Our interest groups and activities enable our members to come together in social settings, to get to know each other on a more personal level, and to have fun doing things that interest them.
- Members Only (Password Required)
(Dates & Times – Subject to Change)
May 2022 (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
- May 3: TWIN CINEMA” Cinema Group – 1 PM (Contacts: Shevi Salberg & Julie Warshawsky)
- (Contact Bonnie Gros)
- May 10: Lunch Bunch – 12:30 PM at Anemos Greek Restaurant (Contact: Eliza Baird)
- May 11 : Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion Group (Contact: Eileen VandeBunte)
- May 14: Branch Meeting
- May 18: Trip to Sea Girt National Guard and Military Museum & Lunch at Huddy’s Inn (Contact: Vivian Tedrow)
- May 24: “BOOKMARKS” DAYTIME BOOK DISCUSSION – 1 PM (Contact: Maxine Markowitz)
- May 24: “FEED N’ READ” DAYTIME BOOK DISCUSSION – 12:30 PM (Contact: Sheila Menendez)
- May 24: “MS. PRINTS” DAYTIME BOOK DISCUSSION – 1 PM (Contact: Chris Dasaro)
- May 26: “Books N More Discussion Group – 7:30 pm Zoom (Contact Bonnie Gros)
June 2022 (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
- June 7: TWIN CINEMA” Cinema Group – 1 PM (Contact: Shevi Salberg & Julie Warshawsky)
- June 9: Picnic
- June 14: Lunch Bunch – 12:30 PM at Oriental Pan Asian – (Contact: Eliza Baird)
- June 15: Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion Group (Contact: Eileen VandeBunte)
- June 21: “BOOKMARKS” DAYTIME BOOK DISCUSSION – 1 PM (Contact: Maxine Markowitz) June 21: “FEED N’ READ” DAYTIME BOOK DISCUSSION – 12:30 PM (Contact: Sheila Menendez)
- June TBA: “MS. PRINTS” DAYTIME BOOK DISCUSSION – 1 PM (Contact: Chris Dasaro)
- June 16, 18-21: Set up for Book Sale
- June 22-25: Book Sale
- June 25, 27: Clean Up after Book Sale
General Calendar
(by Days of Week)
Monday
3rd. Mon. Soup Kitchen (10:30 AM – 1:30 PM) (November to March)
Tuesday
Every Tues. Book Sort (10:00 AM – 12:00 PM) – (October to June)
1st. Tues. Cinema Groups (1:00 PM) (or other dates announced)
2nd. Tues. Lunch Bunch (12:30 PM) (September to June)
3rd. or 4th. Tues. Great Decisions (12:30 PM)
4th. Tues. 3 Daytime Book Discussion Groups (12:30 or 1:00PM)
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- The BOOKMARKS Book Discussion Group
- FEED N’ READ Book Discussion Group
- MS. PRINTS Book Discussion Group
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Wednesday
2nd Wed. Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion Group (1:30 PM)
3rd. Wed. Books N More Book Discussion Group (other dates/times)
Cultural Affairs (Trips & Treks) (other dates /times announced)
Thursday
Every Thurs. Book Sort – 10:00 am – 12:00 PM (Apr. – Jun.)
Canasta Group – 12:30
Bridge Group – 1:00 – 3:00 PM
2nd or 3rd Thurs. Branch Meetings (at location announced or on Zoom) – In-Person Branch meetings: 7:00 PM Snack & Chat, 7:30 PM Meeting start (Sometimes meet in afternoon); Zoom: 7:15 Log in, 7:30 Meeting Start
Members (Only) – Password Required:
See Board & Committees (Members Only) page for links to all members only pages
See Officers & Committees (Members Only) page for Interest Group and Activities Contacts.
See Trips & Treks – Upcoming (Members Only)
See Trips & Treks – Past (Members Only)
Please see the emails from our Branch Google Group for most recent information for our interest groups and activities!
ACTIVITIES
Event Calendar
This group meets on Thursdays 1:00 to 4:00 PM (year-round).
This group meets at members’ homes on Thursday Afternoons at 12:30 PM. At present, we are not accepting new members.
Cinema Groups
“Twin Cinema” Group meets the 1st Tuesday of each month at 1:00 PM at the homes of group members. Participants watch the movie prior to the meeting date, and meet to discuss it. Members bring their lunch. Refreshments are provided by the host and group members. Occasionally, members choose to hold the meetings via Zoom, rather than in-person. When meetings are held on Zoom, all Branch Members are invited to participate.
