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The Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair is in full swing.
It runs through Saturday, Sept. 5. As a mid-week reminder of what it all means to people in the area, here’s a look at a few pre-opening night and opening night photos of the scenery in a different color tone — sepia.
It captures the retro aspect of this longtime tradition — or not. Either way, it’s an interesting perspective. Take a look.
— Elaine Van Develde
Rumson mom LuAnn Hughes attended author Harlan Cohen’s talk presentation at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Tuesday night.
Centered on his book The Naked Roommate (about getting comfortable with the uncomfortable in the college transition), it was designed to help college-bound students and their families.
She posted her takeaway on the speaker’s salient message on Facebook.
Here’s what the mom of teens, also a teacher, got out of the talk and shared with friends …
“It’s important to know what YOU want and stop living for what others expect from you.
“Transitions are hard. There are 5 aspects to pay attention to: social, emotional, physical, financial, academic.
“We need to focus more on people, places and having patience to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
“Universal Rejection Truth: There will be times you lose, attempts you fail, people that don’t give you what you want. If you ignore the universal rejection truth you will spend your time hating, hiding, fighting, attacking and blaming others.
“If you face the truth you will have the strength and resilience to do what you’re meant to do because you’re not afraid to take risks.
You have to be able to take rejection to take risk after risk. Risk taking is what helps you grow.
“Don’t take critical feedback as an attack. Being able to take rejection is the key to people being able to help you.
“Rules:
1. Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Embrace the fact that this is going to be difficult.
2. When you panic, think of your people, places and patience. Don’t panic and hang out with the wrong people. You have to have YOUR people and places.
3. Your kids struggles belong to them but the victories belong to you (lol). The challenge is that we are so connected through technology that it’s hard to set boundaries. Consider letting your child marinate in their misery.
4. Advise your child to apply “the 24 hour rule” whenever anything traumatic happens. Clarity will come. Be patient.
5. Get in the habit of asking your child “What do you think you should do?” If answer is “I don’t know” ask about who his 5 people and 3 places are. It takes a good 8 weeks to adjust (patience).
“With 30% of college students facing depression, how do you know when to stop letting your child marinate in their misery?
“Make sure they have their people, give your kids permission to be imperfect before they get there, let them fail.
“Make sure they understand that the first 8 weeks are hard.
“If you’re really worried and your child is showing signs of suicide (2nd leading cause of death among college kids) you go and check and intervene.
“Give your kids permission to struggle, to face adversity and to get over it.
“Places: Look for where you can sweat, play, pray, learn, lead.
People: People who volunteer to help, people you pay to help.
“College is about what YOU want not about who wants you.”
Text college to 44144 for roommate contract.
Good luck parents and college freshmen!
Remember those songs in the 70s you slow-danced to or sat in a dark corner and cried over during that teen break-up? Or maybe you blasted them in the car with your gal pals, willing him to come back!
Was one of them Sad Eyes or Hey There Lonely Girl? How about The Lion Sleeps Tonight? OK, maybe not that one.
They were classics. Still are. And, Robert John, the man who wrote Sad Eyes and sang all of them, hitting all those high notes perfectly, lives in the area.
Continue reading Going Retro with 70s Music Icon Robert John
By Elaine Van Develde
It doesn’t get any simpler or more enjoyable. A summer night spent at an impromptu music jam/record release party with rising stars.
The temperature was high and so were the spirits of a fortunate few who were treated to a few sets of serenading by Asbury Park-based country duo Williams Honor — vocalist Reagan Richards and instrumentalist and singer Gordon Brown.
The two made their way to Ron’s West End Pub to share their special night, calling it a “home” reminiscent of the type of places in Nashville, Tennessee where talent is typically honed in embracing musical improv nooks.
After doing separate stints in Nashville, the two, each with his/her own Jersey shore connections, wound up meeting in Asbury. Upon being introduced at The Saint, they struck up a kinship over music style.
That’s when their united melodious fight began. It’s a fight to keep their brand of country storytelling thriving through song in an area they think is prime for it but never gave the genre a fair shake.
They’ve now been going country strong for about a year. That year culminated in the record release Sept. 1. Another special surprise for them and everyone else was that they love to cover the iconic 1970s song Sad Eyes, and its writer and singer, Robert John, was in the drop-by audience.
No one was name-dropping, but Williams Honor was, well, honored.
And, what’s in that name?
The impetus for the Williams Honor moniker, the two said, was to honor both of their fathers, military vets. Richards’ father’s name was William. His dog tag dangles around her neck, an integral piece for her in her everyday jewelry draping.
“Some people are uncomfortable with it,” she said. “They say you’re not supposed to wear it as jewelry. But I like to have him (and everything he stood for) close to me all the time, so I can honor, remember him (and vets like him) all the time … holding onto him in a positive way.”
Brown’s father’s name is not William, but he said they chose to use Richards’ dad’s name as a sort of duplicate honor for both and multiple for all vets — thus the plural rather than singular possessive of the name in the group.
To honor the band’s namesake and the difficulty faced by families of those going off to war, the two said they wrote a song that puts a positive twist on the experience, albeit bittersweet.
It’s called Don’t Wanna Let You Go, and “we finished mixing it about 15 minutes before we came to Ron’s,” Brown said. “It’s the last song we finished for the record.”
“When people go off to war, when they go off into the military, there’s obviously the chance that they won’t come back,” Richards said. “Well, this is a very hopeful song on the record. This is about them coming back, and everybody being so proud, as we are …”
So it goes …
“Keep your father’s laugh he’s in everything you do, and we both know he’d be so proud of you … I don’t wanna let you go … And all that you need to know is I won’t let you go …”
You may not wanna to let Williams Honor go once you hear them.
