🚨 Don’t Miss This Week’s Biggest EB Happenings! The Brunswick Bird Has Arrived

THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER SPONSORED BY

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Looking for something to do that doesn’t involve getting out of your 🚘️ car?

WINTER WONDER LIGHTS EXTRAVAGANZA

Welcome to Winter WonderLights—NJ’s largest animated holiday drive-thru light show! ✨🎄 With over 1.5 million twinkling lights, it’s pure holiday magic right here in East Brunswick!

Location:📍 655 Cranbury Rd | 💲 $30–$40 per car. For details go here

WANT YOUR EVENT FEATURED HERE? CLICK HERE

Saturday, November 30

• Community 🧵 Charity Sewing Event | Busy Bee Fashion & Art Studio | 11 AM–4 PM (reservations requested)

• Music 🎸 Dead Cowboys | MJ’s Spotswood | 8–11 PM

• Comedy 🎤 DJ Demers | Comedy Club New Brunswick | 7–9:30 PM (tickets required)

Sunday, December 1

• Community - One Day Choir | Come out and Sing! | EB Library | 12:30- 4 PM FREE (Registration Required)

• Open House- Alpaca Farm Open House | 11-4 PM | 174 Davison Mills Road, North Brunswick

Monday, December 2

• Auditions- “Sylvia” 🎭 Wanna be in a show? Open auditions for Playhouse 22’s next production happening today and Dec 4.| 7-9 PM. (Sign up)

Tuesday, December 3

• Community - Blood Drive | 1-7 pm | East Brunswick Library #GivingTuesday

• Community - Mayor’s Charity Gala - EB Chateau (Advance ticket purchase required)

Friday, December 6

• Food - A Taste of the Philippines: Exclusive Tasting Menu Chef's Table | 7-9:30 PM pm | Maricel’s Kitchen | Reservations Required

Saturday, December 7

Community - East Brunswick’s Annual Winter Wonderland: Holiday Market

Annual Winter Wonderland: Holiday Market: 

❄️ Food trucks, a winter tavern, face painting, ice skating, train rides, and more!

🕐 Dec. 7, 1–7 PM | 📍 EB Municipal Complex | 💥 FREE

For more events in EB, Go Here

Want to List an Event or Promote a Giveaway?

 Our Policy on Events

🍴🍴WHAT’S FOR DINNER TONITE?

Say goodbye to dinner indecision, because things are about to get interesting! From trendy eateries to hell-fire chicken nuggets, check out all the new places that have cropped up in town—and sneak a peek at what’s coming next! Whether you’re craving comfort food or something adventurous, there’s a spot waiting for you. 🐦

Dave’s Hot Chicken

Location: Route 18 Northbound

📍 Old-timer’s Directions: Remember where Moe’s used to be? Yep, it's right there now!

🌶️ Mini-Review: Spicy food lover? This is your new go-to! For the traditionalist, KFC’s just up the street…

🎤 Scoop: Backed by celebs like Usher, Drake, Maria Shriver, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Strahan, this fast-food gem started as a pop-up in LA and now boasts nearly 200 locations!

Now Open!

• Five Spice Palace - Flavor-packed Indian cuisine 🌶️

• Shinwari -Bold Northern Pakistani dishes 🍖

• Clove Garden - Authentic Indian cuisine, fresh & delicious 🌱

• Wasabi House - Fresh Japanese fare (now under new ownership) 🍱

Opening Soon!

• 🍔 Chick-fil-A – Get in line! Opening early 2025 on Route 18 South.

• 🥙 Cava – Fast-casual Mediterranean goodness at Mid-State Mall (former Boston Market spot). Opening early 2025.

• 🍧 Rita’s Ices – Cool down soon at Mid-State Mall!

NEW STUFF FOR KIDS TO DO

• Slime U - Activities (Brunswick Square Mall)

• Kids Empire - Activities(Mid-State Mall)

NEW STUFF FOR KIDS & ADULTS

• Palmeras Entertainment - Bowling, arcade, theatre, hologating (whatever that is).

  

🛍️ More Local Business Openings:

• Floor & Decor -Offering a wide selection of high-quality flooring, tile, and home improvement products.

• Dick’s Sporting Goods -Now reopened after a major renovation, featuring expanded gear, a “House of Cleats,” and golf simulators. 🏅

Interested in advertising in this newsletter? Click here for more info.

We’ve teamed up with our Facebook pals in the private “EBHEO” group. Curious about this week’s buzzing chats? Join East Brunswick Helping Each Other 

• Talk of the Town: A stranger waltzed into someone’s EB home to snap photos—don’t worry, it wasn’t a heist! Just a very lost realtor.

