Adopt a cute cat or dog, take a cruise and more things to do this week at the Jersey Shore
What started out as just a single day adoption event eight years ago is now a month-long celebration that the two Ocean County Animal Facilities look forward to during the busy shelter dog — and cat — days of summer.
The Clear the Shelters Pet Adoption Campaign keeps getting bigger and better, said Ocean County Commissioner Gary Quinn, liaison to the Ocean County Board of Health, in a news release.
“We are so grateful to the Ocean County residents and visitors who support this special event by adopting one of our shelter cats and dogs," he said. "These pets all deserve a forever home.”
The campaign kicked off Aug. 1 at the Northern Ocean County Animal Facility in Jackson and the Southern Ocean County Animal Facility in Manahawkin. To date, 11 cats and seven dogs have been adopted.
Anyone who adopts a pet during August will receive a free goodie bag stuffed with healthy treats and toys. The event highlight is the discount adoption day set for Saturday, Aug. 26, with adoption fees reduced 50 percent on all pets.
Every dog and cat available for adoption receives a veterinary exam, age appropriate vaccinations, is spayed/neutered, and microchipped.
The Southern Ocean County Animal Facility is at 360 Haywood Road in Manahawkin; the Northern Ocean County Animal Facility is at 615 Freemont Ave. in Jackson.
For more pet adoption information, call 732-657-8086 or 609-978-0127, follow the Ocean County Health Department on social media, or visit ochd.org.
Here are other things to do this week at the Jersey Shore and beyond:
Bayshore Bazaar Sunset Boat Cruise
Prepare to embark on an evening full of scenic views, food and shopping. From 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, the Bayshore Bazaar Sunset Boat Cruise sets sail on the 80-foot Festiva Yacht, located at Teal Cruises in Atlantic Highlands.
The boat features two decks, a dining room, a dance floor, a bar, a retractable sunroof and two restrooms, There will be music, a cash bar, complimentary soda and water, free hors d'oeuvres and a shopping lounge showcasing the talents of local artisans as you cruise along the Bayshore and Shrewsbury River.
Tickets are $85 per person and are available at asburyparkbazaar.com/vendor-payment/bayshore-bazaar-boat-cruise-tickets.
Go: Bayshore Bazaar Sunset Boat Cruise, 6:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, Atlantic Highlands, $85; Bayshore Bazaar Sunset Boat Cruise, asburyparkbazaar.com, bayshorebeyond.com.
'Siren Arts: DRIFT' in Asbury Park
Siren Arts is an innovative summer residency program and public performance art series based in Asbury Park that supports emerging visual artists from Washington, D.C. to New York City. Launched in the summer of 2017, Siren Arts is an expansion of Transformer, a Washington, D.C.,-based artist-centered nonprofit visual arts organization.
"Siren Arts: DRIFT" is an annual residency and performance art series in Asbury Park. The series kicked off last month and runs through Aug. 18. This week's featured artist is Maira Duarte/Dance to the People.
Operating in New York and Mexico, the group is an "evolving collective making art without waste that promotes the valuing of life and demands justice for Indigenous peoples, people of color, and poor and working classes of the world," according to the Dance to the People website.
From 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Maira Duarte/Dance to the People will give a talk at Transparent Clinch Gallery, 210 Fifth Ave. From 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday on Asbury Park's 2nd Avenue beach, Maira Duarte/Dance to the People will create a site specific, physical experience with objects collected on the Asbury Park beach, as well as with recycled costumes and props.
"The audience will have opportunities to interact with the performance and to reflect upon the environmental and human impact of our current economic models," according to a news release.
Please note any rain location announcements will be shared via @sirenartsap.
All programs in the series are free.
Go: Maira Duarte/Dance to the People, 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Transparent Clinch Gallery, 210 Fifth Ave. Also 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, 2nd Avenue beach, Asbury Park; transformerdc.org/drift, transformerdc.org/siren-arts.
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Take a seat at La Otra, a new bar in Aberdeen
Enjoy a hand-crafted cocktail — and learn to make them, too — at La Otra, a modern cocktail bar that recently opened next to sister restaurant, Lita.
The 34-seat bar, led by beverage director Ricardo Rodriguez, is the work of James Beard-nominated chef David Viana and Neilly Robinson of Heirloom. Customers can expect a rotating menu of cocktails: Current drinks include the Garden State Martini, made with gin, manzanilla, tomato water, white balsamic and olive oil; and the Thai Negroni with gin, dry vermouth, Luxardo bitter, coconut, lemongrass and ginger.
