Ukraine benefit, St. Patrick's Day celebrations and more things to do this weekend
Happy St. Patrick's Day! Whether you are looking to have a good time or want to do good things, you can find it this weekend at the Jersey Shore.
Area comedians and musicians are joining forces to raise funds for relief efforts in Ukraine. Comedian Michael Hayne is working with 10PRL, 515 Bath Ave., Long Branch, to coordinate a benefit show.
Proceeds will support Boston-based nonprofit organization Sunflower of Peace and its efforts to aid the people of Ukraine who have been impacted by the war.
Originally scheduled for March 12, the show has been rescheduled to 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, with food and vendors on site from 1 to 3 p.m.
Hosted by Hayne, the evening will feature comedy from Howard Feller, Vikki Plummer, Robin Fox and John Poveromo, with music by Christopher Rieth.
Sun Harbor's St. Patrick's Day Celebration in Barnegat
Sun Harbor Seafood in Grill is staying open a little later for the restaurant's St. Patrick's Day bash on Thursday. Visitors can enjoy a slew of Irish-inspired treats, like the Irish nachos (thinly sliced potatoes topped with crispy bacon, melted cheese and scallions, served with a side of sour cream) or classic corned beef and cabbage (with onions, celery, carrots and potatoes slow-cooked in a red wine demi-glace).
Normal hours are noon to 10 p.m., but the party goes until 11 p.m. for the holiday.
Local rockers the Drunken Clams will be performing from 5 to 9 p.m. Other local musicians will make appearances at Sun Harbor this weekend, including Captain Bill from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, and Carnival Boys from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday.
Sun Harbor Seafood and Grill is at 451 East Bay Ave. For more information, call 609-622-6190 or visit sunharborseafoodandgrill.com.
Tedeschi Trucks Band returns to Red Bank
Rock and soul power couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks are returning to the Hackensack Meridian Health Theatre at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank for a three-night stand Thursday to Saturday.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m., the shows start at 7:30. Tickets are $49 to $199, and more information is available via thebasie.org.
"Learning to Live Together: The Return of Mad Dogs and Englishmen," the documentary about Joe Cocker's landmark 1970 tour and the Tedeschi Trucks Band's 50-years-later reunion celebration of it, screens at the Basie at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 22.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for "Learning to Live Together." Tickets are $15 and are available at thebasie.org.
The Basie is at 99 Monmouth St.
The Black Swan offers Irish whiskey dinner in Asbury Park
The Black Swan will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day this year with a whiskey tasting and dinner on Thursday, starting at 5:30 p.m.
The cost ($75 per person) includes four tastings of Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whiskey, small shared plates for the table, and a choice of entree, including the signature corned beef short rib. Every guest will also get an apple tart for dessert.
The Black Swan is at 601 Mattison Ave., Asbury Park. For more information, call 732-361-7159 or visit theblackswanap.com.
Learn to make syrup in Manalapan
Have you ever wanted to know how maple syrup is made?
Find out at Happy Day Farm in Manalapan, which this month is hosting demonstrations in its sugar shack. Attendees will take a tractor ride on the farm, which has more than 600 maple trees, and learn about the equipment used to collect sap, help a farmer with the tapping process, and see how sap is made into syrup.
Guests also can purchase pancakes and maple syrup.
Tours will be offered between 10 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, as well as March 26 and 27. Tickets cost $17 per person and can be purchased at the door.
Happy Day Farm is at 106 Iron Ore Road; call 732-977-3607 or visit happydayfarmnj.com.
National Association of Women Artists exhibit at Monmouth Museum
The National Association of Women Artists is bringing their "Then & Now" exhibit to the Monmouth Museum from Sunday to May 15.
NAWA is the oldest continuing professional organization for practicing women artists in the United States, having been established in 1889. This exhibit demonstrates the lasting presence of the organization, with 65 works of art — including a selection of 15 works, dating between 1915 and 1980, from the Zimmerli Art Museum's NAWA collection at Rutgers University.
There will be a free opening reception on Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the museum's main and Nilson galleries. Registration is required, and can be done here.
The museum is at 765 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft. For more information, call 732-747-2266 or visit monmouthmuseum.org.
