– Reunion of Slocum family set for October
The Slocums of New Jersey will hold their annual family reunion from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch. All interested parties are welcome to attend. Attendees can bring records and share valuable information with other family members.
The Slocums were early settlers of Long Branch in 1668. Two Slocum brothers, John and Nathaniel, of Rhode Island Colony, were among five men claiming property rights in 1668. Landing at a place near what is now Broadway, the Native Americans offered the men a challenge of a wresting match. If the settlers beat their champion, they could have “all the property they could walk around from sunrise to sunset.” John Slocum was selected to wrestle and won the match, so the settlers claimed their ground.
John Slocum married a widow from Rhode Island Colony, but had no children. His younger brother, Nathaniel, married another Rhode Island bride and sired the Slocum family line that still remains in Monmouth County today. Much of the land that Long Branch is located on was a part of the original Slocum homestead, including the area of the town hall.
A Dutch lunch will be available from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., and a buffet that ends at noon will also be available. Reservations are not required.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/SlocumsOfNewJerseyAndRelatedFamilies.
– Army’s 2nd Infantry Division reunion set
The Second (Indianhead) Division Association is searching for anyone who served in the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division at any time for its 94th annual reunion.
This year’s reunion is scheduled for Sept. 22-26 in San Antonio, Texas.
For more information about the reunion, contact Bob Haynes, secretary/treasurer, at 224-225-1202 or 2idahq@comcast.net.
For more information about the association, visit www.2ida.org.
– Benevolent Protected Order of Elks Lodge 2402 will host a breakfast 9-11 a.m. Sept. 20 at 216 Broad St., Eatontown.
Breakfast will feature a choice of sandwiches, such as pork roll, egg and cheese and more, to omelets, pancakes, eggs your way and sides of bacon or sausage. Meals are $7 and sandwiches $4.50. Take-out meals are also available.
– Veterans foundation to host ceremony
The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Foundation will hold its annual POW/MIA Gold Star Mothers Recognition Day Ceremony on Sept. 18 at 11 a.m. at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, 1 Memorial Lane, Holmdel, on the grounds of the PNC Bank Arts Center.
The ceremony will honor America’s prisoners of war and those missing in action, those returned and those still unaccounted for from the nation’s wars, according to a press release.
The Gold Star Mothers provide support to American mothers who have lost children in the line of duty of the U.S. armed forces. They focus on providing emotional support to their members, volunteering with veterans and veterans hospitals, and fostering patriotism and respect for members of the armed forces, according to the press release.
Sept. 18 is National POW/MIA Recognition Day and Gold Star Mothers Day is the last Sunday of September.
Speakers for the ceremony will be Ken and Helen Gurbisz, who lost their son, Jim, in 2005. Jim was a captain in the U.S. Army and was serving a tour in Iraq. The couple has been extremely active in the Gold Star Mothers organization and has worked to erect a Gold Star Family Monument at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. The monument will be dedicated on Sept. 29.
“People don’t realize what happens when you suddenly lose a family member,” Ken Gurbisz said. “It is important for all groups to bring attention to this for those who have suffered this tremendous loss.”
The POW/MIA Gold Star Mothers Ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the memorial and is open to the public. Herb Worthington, a trustee of the foundation, will lead the ceremony and the color guard will be from the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 12. Chaplain Joe Formola will give the invocation and benediction. Wreaths will be laid at the memorial by various organizations, according to the press release.
Museum admission is free for all visitors on Sept. 18. The museum is adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116 in Holmdel. The memorial is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is free to visit. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
– Asbury United Methodist Church and El Mesias Methodist Church will host an indoor and outdoor Door Buster Garage and Rummage Sale, rain or shine, at 61 Atlantic Ave., Long Branch.
Sales will take place 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 18 and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 19. A $4 bag sale will be held 12-2 p.m. Sept. 19. Housewares, clothing, toys, books, furniture, collectibles and more will be available for purchase. Proceeds will benefit the church’s mission and ministry in the local community.
– Training program for hospice volunteers set
LONG BRANCH — Barnabas Health Hospice will serve as a host to a training program for individuals who are interested in becoming a hospice volunteer in Monmouth County.
The program will be held on eight consecutive Thursdays, beginning Sept. 24, from 6:30 p.m. through 9 p.m., at Monmouth Medical Center, 300 Second Ave., Long Branch. There will be no class on Nov. 5.
The volunteer training program is designed to give participants an understanding of the needs of patients and families who are coping with advanced illness. Program topics include hospice history and philosophy, hospice nursing, spirituality in hospice, personal death awareness, listening and the nuts and bolts of volunteering. Upon completion of the program, volunteers will be connected with patients in close proximity to where they reside.
“In as few as three hours a week, volunteers can make a tremendous difference in the life of a patient coping with advanced illness,” said Spiro Ballas of Barnabas Health Hospice in a press release.
“Volunteers can read to patients, hold their hand, or just spend time with them while their loved ones take a breather. They are also a resource to families, typically helping by listening to their thoughts and concerns or assisting them with small tasks. When you volunteer for hospice you get back as much as you give.”
Class size is limited. For more information or to register, contact Spiro Ballas at 973-322-4866 or sballas@barnabashealth.org.
– Visiting author set to open writers series
WEST LONG BRANCH — Monmouth University’s 2015-16 Visiting Writers Series will open with a reading by award-winning fiction writer Alex Gilvarry at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Wilson Hall auditorium, 400 Cedar Ave.
Gilvarry is the author of “From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant,” winner of the 2012 New York City Book Award. The novel tells the story of a designer accused of being linked to a terrorist plot.
Gilvarry is an artist in residence at Monmouth University, where he teaches creative writing. He received the Hornblower Award at the 2012 New York City Book Awards, and the National Book Foundation designated him a “5 Under 35” nominee in 2014.
For more information, contact Michael Thomas, director of the Visiting Writers Series, at 732-263-5635 or www.monmouth.edu/arts.
– Senator to speak at chamber luncheon
The Monmouth County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Women in Business networking luncheon from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Beacon Hill Country Club, 8 Beacon Hill Road, Atlantic Highlands.
The guest speaker will be state Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth), who will present, “The Changing Economic Environment of New Jersey and Its Impact on Business.”
The cost is $30 for chamber members and $35 for non-members. Sponsorships and vendor tables are also available. To register, call 732-203-0340 or visit www.monmouthcountychamber.com.
– Students invited to enter essay contest
The Charles Lafitte Foundation (CLF) has announced the return of its Kid’s Corner Summer Reading Adventure essay contest.
Students who will be entering grades 3-12 at a public or private school are invited to participate in the contest. To enter, students must read a book listed under their corresponding grade level and write an essay on how the characters’ experiences changed them.
Winners will earn a Kindle Fire and $1,000 for their school library.
“There’s no better time for a reading adventure like summer vacation, when kids have extra freedom to enjoy a good book over a long break from school and advance their reading skills at the same time,” said Kyra Citron, director of Kid’s Corner.
Reading for those in grades 3-5 includes “Nightmares!” by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller or “The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories No. 1)” by Chris Colfer and Brandon Dorman.
Reading for grades 6-8 includes “Echo” by Pam Muñoz Ryan or “The Screaming Staircase” (Lockwood & Co. No. 1) by Jonathan Stroud.
Reading for high school students includes “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr or “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel.
Essays must be typed and emailed to kidscorner@charleslafitte.org by Sept. 18. For more information, visit www.charleslafitte.org/kids-corner.