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An area man is facing attempted murder charges stemming from an unprovoked Labor Day stabbing, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Wednesday.
Continue reading Prosecutor: Area Man Facing Attempted Murder Charges Stemming from Labor Day Stabbing 
A back-to-school reprise …
Knock-kneed, nervous and all dressed up with somewhere to go, this gaggle Fair Haven neighborhood girls of 1965 lined up so their moms could get that classic first-day-of-kindergarten shot. And there wasn’t a smile among them.
Continue reading Retro First Day of School Girls 
Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge replacement construction activity continues this week with no work on Labor Day. Work will proceed Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., weather permitting. The channel closure postponement has been announced by Monmouth County officials.
The upcoming channel closure in the Shrewsbury River has been postponed to Monday, Sept. 16, starting at 6 a.m..
The details …
— Photos/Nick Lencyzk
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DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly Our annual reprise about what it really means to experience all that’s fair for a Fair Haven kid …
There are a lot of significant beginnings and endings this time of the year. The end of summer. The beginning of locals’ summer. The start of school — new chapters and first days.
But, what about the middle? The end of the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair has always brought me, and many a “fair” kid, back to that middle haven. It’s home.
Continue reading Fair Remembrance: All’s Fair in the MiddleThe following piece was originally published on Aug. 31, 2015. It is being re-run, with changes only in the amount of years that have passed, in memory of my father, Bill Van Develde, former longtime Fair Haven Fire Company member, president and captain of the Fire Police and chairman of the Stock Room at the fair, on the anniversary of his death on Aug. 30, 1983. RIP, Dad. You are missed. Thank you for all the embarrassing moments that I didn’t appreciate enough. Thank you for making Fair Haven my home. Thank you for being a real dad. See you on the fair grounds …
By Elaine Van Develde
It’s been 41 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.
Continue reading Remembering My Fair Daddy
Reprise in honor of Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair week and Firemen’s Night, or Firefighters’ Night, which was last night …
Well, the fair is on and nothing has stopped it yet.
A tradition within the fair tradition is Firemen’s Night. Fire departments from across the state flock to the fair, most with reps riding into town on their towns’ fire trucks. It happens annually on Wednesday night of the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair.
So, the Retro Pic of the Day offers a glimpse into Firemen’s Night 2015 with a photo of guys and gals from the neighboring Rumson Fire Department.
A big thank you to all our volunteer firefighters.
Recognize anyone in this crew? Have you thanked a firefighter today?
These daily stories, photos, looks back and tributes on R-FH Retro are brought to you courtesy of supporters. If you like R-FH Retro, keep the site going by sponsoring more. Click here to donate any amount you wish. Contact me for an ad or sponsorship at [email protected]. Thank you!
It’s that night of the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair that’s a gleaming, blaring, whirling truck-loving kid’s dream. It’s Firefighters’ Night; and it was last night at the fair.
Continue reading Focus: A Fair Firefighters’ Night 
Sometimes you just have to leave things up to chance. And there’s nothing better to personify that notion than a moment at what was the Grab Bag Booth at the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair.
Continue reading Retro Fair Grab Bagging ’60s-Style 
The following piece was originally published on Aug. 27, 2015. It’s fair time again, so it’s time to take a look back at how things were and are done a pivotal place at the fair — the kitchen and dining room.
By Elaine Van Develde
Someone’s in the kitchen at Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair grounds.
And while they may have, at one point another been with someone named Dinah, as the old ditty goes, it’s a definite they’ve been with someone named Mike, Dale, Sue (x2), Raquel, Ethel (x2), Mary, Anne, Amanda, Skippy, Hodgie, Mary Ellen, Joe, Evie, and, oh, yeah, Andy and a few others.
And they certainly haven’t been strummin’ on any ol’ banjo. They’ve been way too busy — cutting, peeling, filling, flouring, husking and just plain cooking.
Except there’s nothing plain about what’s cooking in the fair kitchen, who’s cooking it, when, where, why or how.
All’s fair — at least for Rumson-Fair Haven area folks. It’s Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair week, after all.
Continue reading Focus: Fair Riding, Gaming and Fraternizing 
Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge replacement and associated roadway construction activity continues this week from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Friday, weather permitting, with an upcoming channel closure alert.
Continue reading Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge Summer Travel & Channel Closure Alert Our annual reprise in celebration of opening night of the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair …
All’s fair. The night before. The decades later. It’s something a Fair Haven kid will always see … a shooting star that they grabbed and tucked away in their heart, holding onto the glistening, magical light.
The night is still. A light is on. Trucks are out of the bays. Cartoony faces and ghosts in empty seats on unassembled carnival rides stare back in the dark. Someone’s cooking at the Fair Haven firehouse. It’s fair time.
Continue reading Fair Reflections: An Ode to Opening Night of the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair
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