Tag Archives: Fair Haven

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

Local Life

Fair Haven Update: More House on Church Street

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It was March of 2015 when the Fair Haven Planning Board approved a three-home subdivision on the .54-acre swath of land where the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion long stood, the namesake of Church Street.

The church was demolished seven months later, in October. Now, the last and largest of the three homes built by Kolarsick Builders, a 3,000-square-foot residence, is nearing completion. The other two have For Sale signs out front.

 

There is no remnant of a church remaining on Church Street, except the name of the street. While old-time residents of the street that fronted River Road with the Church of the Holy Communion have expressed chagrin over the change, experts had testified before the Planning Board that the church was a bit of an architectural shambles and not preservable.

The subdivision was deemed by the board to be the only viable option for the site, as the church function on the property had been stagnant since it was put on the market in October of 2010. After being shown a reported 43 times since (between 2011 and 2014) and for various uses, the subdivision was deemed the most appropriate fit by the Planning Board.

Residents, who long lived on the street and have remained friends over the years, want to know what it’s looking like without the namesake church.

Here it is, folks …

— Elaine Van Develde

 

 

Local Life, Opinion

Retro Fair Haven Kindergarten

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That first year of school has always been a major milestone.

In Fair Haven, kids in the 1960s walked on a rope to kindergarten at what was called the Youth Center, now the Fair Haven Police Station.

The rope was traumatic for those of us who weren’t allowed to walk beside our best friends. And the official lady toting the rope-load of us, Mrs. McDaniel, was kinda scary to us little cretins.

Continue reading Retro Fair Haven Kindergarten →

Local Life, Opinion

Retro Fifth Grade at Willow Street School

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With all the ceremonies of Rumson and Fair Haven students’  transition from third to fourth grade and impending RFH graduation,  thoughts reverted to a time when there was no such thing — not that there’s anything wrong with it, though. It’s pretty adorable, really.

No, there really wasn’t a transitional ride or walk from one school in Fair Haven or Rumson to the next. And, in Fair Haven at least, back in the late 1960s and early 70s, students simply went to the school to which they lived closest — until that big ol’ jump to middle school, when everyone in the borough went to Knollwood for seventh and eighth grade. And no one got driven to school. They all walked or rode bikes together.

Oh, and what is now the Viola L. Sickles School was Willow Street School.

So, the Retro Pic of the Day offers a glimpse back to those days when fifth grade was at Sickles (well, Willow Street) and one of the most popular teachers of the era taught there — Mr. DeMarco.

I’m pretty sure that he won several awards in various capacities, not the least of which was some sort of teacher of the year for the state, I believe.

Speaking from experience, he really was a memorable teacher. Very patient. Very kind. Very intelligent. His lessons sunk into our little brains. Thanks, Mr. DeMarco.

Pictured is a class from the early 1970s. Many of these little faces are grown-ups in the area with their own kids. Recognize anyone?

Congrats to all the transitioning students!

— Elaine Van Develde

 

Local Life

Retro Remembrance of Fair Havenites on First Fair Haven Day

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Pat Topfer at the first Fair Haven Day Photo/Elaine Van Develde
Pat Topfer at the first Fair Haven Day
Photo/Elaine Van Develde
George Giffin at the first Fair Haven Day Photo/Elaine Van Develde
George Giffin at the first Fair Haven Day
Photo/Elaine Van Develde

Fair Haven Day is Saturday. It was a few years ago that the first Fair Haven Day took place on the borough’s centennial celebration.

Since then, the borough has lost some of its longtime residents who everyone knew in one capacity or another. They were some of the faces of Fair Haven.

So, the Retro Pic(s) of the Day honors two of those people who were there on the first Fair Haven Day, proud longtime Fair Havenites and icons: Life member of the Fair Haven Fire Department’s Ladies Auxiliary, Pat Topfer; and ever-popular RFH science and dance teacher extraordinaire, George Giffin.

The featured photo on the Fair Haven Day event announcement today included a popular longtime resident and friend to the borough, Ben Hamilton.

RIP, Ben, Pat and Gif. You are remembered.

Local Life

Focus: Nightfall River Kayaking

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The sun set. The water was still. It was a serene nightfall on the river in Fair Haven.

A lone kayaker rowed his way from the shore across the Navesink from the Middletown shores to the River Rats boat launch. The clouds seemed to follow him. The new moon a sliver above.

And, in the distance, in the hushed evening, were only soft echoes of the water lapping gently to each paddle, bringing him home.

Home here. Good night, Fair Haven.

— Elaine Van Develde

 

Local Life, Opinion

Retro Fair Haven Ride

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A special Fair Haven bike ride in the 1960s Photo/courtesy of Peter Mauger
A special Fair Haven bike ride in the 1960s
Photo/courtesy of Peter Mauger

There’s nothing quite like taking a ride with your buddies when you’re a little kid, especially if your bike is a tractor, too.

