– Palatines to celebrate New Jersey’s birthday
The Palatines of New Jersey will celebrate the state’s 350th birthday with a lecture at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Germans of New Jersey Stanton Grange in Stanton.
Lunch will be held at 11 a.m.
Attendees are encouraged to wear Germanic heritage outfits from the 18th to 21st centuries.
To volunteer, contact George Apgar of North Brunswick at 732-297-6686 or visit www.apgarfamily.org.
– Laughter event slated in Jamesburg Sept. 24
The Smile Side of Life Laughter & Happiness Club will hold a session from 7-8 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Jamesburg Senior/Recreation Center, 139 Stevens Ave. Use the basement entrance.
The event is free of charge.
The laughter exercises and discussions are suitable for ages 16 and up, according to the organizer. Wear comfortable clothes.
For more information, visit www.njlaughter.com.
– Cooking event features chefs from White House
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will host “Forks and Corks: A White House Dinner” on Sept. 27 at Forsgate Country Club, Forsgate Drive, Monroe.
The event will offer culinary enthusiasts the opportunity to dine on some of the White House’s signature dishes prepared by former White House chefs Guy Mitchell and Woody Raber.
In addition, the chefs will explain presidential protocol for food preparation, share stories about presidents and unusual menu requests, and display mementos collected during their service to former presidents.
The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a champagne reception. The event will feature raffles; a silent auction; and an inspirational message c an author, singer-songwriter, talk show host, publisher, recording artist and certified life coach who is living with multiple sclerosis.
Tickets are $100 per person. All proceeds support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
To order tickets, call Karen Drzik at 732-660-1005 or visit www.nationalmssociety.org/njm
– Rosarian to be feted at Oct. 5 breakfast
The St. Stanislaus Kostka Rosary Altar Society will honor present its Rosarian of the Year Breakfast Oct. 5 after the 9 a.m. Mass at the church, 225 MacArthur Ave., Sayreville. Honoree will be Rose Wolski.
Tickets cost $8 for adults, $4 for children under 8. To reserve, call Yvonne Burdynski at 732-257-4634, Meg Zadlock at 732-257-8888 or the church office at 732-254-0212. Tickets also will be sold after all Masses Sept. 20, 21, 27 and 28.
Deadline for purchase is Sept. 28. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
– Attorney to give talk at senior residence
Attorney William R. Marks, who specializes in Holocaust–related compensation claims, will be the guest speaker at Wilentz Senior Residence, 360 DeMott Lane, Somerset, at 2 p.m. Sept. 22.
The program is free of charge. For more information, call Sharon Chesir at 732-873-3888 or email seniorhousing@wilfcampus.org.
– Commuters asked to go ‘car-free’ for one week
Keep Middlesex Moving will hold a Go Car Free or Car Lite Challenge for the week of Sept. 21-26.
Commuters across New Jersey are asked to limit their car usage to help protect the environment. Tips for going car-free include using public transportation, riding a bike, walking, using a carpool or vanpool, or working from home.
Prizes include gift cards, travel mugs, earbuds and an Amazon Kindle.
To register, visit www.kmm.org/reg_carfree.php.
– CASA seeks volunteers, holds training session
CASA of Middlesex County is seeking caring, committed individuals with a strong interest in children’s issues, the legal system and social justice.
Nearly 750 boys and girls from birth to age 21 in Middlesex County have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect.
CASA volunteers speak up on behalf of these children and are dedicated to making sure they are reunified with their families or placed in safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.
Volunteers must be at least 21 years old and do not need a special background to become a volunteer. Training and continued support are provided.
CASA of Middlesex County is accepting applicants for the fall training class starting Sept. 30.
For an application, visit casaofmiddlesexcounty.org; call 732-249-4449; send an email to info@casaofmiddlesexcounty.org; or attend an information session at the New Brunswick office, 77 Church St., at 6 p.m. Sept. 23.
– Fundraiser to feature food of many nations
A Passport Around the World dinner fundraiser for Zachary Nemeth, a child with multiple disabilities, is set for 7 p.m. Sept. 19 at Elks Lodge No. 2370, 21 Oakmont Ave., East Brunswick.
The menu of foods from around the world will include beef bourguignon (from France), buttered parsley noodles, kielbasi and cabbage (Poland), roasted chicken with rosemary gravy on the side (Germany), champ mashed potatoes (Ireland), green beans with garlic bits (South America), roasted carrots (Spain), mixed green salad (Italy) and crusted bread. Desserts will feature apple pie with vanilla ice cream (United States), Joanne’s trifle (New Jersey), St. Clement’s pie (England), honey yogurt cheesecake (Greece), baklava (Turkey), arroz con leche (rice pudding from Mexico) and green tea cookies (Japan).
Cost is $15 for adults, $6 for youngsters ages 4-10; children ages 3 and under will be admitted free of charge.
Reservations are required. For more information or to reserve, call 732-238-3733 and leave a message or email JL0cklear@aol.com (note the numeral 0 after the JL in the address).
– Tickets available for Israel fundraiser
The East Brunswick Jewish Center and its 12 Tribes New Jersey group invite the community to the Eat! Drink! Play! for Israel fundraiser set for noon-5 p.m. Sept. 21 at Eagle’s Landing Day Camp, Davidson’s Mill Road, North Brunswick.
The event will feature family activities and musical performances by Sons of Tikvah, The Dumbwaiters and Avi Maza. There will be catered glatt kosher food.
Proceeds will be shared among three organizations that support Israeli soldiers and Jewish people in the United States and abroad: American Friends of IDF, the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County and Yasher Lachayal.
