Community Bulletin Board

Spotswood Library offers e-mail newsletter

The Spotswood Public Library, 548 Main St., is participating in a new project that allows library patrons to receive customized newsletters on selected reading topics.

The service, titled “NextReads,” allows library Web site visitors and patrons to subscribe to any of 20 different subject and genre newsletters. Subscribers may sign on for up to five lists on subject selections ranging from armchair travel to historical fiction, biography and memoir to nature and science.

Subject lists are sent on a monthly, bimonthly or quarterly basis and include up to 15 titles. Subscribers may link directly to the library catalog from books of interest on the lists and may place a hold on or request a title immediately on the library’s Web page, www.spotswoodboro.com/library.html.

NextReads is a project of the Central Jersey Regional Cooperative and Infolink, the eastern New Jersey regional library cooperative. Spotswood is one of 20 libraries in the Infolink service area to implement the venture.

For more information, call the library at (732) 251-1515.

To sign up for the e-mail newsletters, log on to www.spotswood-boro.com/library.html.

Senior Chai meeting to feature singer, lunch

The next meeting of Senior Chai, a program of Jewish Family and Vocational Service (JFVS) of Southern Middlesex County, will be held from 1-2:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 at the Jewish Congregation of Concordia, 20 Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe.

The event will feature singer Joel Shartoff’s renditions of Frank Sinatra songs. Lunch will be served.

Donation is $5, in advance. Registration is required. Transportation is available upon request. The public is invited.

For more information, call Jennifer at (609) 395-7979.

E. Brunswick employment expo slated for Dec. 29

East Brunswick Division of Recreation will hold a “Summer ‘07 Employment Expo” Dec. 29 from 6-8 p.m. for applicants age 16 or older (by June 1).

The event will be at East Brunswick Senior Center, 3 Jean Walling Civic Center. Applications and interviews will be available for site directors, arts and crafts and games/activities specialists and counselors for half-day and full-day positions with children in grades pre-K through nine. Information and applications will also be available for children’s theater staff. Interested applicants should bring two original documents such as a driver’s license, passport, Social Security card, photo school ID or report card.

For more information, call (732) 390-6804.

Rabbi’s book reviews on tap at Beth Ohr

Rabbi Eugene Wernick will offer book reviews on the last Friday of every month following Shabbat services at Congregation Beth Ohr, Route 516, Old Bridge.

The first review will take place on Jan. 26. Topic will be “Born To Kvetch” by Michael Wex. Coffee and cake will be served. For more information, call the synagogue office at (732) 257-1523.

Boating classes offered by Auxiliary 2-1

Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 2-1, 167 Main St., Sayreville, will offer “America’s Boating Course” Jan. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

A new New Jersey state law states all individuals will need to take a safe boating course, and upon completion and a satisfactory passing grade on the test, students will receive a New Jersey State Boating Safety Certificate. Cost is $55 which includes the textbook. “How to Use a GPS and Navigation Chart” will be held Jan. 22, 24, 29 and 31 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The class teaches how to use a GPS on a boat as well as how to read a navigation chart and use it with the GPS. Cost is $45

For information and to register, call (732) 979-1496.

Hospital will offer

caregivers support group

Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge division, will sponsor a caregivers support group meeting from 6:30-8 p.m. on Jan. 8 in Auxiliary Hall C, lower level of the Medical Arts Building, adjacent to the hospital, Ferry Road between routes 9 and 18. Caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia are invited to attend. Refreshments will be served. Call (732) 324-4930 to register or for more information.

Children’s theater seeks

directors’ submissions

Villagers Theatre is accepting submissions from directors for its 2007-08 KidsVill Series to be produced in the Zaidi Black Box Theatre at the Villagers complex, DeMott Lane, Somerset section of Franklin. The KidsVill Series strives to bring entertainment to children of all ages.

Directors are asked to submit scripts, along with their availability for September 2007-July 2008. Plays should be no more than an hour in length and should require more imagination than elaborate sets.

Deadline for submissions is Dec. 29. Material should be sent to The Villagers Theatre, Attn: Tina Lee, P.O. Box 6175, Somerset, NJ 08875-6175 or e-mailed to Tina@villagerstheatre.com.

New Year’s Day bingo

in Old Bridge Jan. 1

St. Thomas the Apostle Home School Association (HSA) will sponsor New Year’s Day bingo Jan. 1 at the school at 338 Route 18, Old Bridge.

