FALL SPECIAL EVENTS Great Fall Perennial Plant Swap Saturday, September 24 10:00 AM-2:00 PM Deep Cut Gardens, Red Hill Road, Middletown FREE ADMISSION • FREE PARKING For more information, see page 24. Harvest Home Festival Sunday, September 25 11:00 AM-5:00 PM Historic Longstreet Farm, Longstreet Road, Holmdel An old-fashioned country fair reminiscent of the 1890s. Exhibits • Wagon Rides • Games Entertainment • Craft Demonstrations Home & Garden Competition FREE ADMISSION • FREE PARKING For more information, see page 22. Walnford Day Celebration Sunday, October 2 11:00 AM-5:00 PM Historic Walnford, Walnford Road Upper Freehold Enjoy the sights and sounds of the past at a small western Monmouth village, plantation and country estate. FREE ADMISSION • FREE PARKING For more information, see page 23. Thompson Park Day Sunday, October 16 11:00 AM-5:00 PM Thompson Park, Newman Springs Road, Lincroft Autumn fun for the whole family! FREE ADMISSION • FREE PARKING For more information, see the inside back cover. www.monmouthcountyparks.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Registration Begins August 8! Active Adults 55+ ........................................5 Park Information ..........................................3 Equestrian..................................................6-7 Race Schedule ..........................................63 Golf..............................................................7-9 Registration Information ....................69-71 Health, Hobbies & Special Events..............................................4 Personal Development..........................9-21 arts & crafts ........................................................................................9-16 Special Needs Programs....................60-61 canine classes ............................................................................16-17 career series............................................................................................17 Sports & Fitness ..................................61-64 cooking ................................................................................................17-20 fitness ......................................................................................................61-63 performing arts ......................................................................................20 sports ................................................................................................................64 self improvement ......................................................................20-21 Teacher Workshops..................................64 Historic Sites ........................................21-23 Longstreet Farm..........................................................................21-22 Trips........................................................64-68 Walnford ............................................................................................22-23 On the Cover... Henry Hudson Trail Horticulture ..........................................23-24 Kids & Teens ........................................24-35 Fall Program Registration arts & crafts ....................................................................................24-27 Begins at 8:00am performing arts ......................................................................................28 personal improvement ......................................................28-29 Monday, August 8. school skills ......................................................................................29-30 • ONLINE (24/7) at sports & fitness ............................................................................31-35 www.monmouthcountyparks.com Nature Activities ..................................35-41 • BY PHONE at (732) 842-4000, ext. 1, Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm animal life ..........................................................................................35-37 • BY MAIL using the Registration ecology & exploration......................................................37-41 Form found on page 71. fishing ................................................................................................................41 • IN PERSON at plants & trees..........................................................................................41 Thompson Park Headquarters, prehistoric times ..................................................................................41 805 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft Outdoor Adventures ............................41-49 The Fall Directory contains programs archery..................................................................................................41-42 scheduled for September, October, bicycling ......................................................................................................42 November & December. The Winter camping ..............................................................................................42-43 Directory will be released on December 9. climbing................................................................................................43-44 hiking........................................................................................................44-48 on the water ..................................................................................48-49 The Monmouth County Park System: The First 50 Years Parent & Child Activities ....................49-60 Don’t miss your chance to get a copy of this arts & crafts ....................................................................................49-51 handsome hard-cover coffee table book. nature......................................................................................................51-55 It tells the story of how, from a small piece of play groups ....................................................................................55-58 land, the Monmouth County Park System grew school skills ................................................................................................58 to over 14,000 acres of open space. And with sports & fitness ............................................................................58-60 176 full-color pages, you will greatly enjoy all 423 beautiful photographs! For more information, call (732) 975-9735. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR MOST OF THE 1 PROGRAMS LISTED IN THIS DIRECTORY DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Message from the Director August 3, 2011 Dear Monmouth County Resident: Want a great view? Mt. Mitchill Scenic Overlook provides excellent views of the New York Skyline, Brooklyn, the Verrazano Bridge, Staten Island, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook and the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a great place to watch ships as they enter and depart from New York Harbor, one of the world’s largest seaports. The site is named in honor of Dr. Samuel Mitchill (1764-1831), one of our nation’s earliest naturalists, educators, and legislators who visited and explored the area. Mt. Mitchill is believed to be the highest geological point overlooking the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to the Yucatan peninsula. The Overlook is also the site of Monmouth County’s 9/11 Memorial in memory of those from Monmouth County who were lost as a result of the September 11, 2001 catastrophe that devastated our nation. The memorial, through a time line, traces the events of that fateful day. Mt. Mitchill can easily be reached via NJ Route #36 and Scenic Drive in Atlantic Highlands. A visit to this unique overlook can be a very rewarding experience for those of us who live in Monmouth County as well as our guests and visitors. For more information about Mt. Mitchill Scenic Overlook and other Park System parks and services, please contact us at (732) 842-4000, ext. 4312, or visit our website at www.monmouthcountyparks.com. Sincerely, James J. Truncer, Secretary/Director 2 REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.MONMOUTHCOUNTYPARKS.COM OR CALL (732) 842-4000, EXT. 1, OR BY MAIL SEE PAGES 69-71 PARK INFORMATION Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook: A Place of Remembrance 460 Ocean Boulevard, Atlantic Highlands • (732) 872-0336 With an elevation of 266 feet, Mount Mitchill is the highest natural point along the North Atlantic Coast, south of Maine. With gorgeous views, the location has long been a popular viewing site. A private refreshment stand and a picnic area occupied one of several lots on the site for many years, but the area was mostly barren and unkempt. Large blocks of capstone and sand periodically slid down the cliff face, and the lack of controls allowed more erosion than necessary. In the 1970s, a developer proposed two 15-story high rise towers, which prompted for many calls wanting to preserve the area. At first the cost of the site was too expensive for the Park System, but a compromise enabled the developer to build just one tower, and the County was able to preserve 8 acres. clutching a fragment of a steel beam from the World Trade Center. The black granite base of the sculpture lists the names, ages and towns of the 147 County natives and residents who lost their lives in the attacks. The walkway leading up to the memorial chronicles the timeline of the tragic event. Each September 11, the Park System hosts a remembrance ceremony at Mount Mitchill. The brief ceremony normally includes the Naval Weapons Station Earle Funeral Honors, bagpipers, invocation by local clergy, and flowers placed at the memorial sculpture. The park also extends its hours for a few days surrounding September 11, to allow visitors extra time to visit the memorial and view the NY The Park System opened Mount Mitchill Scenic Tribute