Looking for a bargain? Come to the Friends of the Library – Eatontown Public Library Bi-Annual Book Sale.

The book sale will take place the whole month of February at the Eatontown Public Library, 33 Broad Street, Eatontown.  We have hundreds of books and other items for sale including children’s books, large print, current best sellers, mysteries, cookbooks, magazines, DVDs, VHS, and more.  Sale starts at 10am on Wednesday 2/1/12.  The book sale hours are 10-5 MWF and 2-5 T Th.  The proceeds of the sale benefit the Eatontown Public Library.  For more information 732-389-BOOK (2665).

Books for everyone! The AAUW’s bookstore is open all Saturdays, 9 am-2 pm at Old First Church, 69 Kings Highway, Middletown.  Recent releases (hardcover and paperback), children’s books, classics, games, puzzles, & more. Gift certificates too. Proceeds provide scholarships for local women.

The Middletown Lions Club Charitable Foundation will host the sixth annual Super Bowl Sunday pancake breakfast on 8 – 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 5. at Applebees, Route 35 North and New Monmouth Road, in the Middletown Shopping Center. Tickets are $10 and include a full breakfast of gourmet pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, juice, and coffee. Proceeds will benefit an array of charities and charitable initiatives including the New Jersey Blind Citizens Association, Leonardo. Tickets for the pancake breakfast are available by calling John Giordano (732) 996-7495 or by email at johngiordano@yahoo.com. Those who cannot attend the breakfast may send tax-deductible donations to The Middletown Lions Club Charitable Foundation, c/o Lion President Lori Anne Oliwa, P.O. Box 75, Middletown, N.J. 07748.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) presents Glenn LeBoeuf, historian and civil war expert, will lecture about “Patriots Without Petticoats,” Mon., Feb. 6th, 7 p.m., at Kensington Court, 864 Shrewsbury Ave., Tinton Falls.  Contact: 732-222-3746. Public invited.

Motivational fitness club for mothers, Mommy Moves, will host a wine tasting benefit for the Ryan Andrew Kaiser Memorial Foundation (RAKMF) at Restaurant Nicholas in Middletown .

Proceeds from “A Charitable Event for the Heart” will support the RAKMF mission of financially assisting local families with critically ill children, who may not otherwise be able to afford proper healthcare or the hidden costs associated with day-to-day support of that child.

The organization was founded and is operated by Lauren and Andy Kaiser who lost their son, Ryan to heart disease in 2003.

Participants will enjoy a selection of fine wines, cheeses and chocolates with Chef Nicholas himself. Each couple will receive a copy of Nicholas’s autographed cookbook and a percentage of all wine purchased at this event will benefit the RAKMF.

Tickets are $150 per couple and reservations can be made by calling Mommy Moves, (732) 539-7711 or by emailing Lori Sawyer at lori@mommy-moves.com.

Thousands of orchids of all colors, sizes and shapes will be featured at Deep Cut Orchid Society’s 15th Annual Orchid Show from Thursday, February 9 through Sunday, February 12 at Dearborn Farm Market, 2170 Route 35, Holmdel.
Admission and parking are free. Food will be available.

Show hours are Thursday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The show is sponsored by Deep Cut Orchid Society, a non-profit organization devoted to the education  and growing of orchids.  Orchids, with more than 25,000 named species, is the most diverse flower on earth.  There are also more than 250,000 hybrids. New strains are being developed all the time.

There will be exhibits from growers all over the Eastern part of the U.S. and vendors from all over the country, including Hawaii.
Certified American Orchid Society judges will select the best of the best on Thursday.

Faye Arnett, DCOS president and show co-chair, says,  “No place else will you see such beautiful flowers in the  middle of winter. Hundreds of flowers. Colors ranging from all shades of yellow, crimson, purple, green, white. Speckled petals. Dotted petals and even flowers with stripes.

“Flowers, in general, symbolize love,”  says Arnett, “and there can be no greater gift than an orchid for Valentine’s Day.”

Pat Bliss, show co-chair, says “The Show provides a marvelous opportunity not only to see these awesome flowers — some as little as 1/2 inch — but also to learn about the world’s largest and most diverse species of plants.

