Philadelphia

AUDUBON NJ JULY 4TH with the Shaw Family & Firetruck Photos

July 4, 2008 by HughE Dillon

Audubon is another apple pie and baseball kinda town, where everyone knows each other, there’s a main street and traditions are hard and fast. I lived here til I was 8 and have fond memories of the town, especially the train tracks which ran right in front of my house. On the right you can see some kids waving to the conductor who is waving back and blowing his horn.

I wanted to make it a point to stop by on July Fourth as Audubon has a tradition of giving its residents a ride on the firetruck at noon every year. I wrote about Cole Clark, the son of my friends Paul and Jody, and his fascination of firetrucks and fireman. The fire station is right down the street.
Get there early for the 12PM kick off as the line gets long. Cousins Caroline and Delaney
Dillon and Cole (Not named after me, but after the General Hospital character, but an “uncle” can dream)
The firehouse was booming with business as they fed us hot dogs,
soda, beer and water ice. (Hmm Wilfred Brimley?) Thanks to the sponsors.I have a hat just like that
Delaney gets on board

Everyone ready

Don’t they look like they are having fun. I’m glad I stopped by on my way to my annual family reunion. There’s Uncle Jeff in black. The peps in Audubon get into the holiday spiritI grew up in the house with the chimney until I was 8 years old. Dad owned it for another 20 years and used it as his doctors office. And my sisters lived in the apartment above the office after they graduated college. Dad was a strict landlord, and made sure the girls paid their rent on time. After they moved out he gave half the proceeds back. Damn I wish I had gotten that deal!!Jeff, Julie, Jody Shaw and I all went to Paul VI High School and attended St. Vincent Pallotti Church. The Camden Diocese has chosen to close this church and merge it with one in the neighboring towns of Haddon Heights or Oaklyn. All I can think of is the literally the Sins of our Fathers are being paid by our children. Can’t the Catholic Church sell some of their holdings, their crown jewels, under used ocean front property in Stone Harbor instead of closing the neighborhood parishes?
(From the Courier-Post) In a recent letter to parishioners, Bishop Galante defended his decision to merge the Haddon Township parish with St. Aloysius in Oaklyn, with the Oaklyn parish as a primary worship site.Six months ago, St. Vincent spent $1 million to build a 7,000-square-foot rectory and a nearly 8,000-square-foot memorial hall to replace the toxic-mold-ridden old rectory.
Because the church shares its parking lot with Paul VI High School, parishioners have 400 off-street parking spaces available to them, compared to less than 50 at St. Aloysius, and the church seats roughly 800 people, about twice the size of the Oaklyn church.
“Everybody that we talked to said this defies logic,” Pierzynski said.

TAKE ACTION! Write to Archbishop Myers, the Archbishop of Newark and Archbishop Sambi, the Nuncio in Washington D.C. to voice your concerns about Bishop Galante and the Diocese of Camden. THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!Most Rev. John J. MyersArchbishop of Newark 171 Clifton Ave.Newark, NJ 07104-0500

Then it was onto my dad’s side (Dillon/Laux) annual family reunion which is always held on 7/4, with my sister Tracy & her two kids. We stayed about an hour, at which time I had to prepare for the party I was having for a few friends that evening. Here are Timmy & Ella enjoying the picnic. At the Laux Lake in Elk Twp. NJ