Notes Around Town

Stealing Jane plays at a concert at Monmouth University in honor ofCpl. Christopher Cosgrove, who was killed in Iraq.

On Saturday, Feb. 24, Temple Beth El, at 301 Monmouth Road, will host a Cafe Night from 8-11 p.m. The event will include an array of cappuccino, espresso, flavored coffee, lattes, hot chocolate and dairy desserts as well as live music by the Red Bank Jazz Ensemble who will perform a variety of jazz, popular standards, swing and bossanova. The event is open to adults only, and the public is invited to enjoy warm drinks, relax in comfortable chairs and enjoy good music.

Tickets are $9. Please send a check payable to Temple Beth El, 301 Monmouth Rd., Oakhurst, NJ 07755, or bring it by the office during regular business hours. For more information, call (732) 531-0300.

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The Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center will host "Auction on Grant" Saturday, March 24, at 8 p.m. at the JCC, 100 Grant Ave., Deal Park. This much-anticipated fundraising event features silent, live and candy auctions, a cocktail party, live music and gourmet cuisine. Auction items include a plasma TV, sports memorabilia, fine jewelry and a vacation destination. Proceeds from auction will go toward Meals on Wheels for homebound seniors and programs for special-needs children. Cover is $90. For more information, call Amy Greenspan at (732) 531-9100, ext. 129.

Bobbie Pirro, Jeanne Roberts, Donna Skop and Trish Campbell

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The Long Branch Concordance is selling 50/50 cash raffle tickets for $50 each in conjunction with its A Taste of Spring @ Cask 591 cocktail reception and auction. Only 200 tickets will be sold and the winning prize could be up to $5,000 based on estimated ticket sales. The drawing will be held on April 12 at Cask 591, located at 591 Broadway in Long Branch. To purchase tickets or for more information, call Jhanna Even at (732) 571-1670 or e-mail to Jhanna@lbc4help.org.

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The Long Branch Italian American Memorial Association Ladies Auxiliary will host a bus trip to the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City March 10. Cost is $25. The bus will depart at 2 p.m. from the IAMA building on West End Avenue and return at approximately 11 p.m. For more information or to make a reservation, call Susan at (732) 870-1397 or (732) 870-1440.

IAMA will also host spaghetti dinners on the last Friday of the month from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The all-you-can-eat homemade spaghetti and meatballs dinner costs $6 for adults, $6 for seniors, $3 for children ages 4 to 12 and is free for children under 3. For more information, call (732) 222-9750.

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More than 20 area restaurants and suppliers will donate their efforts for the March 19 fifth annual Culinary Cruise student scholarship benefit at Branches in West Long Branch. Tickets are $60. The annual event features culinary dishes with an international flair and beverages donated by numerous area participants.

In addition to hosting the evening, Culinary Education Center (CEC) chefs and students demonstrate their food preparation and service skills. The event will include donated silent auction items and a 50/50 raffle.

The Culinary Education Center is a collaboration between Brookdale Community College and the Monmouth County Vocational School District. Programs are offered for high school and college students. For tickets or more information, call (732) 988-3299.

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The Ocean Township Historical Museum will host an event Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 7:15 p.m. Don Lukowski, a phonograph and record collector, will present "Let There Be Light - a Look at Thomas Alva Edison, and his Key Inventions," focusing on one of the most prolific inventors in history. Artifacts from his private collection will be on display, including some working cylinder phonographs, records, photos, advertising, etc. He will include the electric light and the motion picture camera. Mr. Lukowski is a member of the Keyport Historical Society, which operates the Steamboat Dock Museum in Keyport.

The 11th annual Long Branch/Florida reunion is scheduled to held on March 3 at John Prince Park in Lake Worth, Fla. For more information, call Dick Gallo at (571) 733-0009 or Tony DeSantis at (561) 738-4859.

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Holy Trinity Church in Long Branch will host social/ballroom dances on the third Saturday of each month in the parish hall on Prospect Street from 8 to 11 p.m.

The next dance is scheduled for Jan. 20. Singles and couples of all ages are welcome. Admission for the event is $10, $8 for seniors. Lessons in ballroom dancing will be offered from 7 to 8 p.m. prior to the dance at a cost of $4. For more information, call Mary at (732) 222-3216 or (732) 229-3711 or call Millie at (732) 870-9028.

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Saint Barnabas Health Care System is offering free HIV testing and counseling Monday through Friday at 270 Broadway in Long Branch. For more information call (732) 923-7138.

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St. Luke's United Methodist Church on Broadway in Long Branch will host a bus trip June 9 to Sight & Sound Theater in Lancaster, Pa., to see "In The Beginning." The bus will leave from the church at 9 a.m. The cost of the event is $95, $71 for teens and $50 for children ages 12 and under and includes a family-style dinner at Good 'n' Plenty restaurant. For more information, call Bert at (732) 229-1191.

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The Volunteer Center of Monmouth County is looking for full-time volunteers to meet with corporate leaders and youth to engage them in taking a more active role in volunteering. The one-year position includes a small salary and a health-care plan; a college degree is preferred. For more information, call Arlene at (732) 728-1927 or e-mail at asaltz@fcsmonmouth.org.

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The Community YMCA Black Achievers program will highlight successful leaders in Black History with an evening of celebration and purpose. The program, to be held Feb. 28 at the Children's Cultural Center, 51 Monmouth St., Red Bank, will feature projects and readings by teen students in the Black Achievers program and a keynote speech by former N.J. Attorney General Peter C. Harvey.

The event is open to the public and will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. For more information or to R.S.V.P., contact Jo Ann Rountree, (732) 747-4426, ext. 13.

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Red Bank United Methodist Church, 247 Broad St., is screening the environmental film "An Inconvenient Truth" Feb. 28 at 6:45 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. A discussion and question-and-answer session will follow Wednesday, March 7, at 6:45 p.m. with Climate Project speakers Dr. Sailesh Rao and Dr. Judith Kramer.

All are invited to come hear what is happening with climate change and what each of us can do about it. For more information, call (732) 747-0446.

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The Woman's Club of Little Silver will meet on Thursday, March 1, at 7 p.m. at the home of Madeline Ottino, Oceanport. The program will feature a guest speaker from the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs who will discuss new and upcoming club events. For further information, and for directions, please call (732) 747-5434.

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The Raptor Trust will present "Hawks of New Jersey" at the Monmouth County Audubon Society meeting March 14. This program is specifically geared for children and will start at 7: p.m., an hour earlier than usual.

The Raptor Trust is one of the premier privately funded wild bird rehabilitation centers in the United States.

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The fifth annual Bowling for Breast Cancer Research Night Out Jan. 28 was a huge success. Held at Memory Lanes on Newman Springs Road in Shrewsbury, the fundraiser was highlighted by 33 gift baskets donated by various sponsors and families.

The event is dedicated to the memory of Debbie Matthews, who lost her struggle with breast cancer in 2002.

All of the event chairwomen (see photo) have had family members or friends affected by breast cancer.

To date the yearly fundraiser has donated nearly $5,000 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation to find a cure for breast cancer. Donations can be sent to Bowling for Breast Cancer Research, 91 Priscilla Drive Lincroft, NJ 07738.