Happy 150th, Holmdel Residents gather to celebrate milestone at Community Day BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer CHRIS KELLY staff Natalie Hazel, 15, takes a pie to the face of fellow Holmdel resident Lynsey Vivian, 16, to raise money for Diabetes during the Holmdel Community Day celebration at Cross Farm Park on Saturday. HOLMDEL - Pilgrims and politicians, pie in the face and pictures with Frankenstein. Cross Farm Park had it all on Saturday as the township came together to celebrate Community Day, the 150th anniversary edition. Along with traditional favorites like the rock climbing wall and bungee ride, the day held a host of new surprises, like high school students smashing whipped cream pies in their face in order to raise money for diabetes research. According to students Natalie Hazel, 15, and Lynsey Vivian, 16, there are currently 11 students at the high school with diabetes. For $3 a pop, the girls and other classmates encouraged onlookers to smash a pie pan full of whipped cream into their face. Two hours into the event, the girls reported they had already earned $300 for the cause. Looking very much like a Thanksgiving Day decoration were the cheerful reenactors from the Holmdel Community United Church of Christ. Members of the church dressed up in Colonial-era costumes to advertise their upcoming reenactment of an 1857 Christian service. Politics played a role in the day, with both parties planted a respectable distance from each other. At the entrance to the event, not far from where real estate agents were giving away candy eyeballs and free pictures with Frankenstein, were Republican Mayor Serena DiMaso and Township Committee running mate Gerry Allocco. "Today's a wonderful day," DiMaso said. "I love the way the community came together to celebrate a spectacular occasion. Kudos to the Parks and Recreation Department for a fabulous job." Democrats for committee Janet Berk and Mike Sockol set up camp at the far end of the event, near the inflatable rides and sound stage. Committeeman Larry Fink was near the Democrats' booth wearing a white baseball cap reading: "Larry Fink: Working for Holmdel." "Many people have asked me if we're going to move Community Day," Fink said, explaining that the event was not always held at Cross Farm Park. Fink said he likes the new location because the paved paths are easy on strollers and wheelchairs and the nearby open fields make it perfect for a pick-up game of soccer or touch football. "Nobody's feeling crowded," Fink said, pointing out the ample parking area and large open space used for the rock wall. While craft vendors sold everything from personalized umbrellas to traditional Chinese spinning toys, the food was typical carnival fare. Interspersed throughout the event were booths showcasing the work of various community organizations. Citizens for Informed Land Use (CILU) displayed maps and charts of the Lucent property. The group hopes to preserve at least the façade of the old Bell Labs research building, designed by famed architect Eero Saarinen. Members of the Bayonet Farm Committee handed out informational flyers concerning Holmdel's prehistoric history, with pictures of shark tooth fossils found in Ramanessin Brook. Other groups with booths included various student organizations from the high school, the Environmental Commission and the Open Space Advisory Council, among others. Key dates in the history of Holmdel Twp. Pre-1665: Township is sparsely inhabited by American Indians 1665: Early Dutch colonists settle the area. 1699: Oldest local building still in existence is built on Schank Road. 1770s: During the Revolutionary War, Holmdel's Dutch farmers form their own Minuteman organization. The area now known as Holmdel is referred to as the "Hornet's Nest" because it was known as a place where zealous patriots lived. 1857: Holmdel becomes a town. The origin of the name is lost, but two theories prevail. One suggests the town was named for the Holmes family, early settlers and large landowners. Another theory is that the name came from the combination of two Anglo-Saxon words "holm," which means pleasant, and "del," which means valley. 1957-62: Famed architect Eero Saarinen designs the main mirror-faced building on the Bell Labs property. 1965: The Big Bang Theory of the creation of the universe is confirmed at Bell Labs. 1998: Nobel Prize in quantum physics is won by Bell Labs/Lucent Technologies scientists Horst Störmer, adjunct physics director at Bell Labs, and two former Bell Labs physicists, Robert C. Laughlin and Daniel C. Tsui. Sources: "Know Your Town," by the League of Women Voters, 1987; "Sketchbook of Historic Holmdel," The Holmdel Historic Society, 1997. With information provided by Linda Madge, Holmdel historian, and the Bayonet Farm Committee.