👋Hello, Ocean friends!

This week’s Ocean Senior Scoop is packed with easy ways to get out, stay informed and enjoy the start of summer — from Rodgers & Hammerstein at Surflight and a Peto Garden concert to library crafts, tech help, scam-prevention tips, rainy-day grandkid ideas and a little American Bandstand nostalgia.

Whether you’re planning a weekend outing, looking for a helpful program or just want something good to watch after dinner, we’ve got you covered.

👀What’s inside this week:

🎟️ Weekend Plans — Broadway tunes, bird walks, flea-market finds, fireworks, farmers markets and LBI history
📚 Beyond the Books — Ocean County Library programs for seniors, including crafts, games, tech help, health talks and music
📰 Prime Time News — Social Security, surviving spouses, dementia risk, medical routines and retirement updates
☔ Take the Grandkids — Rainy-day summer trips that can save the day when the beach is a washout
📺 TV Time — New streaming picks, from crime drama and Beatles nostalgia to movie stars and superhero noir
🎂 Celebrity Birthdays — Stevie Nicks, Gladys Knight, John Fogerty and a special happy birthday to Ava P. of Stafford

Up first…

Ocean County has a little something for everyone this weekend — Broadway tunes, beach-town history, bird walks, flea-market finds, farmers market browsing and a patriotic craft for the grandkids. Translation: bring comfy shoes, maybe binoculars, and definitely check the details before heading out.

🎭 A Grand Night for Singing
Thursday, May 28, 2 p.m. | Surflight Theatre, Beach Haven
Rodgers & Hammerstein fans, this one’s for you. A Grand Night for Singing puts a fresh spin on the classic R&H songbook, with inventive arrangements of favorites like “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” “Shall We Dance” and “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria.” The revue opened the 1994 Broadway season and earned two Tony nominations, including Best Musical. Surflight Theatre is at 201 Engleside Ave., Beach Haven. Info: 609-492-9477 or surflight.org.

🎸 Peto Summer Concert Series
Thursday, May 28, 7–9 p.m. | John F. Peto Studio Museum, Island Heights
Bring a chair, pack some refreshments and settle in for an evening of rock and roll in the Peto Garden. Registration is not required. Tables for six are available to rent by calling 732-929-4949, but they’re limited, so don’t wait too long. Don’t forget cash for the 50/50 raffle. Rain date is Tuesday, June 2, 7–9 p.m. The museum is at 102 Cedar Ave., Island Heights.

🐦 Spring Migration Bird Walk
Saturday, May 30, 8–10 a.m. | Cattus Island County Park, Toms River
Spring migration is in full swing, and Beachy Birder Adventures is leading a friendly bird walk through Cattus Island County Park. The group will meet in the parking lot and walk about two miles on paved, flat paths, with possibly a boardwalk trail or two. Dress for the weather, wear closed-toe shoes, bring water and binoculars if you have them. Loaner binoculars and a spotting scope will be available. Cost is $25 per adult, children under 5 are free, and space is limited. Meet at 1170 Cattus Island Blvd., Toms River.

🍅 Brick Farmers Market
Saturday, May 30, 8:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. | Windward Beach Park, Brick
Fresh produce, local goods and that “I’m just browsing” energy that somehow turns into three bags of goodies. The Brick Farmers Market runs every Saturday from May 2 through Oct. 3 at Windward Beach Park, 265 Princeton Ave., Brick.

🛍️ Funky Flea Market
Saturday, May 30, 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. | St. Francis Community Center, Long Beach Township
Thrifters, collectors, vintage lovers, upcyclers, crafters and “I know I’ll find something” shoppers — this one has your name on it. The Funky Flea Market is part garage sale, part craft show and all treasure hunt, with vintage, thrift, art and craft vendors. It takes place at St. Francis Community Center Gym, 4700 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach Township. Info: 609-494-8861 ext. 107.

🏛️ LBI Historical Museum 50th Anniversary Open House
Saturday, May 30, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Long Beach Island Historical Museum, Beach Haven
Celebrate five decades of island history as the Long Beach Island Historical Museum marks its 50th anniversary. The day includes docent-led tours at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., a look at the restored Fisherman’s Cottage, the “Celebrating Summer Fun, 1950–1980” exhibit, and more than 5,000 artifacts, documents and photos. A special 2 p.m. ceremony will honor museum volunteers and pay tribute to John Coyle, a key figure in the museum’s founding. The museum is at 129 Engleside Ave., Beach Haven.

