Nov 10
POETRY ACTIVITY
1:30 – 4 pm
“The Poet Is In” at Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center
Visit with a poet and receive a personalized healing poem. Open to clinicians and patients’ families, friends and caregivers — this program provides a collective medium through which individuals can articulate shared experiences of illness, caregiving and resilience.
Presented by the Overlook Foundation.
FREE
Atlantic Health Overlook Medical Center
99 Beauvoir Ave., Summit
908-522-2894
Wheelchair-accessible venue. Large print available.
November 21
6 – 9 pm
POETRY / SPOKEN WORD (FREE)
“What’s The Word!”
ACP Arts Ink hosts its signature monthly event, A Night of Spoken Word/Poetry including a community Open Mic, with a featured poet. Hosted by world-champion slam poet RADI, this inclusive event is for people of all ages, including professional and up-and-coming spotlight artists. Listen to thought-provoking work — and perhaps read one of your own poems at this event for both new and veteran poets.
FREE entry
Melao Cafe & Creamery
1425 Irving Street, Rahway
acpartsink.org/events
Venue is wheelchair-accessible.
November 21
7 pm
CONCERT
Celebrating America’s Songbook – Plainfield Symphony
Conducted by Charles Prince, the Plainfield Symphony presents the music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein/Hart, George and Ira Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein. Concert features a return engagement by tenor soloist Brian Cheney. The Plainfield Symphony has performed in Plainfield since 1919.
Tickets: Seniors/Students $30; General $45; Reserved $65.
www.plainfieldsymphony.org
Crescent Avenue Presbyterian Church
726 Watchung Ave., Plainfield
908-561-5140
For the Virtual concert, visit website for link prior to concert time.
Labeled accessible parking at venue. Venue is wheelchair-accessible, with lift to performance level. Assistive hearing devices available at Will Call, first-come, first served. Please see other accommodations at plainfieldsymphony.org.
November 21
2 pm
THEATRE (FREE Event)
Readings of Two Short Plays – presented by Cranford Public Library
Enjoy staged presentations of two plays in development, followed by discussion between the audience and playwrights. In “Alas and Alack in Alaska,” by Jonathan Samarro, 12-year-old Squirm runs away from her tormentors at school and sets out to find the mother she doesn’t really remember. Maybe Mom lives in Alaska, or maybe she lives in Squirm’s head. In “A Cigarette with Santa,” by Joseph Vitale, a burned-out department-store St. Nick meets a cheery elf who won’t let him quit. What could possibly happen? Perhaps a Christmas miracle.
FREE
Cranford Community Center
220 Walnut Ave, Cranford
Fully ADA-accessible 110-seat theater. For a large-print program, email cranfordlibrary@cranfordlibrary.org or call the Reference Desk at Cranford Library 908-709-7272, two weeks prior to event. Or call The Theater Project at 908-809-8865.
November 22
3:30 pm
CONCERT
Mostly Music – Chamber Music Concert
Flutist Tara Helen O’Connor, violist Paul Neubauer, and harpist Helen Liu Gerhold, present “Dreams and Dances,” a varied program spanning more than three centuries, including Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Ave Maria, The Swan, and The Great Train Race, along with other works that highlight the rich colors and versatility of this distinctive world-class ensemble.
Tickets: $50 Free for students
Temple Emanu-El
756 East Broad St., Westfield
Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
908-789-8578
mostlymusic.org/
Venue is wheelchair-accessible, with dedicated space for wheelchairs and walkers.
November 22
2–3 pm
FREE CONCERT
Tal Naccarato – Guitarist & Songwriter
Guitarist-singer Italo ‘Tal’ Naccarato’s stylized original work highlights a deep appreciation for traditional Folk and Americana Roots music. Steeped in Rock and Blues, and including his original classical guitar-inspired compositions, Tal performs with a blues-y swing. The composer, songwriter and teaching artist was born in a medieval village in Calabria, Italy, and raised in Brooklyn.
FREE
Summit Free Public Library
75 Maple St., Summit
908-273-0350
summitlibrary.libcal.com/event/17322471
Wheelchair-accessible venue
November 22
4 pm
FREE CONCERT
Happy 250th Again, America! – The Society of Musical Arts
SOMA presents free concerts of orchestral music. In celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, this special program includes: Aaron Copland’s iconic Fanfare for the Common Man; Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid Suite; Chadwick’s Jubilee from Symphonic Sketches; Martinu’s Sinfonietta La Jolla, featuring piano soloist Evan Schwartzman; and Sirota’s Fantasia on Billing’s “When Jesus Wept” (world premiere).