If you're hungry, try small plates: Spanish tortilla; Yakitori skewers; ensaladilla, a Spanish potato salad; and rissois de camerones, a Portuguese shrimp turnover.
Go: La Otra, 1055 Route 34, Aberdeen; open from 6 p.m. to midnight Thursdays through Saturdays; instagram.com/bodegalaotra.
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'Avenue Q' at Algonquin Arts Theatre
Winner of the Tony Triple Crown (Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book), Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan presents "Avenue Q" from Saturday to Aug. 20.
This laugh-out-loud musical featuring actors and puppets tells the story of a recent college grad named Princeton, who moves into a shabby New York apartment on Avenue Q. He soon discovers that although the residents seem nice, it's clear that this is not your ordinary neighborhood.
The show is a racy, adults-only cross between "South Park" and "Sesame Street." As it contains mature content and full puppet nudity, it is not suitable for children.
Tickets start at $26.
Go: "Avenue Q," Aug. 12 to 20, Algonquin Arts Theatre, 60 Abe Voorhees Drive, Manasquan, $26 to $45; 732-528-9211, algonquinarts.org.
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Bonfires on the Beach in Asbury Park
Bonfires on the Beach takes place from 8 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays in August in Asbury Park.
Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs to relax and enjoy the fire. For a schedule of bonfire events, including the location for each bonfire, visit https://bit.ly/3LWSJ2b.
The schedule is subject to change based on weather.
Visit Asbury Park Boardwalk’s social media channels for “day of” updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Go: Bonfires on the Beach, 8 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays in August, Asbury Park; apboardwalk.com.
Liu Shiming exhibit in New Brunswick
Liu Shiming (1926–2010) was one of China’s first modern sculptors, embracing a range of styles and approaches that expressed the dynamic traditions and philosophies of a changing country and world.
Through Sept. 22, the Liu Shiming Art Foundation and Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University are presenting "Liu Shiming: Life Gives Beauty Form." This free retrospective features more than 80 works highlighting sculptures made over Shiming’s 60-year career — including 27 pieces that are being exhibited for the first time in the United States.
The exhibition at Mason Gross Galleries also features 12 drawings that illuminate Shiming’s approach to the study of the human form.
An interactive clay room will be set up inside the galleries where guests can try their own hand at sculpting in Shiming’s flexible, intuitive style.
Through Sept. 2, Mason Gross Galleries is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. Starting Sept. 5, the gallery is open 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
A free reception takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, with a panel discussion from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Go: "Liu Shiming: Life Gives Beauty Form," through Sept. 22, Mason Gross Galleries (Civic Square Building, next to the State Theatre), 33 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, free (no tickets required); 848-932-5399, masongross.rutgers.edu/events/ .
Coming next week: Atlantic City Airshow
The Greater Atlantic City Chamber, Visit Atlantic City and David Schultz Airshows recently unveiled the full Show Day performance schedule for the 2023 Atlantic City Airshow.
The free show is set to take to the skies above Atlantic City on Wednesday, Aug. 16. Celebrating its 20th year in Atlantic City, the Visit Atlantic City Airshow is expected to draw more than 500,000 spectators.
Expect to see crowd-favorite military acts like the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier Demo Team and local 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard, along with civilian acts.
The U.S. Army Golden Knights Flag Jump kicks off the show at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Note that acts are subject to change due to mechanical issues, weather conditions, airport operations "and other matters beyond the control of the event and performers." There is no rain date.
The airshow’s Practice Day is Tuesday, Aug. 15, beginning at 11 a.m. It will feature many of the Airshow performers as they take to the skies to “practice” for the big day.
Vendors will be on the Boardwalk, along with the return of Veterans Resource Row — a one-stop shop of more than a dozen veteran resource organizations. Veterans Resource Row will be on the Atlantic City Boardwalk at Missouri Avenue, and will be open from 10:30 a.m. until the end of the show at 4 p.m.
Go: Atlantic City Airshow, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 16, Atlantic City Boardwalk, free; AtlanticCityAirshow.com.
Sarah Griesemer contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Things to do in Jersey Shore: Adopt a cat, sunset cruise, La Otra bar
