September is hitting its stride, and Monmouth County’s calendar is filling up fast. This week, we’re picking sunflowers, browsing fall markets, checking out a new Freehold health center and finding a few sweet reasons to get out of the house.

🎉 Local Events: Fall festivals, theater, food trucks and more
📚 Beyond the Books: Bridge, Mah Jongg, concerts and quack medicine
🩺 Healthy Aging: A new Health & Wellness Center opens in Freehold
🐦 Day Trippin’: Why Cape May is one of the world’s best birding spots
🍽️ Local Flavor: To-go cocktails, coffee, fro-yo and pizza
🍦 Sweet Milestone: Strollo’s Lighthouse celebrates 50 years

Up first…

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks—a day that claimed the lives of 147 people who were born, raised or lived in Monmouth County.

The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners invites residents to come together for its annual September 11 Memorial Ceremony at 8 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook, 460 Ocean Blvd., Atlantic Highlands.

The solemn ceremony will honor the victims, reflect on the courage and resilience shown in the aftermath and renew the community’s promise to never forget. Learn more about the ceremony here.

Monmouth County residents now have a new place to check off several health appointments without zigzagging across the county. Hackensack Meridian Health has opened its new Health & Wellness Center at Freehold, bringing primary care, specialty care and diagnostic services together under one roof at 3499 Route 9 North. The center offers a wide range of outpatient services, including:

The Freehold facility is Hackensack Meridian Health’s seventh Health & Wellness Center in New Jersey and its second in Monmouth County, joining the existing Eatontown location.

Doctors at the new center will use the same electronic health record system as Hackensack Meridian hospitals and outpatient facilities. That means medical teams can access a patient’s information across the network and coordinate care more easily if hospital treatment is needed. Learn more about the new Freehold Health & Wellness Center here.

🌻 Pick your own little piece of sunshine. Wander through the colorful fields at Holland Ridge Farms’ U-Pick Sunflowers Fall Festival in Cream Ridge, running Sept. 10–30 with flowers, food, fall activities and photo opportunities everywhere you turn.

🏓 Serve up some Thursday-night fun. Pickleball Open Play welcomes players of every skill level to Bicentennial Park in Spring Lake Heights from 4:45–7 p.m. on Sept. 10, 17 and 24. Bring a paddle.

🎭 See the small town that welcomed the world. Bell Theater in Holmdel presents the Tony Award-winning musical Come From Away on select dates from Sept. 11–30, with evening performances and several 2 p.m. matinees. Info

🇮🇹 Spend an evening in Italy—no passport required. Dakota & Elle perform Nessun Dorma, Time to Say Goodbye, The Prayer, O Sole Mio and more at the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove Sept. 11–13.

🎹 Request a favorite and let the pianists battle it out. French Quarter Fridays brings a New Orleans-style dueling-piano party to Alternate Ending Beer Co. in Aberdeen from 8–10 p.m. Sept. 11, 18 and 25.

🇺🇸 Celebrate America’s big 2-5-0. Hazlet’s daylong celebration on Sept. 12 features food trucks, crafters, local businesses, first responders, rides, a petting zoo and more at Hazlet Recreation, followed by fireworks at dusk.

🛍️ Make Sept. 12 your official treasure-hunting day. Start at Brielle Day from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. for crafts, music and a beer garden; browse vintage finds and handmade goods at the Ocean Grove Fall Market from 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; or search for antiques, collectibles, books, jewelry and second-chance goodies at the Atlantic Highlands Outdoor Flea Market from 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

🍺 Sip something local by the bay. The Highlands Fall Brew by the Bay returns Sept. 12 with craft beer, live entertainment and a waterfront setting that pairs nicely with just about everything.

🚚 Come hungry and leave your calorie counter at home. Food Trucktemberfest at Monmouth Park rolls into Oceanport Sept. 12 with a lineup of food trucks serving sweet, savory and gloriously messy favorites.

🎭 Watch a family heirloom stir up a family battle. Two River Theater in Red Bank presents August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Piano Lesson on select dates from Sept. 12–30, including several 2 p.m. matinees.

🎸 Give summer one last proper send-off. Jersey Shore rock band Howl takes over The Columns in Avon-by-the-Sea for its closing party Sept. 12 from 9–11:45 p.m.

🛍️ Shop Asbury Park from the sidewalk. Local businesses bring their merchandise outdoors for the Second Sunday Sidewalk Sale Sept. 13 from 9 a.m.–3 p.m., making it easy to bargain hunt before or after one more stroll near the beach.

🏡 Mix history with a little fall fun. Oakly Farm Museum in Freehold hosts its Fall Festival Sept. 13 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. with craft vendors, free house tours, live music, food and more.

🎃 Go big or gourd home. Maple Leaf Farms in Manalapan hosts its Fall Fun Fest every Saturday and Sunday, starting this weekend, Sept. 12-13, through Oct. 31, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with pumpkin picking, a corn maze, pig races, country music, a bull-riding show and more than 30 family-friendly activities.

⛳ Hit the links for local heroes. Golfing Fore Heroes comes to Jumping Brook Country Club in Neptune Sept. 14 from 11:30 a.m.–8 p.m., with a portion of the proceeds benefiting area police and fire departments.

🍹 To-go cocktails are here to stay. On Aug. 28, Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation making New Jersey’s pandemic-era rules permanent. Eligible restaurants, bars and other businesses can continue selling cocktails, beer, seltzer and other alcoholic drinks to go in sealed containers. Consider your next backyard happy hour handled.

