Left to right: “Guest shucker” Lance “Chick” Cunningham joined Lusty Lobster owner Doug Douty and Kevin Guerin at the raw bar for the recent Wine and Martini Tasting Fundraiser at Salt Creek Grille. The April 6 event raised over $90,000 for the locally based nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around. (photo by Karen J. Irvine)
Press release from Salt Creek Grille
On April 6, the 14th Annual Wine and Martini Tasting Fundraiser event at raised over $90,000 in funds for 180 Turning Lives Around, a not-for-profit organization providing services to individuals and their families affected by domestic violence.
Salt Creek Grille also reached its $1 million mark in total funds raised for local charities through the annual event, which began in 2004 to celebrate what was then the Rumson restaurant’s fifth anniversary.
The artists will commandeer the historic grounds of St. George’s Church once again on Labor Day weekend, as the annual Canterbury Art Show puts out the call to members of the creative community.
Press release from St. George’s Episcopal Church
The historic St. George’s by the River Episcopal Church has announced a call to artists for its annual Canterbury Art Show…a Tapestry of the Arts, the premier local exhibition and sale of juried and non-juried artwork. The three-day event will take place Labor Day weekend, September 2-4, with the preview Meet the Artists reception held on Friday, September 1.
Each year, over 600 works by artists from all over New Jersey and beyond are on display. All proceeds from the event directly benefit St. George’s-by-the-River and its Outreach Grants to more than 30 local agencies serving the needy of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, including Lunch Break, Family Promise, HABcore, 180 Turning Lives Around and more.
Left to right: presenting the flag in preparation for the annual Salt Creek Grille wine and martini tasting benefit are Lynn Lucarelli, 180 Director of Development; Robert Fouratt, 180 Board President & Managing Partner of The Curchin Group; Cindi Westendorf, Program Cooridinator of 180’s Amanda’s Easel Creative Arts Therapy Program; Anna Diaz-White, 180 Executive Director; Robin Fitzmaurice, VP Two River Community Bank (Presenting Sponsor); Rob Habel, Beverage Manager; Steve Bidgood, Co-Owner, Salt Creek Grille and Mark Shopene, General Manager. (photos by McKay Imaging)
Press release from Salt Creek Grille
In the state of New Jersey, an act of domestic violence happens every 7.29 minutes and, alarmingly, in 31 percent of all domestic violence offenses children are involved or present.
Based in Monmouth County, 180 Turning Lives Around is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence in our community. It has served individuals and families who have been affected by domestic and sexual violence since 1976 — and on Thursday, April 6, the organization will be the beneficiary of an annual fundraising event at Rumson’s Salt Creek Grille.
Since 2004, Salt Creek Grille’s Wine and Martini Tasting Fundraiser has raised approximately $900,000 for a variety of charitable and nonprofit organizations in the local area, with the restaurant designating a different beneficiary each year. With this year’s 14th annual event, co-owner and local philanthropist Steve Bidgood’s goal is to reach the $1 million mark of funds raised for local charities.
The Global Women’s Empowerment Club at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School recently held a successful Snowflake Drive to benefit 180 Turning Lives Around. Over $400 worth of gift cards and over 400 items were donated to the Holiday Boutique run by the Monmouth County-based 180, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence in our community.
The donated items helped local families experience holiday cheer despite financial circumstances resulting from domestic violence.
Jimmy Failla (above) and Mike Gaffney (below) are among the stand-up guys fundraising for a cause Saturday at Two River Theater.
For a breed of performers who hone their craft via roast-ready insults, scatological science, interactive combat with audience hecklers, and a filter-free delivery that’d give even the Donald pause, stand-up comedians can be real sweethearts sometimes — and no more so than when they’re joining forces for a worthy cause, as with this Saturday’s Laugh Out Loud Comedy Show at Two River Theater in Red Bank.
Back for its eighth annual outing, the popular event transforms the mainstage of the Bridge Avenue arts center into a high-class Chuckle Hut for a raucous one-night stand.
On Sunday, July 24, Ode to the Moon Yoga invites the public to join them on a new journey to aid the victims of domestic violence. Beginning at 6 p.m., a one hour yoga class will be held at Renaissance Pilates, located at 8 East Front Street in Red Bank. Sponsored by Mika Yoga Wear and Booskerdoo Coffee, the donation-based session will be accompanied by the live, soulful music of vocalist Allison LaRochelle.
