Tag Archives: feature

Local Life

Remembering My Fair Daddy

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The following piece was originally published on Aug. 31, 2015. It is being re-run, with changes only in the amount of years that have passed, in memory of my father, Bill Van Develde, former longtime Fair Haven Fire Company member, president and captain of the Fire Police and chairman of the Stock Room at the fair, on the anniversary of his death on Aug. 30, 1983. RIP, Dad. You are missed. Thank you for all the embarrassing moments that I didn’t appreciate enough. Thank you for making Fair Haven my home. Thank you for being a real dad. See you on the fair grounds …

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

By Elaine Van Develde

It’s been 41 years, but I can still see his face and that kooky Brylcreemed hairdo. I can still hear his crazy belly laugh and that signature “Take ‘er easy, buddy!” I can still see him slapping kids on the back, forever clutching his trusty clipboard, pencil perched behind his ear, sweat on the brow and finger wagging.

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Local Life

Retro Rumson Firemen’s Fair Moment

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Rumson Fire Department folks at the Fair Haven Firemen's Fair 2015 Photo/Elaine Van Develde
Rumson Fire Department folks at the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair 2015
Photo/Elaine Van Develde

Reprise in honor of Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair week and Firemen’s Night, or Firefighters’ Night, which was last night …

Well, the fair is on and nothing has stopped it yet.

A tradition within the fair tradition is Firemen’s Night. Fire departments from across the state flock to the fair, most with reps riding into town on their towns’ fire trucks. It happens annually on Wednesday night of the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair.

So, the Retro Pic of the Day offers a glimpse into Firemen’s Night 2015 with a photo of guys and gals from the neighboring Rumson Fire Department.

A big thank you to all our volunteer firefighters.

Recognize anyone in this crew?  Have you thanked a firefighter today?

These daily stories, photos, looks back and tributes on R-FH Retro are brought to you courtesy of supporters. If you like R-FH Retro, keep the site going by sponsoring more. Click here to donate any amount you wish. Contact me for an ad or sponsorship at [email protected]. Thank you!

Investment Process
Local Life, Opinion

Steeping in Fair Memories: Cooking Up Firemen’s Fair Goodness

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The following piece was originally published on Aug. 27, 2015. It’s fair time again, so it’s time to take a look back at how things were and are done a pivotal place at the fair — the kitchen and dining room.

By Elaine Van Develde

Someone’s in the kitchen at Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair grounds.

And while they may have, at one point another been with someone named Dinah, as the old ditty goes, it’s a definite they’ve been with someone named Mike, Dale, Sue (x2), Raquel, Ethel (x2), Mary, Anne, Amanda, Skippy, Hodgie, Mary Ellen, Joe, Evie, and, oh, yeah, Andy and a few others.

And they certainly haven’t been strummin’ on any ol’ banjo. They’ve been way too busy — cutting, peeling, filling, flouring, husking and just plain cooking.

Except there’s nothing plain about what’s cooking in the fair kitchen, who’s cooking it, when, where, why or how.

Mike Connor and John Riley get ready to start another fair night 2024
Photo/Elaine Van Develde
Continue reading Steeping in Fair Memories: Cooking Up Firemen’s Fair Goodness →
News

Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge Summer Travel & Channel Closure Alert

Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge replacement and associated roadway construction activity continues this week from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Friday, weather permitting, with an upcoming channel closure alert.

Continue reading Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge Summer Travel & Channel Closure Alert →
Police and Fire, Rumson Police and Fire Files

Rumson Police: Attempted Stabbing Over Wine Spill at Iconic Local Restaurant

Word spread quickly among Rumson-Fair Haven area people after a video showing a scuffle and attempted stabbing on Thursday at the upscale Red Horse Restaurant, the former Fromagerie, in Rumson.

A 75-year-old out-of-state restaurant patron was charged with aggravated assault and related charges stemming from the incident.

Continue reading Rumson Police: Attempted Stabbing Over Wine Spill at Iconic Local Restaurant →
Local Life, Opinion

Fair Reflections: An Ode to Opening Night of the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair

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Our annual reprise in celebration of opening night of the Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair … 

All’s fair. The night before. The decades later. It’s something a Fair Haven kid will always see … a shooting star that they grabbed and tucked away in their heart, holding onto the glistening, magical light.

The night is still. A light is on. Trucks are out of the bays. Cartoony faces and ghosts in empty seats on unassembled carnival rides stare back in the dark. Someone’s cooking at the Fair Haven firehouse. It’s fair time.

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Local Life

Retro Fair Taste of Take-Out Goodness

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Fair Haven Firemen's Fair take-out booth of 1995 Photo/Elaine Van Develde
Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair take-out booth of 1995
Photo/Elaine Van Develde

It’s that time again. Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair time is drawing near. The end-of-the-summer tradition that’s been celebrated for more than a century in the Rumson-Fair Haven area. The community eats it all up. That and the food.

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Local Life

Cooking Up ’50s-Style Fun on Starvation Island

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It’s all fun and island-hopping games until they have to start a fire.

Yes, there comes a time when end-of-summer Rumson island-hopping coolness sets in, parents rang the unheard dinner bell and a bunch of hungry, wayward, marooned kids try to cook that fish they caught and toast their own little buns.

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Local Life

Old News: All’s Fair in the Secret of a Clam Chowder Recipe

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Fair Haven Firemen's Fair's chowder recipe in the Asbury Park Press circa 1965 Clipping Photo/courtesy of Dave Luker
Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair’s chowder recipe in the Asbury Park Press circa 1965
Clipping Photo/courtesy of Dave Luker

The following story was first published on Sept. 7, 2016. In honor of the upcoming Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair on Friday and all its tradition, including that famous clam chowder, here it is again … 

The recipe for the famous Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair Manhattan clam chowder was considered a highly-guarded secret. People flocked to get their fill at the fair, because they could only get it once a year. It was a secret taken to the grave with former Fair Haven Firemen’s Fair Chairman James Acker.

Continue reading Old News: All’s Fair in the Secret of a Clam Chowder Recipe →