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Local Life

Focus: RFH Grads Shoot Hoops & Raise Funds for a Good Cause

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Some Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) grads took to the basketball courts at Knollwood and Sickles schools in Fair Haven recently to shoot hoops for a good cause.

The cause: Covenant House, a non- profit organization which provides much needed services for at-risk and homeless youth in America and abroad. The organization helps roughly 50,000 young people a year.

The fundraiser, which brought in $4,000 for the cause, was dubbed The 1st Annual Fair Haven Covenant House 3v3 Basketball Tournament and it took place at Knollwood and Sickles schools on Feb. 22.

There were a total of 24 teams and 95 players, many of whom were RFH grads. RFH classes 2003-12 were represented and players ranged in age from 22 to 60.

The tournament was run by Fair Haven natives D.J. Breckenridge, Jim Laufer, Ben Miller, Dan Miller,Will Miller, and Dan Ryan, who will all be participating in The Covenant House Young Professionals Sleep Out coming up on March 18.

At this coming event, more than 300 young professionals will sleep out on the streets of NYC in an effort to raise funds and awareness of youth homelessness. The Sleep Out is expected to raise more than $300,000.

Locally, there are Covenant House branches in Asbury Park, Atlantic City, Newark, Philadelphia and NYC. Covenant House President Kevin Ryan, also a Fair Haven resident, made a surprise appearance at the Feb. 22 fundraiser.

Take a look at the above slideshow for a glimpse into the event. 

For more information on Covenant House, click here.

— Photos and information, courtesy of D.J. Breckenridge

Local Life

Focus: Fair Haven Food & Folks for the Soul

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The Fair Haven Fiske AME Chapel Soul Food Dinner was deemed a success after only a couple of hours — by 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, to be exact.

Oh, the folks at the church may have been a bit worn out by then, but they were still cooking in more ways than one. Even though the ribs sold out completely, chicken was still in the fryer and 66 dinners had been sold. The side dishes were “wiped out,” gone, they said.

It’s no wonder people clamor to feast on the food for this dinner. Sonia Reevey, forever congregant and Fair Havenite, told us the secret is that there is no secret other than good, old fashioned home-cooked food made from special family recipes. “Everyone makes their special dish,” she said. “That’s all. That’s all it takes. We all have something special to cook.”

The ribs, she said, went right away. We were told that the not-so-secret secret to that recipe was a dry rub left overnight in the fridge, then slow baking and special barbecue sauce.

Missed that special treat. But, there was plenty of chicken and the cooks insisted that we try it fresh out of the cast iron skillet. Delicious. Crispy and warm on the outside and moist on the inside. Simple. The seasoning and coating were simple. Nothing overdone.

Call it food fit for the nourishment of the soul. There’s nothing complicated about it. That’s been the recipe for everything at the chapel since the dawn of time in Fair Haven. Hometown comfort food and friends.

Take a look at the photo gallery for a glimpse into the day.

— Elaine Van Develde

Local Life

Focus: First Snowfall of the R-FH Area

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The first snowfall of the Rumson-Fair Haven area was actually a blizzard. The Blizzard of 2016, to be exact.

At least that’s what the weather authorities tell us. With accumulations ending up blustering and drifting into a couple of feet at least, the blizzard was, all told, weathered well in the area.

After a sunny Sunday that ushered in a bit of melting, the National Weather Service is calling for more sun with temperatures hitting a high of 36 degrees and a northwest wind of about 7 miles per hour.

The weather folks are cautioning that melting snow will lead to the usual flooding in low-lying areas of Rumson and Sea Bright and when temperatures fall at night, there will be ice.

Be careful. Oh, and take a look at our above Facebook collection of R-FH area snow scenes. Thanks to all R-FH Retro Facebook friends for the pics! 

— Elaine Van Develde

Local Life

Focus: Fall Solitude on Sea Bright Beach

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It’s fall. All is quiet on the beachfront in Sea Bright.

Wind whipping, high tide crashing in, the stillness surrounding the choppy water is chilling, yet comforting.

It’s a familiar scene that envelops and soothes like hands clutching a  steamy cup of coffee on a cold day.

Ahhhh. Exhale. Take a sip of scenery.

— Elaine Van Develde

Local Life

Rumson-Fair Haven Halloween Parading Pics for Purchase

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There was no tricking and a lot of treating going on Sunday when Rumson and Fair Haven both hosted annual Halloween festivities.

You’ve probably already seen the slideshow that tells the story, in photos set to music, of how it all started with a parade in Fair Haven that culminated with costume prizes, some socializing and snacks at the firehouse. Then, in Rumson kids of all ages paraded a short route from the front to the back of Forrestdale School where some costume judging and prizes ensued along with some carnival-type fun and games.

Here, we have made available any of the photos for purchase. Just click on the “buy photo” tag and follow the instructions.

*Note: Photos for purchase are for personal use only. They are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any other publication. Thanks and enjoy!

Local Life

Focus: Halloween Haunts

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Call them Halloween house haunts of the Rumson-Fair Haven area. They’re those subtle little decorations that pop out to give passersby a bit of a “Boo!”

Perusing the area, there were a few that just seemed to summon the spirit of the season.

Take a look. We will be adding new haunting discoveries to this photo collage until Halloween. Do you know of a ghoulishly good lawn scare? Let us know and we’ll stop by to take a pic.

— Elaine Van Develde