Celebrate Shakespeare’s 450th Birthday and the Wizard of Oz’s 75th Anniversary with displays at Bridgewater Library. Also see the play KnuffleBunny live at Growing Stage, Make art at Family Art Day in Bedminster, and get ready for a Children’s Book Festival at Hillsborough Library…

PLEASE NOTE: ALL SOMERSET COUNTY LIBRARIES WILL BE CLOSED ON MAY 20TH FOR STAFF TRAINING.

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Also we’ve gone to a new format, with just the titles of the programs, please click on the titles to read more and register.

 

 

Programs for Children @ the Bridgewater Library:

Storytime (For Ages 3-6, siblings welcome) No Registration Required.  Tuesdays  10:00 a.m. Second session at 1:30pm.  Please note, May 13th is the last storytime of the Spring session. The library is closed May 20th. 

Toddler Times & Baby Time end May 21st & 22nd.

Toddler Time (For Ages 18 months-36 months) No Registration Required.  Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m., repeats at 11:00 a.m.  Also Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.    Baby Time (For ages birth - 18 months) No Registration Required. Thursdays  9:30 a.m.

 

Play Group (ages Birth to 3 years) Monday May 12, 2014  10:00 AM to 10:30 AM Story Well.  No registration required. 

 

Rebel the Pirate Pony (For all ages)  Monday, May 12 from 4:30-5:30 pm. Registration required and begins on April 28. Ahoy Mate!  Come to the library to meet Rebel the 'Pirate Pony' from the Lord Stirling Stable.  Learn about horses and ponies, and listen to the story about Rebel's quest to become the most fearsome Pirate Pony Somerset County has ever seen.  Come dressed as a pirate and you too can be part of Rebel's crew!

Music and Movement (Birth to 3 Years) Monday May 19th. 10:00 AM & 11:00 AM (Ages Birth - 3 years)  No registration required.  

Click HERE for the complete calendar of May events.


@ Bridgewater Library for Tweens and Teens:


Open Mic Cafe Night (Ages 13+) on Thursday May 22nd  from 6:45-8:45pm.  Registration required to perform.  


TAB Meeting (Grades 6-8)  Tuesday May 27th, 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM. TAB Meeting (Grades 9-12) 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM  Registration Required. Do you want to make a difference at your library? Do you have suggestions for programs, new books, movies, or video games?  Then come to one of our upcoming T.A.B. meetings! Community service hours will be awarded for attendance and snacks will be served!  

Make a Difference @ the Library! (Volunteer Opportunities for Grades 5 - 6) Monday, May 5th 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm  Registration required .  Want more info about upcoming programs? Check out the  May teen calendar here.


Around the Community:

KNUFFLE BUNNY @ THE GROWING STAGE

KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL
Script and lyrics by six-time Emmy Winner Mo Willems
Music by Grammy Award-winning composer Michael Silversher
Black Light Bunraku-style Puppetry created by the Growing Stage’s Artist-in-Residence, Perry Arthur Kroeger

WHEN: through May 18 with performances Friday evenings at 7:30 PM, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 4:00 PM. WHERE: Historic Palace Theatre on Route 183 in Netcong
TICKETS: FUN-tastic Fridays with all tickets $15! Saturday and Sunday tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for children and seniors.
To purchase tickets, please visit our website at www.growingstage.com.You can always contact the Growing Stage Box Office at 973.347;4946 or email boxoffice@growingstage.com.
Group rates and Birthday Party packages are available.

KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL follows Trixie, her father, and her favorite stuffed bunny on a trip to the laundromat. The trip brings wonder, excitement and joy to the lively toddler, until she realizes she has left her Knuffle Bunny back at the laundromat. Trixie does everything in her power to make her father understand the emergency, but her father fails to see the issue at hand. Throw in adventure, song and dancing laundry into the mix and you have the perfect show for a family friendly outing.

KNUFFLE BUNNY: A CAUTIONARY MUSICAL features the talents of six professional equity performers in the cast. Enhance your theatergoing experience with pre and post show-activities. Dates and Activities listed on our website.

 

Hooray for May! A Family Art Day in Bedminster

Artwork by Dan Fenelon

“Hooray for May!”, a free family art day at The Center for Contemporary Art, will take place on Saturday, May 10th from 1-4 p.m.

“Hooray for May!” will bring together families from the local community for a fun and interactive day of making art. A variety of hands-on art activities for kids of all ages and parents alike will take place in The Center’s three art studios and in the outdoor pavilion, and include a variety of creative projects to keep or give on Mother’s Day.

A highlight of “Hooray for May!” will be a unique art experience led by renowned New Jersey artist and muralist Dan Fenelon, who will work directly with families to help them create large, vibrantly-colored banners that will be prominently displayed in local business locations throughout the Bedminster area. Fenelon has created murals across the United States including the Peace Mural that welcomed the Dalai Lama to the 2011 Newark Peace Summit.

Rounding out the afternoon will be family-friendly guided gallery tours of The Center’s current exhibitions, an art story time, a community hula hoop weaving project, and a creative do-it-yourself photo booth. Light refreshments including Friendly’s ice cream, cupcakes from Pirate Cupcake Baking Company, and Herr’s potato chips in a variety of flavors will be available. All children attending “Hooray for May!” will receive a “swag bag”, and student members of The Center will receive a special gift. Free t-shirts will be given out to the first fifty children.

