– School board candidacy deadline July 27
Residents who want to run for a seat on their local school board in the Nov. 3 election must file a nominating petition by 4 p.m. July 27.
Interested citizens can find information about the responsibilities of school board membership, qualifications for office, nominating petitions and candidacy timelines on the New Jersey School Boards Association website at www.njsba.org/candidacy.
“Local school boards have a direct impact on the education received by New Jersey’s schoolchildren,” NJSBA President Donald Webster Jr. said. “The board of education sets the goals and policies that represent the community’s aspirations for its public schools. The board selects the district’s superintendent and acts on his or her personnel recommendations. It negotiates collective bargaining agreements with teachers and other employees, and it makes critical decisions affecting curriculum, budgeting and facilities.
“Local school board membership is an unpaid and challenging public service, but it is also a rewarding public service that has a direct impact on the lives of our children and the quality of life in our communities,” he said.
Webster has served on the Manchester Township School District Board of Education in Ocean County for more than 17 years.
For their names to be placed on the Nov. 3 election ballot, citizens seeking school board office must file a nominating petition at the Office of the County Clerk by the 4 p.m. July 27 deadline. A nominating petition must be signed by at least 10 registered voters in the school district.
According to the NJSBA, 90 percent of the state’s school boards conduct their elections in November. The remaining school boards hold elections in April or are appointed. Citizens can verify whether their district conducts a November election by calling the local board of education office, according to the press release.
– Community Unity Day set for Aug. 4
South Brunswick Township will hold National Night Out & Community Unity Day 6-9 p.m., Aug. 4, at Rowland Park, 235 Broadway Road, Cranbury.
The public is invited to attend a celebration of community safety and township pride.
– Art exhibit highlights heroin addiction
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, in conjunction with the Partnership for a Drug Free New Jersey and the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse, seek artists for an exhibition highlighting heroin abuse and addiction.
The purpose of the contest is to contribute to the concept that creativity and artistic expression can play a significant role in raising awareness of the personal and community tolls caused by heroin abuse and addiction in New Jersey.
Drawings, paintings, illustrations, oil paintings, lithographs, photography and charcoal sketches will be accepted. The title, date, size and medium of the work should be included. Each entry must have a submission form with 50 to 200 words of the artist’s statement describing the meaning behind the artwork. A digital, high-resolution (300 dpi) jpeg or pdf image must be submitted.
The grand prize is $500.
The deadline for submissions is July 28.
For complete rules and submission forms, visit drugfreenj.org/heroinartexhibit or call 973-776-5168.
– Cat-adoption event scheduled at shelter
Sammy’s Hope and Animal Rescue Force will hold a cat-adoption event 11 a.m.-3 p.m. July 25 at Sammy’s Hope Animal Welfare and Adoption Center, 1400 Main St., Sayreville (GPS address is 989 Main St.).
The event will feature music, refreshments and discounted adoption fees. Cost will be $50 to adopt adult cats; senior citizens will receive a $25 discount when adopting an adult cat. Kittens also will be available for adoption.
Sammy’s Hope is a full-time center that gives homeless dogs and cats love and care, medical attention and specialized training to help prepare them for foster and forever homes. Animal Rescue Force (ARF), co-located with Sammy’s Hope and open on weekends, also works to provide foster and forever homes for cats and dogs.
For more information, log on to www.sammyshope.org or visit the organization’s Facebook page.
– Assembly members to hold office hours July 28
Legislative District 16 Assembly Members Donna Simon and Jack Ciattarelli will hold mobile office hours to meet constituents from 1-3 p.m. on July 28 at the South Brunswick Library, 110 Kingston Lane, Monmouth Junction.
Questions and discussions are encouraged.
For more information, call Ciattarelli’s office at 908-450-7064 or Simon’s office at 908-968-3304.
– Skin cancer screening slated for July 22
A free skin cancer screening will be held 10 a.m. to noon on July 22 at the South Brunswick Health Department, 540 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction.
The Health Department, along with Saint Peter’s University Hospital, will screen South Brunswick residents age 18 and older.
Register online at www.sbtnj.net under the “Health Department” heading.
– South Amboy Elks to host ‘Tiki Night’
The South Amboy Elks will host “Tiki Night” 7 p.m.-11 p.m. July 25 at the lodge, 601 Washington Ave., South Amboy.
There will be food, music and prizes. Bring a hula skirt for the hula contest.
The donation is $20 per person.
For tickets, visit the lodge or call Donna at 732-754-7180.
– Seniors invited to play bocce ball, croquet
The South Brunswick Senior Center will host an outdoor day with games and banjo music at noon on July 30 at the center, 540 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction.
