Two sensational opportunities

There are two sensational opportunities, one tonight, one tomorrow night, (Thursday and Friday) to put those record high temperatures out of mind and enjoy some culture, education, and downright fun.

To night sounds wonderful.

For the first time, the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council and the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association, two great groups, are collaborating to bring the best of all worlds to everyone, at no cost and close to home.

Tonight is the opening night of what promises to be a month-long collaboration between the two, concentrating on the incredible maritime heritage of our part of the world and the best part of Monmouth County.

From 6 to 8 p.m. this evening, , everyone has the opportunity to stop in at 54 First Avenue, home of the Arts Council, and hear Rik van Hemmen  give an entertaining and informative chat.

Rick will speak on what they’re naming Set Sail! Art, Design and Maritime, a clever presentation on how all these wonderful areas can blend together for even more appreciation of what we have in Monmouth County.  Rick will probably be making his presentation shortly after opening, so it’s good to be there around 6 or so.

Then for the rest of the evening, there are refreshments, lots of nice friendly people and the opportunity to tour some of the exhibits at the Council. Rik’s background in maritime engineering in itself makes him a great speaker for tonight. He’s president of Martin & Ottaway, the Red Bank  firm that specializes in maritime engineering and resolves all those technical, operational and financial issues of that world. He’s both an aerospace and ocean engineer, which means he pretty well covers the world from both sides.

The Marime Heritage Association is that nonprofit organization that works so hard to preserve more knowledge and greater appreciation of the county’s maritime heritage/ Their programs offered regularly range from teaching how to build wooden boats to  all those programs for kids and teenagers and beyond.

So tonight should be a must for everyone who wants to enjoy how the cooperation and hard work of folks from two diverse fields of interest can work so well together to provide even more entertainment and education.

Then, for members of the AARP….whether it’s the ‘younger 50s set or the more senior retired persons,, the Radium Girls will be a free movie you can enjoy in the comfort of your air-conditioned or fan-cooled home. It’s necessary to register for it at the AARP site, enough easy with your AARP membership card ID, and it’s one of a series of great summer movie nights the AARP offers.

Locally, The Radium Girls will hold a lot of interest for Bayshore folks who knew Rose Penta, who, with her husband Luke, build and owned  Clearwater Pool. Rose’s mom and her four aunts, all sisters, worked at the plant in north Jersey that painted hands on wristwatches to they could be seen in the dark, a great benefit to our military during WWII. However, the paint that made the hands iridescent were filled with radium, and these ladies all died cruel and awful illnesses, disfigurations and deaths because of it. It was Rose’s mom and aunts who were the leaders of the battle that stretches across the nation to help women in other plants as well. While their efforts were successful, and some received minimum settlements for some of their claims, their lives were Changed forever. Hearing the story of these women shows people who knew Rose where she got her spunk, stamina and determination right every young.

Check out AARP Virtual Community Center to see all their online events and classes, subscribe to  AARP Events Snapshot newsletter,  or visit AARP.org. to learn more about all they offer at no costs.

While The Radium Girls is certainly not a ‘feel good’ movie, because it involved some pretty heroic women, it’s worth a watch. Coming up and much lighter though, are a tour of the seven most incredible 1,000 year old or so buildings that give London it’s look,  and movies Footloose with Kevin Bacon,  a look into the reign of Queen Elizabeth from the time she was  a child, through her military service and up until the present, , as well as   Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in “To Catch a Thief.”