A DO-GOODER’S GUIDE TO THE WEEKEND

Images by Shrewsbury resident and official Monmouth Park photographer Bill Denver remain on display this weekend, as the Meridian Health Steeplechase returns the great steeplechase meet tradition to the greater Green on Saturday. (courtesy William Denver/ Equi-Photo)

There’s a chance to give a sick child access to the best available care, or give a talented teen a boost on pursuing her dream. Find a forever home for a rescued stray, or feed a hungry neighbor. Support your community’s volunteer responders, or even Touch a Truck for early education. All you have to do? Enjoy a great concert, take in a pleasant autumn afternoon, or chow down on some of the finest culinary creations from the kitchens of the greater ‘green.

Of course, if you don’t mind getting your fingernails dirty, we’ve got a community cleanup effort you can really sink your ankles into.

Yes, DONE GOOD is back on redbankgreen, and this time out we’ve put together advance word on five “fun”-raising endeavors, going on these final days of September. It’s a look into the feelgood future that almost begs a name change for this feature, from the past tense to something along the lines of “Gonna Do Good” or “The Best is Yet to Come.”

Before we give you the goods on our ten picks, here’s a reminder to revisit some weekend offerings that were written up recently in this space — including Saturday’s Red Bank Townwide Yard Sale, with proceeds from registration fees going to the event’s new host, the Friends of the Red Bank Public Library; cycling events for every style and pace (funds raised for the Count Basie Theatre Foundation and the local cancer support group The Wellness Community); a high-profile Jody Joseph concert on Saturday (proceeds dedicated to the women’s cancer retreat Mary’s Place By The Sea); and Sunday’s Only One Red Bank Guinness Oyster Festival (a benefit for the Booker Cancer Center, Cancer Institute of NJ and Red Bank RiverCenter’s townwide promotions).

It’s true what they say: you can Do Good and have fun doing it —and it all starts tonight, right around the corner.

FRIDAY: Josh Zuckerman Rocks the House for the Arts. Whether you’re a fervent follower or you just happened upon him playing outdoors at a summer festival, you’ve likely been exposed at some point to the alt-country inflected poprock originals of Josh Zuckerman. The Shore based singer-songwriter and his band (including versatile guitarguy and champion Do-Goodnik Steve DeVito) have long been known to pick up their guitars for worthy causes — from AIDS research and post-Katrina relief to the ARC of Monmouth’s annual Prom for the disabled —and tonight Josh and company return to the 250-seat auditorium of the Middletown Cultural and Arts Center (located just paces from the platform of the NJ Transit train station) for a special concert in support of MTCAC’s 7th annual Achievement in the Arts Scholarship Program for outstanding Middletown Township high school seniors. Tickets, while going fast, can still be reserved for $10 apiece by calling (732)706-4100.

SATURDAY: Touch a Truck at Red Bank Middle School. You heard right: it’s a chance for kids to climb aboard a firetruck, sit atop a bulldozer and, yes, touch a truck —and it’s presented “rain or shine” as a fundraiser by Monmouth Day Care Center from 10a to 2p in the Middle School parking lot (between Harding Road and Branch Avenue). There’s also face painting, a 50/50 raffle, food vendors and more; tickets (10 dollars per family; kids must be accompanied by adult) can be purchased in advance by calling (732)741-4313.

SATURDAY: Monmouth Park-Meridian Health Steeplechase. Any of you oldtimers out there who recall the longstanding local tradition that was the Monmouth Hunt were likely intrigued by the news last year, when steeplechase racing came back to Monmouth County for the first time since the last tailgater departed the Haskell estate in 1996. On September 25, the second annual Monmouth Park-Meridian Health event returns as part of the Oceanport racetrack’s new fall meet, with a day of flat and steeplechase races, plus food, entertainment and family-friendly activities presented in partnership with the NJ Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the National Steeplechase Association. Gates open at 11:30, with races beginning at 12:50p. General admission starts at $10, with ticket proceeds benefiting the patient care programs of K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, the Shore area’s first state-designated children’s hospital, and the center of the Meridian Pediatric Network. A $50 ticket gets you preferred seating by the finish line, with a three-hour, all-you-can-eat BBQ including draft beer, soft drinks, and preferred parking. Or raise the stakes to $200 for access to an exclusive rooftop party, with the best views of the races, as well as a buffet, premium open bar, and valet parking. Take it here for details —and if you’re happening by the Blue Bay Inn in Atlantic Highlands anytime bfore Sunday night, stop in for a last look at the photography exhibit Racing at the Shore, the first-ever solo show by Shrewsbury’s Bill Denver, the official Monmouth Park lensman for over 25 years, and an ace photojournalist whose poetic images of daily life at the track present a unique vantage on this cornerstone of the Jersey Shore experience.

SUNDAY: Navesink River Cleanup Day. There’s still a chance to pitch in on this communitywide collaboration, as the Navesink Swimming River Group and Monmouth County Clean Communities continue to seek volunteers for the latest in their periodic riverfront cleanups, this one concentrating on the clearing of floatables from the sedge islands area of the lower Navesink, as well as the removal of tires, batteries and other car-related debris from Red Bank’s westside water’s edge. The day begins at the Rumson Municipal Boat Launch (Avenue of the Two Rivers near the Borough Hall) from 10a to noon; moving to Red Bank (area between Chapin and River Streets) from 1 to 3p. Call Jerry Keelen at (732)747-7674 for more information.

SUNDAY: Garden Tours in Rumson and Little Silver. A rare, “rain or shine” public tour of five private showplace gardens in Rumson and Little Silver is presented by DIG IT! Magazine, with proceeds going to the Colts Neck-based organization for special needs children known as Someone Special Needs You. The garden tours run between 11a and 4p — call (732)431-4033 or email [email protected] for particulars —and also offered is a chance to tour the historic First Presbyterian Church of Rumson, between the hours of noon and 4p. It’s a bit late for advance tickets (they were available by mail only), but day-of-event ducats can be picked up for $25 at Garden of Green, 2 Harding Road in Rumson.