A Parade of Festivals
Being a full time real estate agent, my weekends are rarely my own. But I don’t mind. It doesn’t get any better than selling someone their dream home at the beach! That being said, this past weekend I had a little pocket of time and I used it to blitz through the St. Peters Art Show in downtown Lewes. Ah, bliss. Art, jewelry, sculpture and more—it was wonderful! The next Lewes event is the Lewes Historical Society’s Summer Craft Fair which takes place the weekend this issue comes out.
Our parade of art shows and festivals begins each year in March with the RB Chocolate Festival and continues all year long with the Sea Witch and the RB Jazz Festival in October, and the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival in November. If I were to include county-wide festivities (with fruit and vegetable themes, no less), there’s the Apple-Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville, and the World Championship Punkin Chunkin (WCPC). The WCPC has grown to such fame that it’s become a three day festival attracting country music stars and thousands of people. More than 100 teams compete in various categories, including the catapult, the trebuchet, and centrifugal classes. How high will a pumpkin fly? You must go see.
We have dozens of arts and craft shows every year all up and down the Delaware coast. One of my favorites is the Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival held in early September. It’s a juried show meaning that you can’t just pay a fee and display your handmade, crocheted toilet paper holders. Instead, you must submit photos of your work to a jury and hope you’ll be selected. The BBB Arts Festival offers a wonderful array of hand crafted, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces, fabulous artwork, exquisite sculpture and more, in all price points. Another top notch art/craft event is the Rehoboth Art League’s Annual Outdoor Art and Craft Show. It takes place over two weekends in August on their campus in Henlopen Acres.
Then there’s the lesser known festivals such as the Boast the Coast Maritime Festival in Lewes, which includes a boat parade, a seafood tasting in the park, and a chance to tour New Jersey’s tall ship, the A.J. Meerwald. And non-festival events such as the Milton Garden Club’s Gardens and Homes Tour, on July 12 which includes a free tour of the recently opened Historic Milton Theatre or the Beach and Bay Cottage Tour, July 25 and 26, featuring homes in Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island. August brings the uber popular Annual Sandcastle Contest at the north end of the Rehoboth boardwalk with over 90 teams expected to compete.
Speaking of incredible things you don’t want to miss, we are just weeks away from Sundance 2014: Rainbow XXVII The Love Dream—Return to Xanadu! Saturday, August 30 is the auction, open bar and cocktail buffet with food and desserts by Plate Catering. On Sunday, August 31, the party begins at 8 p.m. with dancing ‘til 2 a.m. Open Bar all night. There’s still time to become a Sponsor, Supporter, or Host for this amazing event, so get your happy feet ready and let’s dance!
Deb Griffin is a real estate agent living full time at the beach with her honey bunny, Greer, and two Jack Russell terrors. Email Deb Griffin