Kathleen Fox-Smith chats with a customer on opening day of her Little Silver shop last Friday. (Click to enlarge)

By DANIELLE TEPPER

Home Depot, Costco, PetSmart: With their enormous inventories, the big-box-stores that transformed American retailing in the 1990s destroyed innumerable small, local businesses along the way. They also forced customers to travel farther for the privilege of finding what they need at unbeatable prices.

Kathleen Fox-Smith has chafed against the tradeoff for years.

“I have three dogs, and the nearest major pet store is PetSmart on Route 36″ in Eatontown, says the Little Silver resident. “It’s not that far, but it’s just a nuisance to go over there.”

So, answering a deep desire to own an animal-related business and her belief that area pet owners are ready to again shop locally, Fox-Smith has decided to take on the giants in her own, small way.

Last Friday, Fox-Smith debuted a new shop: Pet’s General Store, in the A&P Plaza on Prospect Avenue, offering food, treats, toys and other accessories for dogs, cats, and birds.

Fox-Smith spent eight years at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, first as a pharmacy tech and later as head of the purchasing department, the latter of which she said gave her valuable inventory management experience needed to run the store.

After she left RBVH in 2006, she managed an interior design office up until last year. But during the interim, she ached to return to a job that allowed her to work, at least in some capacity, with animals, she said.

When the 1,200 square-foot space that had been the home of the Peppermint Tree, a specialty children’s clothing store, became available, “I decided to go for it,” she told redbankgreen.

While this is her first business venture, Fox-Smith said she is not intimidated.

“The unknown makes you a little nervous, but I’ve always had pets, always loved them, so I’m hoping to become a reliable place for pet owners,” she said.

Fox-Smith plans to carry some products that PetSmart doesn’t, to set her store apart. “If someone comes in and is looking for a brand of food we don’t carry, if I can get it, I’ll get it,” she said.

But she’ll also stock brands that the giants carry, because “the whole purpose here is to help people not have to make that trip,” she said.

After she gets settled in and has the place running smoothly, Fox-Smith would like to see the store become involved with animal rescue efforts.

“If I won the lottery, I would open a rescue,” she said. “If we could do something with that here, maybe help the Humane Society somehow, I would really love to do that.”

Pets General Store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday; it’s closed on Monday.

Molly, Dexter, Denali, Cappucino, Skippy and Harry were among the one-named attendees at Doggie Date Night at d’jeet? restaurant at the Grove shopping center in Shrewsbury Friday night.

The occasion was a fundraiser for Project Animal Worldwide’s effort to save street dogs in Puerto Rico. redbankgreen was there to get the dog’s-eye view of the proceedings.

To enlarge the photo display, start it, then click the embiggen symbol in the lower right corner. To return to redbankgreen, hit your escape key.

The attire ranges from black tie and tails to, well, tails — and admission ranges from a raising of the auction paddle, to simply raising your paw and volunteering. This week’s DONE GOOD roundup presents a typically eclectic smorgasbord of ways in which to help, and have a Done Good Time doing it.

For Alan Fisher of A.H. Fisher Diamonds — a native Red Banker who’s “enjoyed watching the fireworks for over 50 years” — doing a decent for the community can mean plastering his Broad Street storefront with signage that decrees a Cash for Gold (and silver, platinum, diamonds) event, proceeds from which will be donated to the presentation of this year’s Kaboomfest Fireworks on the Navesink event. As Fisher points out, the three-day extravaganza (scheduled for July 1-3) utilizes no taxpayer money, and has relied upon ever more innovative fundraising vehicles in an era when event costs have skyrocketed in sync with the fest’s centerpiece display. Fisher’s cash-on-spot KaBoom KaChing runs from this Friday, June 10 through July 9 — just in time for the KaMittee to get busy planning next year’s skysplash.

There’s more Done Good under the June moon, and it’s on view with the flip of a paperless page.

FRIDAY: Swimming River Discoveries Art Gala II. The summer months are traditionally the season for sequels — and this Friday, June 10 sees the return of a fundraiser art auction event whose proceeds will help fund the endeavor to create “Swimming River Discoveries” learning centers (including pond walkways and outdoor classroom) on the 17 wetland acres surrounding Red Bank Primary School. Hosted by the Red Bank Borough Education Foundation and coordinated by Susan Berke Fine Art, the 6pm-9pm gala sets up inside the River Room at The Atrium at Navesink Harbor with a display of local artworks that includes nine student photographers from Red Bank Regional High School.

