Focus: Fair Opening Faces & Moments

Gallery August 29, 2022 Elaine Van Develde

All was fair for sure as the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair opened this past weekend.

This summer marked the first time since pandemic times that there was a full return to fair normalcy with the reopening of the famous dining room and full-on fair sit-down feasting service.

Most of all, there was feasting on full-on fun, tradition and reuniting. That’s because all’s always fair at the end of the summer in Fair Haven.

Take a look at the photo slideshow and photo gallery below to get a glimpse into those fair opening moments … (Click on one photo in the gallery to enlarge and scroll. Enjoy!)

— Photos/courtesy of Fair Haven Fire Department Media

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Galleries

This gallery contains 39 photos.

Focus: Fair Times of Reuniting and Fun
September 4, 2026 Elaine Van Develde
This gallery contains 1 photo.

Focus: A Night Out with Fair Haven’s Finest
August 5, 2026 Elaine Van Develde

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Photo Gallery Slideshow

Retro Pic of the Day

With the advent of the football season comes memories of old days when the RFH Band played on with more members, but many may not recall that the football team was small.

Band was big in the 1970s. But, going back more than half a century, like back to the 1930s, when RFH was Rumson High School, the football team appeared small. There was no regional. And the population was, well, small. There were sprawling estates, farms (with a lot of asparagus growing wild) and berries aplenty for picking.

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Related

Retro RFH 1930s Football Boys
September 22, 2026 Elaine Van Develde
Fair Haven p.m. kindergarten of 1965 at Youth Center
Photo/archives of Elaine Van Develde

Our annual back-to-school reprise all about those first days of school along with some who, what, when and boogeyman parts … Take this little trip back in time with us to remember Fair Haven’s kindergarten days of yesteryear …

It was a real first and last class act of 1965 — the kindergarten class that was the last to get its first lessons learned in school at what was the Youth Center in Fair Haven. You know. It’s the building that was the police station until it was leveled to make way for a new borough headquarters. The ghosts remain, though. We Fair Haven kindergarteners of the 1960s are pretty sure of it.

Back in the day — OK, waaaaay back in the day — there was a third school in Fair Haven for kindergarten, you see. It was the Youth Center. That was also way before preschool. People now know it better as the Fair Haven Police Station and by its newly adopted name that hasn’t quite caught on yet, and may never for “older” folks still in town — Fair Haven Community Center. Phooey to that. Some things just need to keep a name for nostalgic purposes alone. Besides, the youth part soothes us old codgers.

That and it’s just a matter of what sounds like home to you. For instance, my very nice grandmother, a Matawan native, was pretty hostile about the “new” Aberdeen split and name. Paid it no mind. And if forced, said it with “blah, blah, blah” contempt. Back to the Community Center … There, I said it.

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Related

Retro Youth Center P.M. Kindergarten Class Act and a Classic Schoolhouse
September 21, 2026 Elaine Van Develde