My Hometown - Fairfield, NJ

While we slowly work our way back up north to our place in New Hampshire after spending the winter at Cherry Grove Beach in South Carolina, we have been visiting my dad in Fairfield, New Jersey. I grew up in Fairfield, having moved here when I was three years old.

Because we don't have high speed internet at my dad's place, we came over to the Fairfield Public Library. Wow, how things have changed! I was telling one of the library staff that back in 1963 or so, when Fairfield opened their first library, I had the eleventh library card issued in town. The library then was a tiny 2 or 3 room building on Fairfield Road (it is still standing, and is currently housing a barber shop).

My dad would take me to the library on Saturday mornings for story hour, and I just loved going there!

After a while, the library moved to larger quarters - an old school located across from the Police and Fire Station. Then, sometime long after I left Fairfield for my various adventures, the town built the Anthony Pio Costa Memorial Library located on Hollywood Avenue - and what a wonderful library it is!

The library is adjacent to the marvelous Fairfield Recreation Complex, where - prior to coming to the library - we played a great set of tennis (I lost miserably), and watched people as they walked on the park fitness trails. The town has beautiful ball fields at the complex as well as a gorgeous pool for the townspeople to enjoy during the summer. My dad has a great place to walk, which he does almost daily, and a wonderful library to visit as well.

We're so thankful that while we travel we can pop into public libraries almost everywhere and find internet access and computers for our use. And I'm equally thankful that I had an opportunity to take advantage of this great complex in my old hometown of Fairfield, NJ - which truly is a great town.

I'm glad I'm from here.