Five years ago, as part of the N.J. Meadowlands Commission’s Oral History Project, we interviewed lots of folks about the region in the old days. We are going to reprint the best of them here, every Tuesday, for 11 weeks. This week: Vince Petto.
Lifelong Meadowlands resident Vince Petto spent his childhood hunting, fishing and swimming in the Hackensack River and nearby marshes.
In this audio interview, Petto recounts several colorful tales of boyhood explorations and misadventures.
Petto, who grew up in North Bergen and now lives along the Hackensack River in Secaucus, also discusses the allure of the river and how it has changed for the better over the years.
Excerpts of the interview follow.
His stories include:
Childhood memories of swimming and hunting in the Meadows:
Skating on mud and the “Meadowlands Fragrance” :
A memorable fishing trip :
A Scary moment :
A cleaner river:
Why I love the Meadowlands:
Nice job Vince. I’m glad to hear you are hauling trash out of the river to this day. Thank you. 🙂