Physical Therpy For Injuries and Pain in Fair Haven, NJ

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Asbury Park Press

FAIR HAVEN - After Harvey Shooman lost his job with an airline back in 1973, his father told him he should work at his hardware store, Fair Haven Hardware, while he looked for another job.

"You could find a job wherever you like, but you're going to come to the store and work there until you find a job," Shooman said, recalling the conversation with his dad, Eli. "That was 50 years ago. I never left."

Fair Haven Hardware, a fixture on River Road in downtown Fair Haven, gets ready to celebrate its 70th year in business on Saturday. Now Shooman is in the middle of transitioning his store to a new owner, Stephen Hague, an employee for about 16 years. "We've been on the same page forever, since he started here," he said.

In 1953, Eli Shooman, a salesman for Union Paper Co. in Red Bank, found out a troubled hardware store in Fair Haven was for sale and bought it. His son Harvey, now of West Long Branch, started working at the store at age 23 and performed tasks such as waiting on customers and stocking the shelves. Over time, he started to build up the business.

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"I just kept doing it and I liked it," Shooman said. "And I ended up being pretty good at it."

By the mid 1980s, Shooman had purchased the business from his dad through a procedure where he bought it over time. In 1989, the store expanded, taking over a space next door formerly home to Fair Haven Pharmacy.

The store has been successful by emphasizing customer service and fulfilling the needs of the local community, Shooman said.

"We gave a terrific home base," he said. "We have … what the customer wants, what they need."

He has never worried about the influx of big box competitors like Home Depot or Lowe's. "I'm just going to run my store the way I always do," Shooman said.

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Now he leaves much of the store's operations to Stephan Hague, 35, of Atlantic Highlands, who is in the process of buying Fair Haven Hardware. With no family interested in carrying on the business, Shooman has worked out an arrangement to sell Hague the store over 10 years.

Hague, who now owns 40%, started at Fair Haven Hardware in 2007, two years after he graduated Middletown High School North. He joined his mother, who has worked at the store for years.

He has done it all: Mixing paint, building grills, filling shelves and helping customers. For the past 10 years or so, Hague has handled the store's ordering, Shooman said.

Shooman said Hague always was interested in all aspects of the store. "He took an interest in paint. He took an interest in hardware. He took an interest in garden supplies," Shooman said. "He wanted to learn. He wanted to learn about the business."

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Hague said he enjoys the whole business, buying and selling merchandise and helping customers. Now he'll keep Fair Haven Hardware going for future anniversaries.

"I've just over the years found joy in helping people and helping customers figure out what they want to do," he said. "There's always a different challenge throughout the day."

David P. Willis, an award-winning business writer, has covered business and consumer news at the Asbury Park Press for nearly 25 years. He writes APP.com's What's Going There column and can be reached at dwillis@gannettnj.com. Join his What's Going There page on Facebook for updates.

BRIDGEWATER – Every morning, Cole Cashion wakes up to the same painful image.

After losing in last year's Tournament of Champions final, the Rumson-Fair Haven star changed his phone background to a photo of Mountain Lakes holding the trophy.

Cashion not only had to live with the loss, but the fact that he was held scoreless in a blowout loss to the Lakers.

"It's definitely extra personal," the Yale-bound attackman said. "Being scoreless isn't something that I'm used to so right away after that game, I remember hitting the turf and hitting the wall and being ready for next year."

Cashion and the Bulldogs got their chance for redemption a year later and didn't miss.

Powered by a balanced offense and a fast start, Rumson-Fair Haven raced past Mountain Lakes, 12-6, in the Group 1 boys lacrosse final at Bridgewater-Raritan.

This time, Cashion took control by scoring a team-high four goals to pace the No. 1 offense in the state. Andy Croddick added a hat trick to give Rumson-Fair Haven its 12th straight win.

"I mean, 21-5 is pretty disrespectful in my book," coach Marc Moreau said. "We didn't need any more motivation than that score from last year."

