This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Brown Bag it With the Mayor on Saturday

Night of 'Rock and Roll' fundraiser at Basking Ridge fire station also on tap.

Our busy lives of work, raising families and managing households often make it hard to find the time for civic involvement. This week, however, there are a slew of township meetings where residents can weigh in on the topics at hand.

Starting off the week on Monday, the Board of Education will meet at Oak Street School.  There will also be municipal meetings this week on the environment, the sewerage authority, the shade tree commission, the board of health and deer management issues. All meetings are open to the public.

On Saturday, residents are invited to meet personally with Mayor John Malay. Grab a sandwich and gather at the Town Hall for the Mayor’s Brown Bag Lunch.  His first of this term, the mayor stated he is “looking forward to our first Brown Bag lunch next Saturday. It should be a great opportunity for residents to ask questions, voice concerns and generally find out what's going on in town outside the more formal confines of a township meeting."

He expects hot topics to include taxes, school funding, the quarry and miscellaneous neighborhood issues that he may or may not be aware of.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For some civic fun, don’t forget about the Rock and Roll fundraiser at the Basking Ridge firehouse on Saturday evening.

Monday

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Healthy Aging at Your Library: Connecting to Authoritative Health Information—, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Lynne Hilf, senior reference librarian, will lead a discussion on the current, reliable online medical resources available through the library and Internet. Program room B.

Board of Education Meeting—, 7 p.m.

Environmental Commission Meeting—Town Hall, 1 Collyer Lane, Conference room, 7:30 p.m. 

“Your Future’s so Bright”—, 140 Mt. Airy Rd., 7 to 8:30 p.m. Inspirational workshop led by Andrea Mastro Battista, $30 for members, $35 for potential members.

Tuesday

Toddler Time (16-30 months)—, 9:30 to 10 a.m. Interactive story time for 16-30 month olds accompanied by an adult. Child's birthday should come between 7/1/08 and 9/1/09. Registration required. Program room A.

Preschool Story Time 31/2 - 5 years old—, 10:30 to 11 a.m. Stories, fingerplays, and songs for 31/2  - 5 year olds. Child's birthday should come before 7/1/07. Registration required. Program room A.

Knitters & Crocheters—, 10 a.m. to noon and in the evening from 7 to 9 p.m. Program room B.

The Knitting Doctor—, 1 to 3 p.m. Registration required. Program room A.

Bernards Book Buddies—, 4 to 4:45 p.m. The third and fourth grade book club will discuss Elvira Woodruff's "Dear Levi, Letters from the Overland Trail" at this month's meeting.  Copies are available at the Children's Desk. Registration required. Program room A.

Bridge (Seniors)—Somerset County Senior Wellness Center,, 202 Mount Airy Rd. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
 
Majong (Seniors)—Somerset County Senior Wellness Center,, 202 Mount Airy Rd. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sewerage Authority Meeting—Town Hall, 1 Collyer Lane,  Conference room, 6:30 p.m. Open to all.

Township Committee Meeting—Town Hall,, 1 Collyer Lane,  Conference room, 8 p.m. Open to all.

Wednesday

Music to Move By—, 10 to 10:45 a.m. and  11 to 11:45 a.m. Children ages 3 and under with an adult can join Ann Wild for an interactive musical program. Registration required. Program room B.

Preschool Story Time 3 1/2 - 5 years old—, 1 to 1:30 p.m., and 2 to 2:30 p.m. Stories, fingerplays and songs for 3  1/2  - 5 year olds. Child's birthday should come before 7/1/07. Registration required. Program room A.

Afterschool Club Grades K-2—, 4 to 5 p.m. Stories and a craft. Registration required. Program room A.

Students-Helping-Students-Tutoring—,, 140 Mt. Airy Rd., 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Free Tutoring for students in grades 3-12 by High School volunteers. Contact Sylva at the Y, 908-630-3530.

Teen Creative Writing Workshop—, 7 to 8 p.m., Join writing instructor Steve Andriolo as you transform your ideas into well crafted poems and short stories through writing activities and games. Program room B.

Zumba Gold for Seniors—Somerset County Senior Wellness Center, 202 Mount Airy Rd. Every Wednesday 1 to 2 p.m. For seniors, free of charge. Registration required

“Star Bright”—, 190 Lord Stirling Rd. 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Ages 2 - 3 with parent. $10 for first child, $5 for subsequent.

Extinction is Forever—, 190 Lord Stirling Rd., 4 to 5:30  p.m. Ages 4 -6. Fee is $9 per person.

