A likely stop on the tour: Emily Asher Neiman’s new gallery on Monmouth Street.
By TOM CHESEK
Here’s an intriguing idea: link Monmouth County’s three hottest cultural hubs by choo-choo train and see what happens.
Come late spring, the borough of Red Bank will join the cities of Asbury Park and Long Branch for a “weekend-long regional arts tour” that allows tourists and townies alike to “experience a tri-city festival of sights and sounds as they travel by train to enjoy all things artistic, from visual art showcases to theatrical performances, street performers, poetry readings, concerts and more.”
Scheduled for the weekend of June 6 – 9, the Tri-City Arts Tour is not affiliated with the weekly TriCity News — though we’re counting on crusading publisher Dan Jacobson to humbly (of course) claim to have inspired it. Rather, it’s a loose-knit cavalcade of ticketed and free-of-charge events, presented by arts-oriented organizations in all three Monmouth County municipalities and standing as “a celebration of what each town has to offer,” in the words of the Monmouth County Arts Council’s Terri Thomas.
Throw in some rolling wine and cheese, and they may be onto something.
Details haven’t yet been worked out. But in Red Bank, the offerings might range from big-ticket entertainments at the town’s climate-controlled auditoriums (Two River Theater, the Count Basie Theatre) to sidewalk buskers on the plaza outside the local train station; with whistle-stops at neighborhood art galleries, craft-themed businesses and maybe even the waterfront parks.
It’s a safe bet that such forward-thinking Long Branch treasures as New Jersey Repertory Company and SICA Gallery will be along for the ride, as might be such Asbury venues as the magnificently made-over Paramount Theatre, the highly civilized Stephen Crane House and the grand grindhouse that is the Asbury Lanes.
“Everybody’s on the same table here,” maintains Thomas, a spokeswoman for the “Red Bank Alive” coalition of nonprofits and public/private partnerships (including the MCAC, the Basie, TRT, Red Bank RiverCenter). The longtime advocate for the arts has teamed up with Brett Colby, of Asbury Park’s ARTSCAP organization, and Beth Cook and Jake Jones — both of the Long Branch Urban Enterprise Zone office — to spread the word, forge alliances with area restaurants and lobby for sponsorships.
While no specific events have been confirmed for any of the three locales, Thomas did allow that special emphasis will be placed upon Red Bank’s famed gingerbread train station and its sister stops (all three towns are, of course, accessible via NJ Transit‘s North Jersey Coast rail line) as the glue that holds this festival together, with most events presented within reasonable walking distance from one of the transportation hubs. A promotional agreement with NJ Transit, while also not confirmed, is something that the organizers would love to have in place, with Thomas mentioning the idea of a special “arts pass” train ticket that would be good for any of the three stations.
“If not for this year, then maybe next time,” observes Thomas. “Obviously, we’re planning ahead for the future here!”