The movies are selected by members of the group for each quarter of the year, through a voting process. Movies are recommended by Members of the group, and researched, regarding availability and cost. Some of the chosen movies are foreign films, which have received Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Sun Dance Festival Awards, etc. or nominations for various categories.
The Afternoon Movie Delights group is no longer meeting.
Great Decisions
Great Decisions is a foreign policy discussion group sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association. Participants purchase and read a Great Decisions paperback book containing information about eight topics on world issues. The Group usually meets the 3rd or 4th Tuesday of the month, at 12:30 PM, after Book Sort, to discuss one of the topics. All are welcome to participate.
Literature Groups
There are three discussion groups that typically meet on the 4th Tuesday of each month, at 12:30 PM, one that meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month, at 1:30, and one that meets the 3rd Friday of each month, at 11:15 AM. Meeting dates and times sometime change, as needed.
Normally, participants meet at members’ home and bring their lunch. Refreshments are provided by the hostess. Selections for the year, voted on from members’ suggestions, are made at the May meetings. Due to COVID-19, members are now meeting via Zoom. Chairs send out specifics to their group members and dates and time for the meetings, prior to each meeting.
Note: No Meetings in December
(2021-2022)
BOOKS N’ MORE BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP
Usually meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month (Dates & Times vary)
- July 21, 2021 – The First Mrs. Rothchild by Sara Aharoni (7:30 PM)
- September 29, 2021 – The Personal Librarian By Marie Benedict and Victoria Murray (7:30 PM)
- October 26, 2021 – The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (7:30 PM)
- January 5, 2022 – Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
- February 1, 2022 – The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
- March 2, 2022 – Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland (7:30 PM)
- April 7, 2022 – Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristina Harmel (7:30 PM)
- May 26, 2022 – West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge (7:30 pm) – Zoom
THE BOOKMARKS BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP
Meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month, at 1:00 PM
- July 27, 2021 – This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
- August 24, 2021 – An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- September 28 – The Stationary Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
- October 26, 2022 – The Last Bookshop In London by Madeline Martin
- November 23, 2022 – The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
- January 25, 2022 – The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet
- February 22, 2022 – Lunch out
- March 22, 2022 – Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
- April 22, 2022 – Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger
- May 24, 2022 – Planning Meeting
- June, 2022 – TBD
FEED N’ READ BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP
Meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month, at 12:30 PM
- July 27, 2021 – Meeting
- August 24, 2021 – Meeting
- September 28, 2021 – Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
- October 26, 2021 – Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
- November 23, 2021 – The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel
- January 25, 2022 – Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
- February 22, 2022 – Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro
- March 22. 2022 – The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray
- April 26, 2022 – Something Beautiful Happened by Yvette Manessis Corporan
- May 24, 2022 – Planning Meeting
- June, 2022 – TBD
MS. PRINTS BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP
Meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month, at 1:00 PM
- July 27, 2021 – The Cousins by Karen McManus
- September 14, 2021 – The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- October 26, 2021 – The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
- November 23 or 30 – Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
- January 25, 2022 – The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
- February 22, 2022 – Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
- March 22, 2022 – Between You and Me by Susan Wiggs
- April 26, 2022 – The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- May 24, 2022 – Planning Meeting
- June, 2022 – TBD
Wednesday Afternoon Book Discussion Group
Meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, at 1:30 PM
- September 8, 2021 – The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
- October 13 – The Women with Silver Wings by Catherine Sharp Landdeck
- November 10, 2021 – The Book of Lost Friends by Liza Wingate
- January 12, 2022 – Movie – Nomadland
- February 9, 2022 – Have You Seen Luis Velez by Catherine Ryan Hyde
- March 9, 2022 – The Only Woman in the Room by Mary Benedict
- April 13, 2022 – There There by Tommy Orange
- May, 2022 – TBD
- June, 2022 – TBD
Lunch Bunch
This group meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 12:30 p.m., for a casual meal in an area restaurant.
This group meets twice a month on Monday afternoons. We are currently not taking new permanent members. Our Mah Jongg group is looking to add ladies to our “sub list” for experienced players.
Potluck Dinner at Members’ homes during month of February (Replaces February Branch Meeting)
Recognition Dinner
The Recognition Dinner, which is held in the month of June, has been an annual event for many years. It is an evening to socialize with those we see all the time and those we don’t get a chance to visit with very often. We always have a very enjoyable evening and are glad that many of our members were able to join us.
