• The Ashley Lauren Foundation will hold its inaugural Touch A Truck fundraiser on Aug. 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bucks Mill Park, 125 Bucks Mill Road, Colts Neck. Admission, $5 (children under 2 free). Rain date is Aug. 27. There will be emergency trucks, food trucks, a New Jersey State Police helicopter, a replica Batmobile (with Batman and Robin), classic cars and motorcycles. For additional information and sponsorship information, call 732-414-1625 or visit www.ashleylaurenfoundation.org
• The Monmouth County Park System will host Seining Along Sandy Hook Bay, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Aug. 1-26 from 11 a.m. to noon at Bayshore Waterfront Park, Middletown, meet on the beach near the parking lot. Discover a variety of fish, crabs and other sea creatures by pulling a long seine net along the edge of Sandy Hook Bay. Closed-toe shoes are required. Parents or guardians are required to stay with and supervise their children. No swimming during the event. This program is designed for individuals and families. Weather permitting. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will host Life in a Freshwater Pond, Aug. 11, 18 and 25 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. Wear closed-toe shoes. Open to all ages; under 18 with adult. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will host a Cookstove Demonstration on Aug. 20 and 27 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. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will host Performance in the Park – Travels Through Time: Roaring 20s Through the Fabulous 50s and Beyond on Aug. 20 from 7-8 p.m. at the Thompson Park Theater Barn, Lincroft. Performance presented by Jumpin Entertainment and the Roaring Rascals. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will host a Nature Lecture Series – Box Turtles of Monmouth County on Aug. 25 from 7-8 p.m. at the Freneau Woods Park Visitor Center, Aberdeen Township. Join a park system naturalist for this talk about box turtles. Discover what these turtles eat, where they can be found and what threatens them. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will host Concert in the Park: Jukebox Heroes Live with the Mahoney Brothers on Aug. 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at the Thompson Park Theater Barn, Lincroft. The show includes tributes to the Beatles, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and more. Bring lawn chairs or blankets, food and soft drinks. The concert is outdoors; however, if the weather is inclement, the concert will be moved indoors. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will host a potato harvest on Aug. 27-28 from noon to 2 p.m. at Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel. Learn how potatoes were grown and harvested at the end of the 19th century. Help the farm staff bring in the crop and dig some potatoes for yourself. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• The Monmouth County Park System will host Climb Time on Aug. 28 from noon to 3 p.m. at Freneau Woods Park, Aberdeen Township. Try the park system’s 25-foot-tall portable climbing wall. Individuals must be 42 inches or taller to climb. Open to ages 8 and up; under 18 with adult. Free. Details: 732-842-4000.
• Women of Color discussion group is an online meeting held once a month (third Tuesday at 5:30 pm) to discuss issues, coping strategies and resources relevant to women of color. Offered by the Mental Health Association in New Jersey. Upcoming meeting dates are Aug. 16, Sept. 20, Oct. 18, Nov. 22 and Dec. 20. Email [email protected] to receive a link.
• “A Gathering of Womyn of Color” is an online group that meets once a month for all LGBTQ womyn of color in the Black, Indigenous, People of Color community. The group is an open discussion of multiple topics. The group meets on the first Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. Upcoming dates are Sept. 1, Oct. 6, Nov. 3 and Dec. 1. Offered by the Mental Health Association in New Jersey, the agency’s PEWS program and the Emotional Support for Families of Color Initiative. To receive a link, email [email protected].
• New Jersey Blood Services, a division of New York Blood Center, will conduct the following blood drives: Aug. 12, Middletown United Methodist Church, 924 Middletown‑Lincroft Road, Middletown, 12:30-6:30 p.m.; Aug. 18, Congregation B’nai Israel, 171 Ridge Road, Rumson, 12:30-6:30 p.m.; Aug. 18, Brotherhood of Temple Shalom, 5 Ayrmont Lane, Aberdeen Township, 12:30-6:30 p.m.; Aug. 22, North Centerville Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1, 372 Middle Road, Hazlet, 1-7 p.m.; Aug. 23, Lincroft Bible Church, 790 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, 1-7 p.m. To donate blood or for information on how to organize a blood drive, call 1-800-933-2566. Details: www.nybloodcenter.org
• 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: 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.
• Lunch Break, Red Bank, is sponsoring its annual Back to School Drive benefiting financially insecure school children and their families who rely on the social service resource center for life’s basic necessities, including school supplies, now through Aug. 20. Those who would like to donate backpacks and school supplies (pens, pencils, loose leaf binders, loose leaf paper, erasers, pencil cases, highlighters, etc.) may do so from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, now through Aug. 12 at Pilgrim Baptist Church, 172 Shrewsbury Ave., Red Bank. Details: Marcel Quinones, 732-747-8577, ext. 3011.
• 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: 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.
• 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.