Reps. Frank J. Pallone Jr. and Rush Holt, both D-N.J., will host a town meeting Saturday to discuss Fort Monmouth’s future and their efforts to expand the fort’s mission beyond 2005 and the next round of base realignments and closings. The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. at the Eatontown Community Center on Broad Street. It is open to all who are interested in the role the fort plays in national security and the lives of New Jerseyans.

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The Global Understanding Convention being presented by Monmouth University in West Long Branch this week winds up today with a panel discussion at 10 a.m. in Young Auditorium, Bey Hall. The discussion topic is "The Greater China Area and a Livable World: Political Reforms, Cultural, Economic and Trade Issues in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong." The panelists will include Monmouth University President Paul G. Gaffney II; Peter Lan, senior assistant to the ambassador at the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office; New Jersey Assemblyman and Monmouth University’s Public Servant in Residence John Wisniewski; and Sandra Loeb, former visiting professor at Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou, China. Rekha Datta, chair of political science at Monmouth University, will moderate the session.

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A discussion on Muslim women’s perspectives will be sponsored by the American Association of University Women, Northern Monmouth County branch, at 7:30 p.m. April 12 at the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center, 128 Ocean Ave., Monmouth Beach. Three Muslim women of different backgrounds will share their experiences of Islam, including a short history of the religion with special reference to the development of the woman’s role. They also will talk about the current status of women in different Islamic cultures, vis-a-vis education, working outside the home, voting, civil rights, legal marriage and divorce laws. And they will tell of the effect that the events of 9/11 have had on their experience and on Islamic society in the United States. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call (732) 222-1951.

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A program on spring gardens, presented by Arlene Wrong of Sickles Farm, will be offered by the Woman’s Club of Little Silver at its April 14 meeting at 1 p.m. in the Woman’s Club building, Church Street at Rumson Road. The public is invited, and refreshments will be served. In the month of March, the Woman’s Club has made donations to the Little Silver Food Bank, Little Silver First Aid Squad, St. Clair’s Home, in Neptune, and Child Reach. Prospective members may call the membership chairman at (732) 747-3339.

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First-aiders in Little Silver received a big vote of thanks from the governing body as they approach the half-century mark of their organization. The Borough Council passed a resolution on March 15 expressing its deepest appreciation and that of Mayor Suzanne S. Castleman, on behalf of the residents, businesses and visitors to the borough, to the members of Little Silver Emergency Service on its 50th anniversary, for the squad’s devotion to community service. The group, founded in 1954 as the Little Silver Fire Company No. 1 First Aid and Rescue Squad, celebrates its 50th anniversary on April 3.

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A free lecture on "The Five Secrets to Permanent Weight Loss" will be presented at the Sea Bright Public Library at 7 p.m. April 6. The speaker will be Dr. Tyler M. Richards. To register, call (732) 229-1649.

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Brookdale Community College and the Junior League of Monmouth County will present Rachel Simmons, author of "Odd Girl Out," from 1 to 3 p.m. on April 17 at Brookdale. In her book, Simmons reports on the hidden culture of aggression in girls. She finds that girls are just as aggressive as boys, but they act out in much more subtle ways. She said the effect of this "hidden aggression" is devastating to millions of girls but is often invisible to parents. The book discusses what a parent can do help their daughter to deal with passing notes, spreading gossip and the silent treatment, some of the ways girls torment each other. Tickets are $20. R.S.V.P. to (723) 842-2039.

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An inspiring traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian, featuring photographs from the National Archives that celebrate the past 100 years of American life, is coming to the Monmouth Museum on the campus of Brookdale Community College in the Lincroft section of Middletown. The exhibit will open April 20 and run through June 6. Images in the exhibit, "Picturing the Century," range from the Wright brothers’ first flight to construction of the Empire State Building, and from Omaha Beach to the Persian Gulf, and include breathtaking views of the American West, scenes of rural America, and emotion-filled portraits of urban blight.

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An exhibition titled "Children’s Art: Water, Water Everywhere" has just opened at the Monmouth Museum on the campus of Brookdale Community in Lincroft and will run through April 8 in celebration of Youth Art Month. The exhibition was organized by Helene Boedart, art educator in the Long Branch elementary school system. The marine motif of the Museum’s Wonder Wing provided the theme for the exhibition. The young artists were asked to interpret the water theme in any way they chose, working with various materials. In addition, Boedart plans to supervise a group of student artists in the execution of a mural at the museum employing the H2O theme.

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Red Bank Councilwoman Jen­nifer Beck was recently elected president of the Red Bank Republi­can Club. Marianne Rhodes was elected to first vice president, and Barbara Horl was elected to second vice president.

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The Monmouth Council of Boy Scouts is providing a day camp at the Red Bank School System during the second and third week of Au­gust. The service is free of charge to parents, but the council is asking area businesses, organizations and groups to contribute time or make a donation to offset costs. Any ques­tions should be forwarded to Gary du Bois, at (732) 531-3636, ext. 18.

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The Oceanport Recreation Com­mittee will be sponsoring the an­nual Spring Egg Hunt tomorrow at 11 a.m. at the Community Center on the corner of Port-au-Peck Avenue and Itaska Place.

The rain date April 3. For details, call Debbie Johnson at 732-571-1357.