Ode to the Moon began 2 years ago, starting very small. The goal was simple: to invoke discussion on the topic of domestic violence and raise money to benefit the efforts of 180 Turning Lives Around, a Monmouth County-based nonprofit organization that provides shelter and resources for the survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Now, after a brief hiatus, Ode to the Moon will be going to a different studio each month this summer, leading to a big final 2016 event of the season in October (Domestic Violence Awareness Month) at the new Detour Gallery. All donations will go toward making Ode to the Moon Ode to the Moon a non-for-profit origination that breaks the silence about domestic violence through movement in yoga, visual art, and music.
Presenting its fifth anniversary edition in 2016, the annual Canterbury Art Show…a Tapestry of the Arts returns to St. George’s by the River Episcopal Church for a premier local exhibition and sale of juried and non-juried artwork.
The three-day event will take place Labor Day Weekend at the historic church property, located at 7 Lincoln Avenue in Rumson. Event dates are Friday through Sunday, September 2-4, with a preview and Meet the Artists reception on Thursday, September 1 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Hundreds of attendees and art patrons have enjoyed the Canterbury Art show since its inception in 2011. Each year, over 600 works by artists from all over New Jersey and beyond (including Fair Haven favorite Mike Quon, whose “Sailing Out to Sea” is pictured here) are featured, with 38 new artists participating for the first time this year, according to event chair Coni Lefferts. Proceeds from the sale directly benefit St. George’s-by-the-River and its outreach grants to more than 30 local agencies serving the needy of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.
The bagpipes will blow and the leprechauns will leap when the fourth annual Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade commences this Sunday afternoon.
It seems like one of those traditions that’s been a part of community life for generations, but the Rumson St. Patricks Day Parade is but a wee chiseler of just four years of age.
Still, the minty-fresh event has very quickly taken a place of prominence here on the Greater Red Bank Green as a signifier of a year-round local love affair with Celtic culture, even as those Shamrock Shakes may come and go. More →
While some people celebrated Valentine’s Day with a card, a romantic dinner, gold-foiled chocolates in a heart-shaped box or a bouquet of beautiful red roses, members of Lincroft Presbyterian Church, took the matters of love straight to the heart, and hosted two successful recent events: a February 6 Chili Cook-Off, and a February 11 Unity in Diversity Jazz Service to benefit two neighbor organizations, immediately prior to the day of love.
Caroline Pearce’s photograph “Vibes” (above) and Nora Fraser’s watercolor “Blind” (below) are among the works by students from the Red Bank Regional High School Visual and Performing Arts program, featured at the Amanda’s Easel Art Auction and charity event on February 26. During the event, hosted from 6:30 to 8 pm at the school building (101 Ridge Road in Little Silver), auctioneer Peter Costanzo will offer over 40 pieces in various media, with all proceeds dedicated to Amanda’s Easel, the art therapy program operated by the Monmouth County-based nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around. There is a suggested donation of $2 (or $1 for attendees under age 18).
Bobbie Bandiera, above, will bump Roy Orbison to pay homage to the changeable David Bowie at the Count Basie Theatre in April. (Click to enlarge.)
Press release from Count Basie Theatre
Two weeks ago, the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank announced a concert event featuring Bobby Bandiera’s Jersey Shore Rock n’ Soul Revue, and its tribute to an artist who’s long loomed as a genuine inspiration for the veteran Shore scene singer and guitarist: Roy Orbison.
Press release from Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee
The Fourth Annual Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be held on Sunday, March 13, 2016, beginning at 1 pm. The day will be complete with music, bag pipe bands, floats, marching bands from area high schools, Irish Step Dancers, classic cars, veteran groups, scouting organizations, non-profit organizations, schools, novelty acts, and area business and civic groups.
Mayor John Ekdahl and members of the borough council enthusiastically welcomed the announcement of this recently established local tradition, first organized in 2013. As she has since the event’s inception, JoAnn Pileggi of Fox 29 News Philadelphia will serve as Master of Ceremonies, and named as the 2016 Grand marshal is Jack C. Howley (pictured), president of Howley Financial Group, LLC and a founding board member and supporter of the Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee.
Deborah Harry, below, and a host of pop stars join Bobby Bandiera for two jinglebell-jam spectaculars as Hope Concert 8 commandeers the Basie for two shows Wednesday night.
Call him Bob Hope: a seasoned and savvy entertainer who’s made some formidable friends, logged many a lap around the globe, raised a flotilla of funds, and marshaled a major entertainment campaign every holiday season.