🎆 Fireworks at Waretown Bayfront Park & Pier
Saturday, May 30, 6 p.m. | Waretown Bayfront Park & Pier
Head to the bayfront for music, food trucks and fireworks. DJ Mike Thompson will provide the soundtrack, and food trucks include The Lunch Wagon, City Eats and Mr. Softee. The event is at Waretown Bayfront Park & Pier, end of Bryant Road, Waretown. Note: The listing also mentions “Fireworks May 23, rain date May 24,” so please double-check with the Township of Ocean before heading out.

🎨 What Does 250 Mean to You?
Sunday, May 31, 10:30–11:45 a.m. | Cedar Bridge Tavern Historic Site, Barnegat
Looking for something meaningful to do with the grandkids? This free Ocean County Parks program invites children ages 5–10 to read a story, make a patriotic craft and add their input to a special commemorative art piece celebrating America’s 250th anniversary. Registration is required. Cedar Bridge Tavern Historic Site is at 200 Old Half-Way Road, Barnegat. Info: 732-506-9090 or oceancountyparks.org.

Library week is coming in hot — and by hot, we mean yarn, mah jongg, music, movement, scams to avoid and a little American Bandstand nostalgia. Here are a few senior-friendly programs worth circling on the calendar.

🧶 Knit Wits
Wednesday, May 27, 11 a.m.–noon | Beachwood Branch
Bring your knitting or crocheting project and settle in for a relaxed hour of stitching and chatting with new friends. This one is for adults and seniors, and registration is not required. Call 732-244-4573 for details.

🀄 Mah Jongg
Wednesday, May 27, noon–4 p.m. | Waretown Branch
Tiles, strategy and good company — beginners are welcome at this friendly Mah Jongg session. Call 609-693-5133 for details.

🕯️ Understanding the Resistance Spectrum During the Holocaust
Wednesday, May 27, 11 a.m.–noon | Plumsted Branch
During Jewish American Heritage Month, Zoey Guarino of the New Jersey State Bar Association will lead a discussion on the ways Jewish and non-Jewish victims resisted during the Holocaust, including spiritual, educational and armed resistance. A thoughtful, important program for adults and seniors. Call 609-758-7888 for details.

🌿 Ask a Master Gardener
Wednesday, May 27, 2–4 p.m. | Point Pleasant Borough Branch
Garden mystery? Plant problem? Something eating your tomatoes before you do? Drop in and talk with a Rutgers Master Gardener from Ocean County about horticulture, pests, wildlife control and other environmental concerns. You may bring a sample for diagnosis. Call 732-295-1555 for details.

🪡 Cross Stitch Club
Wednesday, May 27, 6–7 p.m. | Lakewood Branch
Whether you have your own project, need inspiration or just want to learn by watching, this casual crafting club welcomes adults and seniors. Hoops, thread and needles will be available, or you can bring your own supplies. Registration is required. Call 732-363-1435 for details.

🧵 Adult Crocheting Club
Wednesday, May 27, 6–7:40 p.m. | Toms River Branch
B.Y.O.C.P. — Bring Your Own Crocheting Project! Meet fellow crocheters, get unstuck on a tricky project or lend a hand to someone else. This group meets in Sparks’s Lab and is for adults with crocheting experience. Space is limited, and there is no instructor. Call 732-349-6200 for details.

🚶 Walk 4 Memory
Thursday, May 28, 1–2 p.m. | Toms River Branch
This indoor walking-to-music program is designed to support body and brain fitness in a fun, easy-to-follow way. It is intended for people experiencing some form of memory loss or mild cognitive decline who can participate independently of a caregiver. Participants must sign a waiver. Call 732-349-6200 for details.

🧶 Hooked On Yarn: A Knitting and Crocheting Group
Thursday, May 28, 2–4 p.m. | Manchester Branch
Bring your yarn, needles, hooks and current projects for a cozy afternoon with fellow fiber fans. Call 732-657-7600 for details.

📱 Device 101
Thursday, May 28, 6–7 p.m. | Toms River Branch
Need a little help with your phone, tablet or laptop? This one-on-one tech help session is for beginners using Apple and Android devices, tablets and laptops. Learn at your own pace and get more comfortable with Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, email and more. Registration is required. Call 732-349-6200 for details.

🧵 Fiber Arts Crafters
Friday, May 29, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. | Plumsted Branch
Bring your own materials and enjoy an open fiber arts crafting session. No registration necessary. Call 609-758-7888 for details.

🧶 Knitting at the Library
Monday, June 1, 12:30–2:30 p.m. | Little Egg Harbor Branch
Relax, chat with other yarn enthusiasts, work on your knit or crochet projects and swap patterns. Call 609-294-1197 for details.

