That’s probably the one thing I do recall about that year’s convention: how many said it shouldn’t have happened. That was silly imo since life goes on and this was such a big part of my life and so many others. We had such wonderful times at those annual conventions. My oldest brother did the Irish weekend that same year, like all the other years, and that year was truly meaningful for him.
LOL! Captain’s Table. I recall the name but not the location. It was either on Cresse Ave or down further in the Crest. My Aunt owned a home and business on Cresse Ave so I spent many summers there and for some reason I think the Captain’s Table was on the corner of Cresse and Pacific (?) Ha, I’m getting old I can’t even remember exactly. I also recall a Captain’s something down further in the Crest but maybe that Admiral’s Table? or the Admiral hotel? That may be a hotel, lol. We spent lots of time at the Bal Harbor because a friend worked in the snack bar there.
I haven’t gone to that weekend since sometime during college but spent that weekend there all through grade and high school. We always stayed at the Park Lane(?) I know I;m screwing up the name of the motel. It was across the street from the Pan American? A hotel on the beach with a rotating globe. It had a restaurant and me and my best friend who came with us each year use to eat breakfast there. I’m sure both were in the Crest. That’s the only thing I recall about the hotels/motels. I spent years in Wildwood, recall Duffer’s (?) restaurant and so many other spots. Same with Margate, again an aunt owned a summer home there.
I stopped going after my freshman year in college but my parents, brothers, family still went for a few years afterwards. It was the Last weekend of the summer for us, the annual LAST WEEKEND. Fireman Convention and VFW weekend. Wonderful memories.
The Captain’s Table Beach at Hollywood Rd., Wildwood Crest NJ
We drove down a bit to get to it, and that’s the address above!
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We enjoyed our time in Wildwood too, had never been there before going to the conventions. Duffer’s sounds familiar, a restaurant? The one year when we finally drove to Cape May it had to rain that day! We stayed at Binn’s Motor Inn until the last time, it had changed owners and our room had bugs in it, on the headboard of the bed, crawling on the toilet paper in the bathroom...big ewwww there. We paid a little more the last year we went and stayed in a nice bed and breakfast a little further away from the convention hall. Well, we didn’t actually pay since my husband was a delegate our town pays, so we kept less of the money I should say! When we went in ‘99 my husband was on crutches. He’d been in a head-on collision that July, it was fun having to be the one lugging our luggage up the stairs of the motel, not! It always amazed me that none of his fellow guys HELPED ME (I’m small!)!
My childhood best friend used to always vacation in Wildwood, that’s all I knew about it! My family went to Belmar for our first Jersey shore vacation when I was a kid, then Seaside Park future years.
As for having the convention after 9/11, I agree with what you said and if ever there was a time for people to gather together, that was an important time. Scarey with the military flying over on occasion, but actually they made me feel pretty good knowing they were up there.