Spotswood Scouts sponsor sweater drive at library

Spotswood Girl Scouts, under the leadership of Colleen Gahrmann and Dyana Barnosky, are collecting donations of new sweaters in sizes infant to adult through Dec. 23 at the Spotswood Public Library, 548 Main St.

Visitors to the library will find donation boxes located under the holiday tree that Spotswood Brownie Troop No. 389 set up in the periodical section. The sweaters will be delivered to the Southwest Indian Relief Council of Arizona for distribution to local Native Americans. A warm sweater is a welcome gift in a desert climate where nighttime temperatures may drop below zero degrees.

Brownie Troop No. 389 has been organizing holiday donations in cooperation with the Spotswood Library for the past five years. For more information, call the library at (732) 723-1515.

Library to offer holiday sing-along, craft events

The Milltown Public Library, 20 W. Church St., will offer two upcoming events for Milltown residents.

“Holiday Make-N-Take” programs for children are planned for 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 and 22. Milltown youngsters of all ages are invited to attend and make a gift for someone they love. Registration is required.

A “Holiday Sing-Along” with singer/musician Pat McKinley is set for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 19. Milltown residents of all ages are welcome. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information, call (732) 247-2270.

Laffin participating

in Toys for Toys drive

Laffin Chevrolet, Main Street, South Rive, is collecting toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program.

Toys may be dropped off in the dealership showroom during normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., through Dec. 18, when they will be delivered to the Marine Corps office, Route 520, Red Bank. The toys will then be distributed to needy children for the holiday season.

For more information, call the dealership at (732)-254-2120.

E.B. SEPTA meeting

scheduled for Dec. 18

East Brunswick Special Education PTA (SEPTA) will hold a meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 18 in the public meeting room area at the East Brunswick Public Library, Jean Walling Civic Center.

Robin Schafer, chief executive officer of Masterful Kids, will present a program titled “Emotional Intelligence Learning.” It is maintained that teaching social/emotional skills to children improves classroom relationships and focus and decreases negative behaviors. For more information on the topic, log on to www.masterfulkids.com.

All parents/guardians of classified and nonclassified students are welcome to attend the meeting. For more

information, e-mail Edward or

Audrey Weiner at eddieweinersepta@hotmail.com, telephone (732) 254-7526.

East Brunswick 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.

Hanukkah party

on tap at Etz Chaim

Congregation Etz Chaim Monroe Township Jewish Center, 11 Cornell Ave., will hold a Hanukkah party at 3 p.m. on Dec. 17.

The festivities will feature a menorah lighting, latkes and entertainment by the Matzoh Balls and the G’esher L’Kesher theater troupe.

Cost is $5 per person; children age 12 and under will be admitted free of charge. Participants are asked to bring a baked good to the event. For more information, call (732) 251-1119.

Etz Chaim Singles

will meet on Dec. 24

Etz Chaim Sociable Singles will hold a meeting from 1-4 p.m. on Dec. 24 at the Monroe Township Jewish Center, 11 Cornell Ave.

The event will feature discussion, socializing and refreshments.

Admission is $5.

For more information, call (609) 655-5137.

J’burg Elks to celebrate

at New Year’s Eve gala

Jamesburg Elks Lodge No. 2180 will hold a New Year’s Eve Party from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Dec. 31 at the lodge, 74 W. Railroad Ave.

The event will feature hors d’oeuvres, a buffet dinner, music by Dem 2 Guys, an open bar, a champagne toast, party hats and noisemakers and midnight snacks.

Tickets cost $50 per person. Reservation deadline is Dec. 27. For more information and to reserve, call Peggy Lavin at (732) 521-0670.

Christmas party

set for Dec. 16 at Elks

Jamesburg Elks Lodge No. 2180, 74 W. Railroad Ave., will host a Christmas party for adults at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 16.

A buffet dinner will be provided. There will be a cash bar.

Admission is free of charge; however, each participant must bring one new toy worth $25. All toys will be given to local children for Christmas.

For more information, call Kathy Martin at (732) 521-3922.

Rec sponsoring holiday

decorating competition

The Monroe Township Recreation Department is sponsoring its annual Holiday Decorating Contest for township residents and business properties.

Judges will view the entries during the week of Dec. 26. Winners in both residential and commercial divisions will be presented with an award at the Jan. 16 meeting of the township Recreation Advisory Board.

For more information and to enter, call the community center at (732) 723-5000.

SRHS class of 1987

to celebrate at reunion

The officers of South River High School class of 1987 are planning a 20-year reunion for October.

Class members who would like to attend should e-mail Rhonda and Scott at SRHS1987@aol.com with their contact information.