Oscar-nominated shorts at the LBIF
The Lighthouse International Film Society will be presenting the 2022 Oscar-nominated shorts at the Long Beach Island Foundation of Arts and Sciences this weekend.
There will be three separate showings: live action shorts at 7 p.m. Friday; animated shorts at 1 p.m. Saturday; and documentary shorts at 7 p.m. Saturday. Each screening is $10 online, $12 at the door, or $25 for all three screenings.
Live action shorts include films like "Please Hold," about a man in his 20s named Mateo, who gets arrested by a police drone and then locked up in a fully-automated jail, with no means of recourse.
"The Windshield Wiper," about a man discovering the meaning of love in a cafe, is part of the animated shorts screening. "We Were the Bullies," one of the documentary short screenings, tells the story of a filmmaker who tracks down his fifth-grade class and teacher to examine a memory of bullying from 50 years ago.
The Long Beach Foundation of the Arts and Sciences is at 120 Long Beach Blvd. For more information and tickets, visit lighthousefilmfestival.org.
Monmouth Civic Chorus Las Americas
Travel the span of two continents, without ever leaving Monmouth County.
From Argentina to Canada, the award-winning Monmouth Civic Chorus will present "Las Americas: Music from the Americas" at 4 p.m. Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church of Freehold.
The program will feature Argentine composer Ariel Ramirez's Spanish-hit "Misa Criolla," which draws on traditional folk genres. The concert also includes a variety of Shaker songs, spirituals, traditional hymns, bluegrass, American folk and roots music.
The choir of about 60 singers will be accompanied by fiddle, guitar, piano and percussion.
Tickets are $30, $27 for seniors, $25 each for groups and $10 for students. For tickets and more information, call 732-933-9333 or visit monmouthcivicchorus.org. The First Presbyterian Church of Freehold is at 118 W. Main St.
Bird-watching in Long Beach Island
The Southern Ocean Birding Group will be hosting it's 11th annual Wings Over Long Beach Island Day on Saturday with a free indoor program in the morning, as well as free guided field trips at three locations.
The indoor program, which takes place at the Long Beach Township Field Station at 10:30 a.m., is an educational presentation on "Shorebirds of New Jersey," with 37 species seen annually and 17 rarities that have visited over the years.
Bird watchers can then choose to visit the Barnegat Lighthouse, the Cedar Bonnet Island unit or the Holgate unit of the E.B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Tours will be led by members of the Southern Ocean Birding Group. Guides will have binoculars, teach everyone about different Shore birds, and how to spot them.
Guided fieldtrips will begin at 1 p.m. Some common birds to be seen at the Barnegat Inlet are Harlequin ducks, red-breasted mergansers and long-tailed ducks. Cedar Bonnet Island is known for its peregrine falcons, northern harriers and Atlantic brants. Visitors can expect to see ocean ducks, loons and possibly a snowy owl in Holgate.
The Long Beach Island Field Station is at 127 West Osborn Ave., Beach Haven. The Barnegat Lighthouse is at 208 Broadway, Barnegat Light (meet outside the visitors center near the picnic tables). For Cedar Bonnet Island, meet in the parking lot at 1355-1357 Route 72, Stafford Township (on the east-bound side of the Route 72 Causeway). For Holgate, meet in the parking lot at the southern-most end of Long Beach Boulevard (take a right onto Long Beach Boulevard once on the island and drive all the way down).
For more information, visit southernoceanbirdinggroup.org.
'Lure of the Beach at Long Branch'
The Long Branch Arts and Cultural Center will be hosting a new exhibit, "Lure of the Beach," which includes images from the 19th century "Gilded Age" of Long Branch.
The display will be available for viewing through Friday, March 25. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
A coffee and pastries event takes place from 8 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 23. Mayor John Pallone is expected to attend.
Gabriela L. Laracca joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2021 and eagerly brings her passion for cuisine and culture to our readers. Send restaurant tips to glaracca@gannett.com.
Alex Biese has been writing about art, entertainment, culture and news on a local and national level for more than 15 years.
Sarah Griesemer contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore: Here are 10 things to do this weekend
