I didn't know that it was going to storm but, because of the high humidity, I brought their raincoats anyway and carried them on my arm as we walked up and down Main Street.
There were not as many cars on display as usual. Even still, I like being out at night - it was between 7:30 and 8:30 pm - in a casual place like Freehold. Certain sections of the sidewalk were quite crowded and nearly impassable, especially where vendors were hawking merchandise and local restaurants sold quick food. A radio station blasted music, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry.
Some of the modern models were very slick, especially the Hummers. There was an H3 with tricked-out doors that swung up to open and large TV screens throughout, especially on the tailgate, hung upside down, I imagine, so that when the tailgate was opened, the image was properly displayed. An H2 was similarly accessorized, plus fluorescent tubing along the floorboards and dash, accenting the interior. The horn of one vehicle was the theme to The Godfather.
We crossed Main Street at the light for 79 North and started back west towards our car. It was then that I noticed the dark sky and lightening in the distance. I figured that we would have enough time to reach our car even though I was parked just east of Lincoln Place.
There were police barricades, blue sawhorses, around the outdoor patio of one restaurant, spilling into the street. It was there, within the barricades, that open containers of alcohol were permitted in public. Police presence was profoundly strong on all sides of this confined, crowded area. We had to pass through this area to reach our car ... we could not even go around because we would be too far into Main Street to be safe. So, we pressed through the crowd.
Just ahead of us walked two women dressed for a night out. I imagine that they were comparably dressed but I noticed only the second because she was closer; I mean, we were walking virtually single file through the crowd. Ordinarily I don't notice what people wear. I get into less trouble that way. But I was affected by the reactions of others to her attire, after all, I saw her only from the back. In summary, the men were very pleased to see this woman walk by and they called out to her, saying "hello" and things like that. She ignored them, focusing instead on her own plan, whatever that was. And, in a disgruntled response to that, I heard one man grumble, "Just shows you how stuck-up they can be." And I thought, hey, mister, don't flatter yourself. Why would she give a drunk like you the time of day?! Get real.
It started to sprinkle, very lightly, barely noticeably, but I put their raincoats on because, after all, I had carried them for about an hour. Why not?
The approaching storm looked really, really scary and people started running for their cars. My oldest son sensed their panic and wondered whether we should instead take shelter on the front porch of one of the local businesses on that west end of town.
"No way," I said, "our car is right here. It's better than a porch." And I got them and myself in just as the sprinkling turned heavy.
I pulled out into the stop-n-go traffic heading east along Main Street, pulled into a driveway, and backed out onto Main Street again, heading west (I should have parked west of Lincoln! Note for next time ...) and started down Business 33 near the race track for home.
Along 33 itself, I became concerned that the power lines along the roadside would come down. (And the next day, this actually happened to some people in Washington Township.) So I moved to the center lane as a precaution but, of course, the poles were still tall enough to affect me ... unless I chose to drive in the grassy median. Anyway, no trouble getting home and, in fact, Tim fell asleep! But I'm just glad that we didn't do the Fair like the boys wanted because it closed early:
On Thursday night, fair officials closed the fair at 9 p.m., two hours early, because of a thunderstorm, Kirkpatrick said.
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