Beloved for her kindness and generosity, Fair Haven resident Virginia P. Kamin taught for more than 40 years in the Fair Haven Public Schools and played a wider role as the wife of the late Arthur Z. Kamin, longtime editor of The Daily Register.
Mrs. Kamin, who was 88 and known as “Ginny,” died Friday (July 2) at The Atrium at Navesink Harbor, with her son and daughter at her side, after a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Down by Fair Haven Dock at sunrise Photos/Susan Culbert
Oh, what a beautiful morning! The tune is an ear worm of background music for this scene that started the day and week today in Fair Haven. And it’s not Oklahoma, either. It’s the Fair Haven Dock at sunrise.
The serene scene never gets old. And while the focus may be honed in on the familiar scene in this utopia, it changes every so slightly with each ripple of water, each sigh of contentment with each capture.
This dawn of this new day in the Rumson-Fair Haven area was freeze framed in warmth by Fair Havenite Susan Culbert.
A snapshot of embracing calm. Ahhhhhh …
The week starts with a forecast of sunny skies and warmth through Wednesday and some thunder and rain toward the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service. Take a look …
Area artist Charlotte “Shirley” A. Cunneff passed away peacefully, two of her five sons by her side, on June 3. She was 93.
Shirley “was especially fond of the watercolor medium, earning membership to various art societies and exhibiting her work for sale and in juried competitions. She received numerous accolades for her art, including the Garden State Watercolor Society’s Award for Excellence for a painting of abalone shells in 1996. Private collectors from Hawaii to Paris have displayed her work in their homes. Other passions included travel, cooking and speaking out against the Vietnam War. In October 1967, she attended the March to End the War in Vietnam in Washington, D.C., wearing her mink coat to show that it wasn’t just ‘hippies’ protesting the war. Doctors’ wives were opposed to it, too.
All’s fair, after all! It’s the post-quarantine, pandemic state-of-emergency news all Fair Havenites at heart, near and far, have been waiting for: The Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair will return this year.
The highly-anticipated news, that was expected by mid-June came via the fair chairmen via social media within the past hour or so:
“We are thrilled to be able to announce that after review with our members, vendors and of course NJ safety protocols, 2021 will see the return of the Firemen’s Fair — Friday, August 27 – Saturday, September 4 (closed Sunday)! The fair will continue traditions of rides, game booths, Outback and our 50/50 raffles. More details to be announced at a later time. Our Seafood Dining room will *not* be open at this year’s Fair but will be back in 2022! In the meantime, look forward to planning your Fair week and when the call for volunteers goes out, please join in the fun!”
Here’s a glimpse back to the last fair in 2019 to boost the good-time memories … (Click on one to enlarge and scroll!)
Serenity at the Navesink River in Rumson Photos/Elaine Van Develde for R-FH Retro exclusively
It never gets old, or cold, for that matter — a little time down by the Navesink River in Rumson. It warms the soul.
And when the sun shines, a certain glow is cast over a familiar waterfront scene that can only be described as a locals’ utopia. River time is golden, enduring. The image, the mindset, the enveloping warmth come together in a snapshot that is a forever best friend — always there, always smiling at you, for you, with you. Nothing but bright, pristine sunshine.
Focus on the soothing snapshot (click on one to enlarge and scroll), as some stormy weather lies ahead …
Fair Haven Little League of the late 60s/early 70s Photo/courtesy of Bill Acker
Little league is in full swing for 2021, but there are no Giants.
Back in the late 60s or early 70s, there was a whole team full. That team was led by forever Fair Havenite Bill Lang, who was laid to rest recently. He was a giant of a personality and volunteer for all things Fair Haven, so the team’s name was fitting.
“Hey! Where you going?!” I knew the voice. I knew it well. A Gladdis Kravitz Popeye, if you will. Gravelly, purposeful, with that guttural laugh, he’d yell to me from the porch as he, hearing my “beep, beep” call, would run outside to catch me in my disappearing act before I turned the corner.
After all, it was his neighborhood job. He took it seriously — and he relished the relentless taking care kinda ribbing he so generously doled out. Food was usually involved, too, if he could catch you to get you in for a burger, a sandwich or a Twizzler. The scoop was what he was after. He had that bait, too, but you couldn’t get away without a good grilling, burger aside, a lecture and a heaping helping of teasing. Always the scoop — on what I was up to and how my dad would feel about it all. It was a few million steps beyond nosy neighbor. He had to know. It was part of our neighborhood family pact.
There’s another centenarian in Fair Haven known to give 100 percent to its community.
The Fair Haven Fire Department Auxiliary, formerly the Ladies’ Auxiliary, turned 100 years old on March 21, making the volunteer organization just nine years younger than Fair Haven itself.
Fair Haven Cardinals little league baseball circa early 70s Photo/Peter Mauger
Little League season in the Rumson-Fair Haven area is in full swing! You can almost hear the taunt from the field in the early 70s … “Hey, batter, batter …”
Fair Haven river dwellers of the Drake family Photo/courtesy of Robin Drake Fitch
Quality river time. It’s a rite of passage for any Rumson-Fair Haven area kid.
When the spring air hits, the banks of the Navesink and Shrewsbury Rivers call to kids like mythological Sirens. And they borough themselves in the sand and tides like hermit crabs.
Some are River Rats learning the sailing ropes. Some kayakers. Some canoe. Some are dock jumpers (don’t tell). Some are strollers, loungers and observers. And some are just happy to hitch a ride with that tide.
In this case, the boat hitching tykes date back to the 1960s in Fair Haven. It’s the Drake family … and friends … and family. One thing’s for sure. This is evidence of the well-known fact that the love of the river time doesn’t change with age. And for those Rumson- and Fair Haven-raised kids, the river always beckons them home. The Drakes always find their way home.
The irreplaceable river love started for most anyone from the area with a millions of moments like this.
Just what they were up to in going with that 1960s tide is a mystery. Crabbing? Taking a dive? Dropping a paddle? Wait. No topsiders? There’s an unmistakeable mischievous look of pure happiness going on here.
It’s pretty typical of the R-FH area kid doing that cherished river adventure or misadventure.
Your favorite river misadventure? Ever capsize and come up flush with jellyfish and seaweed? How about a picnic gone awry? Doritos for the birds? Do tell.
See ya down by the river …
And thanks to Robin Drake Fitch for this classic look back!
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