• DeBows United Methodist Church, corner of Route 537 and Route 571, Jackson, will host an early fall flea market from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 28. There will be a food concession. Table space for vendors is $10 and set-up begins at 7 a.m. Contact Sue, 732-928-0352 or [email protected] to reserve table space (tables not provided). There is no rain date. Details: www.debowsumc.org
• A craft fair will be held at the Freehold Township Senior Center, 116 Jackson Mills Road, Freehold Township, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 9. Vendor tables are available ($15 for a 6-foot table). A variety of craft and holiday items will be available for purchase. Details: 732-294-2029.
• The fifth annual Artisan Craft and Music Festival at Oakley Farm will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 6 at the corner of Wemrock Road and Oakley Drive, Freehold Township. There will be woodworking, needlework, jewelry, birdhouses, pottery and more. The 300-year-old farmhouse and outbuildings will be open and there will be architectural salvage available for purchase. Free parking and admission. Music performances by Nolan Willance, Billy J. Brown, Synergy (Liberty Oak Chorus Quartet), Acoustic NRG and The Wired.
• The Marlboro Jewish Center will hold a celebration in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Chai Building at 11 a.m. Oct. 14 at 46 Topanemus Road, Marlboro. There will be musical performances, family art projects, refreshments and games. Community members of all ages are welcome to attend. The Chai Building hosts a preschool, a Hebrew school and a youth program. Invited guests for the celebration include Marlboro Mayor Jonathan L. Hornik, U.S. Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. and Gov. Phil Murphy.
• Embroiderers’ Guild of America-Monmouth Chapter is dedicated to teaching and sharing the joys of needlework. Stitchers of all levels are welcome to attend a meeting. There are sit-and-stitch tables at each meeting, as well as special projects. Evening stitchers will meet from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Colts Neck Library, 1 Winthrop Drive, Colts Neck. Day stitchers will meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Colts Neck Community Church, 25 Merchant Way, Colts Neck. Details: Toni, 732-462-5540, or www.mcega.org
• The 12th annual Freehold Borough town-wide yard sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 28 (rain date, Sept. 29). Last year, more than 100 families took part in this free event. Application forms are available at Borough Hall, 51 W. Main St., or online at www.freeholdboroughnj.gov
• Performing Arts Ensemble will hold auditions for “The Nutcracker” and other shows at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 and Oct. 4 at the Middletown Arts Center (next to the train station in Middletown). Needed are teen and young adult pointe dancers, gymnasts, male actors, dancers of all kinds and children age 4 and up to participate in upcoming performances. Call Evelyn at 732-614-5426 for other audition times and locations.
• Meet a wolfdog in person when the Monmouth County Park System hosts “Wolves in Freneau Woods” from 7-8 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Freneau Woods Park Visitor Center, Aberdeen Township. There will be wolfdogs from Howling Woods sanctuary. This program is open to all ages; those under 18 with adult. The cost is $12.50 per person. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 732-842-4000.
• The 24th annual Monmouth County Archives and History Day will be held on Oct. 12 at Monmouth County Library Headquarters, 125 Symmes Drive, Manalapan. At 1 p.m., actress and writer Michele LaRue will present her interpretation of contemporary writing from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in a piece entitled “Someone Must Wash the Dishes: An Anti-Suffrage Satire.” Details: Visit MonmouthCountyClerk.com/Archives or call 732-308-3771, ext. 3776.
• The Colts Neck Food Truck and Music Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 21 at Bucks Mill Park, 137 Bucks Mill Road (off Route 537), Colts Neck. The event is a benefit for Colts Neck Volunteer Fire Company No. 2. There will be 20 food trucks, music, vendors and children’s activities. Residents of all ages from all communities are invited to attend. Details: www.jusrjerseyfest.com or 904-910-3566.
• 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.
• A meeting of the Monmouth County Retired Educators Association will be held at 11 a.m. Oct. 15 at the Radisson, Freehold Township. A Meet and Greet for local candidates running for office will take place at 10:30 a.m., before the general meeting. The guest speaker will be an elder law attorney. Members are asked to bring a non-perishable donation for the food bank. For luncheon reservations, contact Sue at 732 995-7754 or email [email protected] before Oct. 4. New members are always welcome.
• Meet author Nikki Stern at New Jersey Chapter of Room to Read’s Book Club meeting at the Freehold Public Library, East Main Street, Freehold Borough, at 7 p.m. Sept. 18. Stern is the author of “The Wedding Crasher,” “The Former Assassin” and “Hope in Small Doses.” Refreshments served. All are welcome to attend. Details: 732-462-5135.
• Freehold Elks No. 1454 Motorcycle Committee will host a bike raffle drawing party and bike show from 1-6 p.m. Oct. 12 at 73 E. Main St., Freehold. A $20 donation includes food, drink and live music. Raffle tickets for a 2019 Harley Davidson Soft Tail Deluxe Motorcycle will be available, as well as tricky tray prizes. Bike show trophies will be awarded in six categories. All are welcome to attend.
