LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
In Brief |
SCAC Benefit Dinner Cabaret on June 22 A spectacular evening awaits when the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW) present their original production of Love Songs and Other Fairy Tales...A Cabaret at the Atlantic Sands' Swan Ballroom on Saturday, June 22nd. The evening begins with an open bar from 7 p.m. until dinner is served at 8 p.m. A cash bar is available throughout the rest of the evening. The full course dinner, catered by the Atlantic Sands, features petit filet topped with demi glaze and grilled salmon with tomato caper relish. Each table will also be provided with plentiful wine. Lights will rise on the cabaret performance immediately following dinner. Featuring a cast of eight from the acclaimed GMCW, the cabaret musically explores the gay experience in ways that director Jarrin Davis promises, "will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone." Proceeds from the dinner and cabaret will benefit the Sussex County AIDS Committee (SCAC) and its supportive services for those living with HIV and AIDS. "This is a very special event for SCAC and surely for all who attend," says SCAC Board President Murray Archibald. "We have brought together the extraordinarily talented voices of the Gay Men's Chorus in this acclaimed new cabaret performance and combined it with a wonderful evening of cocktails and dinner." "It will be an unforgettable evening," he adds. First performed last fall to enthusiastic sold-out audiences in Washington, Love Songs and Other Fairy Tales...A Cabaret is, according to GMCW creative director Jeff Buhrman, "one of the best things we've done. The cast is top notch and eager to perform for our friends in Rehoboth." The performance has been recorded for CD release in September. Tickets for this year's special dinner and cabaret show are $100 each. Sponsor packages are also available for $1,250 and include preferred "up front" seating for a table of 10, recognition in the evening's commemorative program, and special recognition signage at the sponsor's table. A limited number of tickets are available at SCAC at 107 South Street in Rehoboth, at The Beacon Consignment-Thrift Shop at the Midway Shopping Center, and CAMP Rehoboth on Baltimore Avenue. For more information, call SCAC at 644-1090. Chuck Flanagan and George Whitehouse invited about 160 of their closest friends to a Memorial Day picnic at their home in The Landing on Sunday, May 26. Guests were asked to bring a couple of non-perishable food or household items such as toilet paper, paper towels, etc. to be donated to SCAC. Two pickup trucks and a van were required to haul the donations to SCAC a couple days later. Among the highlights of the occasion were raffle drawings for Baskets of Cheer and a 50-50 raffle. Nearly $2000 was collected from the raffles, all of which was donated to SCAC. Coastal Frameshop's Opening Celebration Coastal Frameshop and Gallery, located at 4284B Highway One (between Ames Plaza and Cingular) in Rehoboth Beach will have a Grand Opening celebration the weekend of June 22 and 23. The owner's welcome you to stop by that weekend. There will be a reception on Saturday June 22 from 3-7 P.M and on Sunday June 23 from 3-5 P.M. Featured artists are watercolorists David Gillenwater, Dale Sheldon and Michelle Marshall. In addition the oils and pastels of Chestertown MD gallery owner and artist David Grafton are on display. The gallery is co-owned by Rehoboth residents Robert Gold and Larry Hooker. It features an extensive collection of custom frames and mats and uses only conservation quality material in its framing. The owner's invite you to join them to celebrate the opening of the area's newest addition to the art scene. Tracy Rossetto and Curt Leciejewski straighten up to read Letters from CAMP Rehoboth in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Tickets on Sale for Fireworks Party See the July 7 fireworks from the best vantage point in town-with dinner, drinks and great music included! Tickets are now on sale (and going fast!) for the fireworks party, Sunday, July 7 at the Atlantic Sands Hotel Ballroom-the night of the annual Rehoboth Beach fireworks display. The party, called "The Works!" will be THE place to be July 7. From 7-10 p.m there will be an all-American fireworks party, featuring great food and beverages, a D.J. with beach party music, and a special invitation for party guests to watch the fireworks display from the rooftop viewing area at the Atlantic Sands Hotel. For the best view in town of the fireworks and a terrific party, tickets for "The Works!" are just $50 per person. The party features an all-you-can-eat beach party buffet featuring red, white and blue favorites like fried chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, corn on the cob, potato salad and more. Beer and wine are included, served by a terrific