LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
BEACH Bum |
by Eric Morrison |
2008 Delaware Pride Festival
Delaware Pride will hold the state's twelfth annual Delaware Pride Festival on Saturday, September 13, 2008, from noon until 6 p.m., at Gordon's Pond State Park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This year's festival will feature Tiffany, who is currently a very popular headliner for pride festivals across the nation. Tiffany has had two number one pop singles, four top forty singles, and two top twenty albums, one of which reached number one. Tiffany released her most recent studio album in June 2007, entitled Just Me, the singer's seventh studio album. Tiffany is known for hits such as "I Think We're Alone Now," "Could've Been," "I Saw Him Standing There," and "All this Time." Today, Tiffany continues to have popular dance club songs, and she is currently making a foray into acting, a long-time interest of hers. This year's festival will be emceed, once again, by DJ Casey of Wired 96.5FM. Featured festival entertainers will also include The D.C. Cowboys, Josh Zuckerman, Sister Funk, and Fusion Dance Team. The wildly popular all-male country line-dance group The D.C. Cowboys makes their third appearance at the Delaware Pride Festival. Award-winning singer/ songwriter/musician Josh Zuckerman makes his first appearance at the festival, having shared his eclectic musical blend with audiences around the globe. Sister Funk, a five-piece, all-female band, will bring their high-energy, entertaining, stage show to the festival. Fusion Dance Team, with their unique blend of bold dance moves set against the strong beat of today's most popular music, makes their second appearance at the festival. Several local favorite female impersonators will perform, including Miss Gay Delaware America Karyn Thomas, Blair Michaels of Washington, D.C., Miss Rehoboth Julia Sugarbaker, Blue Moon hostess Mona Lotts, Regina Cox, and Phoenix Rising. Season One Pride Idol karaoke contest winner Jerry Mumford will grace the audience with his smooth, soulful voice. Also, Chuckles the Clown will be at the festival all day to entertain children of all ages. About sixty vendors will also be onhand, offering various food, drink, services, temporary tattoos, clothing, jewelry, books, and other items. Many regional GLBT groups will also have tables at the festival, including political groups, churches, community organizations, and extracurricular activities. Statewide elected officials have been invited to speak at the festival, and there will be giveaways and raffles throughout the day. As you can see, the twelfth annual Delaware Pride Festival will be packed with non-stop entertainment and excitement. The Delaware Pride festival is family-friendly, dog-friendly, and open to all members of the regional GLBT community and their allies. Admission will be $5 for adults, with free admission for children 14 and under and card-carrying Delaware Pride members. Each year, the festival draws thousands of visitors from Delaware, D.C., Philadelphia, New York, and other parts of the United States. Why not join in the fun? Visit with old friends, make new friends, and find out how you can become involved in the Delaware GLBT community. Parking will be available on-site for the standard park fee, and shuttle parking is available. You can also catch a free bus ride from the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center to the festival grounds. There will not be an ATM on the park grounds, so bring cash with you to the festival. This year's festival is sponsored by 2008 Equality Sponsors Diamond State Financial. Group, CAMP Rehoboth, and ID Lube. The festival is held come rain or come shine. There will also be a hot after-party following this year's festival, sponsored by Diamond State Financial Group. It will be held at the Blue Moon on Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach, with free entry. From 8-9:30 p.m., festival headliner Tiffany will be there to sign autographsthen, guests will dance the night away. Other festival entertainers will also be there to meet and greet fans. The party will be presided over by Blue Moon hostess, the fabulous Miss Mona Lotts. There are many ways you can become involved in this year's festival as an individual, business, or organization. You can volunteer at the festival by emailing ContactUs@delawarepride.org. You can reserve a vendor's spot at the festival and represent your business or organization live and in-person to the region's GLBT community. Vendor applications are at delawarepride.org. Your business or organization can become a Delaware Pride Supporter. Supporters, for just $100 per year, receive their logo and a link to their website on a special page of the Delaware Pride website. For more information, visit www.delawarepride.org. Finally, you can make a one-time donation to help defray the costs of the 2008 festival. Delaware Pride is a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax-deductible. To donate toward expenses, email ContactUs@delawarepride.org. You can also help by spreading the word about this year's fabulous festival on September 13! The annual festival is organized by Delaware Pride, which is "dedicated to creating a more visible and united GLBT community through outreach, education, and referrals." The festival is the state's single largest annual gathering of GLBT persons and their allies. Throughout the year, Delaware Pride keeps busy not only with festival planning, but with Bingo-a-Go-Go and other social, fundraising, community interest, and networking events and activities. So far, in 2008, the organization has worked with University of Delaware's Haven to bring speaker Keith Boykin to the UD campus; participated in a Haven-sponsored transgender vigil; and brought author Dr. Libby Cone to Delaware for a lecture and book-signing. Also, members volunteer monthly at the Delaware Food Bank. Visit delawarepride.org to find out more about the organization, to advertise your local business, or to see which local businesses support our community. Also, Delaware Pride is expanding with various committees including fundraising, membership, and festival committees, so see how you can become involved! There really is something for everyone. You can download a membership form from the website. Delaware Pride began over twelve years ago, spawned from a conversation among four friends about the need for a more visible and cohesive GLBT Delaware community. The initially half-serious, overwhelming concept of an annual Delaware Pride Festival quickly blossomed into reality through the community's generous support and the tireless involvement of numerous volunteers. The organization was officially formed on April 29, 1997. For a few years, the annual festival was held in Wilmington's Rodney Square. Then, several years ago, it relocated to Gordons Pond State Park in Rehoboth, in order to have a larger venue that is more easily accessible to all Delaware citizens and regional travelers. Since the first festival in Wilmington, which drew only a few hundred attendees and featured about a dozen vendors, it has grown exponentially and has receives thousands of visitors, showcasing top-notch entertainers, vendors, and local GLBT organizations. Delaware Pride is open to all GLBT Delawareans and their allies, holding monthly meetings in Newark. Contact Delaware Pride through delawarepride.org or call the Voice-Mail & Events Line at 302-378-6524. Helping hands and new ideas are always welcome! We'll see you at this year's Delaware Pride Festival on September 13!Eric can be reached at anitamann@comcast.net. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 18, No. 12 August 22, 2008 |