What it means

So much has changed to the Bulldogs lineup and the sport overall since their crushing loss at Ridge High School.

Since then, the Bulldogs dropped down a group and the TOC was disbanded as a way to streamline the spring season. In its place, coaches and members of the lacrosse community rallied together to build and crowd-fund the inaugural Kirst Cup. The new tournament will use the same format and continue the longtime tradition of playing down to one true champion.

The Bulldogs (21-4) will find out their first cup opponent later this weekend when the six state champions are seeded.

Punching a ticket meant a lot to Moreau since he was teammates and college roommates at Rutgers with the late Kyle Kirst.

"The fact that we're able to continue that tradition in his name makes it even more special," Moreau said. "The legacy that he brought to lacrosse lives on."

Ready to go

All the pent-up frustration from last year seemed to be released in the first half for Rumson-Fair Haven.

The Bulldogs jumped all over Mountain Lakes by scoring six straight goals after allowing the first one.

By now, the Rumson-Fair Haven offense hasn't only out-scored the rest of the state, but lapped the field by netting 336 goals in 25 games this season. The next closest can be found on the other end of Monmouth County with Wall at 293 heading into its state final.

"What they've done is going to last for a long time in this program," Moreau said. "Now this is the standard."

Mountain Lakes put on a late surge with Giacomo Bevacqua and Kevin Gillespie (two goals each) helping their team score four in a row to cut the deficit to 10-6. But the Bulldogs defense led by Villanova commit Beau Kemler and Virginia commit Luke Jamin stopped the comeback from getting any further with a clean last five minutes.

"One of our seniors said that we've worked for this game since the day after we lost that TOC final," Cashion said. "We've been working our [butts] off on the field and in the weight room. It truly feels like a dream come true."

FLEMINGTON − Rachel James achieved a goal she had set out to accomplish before she got to high school.

The Rumson-Fair Haven sophomore was in eighth grade the last time the Bulldogs captured a girls lacrosse state title. And ever since then, James wanted to be a part of something special and help the Monmouth County program continue its rich-tradition and history.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs leading scorer netted a game-high five goals to help Rumson-Fair Haven defeat Mountain Lakes, 17-8, in the NJSIAA Group 1 championship at Hunterdon Central High School.

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“My sister was a senior on the 2021 team and I wanted us to get back to this point. We have all the motivation in the world and a lot of passion. It’s never an individual effort here, but a team effort and we wanted to come out and prove that today,” said James, who closes out the season with a team-leading 67 goals. “It all starts at practice for us. We put in so much effort at practice and we just bring it into the game. It keeps rolling. We’re really happy to send our 12 seniors off to college with a win.”

Rumson-Fair Haven (23-3) got goals from six different players with three others scoring as many goals. Junior Abby Boyle, sophomore Daisen Iwan and senior Jackie Braceland all recorded hat tricks.

Braceland, who is headed to West Point in the fall, netted her 100th career goal with 10 seconds left in the game to complete the scoring.

“I really waited to the last seconds for my 100th goal. This is a school that wants to put in the work. Everyone invests on and off the field and they put it all out there. I’m just so thankful for everyone setting me up for this. I have to credit my attack. They were all pushing for me,” Braceland said. “We play for everyone to play their best and to be their best.”

For Mountain Lakes (9-12), sophomore Abby Hawes scored a team-high three goals and junior Julia Peterson had two goals.

What it means

Rumson-Fair Haven is state champions for the third time in school history. The Bulldogs previously won titles in 2016 and 2021.

The Shore Conference Tournament champions close out the campaign on a 14-game win streak. The Bulldogs averaged 16 goals per game throughout the postseason and outscored their opponents, 81-31.

Mountain Lakes was playing in its second straight Group 1 championship.

