Editor’s note: In light of recent events related to coronavirus, some organizations have decided to cancel their upcoming programs. Please check the status of any event before attending.
Raritan Valley YMCA is encouraging residents to #StayWithUs during this time, in particular by visiting the Y’s Facebook page for virtual events, programs and classes.
Adult programs include group fitness classes provided by Y360, Les Mills and from Y instructors. Programs and classes will be updated on a week-to-week basis. The ZOOM app is required; email lramos@raritanvalleyymca.org for log-in details.
The Facebook page also features live story time and creative arts with Ms. Preeti and Ms. Brenda.
Details Camp Yomeca day camp are available on the website. Online registration is open.
For more information, visit raritanvalleyymca.org.
Children who will be five years of age on or before Oct. 31, 2020, are eligible for the East Brunswick Public School full-day kindergarten program for the 2020-21 school year.
Registration is by appointment only. Visit www.ebnet.org/register to schedule an appointment.
All required forms and additional information can be found on the website.
Registration ends April 30.
The New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning and PNC Bank are inviting New Jersey students in grades 2-12 to take part in the 17th annual PNC Bank “American Patriot Essay Contest” by writing a short essay on the topic “What the American Flag Means to Me.”
The Grand Prize winner will receive the opportunity to take a ride in a 75-foot-tall hot air balloon in front of their classmates at their school in June and then fly in one of the 100 hot air balloons at this year’s 38th annual balloon fest, scheduled for July 24-26 at Solberg Airport in Readington.
The Festival VIP Grand Prize package includes a hot air balloon ride for two, four Blue Sky Club VIP tickets, and the opportunity to meet one of this year’s concert headliners.
This year’s winning student’s immediate classmates will each receive one complimentary general admission ticket to the Festival. Second-place and third-place prizes consisting of festival admission and merchandise will be also awarded. The winning student’s teacher and school principal will each receive two Blue Sky Club VIP tickets.
All teachers in the state who submit a group of 15 essays or more on behalf of their students will receive two free general admission tickets to the festival regardless of whether one of their students submits the winning essay.
The essays must be 100 words or less. They will be judged by a panel of representatives from PNC Bank and the balloon festival. Winning essays will be selected based on creativity, poignancy and clarity with consideration given to the grade level of the contestant.
Entries should be mailed to Essay Judges, New Jersey Lottery Festival of Ballooning, 363 Route 46 West, Suite 200, Fairfield 07004; or emailed to pncessay@balloonfestival.com. Entries should include the student’s name, grade and age; the school name, address and telephone number; and the name of their teacher and the teacher’s school email address.
The deadline to enter is May 1.
Additional information may be found at www.balloonfestival.com/pncessay.
The Spotswood Police Department is accepting applications for the 2020 Junior Police Academy, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. July 13-17 at Spotswood High School, 105 Summerhill Road, Spotswood.
The academy is open to students entering sixth through 12th grades.
Applications can be picked up at Spotswood police headquarters, 77 Summerhill Road, Spotswood. Deadline to apply is June 29.
For more information, contact Detective Sgt. Edward Schapley at 732-416-1861 or eschapley@spotswoodboro.com.
East Brunswick has been named a Tree City U.S.A. for 2020, the 42nd time the city has received this national recognition from The National Arbor Day Foundation.
Tree City U.S.A. communities receive a flag with the program’s logo, a walnut-mounted plaque, Tree City U.S.A. community signs and maple leaf stickers. The recognition materials will be presented to Mayor Brad Cohen at 1:30 p.m. on May 1 at Irwin Elementary School, 72 Racetrack Road, East Brunswick.
Students and faculty at Irwin will provide entertainment. Roughly 500 seedlings will be distributed along with planting instructions, donated by Stop & Shop of East Brunswick and the East Brunswick Shade Tree Department. A poster contest with a chosen winner from each grade will take place. The East Brunswick Woman’s Club will donate a magnolia tree to be planted at the school.
One in 8 Middlesex County residents are food insecure – meaning they don’t have reliable, affordable access to nutritious foods and necessities.
The holidays are over but the need for food donations has not ended. MCFOODS (Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services) is running low on items such as macaroni and cheese, rice, spaghetti, peanut butter, tuna fish, canned fruits and vegetables.
Consider hosting a food drive with your business, school, civic group or athletic team. MCFOODS can provide containers and transportation of items back to the warehouse. A flyer is attached that can be used or personalized to promote a collection.
