LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
On Sunday, June 18, the late afternoon social buzz along Baltimore Avenue was interrupted by the sound of fire alarms and the sight of billowing clouds of black smoke rising over the cluster of restaurants that occupy the corner of First and Baltimore. To the many observers on the street the exact location of the blaze was hard to pinpoint"it's Dish!"... "no, Adriatico!"... "it's the church!"... "Jammin' Joes!"... "Nicola Pizza!" Speculation was rampant, and a nervous excitement swept through the crowd of onlookers, many of whom had only moments before been dining in the restaurants in question. Afterwards, of course, the reason for the confusion became apparentthe fire had started in the back trash alleyway that connected all the properties. In retrospect, it could have been much worse. If the nearby propane tanks had exploded or firefighters had not been able to extinguish the blaze, downtown Rehoboth could have faced a major loss. As I understand it, Jammin' Joes suffered the worst damage and remains closed. Nicola and Adriatico have reopened and by the time this issue hits the streets, Dish should be back in business. For photos of the fire, see page 4.
Crisis situations have been known to bring out the best and the worst in people. For example: at the height of the fire and sometime after all the businesses on or near to the scene had been evacuated, I witnessed a young couple who apparently had made reservations for the evening at Dish. They strolled between fire trucks, stepped over fire hoses and walked down the steps trying to get into the restaurant. "But we have reservations" they complained when confronted. On the other hand, my sister Judy was visiting us from Atlanta and overheard a conversation between a waitress and a diner from one of the evacuated restaurants. The man had chased the waitress down the street so he could pay for his meal. "I don't know if this is it exactly," he insisted as he pushed the bills into the protesting waitress's hand, "but it's close." Summertime in Rehoboth continues to get busier and busiernot just for CAMP Rehoboth but for a variety of organizations. I've been involved in fund raising activities in this community for a long time and I have always been amazed at the continuous generosity of the people of the Rehoboth area. In the coming weeks, both fund raising and 'fun' raising will take center stage. Starting with all the Love 2006 events scheduled for the 4th of July weekendincluding the Ultimate Love Main Event and the Retro BallJuly and August are jam-packed with activities. After Love comes Splash'06, the 2006 CAMP Rehoboth Follies, Sundance 2006, and a whole lot more. Call CAMP Rehoboth for information and tickets for these and other events. Speaking of Sundance, in the next few weeks information will be going out about becoming a sponsor of our biggest event of the year, Sundance 2006The Big Bang Supernova PopHeart Rainbow. This year's Sundance painting (by the same name) is currently on display at the Blue Moon. Another hot item at this year's Sundance Auction will undoubtedly be the bigger than life size Brokeback Mountain poster signed by Ang Lee and entire cast. Get ready folks, I have a feeling there'll be a battle for this one! The poster was donated by Andrew Byrd of Manassas, Virginia. Congratulations to Evie Simmons and Barb Thompson on the success of the first annual CAMP Rehoboth Golf Classic. Evie and Barb are the founders of the CAMP Rehoboth Women's Golf League and the organizers of the Tournament, and they worked hard to make it an exciting day for all the participants. For information about the Women's Golf League call CAMP Rehoboth. Thanks once again to Greg Albright and George Lizama of production Solutions for printing the 2006 Beach Book and to Charlie Lee for data input. The Beach Books are now available at CAMP Rehoboth. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 16, No. 8 June 30, 2006 |