• It’s Party Time! Party City is making a comeback on Route 18 Southbound. Cue the confetti cannons!

• Buy, Sell, Trade: Snow blowers, cleaning services, and more—it’s a marketplace frenzy!

• Furry Updates: A local cat went MIA (again), but adoption success stories are warming hearts.

• Holiday Hubbub: Santa sightings are on the rise, and everyone’s on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. 🎄

  Stay in the conversation - Join East Brunswick Helping Each Other 

SPONSORED BY DRAMA SALON

This week’s edition is brought to you by Drama Salon—East Brunswick’s go-to destination for fabulous hair for over 30 years! If you’re ready to dazzle at holiday parties this season, call (732) 254-0135 to book your appointment. Tell them The Bird sent you!

Need a Holiday Hair Fix?

Want YOUR business featured here? 

AND NOW…SOME NEWS!

EB on TV! 👩‍🍳 😀 East Brunswick’s very own Chef Maricel (Maricel’s Kitchen) is competing on Buddy’s Holiday Recipe Rumble with Chef Buddy Valastro! Streaming Dec 6th on HULU!

Hometown Hero is “A Real Pain”! Hurry! Catch East Brunswick’s own homegrown movie star, Jesse Eisenberg, in “A Real Pain” the film he wrote, directed, and stars in—now playing in theaters. 🎬 We’ll update you when it’s streaming!

 🏢 Seniors Welcome! A 175-bed senior living facility proposed at Cranbury Road & Ryders Lane. Can we start the parent waitlist already?

🚗 Toll Troubles: Turnpike tolls are climbing again with a 3% hike for 2025. Is it time to rethink those road trips?

🏗️ Big Plans on Route 18: Things are happening! Plus East Brunswick’s Legacy (Near Lowes/Off Tices Lane) is now 90% leased.

Ready to dive in? 🏊‍♀️ An Olympic-sized swimming pool is coming to Crystal Springs! 🌊

🍔 8 Billion Subs Later… Jersey Mike’s gets snapped up by Blackstone. Is your favorite sub chain worth $8B?

☕ Starbucks Simplifies: Free almond milk? More condiments? Sharpies galore? Starbucks is going back to basics—finally!

Gov. Murphy makes outdoor dining a thing. A permanent thing.

T-day has come and gone - but the holidays are right around the corner — Share your recipes with the library for a community cookbook they’re cooking up!

SCHOOL NEWS

 🏫 Pricey Pupils: East Brunswick’s cost per student clocks in at nearly $30K—an investment in excellence!

💰 Teacher Salaries Unveiled: Curious about EB teachers’ starting pay? Find out how we compare to other districts here.

💸 Who Took the $200K? EB Schools report a $200K loss to a scammer—yikes!

School Board says social media lies! CDL Allegations are bunk! (transcript from Local Lens here)

Cheers to EB's Education Foundation Student Association! 

A big round of applause for their wildly successful 5K Bear Crawl, which drew over 500 spirited participants. Not only was it a fun-filled event, but it brought the community together in the best way possible! Go Bears! 🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻🐻 

STATE NEWS

 🚄 Commuter Chaos Relief? Feds hand over $444M to tackle NJ’s transit woes after the infamous “Summer of Hell.” Fingers crossed for smoother rides.

10 Weird things only people in NJ do.

😲 Shocker (not really). Jersey residents Pay More in Taxes Than Anywhere in nation.

The Anchor deadline is approaching. File by Dec 6th or kiss your rebate goodbye!

ADOPTABLE PET OF THE WEEK

MEET MINNIE

Minnie needs a home!

Minnie is an almost 11 year old Pomeranian. She is shy at first but quickly gets used to you and becomes friendly. She is completely housetrained. Her owners are moving to Puerto Rico. Adoption details here!

Pups cared for by East Brunswick’s Animal Rescue Force

Hey Neighbors! Place your ad here for just $24.99

GARAGE SALE? JOB AD? SELLING YOUR COUCH? SELLING YOUR HOME BY OWNER?

Your Ad Could Go Here. Reach thousands of your neighbors in one fell swoop. (It’s too cold out to put signs up, anyway!) You can link it to your FB Marketplace ad, too!

Look Familiar? Be the First to Guess Where we Are and Get a Shout Out in our Next Issue…

(Ok, this is an easy one.) The first reader to guess gets a special callout in next week’s Bird… Send your guess here: [email protected]