FREE
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
414 E. Broad St., Westfield
Venue is wheelchair-accessible and ADA-compliant. To request a large-print program or seats in front rows for those with impaired vision or hearing, either email ahead at somaorchestra.org/contact-1 or ask SOMA volunteers at the entrance for assistance.
November 27, 28, 29
7 pm Fri/Sat
2 pm Sun
THEATRE
Miracle on 34th Street – A Live Radio Play
Special holiday event! Adapted from the Academy Award-winning 1947 screenplay by George Seaton and the beloved novel by Valentine Davies, MIRACLE ON 34th STREET is staged as a festive 1940s studio broadcast complete with a small ensemble cast and sound effects.
Follow no-nonsense Macy’s director Doris Walker, who hires a kind, white-bearded man named Kris to serve as the parade Santa. When Kris insists he is the actual Santa Claus, he triggers a high-stakes New York courtroom sanity trial that forces her skeptical young daughter and attorney Fred Gailey to fight for the true spirit of Christmas.
Tickets: $20 general admission
Westfield Community Players
1000 North Ave. West, Westfield
wcptheatre.org
Theater is wheelchair-accessible. Call ahead to reserve accessible parking or to request other accommodations: 908-232-1221.
November 28–29
Sat. at 8 pm | Sun. at 2 pm
THEATRE
It’s a Wonderful Life – The Radio Play
Join returning actors and crew as they pass the torch to newcomers and transport audiences back to a 1940s studio for a radio-play adaptation of the classic Christmas film. Bring friends and family, and ring in the season with The Theater Project as they present this beloved classic for the NJ community.
Tickets: Adults $25, Seniors $20, Students $10
The Oakes Center
120 Morris Ave., Summit
thetheaterproject.org/wonderful-life
Venue is wheelchair-accessible. Call in advance for large-print program, to 908-809-8865.
December 5
10 am – 2 pm
HOLIDAY EVENT
Merchants & Drovers Historic Tavern & Museum’s Holiday Bazaar
Visit this historic tavern and museum, festively decorated for the holidays. Visit the grounds outside to shop for holiday decor, new and gently used. Inside the museum, shop for gift items, some just $5, including jewelry, handmade soaps, pottery, wreaths, gift baskets and more. Enjoy hot cocoa and cookies made and sold by a local Girl Scout troop. All proceeds benefit the museum’s historical preservation and education mission.
To donate holiday items for the bazaar, please visit the museum Mon–Fri, Nov 30–Dec 4, 9 am–12 noon (732-381-0441).
FREE
Merchants & Drovers Tavern & Museum
1632 St. Georges Ave., Rahway
Parking on local streets. (On-site parking not available this event.) Museum’s main floor is wheelchair-accessible.
December 11–20
8 pm Fri/Sat
2 pm Sat/Sun
THEATRE
Disney’s “Frozen”
Experience the musical phenomenon that took the world by storm. Based on the Academy Award-winning animated feature film, Disney’s Frozen includes all the film’s beloved songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, along with new music written exclusively for the stage.
Tickets $25–28
CDC Theatre
78 Winans Ave., Cranford
www.cdctheatre.org
908-276-7611
Wheelchair-accessible venue. ASL-Interpreted performance on Dec 19 (check website for time).
December 19
7:30 pm
HOLIDAY CONCERT
Winter Holiday Concert: A Baroque Christmas – Summit Chorale
Travel back in time to the Baroque period, as Summit Chorale sings selections from Bach’s B Minor Mass, excerpts from of Handel’s Messiah, plus holiday favorites and classics. Come in person or access the post-concert video; advance ticket valid for both. Plus, the opportunity to participate in a 50/50 raffle.
Advance Tickets: $25 + fees online. Or pay at the door.
events.ticketleap.com/tickets/summit-chorale/winter-concert-2026
Christ Church Summit
561 Springfield Ave., Summit
Venue is wheelchair-accessible. To request other accommodations, email events@summitchorale.org