LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Lewes Lips |
CAMPnote: A new feature in Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, LEWES Lips is the creation of a troika of residents of Lewes, Delaware, the "First Town" in the "First State." "Stop! That's it." At my partner's command, I stopped the car and took a double take at the neglected cottage. "Yes, of course! That is the house. I WANT THAT HOUSE," I cried. We had passed by it for years and never noticed it. Few had noticed it over the years. Turns out it was on the market nearly forever. The yard was overgrown and full of brambles. The outside needed painting, and maybe a new roof. The inside smelled of kitty litter, oil from the leaky tank, and stale cigarettes. But we saw something special about it. Collectively, we had turned 65 (32 and 33 respectively); and it was time to buy our dreamour summer home. We bought that home in Lewes! News traveled fast. During our first week, many gay locals dropped by, purportedly on the way to or from the grocery store down the street. They introduced themselves, welcomed us, and told stories about how they came to Lewes. For such a small town, there seemed to be so many gay men and lesbians! And how did they find out about us so quickly? Soon, we began to receive invitations in our mailbox to gay parties in Lewes. There were no return addresses on the envelopes, though the party sites were, of course, identified. And, further, there were neither stamps nor our address on the envelopes. They must have been dropped off in person! We enjoyed ourselves at the parties immensely, and, at one of the first, the numerous drop-bys and invitations were explained. Our host told us that we had become "the latest pushpin on the Lewes map." He explained that somewhere in Lewes, a town map had a pushpin for every gay residence. We found that odd, initially; but our pushpin had, indeed, been added. That was back in 1996. Today, we understand the map. We appreciate the map. But we have still never seen the map. We were certainly welcomed by the gay folks, all represented, like us, as pushpins on the mysterious map. But we wondered how people "un-pinned" would react to yet another out-of-town, big-city couplegay at thatmoving in and, perhaps, creating more change in the character of this tiny historic town, this "first town in the first state." But we quickly met "un-pinned" neighbors, including many long-time natives. Some told us the history of our homewho had lived there and who the descendents were. All noted how pleased they were to meet us, happy that "such nice boys" had moved in. Eventually, we felt like natives ourselves, through their collective embrace. You see, Lewes strives to be a welcoming community for all. We had planned this as a summer place. We never thought we would leave our jobs and home in DC and live year-round in a tiny town of 1,100. But this is what we eventually did. It's nice that we now know the names of the bank tellers, the post office clerks, and mailman, and, of course, the check out gals at the IGA. It's nice to be greeted by name by the owners and staff at the Buttery, Gilligans and Taste of Heaven (at least several more push pins there!). It's nice to know so many of the people that frequent and run the shops, pubs and restaurants of Lewes. But best of all it's nice to know you're welcome. Lewes Lips is about the individual "pushpins," as well as other local townspeople and the map itself. Over time, Lewes Lips hopes to introduce you to the town and some of what goes on herewho we are, what we enjoy and, most importantly, how you can enjoy it too. And Lewes is a small town where you really do get to know your neighbors quite well; so, of course, we may uncover just a little pushpin "dish" along the way. In the June 20 issue of The Advocate, the magazine polls its readers: "If you live in a big town now, would you ever consider living in a small town or rural area?" We have the answer. What's going on in Lewes? We expect to give you the scoop on some not-so-public activities in future columns. (But be on your best behavior when you join in, because we'll be there, and we just may be taking notes...) For now, watch for the following: June 17: Lewes Garden Tour, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Tickets are available at the Fisher-Martin House on the day of the tour. Fisher-Martin House is behind the Zwaanendael Museum at the intersection of Kings Highway and Savannah Road. July 1: St. Peter's Annual Art Sale, Second & Mulberry Streets in downtown Lewes. July 8: Annual Craft Fair, Lewes Historical Complex. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 7, June 16, 2000. |