~ Notes Around Town ~

Lynn Thorne (l), mother of Michael W. Thorne, and Michael’s sister Patty Zimmermann and Zimmermann’s children, Cara 7, and Michael 10, all of West Long Branch, have been gearing up for the Michael W. Thorne Scholarship 4-Mile Run Sunday.

The Michael W. Thorne Scholarship 4-Mile Run will be held Sunday in West Long Branch. The 4-Mile Run/Walk starts at 9 a.m. at the gazebo in Franklin Lake Park. The kids’ races begin at 10 a.m., and at 11 a.m. awards will be presented and prize drawings held. The entry fee is $20 for adults, $8 for children. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to a scholarship named for Michael W. Thorne, a volunteer firefighter who died at the age of 20 while fighting a fire at Monmouth University, West Long Branch.

West Long Branch Councilwoman Janet W. Tucci reported at last week’s council meeting that the borough is advertising for a summer recreation program director.

•••••

The class of 2005 at Shore Regional High School, West Long Branch, will hold its Western Sophomore Carnival from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday at the West Long Branch Community Center, Locust Avenue. There will be games, food and music, plus a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and a 50/50 drawing.

•••••

The West Long Branch Cub Scouts will host their second annual Italian dinner from 5-8 p.m. May 31 at the Old First United Methodist Church on Locust Avenue in West Long Branch. An early bird special will be offered 5-6 p.m. when adults will get $1 off the ticket price. Tickets cost $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for children under age 12.

•••••

Vinod Patel reports that his store, The Smoke Shop in Eatontown, is open again after being closed for three months due to environmental concerns resulting from the excavation in the basement under an adjacent building.

•••••

The SCAN (Senior Citizens Activity Network) Learning Center will hold its annual breakfast meeting and awards presentation Thursday, June 12 at Sunrise Assisted Living on Route 79 in Marlboro. This year’s event will mark a SCAN milestone — 15 years of providing seniors with quality educational programming.

Tickets to the breakfast cost $20 per person, $15 for SCAN members. To make a reservation or for more information, call the SCAN Learning Center at Monmouth Mall in Eatontown at (732) 542-1326.

•••••

The Northern Monmouth County Branch of the American Association of University Women will hold a 3-mile fitness walk and 1-mile historic walk at Brookdale Community College in the Lincroft section of Middletown June 1.

The walk will benefit the Eleanor Roosevelt Fund, established by the AAUW Educational Foundation in 1988, to support research on the educational experiences of women and girls. Registration will be held 9-10 a.m. The fee is $25 for walking as an individual, $20 for walking as part of a team and $15 for students under the age of 12.

•••••

A grief support group will be held the fourth Wednesday of every month at VITAS Innovative Hospice Care Office at 1 Meridian Road in Eatontown. The group is open to anyone who feels they would benefit from talking to others who have suffered the loss of a loved one. To resister or for more information, call Dianna Speidel, chaplain, at 1-866-338-4827.

•••••

On May 8, Gov. James E. McGreevey submitted to the Senate the names of two Long Branch residents for positions with state agencies. Annie W. Grant was nominated for reappointment to the Monmouth County Board of Taxation, and Myron P. Shevell was nominated for reappointment to the New Jersey Transit Corp.

•••••

The Long Branch Historical Association and the city of Long Branch have scheduled the fifth annual "Art in the Park" show and sale. The event is set for May 24 with a rain date of May 25, 11-8 p.m., at West End Park. The show will feature paintings, sculpture, printmaking and photography. A free concert starring Fred Lehotay and the Rag Timers will begin at 6 p.m. Suzy Anderson, owner of Heritage Antiques and Appraisal Services and Anderson Auctions of Holmdel, will give free antique appraisals. For more information, call Jo Ann Levin at (732) 229-9258.