April 8, 2005 - In Brief

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth

In Brief

Customers who have recently ventured into this fun, sometimes irreverent, antiques gallery have seen the shop shaping up to this opening extravaganza. Jabez Journey now occupies two full floors of the 1920s Rehoboth Beach former residence at 18 Baltimore Avenue. Sitting next to Epworth Methodist and across from the Atlantic Sands Hotel, Jabez Journey is just a half-block from the ocean and Boardwalk. Thank goodness they have customer parking for visits and pick-ups right next to the shop!

You can peek in their large, well-lit display windows at the front and sides of the store for a sample of the Jabez Journey focus. In addition to the antique furniture, there are loads of collectible pottery and glass, fanciful linens and textiles, vintage jewelry, and sports memorabilia. There's something for everyone. If you are in the market for vintage books, newspapers, or old advertisements, Jabez Journey has ephemera galore.

Owners Kate and Pam Bieler have made a point of attracting antique dealers who contribute unusual inventory and who are often on the premises to answer specific questions about a particular collection or customer interest.

Light refreshments and hourly door prizes will keep the non-antiques oriented shopping-buddy occupied, and Kate Bieler says "hand-held children are always welcome."

The display area is centralized in the downtown area of historic Milton, Delaware. Exhibitors will be listed on the Sidewalk Art Show flier, which will be part of the promotional material for the show. Please respond ASAP, as the deadline for entry is April 20, 2005. This is to ensure that artists will be included in promotional material for the show.

The Milton Arts Guild will be sponsoring this event and will manage all aspects of planning and promotion. We are in the early stages of existence, but the response from the community has been overwhelmingly supportive. Local media is very receptive to our mission of supporting the arts, and therefore will assist us in promoting the show.If you are interested in participating, e-mail Abraxas at info@AbraxasArt.com. Space is limited.

GLBT Group on the Eastern Shore A new GLBT group, Delmarva Pride, has recently formed in the Salisbury, Maryland area. With a start-up membership of 15 people, Delmarva Pride fills the void created by the Eastern Shore's now defunct Rainbow Room.

For more information on Delmarva Pride, email delmarvapride@yahoo.com, call 443-735-1427 or check their website http://www.ondelmarva.com/delmarvapride.

SCAC Wine+Food Fest Set for May 7 On Saturday, May 7, from 69 pm, the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center will be filled with lovers of fine wine, good food, and great fun when SCAC holds its inaugural SCAC Wine+Food Fest.

Four of the beach area's best known wine merchants and a dozen outstanding restaurants will serve a taste of their finest wines and foods.

Event chairman John Furbush promises an evening to savor with a wide selection of the finest wines and an assortment of hors d'oeuvres from the beach's best restaurants.

Representatives from Atlantic Liquors, Bin 66, the Grog Shop, and S&S Liquors will serve special selections of their imported white, red, and sparkling wines. Experts will be on hand to describe the wines being offered and to demystify wine selection and appreciation.

The Buttery, Espuma, Nage, Partners, and Second Street Grille will provide accompanying hors d'oeuvres that showcase their unique culinary styles. In all, 12 restaurants will be participating in the SCAC Wine+Food Fest and more names will be announced soon!

Pianist Jerry Birl will also be on hand at the convention center to provide live cabaret style musical entertainment for the evening, setting just the right mood for sipping and tasting.

Only 300 tickets for the SCAC Wine+Food Fest will be sold at $50 each. Tickets are available

at CAMP Rehoboth, located at 39 Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach, and SCAC, located at 107 South Street in Rehoboth.

"SCAC continues to rely largely on private donations to support its important work," Mr. Furbush said. "Contributions, in-kind gifts, and support of this very special, first of its kind event are tax-deductible, and a wonderful way to support the work of SCAC." For more information, call SCAC at 302-644-1090.

Jacobs' Memoir in Second Printing A&M Books of Rehoboth Beach is pleased to announce that As I Lay Frying a Rehoboth Beach Memoir by columnist Fay Jacobs is now in its second printing and has achieved best seller status at InsightOut Book Club.

The book, a collection of essays, published over the last several years in Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, casts a witty eye toward contemporary culture and life in a gay-friendly resort town. The essays tell a story that is sometimes provocative, sometimes political, occasionally heartwarming and always hilarious.

First released in May 2004, the book has sold well locally at Lambda Rising Books, Browseabout Books and books andcoffee in Dewey as well as on Amazon.com. It and was picked up this winter by gay and lesbian book club InsightOut Books. The club published its own hardcover version of the book, which has reached best seller status through Insightout. Of 73 memoirs handled by the club, As I Lay Frying is number 6 in sales.

