CAMP at the Delaware Beaches
On Friday, August 5, I get to tour the Anna Hazzard Tent House. To understand my excitement, I have to give you a little background about myself and a little history of Rehoboth Beach.
Ever hear of camp meetings? Wikipedia defines it as “a form of Protestant Christian religious service…wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray.” I spent my teens and most of my twenties in a conservative church that still offers camp meetings all over the world. For me it was fun to camp out with my friends and meet new friends too; fellow comrades burdened by the same rules and regs that plagued my childhood.
In 1873, “The Rehoboth Beach Camp Meeting Association of the Methodist Episcopal Church” established its grounds here with the intended purpose of presenting religious “camp meetings” in the summer months. Small, one room wooden structures called “tents” were constructed on the encampment grounds on Rehoboth Avenue. (Now you understand one of the reasons for calling it CAMP Rehoboth!)
The Anna Hazzard house, though modified, is one of those original camp meeting “tents” dating from the 1890s. It was originally located at 59 Baltimore Avenue and is almost never open to the public. On August 5, I not only get to view an amazing piece of Rehoboth history, I get a little flashback to my own history too. Being in real estate, I was also tickled to learn that Anna Hazzard was Rehoboth’s first woman real estate broker.
The Rehoboth Beach Museum is providing guided tours of the museum and the Anna Hazzard Tent House on the first Fridays of August and September. The tours are free of charge but space is limited so you must make a reservation.
The parade of new restaurants continue! Jake’s Hamburgers is coming to the former Candy Kitchen space in Lighthouse Plaza near Giant foods; and Ray Richardson (formerly of the 2nd Street Grill in Lewes) is opening The Kitchen at Paynter’s Mill in the Corner Market Bistro/RyBread’s space in Milton.
Jokes R Wild (the Halloween store—which can never come too soon in my opinion) will be in the former Dollars and Cents space in Pelican Square near Superfresh.
Several local restaurants and bars, in conjunction with the Delaware Humane Association are offering Playtime at the Beach, a series of “doggy happy hours.“ A portion of the proceeds benefit the DHA and the next one will be held on Saturday, July 30 from 9 a.m. to noon at Maggio Shields Real Estate Café. So bring your pet and come get yappy!
Su Casa, from Fells Point, Baltimore, has opened a second location in Dewey and they have very cool home décor and furnishings. Haven’t been yet, but just checked out the website and now plan to go this very afternoon!
I love to cook and I particularly like to try different cuisines. The problem I run into is finding some of the more unusual ingredients here at the beach, so I was delighted to hear that places like Good Earth Market in Ocean View, Touch of Italy in Rehoboth, and Harris Teeter all have their own version of “Special Item Request” programs. I recently sent my friend on a wild goose chase for Kaffir Lime leaves for a Thai recipe, so once she reads this, she’ll tell me I now have to order these crazy things myself!
Deb Griffin is a real estate agent living full time at the beach with her honey bunny, Greer, and a Jack Russell terror named Rosie. Email Deb Griffin