A “tale as old as time” came to Fair Haven’s Knollwood School’s stage when 40 young middle school students performed a production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. a few weeks ago.
Continue reading A Look Back at Knollwood’s ‘Beauty and the Beast Jr.’
With the recent death and impending memorial of former longtime Fair Havenite and River Rats purser, Warner White, thoughts turn back to some good old days of being a kid rat, so to speak, and hanging out down by the river.
It’s a rite of passage in the Rumson-Fair Haven area that kid life be rife with river-oriented activities.
River Rats was the king of that sort of thing — especially in the summertime. The little riverfront nook at the foot of Battin Road in Fair Haven was that special place where kids and boating-bonded buddies learned how to sail and navigate riverfront life with the sand between their toes and perpetual smiles on their faces. It was a unique little sailors’ club. Still is.
River Rats has been a Fair Haven institution since 1955.
It all started like this: “In October 1955 shortly after he moved from New York, Captain Walter Isbrandtsen wrote to a friend: ‘I have purchased a house in a small community on the New Jersey coast where I am gradually becoming active … in an organization known as Dads Incorporated … whose activities include a newly established program designed to take full advantage of a neighboring river …'”
Captain Isbrandtsen organized the family-oriented sailing group and became the first Skipper of River Rats, as it is written in the River Rats’ biographical history.
So, the Retro Pic(s) of the Day takes us back to the U.S.A. bicentennial year of 1976 and a bunch of young River Rats.
This crew is comprised mostly of RFH classmates who gathered by the boat launch at the end of Battin Road in Fair Haven to offer a glimpse of their day as a reminder of what growing up by the river is all about.
Sail on! RIP, Warner White …
— Elaine Van Develde
Spring has sprung — sort of.
Well, the sun was shining brightly on the first day of spring, anyway. And while last week’s lingering patches of snow remained in spots throughout the Rumson-Fair Haven area, buds were popping up from underneath them.
The scene on the banks of the Navesink River at the foot of Battin Road in Fair Haven was still, mild and calming — signals of springing into a warmer sunset took hold.
It was a stark, black-and-white kind of scenario. Take a look. (Oh, and don’t forget to click to enlarge …)
Happy spring; and good night.
— Elaine Van Develde
Former longtime Fair Haven resident and purser of the River Rats, Elijah Warner White, died on March 14 at Riverview Medical Center. He was 91 and living in Red Bank prior to his death.
A memorial service for White is slated for March 25 at 2 p.m. at The First Presbyterian Church of Rumson, 4 East River Rd., Rumson.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1925 to the former Florence Gage and Percy Warner White, he earned degrees from Oberlin College and the University of Michigan. He relocated to New Jersey to work as an electronics engineer at Bell Labs, Holmdel.
Warner was a skilled photographer and a member of the Guild of Creative Art in Shrewsbury.
He served with the US Army 94th Infantry in combat 1944-45.
He was an elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Rumson, long-time resident of Fair Haven, and past purser of the River Rats Sailing Club.
Warner was predeceased by his son Christopher in 1997.
He is survived by: his wife of 65 years, the former Janet Brown; his son Philip; daughter Margaret (Peggy) Milliken; grandchildren Kathryn LeTrent and Robin Milliken; and great-granddaughter Margaret LeTrent.
The Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St, Red Bank, is entrusted with the arrangements.
— Edited obituary, courtesy of Thompson Memorial Home.
A five-month undercover investigation involving the collaborative efforts of federal, state, county and local authorities dubbed Operation Justice Served has resulted in a Monmouth County grand jury returning on Thursday a 100-count indictment linking 45 area people to a Freehold-based drug distribution ring involving heroin, cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced.
Continue reading Prosecutor: Operation Justice Served Links 45 Area People to Drug Ring
The following recent criminal incidents and arrests were reported by Red Bank police. An arrest does not constitute a conviction.
Continue reading Police Report: Theft, DWI, Marijuana, Criminal Mischief
With the sting of the cold and longing for that breath of warm fresh air, thoughts turn to days spent in the young teen sweat-infused gym at RFH. Oh, the ritual of that mandatory indoor exercise.
Ahhh, memories. More like a little PTSD remembrance of the torture the class was for some — especially when stuck inside. When you’re not an athlete and, for that matter, can barely volley a ball (and I mean barely), gym class day was the day of trying to get some sort of note of excuse from your mom to get you out of the embarrassment. Forgery became a talent. Though some moms could feel the uncoordinated kids’ pain and easily relented with prompt penning.
There was a bitter chill in the air in Sea Bright this morning; but the view from the marina of Rumson’s Gunning Island was vivid this morning.
The predicted snow, or what was left of the little that fell on Tuesday, had disappeared.
The sun was out and the memories of many years’ worth of good summer times were warm ones.
Check it out and remember …
— Elaine Van Develde
The following recent criminal incidents and arrests were reported by Shrewsbury police. An arrest does not constitute a conviction.
Brrrrrrr! Oh, a cold sting may have been in the air, but it was quickly warmed by a sunny Irish spirit at the fifth annual Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday.
Continue reading Focus: The Warmth of Rumson St. Patrick’s Day Parade Spirit
The Fair Haven school district recently hosted a Horton the Elephant-sized celebration of beloved children’s author Dr. Seuss.
Each year, the March 2 birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, a/k/a Dr. Seuss, is remembered throughout the U.S. with the Read Across America program.
Continue reading Rewind: Read Across America in Fair Haven Schools
Well, in time step with a relatively new Rumson tradition, the borough’s fifth St. Patrick’s Day Parade is on Sunday.
So, to celebrate the five-year milestone, the Retro Pic(s) of the Day offer a look back to parades of the past four years.
Take a glimpse at some snapshots capturing memorable moments of the March march down East River Road …
— Elaine Van Develde photos
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