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RED BANK: CHURCH HOSTS TOY GIVEAWAY

Toys and gifts for all ages were available at the event. (Photos by Millie Jeter/Lunch Break. Click to enlarge.)

Press release from Lunch Break

It was beginning to look a lot like the North Pole as dozens of elves turned Tower Hill First Presbyterian Church in Red Bank into Santa’s workshop on December 10.

The halls were filled with toys, stuffed animals, musical instruments and holiday presents, welcoming hundreds of financially insecure families as they browsed for gifts for their children during the Lunch Break annual Holiday Toy & Gift Card Giveaway.

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RED BANK: HOLIDAY CHEER & ‘BUCKS’ IN KICKOFF



red bank nj holiday express light-up concertThe 30th edition of a dazzling Red Bank event, and the first of one helping local businesses compete, kick off the Christmas season Friday and Saturday.

Here’s what you need to know. More →

RED BANK: PARK CHRISTMAS TREE ARRIVES

After a short trip from Middletown, Red Bank’s annual centerpiece Christmas tree is up and ready for trimming in Riverside Gardens Park.

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RED BANK: HOLIDAY EXPRESS ROLLS AGAIN

Bundled up against the cold, hundreds of stoked-for-the-season revelers cheered the return of Holiday Express to downtown Red Bank Friday night.

A partial stage-lighting outage was the only bit of rust as the Tim McLoone-led orchestra played its 28th annual show on Broad Street, after skipping 2020 for the pandemic.

As in the past, the concert and downtown light-up followed a dance performance at the borough train station and Santa parade to the concert stage. 

Check out redbankgreen‘s photos below to see if you recognize anyone. (Photos by Trish Russoniello and John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

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RED BANK: BUNDLE UP FOR HOLIDAY EXPRESS

red bank nj holiday express light-up concertAfter a pandemic year off, the high-energy Holiday Express concert and Town Light-Up is slated to return to downtown Red Bank Friday night. 

Attendees will want to bundle up for what looks to be a seasonally appropriate chilly and breezy event.

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RED BANK: LOCAL TREE SPRUCES UP PARK

Red Bank’s annual centerpiece Christmas tree is up and ready for trimming in Riverside Gardens Park.

And in a break from most years, this one came from a front yard right in town.

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RED BANK: CHRISTMAS TREE WANTED

Got a spare blue spruce in your yard? Red Bank RiverCenter is once again looking for a Christmas tree to display in Riverside Gardens Park this holiday season. 

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RED BANK: CRIME & ARREST REPORTS

The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for January, 2021. This information is unedited; see below for additional information.

CRIMES

Criminal Mischief: A local store reported a large paver brick was thrown through the front window causing the window to shatter and break sometime during the evening on 01/07/21 in the area of E. Front St. Ptl. Grace Magguilli.

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RED BANK: CRIME & ARREST REPORTS

The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for December, 2020. This information is unedited; see below for additional information.

CRIMES

Theft: The victim reported several items were stolen from an unlocked garage in the area of Pinckney Rd on 12/14/2020. The items taken are described as a Black & Decker 60 volt string trimmer valued at  $170.00, a Black & Decker 40 volt hedge clipper valued at $155.00, a Scott’s outdoor long hedge clipper valued at $120.00, a Taylor tool branch cutter valued at $58.00 and a Corona super lopper valued at $51.00. Ptl. Ashon Lovick.

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RED BANK: CRIME & ARREST REPORTS

The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for November, 2020. This information is unedited; see below for additional information.

CRIMESred bank police

Criminal Mischief: On 11/05/2020 it was reported damage was made by possibly an object thrown to a store front window in the area of W. Front St. The estimated cost in damages are reported to be approximately $800.00-$1,200.00. Ptl. Luke Cahill.

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RED BANK: LOW-KEY TREE LIGHTING

Red Bank’s official Christmas tree, a blue spruce donated by the Jennings family of Little Silver, was installed in Riverside Gardens Park over the past weekend. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the lighting of the tree will be a low-key affair.

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RED BANK: CONCERT OFF, LIGHT-UP STILL ON

red bank holiday express town lighting 2019An annual event that brings thousands of visitors to Red Bank and kicks off the holiday season has gotten the coronavirus bump.

What would have been the 28th annual Holiday Express concert November 27 won’t be held this year, organizers confirmed Wednesday.

