On this, the 40th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown, I took a ride by the land where Garden State Park once stood, rising majestically with a white wooden grandstand like the Yankee Stadium of horse racing. Now another indistinct shopping center, this sacred soil used for shopping was where Secretariat raced only a few months before becoming thoroughbred majesty in 1973. Back then, there was a gap in the fence off Third Ave., near the back entrance of the track. The gap was wide enough for a kid’s body, which is where I used to sneak in back the early 1970s, avoiding the dollar entrance fee. The mile or so walk up Chapel Ave from St. Peter’s School in Merchantville raced by like “Big Red” himself, talking with my older brother, Rich, and usually two of our friends. On half days, we would sprint out of school and go to the race track, ditching our book bags in the lower church as we said a quick prayer for a good day at the track. http://on.cpsj.com/19PtCSN
Town by Town: Merchantville, a place with staying power
Merchantville is known as South Jersey's Victorian Secret. It is big on tradition but short on houses for sale. Why? People move in but they rarely ever leave. Whether it's the housing stock or the K-8 school district, people stick to Merchantville like glue, the Darlands say. On the street where the Darlands bought their 1907 Sears & Roebuck craftsman bungalow three years ago, there are 11 other houses.
Jazz legend brings groove to kids
Buster Williams, 70, is a living legend of jazz, a sideman who has jammed with the likes of Miles Davis, Count Basie, Herbie Hancock, Sarah Vaughan, and Nancy Wilson. In 2009, Williams and his wife sold their brownstone in Harlem and moved to an apartment on the first floor of an old Victorian in Merchantville.
Enjoy your dinner with a side of history
Diners get a little something extra with their meals at the Collins House in Merchantville. Call it a side order of history. Not to worry. It doesn't cost extra and won't boggle the mind, as it did to most of us in high school. In fact, it enhances the ambience and helps satisfy those with an appetite for things from the past.
Wyatt Tee Walker
Civil Rights Pioneer, Aide to Dr. King, Baptist Minister. Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, in 1929, he stated unapologetically that his father was a “race man,” a pastor and his role model. He reportedly said, “My father reacted to anything that smacked of discrimination or prejudice and I was under that influence. He was my first hero.” Walker grew up in New Jersey where he attended primary and secondary schools in Merchantville.
Honeybees removed from attic
Honeybee populations may be shrinking around the world, but that wasn't the case at Victoria Clayton's circa 1866 house, where a bee expert spent much of Thursday removing a huge wax honeycomb and 30,000 of the buzzing creatures from an attic crawl space. Enter Gary G. Schempp, who is so intrigued by honeybees - that he sold his 30-year-old pest-control business five years ago to deal solely with them. http://bit.ly/IILC4n
150th Sponsorships
Please consider lending your support to our Borough's 150th events and Sesquicentennial projects! Your generous gift will preserve Merchantville's history, maintain its character, historical preservation and streetscape for generations to come. Sponsorship levels are: "Conductor" for contributions of $500 or more and includes a recognition plaque on the 150th commemorative gift, two complimentary tickets to Dinner en Blue - downtown dinner party -