Halloween Bash at the Lord Stirling Stable
The Basking Ridge Fire Company No. 1 and The Somerset County Park Commission joined forces to host the 1st “Annual Halloween Bash at the Lord Stirling Stable”. The joint fundraising event combined the stable’s Halloween party with “The Chief Ned McMahon Memorial Haunted Hayride”, named in honor of the late Basking Ridge Fire Chief who was a driving force behind the Fire Company’s annual event. Participants had their choice of ‘scary’ or ‘non-scary’ rides on hay wagons that traveled along Lord Stirling’s miles of meandering trails. Throughout the moonlit night, passengers on the scary rides encountered frightening scenes occupied by a cast of characters such as a blood thirsty Dracula, zombies and witches, evil swordfighters, a mad scientist and many more evil apparitions. The quiet of the night was often punctuated by blood curdling screams of ghosts and goblins seen wandering the trails. A late night appearance of the headless horseman escorted visitors to trail's end.
Back at the barn, the festivities continued inside the practice ring of Lord Stirling Stable’s main pavilion. Patrons enjoyed a full range of activities such as horse and pony rides, pumpkin painting, bean bag ring toss games, dancing and a tricky tray featuring goods generously donated by a number of local merchants. To finish the night, light snacks ranging from fresh, hot popcorn to hotdogs were available.
Basking Ridge resident Libby West said, “Wow! There was a little something for all ages at the event. The hayride was great and perfectly scary even for my eight-year old son.” The crowd agreed it was a fun-filled night, and the addition of the Fire Company’s hayride made the annual event that much more special.
Much credit for this year's event belongs to Firefighter Kevin Lavery and his committee of volunteers. Kevin championed the effort to merge the Fire Company’s annual hayride with the Stable’s annual festivities. Nancy Meola and Marge Margentino of the Somerset County Parks’ Lord Stirling Stables proved to be great partners. Kevin stated, “With the combination of the Lord Stirling facility, the park’s trails and the many helpful volunteers from both organizations, we knew we had the potential to put together an awesome event that we hope can be replicated for many years. We believe we succeeded and the event will only get better as we learn from this year’s experience.”
The Basking Ridge Fire Company and the staff of Lord Stirling Stable would like to thank those who attended as well as the many volunteers too numerous to name who helped make this event such a success. We also extend our thanks to Gretchen Lerach and the Friends of the Lord Stirling Stable; the Somerset County Parks Commission; Bernard’s Township Committee Member John Carpenter; and last but not least the wonderful support of the McMahon family – Cathy, Matt and Scott, who worked tirelessly during this difficult time of mourning and carried on so Ned’s playful spirit can continue to abound at Halloween in the years to come.
The Basking Ridge Fire Company needs more fire fighters and EMT's. The Company will pay for all formal schools, and provide additional training such as these drills. For more information on helping out, see Joining the Company.. And if you don’t have time to join the Company, you can still contribute through donations such as old cars or your financial support at Donate Here.