roster of celebrity bartenders. Hurry, ticket sales are taking off like firecrackers! Main Street has the fire; you can have "The Works!" Main Street can be reached at 227-2772. Line Dance Lessons at the Rehoboth YMCA The Sussex Family YMCA will offer line dance lessons as part of their summer session fitness classes June 24-August 24. Have fun while learning popular line dances such as Electric Slide, Tush Push, Reggae Cowboy, Mambo Cha Cha, and others. No partner necessary. The "Country Workout" class will take place Monday and Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. Classes are free for full members; nonmembers need to call the YMCA at 302-227-8018 for rates. "Country Workout" will be taught by Jennifer Rubenstein (new to Rehoboth from California and DC with five years experience instructing people to dance in Country Western and Swing styles) and assisted by Sharon Messina (new to Rehoboth from the DC area with over 10 years experience teaching line dance and organizing events). The Sussex Family YMCA, at 105 Church Street, Rehoboth Beach, offers Family Memberships where "family" is defined as a unit of two adults and their dependents living together at the same permanent address. Call the YMCA at 302-227-8018 for more information. Georgiana Ibach Hired as Childcare Coordinator Due to the high demand for quality live-in childcare, EF Au Pair has recently added Georgiana Ibach to its field staff for the Rehoboth Beach area. As a Local Childcare Coordinator (LCC), Georgiana will provide service and support to host families and their au pairs throughout the program year. EF Au Pair, an international non-profit organization, offers a flexible and affordable childcare option for local families through an intercultural at-home program. As a government-designated program, EF Au Pair brings Western and Eastern European and Australian women and men, aged 18 to 26, to the US to live with American host families for a year. Au pairs work up to 45 hours per week, and up to 10 hours per day, providing childcare in exchange for room, board and a valuable cultural experience. All au pairs are carefully screened, have previous childcare experience, speak English, possess an international driver's license and complete 32 hours of child safety and development training before arriving to a host family. The cost of the EF Au Pair program is approximately $250 per week, regardless of the number of children in a family or their ages. "As demands on parents have increased, so has the need for more flexible live-in child care," says Sarah Sisler, a regional manager for EF Au Pair. "Having an au pair is not only a rewarding cross-cultural experience, it's a very practical alternative for today's busy families. We're happy to have Georgiana available to introduce families in the area to this affordable childcare solution." Georgiana Ibach can be contacted at 302-344-7050. For further research into this local childcare option, visit www.efaupair.org. DestinationART Offers Art Opportunities Around Town Some of Rehoboth Beach's leading institutions, fine art and craft galleries, and home decor shops and services are collaborating to produce the first annual DestinationART on Saturday evening, June 22nd from 4-8 p.m. With 12 simultaneous art receptions with light refreshments and free drawings, DestinationART offers a unique opportunity for Rehoboth residents and visitors alike to survey the variety and diversity available to the savvy shopper and connoisseur in Rehoboth Beach. DestinationART maps and listings for the self-guided tour are available at each site and include: Angel Eyes Gallery, fine art, jewelry and gifts in Penny Lane; Elegant Slumming Home, fashions for the home at 33 Baltimore Ave; Spahr, eclectic collections at 58 Baltimore Ave; Dragonfly Designs, original design batiked clothing at Village by the Sea; Panache, fine contemporary crafts in Rehoboth Mews; Tideline Gallery, unique handcrafted gifts at 146 Rehoboth Ave; Nassau Gallery and Framehouse, fine art and framing at 176 Rehoboth Ave; The Thunderbird Shop, American art at 200 Rehoboth Ave; Coastal Frameshop and Gallery, custom framing and art on the service road at 4284B Hwy One; CCSI, design, construction and fine art services, 1020 First Street in Bay Vista; Rehoboth Beach Main Street, "working for you" in downtown Rehoboth at 259 Rehoboth Ave and The Rehoboth Art League, fine art, crafts and classes at 12 Dodds Lane in Henlopen Acres. The Rehoboth Art League will host the Grand Prize drawing for a $150.00 gift certificate, redeemable for either art or tuition at the Art League. Visit each of the destinations and submit your name for their respective door prizes including a kimono, a batik T-shirt, a framed print, a fluted glass vase, a paperweight, an egret bowl and a woodcut. This promises to be a rewarding and fun-filled evening! For more information contact the individual