The Monmouth County Master Gardener Program is accepting applications for 2011. The deadline to apply is Jan. 3. Master Gardeners are experts in all things related to home gardening in Monmouth County. After completing classroom and hands-on training, Master Gardener trainees share their knowledge by conducting garden lectures, demonstrations, school and community gardening projects, telephone diagnostic service for callers and research.

In an effort to limit the effects of the 2010-11 seasonal flu season, the Monmouth County Health Department will be offering flu shots to county residents at 25 flu-shot clinics beginning Oct. 1.

Find Local Activities for the Jersey Shore this Weekend, Sept. 24-26.

Still searching for the perfect vacation home in the Jersey Shore? Perhaps the Ashing Cottage should be one of the top locations on your list. Ashling Cottage has eight deluxe rooms with private baths in the main house and two beach house cottages in the rear. Built in 1877 with materials from the Philadelphia Bicentennial agricultural exhibit at the Bi-Centennial Exposition, its history is evident in its Victorian architecture. James Hulett, a prominent Philadelphia architect, designed and built the cottage and eight similar structures in Spring Lake in the 1870s and 1880s. Three of the nine original buildings, including Ashling Cottage, are residential buildings in Spring Lake today.

Looking for a change of pace activity in the Jersey Shore? Consider this agritourism destination. Wemrock Orchards is a country farm market famous for all natural hand made pies. Walk into the store and the aroma of fresh baked pies hits you. That smell of cinnamon and nutmeg tells you that it was made fresh that day.

Find Local Events and Upcoming Entertainment Activities for this Weekend, September 17-19.

Fall Harvest Festivals have been celebrated since ancient times. Celebrated around the time of main harvest, these festivals included feasting, dancing, games and romance. It was a time for the entire community to come together and, in the Mid-Atlantic and New England states it was a time for friends and neighbors to get together before the long winter months when travel was difficult and people stayed indoors. At The Historic Village at Allaire everyone celebrates the grape harvest with our annual modern Wine and Jazz Festival and the Apple Harvest with the annual historic Fall Harvest Festival.

This summer, Monmouth County 4-H members got a first-hand experience of theater life when they partnered with the Center Players Theater Company in a summer production of Charlotte’s Web in an adaptation by Joseph Robinette of the classic story by E.B. White.

Discover Local Events and Entertainment Activities for this Weekend, September 10-12.

Listed on the National and State Registries of Historic Places, capture living history at The Historic Village at Allaire with its historic sites, ruins and natural beauty. The Village is a glimpse into the early years of the industrial revolution & 19th century life. Photograph the Chapel where James Allaire’s daughter Maria was wed, the Blacksmith Shop, Carriage House, Bakery and more.