LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
In Brief |
Beach Book 2001 Comes Out June 23
Beach Book 2001, a directory of Rehoboth Beach area summer residents and their frequent guests, is now being assembled. To be included in this year's book, names must be received by Sunday, June 3. Published by CAMP Rehoboth and edited by Tom Minnuto, the Beach Book is organized into two parts. In the first section houses are listed by street with the names of persons at that address and the phone number. The second section lists each person alphabetically with address and phone number. In its ninth year of publication, the Beach Book is an important part of Rehoboth's gay summer scene, making it easy to keep track of both old and new friends. The Beach Book will be ready for distribution by Saturday, June 23. To be included in Beach Book 2001, fill out the form on page 66 and mail it to CAMP Rehoboth, 39 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth, DE 19971, fax it to 302-227-5604, email it to beachbook@camprehoboth.com or fill it out on-line at www.camprehoboth.com. Letters Announces Beach House Cover Contest Letters from CAMP Rehoboth has announced plans for a summer 2001 CAMP cover contest. The contest has been designed to encourage members of beach houses or just a group of beach friends, to create a "campy, outrageous, creative or fabulous" photograph and win the chance to be on the cover of the August 10 issue of Letters. Runners up and specialty awards will also be published in the August 10 issue, and all entries will be displayed at an awards party on Saturday, August 11. "The contest was created," says Letters editor Steve Elkins, "to try and capture the wonderful spirit of friendship, fun, and 'camp' that keeps us all coming to Rehoboth year after year." Judging for the event will be based on that "spirit of friendship, fun and camp," as well as on creativity, color and design. Deadline for photo submission is Saturday, July 14. All photos should be in a vertical (to square) format and submitted as a color print preferably around 8" x 10", but no larger. If submitted in a smaller size, the negative should also be included. For more information on the Letters from CAMP Rehoboth Cover Contest call 302-227-5620. DC Gay Men's Chorus Plans Benefit Concert for SCAC Planning is well under way for the return of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. who will perform for one show only at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 23 at the Rehoboth Convention Center. Concert proceeds will again benefit SCAC and its supportive services for those with HIV and AIDS. The 180-voice chorus (20 percent larger than the group that performed last year in Rehoboth!) is a staple of the Washington choral music scene. Now in its twentieth season, the Gay Men's Chorus is in the forefront of the gay and lesbian chorus movement, continuing its vision to promote cultural diversity through musical and performance excellence. In addition to their Rehoboth concert to benefit SCAC, the Gay Men's Chorus will perform this year with the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus at a twentieth anniversary gala concert and in joint concerts with the New York City and Boston City's Gay Men's Choruses at New York's Carnegie Hall and Boston's Symphony Hall. Committees are coming together to plan the details for the upcoming SCAC benefit concert here in Rehoboth. John Speicher is chairing the Housing Committee, responsible for coordinating housing arrangements for the chorus members. John Furbush will coordinate advertising sales for the evening's program booklet. Murray Archibald is coordinating production details to assure that the evening's music and atmosphere is truly memorable. Tickets for this year's concert are $18 each and will be available at the SCAC office, CAMP Rehoboth, and other locations to be announced. For more information, or if you're interested in helping with this year's concert, call SCAC at 644-1090. Always...Patsy Cline Is HTP's Next Production at the Beach The Henlopen Theater project will kick off the Summer 2001 season with the Virginia Stage Company's production of Always... Patsy Cline, a hit-filled musical about the legendary songstress and enduring country icon with a one-week run, June 27 through July1. Always...Patsy Cline captures Cline's personality through a telling of her real-life friendship with Louise Seger, a fan she met in a Houston club early in her career. The play, by Ted Swindley, has had sold-out runs all over the country and is a testament to the enduring affection that people have for Patsy Cline and her music. Featuring dozens of Cline's most famous songs, the show tells of the meteoric rise of the singer who died in a tragic plane crash in 1963 at age 30. At the time of her death Patsy Cline was at the pinnacle of her career as one of the first country singers to make the successful crossover to the pop charts as well. With Cline's famous up-tempo numbers and haunting ballads, Always...Patsy Cline is the perfect choice for HTP's first musical at the beach. It combines a humorous and touching script with musical numbers that are still top-selling standards today. The Virginia Stage Company production of Always...Patsy Cline, stars acclaimed performers Jessica Welch and Joy Hawkins, and is directed by VSC artistic director, Charlie Hensley. Jessica Welch, who has received rave reviews all over the country for her portrayal of Patsy Cline headlines the show. In addition to playing Patsy for the past five years, she has been seen in Pump Boys and Dinettes, Fiddler on the Roof and South Pacific. As Patsy's fan-turned-friend Louise, Joy Hawkins also brings a terrific resume to the part. Hawkins has appeared on Broadway, in Las Vegas, and on TV as a regular on the Dean Martin Show. As always, the show is produced, directed and acted by professional performers and staff under the auspices of the Actor's Equity Association. HTP's Season 2001 has been generously underwritten by Discover Card, The Buttery Restaurant and WGMD Radio. With the backing of both the Delaware Division of the Arts and Delaware Tourism office, the Henlopen Theater Project is a growing force in our community. Always...Patsy Cline will be performed at HTP's stage at the Little Theater at Cape Henlopen High School. The Henlopen Theater Project is currently in the midst of its subscription campaign with subscriptions at a new low price of $75. Don't miss this bittersweet glimpse of the life of country singing superstar Patsy Cline. Season subscriptions and individual tickets ($30) are available by calling HTP at 302-226-4103 or 302-226-4104. Beach Restaurants Host Dining for Life The second annual "Dining Out for Life at the Beach" is being held on Sunday, June 10 at the Delaware beaches. This new version of an 11 year nationally-held event, is sponsored by AIDS Delaware. "Dining