CAMP Profile:  

Big, joyous, successful events and fundraisers don’t just happen. They take hundreds of volunteers and thousands of people wanting to attend, donate, and talk up the fun.

And Rehoboth has no shortage of either volunteers or attendees. We’re lucky that way—and it makes for enjoyable summers, lucrative fundraisers, and events that draw people to our town to spend money and have a great time. Win, win doesn’t begin to cover it.

But the third element of the equation is leadership. And we’re lucky on that count, too.

Over the past decade, among the many people in leadership positions, has been Chris Riss. Gay social life in Rehoboth has been greatly enriched by the energy and ideas of Chris Riss. Whether it’s the Beach Book Directory, Beach House Rush Party, last year’s mega-successful Follies or this spring’s brand new Cabaret weekend, Chris took the lead and invented new traditions.

Newly relocated to Rehoboth full-time and working as a realtor with Lingo, Chris left a career in D.C. to plunge into Rehoboth life with both feet. Considering what he’s been able to do on a part-time basis, look out!

Chris first came to Rehoboth the summer of 1989, taking selected weekends in a beach house share. For the next twelve years, he partied, volunteered and helped raise money for CAMP Rehoboth, SCAC and other organizations. He was one of the founders of LOVE (the July 4th weekend extravaganza), invented the first Beach Book directory, ran the D.C. beach house rush party, produced the LOVE Bachelor Auction, and more.

Like many people who have moved to Rehoboth full-time, Chris’s weekend involvement here began to make Rehoboth feel more like home than D.C. When he and Heine Lund, his partner of 15 years, bought a summer house at Delaware Avenue and First Street, a permanent move here seemed a looming possibility.

Using what Chris calls a natural synergy, he traded his career as a tech headhunter for selling resort town real estate. "Every weekend I was here, I would talk to people buying houses, and it all made sense to me," says Chris. "I’m really busy now, and I know that a business takes a while to build up. But so far I’m getting great response from my ads and Web site."

Chris says that getting people involved is the key to a vibrant community. For that reason, he’s committed to e-mailing the Beach Buzz—part calendar, part event promotion, part real reminder to lots of folks in town—and he urges the recipients to pass the Buzz along to anyone they think will be interested.

"All the things I’ve been involved in give me a sense of community and encourage a sense of belonging," he says. "That’s when the community grows."

Last summer’s CAMP Rehoboth Follies, produced by Chris Riss, and made possible by an army of volunteers, was an example of an ambitious idea turning out to hugely successful.

"The concept was as old as the hills, like Mickey and Judy putting on a show," Chris says, "but it took so many people to pull it off."

Born of the beach house culture with its theme parties and drag extravaganzas, The Follies had ten amateur groups doing skits, lip synch routines, sing-a-longs with hilarious lyrics and more. The evening at the Convention Center last July was a sell-out, with an incredible $30,000 or so going to CAMP Rehoboth.

While the performers and volunteers made it happen, it was the organization of the event that made it a roaring success. From strict skit rules to pre-set dress rehearsal times, crackerjack stage managers to precise judging standards, Chris organized it all.

Right now, tickets are on sale for the Second Annual Follies on July 26, and groups of performers are still signing up to join the cast. That army of volunteers is forming and rehearsals are being held all over town.

"Not only did we do a show last year, but we created lots of great memories for the performers, had fun and raised money which goes right back into the community," says the producer.

With the second annual Follies on the way, you’d think that this entrepreneur would be content just to keep nurturing this event.

No, this past Spring, Chris was the organizer of Rehoboth’s first Cabaret Weekend, designed to bring cabaret performers to town—who, in turn, would bring added business to town for local restaurants and clubs. With nine venues going at once, big ads in local publications, and lots of excitement generated, this event was judged an immediate hit too. The venues were booked solid and chances are there will be lots more on the schedule for the second annual.

With only about six weeks to go before July 26, is Chris putting all his energy into Follies preparation? Yes.

And no. First comes the LOVE Bachelor Auction at Blue Moon from 5-8 p.m. on June 14. There will be 15 bachelors this year (along with dinner for two at a local restaurant to go with the bachelor!) and Chris will once again be the auctioneer. "It’s fun and a very public, very entertaining, way to raise funds for our community," Chris says, as he admits that the auctioneer’s prodding and audience alcohol consumption ups the ante every time.

One trend Chris has noticed is that younger people are starting to buy beach homes around Rehoboth—probably to be the next generation of volunteers and leaders.

"That’s great," he says, "because I cannot commit to one more thing! Truthfully, I’m very much looking for the next Chris Riss."