• The Monmouth County Park System will present a Cookstove Demonstration on June 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel. See what’s cooking on the woodstove and discover how recipes, cooking techniques and kitchens have changed since the 1890s. Free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will present Seabrook-Wilson House Tours on June 5, 12, 19 and 26 from 1-4 p.m. at Bayshore Waterfront Park, Port Monmouth section of Middletown. Visit a house which dates back to the early 1700s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and see displays about the ecology of the bay and local history. Free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will present a Lacemaking Demonstration on June 11 from 1-3 p.m. at Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel. Watch lacemaking in action as a demonstrator shows the historic techniques of crochet, bobbin and shuttle work used in the Victorian era. Free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will present Under the Moonlight on June 14 from 9-10 p.m. at Huber Woods Park, Middletown, meet in the Environmental Center parking lot.
Hike by the light of the rising full moon and explore the world of nocturnal creatures. Dress for the weather and plan to walk at least a mile. Bring a flashlight. Program may be cancelled due to overcast skies or inclement weather. Open to all ages; under 18 with adult. Free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will present Seining Along Sandy Hook Bay on June 20, 22, 24, 27 and 29 from 11 a.m. to noon at Bayshore Waterfront Park, Port Monmouth section of Middletown. Discover a variety of fish, crabs and other sea creatures by pulling a seine net through the calm waters of the bay. Closed-toe shoes are required. Meet on the beach near the park entrance. Parents or guardians are required to stay with and supervise their children. No swimming during the event. Weather permitting. Free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will present a Nature Lecture Series: Ospreys of Monmouth County on June 23 from 7-8 p.m. at the Bayshore Waterfront Park Activity Center, Port Monmouth section of Middletown. Free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will present Life in a Freshwater Pond on June 23 and June 30 from 11 a.m. to noon at Freneau Woods Park, Aberdeen Township, meet outside the Visitor Center. Join park system naturalists to explore a freshwater pond and look for turtles, frogs, herons, fish and more. Wear closed-toe shoes. Open to all ages; under 18 with adult. Free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will present Under the Summer Stars on June 25 from 10-11 p.m. at Bayshore Waterfront Park, Port Monmouth section of Middletown, meet in the beachfront area. Join a guide and look for key objects and constellations in the summer night sky. Bring a camp chair to rest and a flashlight to light the way in the dark. Program may be cancelled due to overcast skies or inclement weather. Open to all ages; under 18 with adult. Free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will present Performance in the Park – A Midsummer’s Night Sonnetry: Fourteen Sonnets by William Shakespeare on June 26 from 4-6 p.m. at the Thompson Park Theater Barn, Lincroft. Listen to performance readers explore and recite 14 of Shakespeare’s most poignant sonnets. Free event. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Shrewsbury Chorale, under the direction of Fiona Smith Sutherland, will present “Pops Concert” on June 12 at 4 p.m. at St. Dorothea’s Church, 240 Broad St., Eatontown. The program includes works by David Childs, Gerald Finzi, Sarah Quartel, Gabriel Faure and more. Purchase advance tickets at a discount from chorale members ($20 regular, $17 senior/student, $8 child) or at https://shrewsburychorale.org/purchase-tickets/. Tickets will be available at the door. The chorale encourages everyone to be current with their COVID vaccinations and to wear a mask for the performance.
• The restored Navesink Library Theater, 149 Monmouth Ave., Middletown, will reopen with the radio play version of “The Petrified Forest” on June 11 at 7:30 p.m. This 1935 Broadway stage success starred Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart. In 1936, Warner Brothers turned the successful play into a motion picture with the addition of Bette Davis. The Classic Radio Road Show cast will present a full studio reading of the radio version, complete with music and sound effects. Tickets, at $15, will be available at the door or online at classicradioroadshow.org
• Judy Stach and Anthony Migliaccio, multi award-winning members of the Guild of Creative Art, 620 Broad St., Shrewsbury, are showcasing their oil paintings in the main gallery during June. Both artists embrace “plein air” painting, which is painting outdoors from real life. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free; on-site parking is free. A face covering is encouraged. Details: 732-741-1441.