Doors open at 3 p.m., and bingo begins at 5 p.m. The event is open to individuals age 18 and older, and food and beverages will be available. All games are played on paper, and attendees should bring dabbers.

Rabbi’s book reviews

on tap at Beth Ohr

Rabbi Eugene Wernick will offer book reviews on the last Friday of every month following Shabbat services at Congregation Beth Ohr, Route 516, Old Bridge.

The first review will take place on Jan. 26. Topic will be “Born To Kvetch” by Michael Wex. Coffee and cake will be served.

For more information, call the synagogue office at (732) 257-1523.

Library to institute new evening hours, programs

As of Jan. 2, the East Brunswick Public Library, Jean Walling Civic Center, will keep its doors open until 9 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, in addition to Mondays-Thursdays. Library hours now will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 1-9 p.m. on Sundays.

The schedule enhancement comes on the heels of other recent service improvements, including e-mail notifications, Wi-Fi hotspot status and streamlined checkout for both books and media items.

The library, which will celebrate its 40th birthday in May, also is enlarging its roster of programs in the new year. New programs for adults will include scrapbooking, knitting, flower design, decorative painting, reading tea leaves, a Big-Band Night, a concert by classical harpist Barbara Ann Biggers and additional film series. There also will be family game nights, Chinese New Year festivities, more evening storytimes, a demonstration by a yo-yo world champion and an expanded cram session for teens gearing up for midterm exams.

In addition, information on the opening of a library cafe will soon be available. For more information, call (732) 390-6761.

Tickets on sale for DECA Tricky Tray

Spotswood High School DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) will sponsor “Make It Your Lucky Day at DECA’s Tricky Tray” beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the high school, Summerhill Road. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Snow date will be

Feb. 2.

Tickets cost $5 in advance, $7 at the door. Tickets are limited.

Participants must be 18 years of age. Alcohol will not be permitted. Free childcare will be available. To reserve an admission ticket, call (732) 723-2278.

Reservations due Jan. 5 for B’nai Brith dinner

The B’nai Brith Ketubah married couples unit will meet for dinner Jan. 7 at 5:30 p.m. at The Pine Tavern, Route 34 and Cottrell Road, Old Bridge. Cost is the price of the individual’s meal. Prospective members are welcome to come.

Reservations are required by Jan. 5 and may be made by calling Barbara at (732) 264-6604.

Hospital to sponsor HIV group meetings

The Raritan Bay Medical Center Immunology and Infectious Diseases Department will sponsor HIV support group meetings on Jan. 8, 15, 22 and 29 at the hospital’s Perth Amboy division, 530 New Brunswick Ave.

Individuals coping with or affected by HIV are welcome to attend. Registration is required. For time, exact location and to register, call (732) 324-5082.

Genealogy group slates Jan. 2 meeting

The Jewish Historical Society of Central Jersey will hold its monthly Genealogy Group meeting at 7 p.m. on Jan. 2 at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, 222 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick.

The meeting will feature a hands-on, people-finding laboratory session. Participants may bring any problems they have encountered in locating people (United States only, please), and group members will try to offer assistance.

Admission is free of charge. The public is welcome.

For more information, call (732) 249-4894.

have encountered in locating people (United States only, please), and group members will try to offer assistance.

Admission is free of charge. The public is welcome.

For more information, call (732) 249-4894.

Monroe Twp. Library announces closings

Monroe Township Library, 4 Municipal Plaza, has announced it will be closed Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 in observance of New Year’s Day. The library will also be closed Jan. 15 in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

For more information, call the library at (732) 521-5000.

Genocide in Darfur

to be discussed on Jan. 7

Temple B’nai Shalom, Fern and Old Stage roads, East Brunswick, will host a lecture and DVD presentation on the genocide in Darfur at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 7.

The session, which will cover the history of the genocide, the current situation and the response of the international community, is designed to educate the public, raise awareness and provide information so individuals can take action.

The event is sponsored by the Committee on Conscience-New Jersey.

For more information, e-mail CoC-NJ@comcast.net or call (732) 613-7263.

E.B. salon will host

Locks of Love event

A Locks of Love hair-donation event will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Dec. 23 at Creations Hair Design Studio, 469 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick.

Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss due to any diagnosis.