🧶 Waretown Woolies Knitting Club
Monday, June 1, 1–3 p.m. | Waretown Branch
Pull up a chair and work on your latest knitting, crochet or fiber project with fellow yarn lovers. The group shares ideas, support and techniques — no pressure, just stitches. Call 609-693-5133 for details.

🎲 Adult Game Hour
Monday, June 1, 6–7 p.m. | Lakewood Branch
Come play some fun games at the library and enjoy a low-key evening out. Call 732-363-1435 for details.

🎶 Seasonal Sounds with the Acoustic Musicians Guild
Monday, June 1, 6:30–8 p.m. | Plumsted Branch
Enjoy an evening of unplugged music with the Acoustic Musicians Guild, a Brick Township-based nonprofit made up of instrumentalists and vocalists who perform collectively and individually. Registration is requested. Call 609-758-7888 for details.

🛡️ Identity Theft & Scams
Monday, June 1, 6:30–8 p.m. | Toms River Branch
Troy Ewen of OceanFirst will lead an informational session on identity theft and scams, including why seniors are at risk, examples of financial exploitation and what to do if identity theft happens. Registration is required. Call 732-349-6200 for details.

❤️ Blood Pressure Clinic
Tuesday, June 2, 11 a.m.–noon | Long Beach Island Branch
The Long Beach Island Health Department will offer a free monthly blood pressure screening. Walk-ins are welcome. Call 609-494-2480 for details.

☀️ Summer Safety for Adults and Seniors
Tuesday, June 2, 11 a.m.–noon | Little Egg Harbor Branch
This session takes a deeper look at staying safe in the sun, from heat-related illnesses and UV radiation to hydration and skin protection. A smart stop before summer really starts showing off. Call 609-294-1197 for details.

💃 Dick Clark’s American Bandstand — The Dances, Part II
Wednesday, June 3, 2–3 p.m. | Manchester Branch
Take a trip back to the days when kids raced home after school to watch teens dance on American Bandstand. Rick Feingold will explore the dances, stars and songs that defined the era, from the Jitterbug and the Twist to the Loco-Motion. Call 732-657-7600 for details.

📺 American Bandstand: Philadelphia 1957–1963, Part I
Wednesday, June 3, 6:30–7:30 p.m. | Toms River Branch
Relive the early days of American Bandstand with a multimedia presentation featuring original live performances and plenty of rock ’n’ roll nostalgia. Rick Feingold leads the program, sponsored by the Friends of the Ocean County Library – Toms River. Call 732-349-6200 for details.

Links to the latest news on aging from trusted media sources.

Social Security, IRS Have a Hidden Trigger That Hits Surviving Spouses: The survivor’s penalty raises taxes for widows/widowers by narrowing brackets and lowering deductions. Women are especially affected due to longer life expectancy and inherited IRA obligations. The Street, May 19.

What Divorced Retirees Need to Know About Claiming Social Security in 2026: You may end up with a higher-than-expected monthly benefit. The Motley Fool, May 22.

Quitting Smoking Might Lower Your Dementia Risk: People who quit smoking had a lower risk of developing dementia, especially if they didn’t gain excess weight afterward. HealthDay News, May 22.

3 Medical Routines That Older People May Not Need: The risks and benefits of common screenings, procedures, and drugs add up differently at advanced ages, and research continues to point out fresh examples of some that may become unnecessary. KFF Health News, May 22.

When the beach is soggy, the playground is puddled and everyone is getting a little too familiar with the couch, these indoor day trips can save the day — and maybe earn you “cool grandparent” status.

🦖 Dig into New Jersey’s dinosaur past. The new Edelman Fossil Park & Museum at Rowan University in Mantua Township gives families a chance to explore the prehistoric creatures that once roamed the Garden State. The outdoor fossil dig is a big draw on nice days, but rainy-day visitors can still enjoy interactive exhibits, hands-on fossil fun, virtual reality and live critter encounters.

🐠 Go where the sharks are safely behind glass. Adventure Aquarium in Camden is home to more than 15,000 aquatic and semiaquatic animals, including sharks, stingrays, sea turtles and penguins. Kids can check out touch tanks, walk through the Shark Tunnel and even brave a rope bridge over shark-filled waters.

🔭 Sneak in some science while they think they’re just having fun. Liberty Science Center in Jersey City is packed with hands-on exhibits, animal habitats, STEM activities and the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium, the largest planetarium in the United States. Add in the Touch Tunnel, Infinity Climber and model train, and you’ve got a full-day outing with plenty of “don’t tell them they’re learning” appeal.

