LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
Spring, in all its glory, has arrived at the beach, and the summer season hovers on the not so distant horizon. Work on the streetscape of Rehoboth has progressed nicely, and even skeptics are beginning to see how beautiful the city will look when the project is completed. Businesses above Second Street on Rehoboth Avenue have been contained behind barbed wire fences all winter, and now their owners, staff, and patrons are emerging onto generously wide sidewalks, with no overhead power lines to cause the new trees to be butchered every season. There will still be parking on Rehoboth Avenue, of course, but with slick, new meters. The uproar over Pennsylvania u.s. senator Rick Santorum's recent homophobic remarks comparing gay people with polygamists, adulterers, and those who commit incest, has united Democrats and Republicans alike. Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director Patrick Guerriero has issued a statement calling "on all Republican elected officials, including President Bush, to distance themselves from Santorum's harmful statements that divide the American family." Santorum's comments remind me that there are still times when we need to be activistsnot just for gay and lesbian issues, but anytime unjust and false ideas are present. Speaking of unjust, all of us at CAMP Rehoboth were saddened by the act of Boardwalk vandalism that destroyed Murray's dolphin, and caused a quick reassessment of where the dolphins would be placed around town. A great deal of time and effort went into the painting of all the dolphins, and on page 6 Murray and some of the other artists talk about the experience. Last year, the park operations administrator for the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation, Stephen Schilly, began writing a column for Letters, and working with CAMP Rehoboth on other park related issues, including sensitivity training for park personnel. In the last issue of Letters it was noted that CAMP Rehoboth had been presented an award recognizing us as a Friend of Recreation. Now we have learned that DNREC has awarded Stephen the Secretary's Award for Diversity for his work with CAMP Rehoboth. Congratulations Steve! One of the most exciting projects of camp Rehoboth continues to be the plans to build a new and improved CAMP Rehoboth Community Center on our current site on Baltimore Avenue. The focus of that project is, of course, The Founders' Circle. This year's CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Founders' Circle event will again be the Black and White (and this time Red all over) Beach Ball in the Atlantic Sands Ballroom. Dress for the event is Black and White or all red. The evening includes an auction of the 2003 HeART of the Community paintings created especially for CAMP Rehoboth. (The paintings can be previewed at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Artists Reception on Saturday, May 24 from 4-6 p.m.) For more information about the Founders' Circle, The Black and White (and red all over) Beach Ball, or the HeART of the Community Art Project, see page 37. As summer draws near, so do all the many events and projects in which we are involved: Love 2003 (this year a two night dance event including a retro party), Follies 2003, Sundance 2003, The Beach Book, the 2003 CAMPsafe campaign, and much more. CAMP Rehoboth is also a sponsor of other events and organizations, such as the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival and the Henlopen Theater Project (see page 44 for an update on HTP's new Artistic Director Ari Kreith). This year, we're also a sponsor of the all new Rehoboth Beach Cabaret Fest set for May 2-3. The brainchild of Chris Riss, the Cabaret Fest brings another dimension to the growing entertainment scene in Rehoboth Beach. See page 64 for a Cabaret Fest schedule. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 13, No. 4, May 2, 2003 |