LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Memories: Rehoboth's Gay History |
by Fay Jacobs and Libby Stiff |
This is one article in a series of remembrances, oral histories and tales of the way we were in gay Rehoboth during the Twentieth Century. The short vignettes are based on interviews, newspaper clippings and whatever lore has been passed down through the years in our gay-friendly town. In 1983, GLAD, the Gay & Lesbian Association of Delaware, wanted to host a Memorial Day Weekend party at the Nomad Village in Bethany Beach. The Nomad manager, Paul Rodriguez, was pushing to have more women attend the party and had been in touch with the head of GLAD, May Barrows. According to Sharon, Barrow's partner Lucky Sweeney knew Sharon, and he knew that she loved to DJ. That's how Sharon came to be invited to work her first Nomad party. Advertising herself as "Music by Sharon," the evening was such a success that Sharon was booked to DJ for the July 4th party, which, in turn, led to a regular weekend gig all summer. "They put down a linoleum dance flooroutside by the Nomad pooland we had a ball!" remembers Sharon. From that point forward, for both the summer of 1983 and 1984, Sharon did the DJ chores every Saturday night at the Nomad. "In those days, the Renegade was thought of as primarily for men, and not a place for women to go. With all those women looking for a place to dance, the Nomad was it," remembers Sharon. "We had a ball out there dancing by the pool. More than once we had to fish people out of the water!" And Sharon still remembers the Nomad owner, Randall Godwin, walking around with a decibel meter to check sound levels because he was worried that the neighbors would complain. Sharon's friend Terry Lake recalls trying to publicize the Saturday women's nights. "Every weekend, we'd leaflet the beachesboth Poodle Beach and North Shoresencouraging women to come to the Nomad," Terry says. "And each Saturday night we'd have to carry all of our equipment in and set it up," recalls Sharon. "It was a lot of work but also great fun." Terry recalls that since it was widely perceived that the Renegade didn't cater to women in its first few yearsthe early 1980'sthe Nomad was really the only game in town. It was just at this time, the summer of 1984, that Fay Jacobs, coauthor of this column, made her first visit to the Nomad. "Bonnie and I had only been together about two years at the time and were staying with friends in Bethany. We ventured out on Saturday night to check out the Nomad Village. It just so happened that a GLAD party was going on, so we paid the cover charge as a donation at the door and proceeded inside. I remember the music by the pool and dozens of women partying and dancing," says Fay. "I was really impressed that this small club, which appeared to me to be on the edge of nowhere, had such a big crowd of lesbians." But the fun didn't last, according to Sharon and Terry. "Unfortunately, the manager, Paul, died of AIDS," said Sharon. "After that, there was little interest among the owners for keeping the Nomad a place for women. I remember arriving to set up my equipment for Memorial Day weekend 1985 only to discover that a male DJ had been hired to replace me. It wasn't a nice moment!" But the disappointment didn't last too long. "We heard about a new restaurant and bar opening in Rehoboth on Route One," says Sharon. (It was where the Road House Restaurant now stands.) "Called the Crystal Forest, it aimed to be an upscale, hightech New York style dance club and restaurant." They had already hired Paul Stewart as their house DJ, but Sharon was hired as a waitress, and her lover as a dishwasher. The Crystal Forest opened on July 4th in 1985 with disco singer Sylvester as its headliner. Sharon remembers "the place was all decorated in forest green, with a circular bar and huge dance floor and state-of-the-art high tech lighting and sound systems." "It was very classy," says Terry, "all done in the round, with several levels and tropical flowers on all the tables. It was gorgeous and a lot of women went there to dance." Unfortunately, the fun was short-lived there, as well. By the fall of 1985, Sharon and Terry recall that the Crystal Forest finances were in shambles. The place closed shortly thereafter. "Those early 1980 years in Rehoboth were fantastic," says Terry. "My first impression was that it was a fantasy landnot anything like the gay clubs or social life in Baltimore. It was idyllic; we really felt there was greater acceptance here." And then, with the Crystal Forest closed and the Nomad catering to a predominately male crowd, an all new era began... the start of women's tea dances at the Renegade... Can you tell us more about these and other Gay Rehoboth memories? Rehoboth residents and visitors wishing to contribute their recollections, photos or other printed matter, may contact the authors through CAMP Rehoboth, or by email to Fay at mvnoozy@aol.com or Libby at lstiff@hotmail.com. We'd love to hear from you! |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 2, Mar. 10, 2000. |