You know you’re from Manalapan, NJ if …

Growing up in Marlboro in the '70s, Manalapan was thought of as your rival.

They were the Thanksgiving football competition for Marlboro High School. Many in Marlboro referred to Manalapan as "Marlboro Light," then again, many in New York referred to Marlboro as "Brooklyn Light" because they made Brooklyn that way by moving here.

What I remember of Manalapan from growing up in Marlboro was the "Manalapan Mall," which was located on Route 9 and Taylors Mills Road. It contained a Steinbach's Department Store. Steinbach's was a chain that originated out of Asbury Park with locations throughout the country before it closed its doors in 1999.

That little mall that grew into the giant shopping plaza that exists today also contained a Thom McAn shoe store and a record store called Harmony Hut, which later became a Sam Goody.

Living in Marlboro, we bought our groceries at Grand Union, which was located on Route 9 by Gordon's Corner Road right across the street from "The Pantry."

As far as food, Nothing beat the Manalapan Diner, which we constantly frequented after attending the various Sweet 16 parties I used to DJ at.

Now Manalapan is a really cool place to live. Especially over the holidays when you get to drive by this house at 13 Glendale Drive. But seriously, Manalapan has a personality all its own. So I asked my following, many of whom are from Manalapan, to complete this phrase "You know you're from Manalapan if..."

Philip C Obermeyer Jr.
You know not to go to Wegmans on the weekend

Fox Stang
If you went to kindergarten on Staten Island

Bill Marter
If you remember we had a 7-Eleven and hung at the garbage can.

Jason Carlos
If you hang out or have hung out at the Union Hill Wawa for hours

Jennifer Colapinto
Skateway 9 after school on Wednesdays

Tammy Mirro Cantillo
If you know there is no such thing as south or north Manalapan. It’s just Manalapan!!

Jennifer Ruggiero
Used to walk on route nine from Monmouth Heights up to Pond road shopping center for pizza and then to walk back to the swim club on Route 9 and come home at 8 o’clock at night in the dark

Dana Russo
If u know what OST stands for

Jennifer Langlais Modula
Mr. Bright knew your name in HS

Marianne Chomko Szatkowski
Meeting at soda king was the old “group chat”

Sue Kirby
You ended up at the Manalapan diner eating disco fries and Boom Boom was your waitress on Friday and Saturday nights.

Peter Joffe
Going to Manalapan Diner at midnight and your waitress had the gray BeeHive hairdo

Matthew LaMarca
When you yell out WHO WANTS CAWFEE!

Kristine Scharaldi
If the last line of our National Anthem has extra-special meaning to you ...and the home of the BRAVES!!!

Jessica Weiss Stevens
You have no idea that Alaska is attached to the rest of the country or anywhere near Russia because of how our k-6 maps that pulled down from the ceiling portrayed the flattened globe.
Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise only. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.

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