☕ Farmingdale is getting caffeinated. Coffee Corral has opened a new location serving freshly roasted coffee, espresso drinks, superfood lattes, smoothies and light bites. It joins the company’s existing coffee shops in Long Branch and Red Bank.

🍦 Red Bank has a sweet new swirl. Staten Island-born Froyolicious opened its second location—and its first in New Jersey—on Aug. 28. The family-owned shop serves self-serve frozen yogurt, gelato and shakes, with rotating classic and seasonal flavors plus low-fat and non-fat choices.

Links to the latest news on aging from trusted media sources.

Top U.S. Doctors Offer Updated Flu and COVID Vaccine Recommendations, Aiming to Ease Confusion: Leading U.S. medical groups are urging people to get updated flu and COVID-19 vaccinations this fall, banding together to issue shot guidelines — and highlight the science behind them — to help ease confusion caused by the Trump administration’s changing advice. Associated Press, Sept. 2.

Home Rehab Delays Linked to Poorer Recovery After Hip and Knee Replacement: After a hip or knee replacement, getting back on your feet may depend in part on how quickly rehab begins. HealthDay News, Aug. 31.

How to Train Balance as You Age: Staying sure-footed gets harder the older you are. But there are a few strategies that can help. The New York Times, Sept. 3.

See what’s happening at Monmouth County libraries this week.

♠️ Play your cards right. Intermediate players can join Bridge at the West Long Branch Library from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Sept. 9 and 16. Seating is first come, first served—and no, saving a seat for your favorite partner isn’t in the cards.

🀄 Clear your Thursday morning for game time. Bring your best bridge or Mah Jongg strategy to Thursday Game Day at the Holmdel Branch from 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Sept. 10. Tables and supplies are provided for these friendly, player-led games.

🇺🇸 Hear the soundtrack of the Revolution. MadRegalia performs songs inspired by iconic moments in American history during Revolution in Harmony: Celebrating America 250 at the Marlboro Branch from 1–2 p.m. Sept. 10.

🀄 Keep the tiles—and the conversation—moving. Experienced players are invited to the Holmdel Mah Jongg Club from 1–4 p.m. Sept. 10. The library supplies the tables and sets; you supply the strategy.

🪶 Follow a historic trail through Monmouth County. All History Is Local: The Sand Hill Indians and the Minisink Trail explores the Indigenous community that lived along the county’s northern shores and the major migration route that crossed the region. The program begins at 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Eastern Branch in Shrewsbury.

🩺 Give your health a quick checkup—for free. Stop by Free Health Screening at Library Headquarters in Manalapan from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Sept. 14 for blood pressure, BMI, temperature, pulse oximetry and preventive screenings.

🎶 Meet the First Lady of the Yiddish Stage. Professor Diane Cypkin and pianist Lena Panfilova combine cabaret and classroom during A Salute to Molly Picon at the Marlboro Branch from 1–2 p.m. Sept. 16. Expect songs, stories and highlights from Picon’s remarkable career, from the Yiddish theater to Fiddler on the Roof.

🩻 Take two strange gadgets and call us in the morning. Denny Daniel of the Museum of Interesting Things presents It Hurts When I Do This: An Illustrated History of Quack Medicine at Library Headquarters in Manalapan from 6–8 p.m. Sept. 16. The interactive demonstration features bizarre medical devices, early surgical tools, old-fashioned dental drills and medicines that worked—or very definitely didn’t.

⚔️ Trade the Jersey Shore for swords, storytellers and a hearty “Huzzah!” The Sparta Renaissance Festival returns Sept. 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20 with jousting, sword fighting, live music, archery, axe throwing and more. This year’s theme is “A New Generation of Knights,” and the festivities continue rain or shine.

🥓 Come for the bacon and stay for the bourbon. The Bacon, Bourbon and Brews Festival lands at the Flying W Airport in Medford Sept. 12 with bold drinks, food trucks, live local music and family-friendly fun. Elastic waistbands strongly encouraged.

🐑 Get ready for a wild and woolly weekend. The 31st annual Garden State Sheep Breeders Sheep & Fiber Festival takes over the Hunterdon County 4-H Fairgrounds in Ringoes Sept. 12–13 with sheep shows, shearing demonstrations, herding dogs, spinning, weaving, food vendors and a fleece barn sale.

Head south and see why Exit 0 is No. 1 with bird-watchers. National Geographic recognizes Cape May as one of the world’s best birding destinations, thanks to its narrow peninsula that funnels thousands of migrating songbirds, shorebirds and hawks through town each fall.

Bring the binoculars and visit Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area, the Cape May Bird Observatory and the hawk-watching platform at Cape May Point. While you’re there, explore Cape May Point State Park and climb the Cape May Lighthouse for a view worth squawking about.

Planning an October return trip? The Lighthouse Challenge of New Jersey takes place during the third weekend of the month, offering another bright reason to head down the Shore.

🍦 Fifty years—and still keeping Monmouth County cool. County Commissioners recently recognized Strollo’s Lighthouse in Long Branch for celebrating five decades of homemade Italian ice, soft-serve and sweet summer memories. Congratulations to owners Jimmy Callano and Kevin Valerio—and here’s to another 50 years of brain freezes!

That’s all for this week! Until next time, try something new, support a local favorite and never underestimate the restorative power of a scenic drive—or a perfectly timed ice cream stop.

Know about an event, opening or community story we should share? Send it our way. And if you enjoyed this week’s Scoop, please forward it to a friend who could use a little more Monmouth County in their inbox.

😎See you next week!

The Monmouth Senior Scoop team

Disclaimer: Details may change, so please confirm dates and times with the event organizer before heading out. Health information is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.