28°F overcast clouds

RUMSON: NOURISH THE THOUGHT

Co-authors and nutritionists Wendy Bright-Fallon and Debbie Peterson visit Oceanic Library Saturday to promote a newly published edition of their popular cookbook, ‘Nourish.’

As longtime friends and collaborators, Debbie Peterson and Wendy Bright-Fallon could claim a few things in common. For one, they each married a local dentist — Debbie to Doug Peteron, of Little Silver Dental Care; Wendy to Red Bank-based cosmetic dental specialist Dana Fallon. They’ve forged professional partnerships with makers of progressive and socially conscious bodycare products. They enjoy a range of hobbies that include reading, sailing, tennis, knitting, gardening and the care of numerous furry family members.

More →

RUMSON: A FIVE-ALARM CHILI COOK-OFF

vic rallo 032816 2Staff from Vic Rallo’s Surf BBQ will be the judges for a Traditional Chili Cook-Off, hosted at the Rumson Fire Station on Saturday, October 22.

Purveyors of the most celebrated chili recipes often use the image of a firehouse (or a multi-alarm blaze) as a selling point for their customized take on the spicy South-of-the-Border stew — so it’s only appropriate that when the Oceanic Free Library hosts its latest benefit event on October 22, it will be a Traditional Chili Cook-Off that takes place inside the nearby Rumson Fire Station at 140 East River Road.

The public is invited to stop in at the station between the hours of 3 to 6 p.m., for a sampling of homemade chili recipes, prepared and presented by as many as 30 local contestants — all of them vying for prizes (and borough-wide bragging rights) in a hot ‘n heavy competition that promises to hit the spot for a great local cause.

More →

ON THE GREEN: BORN TO MAKE A BOOK RUN

artie-bennettChildren’s author Artie Bennett (above) brings his tales of butts and burps to Oceanic Library next week…while Hester Young (below; photo by Francine Daveta) brings her thriller THE GATES OF EVANGELINE to River Road Books on Thursday, September 22.

hester-young-francine-davetaOne has carved out a niche career by explaining various bodily functions to beginning readers. The other aims to scare it all out of you, via her debut novel in the Southern Gothic Thriller vein. In the run-up to the release of Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography “Born to Run” (and his golden-ticket appearance at the Freehold Barnes & Noble), a couple of very different authors are speaking, selling and signing copies of their works at two favorite haunts for bibliophiles.

Her debut novel, “The Gates of Evangeline” is being called a “spooky tale perfect for longer fall nights” — and even as she prepares to release a sequel in autumn 2016, Hester Young makes time to visit Fair Haven’s River Road Books on Thursday evening, September 22. It’s there that the Boston-born, Jersey-based teacher/ mother/ author will read from “Gates,” the first in a planned trilogy of tales starring one Charlotte “Charlie” Cates, a reporter (and bereaved parent) whose investigation into a cold-case mystery in Louisiana is spurred by her recurring dreams of children in danger. There’s no charge to attend Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. event, but seating and signing copies of “The Gates of Evangeline” can be reserved by calling River Road Books at (732) 747-9455.

More →

RUMSON: SPOTLIGHT ON THE NAVESINK RIVER

Tyler Lubin Noah Tucker 062816Rumson-Fair Haven Regional students Tyler Lubin, left, and Noah Tucker will present their research at a public discussion of Navesink River pollution, hosted at Oceanic Library on September 22. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

The state of the Navesink River — a centerpiece of local life here on the greater Red Bank Green, and the subject of numerous news stories here in 2016 — will be the topic on the evening of Thursday, September 22, when Rumson’s Oceanic Free Library hosts a public-invited panel discussion and Q&A session on the recent environmental issues affecting the waterway.

As reported here and in numerous other recent stories on redbankgreen, unacceptably high levels of bacterial pollution prompted the state’s Department of Environmental Protection to issue a ban on the harvesting of shellfish from a significant area of the river — and spurred inquiries that included a public meeting presented by Clean Ocean Action (COA), a special conference of local mayors, and even an effort to employ canine helpers in determining sources of contamination.

The situation also commanded the attention of a couple of juniors at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School — and next Thursday at 6:30 p.m., Tyler Lubin and Noah Tucker will be sharing the research that they’ve assembled over the course of the summer, during the third and latest in a series of free community forums at the library.

More →

SHREWSBURY: A MARE IN THE SURF

mareheadshotThe multi-dimensional works of Mare Akana are on display at the county library’s Eastern Branch, starting with a meet-the-artist reception on Thursday evening.

Depending on where and when you might have made her acquaintance, you’d recognize Mare Akana as, variously, a painter, a sculptor, a wearble-art or ceramics artisan. Perhaps as a card-carrying stage, screen and voice actor — a founding member of New Jersey Repertory Company, an occasional choreographer, a trained hula dancer in her Honolulu hometown. Given that the Long Branch resident is equally adept at canoeing and equestrian pursuits, you might say that her bailiwick is both the surf and the turf — and all this month at the Monmouth County Library Eastern Branch, the artist is the focus of a solo exhibit that could only be called “Surf and Turf.”

On view right now during regular library hours, the exhibit encompasses textured abstract paintings that evoke the bright colors and shapes of the Pacific Rim (“I crave those colors the way another person would seek out comfort food”); sculpted figures of life forms “from the sea or from other worlds;” hand-formed ceramics (often incorporating equine imagery), and sculptural jewelry items in clay and silver. There’s a lot of the artist on display already, and this Thursday evening, Akana herself will be there in person — as will “Laughing Pony” — for an opening reception meet-and-greet.

More →