What else can be said about it?
A sunny November day on the Fair Haven Dock cures all ills.
Fishing, relaxing, taking in the view. Call it that exhale of contentment. Home.
Take a look. Good night Fair Haven.
— Elaine Van Develde
Category Archives: Local Life
A look, in photos, of latest area events, local everyday people and places.
Retro RFH Murder He Wrote?
Photo/George Day
So, Halloween is over. But, some of the antics of RFH students of the past remain etched in our memories.
The Retro Pic of the (George) Day honors one of those kooky ghoulish guys.
We have no idea why this photo was taken or what he was up to here. And when we asked featured RFH alum Mike Grady those questions, he just shook his head.
“Goofing around,” was the basic response.
So, there you have it.
Here’s to goofing around at RFH in the late 1970s!
Nice grin for a guy playing dead, Grady! Breaking character is not allowed! Know who’s the one tending to this freak?
Thanks, once again, to George Day for this fabulous look back at RFH!
— Elaine Van Develde
Retro: Voting After Sandy
It was nine days after Hurricane Sandy hit.
It was the presidential election of the year 2012. Most in the Rumson-Fair Haven area were without electricity and heat. There was a curfew.
Focus: Halloween Tricking and Treating
Halloween was a lot of treating and no tricking, except for trickery of disguise, in the Rumson-Fair Haven area.
The weather was hauntingly good and a good time was had by all where we got a glimpse at a howling haunt on Third Street in Fair Haven.
There were nerds, angels, monsters, princesses and even a gigantic group of emojis.
Take a look.
— Elaine Van Develde
R-FH Area Halloween Rules
Happy Halloween, R-FH area people!
Here are the rules for ghosting and ghouling tonight …
• Trick-or-treaters under 18 and not supervised by an adult must be off the roads by 8 p.m.;
• Never, ever go trick-or-treating alone;
• Exercise caution around strangers both on the street and at homes;
• Do not go inside homes;
• Do not eat candy until you get it home and it is inspected by parents;
• Wear a highly-visible or reflective costume, walk on sidewalks and walkways and carry a flashlight and cell phone.
The main message: Stay safe, stay out of trouble and have fun!
Happy Halloween!
Rumson-Fair Haven Halloween Parading Pics for Purchase
There was no tricking and a lot of treating going on Sunday when Rumson and Fair Haven both hosted annual Halloween festivities.
You’ve probably already seen the slideshow that tells the story, in photos set to music, of how it all started with a parade in Fair Haven that culminated with costume prizes, some socializing and snacks at the firehouse. Then, in Rumson kids of all ages paraded a short route from the front to the back of Forrestdale School where some costume judging and prizes ensued along with some carnival-type fun and games.
Here, we have made available any of the photos for purchase. Just click on the “buy photo” tag and follow the instructions.
*Note: Photos for purchase are for personal use only. They are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any other publication. Thanks and enjoy!
Focus: Halloween Haunts
Call them Halloween house haunts of the Rumson-Fair Haven area. They’re those subtle little decorations that pop out to give passersby a bit of a “Boo!”
Perusing the area, there were a few that just seemed to summon the spirit of the season.
Take a look. We will be adding new haunting discoveries to this photo collage until Halloween. Do you know of a ghoulishly good lawn scare? Let us know and we’ll stop by to take a pic.
— Elaine Van Develde
Retro Ghostly RFH Gaggle
Photo/George Day
The year was 1977. It was an RFH Halloween.
Seniors of the Class of ’78 were geared up for some ghostly fun. They gathered in the Senior Commons and paraded around, and, yes, out of the confines of the RFH campus.
Rumson-Fair Haven Halloween Parading
There was no tricking and a lot of treating going on Sunday when Rumson and Fair Haven both hosted their annual Halloween festivities.
It all started with a parade in Fair Haven that culminated with costume prizes, some socializing and snacks at the firehouse. Then, in Rumson kids of all ages paraded a short route from the front to the back of Forrestdale School where some costume judging and prizes ensued along with some carnival-type fun and games.
Take a look at Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect’s slideshow for a peek-a-BOO into the day. Enjoy!
