Good morning Monmouth County! This pre-Halloween issue is packed with the spooky goods.

🎃 Halloween Fun

👻 Night of Frights at Allaire

📰 County Expands Free Tick Identification Services

🍁 Fall Fun

❓ Did You Know - What Monmouth County Can Do in 24 Hours

🇺🇸 Walking Tour of Monmouth Battlefield

🍲 Cozy Season at Nicholas Barrel & Roost

🍷 Hallo-wine Spooktacular at Fox Hollow

🎥 The Exorcist at The Showroom

🎸 Toad the Wet Sprocket at Count Basie

🏈 Monmouth U. Football

🌊 Ocean Temp/Tides

The Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division is reinforcing its public health defenses this fall by highlighting its ongoing free Tick Identification Service to help residents stay ahead of vector-borne illnesses like Lyme disease. Operated out of the division's Tinton Falls headquarters at 1901 Wayside Road, the program invites county residents to submit ticks removed from family members or pets for complimentary professional analysis. Trained staff examine each specimen under laboratory microscopes to identify the exact species, determine its life cycle stage, and assess its engorgement level—crucial data that indicates how long the parasite fed and helps individuals and their physicians make informed diagnostic or prophylactic decisions. While the county identifies specimens rather than running direct clinical pathogen cultures, the program tracks shifting regional tick populations across coastal and wooded corridors while offering residents practical prevention strategies, safe removal protocols, and lab referrals, ensuring Monmouth communities have immediate, science-backed guidance whenever an outdoor encounter occurs.

Storytime & Craft | Friday, 10/30 | 11am | Monmouth Museum, Lincroft | info

Free Weekend Workshop | Saturday, 10/31 & Sunday, 11/1 | 11am-2pm | Monmouth Museum, Lincroft | info

Halloween Parade | Saturday, 10/31 | 11:30am | Monmouth Museum, Lincroft | info

Fall Fun Fest | 9/12-10/31 | Sat/Sun 9:30am-4:30pm | Maple Leaf Farms, Manalapan | info

Fall Festival | 9/19-11/1 | Various times | Twin Pond Farm (49 Howell Rd, Freehold), Freehold | info

A. Casola Farms Fall Fest | 9/19-10/31 | Sat/Sun 9am-5pm | A. Casola Farms, Holmdel | info

2026 Fall Festival | 9/19-11/8 | Various times | Happy Day Farm, Manalapan | info

Carm's Farm Fall Festival | 10/30-11/1 | Fri 11am-5pm, Sat/Sun 9am-6pm | Carm's Farm, Colts Neck | info

Harvest Fest | 10/31 | 1pm | 500 Malterer Ave, Oceanport | info

Private Group Tour of the Paranormal Museum | 10/30 | 12pm, 1:15pm, 2:30pm | The Paranormal Museum, Asbury Park | info

Halloween Pop-Up Event! | 10/30 | 4:30pm-7pm | Tall Oaks Farm & Brewery, Farmingdale | info

Witches Night Out | 10/30 | 5pm-9pm | Pier Village, Long Branch | info

Haunted Halloween Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides | 10/30 | 6pm-9pm | Pete Sensi Park, Allentown | info

Night of Frights | 10/30 | 6pm-9pm | The Historic Village at Allaire, Farmingdale | info

Brookdale Haunted Theater | 10/30 | 6pm-10pm | Brookdale Performing Arts Center, Lincroft | info

Trick or Treat (An Evening with Marc Price) | 10/30 | 7:30pm | SModcastle Cinemas, Atlantic Highlands | info

The Exorcist | 10/30 | 8pm | The Showroom, Asbury Park | info

Ghosts & Legends of the Downtown Tour | 10/30, 10/31 | 8pm | The Paranormal Museum, Asbury Park | info

Georgies Halloween Party and Costume Contest! | 10/30 | 8pm-11:30pm | Georgies, Asbury Park | info

Halloween Party & Costume Contest! | 10/30 | 9pm-11:30pm | Johnny Mac's, Asbury Park | info

Hocus Pocus Drag Brunch | 10/31 | 11:30am | House of Independents, Asbury Park | info

Halloween at InfoAge | 10/31 | 12pm-5pm | InfoAge, Wall | info

Spooktacular Weekend! | 10/31-11/1 | 12pm-5pm | 4 JG's Orchard & Vineyard, Colts Neck | info

Trunk or Treat | 10/31 | 12pm-3pm | Asbury Park City Hall Parking Lot, Asbury Park | info

Halloween Costume Party | 10/31 | 1pm | Carton Brewing, Atlantic Highlands | info

Halloween Parade | 10/31 | 1pm | Marina & Festivities in Veterans Park, Atlantic Highlands | info

Halloween Spooktacular | 10/31 | 1pm-5pm | Pier Village, Long Branch | info

2nd Annual Hallo-Wine Spooktacular | 10/31 | 2pm-5pm | Fox Hollow Vineyards, Holmdel | info

