• Companion Animal Rescue and Education will hold its monthly puppy adoption event at PetValu in the Epicentre, 55 Route 9 South, Manalapan, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13. For more information and updates, or to see available puppies, visit www.carenj.com
• The 2019 Discussion Series will continue with “Medicare and You,” presented by Samantha White, a certified and trained State Health Insurance Assistance Program counselor. The program will be held at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine, 61 Georgia Road, Freehold Township, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. April 29. The series is sponsored by Kathy Lo Bue, managing director, Glen Eagle Advisors LLC. Adults of all ages invited, refreshments provided. The series is free, non-sectarian and open to the community. RSVP to 732-866-6660.
• Laura Stone, vice president of the New Jersey Bluebird Society, will present “Eastern Bluebirds and Nest Box Trails” at the Monmouth County Audubon Society meeting at 8 p.m. April 10 at Tower Hill Church, 255 Harding Road, Red Bank. The public is welcome; admission is free. Details: http://www.monmouthaudubon.org
• On April 11 at 7 p.m., the Freehold Pubic Library will present “The Quest for
Private Fallon’s Medal of Honor.” Glenn Cashion, Fallon’s great nephew, will lead attendees on the trail to find the missing medal and share what it took to finally bring it back home to Freehold. All are welcome to attend the presentation.
• Morganville Flower Farm, 406 Route 79, Morganville, will host its first Succulent weekend from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 13-14. Design your own planter with help from Mariah. There will be many “fun”ky succulents to choose from. All are welcome to attend. Details: www.morganvilleflower.com
• The interfaith duo, Michael Hunter Ochs and Alaa Alshaham, will bring their musical talent to Temple Rodeph Torah, Marlboro, as Scholars in Residence from April 12-14. The Rock Shabbat service Friday starts at 8 p.m., a Lunch and Learn session convenes at noon following the 10 a.m. Saturday service, and a Rock Shabbat concert starts at 5 p.m. Sunday. The Scholars in Residence weekend is open to all. Reservations are required for the Lunch and Learn. Registration information for both programs is posted at concert.trt.org
• On April 13, 14 and 19, Monmouth Worship Center, 37 Vanderburg Road, Marlboro, will present its annual Easter drama, “Love Lifted Me.” The drama tells the story of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the miraculous works He did. All performances begin at 7 p.m. This is a full production with costumes, scenery, lighting, music and a cast and crew of 50. Details: 732-332-9600 or www.monmouthworship.org
• Freehold Elks Lodge No. 1454, 73 E. Main St., Freehold, will host an “All You Can Eat, Cooked to Order Breakfast” on April 14 from 9 a.m. to noon. All are welcome to attend. The Easter Bunny will make a special appearance. Last seating is at 11:30 a.m. Cost of breakfast is $9 for adults and $5 for children under 12.
• Climb Time will be held from noon to 4 p.m. April 13 at Holmdel Park, Holmdel. Try the Monmouth County Park System’s 25-foot tall portable climbing wall. Individuals must be at least 42 inches tall to climb. Open to ages 8 and up (under 18 with adult). The cost is $2 for three attempts or climbs, cash or check only. Details: 732-842-4000.
• Demonstrations of a 19th century gristmill will be presented at Historic Walnford, Walnford Road, Upper Freehold Township, from 1-4 p.m. April 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28. Demonstrations run through November. This is a free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• Embroiderers’ Guild of America-Monmouth welcomes stitchers of all levels to attend a meeting. There are sit-and-stitch tables at each meeting, as well as special projects. Day stitchers will meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 18 at the Colts Neck Community Church, 25 Merchant Way, Colts Neck. Details: Toni, 732-462-5540, or visit www.mcega.org
• Monmouth County will host a spring job fair on April 12 at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft. The event is free to employers and job seekers. Employers interested in participating in the job fair are asked to register by contacting Christine Dykeman at 732-683-8850, ext. 2525, or [email protected]. There is no cost for employers to reserve a table.
• The Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District Board of Education will hold the following meeting: April 16, 7 p.m., regular action meeting, Pine Brook School, 155 Pease Road, Manalapan. The meeting is open to the public.
• The Freehold Memorial Day Parade Committee, in conjunction with The Cabin, Route 33, Howell, will host a fundraiser from 5-10 p.m. April 16. The Cabin will donate 20 percent of a guest’s pre-tax check to the parade committee to assist in putting on the 145th Freehold Memorial Day parade in 2019. Visit www.freeholdmemorialdayparade.com to download the flier.
• Samaritan Center, a joint ministry of St. Thomas More and Old Tennent Presbyterian churches, operates a food pantry to provide supplementary food for those in need in Manalapan, Marlboro, Englishtown and Millstone Township. For information, call 732-446-1142 and make an appointment. Pickup dates are Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30-11:15 a.m. and Saturday from 9-11 a.m. Volunteers will gladly carry food to a client’s vehicle. Donations of funds and food are gratefully accepted to support the operation of the center. Volunteers are always welcome.
