The Scotch Plains Rescue Squad Auxiliary held its 13th annual Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, April 23, 2023, and it was a great success. They, along with girl scouts from Evergreen School, served over 172 adults as well as a large number of children under 5, and raised more than $3000.00 in their efforts to support this crucial volunteer organization.
All-you-can-eat pancakes, toppings, sausage patties, coffee, tea, and juices were offered for just $7.00 per person. There was also a raffle for baskets and gift cards for sports and fitness, salons, restaurants, mini-golf and more. These items were donated by individuals, local businesses and organizations, some of which donated already-prepared themed baskets. These themes included an Italian dinner, chocolate treats and breakfast goodies.
Attendees had a wonderful time, as usual, and everyone’s support is greatly appreciated. The auxiliary looks forward to doing it again next year.
The Scotch Plains Rescue Squad relies on ongoing community support. These contributions enable the Squad to fulfill their motto, Neighbors Helping Neighbors – We Work for Pride Not Pay. The squad looks forward to continuing to faithfully serve those who call for help.
Contributing Author: Susan Baldani, a life member of the Scotch Plains Rescue Squad.
One man’s journey of remembering the past to living his best life in the present
By Sue Baldani
Elmer “Stub” Estey’s path to becoming a published author started with a century-old diary found in the attic of a house his parents, Elmer and Emily, purchased in Pompey Center, NY, in 1944. The house was quite old too, but perfect for the couple to raise their five children.
It was his four older sisters, all under the age of 12 at the time, who found the diary along with a loaded pistol. Fortunately, their mother took the gun away before anyone got hurt, and as a writer herself, held onto the writings of another.
“My mother was a gifted writer and she was in Who’s Who of American Women,” said Estey. “In addition, I think she just valued history and artifacts such as this.”
From Diary to Book
The diary, started in 1845, titled Daniel W. Holbrook, Memorandum Book of Remarkable Events as they occur, includes Holbrook’s five-year journey (began in 1849) to California to join the Gold Rush. Although the diary is in great shape, the handwriting is very hard to decipher, so reading it is quite a chore. Over 75 years after it was found, Estey decided to type out the entries.
“My initial thought was to get it typed so people, like my sisters, could manage to read it,” he said. When he was finished, the 160 page written diary was about 60 typed pages.
This endeavor led to the creation of his book, Oxcart Gold Rush, published in December of 2022, two years after he started working on it. Interspersed throughout the pages are hand-written copies from the original diary, and excerpts, sketches, newspaper articles and advertisements from history that often align with Holbrook’s travels. One clip describes a new and improved steel plow and an ad for The Pony Express (delivery in 10 days from New York to San Francisco!).
“It helps readers immerse themselves in his time,” said Estey. “I would read something Daniel wrote and it would set me off on a research project. I would do research for a day or two, write a page or two and then boil it down to the essence. I interwove those little entries with his, but very carefully in order to maintain the integrity of what he wrote.”
Estey never imagined authoring a book like this. Educated as an engineer, he spent 30 years as a manager for AT&T and then several years teaching management and consulting at his alma mater, Clarkson University in NY. “I always thought the book I would write would be about that. I was never a history buff, but this diary brought history to life.”
Writing this book, he said, was a great way of honoring Holbrook’s life and remembering history itself. “It’s just one man’s story, but I like the notion that every person’s story is important and adds to our understanding of the past. And, every life touches so many others; he went past a lot of people and I bet he impacted a lot of them.”
He added, “I’m proud of the fact that this book will preserve his story and my research for generations. I’m the son of a storyteller and I’m kind of channeling my mother.”
Making Music
Estey said he’s a storyteller in his music too. “I’ve always been involved in music. As a teenager, I sang in church choirs and I’ve continued to sing in church choirs for over 60 years.” He also played clarinet and bassoon in his high school band, and was involved in the theater as well.
In college, he learned to play the banjo and a friend of his learned the guitar in order to provide music for their fraternity. “We’re talking about the 60s, so we were singing folk songs in those days. I also learned to play these songs on the guitar.”
One of his favorite memories is being at a Kingston Trio concert. “That was my favorite band – in the 60s they were a very popular folk group,” said Estey. “I knew every word of every song. They didn’t have any seats left in the audience, so they put 12 chairs on stage, and at one point, one of the band members forgot the words, but I just kept on singing. So I can say I sang on stage with the band.”
Later, he became busy with work and family and didn’t learn any new songs for the next 40 or 50 years. “Then I had this idea to go back to it. I got together with several other folks and we formed the Fair Gap band.” At this point, he was 72 years old.
Estey played in the band for about four years, but put music on hold again to serve a three-year term on the board of the homeowner’s association of the Dominion Valley Country Club in Haymarket, where he and his wife reside.
Acting the Part
When he came off the board, instead of music, he went back into theater after a 60 year hiatus. “My son has been active in theater for over 20 years, and I kept saying to myself, ‘I can do this,’” he said. “When you want to do something, you either have to do it or stop talking about it. You can’t sit around and say how great it would’ve been if you tried.”
Today, at the age of 80, Estey is busy acting with the Fauquier Community Theatre in Warrenton. This past February, he was in The Greatest Generation Speaks, a play based on Tom Brokaw’s book by the same name.
