– Orchid auction will take place Oct. 11 in Tinton Falls temple
The largest orchid auction in the Mid-Atlantic region is scheduled for Oct. 11 at the Monmouth Reform Temple, 332 Hance Ave., Tinton Falls. The auction begins at noon, with doors opening for a preview at 11 a.m.
The auction, which is sponsored by the Deep Cut Orchid Society (DCOS), will feature more than 400 exotic orchids from all over the world, according to a press release.
Orchids from some of the country’s most successful and award-winning growers will be available from these prize growers: Carmela Orchids, H&R Nurseries, Kalapana Tropical Orchids, Komoda Orchids, Krull-Smith Orchids, Lehua Orchids, Newman’s Nursery, Piping Rock Orchids, Silva Orchids, Sunset Valley Orchids and Waldor Orchids. Prices can start as low as $5.
DCOS is one of the oldest and largest orchid club in the region. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the education of orchids and the growing of orchids. All monies raised are used to bring in orchid experts as speakers to the monthly meetings, according to the press release.
Joan Mesander, auction chair, said the flowers of many orchid species last for weeks.
“Some orchids can bloom for as long as six months. Most other flowers last for a short period of time and then they die,” she said.
Mesander also noted that orchids are the most diverse plant species on earth, with more than 25,000 pure bred species named and more than 250,000 hybrids named.
“Orchids are marvelous gifts for anyone throughout the year. For holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and house warming and thank you gifts,” she said.
DCOS board member Carol Abaya said, “I love to walk into my kitchen and feast on the bright colors of my blooming orchids. Orchid colors range from white to bright yellows, pinks, magentas, orange and even greens. One of my favorites is the color of peaches, with subtle yellows and pinks throughout the flowers.”
Admission and parking are free. Food and drinks will be available.
Deep Cut Orchid Society meets the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at the Monmouth Jewish Reform Temple, 332 Hance Ave., Tinton Falls. Individuals do not have to be a member to attend a meeting. The program features a talk on orchids, display tables of members’ orchids and refreshments.
– 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.
– 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
– 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.
– 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.
– 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.