But while the original Mr. Hope famously brought his USO-show mix of radio-era comedy, go-go-booted dancers and patriotic spirit to the troops back in the day, Bobby Bandiera calls an elite troupe of all-star buddies back to the boards of Red Bank’s Count Basie Theatre each December for an operation that’s designed to do good and lift morale on the home front.
Press release from Deputy Chief Stephen Dollinger, Middletown Township Police Department
The Middletown Police Department is currently recruiting volunteers to serve on its Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT). In affiliation with 180 Turning Lives Around, and with the assistance of the response team volunteers, the Middletown Police Department continues to make available this service to victims of domestic violence during the initial stages of a highly emotional and traumatic experience.
The Monmouth County-based nonprofit 180 will be conducting an intensive 40-hour mandatory training course for DVRT volunteers on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, October 6-29. Scheduled from 6 pm-9:30 pm, the training sessions will be held at Wall Township Police Headquarters, 2700 Allaire Road. Applications are currently being accepted, with the deadline to submit an application September 25.
The artistic team of singer/songwriter Allison LaRochelle and Yoga instructor Eleonora Zampatti take their unique healing powers of music and movement on the road in the Ode to the Moon Summer Tour; a benefit for victims of domestic abuse.
Press release from Ode to the Moon Yoga
Last year, Red Bank yoga instructor Eleonora Zampatti launched Ode to the Moon (OTTM), a unique artistic brand of yoga that combined the healing powers of art, music and yoga to benefit women suffering domestic abuse. She was recently commended by the benefactor of her efforts, the non-profit organization 180 Turning Lives Around, with their Outstanding Community Partner Award.
Danielle Buccellato, the owner of OTTM’s home base Renaissance Pilates in Red Bank was also honored. Every month during the new moon, OTTM offers the healing power of yoga to its clients. All profits, including the sale of homemade clothing and jewelry at the events, benefit 180, the organization dedicated to the support of Monmouth county women suffering domestic violence.
The 2015 SOURCE Scholarship winners from Red Bank Regional High School include (left to right) Lance Vanglahn, Leidy Fabiana Villegas, and Jorge Benevides, all of Red Bank.
Press release from Red Bank Regional High School
Its mission is “to remove all obstacles that impede the success of young people in the community.” At its recent 15-year anniversary awards reception, the SOURCE program at Red Bank Regional High School celebrated many of the ways in which it has done precisely that.
SOURCE Director Suzanne Keller welcomed the many community partners, RBR students and their parents to the 15th anniversary event, stating that over $40,000 of scholarship money was awarded to RBR students through these partnerships and the fundraising efforts of the dedicated SOURCE Foundation. Ms. Keller also credited RBR’s Principal Risa Clay for having the vision in establishing The SOURCE, RBR’s School Based Youth Services Program 15 years ago.
One of the programs established by Mrs. Clay and the SOURCE five years ago was the Andrew Kroon Memorial Scholarship Award, which enables Hispanic students who have achieved academic success despite great obstacles, to attend Brookdale Community College. Two of those students, Itzel Perez and Carlos Aparicio, who took advantage of the scholarship and graduated from Brookdale College, were also celebrated. Both have distinguished themselves at Brookdale and are currently pursuing their baccalaureate degree at New Jersey City University in Jersey City. They were gratified to learn that their benefactor, The Kroon family, would be extending their support toward their continuing education.
Carlos Aparicio brought tears to the collective eyes of the audience when he told Mr. Kroon, “Like Batman or Superman, you are my childhood hero; that is what you mean to me. I benefited from this wonderful, wonderful opportunity, and thank you for making my academic journey possible.”
Michael Scherfen — whose painting “The Ruthie ‘n Junie, Belford NJ” is pictured above — was among the award winners at last year’s Canterbury Art Show in Rumson. The annual event returns to St. George’s Church in September, with a May 17 deadline for entries .
Press release from St. George’s by the River Episcopal Church
Artists in all media are being invited to submit their work for the 2015 edition of the Canterbury Art Show … a Tapestry of the Arts, a premier local exhibition and sale of juried and non-juried artwork hosted at St. George’s by the River Episcopal Church in Rumson.
The three-day event returns to the historic Lincoln Avenue church on Labor Day weekend — Friday September 4, Saturday September 5, and Sunday September 6 — with a preview Meet the Artists reception taking place on Thursday, September 3.
Artists are invited to visit the event’s website to fill out the Participation Form and register for the event. Artists may choose to submit their work for any or all of the show’s segments: the Juried Gallery, the Non-Juried Treasures, and the Non-Juried Portfolio Pieces. The 2015 registration fees and Artist Participation forms must be received no later than May 17, 2015, and participation in the Non-Juried Treasures segment is limited to the first 65 received Artist Participation forms, with payment.
