So far summer 2012 has us all sticking close to our air conditioners and singing “we’re having a heat wave!” It got so hot one day last week, Baltimore Avenue was eerily deserted. One local business even posted a sign: “Closed due to extreme heat; will reopen at 7 p.m.” But, the heat hasn’t stopped the summer from being a good one, and judging from the number of shirtless photos in the previous issue of Letters, I’d say we’re handling the heat just fine!
Rehoboth Beach City Elections will take place Saturday, August 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Convention Center. Two incumbents, Patrick Gossett and Bill Sargent, are being challenged by newcomer Toni Sharp. All three candidates are featured in our 2012 Letters from CAMP Rehoboth Candidate Forum on page 28 of this issue. In it, they talk about the issues facing Rehoboth Beach, as well as their own vision for the future. All three candidates will also be on hand for this year’s Rehoboth Beach Homeowners Candidate Forum, which I will again be moderating, at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center on Friday, July 27 at 7 p.m.
As this issue of Letters hits the streets, we head into our final push for Sundance Sponsors, Supporters, and Hosts. This is the 25th Anniversary Sundance, and as Murray said in the last issue of Letters, “This is a big deal for us and for our community.” Sponsors, Supporters, and Hosts make Sundance possible, so please consider signing up for this year’s Sundance 2012: Legend of the Silver Rainbow. In honor of this year’s milestone event, we will be celebrating the contributions of all those who have supported Sundance over the last quarter century. I have to admit that looking back over all those years and the number of people who have been involved in Sundance, makes me a little nostalgic. We’ve had tremendous support from the community all the way back to 1988. We’ve also lost a lot of friends who were with us in the beginning and who should still be “Sundancing” with us now. We want to make this an amazing celebration; please join us as a Sundance 2012 Sponsor, Supporter, or Host. Sign up to be a Sundance Sponsor, Supporter, or Host.
We’ve been operating the “big room,” as we call it, at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center for three years now, and I’m always amazed at the variety of activities that take place in it. With its great light and easy access to the beautiful CAMP Courtyard, it has become a popular place for everything from civil unions to retreats. In recent months we’ve had workshops, art exhibits, birthday and wedding parties, dances, meetings of all kinds, theatre, receptions, volunteer orientation sessions, and much, much more. To learn more about all the available spaces in the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, click on the “CAMP Center” button on our website.
Rehoboth was founded as a Methodist Church summer campground, and the very name CAMP Rehoboth has always celebrated that history as well as our gay “camp” sensibility. To the Boy Scouts of America, however, camping is still off limits to LGBT people, and their recent decision to uphold the ban on gays within the organization continues to send a discriminatory message to young people. Believe it or not, I reached the rank of Eagle Scout when I was 14. Though now I don’t even remember how to tie knots, it was still an important part of my young life. If the military can change, surely the scouts can find a way to follow.
A quick word of thanks to our staff and volunteers at CAMP Rehoboth. Summer is a crazy time with crazy hours, and we couldn’t do it without their help. A special thank you goes to Mickie McManamon and her well trained CAMPcierge team—that’s a CAMP concierge, in case you missed it. You’re all amazing! Thanks for all you do!