Tag Archives: Fair Haven

Local Life

Special Delivery for Fair Haven Fire Chief

There’s been a special delivery of an official sort of third-generation Fair Havenite — and just in time for the fair!

Fair Haven Fire Department Chief Michael Wiehl and wife Gloria announced the birth of their first child, Abigail Rose, at 8:57 p.m. on Aug. 13.

Abigail Rose Weihl Photo/Facebook screenshot
Abigail Rose Wiehl
Photo/Facebook screenshot
Abigail Rose Weihl Photo/Facebook screenshot
Abigail Rose Wiehl
Photo/Facebook screenshot

Abigail weighed in at 6-pounds, 12 ounces and “everyone is happy and healthy,” Gloria said to Facebook friends.

Grandma and Grandpa, Bonnie and Jeff Wiehl are thrilled.

Michael Wiehl is a third-generation native Fair Havenite, the grandson of Cora and Bill Kacen, longtime fire department members.

Local Life

Retro Lock, Stock & Barrel Dinner & Waitresses

It’s too hot to cook, right?

Well, back in the day, decades ago, you could go on over to Lock, Stock & Barrel in Fair Haven, where Nauvoo Grill Club now sits, for a  $3.50 prime rib dinner. Yes, you read that right. See?

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Check out the ad from probably the early 1970s. While school was in, kids would walk over from what was then Willow Street School (now Viola L. Sickles) during lunch hour for a huge burger, fries, a salad and a cherry coke — all for less than $1. True hometown story. Oh, then the kids walked over to the penny candy store down the street for a few Red Hot Dollars, Swedish Fish and a candy necklace.

Many of the Lock, Stock waitresses were Fair Haven moms, some of them Fair Haven Fire Company Ladies’ Auxiliary members.

So, the Retro Pic(s) of the Day, courtesy of native Fair Havenite Evie Connor Kelly, is a look back at those ladies all dressed up and performing a Lock Stock waitressing spoof at a fire company event and a look at a menu.

Prime rib and a song and dance, anyone? Remember these ladies? They knew all the kids.

Local Life

Focus: Fair Haven’s Night Out

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National Night Out was Tuesday. Every year, the evening, celebrated on the first Tuesday in August in communities throughout the nation, is dedicated to raising awareness of community policing and fire and first aid emergency responders.

It is meant for people to have an opportunity to become better acquainted with the officers, fire fighters and first-aiders and their policies designed to protect and serve them. The night is all about doing so with fun, games, demonstrations, closer looks and socializing.

Here’s a glimpse into Fair Haven’s Night Out (Click on each photo to enlarge.) …

— Elaine Van Develde

Local Life

Iconic Spot Focus: River Rats & Doritos

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While being a River Rat was a staple of summer life for many a Rumson-Fair Haven area rugrat, there were still those who didn’t sail into waterborne activity success. Some, instead, capsized inside at the thought of a wave taking the wind out of their little sails.

But, staying away from the banks of the Navesink was never even a flicker of a thought in an area youngster’s brain.

There was so much to do there — like wading, watching, feeling the sand between the toes and, well, having a heart-to-heart gabfest with a friend while fetching and freeing sand crabs and munching on a big bag of Doritos … tucked into a festive picnic basket, of course.

Yup. That’s was the summer scene for some. And it was more than enough. Sometimes, between Dorito chomping, sand, wading and chatting, the sunset would seem to creep up and those kids would realize that the River Rats had come to shore and gone home.

The walk home with that picnic basket, an empty bag and that buddy was the exhale for the night. The dream was a simple, sweet, well-lived one.

— Elaine Van Develde

Local Life

The R-FH Area Weekend: Concerts & Sidewalk Sale

There’s a 60 percent chance of rain on Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service, but there’s a concert and some sale shopping planned in the Rumson-Fair Haven area.

Starting on Friday … 

It’s the 62nd year of neighboring Red Bank’s traditional sidewalk sales.

Many R-FH area people remember either catching a bus for 5 cents or walking to Red Bank, babysitting money tucked in that change pocket of the Levis, to walk around, hang with friends and buy just about any bargain more for the sake of the event than price, and head home with that sidewalk sale souvenir.

This year, the sale will again fill the streets of Red Bank on Friday, Saturday and Sunday comprising more than 60 retailers from 6 to 9 . Parking is free, if you’re driving and not hiking it or catching a bus like the kids of the old days.

For a full list of sale participants click here.

StreetLife performances will be held on Friday from 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. featuring various musicians and family entertainment.

And on Saturday, if the rain doesn’t come …

Fair Haven is holding two Concerts on the Dock.

Local teen band Avery Rose & the Thorns, a funk/rock band, will play at 6 p.m. at the Fair Haven Dock at the foot of Fair Haven Road.

At 7:30 p.m., SHARKHAVEN, a classic and alternative rock band, will play. SHARKHAVEN  is comprised of musicians from The Haven, Riptide, and The Danjo’s bands.

There is no charge and light concessions will be sold.

*In the event of heavy rain, an e-blast notification will be sent out prior to the show.

Local Life

Simple Summer: Fair Haven Campout

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The concept doesn’t get any simpler for summer — a tent, some games, some snacks, some buddies, a movie and sleeping (sort of) under the stars far enough outside of your own back yard to call it an outing.

It’s what kids and parents gathered to do on Saturday in Fair Haven. It was the borough’s annual campout at Fair Haven Fields.

