LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Rehoboth Beach NEWS & NOTES |
by Tom Minnuto |
BACHELOR AUCTION AT BLUE MOON.
One of the most anticipated summer events is here: The annual "Bachelor Auction" on Saturday, June 16th from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. at the Blue Moon (35 Baltimore Ave). MC Chris Riss has a brand new batch of beefy bachelors to bid on, including edible Andrew Criss, beefy Bruce Namerow, delicious David Mazzoni, and pretty Paulo Motta. Each one comes with a dinner-for-two at a fine Rehoboth restaurant. Highest bidder wins! 100% of the money raised will be donated to Rehoboth's annual July 4th weekend LOVE dance benefit. LOVE beneficiaries include The Sussex County AIDS Committee (50%), CAMP Rehoboth (30%), The Women's Project (10%) and Rehoboth Main Street (10%). It's great entertainment. Don't miss it! BRIAN PETRO ART RECEPTION AT BLUE MOON. On Saturday, June 16th from 2 4 p.m., join artist Brian Petro at the Blue Moon (35 Baltimore Ave) as he introduces his latest body of work, "Paint Chips." This is Petro's first movement into abstraction. Industry insiders have deemed it to be a very successful effort. Keep your eyes peeled for more of Petro's work. He recently finished work for Ritz-Carlton Hotels, was featured in Pride Magazine, and was commissioned by Absolut Vodka to create an ad representing Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. Petro will be available at the June 16th art reception to answer any questions you may have. Refreshments provided by Blue Moon. For more information e-mail artboy17@hotmail.com. GAY MEN'S CHORUS COMES TO REHOBOTH. The Washington DC Gay Men's Chorus together with The Rainbow Chorale of Delaware is performing a one night only benefit concert for the Sussex County AIDS Committee (SCAC) on Saturday, June 23rd at 8 p.m. at the Rehoboth Convention Center (229 Rehoboth Ave). Tickets are $18 and are available at SCAC, 302-644-1090 or CAMP Rehoboth, 302-227-5620. Doors open at 7 p.m. Cash bar available. For more information or to volunteer for the event, call SCAC at 302-644-1090. BEACH ESSENTIALS HOSTS COMMUNITY CENTER FUNDRAISER. Beach Essentials (33 Baltimore Ave) is hosting its 4th annual dance party on Saturday, June 23rd from 10 p.m. midnight in the Beach Essentials courtyard. This time, the event will help raise funds for the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Project. The event will be "Open Bar" and will include music by a live DJ. There will also be discounted prices on Beach Essentials fashions and you won't want to miss the Fashion Show featuring Rehoboth's own Bill Pullen, Dan Giacobbe, Randy Randolf, Jeff Springer and Paul Pike. Sponsors include Skyy Vodka, Atlantic Liquors, Gold's Gym and Restaurante Salero (atop Henlopen Hotel). For more information contact Beach Essentials at 302-227-5210. HAPPY (BELATED) BIRTHDAY! To Jeff Kern of 36 James A. You can find Jeff getting down and dirty at the Double L's dirty cocktail hour every Saturday from 4 8 p.m. CHEERS! To Lori Kline of Lori's Caf for serving a chicken salad sandwich that is truly "to die for." If you haven't tried it yet, you're missing out. Grab one (or two) for the beach! Lori's Caf is located in the "Rainbow Alley" courtyard (39 Baltimore Ave). Place your order by phone: 226-3066. BEACH HOUSE OF THE WEEK 3 Country Club. They just launched a new house website at www.3Country ClubDrive.com and House Mother, John Klenert, has begun preparations for his annual Squirt Gun Party, which will be held on August 11th from 5 8 p.m. Just to clarify: This is the 7th annual Squirt Gun Party, the longest running theme party in Rehoboth. Again, proof that a good idea and a little enthusiasm can go a long way. WEEKEND "RAP-UP!" The CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Project Kickoff at the new Atlantic Sands Ballroom on June 2nd was an enormous success with over $150,000 in pledges made. Thumbs up to CAMP and all those who opened their hearts! Members of 321 Laurel and 322 Laurel are engaging in a friendly (or not?) game of "let's decorate each other's front lawn." So far, plastic pink flamingos and toilet paper have been the accessories of choice. At press time, Nurse Crackers' group at 322 was in the lead by a family-pack of Charmin. Looks like the boys at 321 will have to "2-ply" their efforts or else face being "wiped" by the competition. Tony Burns' Belmont Stakes Horse Race party was a huge success. But instead of betting on the horse race, participants at this year's event placed bets to see how long it will take picture-toting Tony to ditch his beloved Sutton Place Gourmet bag in exchange for a bona fide camera-carrying case. You're wasting your money, fellas. According to Tony, "The bag stays." If you're looking to find members of Rehoboth's beach house contingent all together in one place (aside from Poodle Beach, "left of the lifeguard stand"), check out Yum Yum's Sunday Tea from 5 8 p.m. This is where they all congregate to catch up and dish out. It is THE place to "see and be seen" this summer. Sure you'll have to stay late on Sunday, but that's a small price to pay for social hobnobbing with the "in-crowd," n'est pas? SOCIAL CALENDAR Who's the DJ Friday, June 15: 10 p.m. 2 a.m. Cloud 9 with DJ Michael DeCero 10 p.m. late Renegade