We will be posting the photos in a separate gallery for purchase if you’d like your own copies.
— Elaine Van Develde
This Weekend: R-FH Area Halloween Fun
The Halloween spirit is in the air and festivities to conjure it up into a hearty haunt abound this weekend.
There are parades, parties, costume contests, a haunted theater a regional run, and an egg hunt — yes, an egg hunt.
It all starts on Friday night with …
• Brookdale Community College’s Haunted Theater:
Adult tours are held Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at the college’s Performing Arts Center.
General admission is $12, senior admission is $10 (age 62 and up, college staff and alumni), high school students pay $8, and Brookdale students are admitted for $5 (two-ticket limit).
Saturday …
• Fair Haven’s Halloween Egg Hunt starts at 5:30 p.m. at Fair Haven Fields near the concession stand.
It’s a play on the Easter Egg Hunt with a Halloween twist. The fields will be peppered with black and orange candy-filled eggs. Be there 15 minutes early and bring a bag for eggs.
The hunt is free.
• After the hunt, borough boy scout troops are hosting their Haunted Hike at 6:15 p.m.
The hike will take participants through the Fair Haven Fields Nature Area. Admission is a canned food item for donation.
Sunday …
• The regional 22nd Annual Trick or Trot 5K Race and Pet Walk, hosted by the Jersey Shore Running Club (JSRC) and the Deal Fire Company No. 2, will take place at 11 a.m. at the Deal Casino in Deal.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the homeless animals at the Monmouth County SPCA and the Deal Fire Company. Over the past 21 years, the Trick or Trot has attracted nearly 50,000 participants and raised more than $25,000 for its beneficiaries. Formerly held in Long Branch, the large, regional run is now in Deal.
Race-day registration in person begins at the Deal Casino at 9:30 a.m. The Trick or Trot Kids Dash starts at 10:30 a.m., followed by the 5K Race at 11 a.m., with the Pet Walk at 11:05 a.m.
The People and Pet Costume Parades will take place at 11:45 a.m., followed by awards and prizes! Deal Fire Company will host a post-race party on site with hot dogs, beverages and music.
Registration costs for the 5K and Pet Walk are $25. Registration for the Kids Dashes is $15. Long-sleeved t-shirts are provided to all who pre-register.
Photo/Elaine Van Develde
• The Fair Haven Halloween Parade/Costume Contest lines up at Knollwood School on Hance Road at 1:30 p.m. and makes its way down Hance and River roads and to the Fair Haven Firehouse at 2 p.m.
Prizes will be given out at the firehouse.
Children of all ages are welcome.
Photo/Elaine Van Develde
• The Rumson Halloween Parade and Party runs at Forrestdale School from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Line-up is at the school’s main entrance at 3:15 p.m. There will be a costume contest and prizes, thematic games and activities, hot dogs and beverages and a trick-or-treat.
Focus: Falling for the Rumson-Fair Haven Riverfront
Few words are needed, if any, when taking in the view of the river from the banks of the Navesink in Rumson and Fair Haven.
Soaked in the sun of a warm fall day, the scene just doesn’t get any more comforting. It seems to smile back and embrace. And it never gets old.
Get a glimpse. Take it in.
— Elaine Van Develde
Black Squirrel Makes Fair Haven Debut
Photo/Elaine Van Develde
It’s not downright nuts, but it’s also not common to sight a black squirrel in the Rumson-Fair Haven area.
Yet, scampering around William Street in Fair Haven, there one was — bolting across the street, darting up a tree and copping a squat to snack on his harvested nut.
They’re not indigenous to the area like the preppie. In fact, the black squirrel is as uncommon here as high hair.
No one seems squirrelly about their rather rare sightings lately. And where the handsome(ish) rodents are known to settle — like Washington, D.C. and the campus of Princeton University, among other places — residents tend to take pride in the fact that they’ve nested in their hometowns.
Evolving from the same species of squirrel as their Eastern gray descendants, black squirrels originally hailed from Canada and can comprise as much as 25 percent of the total usual grey squirrel population, or one in 10,000.
Check out this Washington Post column about them by John Kelly.
Have you seen this guy or any others in the area? Where?
— Elaine Van Develde
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