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Focus: Docked & Shadow Chasing

Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day be damned! There’s more than a foreboding forecast lurking behind shadows.

Yes, that buck-toothed rodent popped out of his hole in the ground to see his shadow this morning, giving that signature six-week extension of winter to weary warmth seekers. Cold, dismal shadow be damned.

Even if you’re not a brighter side seeker, you know that shadows can also be a reminder that where they are cast there is light. If you follow the shadow, you’re bound to find light dancing all around it — respite rays.

Like the kid who superstitiously side-stepped the cracks in the sidewalk, the shadow chaser won’t disturb the beauty in the reflective shadow until he becomes a part of it.

And, one way or another, when you step into the light in that cozy hometown niche, there’s always a picturesque shadow to see, cast and become.

So, sometimes chasing the shadow is reaching for the dream in a day. That’s how it always seems for a Fair Haven kid at heart down at the Fair Haven Dock. Always casting …

Take a look at the above gallery and dream on (and don’t forget to CLICK on one photo to enlarge and scroll.) Enjoy!

— Photos/Elaine Van Develde

There will be plenty of shadows to see in the next several sunny, crisp cold snap giving way to a little warmth. Here’s the weather forecast through the weekend and into next week from the National Weather Service …

Retro Dank Daze of RFH Junior Lounging

Lounging in the RFH Junior Lounge circa late 1970s.
Photo/George Day

A reprise from 2019 as an ode to the dismal weather. Cheers and sun up!

The weather has not been quite fair these days. In fact, it’s been downright dank. And with dreary weather comes a little bit of a lackadaisical mood — especially for students cooped up in a high school all day. But, back in the day, there was a remedy for what ailed RFH students when lazy, hazy days drenched with dismal weather set in. That colored brick and pillar remedy was the Junior Lounge.

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R-FH Area Weekend: Music, Mangia & the Weather

2015 FHFD Spaghetti Dinner
Photo/Elaine Van Develde

What better way to take the chill out of the winter air than by kicking off the weekend with a little music at the hands of area musicians and finishing it with a homemade spaghetti dinner among community friends?

The soothing starts tonight with music by longtime Rumsonite and RFH grad, Kyle Ward and the Elk-Ward Duo at a new venue, the Long Branch Distillery, at the foot of Broadway from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Ward has been playing in the area for some time now, so this is a great time to catch up with him.

And, if a riverfront night of kicking back in traditional style and listening to local talent tickle the ivories is more your mojo, pianist Conor Quigley will be playing from 6 to 10 p.m. at the bar in The Molly Pitcher Inn.

And on Saturday in Fair Haven …

A real classic, down-home night is back! The now Angelo DePonti Memorial Spaghetti Dinner at the Fair Haven Firehouse from 5 to 8 p.m. upstairs. Spaghetti, meatballs and dessert will be served for a nominal fee to benefit the volunteer fire department.

The dinner is making its comeback from a pandemic hiatus and features, as always, the sauce and meatball recipes of former longtime Fire Company social member Angelo DePonti, who, for years, was there to concoct and oversee the making of the meals, stirring the pot and serving up some homemade sustenance with true love of community, a smile and a thumbs up.

The dinner, since DePonti’s death, has been dedicated to him. So, take a trip over and mangia to see what “That’s amore!” really means.

And the weekend is looking pretty tame, with a glint of sun showing some promise. Here’s the forecast. Enjoy!

Retro RFH Foul Weather Senior Lounging

RFH Senior Lounge days in the 1970s Photo/George Day
RFH Senior Lounge days in the 1970s
Photo/George Day

Rain, rain go away. Chill with the RFH seniors and everything be OK. It could have been a 1970s mantra, albeit a very corny one.

Let’s face it, though, those lounges at RFH made foul weather times just fine. And, lately, it’s been downright dank. That’s one of those words that just sounds like what it is. Yuck!

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Retro Fire Department Installation Dining with an Iconic Doc

Dr. John Movelle and wife Betty circa 2001 Photo/Kathy Robbins
Dr. John Movelle and wife Betty circa 2001
Photo/Kathy Robbins

With the new year’s reorganizations of governing bodies and fire company and first aid line officers, it’s about that time for what follows — the Fair Haven Fire Department’s longstanding traditional Installation Dinner.

Besides the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair, it’s the fire company’s social event of the year blanketed in official business and fun.

It’s a time to thank the outgoing line officers and welcome the incoming, dance, eat and offer a few cheers for the coming year.

So, the Retro Pic of the Day, contributed by Kathy Robbins (and originally published in 2016), offers a look back at a popular Fair Haven doctor and his wife at the dinner.

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Retro 70s Fair Haven Fire Department Officers’ Line-Up

They were officers and gentlemen serving their small town as volunteer emergency responders. Yes, it’s that time. Reorganization time.

Oh, there are classic New Year’s Day celebrations to usher in the new line officers in the fire departments — fire company, fire police and first aid. There are new chiefs and officers. We’ll get to who they all are for 2023 in Fair Haven.

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