RED BANK: TRIAL BIKE LANES ASSESSED

Oct 5, 2023

Cyclists gathered at Canal Street and Hudson Avenue, above, and pedaling along East Bergen Place, at right, during the Red Bank Porchfest townwide music festival Sunday.

In addition to numerous pedestrians moving from stage to stage, the event appeared to bring out several hundred cyclists, many of whom used temporary bike lanes set up with assistance from the transportation nonprofit EZ Ride to get around town.

Earlier this week, redbankgreen did an email Q&A about the experiment with Councilwoman Nancy Facey-Blackwood, who helped coordinate the temporary lanes. Below are excerpts.

October 5, 2023 - 8:00 am |

RED BANK: PORCHFEST ROLLS AND SHINES

Oct 2, 2023

For the second year in a row, the sun shone Red Bank’s Porchfest townwide music festival Sunday.

The five-hour event, a fundraiser for the housing nonprofit HABcore, offered peripatetic audiences opportunities to hear classical music, bluegrass, hard rock and more by 90-something acts (including a spotted lanternfly) performing on 25 porches, driveways, in back yards and at least one gazebo.

Among the throngs were numerous bicyclists, taking advantage of temporary bike lanes set up for the event.

redbankgreen stopped in at all 25 venues. Here’s some of what we saw; click photos to enlarge.

October 2, 2023 - 8:56 am |

RED BANK: SKIES CLEAR, OKTOBERFEST ROCKS

Oct 1, 2023

Delayed a week by rain, and nearly drenched by more precipitation on its-rain-or-shine backup date, Red Bank Oktoberfest teemed with good cheer Saturday afternoon.

The first-time event went off just as skies cleared from a morning of rain, drawing some 2,000 attendees to sip locally made beer and liquor and enjoy food and music in Edmund Wilson Plaza, between Triumph Brewing Company and the Two River Theater. Volunteer firefighters were among the volunteers helping keep sample cups filled.

Based on the “incredible turnout,” Oktoberfest will be back in 2024, said Bob Zuckerman, executive director of organizer Red Bank RiverCenter.

Check out redbankgreen‘s photos from the event below.

October 1, 2023 - 11:25 am |

RED BANK: HISPANIC FESTIVAL RAINED OUT

Sep 30, 2023

Wet weather has forced the cancellation of today’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration in Red Bank.

From parks director Oscar Salinas:

“Mother nature is not on our side again… The weather has gotten worse, and it will not clear up on time for us to prepare. Not to mention the grass is really soggy therefore it will not be enjoyable for the community. We are unable to reschedule the event as this was our rain date. On behalf of the Borough of Red Bank and all the partnering Sponsors and Organizations, we truly apologize for this.”

Red Bank RiverCenter’s Oktoberfest, in the parking lot outside the Two River Theater on Bridge Avenue, is still on, as a rain-or-shine event from 1 to 5 p.m.

September 30, 2023 - 10:34 am |

RED BANK: YOUR GUIDE TO PORCHFEST II

Sep 29, 2023

Chamber music, metal, “stoner folk,” jazz, a bit of standup comedy and more: Red Bank’s second annual Porchfest townwide music festival promises a cornucopia of melody Sunday.

But who’s playing, when and where? Here’s a handy guide to help you plan an itinerary.

September 29, 2023 - 7:30 am |

RED BANK: SKYWATCH FOR WEEKEND EVENTS

Sep 28, 2023

Xol Azul Band, seen here playing last year’s Porchfest at the Fortune Cultural Center, is scheduled to reprise the gig Sunday, one day after a scheduled headline appearance at the Hispanic Heritage Celebration in Riverside Gardens Park. (redbankgreen photo. Click to enlarge.)

It’s eyes-on-the-sky time as four outdoor events dominate Red Bank’s dance card this weekend.

For two, it’s a matter of avoiding a second straight rainout Saturday, while the outlook is clearer, and sunnier, for two others slated for Sunday.

September 28, 2023 - 7:55 am |

RED BANK: BIKE LANES SET FOR PORCHFEST

Sep 26, 2023

Red Bank’s second annual Porchfest townwide music festival is shaping up to be bigger than the first, organizers said last week.

To encourage attendees to bike between the more two dozen “stages,” this year’s event will feature temporary bike lanes.

