Summer 2010
Like many other local residents and visitors, my first memories of Rehoboth Beach involved shared beach houses and the wonderful friends who were a part of our beach house family. It was a special time in our lives and as this new summer season begins I think fondly of those days, and of all the beach house families forming for the first time or reuniting after a long winter separation. Good times, good friends!
I always loved summer camp, and our summer CAMP here in Rehoboth Beach has grown up to be a very exciting place indeed. Rehoboth has always been “a summer place.” Even though the shoulder seasons have filled up over the years with festivals and other special events, Rehoboth is still at its best when the smell of sun tan lotion lingers in the air, and the sound of flip flops on the boardwalk tap out an optimistic promise of blue skies, sandy beaches, bright umbrellas, popcorn, pizza, and French fries.
From our vantage point here on Baltimore Avenue, summer returns in a parade of happy beach housemates traveling in large herds between Aqua and the Blue Moon, stopping here and there to graze and chat, shop or dine. I’ve lived and worked on this street for 20 years, and its seasonal rhythms are a part of my life. In the summer I’m used to existing with a faint soundtrack always playing somewhere in the background—the radio at Lori’s Café, happy hour at the Moon, Pamala Stanley, the Seafood Shack.
I haven’t spent much time on the beach in years, and our constant deadlines and events here at CAMP Rehoboth keep me chained to my desk. Still, something special happens here in the summertime. Oh sure, parking and traffic can be miserable, and some locals disappear from the scene altogether, but the essence of Rehoboth is summertime at its best.
I love living here, but every once in a while, I think wistfully of our early and innocent days when we, like everyone else came to the beach for fun. Somehow over the years our summer camp became a full-time CAMP, and our summer vacation, turned into our full-time vocation.
This summer a newly activated Long Range Planning Committee (LRPC) will begin the hard work of looking at the next five years in the life of CAMP Rehoboth. It is a challenging time for CAMP Rehoboth—as it is for our whole country—as we slowly and painfully pull out of a crippling recession. Property values have plummeted, and many non-profits have simply shut their doors, as SCAC did last year. While we’ve held our own, the last two years have taken a toll on the strength, energy, and resources upon which we depend.
Aside from the basic strategic planning we try to do every five years, one of the key tasks of the LRPC is to develop a succession plan for the organization. Right now, Charlie Lee, Natalie Moss, and I are all filling staff level positions as volunteers. If something happens to us, our positions will most likely need to be filled by paid employees. If something happened to all three of us at once, that would be a mighty burden on the budget of the organization.
The other issue, of course, has to do with Steve and me. At some point the founder’s of any organization must step aside in order for the organization to succeed. Plus, we need to have a plan in place in case sudden tragedy strikes one or both of us, or we reach the point when it is simply time for us to retire.
Hard issues, to be sure, and ones that are a long way from the fun and frolic everyone anticipates for Memorial Day weekend. Fortunately, we’re not dead yet, and we do have some time to make adequate plans for the future of CAMP Rehoboth, and enjoy this holiday weekend and the summer to come.
My thanks to all the volunteers, members, and supporters and sponsors, who have carried us to this momentous 20th anniversary year for CAMP Rehoboth.
Happy Memorial Day, and have a wonderful Summer CAMP 2010!
Murray Archibald, Founder and President of the Board of Directors of CAMP Rehoboth, is an artist in Rehoboth Beach.
Love 2010—July 4
On July 4, fireworks will light up the skies of Rehoboth Beach—not just on the boardwalk but inside the Convention Center as the doors open on Love 2010.
Now in its 16th year, the mega-dance event Love may well have become a Rehoboth tradition, but this year’s sensational new DJ Joe Gauthreaux is sure to keep it anything but traditional. From Stereo Montreal, Avalon LA, Roxy NYC, Hydrate Chicago, and Fourth of July in Provincetown, to Miami’s legendary Winter Party, Joe’s reputation for consistently great music keeps him busy all over the country.
Joining Joe, Paul Turner returns to Rehoboth for another night of razzle-dazzle magic in the light booth. Paul may work in light booths all over the world, but he always makes time to be in Rehoboth for Love—and for Sundance.
With controls for the party in the hands of two such talented masters, Love 2010 is sure to be a night to remember.
Events of the magnitude of Love, only happen with the support of Sponsors and Hosts. Host level tickets are $100 and include VIP admission to the private Love Lounge as well as a Love4all t-shirt, and a listing in Love thank-you ads. Sponsorships are available for $300, $500, and $1000 (logo), and include multiple tickets to both Love 2010 and to the LottoHEART Game Show on July 3.
To purchase tickets or sponsorships or for information about host and sponsor levels click the Love button on the CAMP Rehoboth web site at camprehoboth.com.
Love details: July4Love4all—Love 2010; Sunday, July 4, 8 p.m.-2 a.m. at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center; 229 Rehoboth Avenue; music by Joe Gauthreaux, lights by Paul Turner; open bar all night; Love Lounge; tickets $45, host tickets $100; benefits CAMP Rehoboth.
LottoHEART—Where Art & CAMP Collide!
Worlds collide in the outrageous return of the LottoHEART Game Show to the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center on Saturday, July 3.
In the summer of 2009, LottoHEART debuted under the direction of event chair Sondra Arkin and the CAMP Rehoboth Art Committee. Featuring over 200 artworks, the fast paced, hilarious evening hosted by Christopher Peterson proved to be an awesome success. This year’s LottoHEART promises to be even better!
Simply put, come to the event for $25 or buy an art ticket for $100 and play LottoHEART—every player wins a piece of original art! The lotto part is the order in which the art is chosen.
The evening includes entertainment by host Christopher Peterson and his talented cast, surprise raffle prizes, food, an open bar all night long, and the 2010 HeART of the Community Art Auction.
Purchase tickets and see the list of participating artists at camprehoboth.com. All art will be previewed at the LottoHEART preview party at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center on June 26.
LottoHEART details: LottoHEART 2010; Saturday, July 3, 6 p.m. – 9.p.m., at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center; 229 Rehoboth Avenue; hosted by Christopher Peterson; open bar all night; general admission $25; art ticket admission $100; benefits CAMP Rehoboth.
Summer CAMP, (some are not!)
by Chris Beagle
Calling all CAMPers! With summer 2010 just getting started, we’re seeking out the competitive and community-minded among us.
For decades, a special camaraderie and kinship has flourished among Rehoboth’s summer beach-house-goers. In that spirit, CAMP is introducing a healthy competition between the beach houses which we hope evolves into a rewarding experience for everyone.
The “Summer CAMP…and some are not…Beach House Member Challenge” is searching for houses to step up and get involved. Several have already committed and we encourage you to do the same.
It’ll not only be a chance to meet new people, it’ll also be a way to give back and support your home-away-from home.
And since everyone loves seeing their photo in Letters, we’ll be rewarding the winning house with a cover shot, to appear on the August 13 issue.
More information will be announced in the next issue. Beach house members interested in getting their house involved, please contact Chris Beagle at christopherbeagle@hotmail.com or email Murray Archibald at info@camprehoboth.com.