Navesink fire company set to host annual Fireman’s Fair

MIDDLETOWN — For the 126th time, Navesink Hook & Ladder Fire Co. No. 1 will host the annual Fireman’s Fair Aug. 7-9.

The event is held 6-11 p.m. each night at the Navesink Firehouse, 141 Monmouth Ave., Navesink section of Middletown.

Members of Navesink Hook & Ladder claim the fair is New Jersey’s oldest fireman’s fair. The initial fair was held in August 1886, just three months after the company was formed. It was a Peach and Ice Cream Festival that raised $63 for the group. 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 themselves. 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, which challenges young and old alike to toss 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 fair also offers a nightly gift auction with prizes such as sports autographs; gift certificates to local restaurants; a bicycle; shows at area theaters; and tickets to Disney World, NASCAR, the Yankees and Great Adventure.

The fire company members also work a seafood kitchen with a menu that includes lobster, clams, crab and shrimp. Corn, hot dogs, sausage and eggplant are also available.

For dessert, the Navesink Ladies Auxiliary will be selling homemade baked goods and ice cream sandwiches served on giant cookies made from a traditional recipe.

Navesink Fire Company is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that serves the community of Navesink, and also assists its fellow 10 companies in Middletown and neighboring towns.