It was still steaming hot at tent pitching time — around 7 p.m..

The Fair Haven Recreation Department helpers were ready and curbside at the fields and set to inform campers about the rules and regs. And the concession stand was staffed. But, well, by 7:30 p.m., only two sets of campers had arrived.

The helpers anticipated that more would show when the movie started at 8:45 and they were ready!

This is how this simple summer night of new local tradition got started on Saturday. These guys in the featured photo were a little wilted from the humidity, but still smiling and energetic enough to kid around with each other a little. Though, one of them reflected that he thinks he always has a “reluctant gaze” when photographed. Hmmm. Can you guess which is the reluctant reflector?

If you have any photos of the campout after perhaps more campers arrived and more fun ensued or fewer campers looked “reluctant,” send them to us at [email protected] for our camp night slideshow for later. 

— Elaine Van Develde

Fair Haven Police and Fire Files, Police and Fire

DWI Checkpoint in Fair Haven

There will be a DWI checkpoint in Fair Haven Friday night through Saturday morning.

The check point, sponsored by the Monmouth County DWI Task Force in cooperation with the Fair Haven Police Department, will be set up in the Acme parking lot on River Road from 10 p.m. Friday through 2 a.m. Saturday.

Fair Haven police will be pulling vehicles into the parking lot from the eastbound lanes of River Road to assess drivers’ sobriety, according to task force authorities.

 

Schools Scene

R-FH Area BOE FYI: Summer Tidbits

School may be out for summer in the Rumson-Fair Haven area, but there are some tidbits about things going on in the hallowed halls and in the office that residents may find useful.

In Fair Haven …

• Superintendent Sean McNeil has been at work since July 1, the start date of his contract. He has had meet-and-greets with parents, students and staff and has met with police and borough officials.

McNeil comes to the Fair Haven School District from Middletown. Learn more about him by checking out our story about his hiring and contract signing by giving the highlighted section a click.

Click here to read his letter to Fair Haven families.

• There are office hours at Knollwood from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday throughout the summer. The office is closed on Fridays.

• Longtime Fair Haven Board of Education member and former president Claudia Brasch has stepped down.

She and her husband are retiring and moving out of the area.

Marisa Coar will be filling Brasch’s unexpired term through the end of the year.

“I welcome Marisa Coar to the Fair Haven Board of Education today,” Fair Haven Board of Education President Bruce Padula said to the Fair Haven PTA on Facebook earlier in the month.  “Claudia Brasch, thank your for your many years of service. Fair Haven is a better place because of your service to the Board.”

If Coar wants to run for a full BOE term after filling Brasch’s unexpired term, she must run for a seat in the November election.

In addition to Brasch’s term expiring in 2016, Michael Bernstein’s seat is up and so is Jeff Spector’s.

Those interested in running in November must file a nominating petition. Check out how under the Rumson School District’s tidbits (below).

In Rumson …

• The terms of three BOE members on the nine-seat board are up at the end of the year. Those members are: Elaine Melia, Diane MacGillis and Russell Binns.

So, on its website, the Rumson School District is advising all that to run for a seat, the deadline for submitting a nominating petition with the Monmouth County Clerk is Monday, July 25 at 4 p.m. The election is set for the usual general election day on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

To get a petition, email [email protected].

Check the board association website at www.njsba.org/candidacy for more information.

• Summer office hours at the Rumson schools’ office are: 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday until Aug. 25. Then, from Aug. 29 to 31, Monday through Wednesday, for three days, the office is open again from 8:30 a.m to 2:30 p.m.

• Did you know that the Rumson PTO raised $85,891 for the 2015-16 school year? Check out this post …

“The REF is immensely proud to work alongside the Rumson PTO in support of our Rumson public schools. Please join us in congratulating them in their very successful fundraising for the 2015-2016 school year!”

• And the Rumson Education Foundation donated $108,006 to the Rumson School District this year.

Click here to find out where the money went.

Have any BOE tidbits to share? Email them to us at [email protected].

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Local Life

Olympian Connor Jaeger: Present Day & Retro

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You could say that former Fair Havenite Connor Jaeger is swimming in Olympic success.

Continue reading Olympian Connor Jaeger: Present Day & Retro →

Local Life

Retro Fair Haven Kindergarten

Fair Haven Youth Center kindergarten p.m. 1965-66. Class Photo
Fair Haven Youth Center kindergarten p.m. 1965-66.
Class Photo

Recent talk about kids moving on up to full-day school and into middle school from elementary prompted a look back to what Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect thought was the first kindergarten class in Fair Haven at Knollwood School.

It turns out that we were wrong. Many people responded saying that they had attended kindergarten at Knollwood and what was Willow Street School in those earlier years.

We’re not sure if it was that things got switched around a lot back in the late 1950s and into the mid- to late-60s or if, perhaps, it was the morning classes that attended Knollwood and Willow Street or the kids were just split among classes due to that Baby Boom, but we do know that there was a rope and kids were walked to kindergarten at the Youth Center in the borough in 1965-66.

So, the Retro Pic of the Day is a look back at that afternoon kindergarten class to which yours truly, your editor, was toted daily at the tender young age of 5. Yikes.

There are a few familiar faces in this photo. Some are still in the area. One is a popular funeral director. Another just recently wrote a book and has a younger brother who is a popular landscaper/photographer.

Oh, and the teachers were Mrs. Oliverson and Mrs. Wikoff (sp?).

Recognize anyone?

— Elaine Van Develde