The Cream Ridge Winery in Allentown will hold a Wine and Chocolate Open House on Feb. 11 and 12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The event will offer wine and chocolate samplings, and winemaker Tom Amabile will speak. The winery will also release blueberry, blackberry and chocolateberry wines. For more information call (609) 259-9797.
Music University opened Jan. 21 in the ShopRite shopping center on Route 9 in Freehold Township. The school will hold a grand opening celebration Feb. 12 from noon to 3 p.m. and will feature tours, refreshments, entertainment and an opportunity to meet the teachers.
Owners Paul Sallee and Dimas Santiago have teamed up to create an upscale music school with professional instructors in a facility that is 2,800 square feet and has 16 instruction rooms. Each of the piano instruction rooms has a Yamaha grand piano, the drum instruction rooms have top-of-the-line Sonar drum sets, and each of the guitar instruction rooms has a Fender amp. There is also a group instruction room for young children’s programs and classes in music theory and song- and lyric-writing.
Music University is open weekdays from 10 a.m to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. Visit www.musicuniversity.net or call (732) 303-1100 for more information.
Applebee’s of Howell, Manalapan, Ocean and Tinton Falls raised more than $10,000 in 2005 by participating in several fundraising events for local organizations and schools.
Applebee’s has donated food and time to many programs, including the National Down Syndrome and Miles of Smiles Talent and Fashion Show; Manalapan Day; Marlboro High School and Manalapan High School cookouts; Howell First Aid’s “A Cowboy’s Adventure”; wings for the Howell High School Wing Eating Contest; lunch for cyclists participating in the Tour to Cure bike race; the Howell High School Car Show; a luncheon at Camp Moore, providing food and face painting; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Monmouth County’s Bowl-a-thon; Diabetes Bike-a-thon at Brookdale Community College; a 1970s dance to benefit Claudia Thomas; and Tinton Falls Community Day.
Applebee’s also provided lunch for a number of golf outings, including the Lakewood Black Hawks, the Howell Township Policemen’s Benevolent Association, and Rail Men for Children to raise money for local charities.
Applebee’s also helped raise money through its “Tip-a-Team” program for the Ocean Fire Department, where the firefighters helped seat, greet and serve guests while the guests had a chance to tip the men. A similar program was also run for gymnasts in Manalapan.
In addition, there are currently 46 schools in Howell, Manalapan, Ocean and Tinton Falls participating in A Is for Applebee’s, a program where participating schools and libraries receive cards, at no cost, which they use as incentives for rewarding their hard-working students with a complimentary dessert.
The Howell, Manalapan, Ocean and Tinton Falls Applebee’s, led by general managers Bill Ross, Bob Schuttinger, Rob Mintzer and David Huey, respectively, along with their team members, are owned by Doherty Enterprises Inc.