• The Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education will meet on the following dates: July 11, 7:30 p.m., committee of the whole, 54 Main St., Englishtown; and July 25, 7:30 p.m., regular action meeting, 54 Main St., Englishtown. The meetings are open to the public.
• An Independence Day concert and fireworks celebration will be held on July 2 at Freehold Raceway. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. Live music by NRG from 7-9 p.m. Kason Jackson will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Rain date July 9. Fireworks made possible by Freehold Borough, Freehold Raceway Mall, Downtown Freehold and the support of sponsors. Check www.freeholdboroughnj.gov for weather updates.
• The Old Bridge Toastmasters Club meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from 7:15-9 p.m. at the Sayre Woods Bible Church, 2290 Route 9 South, Old Bridge. The club seeks to help individuals become better speakers and better leaders. There is no cost to attend a meeting. Details: 732-967-8973 or http://oldbridge.toastmastersclubs.org/
• The Monmouth County Audubon Society will host a bird walk on Sandy Hook in northern Monmouth County at 6 p.m. July 20. Open to society members and non-members. Meet at 6 p.m. in parking lot M. Follow Hartshorne Drive (the main park road) north to a right turn onto Atlantic Avenue, then right on Ford Road to parking lot M. No cost to participate. Bring binoculars and dress appropriately for the weather. Insect repellent is recommended. Details: http://www.monmouthaudubon.org or email [email protected]
• Joe Grabas, genealogist, entrepreneur and author, will present “So You Want to Write a Book: Sharing Your Story and Passion” at the 1:30 p.m. July 9 meeting of the Monmouth County Genealogy Society at the Community Center, 72 Broad St., Eatontown. The program is free and the public is welcome. Details: 732-747-0090.
• Companion Animal Rescue and Education (CARE) will hold a puppy adoption event at Petco, 4345 Route 9 North, Freehold Township, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 24. To see available puppies, visit www.carenj.com
• Marlboro senior citizen artists are presenting an exhibit of their work at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Symmes Drive, Manalapan, during June. The group, “Dabbling in the Arts,” is sponsored by the Marlboro Senior Recreation Division of Marlboro Recreation. Artist Susanna Anastasia is the class instructor. The class meets from September through June.
• Embroiderers’ Guild of America-Monmouth Chapter is dedicated to teaching and sharing the joys of needlework. Stitchers of all levels are welcome. There are sit and stitch tables at each meeting as well as special projects. Evening stitchers will meet July 17 from 7-9 p.m. at the Colts Neck Library, 1 Winthrop Drive, Colts Neck; Day stitchers will meet July 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Colts Neck Community Church, 25 Merchants Way, Colts Neck. Details: Toni, 732-462-5540, or www.mcega.org
• The Freehold Borough K-8 School District Board of Education has made changes to its meeting schedule. The July 17 meeting will be moved to 7 p.m. July 18 at the Freehold Learning Center. The Aug. 7 meeting will be moved to 7 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Park Avenue complex. The Aug. 21 meeting will be moved to 7 p.m. Aug. 22 at the Park Avenue complex. The Oct. 9 and Oct. 23 board meetings are cancelled. The board will meet on Oct. 16 at the Freehold Learning Center.
• Astrophysicist Kevin Manning will visit the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Symmes Drive, Manalapan, on June 27 to discuss a solar eclipse which will take place on Aug 21. Manning’s program is for all ages. Details: www.monmouthcountylib.org
• Popular lecturer John Ench will visit the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Symmes Drive, Manalapan, on June 22 to review “Great Songs of the 1950s.” The program will include the background and history of several songs, including events of the decade which influenced the writers. There will be sing-alongs. Details: www.monmouthcountylib.org
• The Monmouth County Fair will run from July 26-30 at the East Freehold Showgrounds, Kozloski Road, Freehold Township. Admission is $8 per person. Children 12 and under are free. The fair gate will be open from 5-11 p.m. July 26-28; from 3-11 p.m. July 29; and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 30. Entries will be accepted for the Home and Garden competition. To download a brochure, visit www.MonmouthCountyFair.com
• A concert to benefit Special Strides will be held at 8:30 p.m. July 7 at Congress Hill Farm, 118 Federal Road, Monroe Township. Special Strides is a nonprofit organization devoted to improving the lives of individuals with special needs through horses, therapy and affordances of a natural environment. The community is invited to the free concert. Bring blankets and chairs. Details: www.specialstrides.com or 732-446-0945.
