LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Connect |
by Beth Fitton |
Connect
What a kick off to summer! This Memorial Day weekend the weather was fabulous; the ocean was calm; the businesses were welcoming and the visitors were excited to be in Rehoboth Beach. At the garden centers, people were busy buying their deck and patio plants. At the home centers, folks were gathering materials for their next home improvement project. Local restaurants were serving their best to an extremely enthusiastic clientele. And from Queen Street north to Gordon's Pond, the beach was full of people truly happy to begin another summer season with friends and family. Everywhere we went, we saw friends greeting each other. Nowhere was that more evident than here at CAMP Rehoboth. The HeART of the Community Art Preview proved to be a very rewarding event. The majority of the artists were at the event and engaged in in-depth conversation about their work and their interpretation of this year's theme, Six Degrees of Separation. Good food, good drink, and good conversation surrounded by some of the best work of local supporting artists. What more could you want? Throughout the weekend, the CAMP Rehoboth courtyard was the scene of reunions. Folks drifted in and out of the shops, discovering the newest addition to the courtyard, "Shirts and Shoes Required" with their line of fine sandals, T-shirts and picnic bags, and feasting on new additions and old favorites at Lori's Cafe. The CAMPsafe program was very busy providing rapid testing for HIV disease to the walk-in public. And, of course, folks needed to fill out those important Beach Book forms for this year. As great as the Memorial Day weekend was, there was behavior that raised some concern for me. Now, I need to preface this with a disclaimer. You see, each time I fail to understand the latest commercial on TV, Mary says to me, "You are not the demographic that they are going after!" What she is not saying is, "You are too old!" So with that in mind let me have my say. If you were one of the people riding their motorcycle on Rt.1 at 50 mph weaving back and forth across all three lanes of traffic without wearing a helmet, STOP IT! The state police website reports "Aggressive driving behaviors were a factor in 68% of the 22 fatal motorcycle crashes that occurred last year." If you were one of the people openly consuming alcohol on the beach, STOP IT! Both the City of Rehoboth Beach and the Delaware State Park system have regulations prohibiting alcohol consumption. At the very least, these behaviors will result in tickets that will cost you money. Enjoy your time in Rehoboth Beach but, in all your behaviors, play safe! Founders' Circle As Founders' Circle donors have realized just how close we are to building the addition to the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, pledges have increased. We are very appreciative of the increased funds and the continued commitment to the Community Center. The upgraded membership and recent payments have resulted in the Founders' Circle totals reaching $1,321,901.17 pledged and $1,059,052.37 contributed. CAMP Rehoboth's staff, board of directors, and the building committee join me in offering our thanks for your generosity. Beth Fitton is Development Director at CAMP Rehoboth. She may be reached by e-mail at beth@camprehoboth.com. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 17, No. 6 June 1, 2007 |