The New Hope Gospel and Community Fest will be held 12:30-4:30 p.m. June 1 at the New Hope Baptist Church, 28 First St., Freehold. Festivities will include Gospel music groups, soloists, musicians, praise dancing, vendors, food, games, amusements, voter registration and more. All are welcome. Details: 732-780-9210.
The Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education has changed the start time of its June 10 meeting to 6 p.m. The meeting will be held in the gymnasium of the Park Avenue School, 280 Park Ave., Freehold.
The Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education will conduct its meetings at 7:30 p.m. on the following dates: June 4 (Evening of Excellence) and June 11 (Evening of Appreciation) at the Wemrock Brook School, 118 Millhurst Road, Manalapan. Meetings will also be held June 18 (committee of the whole) and June 25 at 54 Main St., Englishtown. Details: 732-786-2500.
Knitters and purlers will meet at 1 p.m. June 4, 11, 18 and 25 at the Marlboro Library, Wyncrest Road. Volunteers will be on hand to guide beginners to experts in the art of knitting. Participants should bring a skein of wool and the appropriate needles. Details: 732-536-9406.
• Pedals for Progress, a bicycle collection program sponsored by the Colts Neck Reformed Church, 72 Route 537 west, Colts Neck, will be held June 1. Bicycles in repairable condition can be dropped off at the church from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will be on-site to prepare the bikes to be shipped overseas and then distributed to poor working adults to be used for transportation. A donation of $10 per bike is requested to offset the cost of shipping. For more information, contact www.p4p.org or call 732-462-4555.
A Taste of New Jersey culinary event, sponsored by Temple Rodeph Torah, Marlboro, will be held 6:30-9:30 p.m. June 6 at the Grand Marquis, Old Bridge. The evening will showcase the cuisine of approximately 40 area restaurants and offer entertainment by magician Ran’D Shine. Tickets are $65 per person in advance or $75 at the door. Details: 732-308-0055 or tasteofnj.trt.org.
Especially For You Gift Shop, West Main Street, Freehold, will hold an open house featuring diverse gifts and handcrafted items from local artisans from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 2. Those signing in will automatically be entered in a free raffle for handcrafted items. Details: 732-462-4558.
Miss Melissa’s Aardvarks, a music program for parents and their children ages 6 months through 5 years, will be offered at 4 p.m. June 12 at the Colts Neck Library, 1 Winthrop Drive, Colts Neck. Details: 732- 431-5656.
“Is Weight Loss Surgery Right for You?” will be presented by Ayotunde Adeyeri, M.D., 7-8 p.m. June 5 at CentraState’s Star and Barry Tobias Health Awareness Center, 901 W. Main St., Freehold Township. The lecture will discuss who is a candidate for bariatric surgery, weight-loss surgery options, what is involved in each surgical option, the risks and benefits of weight-loss surgery, and life after surgery. The lecture is free, but registration is required. Call 732-308-0570 for details and registration.
“Wallaby Tales: A Dig into Reading” event will be held at 4:15 p.m. June 6 at the Marlboro Library, Wyncrest Road, Marlboro. Attendees will see live animals from around the world and learn about their habitats. The program is for those in prekindergarten and up. Register at 732-536-9406.