Monmouth Award Winners

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Planning a kids' bash

Don’t forget the young ones when you plan the season’s entertaining. Kids deserve to party too, and you may even catch a moment to hobnob with their chaperoning parents. You’ll find that a savvy selection of colors, decorations and tasty treats can help make your bash a smash.

Santa on Board

a fun-filled train ride in a century-old passenger coach with Old Saint Nick on board to greet children and pose for pictures. Embarking from the train station at the museum at Allaire State Park in Farmingdale, the 20-minute rides are offered from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 26 through 28 and December 4, 5, 11, 12, 18 and 19; there are also nighttime rides from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on December 11 and 18.

Love the Cove

MarIner’s Cove (732-528-6023) is a cozy breakfast and brunch spot in Brielle—choosing just one plate is an exercise in restraint.

The Slice is Right

Open since March, the casual eatery keeps the earth in mind with every slice, serving pizzas and other fare made in-house with about 75 percent organic ingredients.

Find that special someone

FLIPME is an innovative new dating service that involves passing a card with a catchy pick-up line to someone who catches your eye in person, then allowing the connection to kindle online.

Care for an 'angel'

The Cassilianos were in good hands. When Monmouth Medical Center opened its Regional Newborn Center in 1968, the hospital made perinatal history by becoming the first hospital in New Jersey and the first community hospital in the nation to establish a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Now a state-designated level III regional perinatal center, it has consistently attained one of the highest infant survival rates among NICUs in the country.

Chocolate, Jersey style

Decadent 2¼-ounce Jersey Girl chocolate bars by Chester-based Jersey Brands (908-879-3072, www.jerseygirlchocolate.com), retailing for about $2 each, promise to leave your taste buds in a blissful state indeed.

Tomato Fever

Two Guys Food Group (201-954-6051, www.twoguysfoodgroup.com) has canned tomato sauces made with only Garden State tomatoes.

Operation Sleighbells/Holiday Giving

Looking to help families in need this season? Check out operation sleighbells/holiday giving, the century-old program run by Long Branch-based Family & Children’s Service (732-222-9111, www.fcsmonmouth.org).

Reducing needless C-sections

When a pregnant mother or her baby is in danger, surgical intervention in the form of a Cesarean section (C-section) can be a lifesaver. but far too many C- sections are performed in this country. that’s why Monmouth medical Center is leading the way in cutting the number of these operations.

Emergency care--improved!

When people need immediate medical care, emergency departments must act quickly and efficiently. But what happens when an ED outgrows its capacity? That was the challenge at Monmouth Medical Center until a recent renovation, because the number of patients using the facility was sharply on the rise. “The last time the department had an overhaul was back in 1987, when we saw just 27,000 patients a year,” says Catherine Hanlon, M.D., Monmouth’s chair of emergency medicine. Now that number has soared to a record 54,000 patients a year.

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