Individual donations can be dropped off at the libraries in East Brunswick, Edison, Metuchen, Monroe, Piscataway, Plainsboro and Woodbridge.
MCFOODS is also in need of volunteers to help at the warehouse, offer professional expertise, assist at local events and host a food drive.
For more information, contact Jennifer Apostol, MCFOODS director, by calling 609-409-5033, emailing ja@mciauth.com or visiting www.mciauth.com.
Any Soprano, Alto, Tenor or Bass who would like to join the Monroe Township Chorus can attend rehearsals from 9-11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays at the Monroe Township Senior Center, 12 Halsey Reed Road, Monroe.
For more information, call Director Sheila Werfel at 609-619-3229.
Monroe Township Jewish War Veterans Post 609 is collecting United States and foreign stamps, both on and off envelopes.
Stamps are used by veterans as hobbies and as therapy to support medical staff at VA Medical Centers nationwide.
Stamps are not traded or sold; they are forwarded to veteran patients at no charge.
Also requested are DVDs suitable for veterans at those locations.
Send all items to JWV Post 609, c/o Charles Koppelman, 6 Yarmouth Dr., Monroe 08831-4742.
East Brunswick residents and those who work in town can rent a plot at the Community Garden, located adjacent to the Municipal Complex on Rues Lane.
The garden has 10-foot by 10-foot plots available to new gardeners on a first-come, first-served basis for $45 for the first season.
All gardeners are required to put in four hours of community garden service each year by working with a committee and participating in work days, or paying $40 in lieu of service. Gardeners can select from a list of committees found on the registration form.
For more information, visit ebcommunitygarden.weebly.com or email ebcgarden@gmail.com.
Playhouse 22 will present “Camelot” June 12-28. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays.
Tickets for the main stage are $22 for adults or $20 for seniors and students.
Playhouse 22 is located at the Community Arts Center, 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.
For tickets, visit www.playhouse22.org.
The Redhawk Native American Arts Council will hold its annual Raritan Pow Wow from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 20 and 21, rain or shine, at the Middlesex County Fairgrounds, 655 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.
There will be Native American dancers, singers, artists, vendors, crafts, performing groups and food.
Grand entry of dancers is at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. both days.
The cost is $12 for adults and teens, $8 for children ages 6-12, $10 for seniors age 65 and older, $10 for students, and $35 online only for family four-packs.
Parking is free.
Bring lawn chairs. Leashed pets welcome.
For more information, visit www.redhawkcouncil.org. For tickets, visit raritanpw2020.eventbrite.com.
The East Brunswick Domestic Response Team is seeking volunteers.
Citizens are trained to respond to local police departments on an on-call basis to provide support and information to victims of domestic abuse.
For more information, email domesticviolence@ebpd.net.
Jewish Family Services of Middlesex County will hold its One Community Gala for 2020 at 5 p.m. on June 14 at Classical Caterers at Congregation B’Nai Tikvah, 1001 Finnegans Lane, North Brunswick.
Dinner, dancing and auction.
Honorees include community leaders David and Ellen Rabinowitz, BCB Bank and Vincent Davis, and Bill Neary.
Sponsorship opportunities and journal ads are available.
For more information, email JeanieJ@jfsmiddlesex.org or JudyC@jfsmiddlesex.org, or call 732-777-1940.
The Korean War/Defense Veterans Association Central Jersey Chapter No. 148 extends an invitation to any veterans, regardless of branch of service, who served during the war from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953, in any location, including Europe, or who have served in Korea from July 27, 1953, through the present.
The group meets at 10 a.m. the second Wednesday of every month —except January through April — at the Monroe Township Municipal Building, 1 Municipal Plaza.
Membership dues are $25 to the Korean War Veterans Association and $10 chapter fee per year.
The chapter is involved in various functions during the year, including parades, flag raisings, visiting the Korean War Memorial in Atlantic City, etc.
For more information, contact Charles Koppelman at 609-655-3111 or kwvanj@yahoo.com.
The fourth annual Celebrate Middlesex County event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 13 at Roosevelt Park, Parsonage Road, Edison.
Enjoy roller skating, a fishing derby, live music, entertainment, food trucks and hands-on activities.
For more information, visit middlesexcountynj.gov/celebrate.