The RBR photogs (Mikaila Bennan, Deanna Bochicchio, Calli Dobrzynski, Molly Gerth, Alexandra Gorrey, Thomas Suszka, Noemi Valdetano, Gab Visciano and Rebecka Zabilowicz) are joining dozens of area painters, potters, sculptors and snappers for an offering in which the $125 admission ticket allows everyone in attendance to select one of over 100 pieces on bid — with the order of selection determined by lottery.  Tickets (attendance limited to 110 people) are still available  from Susan Berke or the RBBEF website. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres are in the picture as well.

FRIDAY: Doggie Date Night at D’Jeet? The focal point may be local at this organic eatery in The Grove, but on Friday, June 10 the d’jeeters going worldwide — one satisfied canine customer at a time. Between 5 and 9pm, they’ll welcome both two- and four-legged guests to a Doggie “Island Style” event at the outdoor tables, with funds raised for the nonprofit rescue org Project Animal Worldwide (PAW). A $35 reservation (and sorry dogs, but you’re wearing a leash) includes special island themed menu, virgin cocktails (BYOB), live music by Deftet Jazz Trio, doggie goodie bags, and entry into a drawing for a $150 Grove gift card.

Your special guest host for the evening is Brownie Moo, a one year old “sato” (street dog) who was rescued from a life as a homeless orphan in Puerto Rico to come live in New Jersey with his foster mom through the efforts of Wag On Inn Rescue. The event organizers are staging a “Guess Who? It’s Brownie Moo!” contest, in which the public is invited to guess the top three breeds that might make up the dog’s ancestry (a genetic screening was donated by Red Bank Veterinary Hospital). Winner will be selected at the date night event (grand prize is a gift basket of healthy items from Dr. Harvey’s), with deadline for entry at 6pm on Thursday, June 9. Call 732.224.8887 for more info.

SATURDAY: Roaring Twenties Cancer Ball in Middletown. The private estate known as Fairway Farm at 381 Cooper Road in Middletown is the setting for a major fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, the 44th annual edition of which harkens back to the era of flappers and flagpole sitters as it raises serious support for prevention, detection, research and awareness efforts here in the 21st century. A $500 ticket gains admission to a black-tie affair that offers gourmet dining, live music (by The Minsky Sisters plus Drew Nugent and the Midnight Society), live and silent auctions (for prizes that include Porsche driving lessons and Taylor Swift tix) and favor bags sponsored by , a maker of “green totes” crafted from repurposed yacht sails. Tickets still reservable by calling 732.758.8259, extension 217.

SUNDAY: Little Silver Emergency Responders Recruitment Day. The Little Silver Volunteer Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services seek new members (age 16 and up) for the borough’s emergency response squads — and they’re inviting interested recruits to find out more about becoming an active member of their community, with Recruitment Day presentations by the FD (4pm) and EMS (4:30), plus Q&A session and free refreshments. It’s Open House, with no prior registration required. Call Chris Faherty at 732.977.3509 for more info. ]]> http://www.redbankgreen.com/2011/06/done-good-all-this-and-brownie-moo.html/feed 0 http://www.redbankgreen.com/2011/05/the-week-in-rearview-5.html http://www.redbankgreen.com/2011/05/the-week-in-rearview-5.html#comments Mon, 02 May 2011 11:05:23 +0000 Dustin http://www.redbankgreen.com/?p=42103 Pink striping down River Road in Fair Haven in celebration of Pink Week, which continues this week. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

You’ll notice the redbankgreen masthead’s looking a more on the red side than green these days. That’s because last week kicked off Pink Week, Riverview Medical Center and Red Bank RiverCenter’s annual push for breast cancer awareness, detection and treatment.

We’re not here just for supportive graphics, but on this Monday morning to keep you abreast (couldn’t help it) of what that’s all about, and other news from the end of April. Click on.

Development is moving ahead in Red Bank.

In a breeze-through of a meeting Monday, the borough planning board quickly signed off on three proposals downtown. One was for Sogo Sushi to expand its operation to include a dining area next door. Another was for the Count Basie Theatre to build an outdoor terrace. The last was for Bon Jovi’s Soul Kitchen to move into a former auto repair shop on Monmouth Street near the train tracks. Those OKs came just a couple days after the zoning board green lighted a condo project on Monmouth Street.

And on the West Side, developer Roger Mumford reached an agreement with the borough that will clear the way for him to move forward on his rehab project.

In the cop shop, drug possession was one of the items in Middletown’s police blotter, while theft and criminal mischief dominated Red Bank’s. Also in Red Bank, police were stymied in a stabbing case.