Hair must be clean and dry and a minimum of 10 inches long for the Dec. 23 event. Creations will cut the hair and mail it to Locks of Love at no charge. If a wash/cut/style is requested, a fee of $20 will be charged to offset salon costs, and Locks of Love will receive 50 percent of the donation.

Appointments are required. Space is limited. There will be a prize for the longest ponytail.

For more information and to make an appointment, call (732) 238-4488. Tickets available Jan. 2

for library puppetry fest

Two professional puppetry shows and a “Build-Your-Own-Puppet” workshop are planned for The East Brunswick Friends of the Library’s eighth annual Phyllis Noar Puppetry Festival set for Feb. 11 and 25 at the East Brunswick Library, Jean Walling Civic Center. Tickets for all events will go on sale beginning Jan. 2.

Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theatre will offer comical “Trickster Tales” at 2 p.m. on Feb. 11 for children ages 3 and up. Hobey Ford’s Golden Rod Puppets will present “Animalia,” a look at the animal kingdom for ages 4 and up, at 2 p.m. on Feb. 25. Tickets cost $2 for each puppet show and may be purchased at the library circulation desk or by mail.

Ticket buyers will be asked to fill out an order form available at the circulation desk, in the library’s December/January library newsletter, and at www.ebpl.org.

In addition, Tuckers’ Tales will conduct a puppet-making workshop for ages 5 and up at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 11. A limited number of tickets will be available for $3 each at the youth services desk.

Cash and checks made payable to the East Brunswick Friends of the Library will be accepted for the puppet shows and the workshop.

Age requirements will be strictly observed for all events. Refunds will be given only if the program is canceled.

The festival is sponsored by the Phyllis Noar Memorial Fund of the Friends of the Library to celebrate the life of the late library advocate and past president of the Friends.

For more information, call (732) 390-6789 or (732) 390-6783.

Diabetics, those at risk

will lose weight, exercise

The Raritan Bay Medical Center Marion Tanzman Diabetes Center will offer a 10-week, weight-loss and exercise program for diabetics and individuals at risk for developing diabetes (those who are at least 10 percent over their ideal body weight) beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, Jan. 3-March 7, in Auxiliary Hall, lower level of the Medical Arts Building, adjacent to the medical center’s Old Bridge division, off Ferry Road, between routes 9 and 18.

Cost is $150 per person. A telephone screening and physician’s clearance for exercise is required. Call (800) 624-6555 to register or for more information. Senior Chai meeting

to feature singer, lunch

The next meeting of Senior Chai, a program of Jewish Family and Vocational Service (JFVS) of Southern Middlesex County, will be held from 1-2:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 at the Jewish Congregation of Concordia, 20 Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe.

The event will feature singer Joel Shartoff’s renditions of Frank Sinatra songs. Lunch will be served.

Donation is $5, in advance. Registration is required. Transportation is available upon request. The public is invited.

For more information, call Jennifer at (609) 395-7979.

‘Service of Longest

Night’ set for Dec. 21

First Presbyterian Church of South Amboy, 150 N. Broadway, will offer its “Service of the Longest Night: Time To Know We Are Not Alone” at 7 p.m. on Dec. 21.

The event, which is designed to assist those who are mourning lost loved ones and/or relationships or struggling with ill health, isolation or other difficulties during the holiday season, is held on the longest and darkest night of the year. Participants will come together to be cared for and care for others while sharing and hearing prayers, Scripture and music to lift the spirits.

For more information, call (732) 721-4516.

Community toy giveaway at church Dec. 24

Union Baptist Church, 76 Washington St., South River, will host a Christmas community toy giveaway for children up to age 18 Dec. 24 at noon. The church will offer free toys to any children in need of toys on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, call the church at (732) 651-2770, ext. 1.

free toys to any children in need of toys on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, call the church at (732) 651-2770, ext. 1.

Mighty Oak Players to present ‘Barefoot in Park’

Monroe Township’s Mighty Oak Players community theater will hold auditions for Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” Jan. 4, 5, 10 and 11 at Richard P. Marasco Performing Arts Center at Monroe Township High School, 1629 Perrineville Road, Monroe Township. Needed are two women and four men of various ages. Show dates are March 23-25.

For information, call (732 ) 521-3782 or e-mail apetito@patmedia.net.

Road, Monroe Township. Needed are two women and four men of various ages. Show dates are March 23-25.

For information, call (732 ) 521-3782 or e-mail apetito@patmedia.net.