When you talk about dogs in Rumson, it’s usually a bulldog you’re referring to, as in the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) mascot. But, there’s a new dog in town who is providing a dog’s eye view into Rumson life. That would be Nancy Spakowski.
Continue reading Scene Around: Rumson Breakfast Club
So, what’s in a name? An awful lot sometimes. When it comes to iconic spots in the Rumson-Fair Haven area, sometimes its all about a name — and the place behind that name and its power. The power of place. It’s mighty in small towns. It defines us and fills our hearts — that slew of memories all anchored in one small place that holds the power to invoke them.
There’s a lot of power in an iconic place like Rumson’s Fromagerie. It’s been a locals’ anchor for decades, since it opened in 1972, under the ownership of Hubert and Markus Peter. Through the many years of the swanky restaurant’s staple existence, management, ownership and menu shifts, the name of the landmark has always been the same — until now.
Continue reading Iconic Spot: Farewell, Fromagerie; Hello, Rumson HouseHangin’ in the darkroom. There was such a thing at RFH in the 1970s. And it had quite the opposite renegade purpose of smokin’ in the boys room, as the ’73 Brownsville Station song mused.
Continue reading Retro RFH Darkroom Days; Remembering Cliff Greene, 61
Oh, deer! That’s likely what Rumson dog Nancy Spakowski was thinking when she had a little visit with a family of deer while taking a stroll on Blackpoint Horseshoe Road today.
Continue reading Scene Around: Visit with Deer Friends in RumsonPeople. People put the power of place into perspective. They pull us back into places we remember, milestones. They set us soaring toward our dreams, reaching for our own stars. They bring us down to Earth. They anchor us, our memories, our life journeys.
So, in honor of bringing the people in our lives, our communities, all into focus on the journey of one year in the Rumson-Fair Haven area, we offer a glimpse at the people around us in 20018. Relive. Remember. Treasure.
Happy New Year! Be sure to stop, take a look at the faces around you and embrace the memories created in 2019 …
Take a look back (and don’t forget to CLICK to ENLARGE!)
— Elaine Van Develde
There’s a lot to be said about the importance of place in people’s lives. It defines us in many ways. It brings us comfort. It triggers memories. It is a bookmark in our hearts. Oftentimes that important place is home.
So, to pay homage to the profound power of place in the Rumson-Fair Haven area, home, we offer a glimpse back to significant places of 2018 and many decades preceding it.
Happy New Year! Take a look and let the photos give a tug at your heartstrings. Remember.
(Oh, and don’t forget to click on each photo to enlarge and get the full view!)
— Elaine Van Develde
You didn’t have to know lifetime Rumson and Fair Havenite Chris Bertell for him to have touched your life and put a smile on your face, if only for a moment, especially at holiday time. That’s because he was the guy who, year after year, set a festive, antique Santa-driven Ford Model T on his River Road lawn. It was a traffic stopper. It was also a heart warmer.
And when people think back on holiday time in Fair Haven, most remember that guy, Chris Bertell, who set out to spread a little joy with a car, some lights and good ol’ Saint Nick. They also remember him as the guy in town who loved antique cars and dalmatians and shared that love with many.
Bertell also saw many through emergencies as a 30-year life member of the Fair Haven Fire Department many-time president and ex-captain of the department’s Fire Police. He was also that go-to guy in the community for electrical repairs with his longtime business, Chris’ Electric.
Bertell, also a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and member of the Masons, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 15, at Riverview Medical Center. He was 88.
A memorial is set for Bertell from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec.22. There will be a fire company service at 11. And The avid volunteer and lover of antique cars and dalmatians
Chris is survived by: his wife of 60 years Frieda “Ruth” (Dudley); and his cousin, Vincent Domidion, of Morganville.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made in Chris’ name to the ASPCA, 260 Wall Street, PO Box 93, Eatontown, NJ 07724.
RIP, Chris Bertell. You are remembered.
Five Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) State Championship football players have made their college choices official.
The athletes signed letters of intent on Thursday, sealing their college deals.
The athletes and their college choices are:
• Evan Davis — University at Buffalo
• Alex Maldjian — Middlebury College
• Ryan McCann — Yale University
• Ian O’Connor — Lehigh University
• Henry Sullivan — Colgate University
This is the first signing day of the school year for football. Additional commitments will be made in February.
— Press release from RFH
You’ve seen it before. The view of Rumson from Hartshorne Woods at sunset on a winter’s day is a stunning, stark one.
It’s simple. It’s black and white. It’s peace and landscape harmony.
Take pause and take it in.
Good night, Rumson-Fair Haven area.
— Elaine Van Develde
It’s that kind of holiday-laced weekend again. And there are a couple of events in the area that will have you humming, ho-hoing or strung up, in a festive sense.
On Saturday, if you’d like to venture a bit out of the Rumson-Fair Haven area, there’s a holiday gift of song that awaits you …
You are cordially invited to celebrate the holiday season with a festive after noon concert. Red Bank Area Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society will present RINGING IN THE HOLIDAYS — a fun concert of vocal harmonies — on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Ocean Township High School Auditorium, 550 West Park Avenue, Oakhurst.
This is a merry group of harmonizing singers. You really have to see them to get your spirits soaring.
The concert will feature traditional holiday favorites sung in 4-part harmony by the Chorus of the Atlantic — a group of male harmony singers under the direction of Craig J. Page.
Also appearing on stage will be the Matinee Idles, a group of retired men that perform for area organizations in the afternoons. The Matinee Idles will sing some favorites and share some laughter and good cheer, under the direction of Will McCain.
In addition, there will be some special guests … Ocean Chamber Choir from Ocean Township High School under the direction of Teddy Kernizan.
And Santa is rumored to show.
Tickets are $18 for general admission, $15 for seniors and students, free for children age 16 and younger. Tickets are available at the door. Please call ahead to buy your tickets and save $3 per ticket. Call 732-784-7343 and leave your name and phone number.
The Chorus of the Atlantic welcomes visitors to their rehearsals. They meet Tuesday evenings from 7:30 – 10 p.m. beginning Jan. 8, 2019 at the Red Bank Middle School, Harding Road, Red Bank.
And on Sunday …
Santa will park himself in a chair at the Fair Haven Firehouse from 1 to 3 p.m. to visit with all the good boys and girls around the towns and offer gifts and candy.
Word on the street is that Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick will also be seen riding around town in the fire truck from noon to 1 p.m. as a precursor to the classic holiday event.
And all through the weekend and beyond …
Let your holiday decorations shine and be judged, as Fair Haven sets in motion its new festive decor contest. Which house is the most festive? Only residents know for sure.
Remember the old Sunday night drive to check out all the Christmas lights when you were a kid?
Well, it doesn’t have to be a Sunday night. Any night is a good one for the drive around to look at the lights.
We took a little night drive in Fair Haven. The only thing that was missing was the ol’ “Ooooo … ahhhh” and the backseat sibling quibbling to Dad’s, “Girls! If I have to pull this car over!”
This is what we saw. And it’s just a sampling. Fair Haven is quite festive. In fact, the borough, starting tomorrow, is having it’s first holiday decoration contest. Check out the informational flyer below …
Know of any great decorations? Let us know where they are, too. We’ll make sure everyone gets to take the pre-Christmas drive with us.
— Elaine Van Develde
Here we go again … revisiting one of those unforgettable trips to Santa that may be all too familiar … Yes, it’s time again for a little remembrance of the time-honored holiday tradition of the not-always-so-smooth Santa visit at the Fair Haven Firehouse, among other festive places.
Continue reading Retro Scary Santa IV
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