Area residents are invited to join the Monmouth County Park System for the following free activities.
• Milling at Walnford, 1-4 p.m. April 3, Historic Walnford, Walnford Road, Upper Freehold. Mill demonstrations resume every weekend afternoon from April through November. Experience the rumble and clack of the restored 1872 gristmill.
• Reptiles of New Jersey, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 3-4, Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Centre, Georgia Tavern Road, Howell.
• Rug hooking and braiding demonstration, 1-3 p.m. April 10 at Historic Longstreet Farm, Longstreet Road, Holmdel.
• Spring Egg-Stravaganza, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 10-11. Stop in and follow the clues to help mama bird find her babies.
• Blacksmith demonstration, 1-3 p.m. April 11, Historic Longstreet Farm, Longstreet Road, Holmdel.
• Earth Day open house, noon to 5 p.m. April 17, Huber Woods Environmental Center, Brown’s Dock Road, Middletown. Park System naturalists will offer hayrides, informal nature walks and pond studies.
• Bullfrog, how many bugs can you find? Offered 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 17- 18, Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center, Georgia Tavern Road, Howell.
• Blue Days, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 18, Historic Walnford, Walnford Road, Upper Freehold. The blue sights of Historic Walnford are there to enjoy.
• Music Man Rich Marzec, 1-3 p.m. April 18, Historic Longstreet Farm, Longstreet Road, Holmdel.
• The Great Spring Perennial Plant Swap, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 24, Deep Cut Gardens, Red Hill Road, Middletown. Bring plants in 1-quart, 1-gallon or 2-gallon containers and take home the same size and number of plants. Vegetable seedlings are permitted, but no ornamental annuals.
• Earth Day Open House, noon to 5 p.m. April 24, Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Centre, Georgia Tavern Road, Howell. Open house will feature a nature story hour, crafts, birdfeeder building, micro invertebrate tank studies, reptile show, seed plantings and crafts.
• Working with wood, 1-4 p.m. April 24, Historic Walnford, Walnford Road, Upper Freehold. Master craftsman Tom Kelleher will use a shaving horse and drawknife to shape objects from rough lumber.
• Wool days/sheep shearing, noon to 3 p.m. April 24-25, Historic Longstreet Farm, Longstreet Road, Holmdel. The Monmouth County Historical Association’s Holmes Hendrickson House staff will demonstrate the way wool was used in Colonial America. Farm staff will provide wagon rides between the two living history sites.
• Hooked rug exhibit, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 24 to May 2, Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel. The exhibit will feature work from the Association of Traditional Rug Hooking Artists along with novice rug hookers.
• The Cooper at Walnford, noon to 4 p.m. April 25, Historic Walnford, Walnford Road, Upper Freehold. Tom Kelleher will demonstrate the work and the role of a cooper.
• Hay forks and rakes, noon to 4 p.m. April 25, Historic Walnford, Walnford Road, Upper Freehold. A log will be transformed into a hayfork or rake.
• Arbor Day tree planting, 4 p.m. April 30, Shark River Park, Neptune and Wall. Celebrate Arbor Day as a Red Oak, the state tree of New Jersey, is planted. Afterward, join a Park System naturalist for a short nature walk.
The Park System will also open its family campground at Turkey Swamp Park, Freehold, on April 1 for the season. To learn more about these Park System activities or facilities, visit www.monmouthcountyparks. com or call the Park System at 732842-4000. For persons with hearing impairment, the TTY/TDD number is 711.