Retro Fair Stock Dudes

Retro Fair Haven Firemen's Fair stock room days in the 1970s Photo/FHFD booklet — Retro Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair stock room days in the 1970s
Photo/FHFD booklet

They’re setting up for the return of the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair.

The fair has been a tradition for decades. That’s no secret. And there has always been food, rides and prizes.

And while, for the first time in, well, seemingly forever, there will be no seafood dining room, there will be food, rides and, of course, prizes. Games of chance have always been a part of the fair. So have those prizes. Though they’ve evolved over the years, there’s always been a wheel spin, a bog, a water or air shot or something or other that’s garnered a prize for the win.

And those prizes come from some behind-the-scene fair guys assessing, purchasing and being sure to keep those those prize booths stocked. Oh, you’ll get a gander of these guys roaming the grounds, clip board and list in hand, checking on supplies. But no one really realizes what they do.

“I remember when they (would) go up to New York City to pick out the prizes, order the tents back in the day,” said longtime fire company member Ray Bennett. “Now they use the game trailers and do most of the ordering right from the fire house. Oh how the times have changed, no more tents and no more walking in the mud in the tents, all the great fun back then.”

So, the Retro Pic of the Day takes us back to the 70s to pay ode to those stock room guys. One was my dad.

Today’s pic shows him (right), Al Robbins (left) and John Toomey taking a moment in the stock room to assess and pose.

No, my dad was not bald, not that there’s anything wrong with that. He just had a bizarre hair style — courtesy of a bad comb and Brylcreem.

None of these stock room guys is still with us. Though, rest assured, they’d likely be in a fair frenzy getting set to stock up and get those games of chance going for the fair’s return.

RIP to my dad, John Toomey and Al Robbins. And thanks for the memories, dads in the stock room!