• The Jackson Library, 2 Jackson Drive, Jackson, is seeking yarn donations. The Knit-Chat-Chain volunteers make items with yarn to donate to individuals in need. Donations of four-ply worsted yarn may be dropped off at the Circulation Desk during the library’s hours of operation. Details: 732-928-4400.
• Monmouth County will hold backyard composting workshops for county residents. The free 45-minute workshop will teach residents how to reduce household waste, improve the soil for plants and reduce landfill waste. The workshops to be held at the Agriculture Building, 4000 Kozloski Road, Freehold Township, on March 21 at 9 a.m., May 2 at 9 a.m., Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. and Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. Participants may purchase the Earth Machine backyard composting bin at the session for $35. Advance registration is required. Call 732-683-8686, ext. 8967.
• “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” will be presented by Jackson Memorial High School students at the school, 101 Don Connor Blvd., Jackson. Performances are March 12 at 6:30 p.m., March 13 at 6:30 p.m., March 14 at 6:30 p.m. and March 15 at 2 p.m. Tickets at the door are $17. Details: Email [email protected]
• Jackson VFW No. 4703 Auxiliary is hosting a Friday Fish Fry each Friday during Lent (March 13, 20, 27, April 3, 10) at 54 Magnolia Drive, Jackson, from 4-7 p.m. Dinner includes fish, french fries or rice pilaf, cole slaw, corn bread, dessert, coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, ice tea, lemonade or water. Donation of $9 per dinner. All are welcome to enjoy dinner in a friendly atmosphere.
• Jackson VFW No. 4703 Auxiliary will host a craft fair/flea market on April 4. Outside spaces will be $20 per space; inside spaces will be $25 with a table. Call 732-928-0077 for details (leave a message if no answer), email [email protected] or call 732-674-5175.
• DeBows United Methodist Church, corner of Route 571 and Route 537, Jackson, will host a concert by New Jersey’s “Libby Prison Minstrels” at 5 p.m. March 14. The concert is free to the public and hot soup will be provided during the event. Details: www.debowsumc.org
• DeBows United Methodist Church, corner of Route 571 and Route 537, Jackson, will host a concert by the local bluegrass band “ProGrasstination” at 3 p.m. March 28. The concert is free to the public and hot soup will be provided during the event. Details: www.debowsumc.org
• Horsemen’s Association of Millstone Township will meet at 7 p.m. March 17 at the Millstone Community Center, 463 Stagecoach Road (next to the firehouse). Rutgers county agent Mike Haberland will discuss cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) in New Jersey lakes and streams and the toxic effects to animals and humans. All are welcome to attend the meeting. Details: www.hamt.org
• Downtown Freehold has announced the lineup for the 2020 Thursdays Rock concert series. Bands perform from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Monmouth County Hall of Records, Main Street, Freehold Borough. The lineup is: June 4, Rock of Ages Band; June 11, Mission Dance; June 18, The Ruckus; June 25, Rockit Fish; July 2, Turnstyles; July 9, Moroccan Sheepherders; July 16, Pat Guadagno and Friends; July 23, Joe Baracata Band; July 30, Eddie Testa Band; Aug. 6, NRG; Aug. 13, Stephen Martines; Aug. 20, Predator Dub Assassins; and Aug. 27, the Wired Band. Details: DowntownFreehold.com
• The AMI Foundation of Atlantic Medical Imaging will host the fourth annual Designer Bag Bingo and Basket Raffle event on March 28 at St. Veronica School gymnasium, 4219 Route 9, Howell. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the event begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $35 and include 12 bingo game cards. Extra bingo boards, daubers, special raffle tickets and basket auction tickets will be available for purchase the night of the event. Light refreshments will be available for purchase. Attendees may bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages. Attendees must be 18 years of age or older. To purchase advance tickets, visit www.amifoundation.net. Details: 609-568-9153.
• The Shrewsbury Chorale will hold its annual giant indoor garage sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 21 at the First United Methodist Church, 103 Monmouth Road, Oakhurst. All are welcome to attend. There will be hundreds of items for purchase, including homemade baked goods. Details: 732-747-1362, www.shrewsburychorale.org or email [email protected]
• The Jackson Library will host the following events in March: “Prose & Ink Writers Group,” 6:30 p.m. March 16, 23, 30. All genres are welcome. Bring three to five pages of a work in progress for discussion; “Knit Chain Volunteers,” 6:30 p.m. March 16, 30. Items are donated to hospitals; AARP Tax Assistance, 9 a.m. March 12, 19, 26. No age restrictions, but registration and appointments are required. Bring previous tax returns, photo ID, Social Security or I-Tin Card and all tax documents relevant to the tax years under preparation. Call 732-702-0663 to schedule an appointment; “Jackson Friends of the Library Meeting,” 7 p.m. March 19. All are welcome to attend. Except where noted, registration is not required for these free programs. To register, call 732-928-4400.
• “Someone Must Wash the Dishes,” a satire written in 1912 by social reform pioneer
Marie Jenny Howe, will be presented at the Jackson Library, 2 Jackson Drive, Jackson, at 2 p.m. March 14. This performance is part of a Women’s History Month celebration. Free admission, but registration is required. Details: 732-928-4400.