Participation in “Hooray for May!” is free thanks to the generous support of Lead Sponsor Investors Bank.

Registration begins May 7th --  more details here: http://www.somersetcountyparks.org/parksFacilities/eec/EEC.html
PLANNING AHEAD FOR SUMMER…. if you are interested in other  Summer Camp Opportunities, check the lower portion of this blog: http://bwlibys.blogspot.com/2014/03/tonightmarch-20thcelebrate-world-day-of.html

 

BELOVED CLASSIC SET TO MUSIC ONSTAGE @ THE STROLLERS IN MAPLEWOOD

Little Women—The Musical
Book by Allan Knee
Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Adapted from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

WHEN: May 2 – 17; Fridays and Saturdays, 8 PM; Sundays, 2 PM
WHERE: The Strollers @ The Burgdorff Center for the Performing Arts, 10 Durand Road, Maplewood   TICKETS: $20; $16 seniors & students

Little Women, based on Louisa May Alcott's classic 1869 semi-autobiographical novel, focuses on the four March sisters—brassy, tomboy-like, aspiring writer Jo; romantic Meg; pretentious Amy; and kind-hearted Beth—and their beloved Marmee, at home in Concord, Massachusetts while the family patriarch is away serving as a Union Army chaplain during the Civil War. Intercut with the vignettes in which their lives unfold are several re-creations of the melodramatic short stories Jo writes in her attic studio. It is a heartfelt story about the importance of family and how life and love changes you. It is a family-friendly musical appropriate for ages 8 and up.

TRUE AMERICAN CLASSIC TO RUN @ GEORGE STREET PLAYHOUSE APRIL 22–MAY 25

 

CIRCLE PLAYERS TO PRESENT “ROMEO & JULIET” IN CONTEMPORARY SETTING

 

ROMEO AND JULIET
by William Shakespeare
directed by Erik Hall
produced by Faith Dowgin

WHEN: April 25-May 10; 8 PM Fridays and Saturdays; 3 PM matinee Sunday, May 4. A wine and cheese reception and a celebration of William Shakespeare’s birthday will follow the opening night performance.
WHERE: 416 Victoria Ave., Piscataway
TICKETS: www.circleplayers.com. ($1 per ticket discount online.)

One of Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies, it is the story of two star-crossed lovers whose untimely deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. This contemporary production places the Bard’s timeless words into a modern setting—a private school. (This is a perfect opportunity to introduce teenagers to the 16^th century world of Shakespeare while still making the play relevant to their lives.)

CHATHAM PLAYERS CONCLUDES 92nd SEASON WITH “BARNUM”: COME JOIN THE CIRCUS!

BARNUM
Book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart, and music by Cy Coleman
Directed by Jeffrey Fiorello
Musical Director Jack Bender
Choreographed by Megan Ferentinos

WHEN: May 9 – 24; Friday and Saturday 8 PM; Sunday 3 PM
WHERE: Chatham Playhouse, 23 North Passaic Avenue, in Chatham
TICKETS: ccp.ticketleap.com. What happens when you set a Broadway musical at the circus? Let’s just say you may want to “Join the Circus like you wanted to, when you were a kid.”

“SHREK” COMES TO COUNT BASIE THEATRE TO DELIGHT CHILDREN & THEIR FAMILIES

SHREK—THE MUSICAL

WHEN: April 25 – May 4; Friday and Saturday at 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM
WHERE: The Count Basie Theatre, 99 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, New Jersey
TICKETS: visit the website! or call 732.747.0014

 

Spelling Bee at Chester Theatre

May 2nd - 18th at Chester Theatre Group

Six young people in the throes of puberty vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves. Along the way, they learn that winning isn’t everything and that losing doesn’t necessarily make you a loser. A hilarious tale of overachievers angst set to music.

SPEAKING OF BEES -- CHECK OUT THE HONEY AND THE HIVE: THE SWEET STORY OF HONEYBEES AT THE MORRIS MUSEUM

May 5 – August 16, 2014

Honeybees are responsible for at least 30% of the foods we eat everyday!  Busy bees are the great pollinators of the world and are essential to so many aspects of our lives and culture.  Celebrate the sweet story of these incredible insects and learn how vital they are to our survival and how you can help to protect and conserve bees and their habitats.  Learn about the life cycle of a bee and how different cultures revere this tiny architect.   Artists that will be featured in the exhibit include: Josie Rodriguez, Katja Loher, Marietta Patricia Leis, and Rose-Lynn Fisher, among others.

Elise Guidoux and Karen Koshgarian, To Bee or Not To Bee, Twelve concertina books enclosed in various cells of a hand constructed honeycomb,  Image courtesy of the artists.

RELATED PROGRAMS (SEE LINKS FOR REGISTRATION AND TICKETING INFORMATION):

• Bee Hive Inspection, every Saturday through August 16
• Honeybee Lecture Series, June 7, 14, 21, 28
• Honey Extraction, July 12
• Dancin’ With the Honey-Bees, July 17
• Honey Bee Family Festival, July 26

 

 

RVCC Planetarium

Public Star Shows

• Astronomy Shows & Laser Concerts
• • Just for Kids

Thanks to Ruth Ross of njartsmaven.com for some of these listings….
 

Let Your Fingers do (more) Walking:

Are yours on this list?