🎢 Wear them out indoors. American Dream in East Rutherford is basically a rainy-day escape hatch with shopping, dining and big-ticket attractions all under one roof. Think Big Snow, Nickelodeon Universe, DreamWorks Water Park, a Mirror Maze and the New Jersey Hall of Fame Entertainment and Learning Center. You can shop, splash, ski and sneak in a little Jersey pride before anyone asks, “What are we doing now?”

🕹️ Show them how arcade games were done before apps. Silverball Retro Arcade on the Asbury Park boardwalk is part arcade, part museum and part nostalgia machine. It features about 200 pinball machines from a rotating collection of 600, plus Skee-Ball, Pac-Man and plenty of “I used to be great at this” energy. Fun for kids, but let’s be honest — grandparents may have the home-field advantage here.

🚂 Go big with tiny trains. Northlandz in Flemington is home to the world’s largest model railroad, with more than 8 miles of track and a Guinness World Record to prove it. Tiny trains wind through miniature mountains, bridges, tunnels and towns, making this a slow-wandering, detail-spotting kind of outing. Perfect for train lovers and curious kids alike!

🧗 Let them climb the walls somewhere that allows it. ClimbZone in Howell is a smart local pick when the grandkids need to burn off energy and the weather says “absolutely not.” Kids can climb giant piano keys, Mount Rushmore, a map of the United States and dozens of other colorful themed walls. The facility has 68 artistically designed climbing walls, plus an indoor playground.

Looking for something new without scrolling until your snacks are gone? This week’s streaming lineup has movie stars, crime drama, Beatles nostalgia, superhero noir and one horror pick that may require keeping a light on.

🎬 Plan an emotional movie night. Allison Janney stars in “Miss You, Love You,” streaming Friday, May 29, on HBO Max, as a recently widowed woman who has to plan her husband’s funeral with an unexpected helper: her estranged son’s assistant, played by Andrew Rannells.

✈️ Remember when flying felt fancy? John Travolta wrote, directed and narrates “Propeller One-Way Night Coach,” streaming Friday, May 29, on Apple TV. The 60-minute film follows a 10-year-old aviation enthusiast traveling cross-country with his mother and serves as an ode to the glamorous days of 1960s air travel. Reviews have been mixed, but if you remember when flying meant dressing nicely, this may be worth a look.

🕷️ Meet Spider-Man in noir mode. Nicolas Cage stars in “Spider-Noir,” streaming Wednesday on Prime Video, a live-action Marvel-inspired series set in gritty 1930s New York. Cage plays Ben Reilly, a private investigator and masked hero fighting corruption.

🕵️ Let the BAU ruin bedtime again. “Criminal Minds: Evolution,” Season 19 premieres Thursday on Paramount+ with two episodes and a new copycat killer storyline. Returning favorites include Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. Best watched before 9 p.m., unless you enjoy questioning every noise your house makes.

🥪 Order up some chaos. “Deli Boys,” Season 2 returns Thursday on Hulu, following two Pakistani American brothers who inherit their father’s deli chain and discover it was also a front for drug smuggling. Poorna Jagannathan is back as the aunt now running the business.

🎶 Give the Beatles fans something to talk about. Paul McCartney’s new album, “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” is out Friday, with nostalgic songs about youth, home and a life well lived. It also features a duet with Ringo Starr, which is probably all many Beatles fans need to hear before pressing play.

Happy 75th birthday today to Ava P. of Stafford! Here’s to another year of good health, good times, and plenty of reasons to celebrate!

A few other celebrities celebrating birthdays this week include:

🎤 Stevie Nicks, the Fleetwood Mac legend, turns 78 on May 26. Also celebrating: sportscaster Brent Musburger is 87, Pam Grier is 77, Miami Vice star Philip Michael Thomas is 77, country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 77, General Hospital favorite Genie Francis is 64, Lenny Kravitz is 62, and Helena Bonham Carter is 60.

📺 Cue the classic TV memories. On May 27, Lee Meriwether turns 91, while Richard Schiff of The West Wing and The Good Doctor turns 71. Also blowing out candles: Frasier favorite Peri Gilpin is 65, and Todd Bridges of Diff’rent Strokes is 61.

🎶 Save room for music royalty. On May 28, Gladys Knight turns 82, Billy Vera is 82, and John Fogerty is 81.

That’s the Scoop for this week, Ocean friends. Whether you’re heading to a show, browsing a market, checking out a library program or just enjoying summer at your own speed, we hope you find something fun, helpful and worth sharing.

😎 The Ocean Senior Scoop team

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Disclaimer: As always, event details can change, so please check with organizers before heading out. Ocean Senior Scoop is here to inform and entertain — but it’s not medical, legal or financial advice.