Here stays the neighborhood. Yes. For the love of home, we’re always steeping in it.
Even though another forever Fair Haven neighbor is now gone, the neighborhood stays, as always — right in that hometown heart. The one that swells with a different kind of pride and comfort that some unlucky souls will never understand.
That neighbor, the latest who has left the block, is Jane Croft. Born in Fair Haven, she lived her entire life there, always with that easy-going smile and soothing, welcoming cadence in her voice.
A multi-vehicle collision in Howell has claimed the life of one male driver just after midnight on Friday, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey announced.
Rumson’s shoreline view of the Navesink River Photos/Elaine Van Develde
It’s been downright dank lately. But no matter how the dank sticks in your cranky craw, there’s nothing like a little river time to ease the shrill chill from the bones.
Even when it’s clouded, the view of the Navesink always offers a promise of light and the warm embrace of home. It’s pretty ducky for the ducks, no matter what, it seems. They have the right idea. Reveling in every ripple, every lap of low tide, every grain of damp sand is inviting solace — the terminal homecoming.
The scene may vary with time and vantage point, but for a Rumson-Fair Haven kid at heart, the river is that lifetime friend who never ages, whose loyalty never wanes. It’s always there, waving to you from the shore, letting you know that the chill and gray will go away. You are home. Always. Welcomed.
Remember, cozy up to that waving childhood friend, and wait for the sun to shine again.
Relive some river daze and solace by taking a look at this week’s gallery of the Navesink by Barnacle Bill’s and check out when the sun’s coming out in the weekend weather forecast, courtesy of the National Weather Service … (CLICK one photo in the above gallery to enlarge and scroll! Enjoy!)
Rumson-raised Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) 1965 graduate Marion Konow Frazee, of Red Bank, lost her battle with cancer on March 8 at Riverview Medical Center. She was 74.
Fair Haven Brownie Troop #6 square dances in 1968 Photo/Sally Van Develde
With St. Patrick’s Day on the horizon and National Women’s Day here, thoughts of girl power and good dance for tradition’s sake come to the forefront.
When talking girl power, scouting, back in the day when girls had little power, comes to mind. And, with the girls, in the 1960s, it all started with Brownies at about age 7. And then there’s that thought process of dancing to your own tune, of course.
RFH cast of The Pajama Game rehearses around the record player circa 1963 Photo/Daily Register staff
Curtain up! It’s that time. Time for RFH Tower Players to gear up for the troupe’s spring musical. And with that wind-up to opening night comes a push for ticket sales and lots of getting the word out — promoting the big show. That’s show biz!
Nowadays, with social media pretty much a staple in getting the message out there, there is no reliance on good ol’ print newspapers to spread the word — and far in advance.
In fact, as of the time tonight that this Retro Pic of the Day went live, the social media word was well out on RFH’s spring musical Mama Mia! It’s out there. All over.
But, back in the day, like in the 60s, for instance, all high schools got a spot in the area newspapers, mostly the Daily Register and Asbury Park Press, with all the show info and a photo for which cast members had to meet and pose, trying to look candid. Oh, then there was the development of film in that dark room. No one knew what the final shot would look like until days later.
But, to say the least, there was some rich promo of RFH shows back in the day. They always had a spotlight, even several, in the newspaper. And they were even reviewed by professional critics, if you can fathom that. More on that later.
Back to this RFH spring musical of 1963. The players did The Pajama Game. This shot showed what was really a pretty typical rehearsal time spent around the ol’ record player. Yes, that would be a turntable, RFHers of the present.
Back in the day, and pretty much through at least the 80s, that was a pretty standard way for the cast to learn the score. Parents of those RFHers would tell you how they heard the score of that one spring musical over and over and over again. Wait, though. In the 80s, there was the 8-track version that skipped as it went to the next track — mid-song!
In this photo, by Register staff, RFH was one of several high school musical casts photographed and advertised for their respective shows. This photo features the leads in the musical: (left to right) Barry Nelson as Hines, Jamie Hughes as Gladys, John Edelmann as Sid and Perry Lyon as Babe.
Recognize those players? The RFH show was set for one weekend only — two days — April 5 and 6. This story was printed on Feb. 11. All area high schools’ musicals were previewed in a full-page spread titled “Broadway in Monmouth” with a subhead of “High Schools Tackle Big-Time Musicals.” Some of the other shows were classic oldies like Bye Bye Birdie, Girl Crazy and Music Man.
Here’s an interesting tidbit: The article elaborated on auditions, casting and show times. It said that 210 students auditioned for the show in a process that lasted a week and a half. For one of the leads alone, 32 auditioned. Fair Haven’s Jamie Hughes landed the role.
Competition back in the day, decades ago, was strong for the RFH spring musicals. And the casts were usually quite large. It also wasn’t just Tower Players in the show. The fall drama was one for which only Tower Players could audition. The musical was for all, school-wide.
Pajama Game was directed by Paul Grammer, who is very familiar to RFH students of the 60s, 70s and 80s. Grammer later became solely vocal musical director of the shows. Instrumental, as in orchestra, was directed by Ken Walter. Remember him? He was the marching band chief in the 70s and 80s. And, in a special cameo as choreographer was none other than Lois McDonald, the woman who became the lady in charge of The Barn Theatre down the street from the high school.
Now, that’s show biz! Your favorite show? Director? And how many auditioned in your era? Now, about that rehearsing by record player … What score did you wear out, show folk or not, on the ol’ turntable?
The spring musical returns to the stage at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) in April as alumni and current students converge for a mammoth production of Mamma Mia!
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