I have been coming to Rehoboth Beach for
11 years and, like others, have loved my Rehoboth experience because of
the sense of safety and community this town offers for gays and lesbians.
This year, however, I decided to do it differently and become involved in
CAMP Rehoboth.
Although they have always been there, CAMP was
always just that little room tucked away in the courtyard that I would
pass on my way to Lori’s or Lambda. This year when I picked up Bingo
tickets at the new and improved CAMP Rehoboth community center and saw
they needed volunteers to stuff condoms, I knew I could lend a hand! That
is where it started.
Since then, I have found many ways to be a part of
this community. I have attended the Black and White Ball, Bingo, the
Mermaid Splash and most recently LOVE 2002 and have thoroughly enjoyed
each and every one.
Conversations I have had with folks in between
events have got me thinking. Actually made me kind of annoyed. What I have
heard is, “Oh, that is a men’s event” or “there aren’t enough
women’s things.” Well, I have news for you all. This summer I’ve
been seeing things a little differently. These are community events. Last
I checked, community means all. We can choose to attend or not, but we are
all welcome.
This past weekend when I was at LOVE 2002 there were
only a dozen or so women. We had a blast. We only wish more women came
out. Looking back, I am annoyed with myself for not encouraging my male
friends to come to Mermaid Splash. Next time, I’ll do things
differently.
In closing, I would encourage you all to become part
of this great community. I thank my friends at CAMP Rehoboth for letting
me know that there is room at the table for all of us.
Maureen Keenan
We distinctly remember one particular moment from
last October’s Colors of Fall V: Well into the party, we climbed up the
hill to get a full view of the event - the trees, the mountains, the sky,
the dance floor. The music was peaking, the sun was setting, and as we
took it all in we both acknowledged that for us it really couldn’t get
better than that. Colors V was everything we hoped it would be.
And so we’ve decided to go out on a high note and
with last year’s party bring to a close the Colors of Fall events.
We want to sincerely thank you for your support over
the past five years. From the first year, when the event was financed by a
small group and enjoyed by many more, to last year’s 65 hosts and 615
ticket holders, you’ve made it possible to put this party together year
after year. And for the last two years, your support was so strong Colors
of Fall made generous contributions to a number of community organizations
including the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL), the Gay,
Lesbian Straight Education Network, (GLSEN) and the Marine Toys for Tots
Foundation.
We also want to thank Scott Widmeyer and Alan Yount,
who hosted the first Colors and remained strong supporters ever since.
Thanks, too, to Steve Haden, who helped produce Colors for several years.
We are also very grateful to Velvet Nation, Fathom
Creative, Universal Gear, Web-N, Centaur Music and our other corporate
sponsors, and to Fairfield Farm at the Marriott Ranch for welcoming us
back year after year. Finally, thanks to DJs Mark MacEwan, Julian Marsh,
and Warren Gluck, and sound and light producer Lorne Greene for creating
musical magic in the mountains.
We hope you had half as much fun attending the
Colors of Fall events as we had putting them together.
Jason Smith and Craig Schwartz
June 22, 2002 was a very special day for 12
locations supporting the Arts in Rehoboth Beach. It was the debut of
Destination Art, a day that featured 12 simultaneous art receptions that
would encourage the public to move from location to location to see that
the arts are alive and well in Rehoboth Beach. The weather was grand and
the turnout of the public was great for the first of what we hope will be
many of these events.
I would like to acknowledge the cooperation of these
12 locations and the wonderful effort of opening up their businesses to
feature artists, food, entertainment, door prizes, and an array of art and
crafts. These businesses were Angel Eyes Gallery, Elegant Slumming, Spahr,
Dragonfly Designs, Panache, Tideline Gallery, Nassau Gallery and
Framehouse, Thunderbird Shop, Coastal Frameshop and Gallery, CCSI,
Rehoboth Beach Main Street, and The Rehoboth Art League. These people
worked together to create an exciting art event.
Any event has to have an enthusiastic bunch of
organizers, without whom this event would not have been possible. Special
thanks are extended to Don Gardiner, Lee Wayne Mills, Vince Castro, and
Paul Redfern. These four people made participating in this event a
pleasure and the event itself a success.
Of course we want to thank the public who took the
time, found a place to park and visited us. Many of them tried to see all
twelve places in the four-hour show period. These people were our
inspiration and the reason we are beginning the planning of our next
event, possibly for this fall. If you have suggestions on what we can do
better for our next event, please do not hesitate to share your
suggestions with any of the twelve businesses that participated. They will
promptly forward your suggestion to the planning committee.
With the public’s support we will continue to make
Rehoboth Beach an exciting arts destination.
Ed Rose, Panache Gallery
Back to Top of Page 