Sounds of Christmas

to fill S.R. music center

The Imperial Band and the East Brunswick Choral Group will present a Christmas concert from 2-4 p.m. on Dec. 17 at the Imperial Music Center, 48 Appleby Ave., South River.

Lunch will be served from noon to 2 p.m.

For more information, call (732) 238-0310.

Designing for climate

change to be discussed

The Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership will hold a meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Milltown Senior Center, 60 Violet Terrace.

Guest speaker Samuel L. Missimer, a “green building” designer, environmental activist and consultant on the business and municipal impact on climate change, will offer a presentation titled “Designing Change: Facing the Challenge of Climate Change in New Jersey.” Missimer is involved with Yale University’s Science to Action program on climate change.

Discussion, refreshments and entertainment, including seasonal music and songs, will follow the presentation.

The public is invited to attend.

For more information and directions, call (732) 249-5297 or (732) 846-4476.

The Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership is a nonprofit, volunteer organization with environmental interests in East Brunswick, South Brunswick, North Brunswick, Milltown and New Brunswick.

Lunch, entertainment next up for Café Europa

The Jewish Family and Vocational Service (JFVS) of Southern Middlesex County will host the next meeting of Café Europa, a socialization group for Holocaust survivors and their spouses, from 1:30-3 p.m. on Dec. 19 at Monroe Village, 1 David Brainerd Drive, Monroe.

The event will feature lunch and entertainment. For more information and to register, call (609) 395-7979.

Christmas concert, fellowship set at church

Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church, 76 Whitehead Ave., will hold its sixth annual Christmas Concert at 3 p.m. on Dec. 17.

The concert will feature a-cappella singing, an orthodox tradition for almost 2,000 years. Fellowship and refreshments will follow in the parish hall.

Admission to the concert and fellowship is free of charge; however, donations of canned or other nonperishable foods for the South River Food Bank would be appreciated. For more information, call (732) 257-0102.

Youngsters invited to Breakfast With Santa

The South River Elementary School PTA will sponsor a Breakfast With Santa from 10 a.m. to noon on Dec. 16 in the cafetorium at South River Middle School, 3 Montgomery St.

Youngsters up to age 10 are welcome to attend. The event will feature breakfast, crafts, games and a visit with Santa.

Tickets cost $3 each and will be available at the door. For more information, call Debbie Zemann at (732) 390-0678 or Donna Geesey at (732) 390-8202.

Terrorism, disarmament to be topics at meeting

The Monroe Township Chapter of the Coalition for Peace Action will hold a meeting to discuss “Preventing Nuclear Terrorism and Advancing Nuclear Disarmament” at 10 a.m. on Dec. 20 in the courtroom at the Monroe Township Municipal Building, Perrineville Road.

Physicist Frank von Hippel, professor of public and international affairs at Princeton University, will be the guest speaker. Hippel is the former assistant director of the White House Science Advisors Office.

The public is invited to attend.

Spotswood Library to sponsor book sale

The Spotswood Public Library, 548 Main St., will host a book sale during regular library hours Dec. 16-Jan. 13.

Hardcover books, paperbacks, children’s books, VHS videos and audio cassettes will be available.

Paperbacks will sell for 50 cents each or three for $1, hardcovers for 75 cents and up, videos for $1.

An “All-You-Can-Carry-for-$5” sale is set for the last two days of the event, Jan. 12 and 13.

All sales are final. Proceeds will benefit the library and its programs.

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

Trip to Jewish Museum, Frick slated for Jan. 18

The Alisa Chapter of Hadassah, the Brandeis University Women’s Committee, Women’s American ORT and the Yiddish Club at Greenbriar will sponsor a Jan. 18 trip to the Frick Museum and the Jewish Museum, New York City. The bus will depart at 8:30 a.m. from the Greenbriar Towne Centre parking lot, Monroe.

The morning visit to the Frick will be enhanced by an audio tour to learn the history of the museum and its founder, Henry Clay Frick. After lunch the group will continue on to the Jewish Museum for a docent-led tour of “The Masters of American Comics,” with a focus on 14 of the most innovative and influential artists and how comics have dealt with critical social issues of the American 20th century.

Cost is $45 per person. Participants will be on their own for lunch.

For more information and to reserve, call Ruth at (609) 395-8478.

Library trustees board reschedules meeting

The next meeting of the Spotswood Public Library board of trustees, originally scheduled for Dec. 21, has been canceled and rescheduled to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 18 in the meeting room at the library, 548 Main St. The public is invited to attend. For more information, call (732) 251-1515.

