Head over to Riverside Park on Monday mornings from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. for “Fitness in the Park”.  Free and fun workouts with certified personal trainers.

http://www.outdoorfitnj.com/home.html

Tuesday: Movies in the Park Presented by TD Bank.  The fun starts at 7 p.m. with live local entertainment.  Movies will be shown at dusk.

August 17  – The Blind Side
August 24  – Pirates of the Caribbean at World’s End

Thursday: Comcast Jazz in the Park – August 12 VooDUDES and August 19 The Jazz Lobsters

Red Bank Ghost Tours  – Accompanied by the spirits of days gone by, Jersey Shore Ghost Tours will be bringing the past to life with a walking lantern tour of spots in downtown Red Bank that are said to be inhabited and haunted by other worldly beings.  Friday Nights in Red Bank through August/September. Friday & Saturday nights in October. Tour begins at 8:30pm, Dublin House Courtyard, 30 Monmouth Street, Red Bank.  Tickets are $12 for adults.  

http://www.redbank.com/history/1299/red-bank-ghost-tours

Wine Walk – On Sundays take a stroll through the beautiful town of Red Bank while sampling wine and food at your favorite restaurants or try out some new ones! You may purchase Wine Walk event wristbands at any participating restaurant on the day of the event. Event wristbands are $20 each and entitle the purchasers to two wine samples and two food samples at each participating location.  For more info call (732) 842-4244.

This juried art show, sponsored by the Ocean Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, will be held on Saturday, July 31 from 9-4 on the boardwalk.

On Friday July 15, 2010 the Historical Society of Ocean Grove will be holding their Annual House Tour.  This is one of the most popular summer events in Ocean Grove.

The Present Meets the Past event is a  self-guided walking tour taking visitors to various sites within this Victorian community.  

The tour, held rain or shine, includes some of Ocean Grove’s historic edifices as well as lovely Victorian homes, tents,  Bed and Breakfasts, and tours of the Great Auditorium and the Centennial Cottage. Transportation service is also provided to help convey visitors from one distant site to the next.

The House Tour gives visitors a unique opportunity to experience ways in which the charm and graciousness of Victorian life and architecture can be adapted for 21st Century living.

Ticket donations are $25 in advance or $30 on the day of the tour,  For more information call 732-774-1869.

• Amusement Rides and Games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
• Free Rock the River Concert on Friday Night
• KaBoom Fireworks on the Navesink Light Up the Skies on Saturday Night

Get yourself to Red Bank or Middletown near the Navesink River…bring a blanket and a cooler and watch the best fireworks display in the County.  A great spot is  the Navesink Country Club but get there early.

If you are looking for a place to cool off this summer, of course there are the beautiful beaches in our area.  But if you would like to bring your children to someplace different you should check out the various water parks and “spraygrounds” that Monmouth County has to offer.

Dorbrook Park (209 Route 537, Colts Neck) has a water playground that squirts chlorinated, re-circulated water.  Although it is designed for babies, toddlers and younger children, don’t be surprised to find tweens having a blast too.   Free admission   http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?ID=2503

Runaway Rapids Waterpark (Keansburg Beach)  Bring your sunscreen and bathing suits for a day of water slides (over 18 different slides),  a lazy river, two spa pools, kiddie lagoon area and a separate toddler play area.  Click link for coupons http://www.keansburgamusementpark.com/CouponsOnLinePrint.asp

Asbury Splash Park (Asbury Park Boardwalk).  The new waterpark on the boardwalk is officially open! Hours are 10am – 6pm. The all day price is $9 for children and $5 for adults. The price for after 4pm is $6 for children and $3 for adults. 

Turkey Swamp Park  (Georgia Road and Namoco Rd, Freehold)  

If you don’t feel like getting wet, you can spend the day at Turkey Swamp Park.  Here you can fish for bass, catfish, and bluegills either from the shore or from kayaks, rowboats, canoes and paddleboats available for rental in summer. Boat rentals are available weekends only from May 1 through June 19 and then daily until Labor Day and weekends only again from Labor Day through Columbus Day. Boat rental hours are 10am-4:30pm.  The cost of boat rental is as follows:   

• 1 hour – $11.50
• each additional 15 minutes - $3
  A refundable deposit of $10 is required for individual rental. Group rentals are available; deposit of $50 is required. 

  http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?Id=2540

This Sunday, May 23 will be the  “Kick off” celebration of new shops and restaurants that were recently opened on the Asbury Park Boardwalk.  Many of the new eateries will be offering samples to visitors and some of the shops will be conducting demonstrations or offering promotions.

There are also activities and entertainment planned for children.  Come out and spend the day visiting some of the 35 shops along the famous boardwalk.

For a listing of the new merchants, follow the link below.

http://apboardwalk.com/news/126/

Photo by David C. Sommer