• The Lakewood Historical Society and the Lakewood Heritage Commission are inviting the public to “An Afternoon with Boxing Icon Joe Louis” presented by boxing historian Eamo Clyne from Dublin, Ireland, at the Lakewood Historical Museum, Pine Park, at 2 p.m. Oct. 27. During World War II, Joe Louis lived and trained in Lakewood. He competed from 1934-51 and was the world heavyweight champion from 1937-49. Tickets are $5 and include light refreshments. For tickets, contact Sheila Hager at 848-240-5184 or [email protected]
• Hackensack Meridian Community Resource Center at Freehold Raceway Mall, Freehold Township, will host a free Alzheimer’s disease lecture from 4-5 p.m. Sept. 24 (first floor, Macy’s wing; in the mall, outside of Macy’s). Attendees will learn about the disease and coping skills. Registration is required, call 1-800-560-9990.
• A Spiritual Evening with Gail Lionetti will be presented at Center Playhouse, 35 South St., Freehold, from 7-9:30 p.m. Sept. 27. Tickets are $50 plus $2 service charge, must be purchased in advance. To reserve a seat, call 732-462-9093.
• Old Brick Church, 490 Route 520, Marlboro, will host its fourth annual Trash and Treasure Sale and Flea Market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 28 (rain date, Oct. 5). New, used, antique and vintage items will be sold. The church will offer a light lunch menu and baked goods, plus a variety of items for sale inside including jewelry, glassware, toys, sports equipment and household goods. Large vendor spaces (outside) are $18. Vendor forms on church website and Facebook page. Details: Sharon, 732-264-3046, or the church office, 732-946-8860.
• The 2019 Discussion Series will continue with a presentation by David R. Eisenstein, a brain fitness specialist, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine, 61 Georgia Road, Freehold Township. Eisenstein founded a company to help fight dementia, Alzheimer’s and other degenerative brain disorders. The series is sponsored by Kathy Lo Bue, managing director, Glen Eagle Advisors, LLC. The series is free, non-sectarian and open to the community. RSVP to 732-866-6660.
• 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.
• 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: Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5. Details: 732-462-5470.
• Embroiderers’ Guild of America-Monmouth Chapter is dedicated to teaching and sharing the joys of needlework. Stitchers of all levels are welcome to attend a meeting. There are sit-and-stitch tables and special projects. Day stitchers will meet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 19 at the Colts Neck Community Church, 25 Merchant Way, Colts Neck. Details: Toni, 732-462-5540, or www.mcega.org
• A Harvest Home Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 29 at Historic Longstreet Farm, 44 Longstreet Road, Holmdel. This event is sponsored by the Monmouth County Park System. Enjoy wagon rides, games and live entertainment during this old-fashioned fair that is reminiscent of the 1890s. There will be ongoing craft demonstrations and a home and garden competition. Admission and parking are free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System’s annual cornbread contest will be held from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Sept. 22 at Historic Walnford, Upper Freehold. Participants should bring the equivalent of a 9- x 13-inch pan of cornbread and a typed copy of their recipe between 12:30-1 p.m. Judging from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Ribbons awarded at 3 p.m. This is a free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• A Golden Ear corny joke contest will be held from 12:30-3 p.m. Sept. 22 at Historic Walnford, Upper Freehold. Tell your best family friendly jokes during the contest. Anyone may enter by submitting up to three jokes by 2:30 p.m. The jokes will be read and audience laughter will decide the winner of the 2019 Golden Ear trophy. This is a free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• WWE Superstars The New Day, a wrestling stable consisting of Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods, will visit the Event Center at iPlay America, Freehold Township, on Sept. 29. They will provide fans with a Pancake Lovers VIP Experience, meet and greet, and photo opportunity. Doors open at 8 a.m. VIP package and photo opportunity tickets are available for purchase at https://www.iplayamerica.com/event/the-new-day/
• The Jewish Home for Rehabilitation and Nursing, 1151 W. Main St. (in the Pond View Professional Park), Freehold Township, hosts 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. Kosher refreshments served. Details: Jolie, 732-202-1000 or email [email protected]
• See a 19th century gristmill in action at Historic Walnford, Upper Freehold, from 1-4 p.m. Sept. 21, 22, 28 and 29. Sponsored by the Monmouth County Park System. This is a free event. Demonstrations run through November. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The New Jersey State Museum, 205 W. State St., Trenton, is presenting “Many Inspired Steps” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Currently on view through Nov. 10, the exhibition uses a variety of objects and images to examine the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, the pioneers of space travel and other state connections to the landing and the space program. Admission is free; donations requested. Details: 609-292-5420 or visit statemuseumnj.gov
• “New Jersey Baseball: From the Cradle to the Major Leagues” is on exhibit at the Morven Museum and Garden, Princeton, until Oct. 27. The exhibition tells the story of New Jersey’s role in the history of early organized baseball through artifacts, text, images and other visuals. There are interactives that offer educational opportunities, as well as demonstrations with hands-on experiences. Details: morven.org
Items for the Datebook may be sent to [email protected]. Please send items at least two weeks prior to a scheduled event.