• The Monmouth County Fair will be held from July 27-31 at the East Freehold Showgrounds, Freehold Township. Hours are 4-11 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $8 per adult; children 17 and under are admitted free. Follow the Monmouth County Park System on social media. Upcoming fair contests will be announced on the park system’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, offering an opportunity to win admission tickets and more. The fair is organized and presented by the Monmouth County Park System in cooperation with the Monmouth County 4-H Association. Details: www.MonmouthCountyFair.com
• Join Citizens for Informed Land Use in a virtual presentation by members of the Holmdel Charter Study Commission when they explain the results of their recently released study and recommendations. Holmdel residents will vote on the commission’s recommendations in a special election on July 26. The Zoom presentation will take place on June 20 at 7:30 p.m. The presentation is free and open to the public. To register, contact Karen at [email protected]. The presentation will be live-streamed and recorded on CILU’s YouTube channel (search CILU Holmdel). Details: Contact Jenni at [email protected] or call 732-264-8482.
• Pink Ribbons of Central New Jersey will host a fashion show and luncheon at noon June 16 at The Reception Center, 172 Freneau Ave., Matawan. Tickets are $55. All proceeds go directly to Susan G. Komen for local women. Details: Helene Cohen, 732-577-0303, or Joan Stevenson, 732-252-8705.
• New Jersey Blood Services, a division of New York Blood Center, will conduct blood drives which are open to the public. The following drives are scheduled: June 7, Atlantic Physical Therapy, 68 White St., Red Bank, 2-6:30 p.m.; June 9, Brotherhood of Temple Shalom, 5 Ayrmont Lane, Aberdeen Township, 12:30-6:30 p.m.; June 27, North Centerville Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1, 372 Middle Road, Hazlet, 1-7 p.m.; and June 28, Lincroft Bible Church, 790 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, 1-7 p.m.; To donate blood or for information about how to organize a blood drive, call 1-800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org
• The DowntownFreehold.com Thursdays Rock concert series takes place each Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Monmouth County Hall of Records plaza, Main Street, Freehold Borough. The concerts are free; bring a lawn chair. The schedule is as follows: June 9, Pat Roddy Band; June 16, Funky Uncle All-Stars; June 23, The Weeklings; June 30, Eddie Testa Band; July 7, Mission Dance; July 14, Joe Baracata Band; July 21, Matt O’Ree Band; July 28, Chuck Lambert Band with Coo Moe Jhee; Aug. 4, Parrot Beach; Aug. 11, Colossal Street Jam; Aug. 18, Pat Guadagno and Friends; Aug. 25, Turnstyles.
• The Freehold Borough Arts Council 2022 Jazz, Blues and More Summer Concert Series will take place every Sunday through August (June 5 through Aug. 28) from 7-9 p.m. at the Downtown Freehold Gazebo, Main Street, Freehold Borough. The concerts are free; bring a lawn chair.
• Morganville United Methodist Church, 215 Conover Road, off Route 79, Marlboro, has reopened its Saturday thrift shop. The thrift shop will be open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon through July. New and nearly items including clothing, toys, home decor, jewelry, housewares, crafts and holiday decorations will be available for purchase. All are welcome to visit the thrift shop.
• Monmouth County officials have scheduled paper shredding events so residents have the opportunity to dispose of old documents and confidential files safely. All shredding events will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following locations: July 9, Matawan-Aberdeen Train Station, Parking Lot 1; Aug. 20, Aberdeen Municipal Building, 1 Aberdeen Square; Sept. 10, Union Beach Recycling Center, 1400 Florence Ave.; and Nov. 12, Middletown North High School, 63 Tindall Drive, Middletown. County residents may shred up to 100 pounds of documents. Large binder clips must be removed from documents; staples and paper clips can remain. Information about the paper shredding events and recycling can be found in the recycling section of the county’s website, www.visitmonmouth.com, or call 732-683-8686, ext. 8967.
• Embroiderers’ Guild of America – Monmouth Chapter is dedicated to teaching and sharing the joys of needlework. The organization welcomes stitchers of all levels. Evening stitchers will meet via Zoom on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Day stitchers will meet via Zoom on the third Thursday of each month at 10 a.m. Details: Toni, 732-462-5540, or visit website:www.mcega.org
Items for the Datebook may be sent to [email protected]. Please send items at least two weeks prior to a scheduled event.