LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Mermaids are in Charge and Making a Splash |
by Fay Jacobs |
Take 250 beach balls, gobs of sand and plastic beach pails, a knock-out DJ, live music, awesome food and hundreds of women and what do you get? The First Annual Mermaid Splash dance to be held at the Rehoboth Convention Center on June 29. Plans are in full swing for this long-awaited new event, put together by a coalition of women who mix entrepreneurship with art and come up with creative ideas that work. Working with Camp Rehoboth, with a portion of the proceeds from the dance set to go to the Women's Project of Camp Rehoboth, the Mermaid Team has put together an awesome line-up of entertainment and fun. First the facts The June 29 Mermaid Splash begins with live performances by Red Letter Day and Blue Raven, from 8-9:30 p.m. Following the show, DJ Kris Kona will crank up the dance music-and the party will continue until 1 a.m. In addition, there will be beverages served, and an exciting dining buffet donated by many of the restaurants in and around Rehoboth, door prizes and more. Okay, so how did this all get organized? It's the brainchild of a group of female business owners who call themselves The Delaware Beaches "Women in Business." Some of the names you may know well, and others will be household names soon, judging by the success this team has had getting big sponsors and support for the event. Lauren Romig and Lisa Myers (at left) from the Pelican Loft are the major motivators behind the idea. They are joined by Inez Conover and Kathleen Bailey from the Sea Witch Manor, Lori Kline of Lori's Caf, Kathy Pasqualini of Pasqualini's Bakery, local artist Mary Brett, Regina AaMacha of Legends and Lore, Cindy Johnson, another local artist, Judy Turner, a massage therapist, businesswoman Joy Glass, and more. Thanks to the efforts of Judy Turner, WaWa is donating the 250 beach balls. "It was funny, I went in hoping they would donate some ice," says Judy, "but they said 'is that all?' and wound up giving us the 250 beach balls, plus some 12-ft. subs, 50 bottles of soft drinks and more. They asked what they could do to become more involved in the community. That's the response I've gotten from most businesses we've asked to help-responsiveness, kindness, and a lot of support." Those 250 beach balls will be complimented by buckets and sand from Home Depot. That contact was made by Inez Conover. Other sponsors for the event include the Delaware B&B Association, 1st Atlantic Mortgage Company, and Miller Lite. Regina AaMacha is organizing the music and DJ; M.J. Stanton (Celsius) is handling the drinks; food and restaurant donations are being coordinated by Lori Kline and Kathy Pasqualini. At the Splash there will be 30-40 large round tables set up, with room left for a huge dance floor. Food will be served around the room, with a full bar set up for beverages. "Our hope is to establish a successful event that we can produce every year and keep adding to the event to make it bigger and better each year," says Inez Conover. Judy Turner speaks for many of the organizers when she says "Our original idea was just to put on a women's dance, but then we realized the enormity of the job and the magnitude of the responsibility. There's a huge amount or work that goes into a project like this. I've volunteered before, but taking on the responsibility for making something like this work has been a major eye-opener!" So, how is it going? According to organizers the tickets are selling briskly, there's been a lot of response by phone and on the web site and it looks as if mermaids aplenty are signing up for the event. Tickets for the Mermaid Splash are $25 and can be purchased at the door, or at The Pelican Loft, Lori's Caf, or CAMP Rehoboth, all on Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach. At the event, special T-shirts and hats, featuring the Mermaid Splash logo will be on sale. Readers can get more information about the Mermaid Splash by calling the Pelican Loft at 302-226-5080 or by logging on to the web site www.mermaidsplash.com With more and more details coming together each day, it looks like the Splash will be a big one. On June 29, the doors will open promptly at 7:30 p.m. and the organizers will be all set to welcome many a mermaid. One note: organizers say "You must be 21 to attend, NO EXCEPTIONS." Mark June 29 on your calendar and get set for a tidal wave of mermaids! |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 07, June 14, 2002. |