Community Calendar

The Gallery at Mercer County Community College is hosting the Mercer County Artists Exhibition through July 1 .

This annual juried exhibition showcases the remarkable talent thriving within our local community. Each year, artists who live, work, or study in Mercer County are invited to submit their work for a chance to be featured at the West Windsor Campus Gallery and receive several distinguished honors, including Best in Show, Juror's Choice, and the prestigious Mercer County Culture and Heritage Commission Purchase Award.

This year's event drew nearly 200 submissions, with 30 pieces by 27 distinct artists selected for display. The works are a vibrant and dynamic mix of size and media, ranging from traditional painting and drawing, to printmaking, ceramic and other mixed media works, highlighting the diverse voices and creative depth of Mercer County's artistic community.

Sponsors are the Mercer County Culture and Heritage Commission and Blick Art Materials. The 2026 juror was Elizabeth Massa.

The exhibit can be viewed during the Gallery's regular hours:

Monday/Wednesday 12:00PM - 6:00PM

Tuesday/Thursday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Friday 12:00PM - 4:00PM

Journey with Ariel, a young mermaid longing to explore the human world, as she defies her father, King Triton, to follow her dreams. Alongside her beloved friends Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle, Ariel must face the cunning sea witch Ursula and make the ultimate choice between love and freedom. Filled with unforgettable songs like Part of Your World, Under the Sea, and Kiss the Girl, this enchanting musical is perfect for the whole family. With stunning costumes, captivating choreography, and dazzling sets, this production brings the underwater magic of Disney to life like never before. Don’t miss this timeless tale of courage, love, and self-discovery!

Fri. July 10 & 17, 2026 at 8pm 
Sat. July 18 at 8pm                                                                             
Matinee performances:
Sat. July 11 & 18 at 2pm                                                                                                               
Sun. July 12 & 19 at 2pm

A candlelit journey into the Upside Down featuring the music of Stranger Things, iconic 80s hits, and legendary rock classics performed by an NJFO string ensemble, narrated by Maestro David Wroe. 

Saturday, July 25 at 5:00 PM & 7:00 PM
The Presbyterian Church Chapel, Westfield

Sunday, July 26 at 2:30 PM
Sieminski Theater, Basking Ridge

Tickets: www.njfestivalorchestra.org/concerts

A candlelit journey into the Upside Down featuring the music of Stranger Things, iconic 80s hits, and legendary rock classics performed by an NJFO string ensemble, narrated by Maestro David Wroe. 

Saturday, July 25 at 5:00 PM & 7:00 PM
The Presbyterian Church Chapel, Westfield

Sunday, July 26 at 2:30 PM
Sieminski Theater, Basking Ridge

Tickets: www.njfestivalorchestra.org/concerts

The Gallery at Mercer County Community College is hosting the Mercer County Artists Exhibition through July 1 .

This annual juried exhibition showcases the remarkable talent thriving within our local community. Each year, artists who live, work, or study in Mercer County are invited to submit their work for a chance to be featured at the West Windsor Campus Gallery and receive several distinguished honors, including Best in Show, Juror's Choice, and the prestigious Mercer County Culture and Heritage Commission Purchase Award.

This year's event drew nearly 200 submissions, with 30 pieces by 27 distinct artists selected for display. The works are a vibrant and dynamic mix of size and media, ranging from traditional painting and drawing, to printmaking, ceramic and other mixed media works, highlighting the diverse voices and creative depth of Mercer County's artistic community.

Sponsors are the Mercer County Culture and Heritage Commission and Blick Art Materials. The 2026 juror was Elizabeth Massa.

The exhibit can be viewed during the Gallery's regular hours:

Monday/Wednesday 12:00PM - 6:00PM

Tuesday/Thursday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Friday 12:00PM - 4:00PM

TOMS RIVER – Join writer/performer Alex Dawson and folk singer Arlan Feiles as they perform spoken word and ballads from their Room to Swing an Ax song cycle from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday, July 27 at the Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library.

Like Waylon Jennings’s Man Called Hoss, Dawson and Feiles use spoken word and half a dozen biographical ballads to pull you through the mud and blood of a flinty, magical life on a haunted horse farm in rural Alabama.