September 26, 2023 - 8:40 am |

RED BANK: WET FORECAST BUMPS EVENTS

Sep 22, 2023

Oktoberfest is slated to take place in Edmund Wilson Plaza, between Triumph Brewing Company and the Two River Theater. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

A forecast of rain has prompted reschedulings for two outdoor Red Bank festivals slated for the upcoming weekend.

The change means that – weather permitting – the town could have both a beer-and-spirits tasting event and a Hispanic Heritage Celebration running simultaneously the following Saturday.

September 22, 2023 - 1:43 pm |

RED BANK: OPEN-AIR OKTOBERFEST SLATED

Aug 30, 2023

The event will take place in Edmund Wilson Plaza, between Triumph Brewing Company and the Two River Theater. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

After a year without an outdoor food festival, Red Bank RiverCenter plans to debut a new one next month: Red Bank Oktoberfest.

To be held in Edmund Wilson Plaza between Triumph Brewing Company and the Two River Theater on Bridge Avenue, the September 24 event will spotlight product samples from Monmouth County breweries, wineries and distilleries.

August 30, 2023 - 8:55 am |

RED BANK: ARTS CHAMPION TOM CHESEK DIES

Jul 7, 2023

Tom Chesek in Asbury Park in 2013. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Tom Chesek, an arts-and-entertainment writer who for decades trained a spotlight on otherwise unheralded musicians, playwrights, visual artists and other creators on the Greater Red Bank Green, died at home in Asbury Park Tuesday night. He was 64 years old.

Among countless freelance gigs, he was a longtime writer for redbankgreen.

July 7, 2023 - 12:30 pm |

RED BANK: THOUSANDS ENJOY RIVER CONCERT

Jul 4, 2023

In lawn chairs, on blankets and aboard boats, thousands of music lovers flocked to Marine Park in Red Bank for the return of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra after a three-year absence Saturday night.

Were you there for the sublime concert on the Navesink? Check out redbankgreen‘s photos below to spot familiar faces, and let us know what you thought of the event, organized as in the past by downtown promotion agency Red Bank RiverCenter. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

July 4, 2023 - 11:45 am |

RED BANK: DRAG QUEENS STRUT THEIR STUFF

Jul 4, 2023

Octavia Anyae danced amid the audience at a “Drag Queen Open Mic” to conclude Pride month in Red Bank’s Riverside Gardens Park Friday night.

July 4, 2023 - 7:25 am |

RED BANK: FAMILY-FRIENDLY DRAG EVENT SET

Jun 20, 2023

The Pride flag flying at Red Bank borough hall earlier this month. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

While other locales have their knickers in a twist over LGBTQ issues, Red Bank is going all-in with a “family friendly” drag queen event in celebration of Pride month.

June 20, 2023 - 9:30 am |

RED BANK: TOUCH-A-TRUCK ROLLS SATURDAY

May 26, 2023

What is it about trucks that make kids lose their minds in delight? Find out Saturday, when the 11th annual Monmouth Day Care Center Touch-a-Truck fundraiser rolls into the parking lot of the Red Bank Middle School.

Steer your way here for details. (redbankgreen archive photos. Click to enlarge.)

May 26, 2023 - 8:16 am |

RED BANK: STREETLIFE GIGS AVAILABLE

Apr 28, 2023

It’s not quite the mainstage at the Basie, but the sidewalks of downtown Red Bank offer a platform for singers, musicians and other entertainers to share their talents in the open air this summer. More →

April 28, 2023 - 8:24 am |

RED BANK: BASIE ADDS TO FOOTPRINT

Mar 15, 2023

The Basie acquired this onetime residence in the professional office zone. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Less than two years after completing a $25 million expansion, the Count Basie Center for the Arts has added to its Red Bank real estate holdings.

But the nonprofit theater has no plans to seek an exemption from property taxes on the newly acquired site, a spokesman told redbankgreen.

March 15, 2023 - 7:30 am |

RED BANK: BOSS SHOWS UP FOR WORK

Jan 13, 2023

Bruce Springsteen arriving at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank Friday.

January 13, 2023 - 3:00 pm |

RED BANK: PARK CHRISTMAS TREE ARRIVES

Nov 14, 2022

After a short trip from Middletown, Red Bank’s annual centerpiece Christmas tree is up and ready for trimming in Riverside Gardens Park.

November 14, 2022 - 7:00 am |

RED BANK: SECRET STAR OF THE PARADE?