Funnyman Mike Gaffney appears in a Saturday night Laugh Out Loud fundraiser at Two River Theater — while veteran Bobby Collins holds down the shtick at Count Basie’s place.
Saturday night in Red Bank’s “Theater District” finds the laughs flowing freely, with a good portion of the funny business dedicated to the serious mission of one of Monmouth County’s hardest-working nonprofits. It begins at 7:30 pm inside the lobby and main auditorium at Two River Theater (where the new play Guadalupe in the Guest Room continues in previews at the Marion Huber “black box” space), with the annual appearance of the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Show for 2015.
Co-headlined by standup circuit stalwarts Mike Gaffney (a seminfinalist on the most recent season of Last Comic Standing), Gina Brillon (Chelsea Lately, The View), Ryan Reiss and (NYC cabbie turned creative director of A-List Comedy) Jimmy Failla — in addition to other talent TBA — the fundraiser is a lighthearted public calling-card for 180 Turning Lives Around, the organization dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence in the local community and beyond. One hundred percent of proceeds go to 180 from the 8:30 pm show and the 7:30 pm reception featuring a wine and beer cash bar. Tickets ($40 per person) can be reserved via PayPal or by calling (732)264-4360.
According to Eleonora Rachele Zampatti, “All the arts are therapy to heal” — and this Sunday, January 25, the founder of the monthly Ode to the Moon yoga program joins with the Monmouth County-based nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around for an occasion designed “to celebrate the new moon in the New Year with the benefits of yoga and healing art, in a special event to aid the victims of domestic violence.”
Herself a survivor of domestic violence, Zampatti will present an afternoon of locally sourced art, live music, therapeutic yoga and healthy refreshments — all for the benefit of 180’s programs, and all of it hosted at Renaissance Pilates (8 East Front Street in Red Bank) beginning at 3 pm.
Left to right: Amanda’s Easel program coordinator Cindi Westendorf, yoga teacher Eleonora Rachele Zampatti, vocalist Allison LaRochelle and pianist Samantha La Rochelle will collaborate on a special Healing Art event on January 25 to benefit 180 Turning Lives Around.
Press release from Ode to the Moon Yoga
On Sunday, January 25, Ode to the Moon joins with the Monmouth County-based nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around in an invitation to celebrate the new moon in the New Year with the benefits of yoga and healing art, in a special event to aid the victims of domestic violence.
Hosted at Renaissance Pilates, the program begins with an art show, featuring the works of local artists as well as participants from 180’s art therapy project Amanda’s Easel, opening at 3 pm. A special one-hour yoga practice — accompanied by live acoustic music, and led by Ode to the Moon yoga teacher and founder Eleonora Rachele Zampatti — follows at 4 pm. A silent auction of the showcased art and other art items follows the yoga class, with refreshments available.
Allison LaRochelle, Middletown, and Tristan Garrity, Red Bank, perform with their Jersey Shore rock/blues group Crimson Sky. The two musicians also lend their musical abilities to aid victims of domestic violence, at a monthly yoga class.
Press release from Red Bank Regional High School
By most measures, Allison LaRochelle is a very accomplished young artist. The vocal major at Red Bank Regional High School‘s Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VPA) has studied voice from the age of seven, and has been an active part of the Count Basie’s Rockit! youth performance program since its inception. Her powerful, Janis-Joplinesque voice has prompted such descriptions as “a mature woman trapped inside a teenager’s body.”
The Middletown senior is also the lead singer and co-songwriter for her locally based band, Crimson Sky. The rock/blues band has recently made it to the final round in the Stone Pony’s Rock-to-the-Top Contest, with the final competition occurring in January of this year.
She is also an excellent student, having earned entrance into the National Music, English and National Honor Societies. The member of RBR’s Chamber Choir recently joined the Harp ensemble, and has also been selected to the prestigious All Shore Choir.
Even with all that on her plate, one of the most rewarding gigs Allison LaRochelle has ever undertaken came about unexpectedly, when she attended a yoga class conducted by Eleonora Zampatti — a unique class known as Ode to the Moon, developedto bring awareness to the often-taboo topic of domestic violence, with class donations benefiting the Monmouth County-based nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around.
Press release from Middletown Township Police Department
The Middletown Township Police Department is currently recruiting volunteers to serve on the Middletown Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT). In affiliation with the locally based nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around, and with the assistance of the response team volunteers, MPD continues to make available this service to victims of domestic violence during the initial stages of a highly emotional and traumatic experience.