Halloween Celebration | 10/31 | 4pm | Front lawn of the Municipal Building- 301 Main St, Avon-by-the-Sea | info

Moonlight Mixer at Dave & Boo-Ster's | 10/31 | 7pm-10pm | Dave & Buster's, Freehold | info

Halloween | 10/31 | 8pm | The Showroom, Asbury Park | info

The St. Laurent’s Annual Halloween Bash! | 10/31 | 8pm-11:30pm | St. Laurent Social Club, Asbury Park | info

Haunted House Halloween Party | 10/31 | 9pm | House of Independents, Asbury Park | info

Halloween Party | 10/31 | 9pm-2am | Brothers Daley, Sea Bright | info

2nd Annual Masquerade Party | 10/31 | 9pm-11:30pm | Watermark, Asbury Park | info

Hell in Paradise | 10/31 | 9pm-11:30pm | Paradise, Asbury Park | info

Fighting Pretty Fridays | 10/30 | 12pm-10pm | Bakes Brewing Co, Wall | info

10th Annual AP Porchfest | 10/31 | 12pm-4pm | Various locations, Asbury Park | info

Together For Andy- Halloween Concert & Fundraiser | 10/31 | 4pm | Triumph, Red Bank | info

Allentown Library Book Sale | 11/1-11/30 | Various times | Allentown Library, Allentown | info

Dia de los Muertos Celebration | 11/1 | 4pm-7pm | Count Basie- The Vogel, Red Bank | info

Flashlight Corn Maze & Beer Garden | 11/1 | 4pm-7pm | Screamin' Hill, Cream Ridge | info

Chef Nicholas Harary’s acclaimed Middletown dining destination, Nicholas Barrel & Roost, has officially transitioned its kitchen into mid-autumn mode, rolling out a robust lineup of seasonal comfort classics tailored for cooler coastal evenings along Route 35. Building upon the restaurant's signature blend of elevated American comfort and neighborhood hospitality, the refreshed dinner features spotlight rich, slow-braised short ribs served with velvety polenta, delicate house-made pastas tossed with wild mushrooms and brown butter sage, and hearth-fired rotisserie specialties accented by sweet local root vegetables and autumn squash. At the bar, the beverage team has refreshed its cocktail program with spiced apple bourbon sips, smoked maple infusions, and a curated selection of full-bodied cool-climate reds, offering Two River diners a sophisticated, fireside culinary retreat as the Shore heads into the heart of the fall dining season.

Highlands Farmers Market | 10/31 | 8:30am-2pm | Huddy Park, Highlands | info

Hazlet Farmers Market | 10/31 | 9:30am-1:30pm | Veterans Park, Hazlet | info

Egg E Egg Egg Thai Kitchen Food Truck | 10/31 | 1pm-8pm | Bakes Brewing Co, Wall | info

Taste of Napoli Food Truck | 11/1 | 12pm-6pm | Tall Oaks Farm & Brewery, Farmingdale | info

High Tide Oyster Pop Up | 11/1 | 1pm-5pm | Bakes Brewing Co, Wall | info

Chef Mumford Takes the Stress out of Thanksgiving | 11/1 | 3:30pm-6pm | Taste and Technique, Fair Haven | info

In one of the most remarkable displays of civic unity in New Jersey history, hundreds of Monmouth County residents and laborers banded together on the night of September 5, 1881, to construct a working railroad line overnight by hand in an eleventh-hour attempt to save a dying U.S. President. President James A. Garfield, suffering from severe infections two months after being shot by an assassin, pleaded with physicians to move him from sweltering Washington, D.C. to the restorative ocean breezes of his summer retreat in the Elberon section of Long Branch. Because the existing train depot was located over half a mile inland and doctors feared the violent jostling of a horse-drawn carriage ride over unpaved dirt roads would prove fatal, local citizens, trackmen, and railroad crews worked through the darkness with picks and lanterns. In less than 24 hours, they laid more than 3,000 feet of emergency spur track cutting down Lincoln Avenue and across private lawns directly to the doorstep of the oceanfront Francklyn cottage, even manually pushing the president’s private railcar the final stretch to ensure his safe, smooth arrival.

Although President Garfield tragically passed away twelve days later on September 19, the legacy of that historic night remains permanently preserved along the Shore. Following the president's death, the temporary rail line was dismantled, but Broadway actor and local resident Oliver Doud Byron purchased the salvaged wooden ties and iron rails, commissioning carpenter William Presley to construct an octagonal memorial pavilion. Known today as the Garfield Tea House, the small red-and-white structure—supported by an original metal rail as its roof ridgepole—rests on Ocean Avenue on the grounds of the Long Branch Historical Museum. Standing as the only remaining building in the nation crafted from the ties of a presidential emergency spur line, the site endures as a poignant physical monument to Monmouth County’s extraordinary compassion and community resolve during a national crisis.