DestinationART venues or call Sandra Robbins at Panache, 302-227-9229. SLDN Calls On President To Dismantle "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy President Bush's proposal, announced last week, to create a Department of Homeland Security perpetuates a double-standard for lesbian, gay and bisexual Coast Guardsmen that should be removed, according to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). In announcing the creation of a Department of Homeland Security, President Bush proposed that the United States Coast Guard be moved from the Department of Transportation to the new cabinet level agency. Under the plan, Coast Guardsmen would work alongside officials from the Secret Service, Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service, among others. The plan, however, would mean that Coast Guardsmen are the only members of the new department who would continue to be fired on the basis of sexual orientation under the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. All other agencies in the proposed department would be covered by an Executive Order, implemented by Clinton Administration and still in effect under the Bush Administration, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. "The President's proposal presents a unique opportunity for the White House and Congress to free the Coast Guard from the military's policies of anti-gay discrimination," said SLDN Legal Director Sharra E. Greer. "The Department of Homeland Security will recruit America's best and brightest, including linguists and intelligence officers. There is no question that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans have been, and will continue to be, a part of our nation's defense. In his proposal to Congress, President Bush should recognize their contributions and free this new agency from the hypocrisy of a dangerous, anti-gay, double standard." SLDN noted that almost as many members of Team Coast Guard are protected from anti-gay discrimination by Executive Order as are subject to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in the first place. "Already, Coast Guardsmen serve alongside openly gay people as they protect our nation," said Greer. "All credible evidence suggests the Coast Guard would enhance mission readiness by being free of the bonds of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' The Department of Homeland Security should begin on the right note, and welcome all Americans who have talents to bring to the table." SLDN is dedicated to ending harassment and discrimination of military personnel affected by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" and related forms of intolerance US Airways joins TAG as a Preferred Supplier US Airways has been selected as a preferred supplier for the Travel Alternatives Group (TAG), the San Francisco-based nationwide marketing group of travel agents specializing in gay and lesbian vacation planning. TAG member applicants must qualify by agreeing to gay-sensitive business practices, and maintaining knowledge of gay-friendly destinations and services for their clients. "US Airways' participation is welcome news for TAG and our member agents," said Thomas Roth, President of TAG. "The US Airways program supports gay and gay-friendly TAG member agencies in an increasingly competitive environment. US Airways will support TAG members in a variety of ways, including incentives, advertising support, and educational familiarization tours to gay-friendly destinations served by the airline. "Since 1997, TAG member agents have become an important resource for gay communities across the country and we truly value this new relationship with US Airways," Roth said." Becoming a TAG Preferred Supplier is another major step along a noteworthy path that US Airways began just over a year ago. Since early 2001, US Airways identified the gay market as important to their business, and has taken on a leadership role. US Airways was a Gold Sponsor of the International Conference on Gay and Lesbian Tourism in both 2001 and 2002, and has exhibited at Gay and Lesbian World Travel Expos in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington DC and New York. The company also sponsored the "Gay and Lesbian Florida Vacation Planner" last year and is funding the update 2002 version due out this autumn. Online, the carrier has a major presence on PlanetOut.com. Andrew Love, the national sales manager for the gay and lesbian community for US Airways said, "This agreement with TAG is yet another example of our company's sincere commitment to diversity programs. We are confident that this relationship will bring significant mutual benefits to each of us and our customers." For US Airways flights and information, travelers may locate a TAG member travel agent in their area by visiting www.gaytravelnews.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 07, June 14, 2002. |