Nov 4, 2022

Ok, we could be dead wrong about this, but it seems to us at redbankgreen that there may be an entertainment superstar who enjoyed Red Bank’s Halloween Parade and was able to blend into the crowd in costume.

November 4, 2022 - 12:00 pm |

RED BANK: PORCHFEST ROCKS TOWN

Oct 10, 2022

Sunshine, cool weather, beach chairs, bikes and guitars… Red Bank’s first-ever Porchfest music festival “went off as flawlessly as it could” Sunday, said lone mayoral candidate Billy Portman.

The five-hour festival, which Portman organized with HABcore executive Marta Quinn as a fundraiser for the housing nonprofit, put more than 80 musical acts on 22 porches, lawns and driveways across the borough. Each drew an audience, some in the hundreds.

Traveling around to the various porches, yards and driveways, “I just watched it grow as the hours got later,” Portman told redbankgreen.

The event was nonpolitical, Portman said, though “it is completely aligned with what I hope to do more of as a mayor, and that is bring people together, and focus more on our similarities, and less on our differences.” He also hopes to make Porchfest as an annual occurrence, he said.

redbankgreen stopped in at all 22 venues. Here’s some of what we saw; click photos to enlarge.

October 10, 2022 - 10:45 am |

RED BANK: PORCHFEST TO FILL EARS & HEARTS

Oct 6, 2022

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An interactive map for the event displays the lineup of acts at each location; click on circled numbers to view. Below, Carlotta Schmidt is among the scheduled artists. (Photo from YouTube. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

It was not that long ago that Red Bank was a place of large-scale, outdoor music festivals. One needn’t be ancient to recall the sprawling, weekend-long Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Festival in Marine Park each summer, or the spring-and-fall festivals in the White Street parking lot, both of which went dark this year.

But this Sunday, live, open-air concerts come roaring back to the borough in a new, decentralized model that’s been road-tested elsewhere: Porchfest, a five-hour eargasm of 70 acts spread across town on 21 residential porches, plus 11 more acts at a previously scheduled music fest behind a dentist’s office.

October 6, 2022 - 7:30 am |

RED BANK: STOMPIN’ THRU THE WEEKEND

Sep 23, 2022

We kick off this first weekend of autumn, 2022 with the debut of ‘Stomp Your Blues Away,’ a post-pandemic paean to Red Bank by Omega Train.

“When I take my body down to old Red Bank’s downtown,” goes the song, “my pain don’t hurt me anymore.”

Well, that’s music to Red Bank’s restaurants and shops this next-to-final weekend of the Broadwalk outdoor dining plaza. Visitors will also find lots of added attractions, including a Kids’ Takeover from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Friday; StreetLife music performances Saturday night; and bands at three bars: Red Tank Brewing, Jamian’s and Triumph Brewing.

And the weather looks ideal for stomping… or maybe just strolling. Both Friday and Saturday will be warm and sunny, with early-fall temperatures in the evening, according to the National Weather Service. Sunday’s outlook isn’t look bad, either: partly sunny, with a 30-percent chance of rain after 2 p.m.

Check out the extended forecast below. More →

September 23, 2022 - 6:20 am |

RED BANK: ‘HAIR’ AUDITIONS SLATED

Jul 1, 2022

Press release from Phoenix Productions

Phoenix Productions, the community theatre company of the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, has announced auditions for its autumn production of ‘HAIR,’ to be presented at the Basie Center’s Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25.

July 1, 2022 - 10:16 am |

RED BANK: PORTMAN READY FOR MAYOR’S MIC

Jul 1, 2022

Billy Portman in a scene from the 1994 short film ‘No Time,’ directed by Darren Aronofsky. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

After his mic-drop win in the Red Bank Democratic primary last month, Billy Portman enters the general election campaign as – in all likelihood – the first mayoral candidate in borough history with an IMDB listing and a “filthy” rap record on his résumé.

It turns out the 53-year-old building contractor/cover-band singer has had a long involvement in comedy and films, too.

July 1, 2022 - 7:00 am |

RED BANK: FAMILIES PACK DRAG READING

Jun 28, 2022

With supporters standing on the porch outside, drag queen Harmonica Sunbeam, above, entertained about two dozen families who packed a children’s story time at the Red Bank Public Library Monday evening.

June 28, 2022 - 7:39 am |

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