Room to Swing an Ax begins the morning Dawson’s stepdad, a rancher named Doc, hit him in the head with a five-pound Fireside Friend. It ends with the old man dead, buried by bucket loader, among his horses. There are witches in the woods, snakes in the lake, ghosts in the barn, and trapped in every bent tree is the soul of someone who died wrong.

Stylistically, Room to Swing an Ax is Big Fish meets Blaze Foley, and Daivd Allan Coe meets Edgar Allan Poe.

Registration is required for this free program. To register, visit tinyurl.com/DawsonOCL, call 732-349-6200, or stop by the branch at 101 Washington Street.

The Gallery at Mercer County Community College is hosting the Mercer County Artists Exhibition through July 1 .

This annual juried exhibition showcases the remarkable talent thriving within our local community. Each year, artists who live, work, or study in Mercer County are invited to submit their work for a chance to be featured at the West Windsor Campus Gallery and receive several distinguished honors, including Best in Show, Juror's Choice, and the prestigious Mercer County Culture and Heritage Commission Purchase Award.

This year's event drew nearly 200 submissions, with 30 pieces by 27 distinct artists selected for display. The works are a vibrant and dynamic mix of size and media, ranging from traditional painting and drawing, to printmaking, ceramic and other mixed media works, highlighting the diverse voices and creative depth of Mercer County's artistic community.

Sponsors are the Mercer County Culture and Heritage Commission and Blick Art Materials. The 2026 juror was Elizabeth Massa.

The exhibit can be viewed during the Gallery's regular hours:

Monday/Wednesday 12:00PM - 6:00PM

Tuesday/Thursday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Friday 12:00PM - 4:00PM

The Gallery at Mercer County Community College is hosting the Mercer County Artists Exhibition through July 1 .

This annual juried exhibition showcases the remarkable talent thriving within our local community. Each year, artists who live, work, or study in Mercer County are invited to submit their work for a chance to be featured at the West Windsor Campus Gallery and receive several distinguished honors, including Best in Show, Juror's Choice, and the prestigious Mercer County Culture and Heritage Commission Purchase Award.

This year's event drew nearly 200 submissions, with 30 pieces by 27 distinct artists selected for display. The works are a vibrant and dynamic mix of size and media, ranging from traditional painting and drawing, to printmaking, ceramic and other mixed media works, highlighting the diverse voices and creative depth of Mercer County's artistic community.

Sponsors are the Mercer County Culture and Heritage Commission and Blick Art Materials. The 2026 juror was Elizabeth Massa.

The exhibit can be viewed during the Gallery's regular hours:

Monday/Wednesday 12:00PM - 6:00PM

Tuesday/Thursday 10:00AM - 4:00PM

Friday 12:00PM - 4:00PM

Mercer County Community College is hosting a Farmers Market on campus beginning June 10, open to both the Mercer community and the public. This market reflects the college's ongoing commitment to supporting local agriculture across the region and provides a wonderful opportunity to engage community members and invite them to grow with us through our Horticulture and other degree programs.

The market will be held every other week through September 16, rain or shine, in the parking lot next to the University Center.

Local vendors will be selling a variety of products, including fresh produce, jams, cold-pressed juices, breads, pastries, teas, honey, books, pickles, artisan soaps and more. The market will also be selling ice cream, donated by The Bent Spoon in Princeton, with all proceeds supporting the MCCC Food Pantry.

Vendor inquires may be sent to FarmersMarket@mccc.edu.

LAVALLETTE – Transport yourself back in time with “The Music that Defined the Big Band Era” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 29 at the Upper Shores Branch of the Ocean County Library.

Listen to Ortley Beach’s own Tony Corrao as he brings the audience to an era of sophistication, swing, style, and Sinatra. Corrao blends classical appeal with modern flair, using his captivating voice and magnetic stage presence. He was selected by the Count Basie Theatre in 2012 as a cast member for the Sinatra Birthday Bash. In 2015, he won first place in the Sinatra Idol competition in Hoboken.

This program is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Upper Shores Branch. The Friends are volunteers who help preserve, strengthen, and support the library through supporting branch activities, sponsoring fundraisers, and attending community and civic events as library advocates. Visit theoceancountylibrary.org/oclfriends or stop by your local OCL branch to learn how to get involved.

Registration is required for this free program. To register, visit tinyurl.com/BigBandOCL, call 732-793-3996, or stop by the branch at 112 Jersey City Avenue, Lavallette.