• The 2020 Millstone Community Education Fishing Flea Market will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 1 in the Millstone Township Primary School cafeteria, 18 Schoolhouse Road. There will be vendors with fishing gear and outdoor items available for purchase. Vendor tables: $20. Details: Gina Whelan, 732-786-0950, ext. 7003 or email [email protected]
• 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.
• View samples of 19th century Valentines and make a heartfelt card using historically inspired materials from 1-4 p.m. Feb. 8-9 at Historic Walnford, Walnford Road, Upper Freehold Township. Open to ages 10 and up. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• Monmouth County Park System will present the Casual Birder at 9 a.m. Feb. 27 at Crosswicks Creek Park, Upper Freehold Township (meet in the Province Line Road parking area). Join a park system naturalist for a bird walk. No experience identifying birds is required. Dress for the weather (including light rain or snow). Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• Celebrate Groundhog Day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 2 at Historic Walnford, Walnford Road, Upper Freehold Township. The Monmouth County Park System will present fun facts and activities for all ages. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• Monmouth County Park System will host at Wondrous Winter Walk from 10-11:30 a.m. Feb. 5 at Clayton Park, Upper Freehold Township (meet in the Emley’s Hill Road parking lot). Join a park system naturalist and explore nature in the wintertime. Open to all ages, under 18 with adult. Sturdy footwear is recommended as trails used may have inclines or tree roots to step over. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Tin Pan Handlers will perform old-time roots music, early jazz-pop standards, folk songs and the blues at 8 p.m. Jan. 25 at Roosevelt Borough Hall, 33 North Rochdale Ave., Roosevelt. Sponsored by the Roosevelt Arts Project; suggested donation of $5 per person. All are welcome to attend. Singer/ukulele player Pat Monteleone leads the band. Details:
http://www.rooseveltartsproject.org
• John Fabiano, executive director of the Monmouth County Historical Commission, will explore Joshua Huddy’s Revolutionary War service, his execution and the circumstances leading to the Paris Peace Treaty’s eventual success during a presentation at the Allentown Library at 7 p.m. Feb. 18. All are welcome to attend, Space is limited and registration is required. Details: 609-259-7565.
• Liberty Oak Chorus, a chapter of Sweet Adelines International, welcomes all ladies who love to sing to a special Guest Night from 7-10 p.m. Feb. 13. The chorus will perform some of its favorite songs and guests may participate while discovering their ideal voice parts. Guest Night will be held in the performing arts room at Applewood Senior Living, 1 Applewood Drive (off Gully Road), Freehold Township. Ladies may RSVP to [email protected] or call 732-295-4572. The chorus is preparing to compete in the Sweet Adelines International event in Louisville, Ky., later this year.
• CentraState Medical Center will host a lecture, “A Minimally Invasive Approach to Gynecology,” from 6-7 p.m. Jan. 27 at the Star and Barry Tobias Health Awareness Center, Freehold Township. Minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon Kira Moore, D.O., will discuss how painful gynecologic conditions can affect a woman’s quality of life and the latest, proven ways to treat these and other gynecologic conditions. To register, call 732-305-0570.
• 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
• Forsgate Country Club, Monroe Township, will host Camp Forsgate in weekly sessions from June 29 through Aug. 14 for children ages 5-10. Camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Before-care and after-care will be available. Camp activities include golf, fitness, swimming, arts and crafts, STEM and more. Weekly tuition: Members, $330; Non-members, $370. Details: www.kecamps.com
• The Shrewsbury Chorale is inviting individuals of high school age and up who love choral music to consider joining the chorale. Open rehearsals are scheduled for 7-9:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Monmouth County, 1475 W. Front St. Lincroft. Singers of all voice parts are invited to attend a rehearsal. The chorale is preparing for its April and June concerts. The chorale rehearses weekly on Tuesday evenings. Scores will be provided and all events are free. Some music reading ability is desirable. Call 908-309-0602 to audition or visit www.shrewsburychorale.org
• Parlor Games for Wintry Weather will be presented from noon to 2:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel. Play forgotten 1890s games like Halma and Basilinda, or old-time favorites like Backgammon, Checkers and Reversi. Open to ages 6 and up. This is a free program. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Deep Cut Orchid Society will hold its annual orchid show and sale from Feb. 6-9 in Dearborn Market’s 11,000-square-foot greenhouse, 2170 Route 35 South, Holmdel. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Visitors will view an array of orchids vying for American Orchid Society ribbons and trophies. There will be free guided tours, and educational and orchid-themed workshops for enthusiasts of all levels. Orchid experts will be on hand to answer questions. Admission and parking are free. Dearborn Market offers fresh food and deli selections for purchase.
• 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
• 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.
• “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
Items for the Datebook may be sent to [email protected]. Please submit items at least two weeks prior to a scheduled event.