Key stretch

Leading 7-4 at the half, Rumson-Fair Haven erupted for 10 second-half goals. Boyle opened the scoring a minute into the second and Payton Haley followed three minutes later to give the Bulldogs a 9-4 lead.

After Hawes scored for the Lakers to make it 9-5 with 18:26 left to play, Rumson-Fair Haven went on a 4-0 run with James scoring three goals in a five-minute span.

“At the half we talked about how we have 25 more minutes left with our 12 seniors. We wanted to end it on a good note. We didn’t want to leave anything behind,” James said. “We’re going to be super young next year and that’s okay. We still have so much motivation and we have the fall and winter coming up. We’re going to come in hot next year.”

Braceland scored the Bulldogs' final two goals of the season.

They said it

“I knew this was going to be a special group, especially with a big class of seniors. They’ve always been an amazing and dynamic group. I knew if we could all play together, we could do something special this season. We really wanted it this year and end at the very top in the Shore Conference and the state.” - Rumson-Fair Haven coach Amy O’Keefe.

“We had to make some changes at the half knowing how good Mountain Lakes was good in the midfield. We were able to get the ball back in the midfield and we made the stops. It was just a matter of going out there and showing it.” – Braceland.

This Black History Month, Historic Havens celebrates the legacy of the many Black people who played an important role in Monmouth County history.

Many towns like Red Bank and Fair Haven had well-established Black neighborhoods that often surrounded a church. In Fair Haven, you will find Fisk Chapel also known at Bicentennial Hall. The building has had quite a journey since it was built in 1858.

The roots of Fisk Chapel date back to a small church on Browns Lane, which sadly burned shortly after it was built. The congregants were so devoted that they would walk miles in all kinds of weather to worship in Red Bank. Their passion inspired General Clinton B. Fisk to build houses and a Methodist church in Fair Haven’s Black section. Fisk was a remarkable man who, in addition to being one of Lincoln’s officers during the Civil War, was also a candidate for the governor of New Jersey in 1886 and the Prohibition Party’s candidate for U.S. President in 1888. Fisk was also a summer resident in Rumson. When the chapel was completed in 1882, it was dedicated to him. Later, the street would be renamed Fisk Street in his honor as well.

In 1975, the elders of Fisk Chapel had outgrown the church. Rather than demolish it, they sold the church to the borough for $1, but to move the church to its Cedar Avenue location, it had to be cut in half so it could navigate around the corner. It was moved in 1976, hence its name Bicentennial Hall. Some in town wanted to demolish the church, due to damages incurred during the move, but the Historic Association of Fair Haven, formed in 1995, recognized the important role the church played in the original history of Black people in Fair Haven and vigorously defended its restoration.

Patricia Drummond, recently retired president of the Fair Haven Historical Association (FHHA), was one its greatest advocates. She and a rotating group of FHHA presidents began hosting their annual Garden Parties to raise the essential funds to conduct the numerous chapel restorations.

The church was repainted to its unique green color to be accurate to its period color. The stained-glass windows had to be painstakingly recased due to wood rot, and it was Drummond who stood with the woodworkers to supervise every detail. The windows are important as they marked a real accomplishment of the parish’s growth. In the church’s early days, the congregation made faux stained-glass windows by pasting on colored paper until they could afford the real thing, so they became precious.

Now, Fisk Chapel or Bicentennial Hall is not a house of worship, but it is still a community focal point which hosts a variety of club meeting and borough functions. Fisk Chapel is the only place in Fair Haven that is listed on both the State and National Historic Registers.