Call it a rich simple summer experience.
By Elaine Van Develde
It’s been 32 years, but I can still see his face and that kooky Brylcreemed hairdo. I can still hear his crazy belly laugh and that signature “Take ‘er easy, buddy!” I can still see him slapping kids on the back, forever clutching his trusty clipboard, pencil perched behind his ear, sweat on the brow and finger wagging.
That’s the vivid, comforting ghost image of Bill Van Develde I still see and hear roaming around on the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair grounds. He was head of the stockroom back in the 1970s and 80s and he was my quirky, big-hearted dad.
Continue reading Going Retro with the Fair Man in the Stockroom
Shannon Connor Brett hasn’t been home in three years.
The 2001 Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School graduate, daughter of longtime Fair Havenites Dale and Mike Connor and sister to Allison married a Fair Haven fireman and U.S. Navy guy and moved to California. He’s stationed there.
The Connor family welcomed her, husband C. Thomas (Chris) Brett and their three children back to their old stomping grounds with a little hometown get-together Sunday — and just in time for the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair.
Chris Brett is still a Fair Haven Fire Department member himself. His dad, Barry, was chief in 1994. His mom, Tricia, also an active member of the fire company, has been captain of the Fire Police three times. You can always find her at the Out Back serving ice cream at the fair.
And it’s no secret that Dale and Mike are longtime Fair Haven Fire Department members.
It’s a pretty sure bet that at fair time you can always catch them somewhere in the kitchen/dining room. This year, it’s likely there will be yet another Connor sighting.
Nothing quite like a homecoming at fair time. Take a look.
Welcome home Shannon and family!
— Elaine Van Develde
If you have a homecoming coming up in the Rumson-Fair Haven area, let us know. We’d be happy to stop by, get the story and take some pics.
Tonight was the night! It was opening night of the classic Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair.
Friends, neighbors and firemen, new and old, once again forged their connections at the fair touted to be the largest firemen’s fair in New Jersey and probably the country.
The weather was fine and so was the company. Take a look.
(And don’t forget to click on the lower right icon to enlarge for the full view of the slideshow! Enjoy! See you at the fair!)
— Elaine Van Develde
The weather has been so season-appropriate that it almost looks like the seagulls have been dancing on the beach.
OK, maybe not dancing, but they’re seemingly sunning and hopping along — happily. OK, maybe they just see something good to eat and are anticipating a good grab and gobble.
Whatever the case may be, the gulls on the beach in Sea Bright are hanging out pretty close to humans.
Take a look at this human’s eye view.
— Elaine Van Develde
NJ State Police have confirmed that the sunken fishing boat found Wednesday morning in the area where the one named El Jefe was reported to have capsized is the same vessel.
“State Police divers confirm sunken boat is ‘El Jefe,'” a NJ State Police Twitter message said. “Presence of a body on board not confirmed. Activity suspended, will resume tomorrow.”
On Wednesday morning, when the boat was found, state police issued a statement saying it had not yet been confirmed that the trawler they found was the El Jefe.
It is believed that Captain Tom Andresen (stet), who docked his boat at the Belford Seafood Co-op, Middletown, near the area where the incident occurred on Tuesday night, was on the boat, according to a Facebook post on the co-op’s page.
Not a member of the Belford Co-op, Andresen (stet) had been docking his boat at the Co-op inlet, according to Facebook posts.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Captain Tom Andresen tonight,” a Tuesday night post said. “His boat, El Jefe, is reported to have capsized off the coast of Sandy Hook this evening. Captain Tom is said to have been on board alone, and has not been located, as of yet. We pray for his safe recovery … Mr Andresen is from New York, and has recently been docking his boat here in Belford.”
As the search continued for a fishing boat that was reported to have capsized off the shore of Sandy Hook Tuesday afternoon, NJ State Police on Wednesday morning announced that a submerged vessel, not yet determined to be the same one, was found.
A search was launched Tuesday afternoon, by state police, U.S. Coast Guard, NY Police and Fire departments and local emergency response units, for the 40-foot fishing boat named El Jefe that was reported to have sank at about 4:30 p.m.
Coast Guard reported in a release that debris purportedly from the sunken vessel was found in the water Tuesday night.
The search was called off last night, due to lack of visibility and prohibitive conditions, and resumed in the morning, when a sunken boat was located in Sandy Hook Channel near the spot where the El Jefe was reported to have gone down.
The El Jefe’s captain was known as a fisherman out of the Belford Seafood Co-op in Middletown, near where the boat was found.
The statement from NJ State Police Marine Services Bureau …
The New Jersey State Police Marine Services Bureau has located a sunken vessel in the Sandy Hook Channel.
A State Police vessel, commanded by Staff Sgt. Christopher Wozniak, located a sunken vessel at 8:55 a.m.
The boat was located near buoy 14 closer to the beach, using side scan sonar. State Police T.E.A.M.S. Unit divers are on scene to further investigate.
A vessel “Jefe” was reported missing last night and is part of the State Police investigation. At this time, we cannot confirm that the sunken vessel is the missing boat.
Summertime can be hectic. So, there’s nothing better some an end-of-day solo time to unwind.
And what better place in the Rumson-Fair Haven area than the Fair Haven Dock as the sun is setting?
For that reason, the Simple Summer feature of the week highlights solace and serenity at sunset on the Navesink River.
Any spot along the river will do. This spot just happens to be a favorite for many. It’s simple and it’s one of those best things in life that are free.
The view is a familiar one, but it never gets old. Neither does its calming effect.
Sometimes the New York skyline is so clearly visible from Sea Bright Beach, it seems as if you can reach out and touch it.
Here’s a simple black-and-white look at the sight in a series of photos.
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