A Retro Happy Birthday to Fair Haven’s Al Robbins

Longtime Fair Havenite Al Robbins delivering fuel to Ray Miller's Esso station on River Road circa 1950s Photo/courtesy of Kathy Robbins
Longtime Fair Havenite Al Robbins delivering fuel to Ray Miller’s Esso station on River Road circa 1950s
Photo/courtesy of Kathy Robbins

Today would be former Fair Havenite and Fair Haven Fire Company member Al Robbins’ 96th birthday, so his daughter Kathy tells Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect.

So, to honor the longtime Fair Havenite and volunteer, we honor him in our Retro Pic of the Day.

According to his daughter, Kathy, the retro pic above is of Al delivering gas to Ray Miller’s Esso station on River Road back in the 1950s.

Al had a nickname: Baggie. Know why? Well, daughter Kathy says it’s because he was a kid, about 7 years old, when he started caddying at Rumson Country Club. Of course, he was tiny, so, she says, “all you could see when he caddied was the bag.”

This editor remembers Al from time with her family. The whole family was lots of fun. And, true to form in remembrance of Memorial Days past, a bunch of us, including the Robbins family, used to go camping every Memorial Day weekend in Pennsylvania Dutch Country at Oak Creek Camp.

Precious memories! Thanks for all you did for the community and this one child’s life memories. You were a good friend to all, Al Robbins! Oh, and Happy Birthday!

Getting All Jazzy at RFH

The following is an edited press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School:

If you didn’t get a chance to attend, now’s the time to find out how hard work, creativity, and abundant talent were driving forces behind the performances at the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Jazz Combo and Vocal Concert.

A variety of musical selections were presented by RFH jazz musicians and vocalists on the evening of May 18 in the high school’s auditorium.

Continue reading Getting All Jazzy at RFH

Crime Close By: Robbery, Theft, Criminal Mischief

The following recent criminal incidents were reported by Red Bank police:

• A theft was reported to have occurred at a Riverside Avenue hotel on May 18. The victim reported that she had checked a Marc Jacobs diaper bag, containing credit cards (etc.) at the front desk of the hotel and upon retrieval it was missing.

Patrolman John Camarca took the report.

• A robbery was reported to have occurred on May 17 at a Shrewsbury Avenue residence. The victim said that she heard a loud bang on the front door. Upon answering the door, the perpetrator grabbed her, punched her in the face, stole her iPhone and then fled the area.

Lt. Robert Kennedy took the report.

• An incident of criminal mischief was reported to have occurred on May 16 on East Newman Springs Road. The victim reported that an unknown person keyed the side of a parked vehicle with a sharp object.

Sgt. David Hicks took the report.

• A theft was reported to have occurred at a Monmouth Street parking lot on May 15. The victim reported that someone cut the lock on a bicycle which was secured to a pole and stole it. The bicycle is described as a grey Schwinn Mountain Bike.

Sgt. David Hicks took the report.

• A theft was reported to have occurred on May 13 at the Bridge Avenue parking lot. The victim reported that someone entered a parked vehicle and stole a duffle bag containing clothing and prescription pills.

Lt. Errico Vescio took the report.

 

Woody’s Win: Sea Bright Rising’s Chris Wood & His Telly Award

Woody’s Ocean Grille owner and Sea Bright Rising creator Chris Wood has earned a place in documentary history.

The Fair Havenite and Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School graduate won a Telly award for his part in a documentary on Sea Bright Rising and the non-profit’s partnership with the St. Bernard Project.

Wood, or Woody, as he is more widely recognized, thanked “Sean Moran, Viacom, MTV and VH1 for doing such a great job documenting Sea Bright Rising and our partnership with the St Bernard Project,” in a post on his Facebook wall about the award, which he said was a surprise to him on Thursday night.

Wood started Sea Bright Rising in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Surviving the storm better than most in Sea Bright, a small strip of a then near-flattened peninsula town, he and his head chef, Onofrio Moscato, started flipping burgers on a grill in the municipal lot next to the restaurant to feed whoever they could.

What started out as a bite to eat and a little comfort quickly turned into three meals a day, clothing, toiletries, incidentals, a U.S. Air Force tent under which cooking was done and then the National Guard rolled in on official duty to help. The effort grew to fundraising to fix Sandy-ravaged homes under the monicker of Sea Bright Rising.

To date, Sea Bright Rising has raised more than $1.3 million and distributed more than $1 million of it to 300 families and 18 businesses in Sea Bright, according to its website.

Congrats, Woody!