• The Freehold Branch of the American Association of University Women will hold its annual used book sale from June 21-24 at the First United Methodist Church, 91 W. Main St., Freehold. A special preview will be held from 1-8 p.m. June 21 and admission will be $10. Admission at all other times is free, June 22-23, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and June 24, 9 a.m. 3 p.m.
• The Deep Cut Orchid Society meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month (July 11) at the Monmouth Reform Temple, 332 Hance Ave., Tinton Falls. There is a speaker, refreshments and a discussion of plants on the show table. There is no cost to attend and everyone is welcome.
• The Italian American Association of Monmouth County is accepting registration for an Italian Summer Enrichment Camp to run from July 23 through Aug. 4 (Monday-Friday), 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (included, lunch made by camper on premises) at St. Rose of Lima, Freehold Borough. Cost: $300 for child/grandchild of an IAA member; $350 for non-member. Ages: 5 years old to teenage. Activities include Italian language lessons, Italian crafts, Italian games, cooking lessons and more. To register, download a form at www.iaaofmc.com. Details: Cheryl Scuorzo, 732-536-5832.
• The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth Country, Freehold Township, announces its next journaling series, “Our Stories, Ourselves – Jewish Journaling and More,” facilitated by Michele Bernstein Klausner. This series is based on the museum’s new exhibit, “Three Centuries of Growth and Change: A History of Jews in Monmouth County.” The workshop is held Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon. The fee is $5 per session. Details: 732-252-6990.
• The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County, Freehold Township, will feature a presentation by Barry Jacobson about the 1950s TV program “Your Show of Shows” at 2 p.m. June 25. In the mid-1970s, Jacobson worked for the show’s creator, Max Liebman. Jacobson will display artifacts from and show original kinescope clips of the program. Admission is $8 for museum members and $10 for non-members. To make a reservation, call 732-252-6990.
• The Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education will hold a regular action meeting at 7:30 p.m. June 27 at 54 Main St., Englishtown. The meeting is open to the public.
• The Monmouth County Audubon Society will host a bird walk to look for nesters and shorebirds on Sandy Hook in northern Monmouth County. The event will take place on June 22. Meet at 6 p.m. in the parking lot of the old visitors center, just north of Lot E (1.8 miles from the park entrance). The event is open to the public and participation is free. Advance registration is not required. Dress appropriately for the weather. Pets are not permitted. Details: http://www.monmouthaudubon.org
• The Monmouth County Retired Educators Association will sponsor a member and family picnic at Oak Tree Lodge, Wall Township, on June 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be food, entertainment, games and activities. The cost is $5 for members; non-member guests, $35. Children under 5 are free. Guests age 5 to 11 are $15 per person. Details: Sue, 732 995-7754.
• The Jim Hall Memorial Homeless Vets Motorcycle Run and BBQ/Picnic will be held at noon June 24 at Jackson Elks Lodge No. 2744, 1059 East Veterans Highway, Jackson. Tickets are $25. Registration for the ride starts at 9 a.m. and the ride kicks off at 10 a.m. Food, beverages, entertainment by the Mangos and vendors. Proceeds of the day benefit homeless veterans. Details: [email protected]
• Look for turtles, egrets, herons, ospreys and other wildlife during a boat tour of the Manasquan Reservoir, Howell. Each 45-minute tour leaves from the Visitor Center, Windeler Road, Howell. Tours are offered at the top of the hour from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, May 6 through Sept. 4. Wednesday tours are offered at 2, 3 and 4 p.m. from July 5 through Aug. 30. Evening tours are offered on the first Friday of each month May through September; call 732-751-9453 as times vary for the evening tours. All tours are weather and water level dependent. The fee is $6 per adult and $4 per child age 12 and under.
• The Essential Tremor Support Group meets from 7-9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month (July 6) at the Jack Aaronson Conference Center at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township. Details: 732-462-8304, after 10 a.m.
• New Jersey Blood Services is in need of volunteers to work blood drives in Ocean and Monmouth counties. Tasks include assisting donors with registration, watching donors for post-donation reactions and responding to their needs. Details: Jan Zepka, 732-616-8741.
• The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance will meet in the spiritual center of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, 1 Phalanx Road, Colts Neck, from 7:30-9 p.m. every Thursday. Details: 732-536-5826 or 732-320-0029.
Items for the Datebook may be sent to [email protected]. Please send items at least two weeks prior to a scheduled event.