Shrewsbury police have been busy. In the last two weeks, two nail salons were broken into, and the spate of car break-ins reached its highest level, with 21 reported in one day. On a sad note for the department, recently retired veteran Allan Morris unexpectedly passed away at 58 years old.

Elsewhere in Shrewsbury, Shore restaurant queen Marilyn Schlossbach threw open the doors to Pop’s Garage, the third such eatery in her mini empire that reaches from here, concentrates in Asbury Park and ends in Normandy Beach.

Red Bank’s borough council met Tuesday night, when it heard a presentation by county engineers who laid out a pedestrian safety plan for East and West Front streets tentatively set for a spring ’12 completion. The governing body also gave itself a big pat on the back for its website, which won Monmouth U’s first annual e-Government award for best interactive website. The meeting ended on a bitter note with the unanswered question of whose job is it to maintain Maple Cove?

The A&E desk highlighted Only One Red Bank Home Event and the return of The Beatles yesterday.

From the photo department: reader-submitted pics of a rainbow over the Navesink and a car that smashed into a Fair Haven store. We stopped traffic briefly to get a shot of a dog enjoying a car ride in Rumson, and watched traffic go by on Broad Street as workers painted. Here’s one of flowers; another of trees. Photos gallery of Lunch Break’s fundraiser downtown here, and a sneak peek of Kaboom! fireworks here.

Speaking of Kaboom!, the committee got a welcomed boost Friday, when Wells Fargo pledged to donate $45k to the three-day bonanza.

In Middletown, the township and its unions were still at an impasse on contract negotiations as of Friday afternoon. Check back to redbankgreen for an update when it’s available.

You didn’t actually get up at 4:30 Friday morning to watch the royal wedding did you? The bride we spotted in this week’s Where Have I Seen This? may not have the personality of Kate Middleton, but her composure is unrivaled. Tell us where you’ve seen it.

And as mentioned earlier, it is Pink Week in Red Bank and Fair Haven. Here’s an overview from last week. Festivities continue through Saturday.

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

Break-ins were the breaking news that dominated locally last week, topped by word of an arrest of an suspect in a string of high-end residential burglaries that included pop star Bon Jovi among the victims.

Red Bank police reported a window-smashing at the Inbetween Cafe, where somebody threw a flower pot through the front window and took off with the eatery’s cash.

Middletown police dealt with burglaries all over, too. Last weekend, five people were arrested, including one woman accused of stealing chocolate syrup and Miracle Gro from a food store. At the end of the week, we learned that an accused cat burglar of sorts — a guy who gave redbankgreen readers a chuckle just a couple weeks prior — was successful in swiping jewelry from a few homes in a ritzy area of town, but was caught in the act Wednesday. It was later revealed that one of his victims was pop star Bon Jovi.

That was the good news for Mr. Jovi. Earlier in the day, we reported that he and his wife, Dorothea, are planning to open a permanent restaurant, The Soul Kitchen, on Monmouth Street in Red Bank.

Back to crime. A spate of car break-ins in Fair Haven seems to have spread all over redbankgreen‘s coverage area. Rumson, Little Silver and Shrewsbury all reported break-ins. Mater Dei’s former dean was arrested on sexual assault charges, while a M’town boss was cuffed for allegedly stealing employee benefits. Also, Luigi’s Pizza in Little Silver was broken into and cash stolen.

On a lighter note, the baseball season got started in Rumson, and Little Silver students celebrated Earth Day a little early.

Last week also saw the celebration of two institutions that refuse to die: the library and the record store.

In Fair Haven, the borough council brought an end to a duck controversy and sharpened its saw re its contentious tree ordinance.

In election news, Middletown Deputy Mayor Pamela Brightbill said she wouldn’t run this November, while a couple of familiar names of the Democrat party said they would; Mayor Suzie Castleman said she’s retiring from her post in Little Silver; and Councilwoman Dina Long said she’ll square off against former mayor Jo-Ann Kalaka-Adams in Sea Bright.

Red Bank’s council couldn’t muster a quorum, but we still squeezed out a couple drops of council news.

A Red Bank Regional student danced his way into Julliard, while another high-schooler takes aim at a Freeholder seat under the Socialist Party flag.

Red Bank’s environmental commission and Green Team will hold two info sessions at the end of the month. Details here.

Got a lot of stuff you need to get rid of? Bulk pick-ups are back in Red Bank, coming this Thursday to the East Side.

