~ Notes Around Town ~ Chris Kelly Little Silver’s Al Peskoe had his blood pressure taken by Marcell Kocsis, R.N., during Long Branch’s Senior Festival, held on the oceanfront June 21. Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport will host St. Patrick’s Day in July and offer a chance to win a trip for two to Ireland. If you’re blessed with the luck of the Irish, come out July 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Grandstand admission is $2 and clubhouse admission is $4. ***** Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport will be hosting the summer X-games demonstration July 14 from noon to 3 p.m. The event will be followed by a family fun day which will end at 4 p.m. Witness the mesmerizing feats of the country’s best professional in-line skaters and freestyle bicyclists as they demonstrate their high-flying skills on a 40-foot inverted skating ramp. Family day will offer free pony rides, clowns, face painters, and music. JERRY WOLKOWITZ A graduate loses her cap while walking back to her seat after receiving her diploma during Rumson-Fair Haven High School’s graduation ceremony on June 21. Grandstand admission is $2, and clubhouse admission is $4. ***** The Oceanport Baseball Association will be having its fourth annual baseball cruise July 20 at 4:15 p.m., departing from Connor’s Hotel in Highlands at 1:30 p.m. It’s $70 per person which includes the boat trip and the Yankee-Boston game at the Yankee stadium. For further information call Dave Chachko (732) 780-6336. ***** The eagerly awaited Liberty Extravaganza put on every year by the First Presbyterian Church of Red Bank will be held July 7. It begins with an old-fashioned strawberry festival with Dixieland jazz from 5-7 p.m. on the patio of the church grounds at 255 Harding Road, followed by the patriotic concert with the Liberty Choir and Brass Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. in the church sanctuary. The concert will feature patriotic music, gospel songs and sing-alongs, as well as a special salute to the armed forces with military color guard and the raising of the Grand Flag. ***** Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), recently welcomed this year’s student nominees from his Congressional district to the nation’s military academies at a reception held at his home in Pennington. They included Saddie Colon, Eatontown, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; Jillian Danback, Eatontown, the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis; and Kenneth Fenton, Oceanport, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. ***** The Young Widow/Widowers Social Group (age 35 and older) will hold a "family event" at Monmouth Park Racetrack, Oceanport, July 7 at 11:30 a.m. Attendees wearing green will be admitted free of charge. Regular admission is $2 for adults and children age 12 and older. For more information or to R.S.V.P., call Howard at (732) 264-4455. ***** New works by Long Branch artist Darrell George are currently on display at Oakland House Restaurant, 58 Oakland St., Red Bank, until the end of July. The painter will donate 20 percent from each piece sold to the Monmouth County Arts Council. His work, which captures the human form in oil paint, was recently featured on Channel 12 news as a promotion for the event. For more information, call Darrell at (732) 571-2849. ***** Monmouth Medical Center, 300 Second Ave., Long Branch, will host a "Summer Safety Fair" July 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the center’s first floor lobby. The free fair is presented through Monmouth’s Center for Kids & Family. It will feature representatives from the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, and St. Barnabas Burn Foundation. Free gifts will also be distributed. For more information, call (732) 923-6990. ***** The SPCA of Monmouth County, Eatontown, advises pet owners against taking their dogs to fireworks displays this Fourth of July as most dogs are frightened by fireworks. The organization encourages pet owners leave their pets at home. For more information, call the SPCA at (732) 542-0040. ***** The Monmouth County Audubon Society will hold an "Evening Bird Walk" July 18 at 6 p.m. at Sandy Hook. Birders should meet at the visitors center. The free walk is open to both members and nonmembers and will be led by an Audubon naturalist. Birds regularly seen on the walks include herons, ospreys, gulls and shorebirds. Birders should bring binoculars and field guides and dress appropriately for the weather. Advance registration is suggested. For more information, call the Audubon hot line at (732) 872-2473. ***** The John L. Montgomery Care Center, Freehold Township, recently honored 39 current and former employees for exemplary service during 2001. Among those honored for 20 years of service was Emilie McClendon of Ocean Township. She is employed in the facility’s nursing department. Annette Perry, a resident of Red Bank who works in the housekeeping and linen department, was honored for 15 years of service, and Red Bank resident Theodore Ilarraza, also housekeeping and linen, was honored with a 10-year award.