Shade Tree Commission Meeting—Town Hall, 1 Collyer Lane,  Conference room, 7:30 p.m. Open to all.

Board of Health Meeting—Board of Health, 262 So. Finley Ave., 8 p.m. Open to all.

Thursday

Baby Time (Birth - 15 Months)—, 9:30 to 10 a.m. Songs, rhymes and stories. Just drop in! No registration required. Siblings are welcome too. Program room A.

Tween Night, Gr. 4-6 “Pop Ups”— 7 to 8 p.m. Explore the wonderful world of pop-up books. Check out several different examples of pop-up books, then try your hand at making a pop-up of your own. Program room A.

Senior Flex Class—Somerset County Senior Wellness Center, 202 Mount Airy Rd. 10:30 a.m. For seniors, free of charge.

Green is the Color!—, 190 Lord Stirling Rd., 4 to 5:30 p.m. Ages 4-6. Fee is $10 per person.

Whaling is FUN for Everyone!— 190 Lord Stirling Rd., 4 to 5 p.m. Ages 7-9. Free.

Deer Management Advisory Committee—Town Hall, First Floor Conference Room, 7 p.m. Open to all.

Friday

W.E.T. Polar Adventure—, 190 Lord Stirling Rd.1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Ages 3 to 5. Fee is $10 per pair and $5 per additional child.

Rummage Sale at Bishop Janes—, 22 South Finley Ave., 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Items for sale include housewares, vintage items, toys, games, sports equipment, pet items, kitchen items, furniture, books, appliances, videos, CD’s and more. Donations will be accepted in Wesley Hall from March 13 to 17 in Wesley Hall (infant and child car seats and strollers cannot be accepted.) The sale will also be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Girls’ Night Out at the YMCA—,140 Mt. Airy Rd., 6 to 10 p.m., Ages 3 and up. Drop off the girls for an all girls night at the Y. Proceeds benefit the Dance Teams, preregister by 3/17 for special rate of $25 for the first child, $15 for each subsequent child. Prices at the door, $30 for the first child and $15 for each subsequent child.
 
Saturday

Clue Seekers Ages 5-8 with Jeanne DePodwin—, 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. A bilingual, multi-sensory musical journey of hide and seek, designed to engage children in discovery, music-making, and interactive adventures.  Jeanne DePodwin, with her 12-string guitar and autoharp, will lead the class in a mix of singing, clapping, dancing and rhythm instruments. Registration required. Program room A.

Music for Children with Special Needs—, 2 to 2:45 p.m. Ages 4-10 with an adult. Join Ann Wild for an interactive musical program for those children with special needs.  Registration required. Program room A.

Mayor’s Brown Bag Lunch—Town Hall, 1 Collyer Lane, Conference room, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Residents are invited to bring their own lunches and meet with Mayor Malay to discuss with him Township matters. Open to all.

HeartWrite Cafe—,, 140 Mt Airy Rd., 9 a.m. to noon. Writing workshop, bring paper and pen., register in advance, members $60, potential members $80.

Frog blob—, 190 Lord Stirling Rd., 1 to 3 p.m. Ages 7-9. $12.

Natural Spa—, 190 Lord Stirling Rd., 1 to 4 p.m..m. Ages 9 and up. $16 per person.

Planning a Native Butterfly Garden—, 190 Lord Stirling Rd., 1 to 3 p.m. All ages. $12 per person.

Dog Walks on the Equestrian Trails—, 10:15 - 10:30 AM sign-in. Walk is from 10:30 - 11:30 a..m. $3 per dog, humans free.

A Night of Rock and Roll, Fundraiser—Basking Ridge Firehouse, 30 Washington Ave., Featuring The Tattered Prophets from the Beatles to the B-52s. Tickets: $25, Seniors $20 and children under 13 free. For tickets, call 908-766-9874 or e-mail tickets@brfco.com.

Sunday

Nature Walks—, 190 Lord Stirling Rd., noon to 1 p.m. All ages. Children should be accompanied by an adult. No registration required. Free.

Annual Betty Cohen Memorial Dressage Show & Carriage Drive—, 256 South Maple Ave., 8 a.m. to 8  p.m. Carriage drivers will follow a predetermined, well-marked route through the miles of trails. Register in advance. $25 and $20 for members, $35 and $30 for non-members. For more information, visit www.flssnj.org.

Ongoing

Birds and Bones—, 190 Lord Stirling Rd., Ridge High School’s AP Studio Art class tested its skills on an unusual mix of birds and bones to create a unique art exhibit, which will be on display through March 22 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?