What better way to take the chill out of the winter air than by kicking off the weekend with a little music at the hands of area musicians and finishing it with a homemade spaghetti dinner among community friends?

The soothing starts tonight with music by longtime Rumsonite and RFH grad, Kyle Ward and the Elk-Ward Duo at a new venue, the Long Branch Distillery, at the foot of Broadway from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Ward has been playing in the area for some time now, so this is a great time to catch up with him.

And, if a riverfront night of kicking back in traditional style and listening to local talent tickle the ivories is more your mojo, pianist Conor Quigley will be playing from 6 to 10 p.m. at the bar in The Molly Pitcher Inn.

And on Saturday in Fair Haven …

A real classic, down-home night is back! The now Angelo DePonti Memorial Spaghetti Dinner at the Fair Haven Firehouse from 5 to 8 p.m. upstairs. Spaghetti, meatballs and dessert will be served for a nominal fee to benefit the volunteer fire department.

The dinner is making its comeback from a pandemic hiatus and features, as always, the sauce and meatball recipes of former longtime Fire Company social member Angelo DePonti, who, for years, was there to concoct and oversee the making of the meals, stirring the pot and serving up some homemade sustenance with true love of community, a smile and a thumbs up.

The dinner, since DePonti’s death, has been dedicated to him. So, take a trip over and mangia to see what “That’s amore!” really means.

And the weekend is looking pretty tame, with a glint of sun showing some promise. Here’s the forecast. Enjoy!

• Retro RFH ‘Pajama Game’ ’60s Show Biz
• In Memoriam: Longtime Fair Havenite Corrine Bonomi, 87
• Retro RFH Baseball Dugout Doings
• Retro Rumson Dog Daze of Spring
• In Memoriam: Red Bank Resident, RBC Grad, Bud McConnell, 86