Township seniors age 55 and older can play croquet, bocce ball and other games. Watermelon will be served.
For more information, call 732-329-4000, ext. 7670.
– Seats available on school board
The North Brunswick Board of Education will have three seats on the ballot in the Nov. 3 annual school election.
A full term on the school board is for three years.
Prospective school board candidates may obtain a “School Board Candidate Kit” online at www.njsba.org. Published by the New Jersey School Boards Association, the kit includes a nominating petition, information about legal qualifications for school board candidacy and the role of the school board member. Information about the New Jersey School Ethics Act and important dates in the school election process are also included in the kit.
Candidates must file a nominating petition with the Middlesex County Clerk’s Office in order to get their name on the ballot for the election. The deadline is 4 p.m. July 27.
– Movie night to feature “E.T.” on July 31
South Brunswick will hold an outdoor movie night featuring “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” July 31 at Beech Woods Park, 137 Beekman Road, Monmouth Junction.
Entertainment will begin at 7:30 p.m., followed by the movie at 8:45 p.m.
In the event of rain, the movie will be moved to the South Brunswick Community Center, 124 New Road, Monmouth Junction. For weather updates, call 732-329-4000, ext. 7671 after 4 p.m. July 31.
For more information, visit www.sbtnj.net.
– Heart of a Hero scholarship open
The New Jersey Heroes’ fourth annual Heart of a Hero Scholarship is accepting nominations.
New Jersey’s first lady, Mary Pat Christie, established the program as another resource to help the state’s military men and women make their higher education and career goals a reality.
This summer, New Jersey Heroes is funding 10 $5,000 scholarships to be awarded in time for the 2015-16 academic year.
Applicants for the scholarship must be U.S. citizens and New Jersey residents; be a high school graduate or have a high school equivalency diploma (GED); have served in the military and submit documentation of military service; if discharged from the military, must show proof of honorable discharge; be enrolled as a student at an accredited college/university or a vocational training school in pursuit of a degree for the 2015-16 school year; and demonstrate a commitment to volunteerism and community contribution in the spirit of New Jersey Heroes.
Scholarship applications are available at www.newjerseyheroes.org/index/2015-heart-of-a-hero-scholarship-application-form/. Or, submit an application by mail to NJ Heroes, P.O. Box 95, Mendham, NJ 07945-0095.
Submissions are due by 5 p.m. July 31.
Heart of a Hero Scholarship recipients will be notified in late August.
For more information, visit www.newjerseyheroes.org.
– Congresswoman to visit library on July 23
Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12) will hold mobile office hours 4-7 p.m. July 23 at the South Brunswick Library, 110 Kingston Lane, Monmouth Junction to meet constituents.
Questions and discussions are encouraged.
No appointment is necessary. For more information, call 609-883-0026.
– Performers will be ‘All Shook Up’ July 23-25
Local high school students will take part in the New Jersey Repertory Theatre’s performance of “All Shook Up” 7 p.m. July 23-25 at Crossroads Middle School South, 195 Major Road, Monmouth Junction.
Tickets are $12 at the door.
For more information, visit www.njreptheatre.org.
– Car show proceeds to benefit shelter pets
New Beginnings Animal Rescue, East Brunswick, will host its annual Rods and Paws Car Show 11 a.m.-3 p.m. July 26 at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 4699, Jernee Mill Road, Sayreville.
The event will feature homemade food and refreshments, giveaways, prizes and a 50/50 raffle. Trophies will be awarded.
Vehicle entry fee is $10 in advance, $15 on day of show. The first 50 entrants will receive a dash plaque and a goodie bag. All proceeds will support the animals at New Beginnings. Free vendor space and trophy sponsorships are available.
For more information or to register, call Walt at 732-581-4559, 2-7 p.m. daily.
– Photographer captures ‘Tent City’ in exhibit
Sherry Rubel’s “Changing Perspectives” exhibit will feature photographs taken during her four-year journalist project of “Tent City” in Lakewood through Aug. 9 at the Monmouth Museum on the Campus of Brookdale Community College, 765 Newman Springs Rd., Lincroft.
“Tent City” was established in 2005 as a way to organize the sporadic camps that dotted Ocean County and provided a level of safety and regularity to hundreds of men and women before being bulldozed in 2014.
The South Brunswick photographer’s pictures depict those who had lost their jobs and homes, pitching tents and building shacks in the woods as alternatives to sleeping in cars or being warehoused in shelters.
A Gallery Talk will be held 7-8 p.m. July 29 with South Brunswick poet Hank Kalet, who will share some of his Tent City poetry that evening.
For more information, email JacqueRubel@verizon.net.