180 will be conducting an intensive 40-hour mandatory training course for Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) volunteers on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, from Tuesday, October 14 through Thursday, November 6. All training sessions are scheduled from 6 to 9pm, and will be held at Wall Township Municipal Complex, 2700 Allaire Road. Applications are currently being accepted.
Author Julia Alvarez is among the special guests taking part in the slate of events for The Big Read 2014, beginning this Monday and centered around her novel IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES. Inset: art by Carlos Frias.
The setting is specific: the Dominican Republic, during the time of the brutal dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo. The themes, however, are universal — freedom, equality, human rights.
Inspired by the 1960 murders of the three Mirabal sisters, and marking the 20th anniversary of its original publication this year, the novel In the Time of the Butterflies becomes the centerpiece of the second annual Big Read campaign at locations in and around the Lincroft campus of Brookdale Community College.
Beginning on Monday, October 6 (and “keynoted” with a late-innings appearance by the novel’s author Julia Alvarez), The Big Read 2014 is organized by The Center for Holocaust, Human Rights & Genocide Education (Chhange) at BCC, in partnership with the National Endowment of the Arts and its “initiative to revitalize the role of reading in American popular culture and inspire all citizens, young and old, to participate,” in the words of Chhange Coordinator Deborah Degnan.
SUNFLOWER NEST by Avery Brighton was among the prize-winning works displayed at last year’s Canterbury Art Show…A Tapestry of the Arts. The three-day festival returns on Labor Day weekend to St. George’s by the River in Rumson.
Returning to St. George’s by the River Episcopal Church in Rumson for the third consecutive year, the annual Canterbury Art Show…a Tapestry of the Arts event moves to Labor Day weekend for the 2014 edition of the local exhibition and sale of juried and non-juried artwork.
Hundreds of attendees have enjoyed the Canterbury Art Show, at which more than 600 works by artists from all over New Jersey and beyond are displayed and sold. Event times for this year’s show are Friday, August 29 from 11am to 6 pm; Saturday, August 30 from 10 am to 6 pm, and Sunday, August 31 from 12pm to 4pm. A special Meet the Artists reception will be held Friday evening from 7 pm to 9 pm. All proceeds from the Art Show directly benefit St. George’s-by-the-River and its Outreach Grants to more than 30 local agencies serving the needy of Monmouth and Ocean counties, including Lunch Break, Family Promise, HABcore, 180 Turning Lives Around, and more.
Above: Standup guy Kyle Grooms is among the headliners taking part in Saturday’s annual Laugh Out Loud Comedy Show fundraiser for 180 Turning Lives Around. Below, it’s a triple-header of Jim Gaffigan shows at the Count Basie.
A quadruple-whammy forecast of snow, ice, epic low temps and, uh, snow can put a klondike kibosh on the best-laid plans for the holiday-hangover weekend. But those willing to boldly go beyond home and hearth will find some entertaining people who aim to make it worth the trip or slip. All served up with a smile and a laugh — and all, we feel compelled to add, subject to schedule changes.
Friday, January 3:
RED BANK: The chilly autumn landscapes of Nebraska and other Plains locales might appear downright tropical when you’re coming into Red Bank Bow Tie Cinemas from the Navesink riverside cold. But if you’re looking to defrost your extremities by the glow of a heartwarming father-son bonding scenario, you’ll need to do the hard miles with Alexander Payne’s comedy-drama road trip, through the kind of quirky relationship dynamics that the writer-director mastered in Sideways and The Descendants. 1960s Hollywood rebel Bruce Dern has his best role in decades as a drinky, distant deadfish of a dad who’s convinced that a direct-mail sweepstakes prize awaits him in Lincoln, NE — and he’s fortified by a strong cast that includes Will (SNL) Forte, Bob (Breaking Bad) Odenkirk and fellow codger contrarian Stacy Keach. At times broadly silly and bracingly sad, Nebraska nurtures a warm ember of humanity at its heart — and it’s playing on White Street with Inside Llewyn Davis, the Coen Brothers’ seriocomic sojourn of an ambitious folkie adrift in the crashpads and coffeehouses of Camelot-era America. Take it here for showtimes throughout the weekend.
Left to right: “Guest shucker” Lance “Chick” Cunningham joined Lusty Lobster owner Doug Douty and Kevin Guerin at the raw bar for the recent Wine and Martini Tasting Fundraiser at Salt Creek Grille. The April 6 event raised over $90,000 for the locally based nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around. (photo by Karen J. Irvine)
