RFHers on a 1970s summer jaunt to Great Adventure Photo/Marc Edelman
A reprise in honor of these summer days and close encounters among RFH friends …
When summer hits in the Rumson-Fair Haven area, teens tend to flock to the Sea Bright beach clubs … the river … the public beach (yes) … Donovan’s … or they hit the road and set out for a great adventure, albeit a sweaty one on some long lines to a big ride, a log flume, a dip in a crowded wading pool or something else that veers away, like a preppy style train wreck, from the R-FH area summer norm.
Fair Haven Fire Department Old Timers’ Day circa 1960s Photo/FHFD
What a ride!
Indeed. It’s been quite a ride in many ways for the Fair Haven Fire Department, which just celebrated its 120th anniversary on June 1. Still in service to the community. Always celebrating another year of service and camaraderie. And when you pair some classic Fair Haven Fire Department old timers — actually one then new-timer, now a real old timer — with an old classic of a car on a fun day back in the 1960s, you get a classic snapshot begging for a caption.
A day at the beach for Rumson Deane-Porter students in the 60s Photo/courtesy of Cindy Crowley
Oh, it’s unofficial summertime. And Rumson-Fair Haven area folks have been soaking up the positive beaching it vibes and renewal of close encounters with their days at the beach and clubbing it, as they do.
Cheers to Friday, a Rumson icon and his iconic River Road spot!
That would be Tony Mellaci and his father’s bar, Frank’s. The door was always open at the place, welcoming Rumson friends for a cold one, a Mellaci sausage sandwich, a little camaraderie and good conversation among locals. The senior Mellaci, Frank, owned it and ran it with his son, Tony. The proprietors, they were.
It’s just one of those unofficial summer days — an everybody-in-the-pool kinda day.
It’s the kind of day when a Rumson-Fair Haven area person wishes he or she could take a swim, sit on a poolside porch overlooking the ocean and rock. Really rock … in a rocking chair at the old iconic Peninsula House.
That’s what The Foundation of Fair Haven organizers are stressing about this year’s Fair Haven Day, set for June 8 — not that there’s anything new about that. It’s just that after a bit of time of doing without a Foundation and a Fair Haven Day, they felt that with the second year since the day’s full-on resurrection, the time was more than right to make the theme come to life with extra purpose. And there are new ways to celebrate the exclamation to that end.
Rumson Boy Scouts at Memorial Day service circa early 1970s Photo/George Day
It’s been a Memorial Day of the traditional kind in the Rumson-Fair Haven area. The day, usually kicked off by parades in Rumson and Fair Haven and solemn services at Victory and Memorial parks, respectively, brings people in the communities together. Groups, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, honoring those who sacrificed their lives in service to the country, is the usual visual.
The water rescue units of the Rumson and Fair Haven First Aid squads made their inaugural water run of the season with the Nav-e-Sink or Swim race patrol out of Victory Park in Rumson today.
“Where’s your father?” my Fair Haven neighbor shouted to me from across the street some years ago a bit before Memorial Day.
“Uh, whaaat??” I answered with a chuckle. “Um, he’s in the cemetery?”
“Which one?” he asked.
A bit befuddled and more focused on taking the garbage out than my long-deceased dad’s whereabouts, I shook my head and laughed as he continued with “We can’t find him.”
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