Out for Life is a fun and easy way for the community to get involved and help support us," says Maureen Leary, director for Kent and Sussex County Services. According to the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, there are over 100 eateries in one square mile. The high number of restaurants at the Delaware beaches inspired AIDS Delaware to create this event. Proceeds from the event will benefit AIDS Delaware and Positive Light, a Sussex County volunteer social services organization, for those infected with HIV/AIDS. Positive Light is also a program of AIDS Delaware. Fifteen of the shore's best gourmet, family and fun restaurants will participate, donating 33 percent of all food receipts generated on June 10th. Participating restaurants in Lewes are The Buttery and the Second Street Grille. In Rehoboth Beach, Amor Italian Eatery, Back Porch Caf, Blue Moon Restaurant, Celsius, Cloud 9, Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats, Dos Locos Mexican Seafood Restaurant and Cantina, Espuma, Restaurante Salero, The Road House Steak Joint, and Tutto Bene. In Bethany Beach, DiFebo's Caf and The Parkway Restaurant. Every diner will have a chance to win one of three works of art, a lighthouse scene, a beach scene, and a seascape, painted by local artist Nicole Gonzon. AIDS Delaware is a Wilmington based AIDS service organization. It works for health in the human family by providing social and support services to clients and their families, as well as prevention and education programs to halt the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. It also advocates compassionate public policy. For more information about "Dining Out for Life," please contact Maureen Leary at 302-236-9885, or 302-226-5350. Artist's Exchange Exhibit at Cloud 9 Restaurant Be sure to stop by the Opening Party of the Artist's Exchange Exhibit at Cloud 9 Restaurant, 234 Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth Beach. The reception will be held from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, May 20. The show runs from May 18 through July 17. The Artist's Exchange is composed of professional artists who share a contemporary focus. The group members show their work in the Cape Region and beyond. Their mission is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and critiques with the members of the group, and to promote and show high quality, original contemporary art. Members include Julie Baxendell, Andrew M. Criss, Laura Hickman, Michael Krausz, Aina Nergaard-Nammack, Ellen Elms Notar, Peggy Sampogna and Tuve Tuvesson. For information on the Artist's Exchange, call Tuve Tuvesson at 410-641-1597 or Ellen Notar at 945-1575. For information on the opening party or exhibit, contact Cloud 9 at 302-226-1999. Art As Food For The Soul At New Amsterdam Gourmet The artwork of Tina Siomkajlo, a visionary artist living in Wilmington, Delaware, are currently on display at the New Amsterdam Gourmet (formerly Dream Caf). Visionary art is a specialized genre of art which can be defined as creative work that arises from and expresses the soul. The artist hears a deep inner voice and is compelled to communicate and express the vision of the voice. Visionary art is often unplanned and spontaneous, with the artists themselves acting only as a tool for the creation. Tina has been producing visionary art since a near-death experience in 1992. Her Flatliner series visually depicts the emotions and impressions surrounding her near-death experience. She believes in the power of visionary art to transform, inspire and heal. Tina's works will be on exhibit until May 18. The New Amsterdam Gourmet (formerly Dream Caf) is located at 26 Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach. For more information, call 302-226-2233. Lesbians and Gays More Likely to Smoke Despite the Risk A recent Harris Interactive study confirms that adult members of the lesbian and gay communities are more likely to smoke than are heterosexual adults. They do so even though they are more likely than other smokers to believe that smoking causes lung cancer and heart disease, and will probably shorten their lives. And, like other smokers, the overwhelming majority of lesbian and gay smokers has tried and failed to give up smoking many times. Knowledge of the risks of smoking has not been a strong enough motivator to stop them from smoking. Kathleen DeBold, Executive Director of the Mautner Project, a lesbian health advocacy group, says lesbians may smoke more because their culture is based around bars, and because tobacco companies regularly advertise in gay magazines and target lesbian and gay customers. Deb Price, a columnist for the Detroit News in 1998 wrote that "Got a light?" are "the first words that many lesbians and gay men dare to speak to another gay person" and that "the tobacco industry's hooks are deeply embedded in the gay community." Another possibility is that lesbians and gays are more likely to smoke as a way of dealing with the stresses and stigma they experience in a generally straight world. Unscientific Study Claims Orientation Can Be Changed The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) condemned a study released by Columbia University's Dr. Robert Spitzer at today's meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in New Orleans. GLAAD also called on the media to scrutinize the validity of Spitzer's claims and methods. The controversial study concludes that some "highly motivated" people can change their sexual orientationin essence, convert from gay to straightthrough therapy or other means. The study has come under attack from the scientific community due to serious flaws in the study's methodology. In addition, its conclusions conflict with another study being released today at the same meeting. "Spitzer's conclusions are based on a self-selected sample of people who are so troubled by their sexual orientation that they will go to any lengths to attempt to 'change' it," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "Spitzer defines them as 'highly motivated' and that's not surprising. These are people who live in a world in which gays, lesbians and bisexuals are treated like second-class citizens." Garry said that condemnation of Spitzer's study should not be read as a rejection of scientific investigation into the origins of sexual orientation. "We welcome valid scientific inquiries into the nature and origins of sexual orientation, but they must take into account the complexity of this issue," Garry said. "And no research nor findings should have any bearing on whether peoplegay, lesbian, bisexual or straightare treated fairly. We expect the media to scrutinize the validity of Spitzer's methods and conclusions, to discuss the conflicting studies, and to examine the impact of Spitzer's claims on gays and lesbians." |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 5, May 18, 2001. |