Eatontown Mayor Gerald J. Tarantolo reported that the long-awaited improvements to the intersection of Routes 35 and 36 has been funded by the state Department of Transportation. He said at the council’s July 14 meeting that the work is scheduled for completion in October 2007. But he said he has asked the DOT to move the date up to the spring of 2007 because of the Breeders’ Cup coming to Monmouth Park in the fall.

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Councilman Theodore F. Lewis of Eatontown commended the borough’s volunteer firefighters for the fine job they did in quelling the fire that severely damaged the Sands Motor Lodge on Route 35 July 9. The firemen were assisted by fire companies from surrounding areas and Lewis remarked that the firemen who came from Fort Monmouth could see the blaze from as far away as Fort Monmouth’s gate in the north and those coming from Oakhurst in Ocean Township could see it from Parker Avenue in the south.

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The Eatontown municipal band will give its final summer concert in the gazebo at Wampum Memorial Park on Route 35 at West Street at 8 p.m. Monday. The concert features popular tunes and is free.

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Mayor Paul Zambrano of West Long Branch and members of the West Long Branch Borough Council agreed that this year’s fireworks of the borough were spectacular. Councilwoman Janet Tucci, who oversees recreation, noted they went on for 30 minutes and gave credit to Garden State Fireworks, which put on the show. The prompted Councilman Joseph DeLisa to crack, "The loud booms were to get rid of the geese."

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West Long Branch Police Chief John Demaree reported that members of the police department were having a party the night of the council meeting July 7 to provide a proper sendoff for Patrolman Brian Ellis, who is in the Army Reserves and had been called up, quite possibly to go to the Iraqi theater of operations, although his specific orders hadn’t come through at that time. Ellis has worked for the police department since Nov. 8, 1993, when he began as a dispatcher and special officer. He was sworn in as a full-time police officer March 4, 1998.

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A workshop on how to launch and build a successful business will be held by the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority Aug. 4 at Monmouth University in West Long Branch. The workshop, one of three being given around the state on successive days, will take place in the H. R. Young Auditorium in Bey Hall at Monmouth University. Doors open at 8 a.m. for registration and a breakfast reception. The workshop begins at 8:30 a.m. with opening remarks, and runs until 12:15 p.m. It will be followed by a networking lunch until 1:30 p.m. Aspiring business owners are encouraged to bring their business plan. The cost is $40. Those interested in participating can register online at www.njawbo.org or by fax. For more information, call (609) 292-2954.

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St. Jerome Church, at 254 Wall St. in West Long Branch, will hold a prayer vigil in honor of the feast of St. Ann Monday from 7-8 p.m. All are invited to join in the novena and rosary. There will also be time for private prayer and meditation. The service will close with benediction and be followed by the serving of light refreshments in the church hall.

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There has been a reshuffling of the Borough Council meetings in Eatontown. The council meeting set for July 28 has been canceled, and the workshop meeting and regular meeting of the council that had been scheduled for Aug. 11 has been rescheduled to Aug. 4, with the workshop at 7 p.m. and the regular council meeting following at 8 p.m.

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The Monmouth Beach Public Library is in the midst of its summer reading program, "Discover New Trails @ Your Library." The program is open to young people, preschool age through young adult, and features programs, prize drawings, story hours, a reading club and more.

On July 28, the program will be "Favorite Stories with a Western Twist. On Aug . 4, there will be a film — "Big Dipper" — and camp-out stories. That will be followed Aug. 11 with "Into the Woods and Out — craft." The series will wrap up Aug. 18 with a party for the summer readers.

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The Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area is offering weekday tours in the afternoon of the Sandy Hook Lighthouse in July and August. The lighthouse, the oldest in America, will be open from 1-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The tours are first-come first-served and can accommodate up to eight people each half-hour. Children must be 48 inches tall to climb the tower. Visitors should go to the Fort Hancock Museum to sign up for a tour.

The New Jersey Lighthouse Society Volunteers also offer lighthouse tours Thursday evenings, from 6-8 p.m. through Aug. 19, and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from April to early December. Visitors should sign up for these tours at the fire house, opposite the lighthouse tower.

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A summer wine tasting to benefit CPC Behavioral Healthcare, headquartered in Middletown, will be held at the home of Roseann and John Paone, Broadmoor Drive in Rumson, Aug. 12 7-9:30 p.m. The event will feature selections from some of the most prestigious estates in Italy. Master sommelier, Norman Sickels, will guide the guests as they sample the wines. The cost is $100 per person. For reservations, call the CPC at (732) 842-2460.

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Some of the Jersey Shore’s finest cuisine, accompanied by the best of wines, will be served up at the eighth annual Chef’s Extraordinaire Aug. 16 to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The event, sponsored by Citgo Petroleum, will take place from 6-9:30 p.m. at Branches in West Long Branch. There also will be a silent auction. The food and wine tasking will honor William A. Richards, director of public safety for the city of Long Branch, who has been an enthusiastic supporter of the MDA in Monmouth and Ocean counties. The cost is $70 per person. To make a reservation or for more information, call the MDA (732) 389-0855.