| Author | Message | ||
     crossroads Citizen Username: Crossroads Post Number: 129 Registered: 12-2001  |
What do you remember about the bicentennial? My dad had a 1951 Cadillac convertible. The Township Bicentennial Committee asked him if it could be in the BIG parade and Uncle Sam rode in the back… pictures to follow…. I remember the US Army Tanks stationed on Courter Avenue and around Maplecrest Park before the BIG parade. How about Operation Sail in NY harbor. | ||
| extuscan Citizen Username: Extuscan Post Number: 618 Registered: 6-2001 |
Who had the '59 Cadillac, the red one. I remember it belonging to woman with an man's name. It would turn up every 4th of July, around the dog show usually. Anyone with pictures of tanks on Courter Ave, well that would be insane for me as a former Courter Ave resident. -John | ||
| crossroads Citizen Username: Crossroads Post Number: 132 Registered: 12-2001 |
I have pictures of buses and marching bands staging on Courter Ave before the BIG parade. They're on slides so I'll have to somehow get them posted here... soon. | ||
| Dogbert Citizen Username: Dogbert Post Number: 26 Registered: 1-2006  |
My family and I were in Philadelphia for it. I remember Ford spoke that day, but I think we didn't get anywhere near him. I remember an exhibit sponsored by Mrs. Paul's, the fish company, where they gave away yummy free samples. I think maybe the company was owned by Poles and was celebrating Polish fighers in the revolution. I remember a table on the street for a group called "The Committee for Reunion With Great Britain" and thinking they made relatively persuasive arguements. I also remember that was the same time as the Israeli rescue mission at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda and reading about it in the papers on 7/4. | ||
| extuscan Citizen Username: Extuscan Post Number: 620 Registered: 6-2001 |
Crossroads- That would be so awesome! Which road did the parade actually go down? Which end of Courter was the staging? I had a scanner with a little slide attachement so you could scan your slides right in... ran it over though. -John | ||
| crossroads Citizen Username: Crossroads Post Number: 133 Registered: 12-2001 |
The buses were staged on Courter between Maplecrest Park and Norfolk and also on Tuscan before they paraded down Springfield Ave. I know I have pictures of that for sure. They were full of school marching bands from all over the area and other parade units. I remember we heard the tanks roaring into town. They were all lined up on the park side of Oakland. We raced down there on our bikes and the Guardsmen let us go inside the tanks! Quite a big thrill for us kids. The tanks had rubber on the tracks, but still tore up the streets. I use a digital camera and take pictures of the slides – it works well. I know what I’ll be doing this weekend… | ||
| TomD Citizen Username: Tomd Post Number: 365 Registered: 5-2005  |
Bit south of Maplewood, but the thing I remember I remember most was on Route 34 in Middletown. There was a Dixie Cup factory and on the lawn they had a giant <shocker> Dixie Cup. To show their patriotism they painted the enormous Dixie Cup red, white and blue and Spirit of '76 in big, trippy 70's style. Years later they painted the cup plain white and I think the whole place was torn down a few years back. | ||
| Joe R. Citizen Username: Ragnatela Post Number: 307 Registered: 6-2004 |
We were in Belmar at DJ's drinking beer (5 short ones for a dollar)and watching life's rich pageant go by out the front window! Then again, that's what we did every summer weekend for 5 years! | ||
| Brett Weir Citizen Username: Brett_weir Post Number: 1299 Registered: 4-2004  |
I was in Avon and Belmar, too. Worst sunburn of my life. DJ's, Jerry Lynch's and the old Avon Inn. Great weekend! | ||
| Joe R. Citizen Username: Ragnatela Post Number: 308 Registered: 6-2004 |
Brett: You were the guy with the worst sunburn ever? I remember you! Kidding. Funny thing about these sunburns, they never kept us out of the bars. Just so we don't get accused of thread drift, did you have blue shorts and a white tee shirt to go with the burn? | ||
| Brett Weir Citizen Username: Brett_weir Post Number: 1303 Registered: 4-2004 |
How about blue balls and white Solarcaine? I went with three paisans from school and they all tanned while I fried. Fortunately the burn was on the last day so I didn't miss any Happy Hours or Fireworks! | ||
| Oldstone Citizen Username: Rogers4317 Post Number: 617 Registered: 6-2004  |
i remember the bicentennial...it was my high school graduation year, the 350th birthday of my town and then-governor dukakis spoke at my graduation and personally congratulated me on my solo instrumental performance ! i will always remember 1976. | ||
| John Caffrey Citizen Username: Jerseyjack Post Number: 110 Registered: 11-2005 |
Operation Sail and the N.Y.C. fireworks. A friend worked at Merrel Lynch on one of the higher floors at the W.T.C. We had tix to see the parade of sails from that floor of the building. It was not as much fun being inside when the weather outside was wonderful. So we soon agreed that it would be better to see the ships from the water front. We left the building to follow this plan and it was much more fun being with the crowd. 3:00p.m. I don't remember why, but Scully originally did not want to go to the city for the event. I called Scully ( we were married then). We were having such a good time that I recommended she take N.J.T. and meet us at the W.T.C. at 5:30. She performed a minor miracle and met us there at that time. We had supper in the village and then enjoyed the waterfront fireworks which were magnificent. It was the joy from the crowd that was the most fun of all. Similar to seeing the crowd at "Gates of Central Park" last year. | ||
| Psychomom Citizen Username: Psychomom Post Number: 107 Registered: 5-2005 |
I was married in July 1976 (but not the 4th) the big thing in weddings that year was red white and blue vests,cummerbund,ties etc on the tuxes...we however did not succomb to that We had tasteful BROWN tuxes with YELLOW shirts for the guys and yellow floral printed dresses for the girls. I also remember special bicentennial license plates that you could use only for that year and only on the front plate. Wasn't there also bicentennial minted quarters too that said 1776-1976 on the date part??? Or did I just dream that???? LOL | ||
| tulip Citizen Username: Braveheart Post Number: 3431 Registered: 3-2004  |
In NYC at grad school. Watched the tall ships from a friend of a friend's high rise balcony overlooking the Hudson. Spectacular!! What was almost as grand was riding downtown to the fireworks in the subway, and everyone was singing, waving flags in the subway, laughing and having the best time. I'll never forget it. | ||
| Dogbert Citizen Username: Dogbert Post Number: 82 Registered: 1-2006 |
Psychomom is not hallucinating about the bicentennial quarters. You still run into them now and then. The dates were as she says and the back, I believe, had the patriot drummer on them. | ||
| finnegan Supporter Username: Finnegan Post Number: 334 Registered: 6-2001 |
 That is the Dar Pomorza, the tall ship from Poland that visited NYC for the bicentennial. My best friend's grandfather had been a Polish Navy Captain in the Second World War, but was living in Queens in 1976. The Captain of the Dar Pomorza was gracious enough to give us a private tour of the ship. I was a 14 year old girl quite enamored of all the young Polish sailors. Somehow this is what I remember best from the bicentennial. | ||
| bets Supporter Username: Bets Post Number: 22954 Registered: 6-2001  |
I remember that the fireworks were fantastic on Independence Day, we had a new pool, it was summer, and there was no school. Life was good. Oh, and I have a commemorative map issued by South Orange that illustrates the town circa 1876. Four out of the five homes I've lived in here are on it. | ||
| Dogbert Citizen Username: Dogbert Post Number: 83 Registered: 1-2006 |
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