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
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?
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
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.
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
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
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
By Elaine Van Develde
Fair Havenite Carolyn Cope’s life has undergone an unlikely transformation. She’s gone from corporate attorney to food blogger and author. And she has a book signing tonight at River Road Books in the borough she’s made her home for nearly the past 10 years.
What are the books? They’re entitled We Love Kale and We Love Quinoa and feature more than 100 “healthy and delicious recipes for enjoying two of the world’s most nutritious foods,” she said the day of the signing which is slated for 7:30 p.m.
How did she end up there? One day the epiphany of wanting to live a simpler, more wholesome and, perhaps, healthier dream just hit her while sitting at her desk at work as an attorney for a large corporate firm.
“I looked up from my desk at a giant corporate law firm one day and realized I hardly had any idea how I’d gotten there,” she said. “Shortly thereafter I left and started my food blog, Umami Girl, where I share mostly healthy, mostly plant-based recipes. Food blogging has been a dream, and the books are a direct offshoot of my work on the blog. Although the blog has a wide reach, it’s wonderful to be able to put a real cookbook in someone’s hands. Thank goodness people still love books!”
And Cope will be signing hers at her “first-ever book signing” and giving a talk tonight about just how she ended up where she is after her journey “from hungry kid to corporate lawyer to food blogger and author.”
She will also be sharing some cooking tips and offering up some wine and sample finger food to complement the evening.
Join her at 7:30 p.m. at the store near the corner of River and Fair Haven roads.
Today is International Firefighters’ Day.
So, in honor of the day, the Retro Pic(s) of the day are snapshots back in time with Rumson’s Oceanic Hook & Ladder Co. No. 1 and the Fair Haven Volunteer Fire Company.
The shot of the Rumson firemen (and child) at the building that is still standing on East River Road is an oldie, courtesy of the company’s Facebook page. Can you guess the year? And notice how many are smoking. Those were the days when it was cool to smoke.
We’re not sure of the year the photo, courtesy of the fire company’s files, but it was back far enough when Fair Haven firemen and Ladies’ Auxiliary members wore white dress uniforms with navy blue and white polka dotted scarves.
We recognize some of the folks in the Fair Haven shot. Who do you recognize? And what event was this?
On International Firefighters’ Day, we thank our Rumson-Fair Haven area firefighters for their service!
Have you thanked a firefighter today?
— Elaine Van Develde
“Isn’t it beautiful?” said a woman smiling and taking in the sunset at the Fair Haven Dock Wednesday night. “It’s just breathtaking and it’s right here in our back yards. Well, almost. Just beautiful.”
Yes. We agreed. And, no, it just doesn’t get old — the serenity, the scenery, the gratitude for it all.
So, again, and likely many more times, we offer the view from the dock over the Navesink River at sunset in Fair Haven — a little peninsula haven that is a sweet home to many.
Good night, home.
— Elaine Van Develde
In an effort to herald Fair Haven schools’ upcoming spring sports and activities and honor the accomplishments of fall and winter teams and clubs, pep rallies cheered them on at Knollwood School recently.
A young Fair Haven volunteer firefighter was arrested on Saturday and could face up to 10 years in prison on a charge in connection with a Friday arson in the borough in which he serves after also responding as a firefighter to extinguish the blaze, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced in a released statement.
Nicholas Joyce, 19, of Fair Haven, also a former boy scout in the borough, was arrested on one count of second-degree aggravated arson after he allegedly set fire to a storage shed on Friday afternoon on the property of the United Methodist Church at 300 Ridge Road, the release said.
The Fair Haven Fire Department, Joyce included, responded on Friday, April 1, at 4:28 p.m., to a report of a fire in the back of the church property at a storage shed belonging to a local scout troop, the release added. Responding firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, which was contained to the exterior of the shed.
A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Fair Haven Police Department resulted in Joyce’s arrest the next day, Saturday. The investigation revealed that Joyce had allegedly set fire to the shed, returned to the fire house and then responded to the scene with other firefighters when the fire was reported, according to the Prosecutor.
Joyce was released from custody after posting $5,000 bail with a 10 percent option, set by Municipal Court Judge James Berube.
If convicted of Aggravated Arson, Joyce faces up to ten years in a New Jersey state prison, subject to the No Early Release Act (N.E.R.A.), requiring that he serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
The case has been assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Decker.
You must be logged in to post a comment.