with DJ Jeff Harrison Saturday, June 16 2 p.m. 4 p.m. Blue Moon hosts Brian Petro Art Show Reception 5 p.m. 8 p.m. Blue Moon Bachelor Auction 10 p.m. 2 a.m. Cloud 9 with DJ Michael DeCero 10 p.m. late Renegade with DJ Jeff Harrison Sunday, June 17 5 p.m. 8 p.m. Yum Yum Boxers & Bathing Suit Tea with DJ Michele Miruski 10 p.m. 2 a.m. Cloud 9 with DJ Michael DeCero 10 p.m. late Renegade with DJ Jeff Harrison Friday, June 22 10 p.m. 2 a.m. Cloud 9 with DJ Scott Neafus 10 p.m. late Renegade with DJ Jeff Harrison Saturday, June 23 8 p.m. 9:30 p.m. DC Gay Men's Chorus Rehoboth Convention Hall 10 p.m. midnight Beach Essentials 4th dance party (33 Baltimore Ave) 10 p.m. 2 a.m. Cloud 9 with DJ Scott Neafus 10 p.m. late Renegade with DJ Jeff Harrison Sunday, June 24 5 p.m. 8 p.m. Yum Yum Tea with DJ Tommy Walton 10 p.m. 2 a.m. Cloud 9 with DJ Scott Neafus 10 p.m. late Renegade with DJ Jeff Harrison Tosca's Kiss Reference Guide. By now, everyone has heard of the Rehoboth-based murder mystery, Tosca's Kiss by Tyler Colby. Unfortunately, we still don't know who Tyler Colby really is, but we do knowbased on some of the characters, places and events in the bookthat he (or she) knows a lot about the beach house social scene in Rehoboth. Check out who's really who and what's really what in this "unofficial" guide to Tosca's Kiss... Keep in mind that Tosca's Kiss is a work of FICTION. Some of the characters are "inspired by," "loosely based on," and/or contain "elements of" real-life people, but the similarities end there. To order Tosca's Kiss, go online at www.Amazon.com or www.iuniverse.com. In The Book... Steve Hughes. Described as a man about 50 years old. "A prominent member of the gay community" who helped create the local community service organization, CAMP Rehoboth. Pete Sweet. A "prominent socialite" with a rhyming first and last name. He drives an aging BMW. Mark Kubiszczinski. Rehoboth newcomer from Buffalo, NY. Pete's protg. Don. A Rehoboth veteran, socially and politically active in the community. He possesses a "fatherly" instinct toward the other characters, namely Mark. Dr. Mary Fox. The County Medical Examiner who tries to piece together the evidence in a series of murders. 1 Michael. Beach House address. Mark is told he is in "the house at the beach, which co-hosts the biggest party of the season on July 4th." At the party, "the official number (of people) was 828 as of 11:00 p.m." 1 Bancroft. Beach House address. Located "right across the bridge at the intersection where two diagonal streets dead-end into Silver Lake." Hosts an HRC party. Phoebe Medical Center. Located in Lewes, Delaware. The Rebel Resort. "A dumpy motel...with bad drag...appalling karaoke...the only decent dance floor in town." The Boot Black. "Delmarva's very own leather bar." Land of Oz. A house converted into a restaurant on Wilmington Avenue where some of the characters have brunch. Party Themes. "Boogie Nights," "Saving Ryan's Privates," "Poke-A-Hunk-Ass," and "Position: Impossible." In Real Life... Steve Elkins. Turned 50 last summer. Executive Director and Co-Founder of the real CAMP Rehoboth. Chris Riss. A prominent socialite with a rhyming first and last name. He used to drive an aging BMW. Aside from a few similarities, i.e. being from Buffalo, protg mentions and a few exchanges between Pete and Mark that give me Dj vu, this character is most likely based on the author himselfnot on me. And I swear to you, I'm NOT the author. Would the real Tyler Colby please stand up! The Author. In addition to the character of Mark, it appears that whoever wrote this book is using the character of Don as his voice. Figure out who Don is, and you'll figure out who Tyler Colby is. It doesn't matter who this character is based on, all that matters is that the gay characters in the story get to say "Mary" on every page and really mean it. 10 George. You can argue the social merits, but this is where the real July 4th bash took place. And there's no denying that I personally clicked in 828 people by 11:00 p.m. during our July 4th party in 1999. Also, George + Michael could be a reference to singer/songwriter George Michael (one of the celebrities that appeared on our July 4th invitation in 1998.) 1 Robinson. Located in the exact spot as 1 Bancroft. Has hosted two HRC parties on its lawn in previous years. In case you didn't notice the names, actress Ann 'Bancroft' played Mrs. 'Robinson' in the movie The Graduate. Beebe Medical Center. Located in Lewes, DE. 'Phoebe' could also be a reference to the character of the same name from the movie, All About Eve. Phoebe came along at the end of the story to steal the spotlight from Eve who had previously stolen the spotlight from her mentor, Margot. In the Rehoboth social arena, there are many Margots, Eves and Phoebes. The Renegade. In reality, the Renegade's a great dance club with great DJ's. And how could you not like Gladys Kravitz? The Double L. The name stands for Levi's and Leather. It's Rehoboth's first and only leather bar. La La Land. Also a house converted into a restaurant on Wilmington Avenue. A popular place for brunch and dinner. All these themes were actual parties, hosted by 901 King Charles, 1015 Fifth St, and 204 Hickman, respectively. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 7, June 15, 2001. |