Last week’s Where here, and pink pic here.

We nailed down the week with a feature on Frank Scordo, who really likes hammers.

By DUSTIN RACIOPPI

The controversial flock of ducks of South Woodland Drive will get to stay in Fair Haven, the council decided Monday night.

After a heaping of media coverage and a tense meeting full of complaints by neighbors last month, the decision came down in a much more subdued fashion, with no public input except for one woman advocating to let the family keep the ducks in their backyard.

“So, at this point, it looks like the ducks are here,” Mayor Mike Halfacre said, “with conditions.”

After a brief discussion, the council decided to allow 12-year-old Nikki Vuille to keep her six pet ducks in her South Woodland backyard.

The approval comes with about a half-dozen conditions Vuille and her mother, Dawn Stover, must meet to keep the ducks.

Reacting to concerns from neighbors over sanitary and environmental conditions, the family must keep the ducks in a backyard enclosure — which must be approved by the planning board — and bring the ducks’ food in every night to avoid attracting rats. The family must also clean the ducks’ enclosure every day. There must also be proper screening to keep the enclosure from being an eyesore to neighbors, the council said.

And, no adding to the duck family.

“My duck experts tell me they’re not as hearty as you think, and it may not be six much longer,” Halfacre told Vuille, indicating not all six ducks will survive in domesticated conditions. “And if one goes, you don’t get a replacement duck.”

The council was allowed under the borough’s non-domestic animal ordinance to make a ruling on whether the ducks, which Vuille has raised since they hatched in August, were allowed as pets. This case, Halfacre said, does not open the door for more people to come to the council asking to allow them to have ducks through a “duck waiver.”

“I’m treating this as anomaly,” he said. “When the ducks are gone, the ducks are gone.”

After Stover and Vuille came to the council requesting permission to keep the ducks, the local story caught the eye of larger media outlets, with the Star-Ledger doing two pieces on the controversy and My9 News interviewing Vuille for a small feature. And on Monday night, Vuille, who wore sunglasses to the meeting, stood before a News 12 camera for an interview with a reporter to talk about the controversy.

The council will seek input from neighbors on any conditions it may have missed, and will codify its decision via a resolution within the next month. That will ostensibly put the issue to rest, which is just fine for Vuille.

“I’m very, very happy with their decision because I’d do anything to keep the ducks,” she said. “They’re our family, not just pets.”

By TOM CHESEK

From church basement to charity bash, from middle school to midsummer stock, there’s probably never a weekend when somebody somewhere is NOT staging a production of Annie, the sassy musical period piece based on Harold Gray’s seemingly ageless comic strip character Little Orphan Annie.

Which begs the question: how can the sun come out”Tomorrow” when the sun never sets on the Annie empire?

While you ponder that, consider the fact that when the folks at Red Bank-based Phoenix Productions put on a show, they’re mounting it not at that aforementioned church basement, but at the landmark performing arts venue that is the Count Basie Theatre. When the Count’s resident community theater troupe revisits Annie, Daddy Warbucks, Miss Hannigan and company this weekend, they’ll be treading the same boards as have supported some of the most legendary figures in showbiz — and they’ll even put forth a cast that boasts at least one performer with something of a bone-a-fide Broadway pedigree.
Comedy specialist Gary Shaffer directs ANNIE at the Count Basie, and animal acting coach William Berloni (pictured here with one of his LEGALLY BLONDE performers) visits Red Bank for a special ANNIE-cillary event on Saturday.

It’s not hard to see why this ever-plucky heroine and the musical that bears her name have continued to strike a chord with the American public. Just as the Annie of the funnies managed to long outlive her creator — maintaining her principles even while missing her pupils — the Martin Charnin/Charles Strouse stage show and at least one of its two movie adaptations have almost certainly eclipsed the memory of the strip that ended its 85-year run in June, 2010.

Which is ruder: this sign on White Road in Little Silver, or the gift from the well-fed pooch that apparently prompted it? (Click to enlarge. On second thought…)

The causes range from humanitarian aid for the countless lives affected by the recent disasters in Japan — to the rescue of a single dog or cat in need of a home. The funds raised can support the good works of our area’s charitable, cultural and educational entities — and the means of “Done Good” support can be as simple as a trip to the library, store or hair salon.

When last we looked in on Small Factory Productions in the paperless pages of redbankgreen, the kid-centric animation studio in Fair Haven (located, in a bit of kartoon-land kismet, at the Acme shopping plaza) had just received an Emmy nomination for its Brooklyn-based public access TV show. This month, Chris Dudick and company have teamed with Monmouth County’s own  Purr’n Pooch Foundation in an endeavor designed to teach young children about the humane treatment of animals.

