• The Italian American Cultural Society of New Jersey will host a dinner meeting on Nov. 9 at Christie’s Italian Seafood Grill, Howell. The restaurant is BYOB. The cost is $35 per person for society members and $45 for non-members. Cash is preferred, no credit cards. To reserve seating, call Allan Deseno at 732-780-8461 or Richard Favara at 732-861-9465. For more information, visit www.italianamericansnj.com
• The Monmouth Ski Club will meet at 8 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Wild Rover, 153 Shrewsbury Ave, Red Bank. New members are welcome. Trips and activities are planned throughout the year. Details: www.monmouthskiclub.com
• Spooky rides on the Pine Creek Railroad Haunted Halloween Express are offered every half hour between 7:30-9:30 p.m. Oct. 27-28 at Allaire State Park, 4265 Atlantic Ave., Wall Township. Tickets are $7.50 and are available the night of the event. Train rides are weather-dependent. Call 732-938-5524 to confirm the train schedule, or for more information.
• Brookdale Community College will hold its annual fall open house on Nov. 5 at noon in the Collins Arena, 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft. High school students, career-changers and residents of all ages are invited to meet with Brookdale staff, ask questions and explore more than 50 degree and career training programs offered through the college. Details: www.brookdalecc.edu/openhouse
• From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 11, the Monmouth County Park System will host its fall craft show at the Fort Monmouth Recreation Center, Tinton Falls. This seasonal craft show will feature more than 50 local artists and crafters and their work. Details: www.MonmouthCountyParks.com or 732-842-4000.
• Vendors are being sought for a craft fair (crafts and holiday items) that will be held at the Freehold Township Senior Center, 116 Jackson Mills Road, Freehold Township, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 4. A table is $15. Details: 732-294-2029.
• The Heart of New Jersey Chorus, a chapter of Sweet Adelines International, will present “Fall Into Harmony” at 2 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Millstone Township Primary School, 18 Schoolhouse Road, Millstone Township. Special guest Just 4 (Kicks) quartet will also perform. General admission, $15; seniors (over 62) and students, $12; Children under 12, free. For tickets, call 732-527-3343.
• Rick Radis will present “Return of the Raven” at the 8 p.m. Nov. 8 meeting of the Monmouth County Audubon Society at the Knights of Columbus hall, 200 Fair Haven Road, Fair Haven. The public is welcome; admission is free. Radis will cover the historic status of the common raven in eastern North America from the late 1880s, its return in the 1990s, and its present status as a nesting species in many areas of New Jersey and the eastern states. Details: http://www.monmouthaudubon.org
• A program about “Ghosts I’ve Come to Know” will be presented by an investigator of ghosts and hauntings at the Jackson Library from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 1. The program is for adults and it is free. Register by calling 732-928-4400.
• Jackson’s annual Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony sponsored by Bat Shalom Hadassah will be held from 4-5:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Jackson municipal building, 95 West Veterans Highway. The community is invited to attend the event.
• Monmouth County has a backyard composting session scheduled at Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown, on Nov. 18. The free 45-minute sessions begin at 10 a.m. and will explain the how to’s of reducing yard and household waste and improving soil. Advance registration is required. To reserve a seat, call 732-683-8686, ext. 6721.
• The Friends of the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center will host a 5K race and family fun run/walk, “Stomp Out Child Abuse,” at 9 a.m. Oct. 29 at Thompson Park, Preston Grove Pavilion, Route 520 (Newman Springs Road), Lincroft. Registration begins at 8 a.m. All ages, children included, are invited to participate. All proceeds will help the Friends support the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center. To register, visit www.friendsofmccac.org
• The Autism MVP Walk, a day of family fun with activities for children, a 2-mile walk along a boardwalk and a post-event celebration, will be hosted by the Autism MVP Foundation on Nov. 5. Register at Leggett’s Sand Bar, 217 1st Avenue, Manasquan, at 9:30 a.m. Walk begins at 11 a.m. The post-event celebration starts at noon. Purchase tickets in advance at http://www.autismmvp.org/news-and-events.html or on-site. Cost is $30 for adults; $20 for students; and $10 for children 12 and under. Details: www.autismmvp.org
• Genealogist James Beidler will present “Contrasting German Migrations” at the 1:30 p.m. Nov. 12 meeting of the Monmouth County Genealogy Society at the Community Center, 72 Broad St., Eatontown. Beidler will discuss the two major waves of German migration to the United States. The program is free and the public is welcome. Details: 732-747-0090.
• Experience the gentle art of “forgiveness” and empathy through guided meditation exercises at the Jackson Library from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Nov. 30. The class is open to adult novice and skilled practitioners. Comfortable clothes required. Seating is limited. Register by calling 732-928-4400.
• “Coming to America: A Refugee’s Story” will be presented by author, poet and Iraqi refugee Faleeha Hassan from 2-3 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Jackson Library. The free program is for adults. Register by calling 732-928-4400.
• Jackson VFW Post 4703 Auxiliary will host a personalized holiday paint party on Nov. 5. The party will include lunch, dessert, beverages, paint supplies and instructions on how to paint a personalized snowman picture. The cost is $40 and all proceeds will benefit local veterans and their families. Contact Kathy at 732-674-5175 or email KathyC778@aol.com to reserve a place.
• The Jackson Rotary Club will sponsor a Christmas show bus trip to the Tropicana Casino, Atlantic City, on Dec. 11. The cost of $65 includes bus, beverages on bus, Christmas show ticket, dinner buffet, $15 in slot play and gratuity for the driver. Bus will leave Jackson at 10:30 a.m. and return at 7:45 p.m. All proceeds from the trip will go to the club’s charities. To make a reservation, call Tom Barchie, 732-207-4029 or 732-849-6309.
• Residents of all communities are welcome to attend a monthly all you can eat breakfast sponsored by Sons of American Legion Post 455, 2 Meadowbrook Lane, New Egypt, and held on the first Sunday of every month from 7-11 a.m. The cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children (under 3 free). Breakfast features eggs, omelette station, pancakes, French toast, sausage, bacon, pork roll, potatoes, coffee, tea, juice.
• Meditation with Visualization: An Intermediate Practice for adults will take place from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Jackson Library. Meditation practitioner Shazia Zaman will share tips and techniques on visualizing during meditation. Wear comfortable clothing and socks. Seating is limited. The program is free and advance registration is required (registration begins Sept. 25). Call 732-928-4400 to register.
• The Heart of New Jersey Chorus is seeking new members who love to sing and perform. Interested individuals are invited to attend a rehearsal. The chorus rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Details: 732-446-9782.
• The Jackson Library’s knitting group, Knit-Chat-Chain, is seeking donations of yarn and wool. The members of the group create sweaters, hats, scarves and blankets to donate to charity. Yarn donations may be brought to the Circulation Desk during library hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Details: 732-928-4400.
• New Jersey Blood Services is in need of volunteers to work blood drives in Ocean and Monmouth counties. Tasks include assisting donors with registration, watching donors for post-donation reactions and responding to their needs. Details: Jan Zepka, 732-616-8741.
Items for the Datebook may be sent to gmntnews@newspapermediagroup.com. Please submit items at least two weeks prior to a scheduled event.
