LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I recently received my copy of River Towns magazine and was thrilled to read your feature on the Tinicum Arts Festival, an event that is very close to my heart. I was especially excited to see the photograph of the “Rockettes,” as I am in that photo!

My family’s business at the time, Moninghoff Electric Company, from across the river in Milford, New Jersey, supplied the sound system for the professional stage show each year. You had to be 14 to be in the Follies and I couldn’t wait. I performed in the Follies for ten years, beginning in 1960 when I turned 14 and until I married and moved away.

Recent festival attendees could not possibly realize the high level of professionalism these productions were. We worked with directors from New York City and performed on a massive stage with full curtains and spotlights and wore costumes supplied by Jerome Cargill Productions out of New York City. I have wonderful memories of those years, including speaking with James Michener without realizing who he was and visiting the home of Hexie Hammerstein (Oscar Hammerstein’s sister-in-law, who claimed she was a witch).

Although I reside in Toms River and am no longer able to make the drive, the festival remains incredibly special to me and I miss it so much. I still have most of the event programs from 1960 to 1970, along with dozens of photographs. Thank you once again for putting the Tinicum Arts Festival in the spotlight.