From now through April 14, Monmouth County kids ages 5 to 10 are invited to submit their “creative, original stories and/or drawings” about their favorite animal friend to the Tails of Love Contest — and on April 15th, a panel of judges will select eight contest winners, each of whom will receive the chance to create an original animated short film based on their entry. Each winner will also get a DVD copy of the film and appear as special guests during a special movie premiere event at the Purr’n Pooch Foundation’s upcoming “Paws for a Cause Day” at Pier Village in Long Branch (date to be announced).

Take it here for details on how to enter the Tails of Love contest — and read more for an April’s worth of Done Good doings.

Annie and Sandy are the guests of honor (along with legendary animal acting coach Bill Berloni), when Phoenix Productions and Wag On Inn Rescue join forces for a special animal adoption event on April 9.

TUESDAY, April 5: Community YMCA Wine Tasting at Salt Creek Grille. While some folks think of good ideas as merely something to “run up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it,” Steve Bidgood of Rumson’s Salt Creek Grille has always backed up those ideas with positive action, in the form of an annual Wine and Martini Tasting fundraiser event to mark the anniversary of the river-vista restaurant at the foot of the Oceanic Bridge. Each year a different locally based nonprofit is selected as beneficiary of the fundraiser, with that organization’s flag flown outside the Salt Creek year-round — and here in 2011, the Navesink breezes ripple the insignia of The Community YMCA. Tuesday’s 13th annual event (for which tickets, $125 per person, may still be available) assembles a selection of premium potables and  palate-pleasing foodstuffs from such volunteer vendors as Bob Sickles (who donates a cheese table from his family business Sickles Market) and Doug Douty (who brings a raw bar seafood selection from his Lusty Lobster). Jersey 101.5 deejay Big Joe Henry returns as emcee and auctioneer  for the 7 to 10p event — and 100 percent of proceeds go to the Community Y (where Bidgood’s a long-time board member) and its Strong Kids campaign for healthy lifestyle awareness. and  2011 from 7-10 p.m. to benefit The Community YMCA. Take it here for more info.

WEDNESDAY, April 6: Basket Auction Fundraiser with Stan Kasten at BCC. You might not find his stats in the sports record books, but in 1999 Stan Kasten pulled off an unprecedented hat trick when he served simultaneously as president of baseball’s Atlanta Braves, basketball’s Atlanta Hawks and hockey’s Atlanta Thrashers. The Jersey Shore native (who also did time in the front office of MLB’s Washington Nationals) is furthermore the son of Holocaust survivors — and on April 6, he visits the Lincroft campus of Brookdale Community College for a fundraiser event hosted by the Holocaust, Genocide & Human Rights Education Center at BCC. The 6:45p Basket Auction brings up for bid a collection of premium prizes that include dinners, sporting events, jewelry, getaways, theater tix and more — with proceeds going to the HGHREC and its educational programs, speakers bureau, film series and community resources. Kasten, who’s been active as a TBS exec and arena chairman, will speak on the impact of his family history on the development of successful leadership and life skills. Admission is $10, and additional information can be had by calling (732) 224- 2074.

SATURDAY, April 9: Animal Adoptions and ANNIE in Red Bank. When Red Bank’s own Phoenix Productions takes to the boards of the Count Basie Theatre this weekend with a new production of the yesterday/ today/ “Tomorrow” favorite Annie, the world-class community theater troupe will boast at least one cast member who can trace his pedigree back to Broadway. The part of Little Orphan Annie’s canine sidekick “Sandy” will be essayed by a “real life rescue success story” named Oliver — and on the afternoon of April 9, Oliver and his acting coach (William Berloni, the legendary trainer for the original Broadway “Sandy”) will be on hand as Phoenix partners with the volunteers at Ocean Township-based Wag On Inn Rescue for an animal adoption event designed to match a group of lovable, socialized cats and dogs with a new “forever home.” Annie will be there, too (in the person of young star Carly Nelson), and Berloni will sign copies of his book Broadway Tails at the event, which takes place at the Phoenix Rehearsal Center (right next to the Basie at 111 Monmouth Street) from 1 to 3p. Anyone who adopts an animal that day will receive a goodie bag of treats and coupons plus two tickets to a performance of Annie, which plays two weekends from April 8 to April 17 (and about which more to come here on the ‘green).

