The beachfront borough can now lay claim to its own fair.

BY SUE MORGAN

As a volunteer at the annual Oceanport Lions Strawberry Fair, Steve Spahr would wonder why the beachfront community he grew up in and still worked in had never hosted a similar event.

The question really starting gnawing at him about a year ago. “I thought ,’why couldn’t we have this in Sea Bright?'” recalled Spahr, a 31-year veteran of the police department, where he’s a captain, and a volunteer borough firefighter for 23 years.

Last week, amusement rides, games of chance and vendors of traditional carnival foods all rolled onto the former Peninsula House parking lot off Ocean Avenue in fulfillment of Spahr’s dream — with an assist from the local sausage man and others.

Borough resident Ed Bannon, who owns and operates Tony’s Sausage out of a cart stationed in the business district, came to Spahr’s aid after the policemann began talking about hosting a community-wide fair before the start of the official beach season.

“Ed got me the contacts, and it came to life,” Spahr said.

The Sea Bright Fire Department and members of its ladies’ auxiliaries offered to host the event, as did the police and first aid squad. The borough recreation department, helmed by Kathy Morris, recruited the bulk of the volunteers to run the games and some of the food and merchandise concessions.

The fair began Thursday night; after daylong rains shut things down Friday, the hours of operation were extended Saturday and Sunday.

As of Saturday, fair visitors were arriving from Sea Bright, Rumson, Red Bank, Highlands, Monmouth Beach, and Long Branch, Spahr said. A volunteer firefighter from Atlantic Highlands, which hosts its firemen’s fair yearly over the July 4 holiday, has offered to consult with organizers for next year’s festivities, he added.

“It’s our first year, so it’s a learning experience,” Spahr said, standing near a food tent where firefighters grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. “We’re learning what to do and what not to do next year.”

While taking a break from the rides provided by McDaniel Brothers of Lodi, borough resident Elizabeth Homer and her daughter Maddy, 7, enjoyed funnel cake and critiqued the amusements.

At 53 inches tall, Maddy was disappointed to learn that she exceeded the height limit by five inches for “Play Station” ride. Still, she enjoyed the Superslide, a taller version of the usual playground slide.

“We were very excited to hear that Sea Bright was having a firemen’s fair,” Elizabeth said. “We have such a great town. It’s nice to have this fair.”

Waiting in a long line to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl, teenaged sisters Isabella and Ashley Trezzi of Rumson suggested that next year’s event offer more rides, particularly for adults and teenagers, and a greater variety of foods. “They should try more for something like the San Gennaro Festival in New York,” said Ashley. Both girls thought that the fair was worth the trip over the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge, if nothing else for its proximity to the beachfront.

While borough residents Justin Downey and Paul Hughes tried their hands at “Frog Bog,” a game in which players try to land a rubber frog inside a lily pad set up in a water tank, Mayor Maria Fernandes and several council members manned games of chance and handed out prizes.

“Everyone seems to be enjoying it,” Fernandes said from her post inside a booth housing a ball toss game.
“Somebody even said we should do this year round.”

Proceeds from the three-day event will be split between the fire department and the recreation department. The latter will apply its share to defray the costs of constructing Sea Bright’s planned skateboard park, which borough officials envision as part of the town’s overall revitalization plan.

Oceanport’s fair, by the way, kicked off last night and runs through Sunday.

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