“After he wrote The Greatest Generation, people started writing him letters about their experiences during World War II, and he received so many, he wrote this follow up book. It’s essentially comprised of the letters themselves – the stories of these veterans and people who had to stay home while the veterans left, like Rosie the Riveter and other ladies who kept the home fires burning.”
He also performed his bucket-list role in March – the stage manager in Our Town, and was the producer of the show as well. The band, he said, is on permanent hiatus for now.
Forever Young
“You can’t do everything all at once, but you can do things in bites,” said Estey. “That’s how I evolved. I think the key to staying young is to stay active. Find out what you like and then throw yourself into it.”
He’s also very much a family man. He and his wife Nancy have been married for 56 years and have two children, Chris and Kelly. They also have two grandchildren, which is what brought the couple to Haymarket. They were living in North Carolina and driving to Herndon, VA, to visit Kelly and her family quite often, so they decided to move closer.
“I was an avid golfer, so my house hunting plan was to find a golf course I liked and then find a house nearby,” he said. Kelly decided she also loved Haymarket, and the family moved to town as well.
More about Elmer “Stub” Estey and Daniel W. Holbrook can be discovered between the pages ofOxcart Gold Rush, whichcan be found at LogCabinBooks.com.
Other interesting facts:
Origin of the name Stub: His father’s name was Elmer as was his father’s father. His mother wanted to name him Elmer, but his dad would only agree if he could give him a nickname. He chose Stub because he had a friend who was nicknamed Stub.
In kindergarten, when the teacher called out “Elmer,” he didn’t answer. When she asked why, he said because his name was Stub, not Elmer. He would go by this nickname his whole life.
Favorite folk band: The Kingston Trio
Favorite role to play/play to perform in: The stage manager in Our Town
What he likes about living in Haymarket: The golf courses and being near his grandkids.
His favorite thing about writing the book: To make history come alive and to honor Daniel W. Holbrook’s journey.
Where people can buy it: LogCabinBooks.com
Parallels in life:
At the age of 28, Holbrook was elected Pompey’s town clerk, the same age as Estey’s great grandfather when he took on the role. A hundred years after Holbrook’s term, Estey’s mother took on the position.
Holbrook’s father and Estey’s father were both born on June 26.
Holbrook’s son Levi was born exactly a hundred years before Estey.
Written for Haymarket & Gainesville Lifestyle magazine in Virginia.
Walking into La Colina Mexican Cantina in Warren, NJ, feels like entering a Mexican museum. Everywhere you look, there’s authentic artwork and other artifacts on display created by a famous Mexican artist.
When your entrée arrives, it also presents like a piece of art. The food is arranged in a beautiful fashion, and to add a bit of magic, a real orchid is surrounded by dry ice smoke. What fun!
An experienced and talented Mexican chef is in the kitchen. “I’m from Oaxaca, Mexico, and preparing Mexican dishes from my culture is my passion,” says Chef Eduardo Cabrera. “My father died when he was 92 years old, and he taught me pretty much everything I know. It’s his recipes I use.”
“Chef Eduardo has so much talent,” says Sonny Gjevukaj, who owns the restaurant along with his brother Johnny. “My family has been in the restaurant business for three generations, and I’ve never met another chef who has a talent like his. The way he uses seasonings and infuses them together makes every dish unique.”
These include favorites such as quesadillas and tacos, but also chicken, steak and seafood combined with everything from cheeses, vegetables, rice, beans, and sauces.
Everything is made fresh daily, and takes many hours to prepare. “It takes three hours to make mole, and it takes six hours to make birria [shredded beef],” says Chef Eduardo. The majority of the vegetables and herbs used at La Colina are locally grown. “The meat I order from Mexican companies. Arrachera is a Mexican meat, and everybody in Mexico has it, but nobody else has it here. That’s one of the things that makes us special.”
To accompany the food, the restaurant has a large variety of alcoholic beverages including tequila, bourbon, cognac, sangria, margaritas, beer and wine. The mixed cocktails are just delightful.
“There are restaurants that make one or two special cocktails, but here every single one has a meaning,” says Sonny. These include the Ave Maria, made with Bacardi, melon liquor, watermelon purée, lime juice, cinnamon syrup, mint leaves, and whipped cream, and the Sofia, made with Gun-Power Gin, elder flower liquor, ginger syrup, lime juice, pineapple juice, fresh kiwi, a splash of Empress 1908 Gin, and strawberry flavored foam.
La Colina, which opened in the beginning of 2023, has two floors and seats 250 people. The upstairs room is perfect for all kinds of parties, and the amazing artwork continues here. There is an entire wall with objects representing all the states in Mexico, including Oaxaca and Puebla.
“Most people, when they look at the wall, it’s just art,” says Sonny. “You have to be a real Mexican to recognize what it really is.”
Even the tables are works of art. “My brother Johnny made all the tables,” he says. They are polished to a great shine and show all the natural wood grains.
La Colina is mainly dine in, although during the restaurant’s slower times, takeout may be available. For more, go to https://lacolinanj.com/.
Something So Write 