Belleville
As part of its Eight Great Live Monday Nights summer family series, co-sponsored by Friends of the Library, Belleville Public Library and Information Centers, 221 Washington Ave., presents the Hocus Pocus magic show with Joe Fischer on July 21 and a variety show featuring juggling, magic, puppets and more with Tom Burnium on July 28. Both events start at 6:30 p.m. Registration is required. Call 973-450-3434.
Bloomfield
Bloomfield Public Library’s Book Club, meets Monday, Aug. 4, at 90 Broad St., 6:45 to 7:45 p.m., to discuss “Assassination Vacation” by Sarah Vowell. In the book, the historian and NPR commentator describes places associated with the violent deaths of American presidents as well as those connected to the luckless losers who tried and sometimes failed to kill them. For more information or for help in locating a copy of the book club selection, call the reference desk at 973-566- 6200, ext 502.
The New Jersey Audubon Society sponsors a free birding hike in Essex County Brookdale Park, Bloomfield/ Montclair, Thursday, July 24, at 8:30 a.m.
Tour the Rose Garden and search for late summer birds and perhaps hummingbirds. Meet in the parking lot at the top of the soccer/football grandstands near the entrance on Bellevue Ave. Call 908-766-5787 or e-mail kelly.wenzel@njaudubon.org to register.
The Essex County SummerMusic Concert Series presents “Shadows of the ‘60s” at 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 25, at Brookdale Park. The tribute production show features music of the Four Tops, the Temptations and the Supremes. Admission is free. For more information, call 973‑239-2485.
Harrison
The Town of Harrison sponsors a blood drive Wednesday, July 23, 2 to 6 p.m., at the Harrison Recreation Center, 401 Warren St., in the gymnasium. All donors who register to donate July 21-27 will be entered to win one of 10 $25 ShopRite gift cards. Winners will be announced July 29. Donors must weigh at least 120 pounds, know their Social Security number, bring a photo or signed ID, eat a meal and drink plenty of water prior to donation.
Harrison is joining with thousands of communities across the country in the 31st annual National Night Out crime and drug prevention week on Tuesday, Aug. 5. The program is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch and, locally, is co-sponsored by the Harrison Police Department and Harrison/East Newark Elks.
From 6 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 5, residents are asked to lock their doors, turn out outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police.
Representatives of the Harrison Police Department and Harrison/East Newark Elks will be at Roosevelt Park, in front of the Harrison Public Library, along Harrison Ave., during those hours to meet residents and share strategies about stopping crime and educating folks about drugs.
There will also be games and giveaways for children, along with music and food.
Lyndhurst
The Children’s Room at Lyndhurst Public Library, 355 Valley Brook Ave., hosts these events:
• Crazy scientist Brian Richards will introduce amazing experiments on Wednesday, July 23, at 3:30 p.m. The program is recommended for children ages 3 and up.
• Children in pre-k to grade 8 discover more about making bubbles and get to stand inside one of their own Monday, July 28, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Registration is required for both events. Call the library at 201-804-2478 to register.
The library will be closed July 14-19 for a woodwork restoration project. No items will be due during this period, and book/ video drop items will be collected periodically. The library will re-open Monday, July 21. Call Director Donna Romeo with any questions or concerns at 201-804-2478, ext. 7, email her at romeo@ lyndhurst.bccls.org.
The New Jersey Meadowlands commission announces the following programs:
• Seniors can experience close encounters with birds of prey Thursday, July 17, at 1 p.m., at the Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 De- Korte Park Plaza. Admission is free. Seniors are invited to bring their grandchildren to see six live raptors, including falcons, and learn more about these awesome creatures of the northeast with Bill Streeter, director of the Delaware Valley Raptor Center. Registration is recommended and appreciated. For more information, call 201-777-2431.
• To celebrate National Moth Week, experts will talk about moths Monday, July 21, 8:30 to 11 p.m. in DeKorte Park. Then participants can check out the experts’ industrial- strength mercury vapor lamps and white sheets to identify and admire the various species. This family-friendly event is cosponsored by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and Bergen County Audubon Society. Check meadowblog.net for last-minute weather updates. To R.S.V.P., contact Don Torino of the BCAS or call 201-230-4983. Rain date: Tuesday, July 23. Admission is free.
• Seniors can learn how to successfully cultivate fresh kitchen herbs in containers Tuesday, July 22, at 2 p.m. at the NJMC Science Center, 3 DeKorte Park Plaza. Participants will take home the herbs they plant. Attendance is limited to 40. Advance registration is required. Call 201-777-2431 to register. Cost is $5 per person for supplies.
• Seniors are invited to join naturalist Mickey Maxwell Cohen for a free presentation on Dead Horse Bay, a small body of water off Brooklyn, Thursday, July 24, at 7 p.m., at the Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza. Around the turn of the 20th century, the bay’s marsh began to be used as a landfill. The trash heap cap burst in the 1950s and thousands of bottles – broken and intact – and scores of pieces of metal and plastic can be found on the shoreline today. They are often collected for use in works of art. Registration is recommended and appreciated. Call 201-777-2431 or 201-460-8300.
North Arlington
North Arlington Public Library, 210 Ridge Road, screens the 78-minute documentary “Men at Lunch” Friday, July 18, at 11 a.m. In the film, director Seán Ó Cualáin tells the story of “Lunch atop a Skyscraper,” the iconic photograph taken during the construction of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Nutley
Nutley Health Department sponsors “Yoga in the Park,” a free yoga class led by certified yoga instructor Angela M. Guerriero, open to township residents, every Friday at 7 a.m. through Aug. 22 on the basketball court in Yanticaw Park, directly behind Nutley High School. Participants are asked to bring a towel or yoga mat and wear comfortable clothing. For more information or to reserve a spot, call 973- 284-4976.
The cbp:LLC theater troupe hosts a Gender Swap Concert Saturday, July 19, at 8 p.m. in the Philhower Chapel of Vincent United Methodist Church, 100 Vincent Pl. Males sing female-associated songs and visa versa. Don’t miss this quirky take on some Broadway favorites and popular songs. Admission is $10 and proceeds will support the troupe’s summer production of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes.”
Join Nutley Public Library, 93 Booth Drive, for a Mini Science Fair for ages 5 and older, Tuesday, July 22, at 2 p.m. Librarians and volunteers will judge and winners will be announced that day. Projects must be easy to move and display.
Registration is required for the following programs. Call the library at 973-667-0405 to register.
• Tech Workshop: “Coding for Kids,” open to grades 3 to 6, is set for Wednesday, July 23, at 2:30 p.m.
• Essex County Environmental Workshop: “River Riffles” offers children ages 7 to 10 a close look at the teeny tiny river creatures that like fizzy bubbly water spots and an opportunity to take home a riffle-loving-insect, Thursday, July 24, at 11 a.m. This program is for library patrons only.
• Science Workshop: “Bubble Science,” recommended for ages 5 to 8, is set for Thursday, July 24, at 2:30 p.m. This is open only