• 180 Turning Lives Around, a private nonprofit organization in Monmouth County, will be conducting a 40-hour training course for new Domestic Violence Response Team
victim advocates from April 29 through May 23 at Hazlet Police Headquarters. DVRT advocates work with law enforcement to provide support, information and resources to victims of domestic violence. For an application or additional information, contact Tina Morgan at [email protected] or 732 264-4360, ext. 4272. Potential volunteers are asked to mention the town where they reside. The deadline to apply is April 19.
• A one-day event is planned for individuals and professionals who wish to broaden their understanding of hoarding disorder. Topics include assessment, case management models, intervention and more. The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 2 at the Middlesex Fire Academy, Sayreville. Cost is $125. Approved for 6.0 CEUs for social work and occupational therapy. Offered by Atlantic County Hoarding Task Force, MHANJ in Atlantic County and Stockton University. To register, call 609-652-3800 or email [email protected]
• The Monmouth County Park System will host its annual Creative Arts and Music Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 4 at Thompson Park, 805 Newman Springs Road (Route 520), Lincroft. This juried arts festival features specially selected artists’ works of pottery, photography, jewelry, paintings and other mediums. In addition to the artwork, visitors will enjoy live music and free art demonstrations and activities. Admission and parking for the festival are free. Details: www.MonmouthCountyParks.com or call 732-842-4000.
• Rutgers Master Gardeners of Monmouth County will host their Spring Garden Days Plant Sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 17 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 18 (rain or shine) at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Agriculture Building, 4000 Kozloski Road, Freehold Township. Cash or check only (no credit cards). There will be plants available for purchase, gardening presentations, garden tours, and a gardening Q&A with Master Gardeners. Details: 732-303-7614.
• Monmouth County will hold a paper shredding event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 12 at Colts Neck Town Hall, 124 Cedar Drive, Colts Neck. County residents may bring up to 100 pounds of documents to be shredded. Details: See the recycling section of the county website at www.VisitMonmouth.com or call 732-683-8686, ext. 6721.
• New Jersey Blood Services will conduct a blood drive from 2:30-8:30 p.m. April 26 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine, 61 Georgia Road, Freehold Township. To donate blood, call 1-800-933-2566.
• The Monmouth County SPCA will celebrate its 25th anniversary dog walk and pet fair on April 27 at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The theme will be “My Dog is a Superhero.” There will be dogs available for adoption, live music by The Wag, vendors, food trucks, games and activities for children of all ages, plus fun photo ops with comic book characters. The “Disc-Connected K9’s Frisbee Dog Team” will perform throughout the day. Details: www.mcspcadogwalk.org
• The Monmouth County Audubon Society will host a bird walk on April 20 on Sandy Hook in northern Monmouth County. Sandy Hook is an excellent place to observe many species of migrating birds in a limited area. Those interested in participating can meet at 10 a.m. in the parking lot of the former Sandy Hook visitors center, 1.8 miles north of the park entrance (across the road from the Spermaceti Cove observation boardwalk). The trip is open to members and non-members of the Audubon Society and participation is free. Advance registration is not required. Details: http://www.monmouthaudubon.org or email at [email protected]
• The AAUW Freehold Branch is accepting book donations for its annual book sale. Books must be clean with binding intact. Books that are musty, torn, missing pages, or reference book sets (encyclopedias), textbooks, religion, philosophy, business, reference, psychology, cookbook sets or travel book sets older than 5 years will not be accepted. All donations must be made by appointment by calling 732-303-1031, or by email at [email protected]
• The Fresh Air Fund is seeking area residents willing to volunteer to host a child from New York City this summer through the Friendly Towns Program. Children are boys and girls, ages 7-18. Details: Karen Medlin, 732-740-0449, or www.freshair.org
• The Mourning After is a grief counseling program designed to assist people with recent and not-so-recent losses adjust to the emotions of grieving and the long-term changes that follow. The program is led by licensed professional counselors Bob Szita and Bernice Garfield-Szita. The group meets monthly on Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Center Playhouse, 35 South St., Freehold. Upcoming dates are May 3 and June 7. A voluntary donation is accepted. New attendees are asked to call in advance at 732-577-1076 or [email protected] or www.GIERS.org
• John P. Stevens High School, Edison, Class of 1969 will hold its 50-year reunion on Aug. 10 at Galloping Hills Caterers, Union. Cocktail hour from 6-7 p.m., dinner from 7-11 p.m. Cost is $75 per person. Payment and RSVP to Donna Ciccone, 9 Anita Ave., Edison, NJ 08820. Details: Debbie DeMauro Bava, email [email protected]
• The Colts Neck Shade Tree Commission will hold public meetings at 7:30 p.m. on the following dates in the meeting room at Town Hall, 124 Cedar Drive, Colts Neck: May 2, June 6, July 11, Aug. 1, Sept. 5, Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5. Details: 732-462-5470.
• The Jewish Home for Rehabilitation and Nursing, Freehold Township, a new skilled rehabilitation and nursing facility serving the Jewish community, is hosting a free monthly support group called The Jewish Caregiver’s Experience. The group meets at 7 p.m. on the last Tuesday of each month. Caregivers of all ages seeking support, resources and a Jewish perspective on managing their responsibilities are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served. Details: Avrum, 732-202-1000, ext. 4012.
Items for the Datebook may be sent to [email protected]. Please send items at least two weeks prior to a scheduled event.