SUNDAY, April 10: Teddy Bear Tea at Navesink Country Club. The breathtaking ballroom of Middletown’s Navesink Country Club is the setting for a gourmet tea, musical entertainment and “a lesson on manners, etiquette and polite conversation,” all designed for children 3 to 8 years of age (who are invited to bring along their favorite stuffed animals) and capped by a Teddy Bear Parade “led by a famous bear.” A fundraiser hosted by The Friends of the Monmouth Museum, the April 10 event boasts age-appropriate activities, gourmet treats, favors, gift basket raffle and a singalong conducted by the always elegant Maureen McCrink. Tickets for the 2 to 4p event are $40 for non-member adults and $30 for children (club member families receive a $5 discount), with proceeds dedicated to the Museum’s educational programs and additional info available by calling Mary Suszkowski at (732)747-2266.

MONDAY, APRIL 11: Food for Fines at the County Library. Time to unburden your guilty conscience, and do a double-decent in the process, when the Monmouth County Library offers “amnesty” for overdue fines during National Library Week, from April 11 to April 16. All branches of the library (including the Eastern Branch on Route 35 in Shrewsbury) will accept donations of non-perishable food items throughout those six days — and, as an added incentive, for each food donation, the library will take $2 off any current outstanding fees. Collected items will be donated to a local food bank — and of course, donations are welcomed even from all those who make a habit of returning their books in a timely fashion.

MONDAY, APRIL 11: Red Bank Rotary’s Two Rivers Food & Wine Tasting. For the 11th annual fundraiser, the Rotary Club of Red Bank honors the borough-based nonprofit Monmouth County Arts Council in its 40th anniversary year, with a Food & Wine Tasting that brings together the best from more than two dozen favorite area restaurants, caterers and purveyors of food and drink. Branches of West Long Branch is the host venue for this “fun and prestigious networking event,” from which all net proceeds will be dedicated to the MCAC and its ongoing support of visual art, music, film, theater, dance and educational programs right here in our big back yard. It all happens between 6 and 9p; reservations are $65 per person and can be made by calling (732)933-9111 or at the Rotary weblink above.

SUNDAY, APRIL 17: American Red Cross benefit at Salon Concrete. Having seen the devastation brought on by a massive earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear crisis, the impulse to help the displaced victims of Japan can often run up against the question of where and how to begin. Donating to the highly organized relief teams of the American Red Cross is an excellent place to start — and between the hours of  10a to 5p on April 17, Red Bank’s Salon Concrete will offer complimentary haircuts, blowouts, and styling to all patrons who make a donation of $50 to the Red Cross. Donations will go directly toward providing medical care, shelter and food to those affected by the historic disasters, and you can schedule your time in the chair right here.

TUESDAY, APRIL 26: Lunch Break Benefit at Primas Home. It’s the latest in an ongoing series of fundraisers hosted by the Red Bank-based Navesink Business Group (in conjunction with Eatontown Industrial Park Association) — and between the hours of 6 to 9p on April 26, Primas Home is the setting once again for an event supporting borough-based nonprofit Lunch Break’s efforts to feed and clothe needy families and individuals in the community. Local restaurants, retailers and other businesses will donate refreshments and prizes, with all proceeds (including a $10 admission charge) going to Lunch Break and its range of free programs and services. For more information, contact Courtney Perez at (732)345-1400 x1810 or Jill Goldbach at (908)461-4146.

SATURDAY, APRIL 30: Clean Ocean Action Spring Beach Sweeps. The piping plovers aren’t the only things tweeting the arrival of April here on the Jersey Shore. On the morning of April 30, the nonprofit environmental coalition Clean Ocean Action invites citizens and organizations to help clean NJ’s coastline — and to tweet about “our Sweeping finds” in the process — when the 26th Annual Spring Beach Sweeps commence at some 69 sites along the Shore. Beginning (rain or shine) at 9a and continuing until 12:30p, the all-volunteer cleanup program (characterized as a “a sweeping success”)  affords area residents a chance to make this coastal place we live in — your home, in other words — a place that’s clean and comfortable and something to be proud of. Individuals of all ages (as well as families, businesses and orgs) are encouraged to pre-register at the COA weblink or by calling (732)872-0111 — with volunteers advised to “bring gloves, dress for the weather, apply sunscreen, and wear closed-toed, hard-soled shoes.” Data on types and volume of debris collected will be recorded in real time via Twitter (COA has set up #2011sweeps as the Twitter hashtag to follow); you can also follow the ongoing dialogue on Facebook.