The Arnone Report: Mark Your Calendar For April 8—Made In Monmouth

By Freeholder Tom Arnone

Monmouth County Freeholder Tom Arnone

I’m sure I join everyone in welcoming the spring season with open arms. It’s always a wonderful time of year to get outside and enjoy the nice weather. It’s also a great opportunity to shop local, which is exactly what everyone can do during the sixth Annual Made in Monmouth event on Saturday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the OceanFirst Bank Center at Monmouth University.

I encourage all residents and visitors to take advantage of this free event that features hundreds of consumer products made right here in Monmouth County.

This event grows every year and I’m proud to announce we have reached our vendor capacity, with more than 270 retailers registered to showcase and sell their products. This year, items available for purchase include furniture, jewelry, pet products, gourmet specialty foods, art, wine and home décor items, among many other goods.

Made in Monmouth began six years ago when I joined the Freeholder Board. My goal was to focus my attention on small consumer product manufacturers located within Monmouth County to help them grow their businesses. As such, I’m happy to say the County has amassed a list of nearly 600 Made in Monmouth companies.

At the end of the day, it’s all about buying and shopping local to support the small business owners who we know to be our friends, relatives, neighbors and colleagues. I believe small businesses are the backbone to our economy and that we should give them our support.

I’d also like to note we will be collecting non-perishable food items during Made in Monmouth in conjunction with the 2017 Food Drive of Monmouth County. I encourage attendees to bring non-perishable food items that will be distributed by the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.

Lastly, on a different note, I’m proud to announce the Board of Chosen Freeholders adopted a zero tax-increase budget during our Freeholder meeting on March 23.

We were able to approve this budget, while maintaining the high quality of services for our residents, because of the diligent work of our administration, our employees and my four other Freeholder colleagues. Departments were tasked with tightening up their own budgets while maintaining the same services and I’m proud to report they were able to meet the goal.

As always, I look forward to continuing to serve the County in 2017. I hope to see everyone at Made in Monmouth on April 8!