Museum to hold candle workshop on June 17

JEFF HUNTLEY Lauren O’Donnell, a student in Sharon Benjamin’s third-grade class at Brunswick Acres School in South Brunswick, talks about Norway during a presentation of students’ ethnic heritage projects at the South Brunswick Senior Center June 8.

The New Jersey Museum of Agriculture will present a hands-on workshop, "Shedding Light on Candles," June 17, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Learn the history of candle making and the process of creating candlelight using a variety of methods and skills common to homesteads and farms in the 1700s and 1800s.

Jane Chrysostom, of Homesteading 101, will demonstrate how raw New Jersey beeswax is transformed into candles using the traditional methods of an earlier time, which can still be used today. Participants will have the opportunity to try the steps involved in candle making and will receive their own hand-dipped candle to take home at the end of the program.

The $7 fee, which includes supplies, is payable at the door.

Registration is required. For more information, call the museum at (732) 249-2077 by June 15. Registration is limited to 35 adults.

Chamber committee program scheduled

The Middlesex County Employer Legislative Committee announces its monthly program on June 21 from noon-1:30 p.m. The meeting will feature N.J. Assembly Speaker Jack Collins.

The program will be held at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center, 999 Route One South in North Brunswick. A full lunch is included in the $25 admission charge.

For reservations or information, contact the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce at (732) 821-1700 or visit the Web site www.mcrcc.org.

Children’s game nights at library announced

Families with children ages 6 and up are invited to play chess and other board games at the North Brunswick Public Library on Thursday nights from 7-8:30 p.m. this summer.

The program will start on June 22 and will continue every Thursday night until Aug. 17.

Participants may bring their own games or play those available at the library. This is a drop-in program and no registration is required.

The library is located at 880 Hermann Road in North Brunswick. For more information, please call (732) 246-3545 and speak to the children’s librarian.

Businesses plan grand openings for June 17

Designed Just for You and Lyn’s Place are celebrating their grand openings in Davidson Mill Village on June 17 at 2 p.m.

North Brunswick Mayor David Spaulding will be present for a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a disc jockey will provide music from 2-7 p.m.

Designed Just for You offers home decor, animal sculptures, collectibles and many other gifts.

Lyn’s Place offers light lunches, Italian ices and ice cream, as well as other snacks.

Chamber to present health-care discussion

The Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold a legislative program, "Health Care and Your Business – What Is Happening to the Cost in New Jersey?," at DeVry Institute, Route 1, North Brunswick, on June 27 from 8-10 a.m. The program is free for chamber members, and $15 for nonmembers. Registration is required.

This program will address the cost of providing health insurance as a benefit to employees. A panel of experts, including state Sen. Jack Sinagra (R-18), Harvey Holzberg, president and chief executive officer of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, and Paul Langevin, president of the New Jersey Association of Health Plans, will answer questions.

Call (732) 821-1700 for more information and directions.

Chamber plans monthly business meeting

The Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce, located in the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick, will hold its "Business After Hours" at Pinnacle Federal Credit Union, Raritan Center in Edison on June 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Cost is $10 for members and $15 for non-Middlesex County chamber member guests. The evening features refreshments, door prizes and networking. This meeting is being held to provide funding for the chamber’s workforce development – school-to-career program.

For more information, call (732) 821-1700.

Panic Relief Inc. plans weekly group meetings

Panic Relief Inc., a nonprofit educational group serving people with panic disorders, holds meetings at 8 p.m. on Mondays in East Brunswick and in the Old Bridge and Sayreville area. Weekly group fee is $15. For more information, call (877) END-FEAR (363-3327) or (732) 937-4832.

Community School sets strength training class

South Brunswick Community School is offering strength training from June 26 through Aug. 31, Mondays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. Nick Scerbo, South Brunswick physical education teacher and trainer, will help participants develop their own individualized strength improvement program in the air-conditioned weight training room at South Brunswick High School.

Call Nancy Kinal at (732) 297-7800, ext. 278 to register by phone with a credit card, or stop by the Community Education office off of Route 1 north at 4 Executive Drive (Board of Education).

Cruise the Delaware on ‘Spirit of Philadelphia’

The South Brunswick Senior Center is offering a Spirit of Philadelphia lunch cruise, departing from the senior center on July 12, at 9:45 a.m. and returning at 3:30 p.m. Cost of the cruise, which includes lunch, is $38 for adults 18-54; $33 for seniors over 55 and youth. (Nonresidents’ registration is now open and is $5 more per ticket.)

The ship has three fully enclosed, climate-controlled decks and sails the Delaware River to Penns Landing, Philadelphia. There is a two-hour narrated tour, which features music, a floor show, and buffet, with mixed drinks available for an additional charge. Casual dress and comfortable shoes are recommended.

The center will be celebrating its ninth anniversary with a party at the center on June 29 at noon. Preceding entertainment by Joey Sudyka at 1 p.m. will be a meal of stuffed peppers. Call (723) 329-4000, ext. 670 to sign up.

Free skin cancer screening offered

The South Brunswick Health Department will be sponsoring a free skin cancer screening for all South Brunswick and Rocky Hill residents at the South Brunswick Senior Center on June 27 from 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Dr. Thomas Seck from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will perform the assessment. Literature about skin cancer will also be available. Call (732) 329-4000, ext. 238 to make an appointment.

South Brunswick YMCA to hold science clinic

The South Brunswick YMCA announces registration for their science clinic for children 7 to 12 years of age held at Brunswick Acres School, Kory Drive in the Kendall Park Section of South Brunswick.

Two sessions are scheduled for the weeks of July 10 and July 31. The one week session held from 8:20 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will be led by Ms. Stacy Knudsen who is a teacher certified in biology and earth science. Ms. Knudsen brings years of experience in teaching science and nature to elementary school age children.

Campers will explore various fields of science through experiments and field trips. Featured scientists will also be coming in for hands on activities and learning experiences.

For additional information, or to register, contact the YMCA at (732) 329-1150.

YMCA offers full day gymnastics program

The South Brunswick YMCA is now taking registration for their full-day gymnastics camp for children 5-12 years old, held at Brunswick Acres School from July 10 to Aug. 18.

Each morning campers will receive instruction on the various types of gymnastics apparatus. They receive YMCA swimming instruction four times a week and participate in recreational swimming one time a week. Afternoons are dedicated to developing routines and one-on-one instruction by the Y staff. Other activities such as arts and crafts are also incorporated into the afternoon sessions for younger campers. For additional information, or to register, contact the YMCA at (732) 329-1150.

Local artist exhibits work at N.B. Library

Oil paintings by East Brunswick resident Jerome O’Connor will be on display at the North Brunswick Public Library during the month of June.

O’Connor is a graduate of the Pratt Institute who returned to painting in recent years after a long absence.

His subjects include landscapes, seascapes and still lifes, and he is an admirer of the 19th century Hudson River school of painters, who specialized in romantic depictions of the American landscape.

His paintings have received awards, including first place in oil painting at the Middlesex County Fair Art Exhibit in 1997. He is a member of the Visual Arts League, a local collaboration of artists.

B’nai Tikvah to hold annual garage sale

Congregation B’nai Tikvah, South Brunswick, will hold its annual garage sale on June 18 and 19 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. This event features "treasures," objets d’art, children’s toys, games, appliances, furniture, sporting goods, office supplies and an assortment of cast-offs.

Congregation B’nai Tikvah is located on Finnegans Lane, just west of the Route 1 intersection. For information, call the synagogue office at (732) 297-0696.