As we mentioned, Fisk Chapel’s roots can be traced back to Browns Lane, and Drummond shared this charming story about one of Fair Haven’s most memorable residents. Originally, Browns Lane was home to a string of small homes all owned by members of the Brown family. One by one, the homes were demolished, but Jake Brown’s home was one of the last to survive. Drummond and a friend were out for a walk when the stumbled on a small home with an open door and were delighted to be invited in by none other than Jake Brown. Brown was well-known to all for riding his bicycle every day to his job at Monmouth Park Racetrack which he did well into his 80s. He was also a charmer who tipped his hat to every lady he met along the way. When they entered his humble home, they found barely any furniture, save for a big upright piano. Brown, now quite elderly, asked if the ladies if they would like him to play, and he spent hours playing song after song from a huge stack of sheet music. “I will never forget that very special moment,” Drummond recalled. We hope you’ll think of Jake too when you travel on Browns Lane.

Another place to visit is Williams, Albert and Robards Park, overlooking the Navesink River at the end of DeNormandie Avenue. This blissful, open space honors the many generations of the Williams family who believed in sharing their good fortune by allowing the public to have access to their private homestead’s beach.

The manicured spot, with four stone benches and paved paths sits on the site of a home built in 1853 by Charles Williams, a free Black man who maintained the horses at Rumson’s spectacular Rohallion Estates. Williams and his fiancée, Julia, were gifted this land as a wedding gift from the estate, and they lived there the rest of their lives. The Williams, Albert and Robards family descendants also used the home, and in fact, family member Nathan J. Williams helped build Fisk Chapel.

The Fair Haven Parks & Recreation Deptartment handled the project plan, construction oversight, and the implementation of dedication benches, dedication plaque and signage to create this is a peaceful place to reflect.

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SANDY HOOK, NJ — A "lifelong lover" of Sandy Hook is now the executive director of the Sandy Hook Foundation.

Laurie Bratone of Fair Haven, who had been the foundation's development director, has been named executive director, the foundation's leadership announced.

The foundation is the official nonprofit partner to the National Park Service at Sandy Hook, charged to preserve and protect Sandy Hook’s natural and cultural resources, and enhance the visitor experience.

Established in 1989, the foundation has funded cultural, educational, environmental, and conservation programs and has helped restore and preserve historic structures of the Sandy Hook Lighthouse and Fort Hancock — both National Historic Landmarks, the foundation' s website says.

Bratone has served as the director of development at the foundation since 2021 and has over 25 years of nonprofit experience in New York City and Monmouth County, the foundation said.

Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Laurie continues to be a wonderful asset to the foundation,” said Pete Izzo, chairman of the Board of Directors. “She has extensive nonprofit experience and has been leading and growing all facets of the organization since joining us in 2021. She has demonstrated a passion for the mission and Sandy Hook, and has strong community relations that will take the foundation to the next level.”

Recently the Sandy Hook Foundation has focused on strategic board recruitment, and identifying core areas of priority work inside the park together with the National Park Service.

As executive director, Bratone will be responsible for "creating and sustaining beneficial partnerships and relationships with the community, management of staff and operations, strategic planning, fundraising and development, and together with the Chair of the Board, supporting the relationship with the park, its vast assets, and needs," the organization said.

“I am a lifelong lover of Sandy Hook. I love the mission of the organization, and, as the nonprofit partner, look forward to continuing to greet visitors and connect with more of the community who come to learn, recreate, and celebrate our beautiful national park," said Bratone.

"I am fortunate to be able to build upon the past successes that SHF has celebrated since its founding in 1989, and am excited to be a voice in the nonprofit friends-of-national-parks community,” Bratone said.

Laurie grew up locally in Rumson and, after years living in New York, returned to Fair Haven where she lives today with her husband to raise their three children.

Sandy Hook provides many resources for all park visitors, including history, with Fort Hancock, the Sandy Hook Proving Ground, and the NIKE Missile Radar sites.

Sandy Hook offers sports and recreation; naturalists can explore a variety of flora and fauna; and there are bayside beaches and beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.

The Sandy Hook Foundation supports initiatives, programs, and projects that make visitors’ experiences better, it says.

For more information about The Sandy Hook Foundation,visit https://www.sandyhooknj.org, or email info@sandyhooknj.org, or call 732-291-7733.