LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
This is the Memorial Day weekend issue of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, and with it we celebrate the official start of the 2002 summer season. Being privy to the plans for many of the summer's upcoming events allows me to boldly proclaim that it will be a summer to remember. The season begins with The Black and White Beach Ball for the Founder's Circle of the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Project; and continues with a concert by the Rainbow Chorale; Love Songs and Other Fairy Tales...A Cabaret, by members of the Washington Gay Men's Chorus to benefit SCAC; Mermaid Splash, a women's dance at the Rehoboth Convention Center; Bachelor Auction 2002; Love 2002; Rehoboth Beach Fireworks; The Henlopen Theater Project's Summer Season; Bingo-A-Go-Go; The CAMP Rehoboth Follies; Sundance 2002, and all the other events, parties, celebrations, clubs, beach house extravaganzas, and fundraisers that will be a part of this year's festivities. I promise you won't be bored-unless you choose to be!
To make sure that you don't miss out on any of the summer fun, don't forget to sign your beach house family up for Beach Book 2002, CAMP Rehoboth's summer telephone directory. This year's Beach Book 2002 will be the tenth one that we have produced, and if you're like me, an invaluable resource that helps to make up for a failing memory. Fill out the form on page 88 of this issue and fax, mail or drop it by the CAMP Rehoboth office, or visit camprehoboth.com and fill it out on line, or simply watch for Beach Book producer Tom Minnuto on the beach with his clipboard. For the last ten years, Memorial Day weekend has also been the time when CAMP Rehoboth has participated in sensitivity training for the Rehoboth Beach summer police, and this year is no exception. I've been a part of the sensitivity training from the beginning, as most of you know from reading these pages over the years, and it has been a very positive experience for me. We've seen it move from somewhat confrontational, to a police officer coming out during the session. This year we have also been invited to conduct sensitivity training for the Delaware State Park Rangers, which should provide a great opportunity for building new relationships throughout Delaware. This Memorial Day weekend also officially kicks off the CAMPsafe 2002 campaign. CAMPsafe is our state funded AIDS education and prevention program geared specifically to gay and bisexual men. This year's campaign is designed to look like CD covers, so don't miss the clever "safe sex singles," or this year's handsome models (including Aric Dietrich on the cover of this issue). For more information on CAMPsafe 2002 see page 10. As this new summer season begins, I can't help but think about all the ones that have gone before. Like many of you, our history with Rehoboth is a long one that began with a few summer weekends a long time ago. Over the years we have made many good friends here, and become part of a community that reaches far beyond the actual boundaries of Rehoboth Beach. Rehoboth is a crossroads that connects us to places all over the country. Our mailing list shows us an amazingly diverse list of addresses. Our support comes from full time residents, summer visitors, second home owners, and weekenders. Many people have plans to retire here. In fact, I think the reason we have been so successful in getting support for the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Project is that so many people claim Rehoboth Beach as a part of their lives. Rehoboth has become more than a summer resort, but I still love this time of year when everything kicks into beach mode. I love looking up from my desk and seeing old friends with whom we share so much history. From all of us at CAMP Rehoboth, welcome home, and have a safe and happy summer 2002. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 05, May17, 2002 |