On this day in 1927, Wilma “Billie” Tisch (née Stein) was born in Long Branch. Billie was a billionaire, philanthropist, and trailblazing matriarch of the Loews Corporation family, and died earlier this month at the age of 98.

Happy Friday Eve! Tomorrow we’ll share our Welcome to the Weekend edition, chock full of all the exciting things you can explore this weekend in our beautiful county. Saturday we will share our special America Celebrates 250 edition as we kick off Independence Day week. We’ll have your guide to the biggest Fourth of July events, celebrations, and patriotic traditions happening across Monmouth County. In the meantime, we’re planning a visit to the new chocolate shop in Tinton Falls to enter to win free chocolate for a year—how awesome would that be?! The details are below in Things To Do. See ya out there!

Middletown has become a go-to for film crews, with several big-name films having been shot there in the last two years. The latest are two Netflix-produced thrillers, the movie An Innocent Girl, which recently wrapped, and the series Rabbit, Rabbit, now expected to wrap sometime in early July.

Rabbit, Rabbit, the crime thriller series starring Adam Driver, transformed the former Circus Liquors on Route 35 North, home of the infamous Calico evil clown, into a movie gas station named Jep’s Xpress. Driver is a two-time Academy Award nominee best known for his roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and House of Gucci.

The highly visible set will be demolished once filming is complete, according to the township. The over 50-acre property has been owned by the Scaduto and Azzolina families for generations.

Filmed elsewhere in the township, An Innocent Girl is a psychological thriller starring Kerry Washington, an Emmy-winning actress, producer, and director known for her roles in The Six Triple Eight and Scandal.

Other films shot in Middletown include Tina Fey’s Mean Girls, Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore 2, and Jennifer Lopez’s The Last Mrs. Parrish.

365> Monmouth County: The Board of County Commissioners and the MonmouthNJ 250 Committee are encouraging residents, businesses, and community organizations to display the American flag throughout the Summer in honor of the nation's 250th birthday. (More)

365> Red Bank: Philanthropist Carol Stillwell hosted a gathering in collaboration with the Joan Dancy & pALS Foundation at Buona Sera as the foundation’s newest partner and ALS champion. (More)

365> Holmdel: St. John Vianney’s softball team closed the season 30-0 with a State Championship. (More)

365> Holmdel: Members of the high school's Cosmic Chaos team competed in The Beamline for Schools, an international science competition that allows students to conduct real experiments at a particle accelerator. The team, Vittoria Rampulla, Brendan Lawlor, Hafza Osman, and Ronen Kravchik, placed in the top 50 worldwide. (More)

365> Red Bank: The Frosted Nug announced an exclusive partnership with Ewing-based FullTilt Labs, making it the city's only dispensary to carry the sought-after cannabis lineup. The Shore to Door delivery service in nine Monmouth County towns brings the experience directly to cannabis consumers throughout the region. (More)

365> Freehold: The county announced that the 51st Annual Monmouth County Fair will run Wednesday to Sunday, July 22-26. Hours are 4-11 pm Wednesday-Friday, July 22-24; 11 am-11 pm Saturday, July 25; and 11 am-6 pm Sunday, July 26. (More)

365> Long Branch: The West End Farmers Market runs today from 9 am - 2 pm at West End Park. (More)

365> Marina Grille, Belmar: Brian Kirk & the Jirks perform tonight at 7 pm. (More)

365> Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Tinton Falls: Friday, June 26 at 10 am is the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new store at the Jersey Shore Premium Outlets. Anyone who spends $25 this weekend is entered to win free chocolate for a year. (More)

365> Our House Restaurant, Freehold: Friday, June 26 is Grateful Dead Night from 7-10 pm. (More)

365> Keyport: Meet author John Schneider on Saturday, June 27 at 11 am at the Sun Moon Studio. He’ll be signing copies of The Story of Keyport. (More)

365> A proposal to designate the hazelnut as the Garden State’s official nut has gotten mixed reviews from lawmakers. The state Assembly voted last week in favor of the legislation, but opponents said hazelnuts have only been commercially grown in the state since 2020. (More)

365> Award-winning pizzaiolo Nino Coniglio, a 10-time World Pizza Champion and Food Network Chopped Champion, expanded Morris Town’s Coniglio's Old Fashioned to the Jersey Shore in Asbury Park. (More)

365> The new edition of The Burrowes Mansion of Matawan, New Jersey and Notations on the History of Monmouth County, Second Edition, by Mary Lou Diecker and Barry C. Orr is now available. (More)

365> Ocean Grove has a webcam where you can catch every sunrise and sunset. (See the View)

365> The toxic clinging jellyfish, an invasive Pacific species, has returned to New Jersey's back bays and estuaries. Growing only to the size of a dime or quarter, these transparent jellies hide in shallow-water algae and eelgrass. (More)

Are you watching the World Cup?

Yes, some: 37%
Only USA matches: 30%
No: 21%
Every match!: 12%