Gardening Volunteers Needed in 3 County Parks in Middletown

County residents with a green thumb are invited to join the Pruning Team.

Were you born with a green thumb, or were you born with regular thumbs and an interest in gardening?  Either way, the Monmouth County Parks System is inviting residents to join the Pruning Team. The group is made up of volunteers to maintain county parks and trails, which included pruning and trimming vegetation. Those interested in learning more are invited to attend a free workshop on Pruning Trees and Shrubs at the Thompson Park Visitor Center, 805 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft. The workshop will cover correct pruning techniques, tools and safety. Open to ages 14 and up, sessions will be held on Tuesday, April 9 and Thursday, April 18 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers are also welcome to drop-in volunteer days, when they can show up at …

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Discover: M'town's Deep Cut Gardens

For 33 years, this September, Deep Cut Gardens, part of the Monmouth County Park System, has been inspiring horticulturalists and visitors with its resplendent beauty and tranquility.

Deep Cut Gardens is dedicated to the home gardener. The 54 acres of gardens and greenhouses are planned as a living catalog of cultivated and native plant materials to be observed through out the seasons. Half of the property was donated to the Monmouth County Park System in 1977 by the Wihtol Estate. The other half was purchased with the New Jersey Green Acres funds. The park was dedicated on Sept. 14, 1978. The grounds have a pseudo-Italian style reminiscent of Naples, Italy, the homeland of one of Deep Cut's other owners, Vito Genovese, once described as the most powerful organized crime gangster in American history and the model for the underworld rival of Don Corleone in Mario Puza's "The Godfather." Discover Middletown's Deep Cut …

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Hest: Brookdale's Songwriter in the Park

Brooklyn songwriter headlines Brookdale Community College's series at Riverside Gardens Park, Red Bank

As the sun sank into the Navesink River Friday night, Ari Hest, a Brooklyn singer-songwriter took to the outdoor stage alone before a tremendous croud, a silhouette with a guitar hanging over his shoulders. Hest’s performance was part of Brookdale Public Radio’s Songwriters in the Park concert series at Riverside Gardens in Red Bank. The annual series features musical acts performing each Friday during the summer Thanks to the season’s most perfect weather, Hest, along with show opener Emily Grove, performed for a crowd of hundreds who packed the park, sitting on folding chairs and lying on blankets. The series continues next Friday, July 22, with Burlap to Cashmere, and wraps up the following week, July 29, with Corey Glover, lead singer …

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Putting the Breaks on Park Joy Riding

Middletown police offering reward on capture of vandal or vandals doing damage to parks in the township

Middletown police have reported that in the past week there has been a rash of vandalism done to several of the township’s Department of Parks and Recreation facilities. And to expedite the apprehension of the perpetrators, they’re offering a $500 reward for any information leading to their arrest. The main source of the damage, police say, is one or a few cars being driven on six parks and/or smashing into facilities at the parks. Among the damaged, driven on fields were two baseball fields at Middletown Thompson Park, on Newman Springs Road in the Lincroft section of the township. One of the joy-riding damaged fields is Challenger Youth baseball field, which is intended for the use of athletes with special needs. In the Fairview section …

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Frugal Family: Park it at Your Local Park

Experience all the nature and events Monmouth County parks have to offer

Explore Huber Woods with your family and friends. Stop by the environmental center and pick a backpack for Pre-K, Forest, Meadow or Pond. Each backpack contains all you need to make your self-guided nature walk filled with adventure and exploration! Use of the backpack is free but you must leave your valid NJ drivers license with the staff. Huber Woods has much to offer. Come explore its redesigned, hands-on exhibit areas. While there, play Native American instruments while viewing and listening to recordings of American Indian musicians and dancers. View the many colorful native birds outside or play in the puppet theater. Live turtles and snakes await your visit to the Reptile House. Huber Woods Park also features an all-access Discovery…

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A View from Tatum Park: Spring Snow Taunts a Bloomin' Middletown

Something to see as snow dusted trails and spring blooms in the park

Spring is here, but only on the calendar, as Middletown residents awoke to a new swath of white stuff on their lawns. Following less than a week after near-record warmth, a snow storm is affecting Northern New Jersey and New York State, with some precipitation extending into central New Jersey. Temperatures are expected to move past freezing into the low ‘40s by afternoon, with remaining snow flurries changing over to rain. No precipitation has accumulated on driveways and sidewalks and no school delays or closures were necessary. The snow sighting was just a tease left over from a winter full of drifts and closures. The rain is expected to persist through the day, but there is a high probability of a changeover back into snow around …

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