiser of Hazlet and David Kaiserman of Holmdel will hold an open casting and crew call for their upcoming independent short, a dramatic film titled “Chapter 23: The Big Goodbye,” from 5-9 p.m. on June 26 at the Emergency Medical Services Building, 776 Washington Road, Sayreville. Interested individuals are urged to arrive between 5 and 6 p.m.
The filmmakers are seeking three women with the ability to play ages 25-35; three men, 25-35; one male, 40-60; and two young girls, ages 8-12. All should come prepared with a monologue. Potential production crew members also are needed. Head shots and résumés should be sent to Kaiserman Media, P.O. Box 533, Holmdel, NJ 07733, or e-mailed to [email protected]. Keiser and Kaiserman plan to shoot their short film locally in the coming weeks. The two young filmmakers are collaborating on the project with the aim of showing it next year at the Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah.
Teen theater workshop
coming to O.B. Library
Registration is going on for a teen theater workshop set for 7 p.m. on July 21 at the Old Bridge Public Library Main Branch, Route 516 and Cottrell Road. The program is open to youngsters who were in grades 6-12 during the 2004-05 school year. A professional actor from Youth Stages of Princeton will lead participants on a journey to a faraway place and time where they will enact episodes from the life and friendships of King Arthur. Call Theresa Wordelmann at (732) 721-5600, ext. 5044.