You can see how you can easily grow these blooms and develop a stimulating hobby.”

Orchid experts will give free lectures Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 2 p..m. and 3:30 p.m. p.m. On Sunday, free lectures will be 10:30 a.m.,  2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Private guided tours will also be available and must be arranged ahead of time.

DCOS meets the second Tuesday of every month at the Monmouth Reform Temple at 332 Hance Avenue, Tinton Falls, at 7:30 p.m. An orchid expert gives a presentation, members bring in special blooms, and refreshments are served.

The annual Red  – A Girlfriends’ Luncheon to benefit Monmouth County Historical Association will be held on Thursday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Rumson Country Club. Approximately 200 women are expected to attend and enjoy lunch, boutique shopping, chance raffles, and a presentation by MCHA Curator Bernadette Rogoff on the vintage jewelry in the museum collection.

A “chocolate chance” sponsored by Daisy Chocolates will add to the fun. Boutique vendors will offer a range of items from jewelry to pajamas to furs.  Returning vendors include:  Byford and Mills, Ink Papery, Dani Risi, Everything is Rosey, Kho and Co., Faye Kim Designs, Italian Accessories Network, Lauren Wimmer,  P. Jamas, Sug’s Jewelry, Veranda and Winters Furs. The committee, chaired by Lynn Spector, welcomes new vendors this year including August Designs, Glamourpuss NYC, Kho and Co. and more

Tickets are available by calling the office, (732) 462-1466 or online at www.monmouthhistory.org.

Atlantic Highlands PTO Chance Auction & Dinner Dance is set for Friday, February 10th, at Beacon Hill Country Club, Atlantic Highlands, from 7-11pm. Music, dancing, full buffet dinner and 25 chance auction tickets included.  Scores of $100+ value gift baskets and $500+ value grand prizes for auction.  Prizes include art, travel, electronics, sports, more. Purchase additional chance tickets at door or in advance. Cash bar. Cocktail attire suggested.  Advance registration required. $55 per person.  Contact the AH PTO at 732-291-2020, x1230. Email: pto@ahes.k12.nj.us.

The 11 members of the Junior Board of the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) of Long Branch will host the 2^nd Annual Polar Bear Plunge on Saturday, February 11^th at the Sea Bright Public Municipal Beach (behind the Sea Bright Firehouse); it was announced today by Junior Board Co-Chairs Ben Sherman and Emily Hays.

“All of us on RMH’s Junior Board are so excited about this fundraising event. 100% of the proceeds will benefit RMH. We hope everyone will come out to take a quick plunge to raise money for this amazing organization that provides a “home away from home” for families of seriously ill children who receive medical care at nearby facilities. We’d also like to thank Cono Trezza, owner of Sea Bright Pizza for his support of this 2nd annual event. We are happy to play our part in helping The Ronald McDonald House, an awesome nonprofit that is close to our homes and hearts,”  said the co-chairs.

The other members of the RMH Junior Board from Rumson Fair Haven H.S. include;  Kevin Alter, Glen Wise, Brigid Shutsky, Schuyler DeBree, Nicky Armstrong, Artie Tildesle, Mike Moralle, Tori Huttner, Amy Littleson, Alec Burke, and Dayna Morelli, and Jamie Gunther, from Manalapan Englishtown Middle School.

Registration will be held at Sea Bright Pizza (1066 Ocean Avenue, Sea Bright, NJ) at 10:30 a.m.  Registration fee is $30 and pledges will be accepted (cash/checks made payable to Ronald McDonald House of Long Branch).

The Polar Bear Plunge starts at 1 p.m. After the plunge, participants are invited back to Sea Bright Pizza for refreshments and to warm up. Commemorative T-shirts and bracelets will also be sold.

For further information contact Nanette Leonard, Manager/Events & Public Relations, 732-222-8755 (ext 31) Nanette@rmh-cnj.org

Books for everyone! The AAUW’s bookstore is open all Saturdays, 9 am-2 pm at Old First Church, 69 Kings Highway, Middletown.  Recent releases (hardcover and paperback), children’s books, classics, games, puzzles, & more. Gift certificates too. Proceeds provide scholarships for local women.