What kid rides a tractor in the Rumson-Fair Haven area? Well, back in the 1960s, Fair Havenite Peter Mauger did. He, the pint-sized driver carted Nancy Wilson down Lake Avenue in what was a combo tractor-bike with a cool little trailer to lug stuff or a pal in — a “dump trac,” to be exact. Susan Wilson, old and cool enough to ride a two-wheeler with a bell, rode along.

No power wheels in the form of high end, luxury cars. No helmets. No special permission needed to drive a dump trac, because, you know, they’re rural kinds of vehicles.

And the streets were barren enough in those days to ride up and down and even around the block on a seemingly endless loop. Hey, neighborhood kids used to also play dodge ball and hopscotch in the street. But, that’s a retro pic for another day.

Today, the Retro Pic of the Day, courtesy of Peter Mauger, honors a kids’  bike ride of a simpler time — not that there’s anything wrong with helmets and designer power wheels.

What kind of bike did you have? Your dream bike or foot-pedaled car? Remember those?

Local Life

Focus: Rainbow After the Rain

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It rained. It poured. Then a near double dose of good luck symbol stretched across the sky — a vibrant (almost) double rainbow.

And Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect wasn’t the only witness. People in the Rumson-Fair Haven area grabbed shots of the site from many different perspectives.

Here’s what we saw in Fair Haven. If you’d like us to add your photos of the rainbow(s), just give us the OK and we will.

Perhaps it’s a good luck sign for the start of the week.

Here’s to natural wonders and luck!

— Elaine Van Develde

Local Life

UPDATE: Memorial Day in Rumson, Fair Haven

UPDATE: Due to the forecast of inclement weather, the Fair Haven Memorial Day Parade has been canceled. There will, instead, be a ceremony at Knollwood School at 9 a.m.. So far, the Rumson parade is still on with the ceremony to follow at Victory Park.  From the Rumson website: “Due to weather concerns, announcement will be posted 7.30am Monday re: the status of the Memorial Day Parade and location of the ceremony.”  Click here to access the Rumson website. 

Memorial Day parades and ceremonies start the day on Monday, an hour apart, in Rumson and Fair Haven.

Continue reading UPDATE: Memorial Day in Rumson, Fair Haven →

Local Life, News

A Fair Haven Sign-On

It’s a sign of the times — Fair Haven’s new LED digital sign at Borough Hall, that is.

After decades of dealing with updating an old fashioned marquee sign outside of official borough headquarters on River Road letter-by-letter, event-by-event coupled with a combination of not being able to keep up and just plain age-induced wear, a new sign was commissioned.

And, “it’s just about ready to go,” Mayor Ben Lucarelli said. “This is a much better option for us. The old sign was just falling apart and this one is just much more cost-effective. We couldn’t see hiring someone, or taking time away from a borough employee to keep up with changing the sign consistently and on a timely basis. This LED digital sign can be updated right from the computer and holds several alternating messages. It just makes so much more sense and it’s going to be very sturdy and nice looking.”

There was an advisory committee charged with choosing a sign that would fit in with the character of the borough and get the job done of efficiently notifying residents of events and important messages as they drive by Borough Hall. After doing some research and mulling design ideas, this is what the committee came up with.

The price for the sign, including installation, was roughly $30,000, which at least one official balked at in a past meeting, but Lucarelli and other officials said was worth the product in the long run and is a one-shot payment.

The sign, officials have said, will not be as flashy as Red Bank Regional’s when lit and will get the messages out.

— Elaine Van Develde

Local Life

Focus: Wine Tasting, Politics & Pals in Fair Haven

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It was a night of wine, bi-partisan political perspectives and socializing when political and community leaders gathered at Raven & the Peach in Fair Haven on Thursday evening.

Billed as a simple Wine Tasting Party, hosted by and benefitting the Fair Haven Republican Committee, the evening featured casual talks about the current political landscape by former gubernatorial candidates of both parties, Bret Schundler and Michael Murphy. The talks were followed by mingling and hors d’oeuvres and, yes, wine tasting.

Take a look at the photo gallery above for a glimpse into the event. Recognize anyone? The name tags are a giveaway.

— Elaine Van Develde

 

Local Life

Focus: Waiting for the Sun Under the Dock

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The weather has been overcast, rainy, drizzly and downright gloomy.

Waiting for the sun to return to spring has become a ritual. It’s the kind of day for rewinding to when the sun was out and casting shadows in a view from under the Fair Haven Dock.

Take a look at our wishful gallery of shadows and reflections on a sunnier day right before the rain from under the dock.

— Photos/Elaine Van Develde