Advance tickets cost $15 for adults; $10 for children, students and seniors; $40 per family. Children under age 4 will be admitted free of charge. Admission at the door is $50 per family. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.
For more information, email Eric Pelofsky and Debbie Friedman at 12tribesnj@gmail.com.
– Library will mark Banned Books Week
The East Brunswick Public Library, Jean Walling Civic Center, will celebrate Banned Books Week Sept. 22-27 with a series of events in the Teen Space.
Patrons (teens and/or adults) are invited to drop in all week to the Teen Space and have their picture taken in front of the library’s “Caught Reading” backdrop or pick their favorite banned book and take a “shelfie” with it in the stacks or in front of the display. Teen volunteers will be on hand after school to help, and the photos will be posted to the library Facebook page. Individuals who cannot get to the library may take a photo of themselves and post it to social media with the hashtag #bannedbooksebpl or tag the library on Facebook.
Teens are invited to join in a craft program titled “Blackout Poetry” (the practice of blacking out most of the words on a page, while the remaining words that are visible become a poem) 2 p.m. Sept. 27. Participants in the event may take home their poem or post it in the Teen Space.
For more information, call 732-390-6767 or log on to www.ebpl.org and click on News and Events.
– VSA New Jersey seeks writers for competition
The Unlimited Potential Theater Co., a project of VSA New Jersey, is seeking poems, essays, short stories and plays for its 21st annual Joyce Indik New Jersey Wordsmith Competition.
The contest is open to all New Jersey writers age 18 and over. Submissions by writers with disabilities are encouraged.
All works will be juried by a panel of judges, and winning works will be showcased at the New Jersey Readers Theatre in the spring of 2015.
In lieu of an entry fee, a donation of any amount is welcomed to cover the cost of the competition.
To request an application, contact VSA Arts of New Jersey, 703 Jersey Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901; call 732-745-3885 or 732-745-3913 (TTY); email info@vsanj.org; or visit www.vsanj.org.
The deadline for submissions is Sept. 29.
– Workshops offered for children with autism
VSA New Jersey has announced fall program offerings for children with autism ages 3-21 and their family members.
The Parent/Child Workshops in the Arts for Children with Autism offers weekly workshops in the visual and performing arts so that young people can enhance their understanding and appreciation of the arts.
The workshops will be offered in 1-hour sessions between the hours of 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays, Oct. 4 to Dec. 6, at VSA New Jersey, 703 Jersey Ave., New Brunswick.
For more information, call 732-745-3885 or 732-745-3913 (TTY), or email info@vsanj.org.
– Statewide recovery rally set at Rutgers
A recovery rally will be held Sept. 20 at the Rutgers Athletic Center, 83 Rockafeller Road, Piscataway.
The event will begin at 2:30 p.m. with a screening of “The Anonymous People,” an independent feature documentary about the approximately 23 million Americans living in long-term recovery from alcohol and other drug addictions.
Set up will begin at 2 p.m. The choir will go on at 4 p.m. Jim McGreevey will be the guest speaker.
The event is free. There will be food, music, speakers, entertainment and exhibitors. For more information, email njrecoveryrally@aol.com.
– Talk to focus on social media for job search
Counselor and coach Dr. Colleen Georges will offer a program titled “Your Job Search Using Social Media” 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Sayreville Public Library, Washington Road.
Georges will share strategies for using social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to uncover potential job opportunities, brand oneself as an expert in a particular field and be found by recruiters and hiring managers.
For more information or to register, call Alaina at 732-727-0212, ext. 25; email alainad@lmxac.org; or log on to www.sayrevillelibrary.org.
– Church thrift shop plans Fall Bag Sale
The Thrift Shop at Conklin United Methodist Church, 82 Main St., South River, will hold its God’s Closet Fall Bag Sale 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 20. Cost is $3 per bag for any clothing selected.
For more information, log on to www.conklinumc.org.
– Golf outing to benefit teen with rare disorder
Golfers and sponsors are needed for the 16th annual Brandon Blair Golf Outing on Sept. 22 at Ocean Acres Country Club, 925 Buccaneer Lane, Manahawkin.
Registration begins at 11 a.m., with a shotgun start at 1 p.m.
The cost is $135 per golfer. It includes a barbecue lunch and buffet dinner.
Sponsorships range from $50 for a golf cart sponsor to $2,000 for the tournament sponsor. Any sponsorship of $1,000 or more includes a twosome or foursome of golf.
The golf outing will be held on the 18th birthday of Brandon Blair, a Beachwood teen who has a partial chromosome deletion. Funds will be put toward modifying the family van and possibly getting a hospital bed, in addition to paying medical bills.
To participate, call Harry Cupolo at 732-606-4032.
– Tickets available for Elks Tricky Tray
The Jamesburg Elks Lodge No. 2180 Special Needs Children’s Committee, in conjunction with Zinna’s Bistro, will sponsor its benefit Tricky Tray Sept. 29 at Zinna’s, 1275 South River Road, Cranbury. Doors will open at 6 p.m. The event will begin at 7 p.m.
Admission cost is $30 per person and includes a dinner buffet and one sheet of tier-1 tickets. Tickets may be purchased for three prize tier levels: tier 1, 20 tickets for $20; tier 2, three tickets for $5; tier 3, $5 per ticket. Prizes will feature an iPad, a flat-screen television, Trenton Thunder tickets, a lottery tree, spa gift certificates, a bowling certificate, a Crack-A-Smile Photo Booth gift card, and more.
For general information, call Della Fitch at 732-672-4230. For ticket information, call Kathy Martin at 732-521-3922.