Christmas concert,

caroling set in J’burg

The Presbyterian Church, West Church Street and Gatzmer Avenue, Jamesburg, will offer its annual Christmas Concert and Caroling event beginning at 6 p.m. on Dec. 16.

The program, which will feature the Presbyterian Church Choir, Chamber Choir and Jubilate Ringers, will include vocal solos and a Christmas organ repertoire.

Audience members are welcome to join the choir for Christmas caroling around Jamesburg following the concert. All participants will be invited back to the church for hot chocolate.

Admission is free of charge; however, a free-will offering will be accepted. All proceeds will be used to fund the church’s concert series and music program.

For more information, call (732) 521-1711.

Hanukkah celebration,

menorah lighting slated

The Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, and Everything Jewish by Chabad, a project of Chabad House of Monroe, will sponsor a Hanukkah Celebration and Giant Menorah Kindling Ceremony beginning at 4 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Concordia Shopping Center, in front of Everything Jewish by Chabad. The community is invited.

The event will feature the lighting of the menorah, music, dancing, and free latkes and doughnuts. Public dignitaries and community leaders will attend the ceremony and assist in kindling the menorah.

For more information, call (609) 409-1000 or e-mail everythingjewish@aol.com.

Youngsters invited to

Dec. 19 mime show

The Monroe Municipal Alliance will sponsor a “Just Say Yes” mime show for children from 6:30-8 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Monroe Township Community Center, 120 Monmouth Road.

The event, which is open to youngsters in kindergarten-eighth grade, is designed to help participants discover a new form of communication using body language and signs.

Admission is free of charge. A healthy dessert will be served. A donation of a new toy for a less fortunate child under age 4 would be appreciated.

Registration deadline is Dec. 15.

For more information and to reserve, call Robin Carroll-Lavorato at (732) 723-5006.

Homemade dinners

on tap at Sons of Italy

The Order of the Sons of Italy, Sgt. John Basilone Lodge, will host its last Tuesday-Night Dinner of the year at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 19 at the Imperial Music Center, 48 Appleby Ave., South River.

The homemade, freshly prepared meal will include salad, split-pea soup, spaghetti with meatballs, coffee and cake. Cost is $9 per person.

The dinners will resume at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 at the Music Center. The menu will feature salad, chicken soup, Sicilian baked macaroni, coffee and cake.

For more information, call (732) 238-0310 on the day of the event.

Story time registration set at Spotswood Library

In-person registration will begin on Jan. 8 for Winter Story Times at the Spotswood Public Library, 548 Main St. Telephone and in-person registration will be accepted beginning Jan. 9.

“Toddler Time,” open to children 18-35 months accompanied by an adult, is set for 10:30-11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 1-1:30 p.m. on Thursdays.

“Time To Read,” open to 3- and 4-year-old preschoolers and 5-year-olds not yet in kindergarten, will be held from 1-1:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 10:30-11:15 a.m. on Thursdays.

“Story Time” for ages 5-8 in kindergarten through third grade is set for 3:30-4:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Programs are open to Spotswood Library cardholders only. Sessions will run from Jan. 23-March 15.

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

Comedy show to aid Main Street Players

A Comedy Shoppe Comedy Cafe Show to benefit the Sayreville Main Street Players is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 at the Main Street Theater, 3018 Bordentown Ave., Parlin section of Sayreville.

Tickets cost $10 each.

Light fare, coffee and soft drinks will be offered for sale.

For more information and tickets, call (732) 553-1153 or log on to smstc.org.

Hadassah to offer trip to Jewish Harlem

The Raritan Valley Chapter of Hadassah will sponsor a Dec. 17 trip to Jewish Harlem, New York City.

The bus will depart at 9:30 a.m. from the back of the Sears parking lot, Route 1, New Brunswick. Return is planned for 4:30 p.m. Cost is $50 and includes bus transportation, guide, entrance fees, a kosher lunch and tips. For more information and to reserve, call Bernice Bernstein at (732) 572-3313 or Elaine Fromkin at (732) 257-1525.

Library seeks donations for raffle gift baskets

The Spotswood Public Library is seeking donations for gift baskets to be raffled off to support the Friends of the Spotswood Library.

Patrons are asked to bring romance-related items, including gift certificates, fragrances and accessories, to the library, 548 Main St. The baskets will be on display at the library beginning Jan. 1. Winners will be announced on Feb. 10 at the Friends’ Winter Festival of Romance.

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

548 Main St. The baskets will be on display at the library beginning Jan. 1. Winners will be announced on Feb. 10 at the Friends’ Winter Festival of Romance.

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