– Theater to offer sensory-friendly show
RED BANK — Count Basie Theatre has announced that tickets for a special, sensory-friendly performance of “The Berenstain Bears — Live” will go on sale beginning Oct. 9.
Partial proceeds will benefit POAC Autism Services, which provides training, outreach and support services.
“This inaugural, sensory-friendly performance will create a judgment-free, comfortable environment for families who would otherwise be reluctant to attend a live theatre performance,” said Adam Philipson, Count Basie Theatre president and CEO, in a press release.
Patrons and their children will be permitted to bring in favorite snacks, iPads and other objects of affinity while house lights will remain bright enough for children to know where they are. Sudden or shrill sounds will be eliminated from the performance. A quiet room with “fidgets” and coloring pages and crayons will be available to families.
Two “Meet Your Seat” events will be held in the weeks prior to the show so children will have an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the space.
Tickets range from $20-$25. For more information or tickets, call 732-842-9000 or visit www.thebasie.org.
– Seminars on jobs, workers slated
TINTON FALLS — The Arc of Monmouth will host its Community Conversations on the topic of working from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 6 and 13 and Nov. 13 at The Arc Center, 1158 Wayside Road, Tinton Falls.
On Oct. 6, “Who Works?” will include a panel of people who have chosen work. Learn more about their journey, the kind of work they do, the obstacles they faced along the way and why they are happy where they are.
On Oct. 13, “What Works?” will focus on what The Arc of Monmouth is doing to ensure each person’s satisfaction with the work experience and the different supports it has in place.
On Nov. 13, “Work to Do” will include a discussion about national trends in employment and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Learn what action caregivers and family members can take to make their voices heard.
The seminars are free, but registration is required by contacting Michael Garra at 732-493-1919, ext. 777 or visiting www.arcofmonmouth.org.
– Arts and crafts festival slated in Ocean Grove
OCEAN GROVE — The Ocean Grove Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Fall Harvest Festival Arts and Craft Show from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 10 along Main Avenue, Pilgrim Pathway and Auditorium Square Park in Ocean Grove.
The street fair will be held rain or shine and feature over 200 arts and crafts and food vendors, sidewalk sales by local merchants and children’s activities. Live music will be provided by Jo Wymer, Chuck Lambert’s Blues Band and Bill Dumas.
Admission is free. For more information, call 732-774-1391 or visit www.oceangrovenj.com.
– Art exhibit marks college’s reorganization
Brookdale Community College employees from nearly every division and discipline will be represented in a new mixed-media arts exhibition opening Oct. 9 in the college’s Center for the Visual Arts (CVA), 765 Newman Springs Road (Route 520), Lincroft.
The exhibit, titled “We/Re/E-Merge,” is a joint effort by Brookdale faculty, staff and administrators to celebrate the college’s new, more collaborative academic institutes, which were created this year as part of a college-wide reorganization, according to a press release.
Featured works include paintings, sculptures, photos, creative writing, live music and performance art created and performed by Brookdale employees. The gallery will host a talk by renowned sculptor and former faculty member Thomas Schomberg at 7 p.m. Oct. 12.
The exhibit is curated by members of Brookdale’s art and English divisions, which now function together as part of the college’s new Humanities Institute.
“Creativity has always been a hallmark of the Brookdale community,” said art professor and co-curator Marie Maber. “This exhibition, like Brookdale’s reorganization, is an opportunity to use our respective talents and come together to create something truly inspiring.”
The exhibition will kick off with a free opening reception on Oct. 9 from 5-8 p.m. in the CVA gallery. Parking is in lots 1 and 2. The show runs through Nov. 18. It is free and open to all. For more information call 732-224-2743 or email mmaber@brookdalecc.edu
– Annual photo contest open to adults
The Freehold Soil Conservation District is sponsoring its annual photo contest of the beauty and uniqueness of the natural environment found within Middlesex and Monmouth counties.
Photos must be 8-by-10 inches or larger, be taken by adults age 18 and older and be accompanied by an entry form.
Photos can be submitted by mail or in person to Freehold SCD, 4000 Kozloski Road, Freehold, NJ 07728, or by email to hreynolds@freeholdscd.org.
Photos will not be returned, but the photographer does retain all rights.
Contest prizes are $200 for first place, $100 for second place and $75 for third place. Entry deadline is Oct. 16.
– Step-sister of Anne Frank will speak in Marlboro
Jewish organizations, schools and Chabad centers in the greater Monmouth County area are set to host an evening with Eva Schloss of London.
Schloss will share her experiences as a childhood friend of Anne Frank, including accounts of the publishing of “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The presentation will be suitable for teenagers and families of all faiths, according to a press release.
Schloss will speak in the Marlboro Middle School, Route 520, Marlboro, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13. Doors will open at 7 p.m. VIP seats are $90 per person and include a “meet and greet” and front row seats. Adult admission is $18 per person and teens and students are $10.
According to the press release, in 1938, Germany invaded Austria, causing many Jewish families to flee Austria to avoid persecution. Among the emigrants was 8-year-old Eva Geiringer, who with her mother, brother and father moved first to Belgium and then to Holland, where one of her neighbors was a German Jewish girl of the same age.
The girls became friends and playmates. Ultimately, both girls and their families were deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Later they would become step-sisters.
Strauss survived her concentration camp experience and made her way to England, where she married Zvi Schloss and raised three daughters. She worked as a studio photographer and ran an antique shop.
Her step-sister perished after she was shipped from Auschwitz to Bergen Belsen. Yet the diary she kept survived and has become one of the most widely read holocaust stories. Strauss’ step-sister’s name was Anne Frank.
Since 1985, Schloss has devoted herself to holocaust education and global peace, according to the press release. She has recounted her wartime experiences in more than 1,000 speaking engagements. She has written three books and has had a play written about her life.
In 1999, Strauss signed the Anne Frank Peace Declaration along with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and the niece of Raul Wallenberg, a legendary figure who rescued thousands of Jews in Budapest, according to the press release.