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RED BANK: HOLIDAY SEASON GOES LIVE

red bank holiday express town lighting 2019red bank holiday express town lighting 2019Crisp weather provided an ideal setting for the unofficial start of the Christmas season in downtown Red Bank Friday night.

With Tim McLoone-led Holiday Express working its musical magic for the 27th time, several thousand kids and kids-at-heart crowded a stretch of Broad Street, singing along and counting down to the light-up of downtown trees. 

Check out redbankgreen‘s photos below to see if you recognize any smiling faces underneath all those fun hats. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

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RED BANK: HISTORIC YACHT LIGHTS UP RIVER

red bank NJ admiral's barge joe ruffini 121518 4red bank admiral bargeRed Bank resident Joe Ruffini’s history-rich yacht, the Naval War College, brought some Christmas sparkle to the Navesink River Saturday night, one night before it was scheduled to participate in a parade of boats on the Shrewsbury River.

The boat parade is slated to run again on Sunday, December 23. Meantime, for the fascinating backstory about Ruffini’s vessel, which has hosted two American presidents, check out this redbankgreen article from 2016. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

RED BANK: TREE LIGHTS UP CORNER & SPIRITS

red bank tree lighting
red bank tree lighting Santa Claus arrived by firetruck amid blaring horns and flashing lights at the annual Tree Lighting in Johnny Jazz Park in Red Bank Monday night.

The jolly one’s appearance capped an evening of music and amusements in the park, at the corner of Shrewsbury Avenue and Drs. James Parker Boulevard. Check out redbankgreen‘s photos from the event below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

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RED BANK: BRISK START TO HOLIDAY SEASON

red bank nj holiday express light-up concertred bank nj holiday express light-up concertBrisk weather in Red Bank once again made for an ideal Holiday Express start to the Christmas season Friday night.

With the Tim McLoone-led band working its musical magic for the 26th time, several thousand kids and kids-at-heart crowded a stretch of Broad Street, singing along and counting down to the light-up of downtown trees. 

Check out redbankgreen‘s photos below to see if you recognize any smiling faces underneath all those fun hats. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

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RED BANK: GETTING READY FIR LIGHT-UP

red bank, nj, christmas tree, riverside gardens parkAgainst a brilliant late-autumn backdrop, Ed Matthews of Powerhouse Signs got down to the business of decorating Red Bank’s official Christmas tree in Riverside Gardens Park Wednesday morning.

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RED BANK: MENNA TUGS REINS ON HORSES

Prince, from Dream Horse Carriage Rides, pulls a carriage through downtown Red Bank in 2014. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Mayor Pasquale Menna thinks having horses pull tourist carriages through downtown Red Bank during the Christmas holiday season is “inhumane.”

He said so at Wednesday night’s semimonthly council meeting, when he formally appointed an Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and asked that it look into ending the annual rides.

What does the owner of the horses think?

“Oh, not this idiocy again,” said Tania Lawson, owner of Dream Horse Carriage Rides in Jackson Township.

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from redbankgreen! (Photos by John T. Ward. GIF by Trish Russoniello.)

RED BANK: NORTH POLE CALLING

RBR students Stacy Osorio, on the phone above, making pre-Christmas calls with Stacey Tepoz from Santa’s workshop (borough hall) earlier this month. Below, Heather O’Donnell cracks up after calling a wrong number with Emily Maier. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

Press release from Red Bank Regional High:

Little Silver:  A big part of the Christmas season for little girls and boys is visiting Santa Claus and reciting him their Christmas wish list.  That is not always possible for some boys and girls in the Red Bank community, especially those whose families do not own or drive cars and can’t take them to visit the local mall, where Santa usually sets up shop.  So nine years ago, community leader David Prown, assisted by his good friend Enrico Ciabattoni, facilitated a special communication with Santa Claus and those kids in Red Bank he might have missed.

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RED BANK: SNOW ADDS MAGIC TO LIGHT-UP

The first snowfall of the season added to the magical air of the Christmas tree lighting event at Ralph ‘Johnny Jazz’ Gatta Park in Red Bank Saturday.

The event, organized by the borough Parks & Rec department, featured a visit by Santa Claus, who arrived by fire truck. Were you there? Check out redbankgreen‘s photos from the event below. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

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