Category Archives: Local Life

A look, in photos, of latest area events, local everyday people and places.

Retro Fair Haven Snow Day Creation

Photo/Picture of Register photo clip by Dave Kingdon

A reprise from February of 2017 in honor of the next snowfall due today … 

With the onslaught of icy snow lately and the freeze over, there’s been a lot of chatter about snow days and how to get creatively constructive with the white stuff.

Well, in the 1970s, a few R-FH area kids took their creativity farther than most would be allowed to these days. And that chatter could have well been the chattering of teeth in the freezing weather — more like in the comfort of some kids’ self-built ice hut, or igloo. Woohoo!

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Retro Ice Storm Chillin’

The 1973 ice storm in Fair Haven. Photo/Elaine Van Develde (age 12)
The 1973 ice storm in Fair Haven.
Photo/Elaine Van Develde (age 12)

Our Retro Pic of the Day is a reprise from an original 2015 post to commemorate a real chill of an ice storm that paralyzed the Rumson-Fair Haven area in ’73. A reminder in heaps of melting snow and cold that it could be worse … 

Chill out with thaw and the reminder that, though it is pretty cold outside, and it’s been a pretty snowy, icy January, yes, it could be worse. 

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Retro RFH Snow Day Drive

A reprise in honor of the first major R-FH area snowfall of the New Year and nostalgia for the days of waiting for the snow day whistle to blow and goofing off. Yes, before the morning phone call and electronic communications, there was only the fire horn to listen for on what all kids wished would be a snow day. Then came the snow day misadventures

It may or may not have been a snapshot of the infamous Blizzard of ’78, but there was not an SUV in sight, that’s for sure. Yes, those slick sedans slipped and slid their way right to school. Or not. There was a lot more fearlessness of the white stuff. That was the RFH golden rule of the era.

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Retro Fair Haven Snow Day Sirens

A snow day on Third Street in Fair Haven back in the 1960s
Photo/Kathy Robbins

Well, after a lot of warnings and prep, the week’s ones played host to yet another snowstorm that wasn’t. Oh, there was some snow and freeze for a few morning minutes, but it was no Blizzard of ’96 or ’78. Yes, back in the day, there were plenty of snowstorms that actually snowed Rumson-Fair Haven area folks in and left them to their own devices for resorting to fun in the freezing white stuff.

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Retro Schwenker’s Pond Winter Wonderland Fun

Kathy and Pat Reed and mom on a visit to Fair Haven’s Schwenker’s Pond circa late 1950s
Photo/courtesy of Pat Reed

With the hint of sun and tinge of milder weather these days, R-FH area people were popping up all over the great outdoors  for a little fairer weather respite.

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County Planning Merit Awards 2025: Sea Bright Riverfront Park Recognized

The Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners joined the Monmouth County Planning Board to honor seven recipients with 2025 merit awards during a December Planning Board meeting. A passive park on the Shrewsbury River near the new Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge that was planned in Superstorm Sandy’s wake, was one of those projects honored.

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