In the Arts

Asbury Park will celebrate the “Dog Days of Summer” at the First Saturday event scheduled for Aug. 6, 6 to 10 p.m. in downtown Asbury Park. Enjoy outdoor dining, sidewalk sales, art, trolley tours of the city and live entertainment. The visitor wearing the wildest sunhat will walk away the winner of the evening’s “Hats Off to Asbury” contest.

For more information call the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce at (732) 775-7676 or visit www.firstsaturdayasburypark.com.

“Discovering Beauty with Art and Travel,” an annual exhibit of paintings, photographs and sketches by New Jersey artists, will return to the Red Bank Public Library from Aug. 9- Sept. 28. The exhibiting artists have participated together in Artscapes classes, workshops or art retreats presented by artists Lorraine Niemela and Denise Weiner. An opening reception will be held Thursday, Aug. 18, 6-8 p.m. at the library, located at 84 W. Front St. For information, call (732) 471-8512 or visit www.artscapes-adventures.com. Summer hours at the library are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Tuesday and Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The Grove at Shrewsbury is sponsoring a free concert series on Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m., in August, weather permitting.

The schedule is: Aug. 9, Steven Delopoulos, jazz and folk; Aug. 16, Chandra Jade, folk musician; Aug. 23, Justin & Vin, rock, smooth jazz and blues; Aug. 30, Joe Zinneman, folk. Following the concerts, artists will be available to answer questions and will speak about life as a musician.

Monmouth University will present “Springsteen: Troubadour of the Highway, Photographs by Pam Springsteen and Frank Stefanko,” Aug. 10-Sept. 14 at the 800 Gallery. The exhibit is a special, abridged presentation of a larger exhibit and features 47 of Pamela Springsteen’s photos from her brother’s 1995 CD “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” She is a professional photographer and directs music videos. Frank Stefanko is best known for his photographs of the rock music scene in New York City in the 1970s. Hours at the West Long Branch gallery are Monday–Thursday, 2:30-4 p.m. and Friday by appointment. For information, call (732) 571-3562. On Sept. 9-11, “Glory Days: A Bruce Springsteen Symposium” will be held.

For more information, visit www.outreach.psu.edu/pst/springsteen.

Pianist Julia Muench will present an “unconcert” workshop on Saturday, Aug. 13, from 10 a.m. to noon at the UMC Church in Middletown. Topics at the workshop will include: listening to music in new and old ways, keener awareness of live acoustics and frequencies, unraveling the mysterious circle of fifths, Mendelssohn and other master composers. Seating is limited and reservations are required: Cost is $15. For information, directions or reservations, call (732) 872-7035.

Red Bank’s own Jazz Lobsters , under the direction of James Lafferty, will be appearing at the Wonder Bar, located on the corner of Ocean and Fifth in Asbury Park, every Wednesday night. Admission is $5, doors open at 7 p.m. and the 16-piece band starts tearin’ things up at 8 p.m.

The Jazz Lobsters have been a part of the N.J. shore scene for 25 years, playing everything from rock, Motown to the Count Basie and Frank Sinatra.

Two communities will pool their talents for an evening of entertainment on Aug. 15-17 at the newly completed Herbert and Evelyn Axelrod Performing Art Center at the JCC in Deal.

“Encore — a Celebration of the Arts” is the first collaborative event to be co-sponsored by the Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center in Deal and the Sephardic Community Center in Brooklyn. This event features an art exhibit and music, dance and comedy performed by more than 20 gifted performers from the Deal and Brooklyn communities. Tickets are $26 and can be reserved by contacting Lisa Goldfarb at (732) 531-9100 ext.100 or Sandy Sasson at (732) 531-5543.

The Shrewsbury Players , a dessert theater now entering its ninth season, will hold open auditions for Joseph Kesselring’s classic comedy, “Arsenic and Old Lace” on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 22 and 23, at 7:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian

Church House, 352 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury. Needed are 14 men and/or women in their 20s and up for the comedy, which will be directed by Gary Stern. Scripts will be available. Performances will be held weekends, Oct. 7 to Oct. 23. For information, call (732) 389-5648 or (732-) 24-8882.

Cantor Yechiel Nahari and his orchestra will perform a special Middle Eastern hafla, or celebration, at the newly opened Herbert and Evelyn Axelrod Performing Arts Center at the Jewish Community Center in Deal, on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. Renowned for his beautiful singing voice, Cantor Nahari will be accompanied by the rhythmic sounds of the oud, violin, guitar, darbukkah and anoon. Tickets are $36 (front center, rows 1-15) and $26 and may be purchased at the JCC box office by calling (732) 531-9100, ext. 100. The evening will include a Middle Eastern dessert reception.

The South Brunswick Arts Commission is seeking artists and craftspeople who create original work in any medium for Art Fair , a juried, all media, event that will take place Sept. 25, 1 to 5 p.m., indoors at Crossroads South Middle School, 195 Major Road, Monmouth Junction. The call is for original work designed by applicants. Application deadline is Aug. 29. Participation fee of $50 (for a 10-by-10-foot space) will be returned if work is not selected. For an application or more information, call (732) 329-4000, ext.7635 or e-mail arts@sbtnj.net.