Daniel Johnston: I am a Baby in My Universe II | 9/14-12/15 | Mon-Fri 10am-5pm | DiMattio Gallery at Rechnitz Hall- MCA, W. Long Branch | info

Jonas Mekas Film and Art Exhibit | 9/14-12/15 | Mon-Fri 10am-5pm | Rotary Ice House Gallery- MCA, W. Long Branch | info

Raw Power: Shepard Fairey Exhibit | 9/17-11/30 | Mon 12pm-5pm, Thur 12pm-7pm, Fri/Sat 12pm-9pm, Sun 11am-7pm | Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park | info

Greetings From Asbury Park Exhibit | 9/18-11/2 | Thur/Fri 3pm-7:30pm, Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12pm-5pm | Art629 Gallery, Asbury Park | info

The Grid We Live In Exhibit | 9/27-11/8 | 4pm-6pm | Nilson Gallery- Monmouth Museum, Lincroft | info

Freedom's Battleground: A Traveling Exhibit of Monmouth 250 celebration | 9/30-10/31 | Wed/Thur 9am-9pm | Shrewsbury Library, Shrewsbury | info

The Heart is Revealed in the Deed | 10/1-11/4 | Thur 9am-9pm | Shrewsbury Library, Shrewsbury | info

Festival of Lights Exhibit | 10/2-11/15 | Tue-Sun 10am-4pm | Monmouth Museum, Lincroft | info

Historic Portland Place Tours | 10/28-11/1 | Wed-Sun 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm | Historic Portland Place, Middletown | info

Fall Foliage Hike | 10/31 | 10am-11:30am | Cheesequake State Park, Matawan | info

Grade 4 & 5 ELA/Math Tutor by Appointment | 10/31 | 10:30am | Tinton Falls Library, Tinton Falls | info

Tech Help | 10/31 | 10:30am | Tinton Falls Library, Tinton Falls | info

Cookstove Demonstration | 10/31 | 11am-3pm | Historic Longstreet Farm, Holmdel | info

Mill Demonstration | 10/31, 11/1 | 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm | Historic Walnford, Upper Freehold | info

Walking Tour of the Battlefield | 11/1 | 1:30pm-3pm | Monmouth Battlefield, Matawan | info

Open Mic Poetry | 11/1 | 3pm-4:30pm | Thompson Park Visitor Center, Lincroft | info

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) | 10/30 | 10pm | Count Basie- Cinema House, Red Bank | info

ComedySportz: New Show Every Week! | 10/31 | 7pm-9pm | Jersey Shore Arts Center, Ocean Grove | info

Stir | 10/31-11/22 | Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm | Two River Theater, Red Bank | info

The Blair Witch Project: Film Screening and Q&A | 10/31 | 8pm | Count Basie- HMH Theatre, Red Bank | info

Emo Night Karaoke | 10/30 | 8pm | The Wonder Bar, Asbury Park | info

The Amish Outlaws | 10/30 | 8pm | Count Basie- The Vogel, Red Bank | info

Toad the Wet Sprocket | 10/30 | 8pm | Count Basie- HMH Theatre, Red Bank | info

Harbour | 10/31 | 7pm | The Wonder Bar, Asbury Park | info

Splintered Sunlight | 10/31 | 7pm | The Stone Pony, Asbury Park | info

Cosmic Jerry Band | 10/31 | 8pm | Asbury Lanes, Asbury Park | info

Willie Nile (Solo/Storyteller Show) with special guest Robinson Treacher | 10/31 | 8pm | Jersey Shore Arts Center, Ocean Grove | info

America at 250 | 11/1 | 3pm | Algonquin Theatre, Manasquan | info

Paul Anka | 11/1 | 7pm | Count Basie- HMH Theatre, Red Bank | info

Rhythm of Autumn: An Autumn Practice in Sound & Silence LIVE | 11/1 | 11am-1pm | Transparent Clinch Gallery, Asbury Park | info

Brookdale CC Women's Soccer vs Ocean CC | 10/30 | 4pm | Brookdale CC, Lincroft | info

Brookdale CC Women's Basketball vs Hudson County CC | 10/31 | 11am | Brookdale CC, Lincroft | info

Monmouth U Football vs Bryant | 10/31 | 1pm | Monmouth U, W. Long Branch | info

Brookdale CC Men's Basketball vs Hudson County CC | 10/31 | 5pm | Brookdale CC, Lincroft | info

Brookdale CC Women's Basketball vs Middlesex CC | 11/1 | 10am | Brookdale CC, Lincroft | info

Brookdale CC Men's Basketball vs Monroe U- Bronx | 11/1 | 4pm | Brookdale CC, Lincroft | info

Fri 10/30: Low 4:32am | High 10:59am | Low 5:32pm | High 11:48pm | Sunrise 7:24am | Sunset 5:57pm

Sat 10/31: Low 5:29am | High 12:03pm | Low 6:35pm | Sunrise 7:25am | Sunset 5:56pm

Sun 11/1: High 12:53am | Low 5:37am | High 12:08pm | Low 6:45pm | Sunrise 6:26am | Sunset 4:53pm