THE GHOSTS COME OUT TO REMEMBER—FOUR CENTURIES 2025
Is the Deserted Village of Feltville really deserted? If you stopped by during the weekend of October 18 and 19, 2025, for Feltville’s annual celebration of the Union County event Four Centuries in a Weekend, you would have been able to talk to the ghost of David Felt, who would have told you that the village was never really deserted. But, even without David’s help, you would have seen a village full of life, with a number of ghosts come to life. And, in the spirit of all things ghostly, two carved jack-o-lanterns showed up unannounced.
One ghost was particularly celebrated this year—our own Roberto de la Selva, who painted murals on the downstairs walls of House 7 at the village during the late 1920s. This year Roberto was channeled by Jay Robaina, a Union County staff member and volunteer at the event. Roberto gave us all an enchanting introduction to the value of art as memory of forgotten people—and the way sculptured wood or painted walls remembered the hands that had turned them into art.
In honor of Roberto, I did my annual presentation each day at 2 p.m. on the artist. On Sunday, I had the pleasure of being joined by Ron Burkard, who has collected what I believe to be the largest single collection of Roberto’s work. Ron brought both his most recently purchased bas-relief by Roberto, and several family members, his son Eric and daughter-in-law Christel, and granddaughter Natalie. Ron and I are working hard to keep Roberto’s fame alive. Eric has provided me with a number of photos from the event.
Thanks to my sister-in-law Pam Blind, her son Jimmy Blind, and my friends Paul and Bill Schryba for coming by again and for their pictures, which I am sharing with you.