MIDDLETOWN – Navesink Hook & Ladder Fire Co. No. 1 will host its 126th annual Fireman’s Fair Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 7-9, at the Navesink Firehouse, 141 Monmouth Ave. in the township’s Navesink section.
The members of Navesink claim their fair to be New Jersey’s oldest fireman’s fair. The very first affair was held in August 1886, just three months after the company’s organization. It was the Peach and Ice Cream Festival that raised $63 for the organization. Today, the fair is Navesink Fire Company’s biggest fundraiser.
The event is billed as “old-fashioned” with a majority of the stands built and run by company members. Traditional favorites include The Country Store, where patrons purchase numbers in hopes that the wheel will award them with a fruit or vegetable basket; and the Nickel Pitch that challenges young and old alike to toss their nickels into a floating dish for a prize. Other attractions include the fire truck ride, a football toss, a super 50/50 grand raffle, beer garden and the 46-year-old Navesink Cannonball train.
The Navesink Fireman’s Fair also offers a nightly gift auction. This year’s prizes already include sports autographs, gift certificates to local restaurants, a bicycle, shows at area theaters and tickets to Disney World, NASCAR, the Yankees and Great Adventure.
If the games and rides weren’t enough, the members of Navesink also work a seafood kitchen at the fair. The menu includes lobster, clams, crab and shrimp. For non-seafood lovers, corn, hot dogs, sausage and eggplant are available among other items.
Dessert is also handled at the fair by the Navesink Ladies Auxiliary. The group will be selling homemade baked goods and ice cream sandwiches, served on their own giant cookies made from a traditional group recipe.
Navesink Fire Company is a nonprofit, all volunteer organization that responds to emergencies involving, but not limited to, fire, carbon monoxide, natural gas, motor vehicle accidents and rescues. The organization primarily serves the community of Navesink, but also assist 10 fellow companies in Middletown and those in neighboring towns.
