Tony Orlando was owner of The Centennial Tavern (it was also known as Orlando's Bar and Grill) which stood at 19 Wall Street in Raritan During World War II his bar was decorated with hundreds of photos of the Raritan Boys who were serving in the war. Tony wrote several letters a day to the Raritan servicemen.
The walls at the bar were covered with photos of the Raritan Boys and letters they wrote to Tony. Click to see enlarged photo	Click for bio of Tony from "A Friendly Town of Friendly People" by Eleanor Barrett
	Click to see enlarged photo
In 1957 a dinner was held at The Martinsville Inn to honor Tony Orlando. The above bio is from the program from that dinner.	One Special Section on the wall at The Centennial Tavern was a tribute to those who made the Supreme Sacrifice
Above is a "Thank You Letter" written to Tony Orlando and the fellows at the Centennial Tavern from Raritan Serviceman Larry Carnevale.	Hundreds of letters were written to Tony from all over the world by Raritan boys in the service. Most of these letters have been saved.
Above is a photo from a local newspaper in 1944.	Today many of the photos that once were on the wall at Orlando's Tavern are on display at The Raritan Library.
Tony had two sons serving in the war. His son Anthony Jr. was in the Navy serving aboard the USS Leon in the Pacific. His son Matthew was in the Navy serving under General Patton's Third Army in Europe. Two of Tony Orlando's daughters Ann Shaub and Rose Tozzi still live in Raritan today.
In 1946 when all the Raritan boys returned from the war Tony held a special picnic to honor the servicemen and celebrate victory. The picnic was held at Duke's Estate - just over the Nevius Street Bridge.
	Click to see enlarged photo
A Toast to Victory in the War and to Tony Orlando