National publicity from the book club as well as sales in bookstores across the country has prompted the second printing for the locally published book.

In 1995, writer Fay Jacobs and her partner Bonnie Quesenberry cruised into town on their small powerboat and discovered the unique charm of this seaside community. Almost immediately, Jacobs began chronicling her life as a Rehoboth weekender in a column that appeared in Letters.

The columns describe how she was nearly run over by a cargo ship, hunted down by the AARP, and inadvertently involved in transporting shrieking felines across state lines. Jacobs' writing has her coming to terms with scrapple, summer renters, family values, HMOs, and more.

Her Rehoboth fans have followed her smart, witty columns as Fay and Bonnie made the transition from visitors to regulars to locals themselves. Jacobs' unique voice and her willingness to bare it all in print turned her fans into a sort of extended family. Now, for the first time, the collected essays of Fay Jacobs are being read nationwide.

A native New Yorker, Jacobs spent 30 years in the Washington, DC area working in journalism, theater and public relations. She has contributed feature stories and columns to such publications as The Baltimore Sun, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, The Washington Blade, The Wilmington News Journal, Delaware Beach Life and more. In 1997 she won the Vice Versa Award for excellence. Her writing is also included in the 1998 Alyson Publications' anthology Beginnings.

As I Lay Fryinga Rehoboth Beach Memoir is available for $15 plus shipping/handling through the web site www.fayjacobs.com. Or by forwarding a check to A&M Books-Jacobs, P.O. Box 283, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. The book is also available at CAMP Rehoboth at 39 Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach. Thirty percent of the sales price of books purchased at the CAMP Rehoboth office will go to the Camp Rehoboth Community Center Building fund.

Qigong Offered at Wellness Community The Sussex County office of The Wellness Community-Delaware is planning to offer Qigong to interested people that are affected by cancer. This ancient Chinese practice integrates physical postures, breathing techniques and focused intention. The gentle, rhythmic movements of Qigong reduce stress, build stamina, increase vitality, and enhance the immune system. Further information about Qigong is available on the website of the National Qigong Association, www.nqa.org. A class will be offered at The Wellness Community-Delaware's Sussex location in Rehoboth, if sufficient interest is shown. Please call Kaye or Cindy at 227-1155 for information and to register for this group.

The Wellness Community-Delaware is part of a national nonprofit organization that provides support, education and hope to people with cancer and their loved ones. Through participation in professionally led support groups, educational workshops and mind/body classes, people affected by cancer learn vital skills that enable them to regain control, reduce isolation and restore hope regardless of the stage of disease. At The Wellness Community-Delaware, all programs are free of charge. More information about The Wellness Community is available on their website at www.wellnessdelaware.org.

Your Help Is Needed with Youth Program Sponsors are needed to support the West Rehoboth Youth Program again this summer. A donation of $50 will sponsor a child for a week in this special program. The program will provide seven activity-filled weeks for approximately 45 underprivileged students from kindergarten through middle school, ages 5-15. Last year several people from the CAMP Rehoboth community contributed to the success of the program, and the Advisory Committee for West Rehoboth is eager to do so again this year. The program this year places a special emphasis on literacy and a variety of other learning as well as providing nutritious meals for the students.

Would you consider sponsoring a child or two for this special summer program? Please make the check payable to W.S. N.B. Youth Program and mail to West Side New Beginnings Community Center, West Rehoboth Youth Program, 100 Norwood Street, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.

CAMP Ladies 9 Hole Golf League The CAMP Rehoboth Ladies Golf League begins again on Thursday, April 21. The 9 Hole League plays at Marsh Island Golf Course on Camp Arrowhead Road in Lewes. Plan to arrive at 4:15 p.m. for a 4:30 tee off time. There is a weekly fee of $20, which includes a cart. Also included are prizes, surprises and weekly contests.

Contact Barb and Evie for more information, or to join. There is a $25 registration fee, please make checks payable to CAMP Rehoboth. The CAMP Rehoboth golf league is SO cool, they even have their own website http://home.comcast.net/~crgolfleague or you can email crgolfleague@comcast.net. For more information, call CAMP Rehoboth, 302-227-5620.

CAMP Rehoboth Women's Weekend Don't miss out on the CAMP Rehoboth Women's Weekend activities April 15 and 16. See pages 31 and 40 for all the details. For tickets, call 302-227-5620.

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 15, No. 3 April 8, 2005