On this, the 40th anniversary of Secretariat’s Triple Crown, I took a ride by the land where Garden State Park once stood, rising majestically with a white wooden grandstand like the Yankee Stadium of horse racing. Now another indistinct shopping center, this sacred soil used for shopping was where Secretariat raced only a few months before becoming thoroughbred majesty in 1973.  Back then, there was a gap in the fence off Third Ave., near the back entrance of the track. The gap was wide enough for a kid’s body, which is where I used to sneak in back the early 1970’s, avoiding the dollar entrance fee. The mile or so walk up Chapel Ave from St. Peter’s School in Merchantville raced by like “Big Red” himself, talking with my older brother, Rich, and usually two of our friends. On half days, we would sprint out of school and go to the race track, ditching our book bags in the lower church as we said a quick prayer for a good day at the track. http://on.cpsj.com/19PtCSN

Merchantville is known as South Jersey's Victorian Secret. It is big on tradition but short on houses for sale. Why? People move in but they rarely ever leave. Whether it's the housing stock or the K-8 school district, people stick to Merchantville like glue, the Darlands say. On the street where the Darlands bought their 1907 Sears & Roebuck craftsman bungalow three years ago, there are 11 other houses.

The paperwork and information regarding Candidates for the Merchantville School District Board of education is available to any resident who meets the qualifications to serve. The deadline for applications to be listed on the November Election ballot is Tuesday, June 4th. If interested in applying, please share complete the required  paperwork. For additional information log on to www.camdencounty.com/clerk and click on Election Division - Candidate information. BOE Candidate Application

APPLICATION DEADLINE TODAY: The Merchantville Board of Education is accepting applications from interested residents who wish to fill an unexpired term on the School Board. Applicants should: send a letter stating their desire to serve on the Board, submit a summary of their qualifications, or a resume to the school business office by Friday, April 12th.

Civil Rights Pioneer, Aide to Dr. King, Baptist Minister. Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, in 1929, he stated unapologetically that his father was a “race man,” a pastor and his role model.  He reportedly said, “My father reacted to anything that smacked of discrimination or prejudice and I was under that influence.  He was my first hero.”  Walker grew up in New Jersey where he attended primary and secondary schools in Merchantville.

Buster Williams, 70, is a living legend of jazz, a sideman who has jammed with the likes of Miles Davis, Count Basie, Herbie Hancock, Sarah Vaughan, and Nancy Wilson. In 2009, Williams and his wife sold their brownstone in Harlem and moved to an apartment on the first floor of an old Victorian in Merchantville.