Booming Crowds: Fireworks Draw From All Over

They came by train, cars, bikes and even by plane. A few even walked from Middletown and Shrewsbury.

Colorado, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico were all represented at Kaboom as many people were visiting friends over the holiday weekend and came out to the fireworks despite the rain and clouds.

Closer to home, revelers from Freehold, Ocean Township, Wanamassa Oceanport, Monmouth Beach, Sea Bright and Middletown joined with revelers from East Brunswick, Old Bridge, Marlboro, Colts Neck, Matawan, Hazlet, Keansburg, Mountainside, Westfield, Perth Amboy, Toms River, Lacey Township and Lakewood. 

Many came by train in order to avoid the mad rush out of town and the clogged highways leading home. Some like Charlyne Douma of Eatontown are veteran New Jersey Transit riders.

"I take the train all the time," Douma who commutes to New York from Little Silver said. “They were advertising this heavily.”

New Jersey Transit reported that approximately 10,000 people rode the North Jersey Coast Line Train into Red Bank for KaboomFest. NJ Transit employees and NJ Transit police were out in force directing people on and off the trains and providing directions and advice.

In Red Bank, one of the NJ Transit train counter clerks, who chose to remain anononmyous, was picking litter off the steps even as she counted trains and gave people directions.

Robert McElory and Douglass Flannery work for NJ Transit in systems support and construction management and volunteered their time at the Little Silver station Sunday evening.

McElory and Flannery said they were more than willing to volunteer.  NJ Transit always asks for employee volunteers for special events they continued. “It puts a good light on transit to help out” said Flannery.

Cheryl and Steven Gaudette of Wannamassa have done Kaboom by boat and by car and now this year by train. 

"We have a friend who has a place right on the water," said Cheryl Gaudette. “We went to one barbeque and now we’re going to another” she finished.

Down by the water in Riverside Gardens, Brian Minincheli and Allison Prezioso were enjoying the evening with their families. Minincheli and Prezioso took the train from Hazlet where he lives. They bought their tickets in advance and made an evening of it.

"From what I’ve noticed, this is the best in New Jersey," said Minincheli. "Every year I’ve never been disappointed, and it’s close."  Minincheli and Prezioso come for both the live entertainment and the fireworks

Prezioso’s father, Joe Prezioso who lives in Keansburg, was attending his first KaboomFest. Having grown up in Hoboken he’s seen every kind of firework show along the Hudson River.

"I heard so much about it over the years (Kaboom). I’m really looking forward to it," he said. 

“Nice to go south” said John Minus of Perth Amboy who drove to Red Bank with his friend Jen Punsal, who lives in Mountainside. Minus likes to come to Red Bank for open mic nights and  comedy nights, while Punsal is a fan of Siam Garden in the Galleria. John and Jen said they easily found parking by the Dublin House and walked over to Riverside Gardens from there.

The Doyle, Wrede, and Connelly families  had one of the shortest trips of all. They took a quick drive down West Front Street from Lincroft to get to Kaboom. After parking at Chris’s Delicatessen, they walked the rest of the way to Riverside Gardens.