• Designer Handbag Bingo benefiting CONTACT of Ocean and Monmouth Counties’ 24/7 Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Hotline will be held on March 27 at the Southard Firehouse, 4611 Route 9 north, Howell. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and Bingo begins at 7 p.m. Sandwiches, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages are welcome. Desserts, coffee, tea and water will be available for purchase. Tickets: $30 in advance, $35 at the door (cash or credit card only). Price includes four cards for each game with the option of purchasing additional cards. No one under 18 admitted. Details: 732-240-6104. Tickets may be purchased online at http://bit.ly/39M9K9n
• Monmouth County Park System will host “Find Your Path in Volunteering” from 1-3 p.m. March 14 at the Thompson Park Visitor Center, Route 520, Lincroft. Discover the many volunteer opportunities the park system has to offer during this information session. Open to ages 14 and up. Details: 732-842-4000.
• Jackson Rotary Club has announced that all net proceeds from an April 19 bus trip to the Tropicana Casino, Atlantic City, will be donated to the family of the late Stephanie Parze of Freehold Township. Residents of all communities are welcome to take the trip. The cost of $38 per person includes bus transportation, a tip for the driver, a sandwich, beverage and chips on the bus, and $25 back in slot play from the casino. The bus will leave Jackson at noon and return at about 9 p.m. Cash donations are welcome or checks may be mailed to the Jackson Rotary Club, P.O. Box 751, Jackson, NJ 08527, and note “The Parze Family” on the memo line. Details: Tom Barchie, 732-207-4029 or 732-849-6309, or Luke Stango, 732-379-8060.
• The Jackson Library, 2 Jackson Drive, Jackson, will exhibit the work of New Jersey artist Helen Harris from March 6 through April 17. Harris’ landscapes, seascapes, florals and abstracts are rendered in water color, acrylics, mixed media and oils. Registration is not required for this free exhibition. Details: 732-928-4400.
• The N.J. 782nd AFJROTC of Jackson Memorial High School and Jackson Liberty High School will host the 2020 gift auction on March 28 at Jackson Memorial High School. Doors open at 5 p.m. and calling starts at 6:15 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Guests may bring food to share with their table (no alcohol). Entrance tickets are $40; pre-sale extra bundles are available. RSVP with payment by March 16. Details: Email [email protected]
• Monmouth County has scheduled paper shredding events for county residents. The shredding events will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following locations: July 25, Memorial/Adelphia schools, 485 Adelphia Road, Howell. County residents may bring up to 100 pounds of documents to be shredded. Large binder clips must be removed from documents; staples and paper clips can remain. The service is free. Details: Visit the recycling section of www.visitmonmouth.com or call 732-683-8686, ext. 8967.
• Knights of Columbus Council 11529, St. Monica’s Church, Jackson, will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a banquet on March 28 at the Venetian at the Lakewood Country Club. The Council supports many parish and community needs, and national charities such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Special Olympics and Handicapped Children. For more information about the event, visit www.kofc11529.org or email [email protected]
• A class reunion for all Lakewood High School graduates will be held on Aug. 22-23. All proceeds from the event will benefit students with financial difficulties so they may attend college. On the afternoon of Aug. 22, there will be guided tours at the Sheldon Wolpin Historical Museum, Lakewood. From 7-11 p.m. Aug. 22, there will be a casual get-together at the Lakewood Country Club. Cost is $50 per person. From 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 23, there will be a continental breakfast at the historical museum. Cost is $10 per person. Details: Judie Bloom Singer, 732-364-7854 or [email protected] or June Passadin D’Elia, 732-363-4695 or [email protected]
• The Land Conservancy of New Jersey is accepting applications for its 2020 scholarship
program. Potential candidates must be New Jersey residents currently enrolled in (and in good standing at) an accredited college or university, with at least 15 credits completed and an academic average equivalent to a 3.0 or higher. The scholarships are for residents who are pursuing degrees in environmental science, natural resource management, conservation, park administration and related fields. Deadline to apply is April 1. Applications can be downloaded from www.tlc-nj.org or obtained by calling 973-541-1010, ext. 14.
• The fifth annual Home Garden Symposium presented by the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Monmouth County will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 28 at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Monmouth County Agriculture Building, 4000 Kozloski Road, Freehold Township. There will be lectures, demonstrations, exhibits about invasive species and more. Pre-registration ($10) is required. Vist tinyurl.com/HomeGarden2020. Details: Email [email protected] or 732-303-7614.
• The Jackson Library will present “Birdcage Bookcraft” at 3 p.m. March 25. Attendees will learn how to create beautiful, Victorian style birdcages from used books. Lace, flowers, beads and more will be provided for use as decorative trim. Registration is required for this free event. To register, contact the branch, 732-928-4400.
• The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Towns Program is seeking local families to host children from New York City this summer. The Fresh Air Fund has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. First time Fresh Air children are boys and girls, ages 7 to 13, who live in New York City. Details: Karen Medlin, 732-740-0449, or visit www.FreshAir.org
• “Fine Feathered Friends: Birds as Mainstay and Muse” is open at the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton. The exhibition brings the fun of bird watching indoors through nearly 200 rarely seen artifacts and specimens exploring birds as an ecological mainstay and their role as a design-inspiring force, or muse, for New Jersey artisans. The exhibition will be on view through Sept. 13. Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday; closed on Mondays and state holidays. Details: www.statemuseum.nj.gov
• The New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, is presenting “Preserving the Pinelands: Albert Horner’s Portraits of a National Treasure.” The exhibition features images by photographer Albert Horner which capture the quiet beauty and intimate landscapes of New Jersey’s Pinelands National Reserve. A number of artifacts and scientific specimens from the museum’s collections help tell some of the stories of the land, animals, people and industries that make this unique area a state and national treasure. “Preserving the Pinelands” will be on view through June 28. Details: www.statemuseum.nj.gov
Items for the Datebook may be sent to [email protected]. Please submit items at least two weeks prior to a scheduled event.