The Metuchen-Edison Area Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will hold its annual Black History Trivia Competition on Feb. 9 at the Edison Job Corps Academy, 500 Plainfield Ave. Co-sponsored by the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, the event is free and all are welcome to participate. The competition requires knowledge of African-American history, films, television, literature and sports. Prizes will be awarded.
For additional information, call (732) 549-7936 or visit www.naacpmeab.org.
Library offering story time for preschoolers
The children’s department of the Edison Public Library has begun another four-week story time program for preschoolers ages 3-5. “Preschool Story Time” features stories, music, finger plays, simple crafts and films based on different topics each week. Registration is limited and open to Edison residents only. Remaining programs are as follows:
• Edison Main Library, 340 Plainfield Ave. — 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Jan. 31-Feb. 14 (every Tuesday);
• North Edison Branch, 777 Grove Ave. — 1:30 p.m. Jan. 31-Feb. 14, and 10:30 a.m. Feb. 2-16 (every Thursday);
• Clara Barton Branch, 141 Hoover Ave. — 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Feb. 1-15 (every Wednesday).
Call the main library at (732) 287-2351, ext. 3; North Edison at (732) 548-0845, ext. 3; or Clara Barton at (732) 738-0748, ext. 28.
Board of Ed. announces deadline for nominations
The Edison Township Board of Education has announced that Feb. 27, 4 p.m., is the deadline for filing nominating petitions to run for positions on the board. Prospective school board candidates can obtain a School Board Candidate Kit at the board office, which is located at Education Center, 312 Pierson Ave., Edison. The kit includes a nominating petition and information about legal qualifications for school board candidacy and the role of the school board member. It also contains information about the N.J. School Ethics Act, along with important dates in the school election process and briefing sessions for school board candidates. The election is scheduled for April 18.
MCC offers more spring semester classes
Middlesex County College is offering Spring II, a special concentrated semester of classes beginning on Feb. 21.
Spring II includes areas such as computer science, mathematics, physical education, psychology, Spanish and speech.
Most of the classes run from Feb. 21 through May 9. Some are offered in local high schools.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for students who were unable to start college during the regular semester that began in January,” said Diane Lemcoe, dean of enrollment management at the college. “We also have several English and math classes offered at North Brunswick, East Brunswick and Old Bridge high schools that are perfect for high school students who want to prepare for their College SATs.” For more information, please visit www.middlesexcc.edu or call (732) 906-4243.
Symphony orchestra to round up season Feb. 19
The Edison Arts Society will present the Edison Symphony Orchestra’s season finale, “The Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar,” at 2 p.m. Feb. 19 at the State Theatre, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. Broadway star Andrea Burns will also perform at the concert, with selections from “Evita,” “Les Misérables” and “Beauty and the Beast,” as well as the theme from “The Light in the Piazza.” Tickets are $30, $35, $40 and $50 per person. Call the theater at (732) 246-7469 or toll-free at 1-877-STATE11 (782-8311), or visit the Web site at www.statetheatrenj.org.
Adult book club being offered through YMCA
The Metuchen Branch YMCA, 65 High St., has formed a book club for adults, which meets at 7 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month. There is no charge to participate.
To register, call the YMCA
at (732) 548-2044, or e-mail [email protected].
Indian dance performance featured at library Feb. 18
The Edison Main Library, 340 Plainfield Ave., will host Shreelatha Billa at 2 p.m. Feb. 18.
Billa will perform a selection of classical Indian dances such as Pushpanjali and Padam. The program is free and open to everyone.
To reserve a seat, call the library at (732) 287-2298, ext. 1, or sign up at the circulation desk.
Adult School registration scheduled for ESL classes
The Edison Township Adult School will hold in-person registration and testing for the spring semester evening adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at 7 p.m. Feb. 13 at Edison High School, 50 Boulevard of Eagles. Registration for daytime adult ESL classes will be held at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 15 at Dr. Vincent J. Capraro Continuing Education Center, 10 Boulevard of Eagles (next to the high school). For more information, call the Adult Education office at (732) 452-4574.
Library to present digital camera program Feb. 11
The Friends of the Edison Public Library will sponsor “How to Use Your Digital Camera” at 11 a.m. Feb. 11 at the library’s Clara Barton Branch, 141 Hoover Ave., Edison. Dominique Dowsing will demonstrate how to put pictures onto a computer, as well as how to edit, crop and resize them. She will also discuss print options. Participants are asked to bring their cameras to the program. To register, call the library at (732) 738-0096, ext. 1, or sign up at the circulation desk.
Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’ comes to Edison Feb. 9
The children’s department of the Edison Public Library will present its Children’s Film Festival at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at the North Edison Branch, 777 Grove Ave. The program is open to preschoolers through sixth-graders. The animated Disney film is based on Lewis Carroll’s classic tale “Alice in Wonderland.” Call North Edison at (732) 548-0845, ext. 3.
‘An African American in Vietnam War’ Feb. 11
The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation will host “An African American in the Vietnam War” Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. at the Vietnam Era Educational Center, Holmdel.
The presentation will be by Calvin Gross, a Metuchen High School graduate drafted into the Armed Forces in 1965. He served two years in Vietnam as a military courier, and was honorably discharged at the rank of sergeant.
A $5 donation per person is suggested, and attendees are asked to R.S.V.P. to (732) 335-0033.
Support group offered weekly in Edison
The Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County, 515 Plainfield Ave., Suite 201, Edison, offers a support group for newly separated or divorced adults at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Call (732) 777-1940.