Community Bulletin Board

Eleven months ago, Mississippi was rocked by Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters in American history. The Hancock County Library System located on the Gulf Coast, was hit especially hard. Since then, the Ocean County Library has adopted Hancock's four branches in a benevolent plan called Partners in Caring. Ocean County Library has offered many internal Partners in Caring events that have helped Hancock.

The Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library, along with staff from throughout the system, will host a concert to benefit the Hancock County Library System Sept. 10. The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include an afternoon of musical entertainment featuring the theme "Rising from the Storm".

Performers will include The Roustabouts and James Day and the Fish Fry.

According to the press release, The Roustabouts, an Elvis tribute band, are not your typical Elvis impersonators. They leave audiences humming the tunes from the movies "Blue Hawaii," "Viva Las Vegas," "Jailhouse Rock" and other classic films from Elvis' "movie years." The group's Web site is www.theroustabouts.net.

The band James Day and the Fish Fry is influenced by all styles of blues music, including West Coast jump and New Orleans and Chicago blues. Originally from New Orleans, the band has a unique blues sound.

"We are coming from a solid West Coast influence and the seldom-heard Texas/Louisiana Excello sound," states frontman James Day.

The band's Web site is www.jameswday.com.

The event will also welcome Hancock County Library Director Prima Plauche, who along with her staff will detail their firsthand accounts of the devastation, aftermath and rebuilding efforts.

In addition, the event will feature a silent auction for gift baskets that were donated by local library branches. There is a suggested donation of $20, which will go directly to the Hancock County Library system.

Money collected will be used to rebuild the Hancock branches that were devastated by the hurricane.

The Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library is located at 101 Washington St. in downtown Toms River. Information about the event is available online at www.oceancountylibrary.org. Guests may preregister for the benefit concert by calling (732) 349-6200.

'Learn to Bowl' classes offered in Lakewood

The Ocean County Department of Parks and Recreation will sponsor a "Learn to Bowl" program from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays, Sept. 15 to Oct. 6, at Brunswick Lakewood Lanes, routes 9 and 70, Lakewood. The fee for each player is $10. Refer to program 313094-3A when registering. The program is for anyone who has never taken a "Learn to Bowl" class before.

To register, send a check made payable to the County of Ocean to: Ocean County Parks and Recreation, 1198 Bandon Road, Toms River 08753.

Details: 877-OCPARKS or www.oceancountyparks.org.

Bus tour of historic Brick set for Sept. 16

The Brick Township Historical Society will sponsor its annual "Bus Tour of Historic Brick" Sept. 16.

Gene Donatiello, township historian and author of local history, will provide the commentary.

The bus will depart from the Cultural Arts Center, 515 Herbertsville Road, Brick, at 1 p.m. and return at 3 p.m.

Refreshments will be served at the Havens Homestead Museum.

Donation is $10 per person. Call (732) 785-2500 for reservations.

Jersey Shore Audubon trip to New York City

The Jersey Shore Audubon Society will conduct a bus trip to New York City for a cruise around Manhattan Island and a visit to the United Nations building Sept. 8. The bus will depart from the Brick Target parking lot area "F" on Route 70 west at 7 a.m. and return at approximately 5:30 p.m.

The cost for this trip is $75 per person, which includes the Circle Line cruise and admission to United Nations with tour. Attendees will have time to purchase lunch on the boat during the cruise. Details and reservations: (732) 349-6646.

Island Beach State Park Beach Plum Festival

The Friends of Island Beach State Park will host the ninth annual Beach Plum Festival Sept. 10 in Island Beach State Park, Seaside Park, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The festival provides the public the opportunity to participate in beach plum picking and the making of beach plum jelly. There will also be bird banding demonstrations, environmental exhibits, children's games, rock climbing, craft shows and beach walks. Programs will include a demonstration of the park's lifeguard program, birding in the park and a movie "The Return of the Peregrine Falcon," which was filmed at Island Beach Park. There will be several food vendors and a donated kayak will be raffled.

The Beach Plum Festivals have attracted thousands of visitors for this annual friends group function, which is the major fundraiser for the park's interpretative educational operations and conservation programs.

Entrance to the park will be free. A $4 donation for car parking at the festival will be requested.

'BookFest' at Toms River Library Sept. 30

The Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library, 101 Washington St., will host "2006 BookFest: The New Jersey Festival of Reading" from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 30. Programs will include a featured author presentation, local writers, music, book signings, children's activities, writing workshops, and Sparks, the Ocean County Library mascot.

Author David Magee will discuss his new book, "MoonPie: Biography of an Out-of-This-World Snack." This unique biography of a favorite American snack chronicles its start as a treat for coal miners 75 years ago to its present status as a classic snack. Magee is also the author of "Endurance: Winning Life's Majors the Phil Mickelson Way," "Ford Tough," and "Turnaround: How Carlos Ghosn Rescued Nissan."

Calvin Earl, singer, songwriter and storyteller, will discuss the creation and recording process used for his new project "Gratitude," an album of both music and storytelling.

"BookFest was created to celebrate the joy of reading, connecting authors and their readers," said Carol Zsiga, principal librarian at the Toms River library branch. "It is a great joy that we can showcase the great literary talent that is present in our own back yard."

Local speakers will include Barbara Westergaard, Princeton, author of "New Jersey, a Guide to the State"; Steven Richman, Plainsboro, author of "The Bridges of New Jersey: Portraits of Garden State Crossings"; and Wil Mara, author of "Wave," a realistic disaster thriller set at the Jersey Shore.

Christopher Klim, Titusville, author of the humorous satire "Jesus Lives in Trenton," and Lisa Martelli, Voorhes, author of the mystery novel "An Unlikely Suspect," will lead two writers workshops.

Children's authors will include Mark Rogalski, author of "Tickets to Ride," a picture book; George Smith, Lakewood, author of "Spike, the Amazing Chicken" and "The Journey of the Little Red Boat"; and Lori Lee Corson-Tobia, Wall Township, author of "Everyone is Different," the story of five animals on a small farm.

Danny and Kim Adlerman, Metuchen, will provide children's music. And Sparks, the Ocean County Library mascot, and his favorite storybook character friends will be available for pictures and autographs.

The library staff will also be on hand to answer question about the library's resources and to introduce new features provided by the electronic library.

Details: www.oceancountylibrary.org or (732) 349-6200.