The purpose of the Travel Information Group is to explore as many different types of travel and travel experiences as possible. The group calls on our widely traveled membership to volunteer to speak about a travel destination, share experiences, pictures, planning, modes of travel, etc. Meetings are informal, yet informative. The group meets at a member’s home, afternoons (1:30 PM), four times per year (in October & November, April & May) – Dates are announced in Newsletter.
Trips and Treks (Cultural Affairs)
Each month trips are planned to various locations in NY and NJ, where we take docent-led tours of museums and other places of interest. During winter months, instead of monthly trip: we participate in Ladies Afternoon at the Movies. Carpools are facilitated for those wishing to attend. Since COVID, a number of trips have been “virtual trips,” whereby, we visited locations virtually and met via Zoom to discuss our trips.
Some destinations we’ve visited are:
- Brandywine River Art Museum Chadds Ford, PA
- Bryn Athyn, PA Historic District
- Cedar Lane Alpaca Farm and The Chapter House for lunch , Howell NJ
- Center for Holocaust, Human Rights, and Genocide Education (Chhange) at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ
- Deep Cut Gardens in Middletown, NJ
- Duke Farms in Hillsborough, NJ
- Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA
- Freehold Museum & Library In Freehold, NJ
- George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ (A trip to see Venus in Fur)
- Great Falls National Historic Park & Paterson Museum
- Grounds for Sculpture, in Hamilton, NJ
- Hindu Temple the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robinsville, NJ & Mastori’s Diner, Bordentown, NJ
- GUILD OF CREATIVE ART in Shrewsbury, NJ
- Hunterdon Hills Playhouse in Union Township, NJ
- Info Age Museum at Camp Evans in Wall Twp, NJ
- Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County
- Lyndhurst Mansion (The Jay Gould Estate) & Washington Irving’s Sunnyside Estate
- Montclair Art Museum and Leone’s Restaurant
- Monmouth County Agriculture Building (Kosloski Rd, Freehold)
- The Monmouth County Historical Association, Marpit Hall and the Taylor-Butler Housel Middletown, NJ
- Morris Aboretum in Philadelphia, PA
- Morris Museum and The Thirsty Turtle
- Nemours Mansion & Gardens Wilmington, DE
- New Jersey Audubon’s Society’s Plainsboro Preserve
- NY Botanical Gardens and lunch at Antonio’s Trattoria
- Pearl S. Buck House in Perkasie, PA
- Pine Barrens Native Fruits, and lunch at the Plumstead Grill
- The Proprietary House, in Perth Amboy, NJ and lunch at The Barge
- Roebling Museum in Roebling, NJ
- Rutherford Hall in Allamuchy, NJ
- The Seeing Eye Institute in Morristown, NJ
- Spirit of NJ lunch cruise from Weehawken, NJ
- Spring Lake Historical Society Spring Lake, New Jersey
- Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms and lunch at Lemongrass Viet-Thai Restaurant
- Tenement Museum in NYC
- Twin Lights Lighthouse, Bahrs & Monmouth County 9/11 Memorial located at Mt. Mitchell
- Tuckerton Seaport in Tuckerton.
- Vanderbilt Museum Centerport, New York
- NJ Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial & NJ Vietnam Era Museum
- Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center and Old Oarhouse Irish Pub
- Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Delaware
- Zimmerli Art Museum in New Brunswick, NJ
- Virtual Trips
- Trip to the Township of Ocean Museum (Woolley House) and the Alice Paul House in Mt. Laurel (July, 2020)
- Trip to Philadelphia Barnes Foundation (Museum) (August, 2020)
- Tennessee – Tour of Sun Records Recording Studio – Birthplace of Rock ‘N’ Roll! (September, 2020)
- Trip to Grand Central Terminal (October, 2020)
- Trip to National Parks in Pennsylvania (November, 2020)
- Trip to the Tenement Museum (January, 2021)
- Underground Railroad: “Black Folk Helping Black Folk” (February 18, 2021)
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- Digital Story: Secrets and Codes of the Underground Railroad (6:33 minutes)
- The Underground Railroad – National Underground Freedom Center (7:22 minutes)
- William Still – Father of the Underground Railroad (10:08 minutes)
- A Tour of the Underground Railroad – Georgia Stories (7:40 minutes)
- Safe House: The Underground Railroad in Fall River (19:20 minutes)
- Dawn of Day: Stories from the Underground Railroad (53 minutes)
- Trip to the Guild of Creative Art – Shrewsbury, NJ (March 17 & 18, 2021)
- Trip to Longwood Gardens – Kenneth Square, PA (April 21, 2021)
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