We are now well into the “high” summer season in Rehoboth Beach—and already half way through the busy summer months! With the big July Fourth weekend now over and done with, the “dog days of summer” are upon us. That usually means hot, sultry weather—and hopefully a whole lot of sunshine!
Sunshine was very present at the recent 6 Futcher Pool Party benefit for CAMP Rehoboth, where a big crowd gathered to celebrate the holiday weekend. A huge word of thanks to all the hosts of the party for raising over $10,000 to support the work of CAMP Rehoboth! Be sure and check out the pool party host photo on the In Brief page of this issue. They are all amazing! Thanks, as well, to Chris Beagle and Eric Engelhart for scheduling and managing volunteers, and to all the volunteers for their help—and to Devotion Vodka for sponsoring the event!
On July 5, Delaware’s senior US Senator Tom Carper visited with us at CAMP Rehoboth to have a conversation about the LGBT climate in Delaware and in the US, and how his office might be supportive. CAMP Rehoboth Board members Mark Purpura and Leslie Sinclair joined Murray and me, and some of Carper’s staff for the discussion. Topics included the Orlando shooting and its aftermath, the vigil at CAMP Rehoboth, and our concern about some sensible gun control measures. We also discussed possible Federal funding sources for CAMP Rehoboth. The visit was not officially a “press” event, but we did get a photo for this issue while he was here (see In Brief).
As previously reported, CAMP Rehoboth has joined LGBT organizations across the country in supporting legislation that limits access to assault weapons. We’ve also joined with 130 National LGBT Community Centers to sign an Open Letter on the Orlando Shooting that includes a call for tougher gun legislation, denounces attempts to scapegoat the Muslim community, and calls for a continued fight to eliminate homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and all forms of racism.
On July 22 at 6:30 p.m., the Rehoboth Beach Homeowner’s Association and CAMP Rehoboth will host a Candidate Forum at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, for this summer’s Rehoboth Beach City Commissioner election. I will again serve as moderator of the Forum. From 6-9 p.m. on the day of the Forum, there will be free parking on Baltimore Avenue. Candidates for the two open City Commissioner seats are incumbents Stan Mills and Toni Sharp, and challenger Rick Perry. Letters from CAMP Rehoboth will feature our own annual Candidate Forum in the July 29 issue.
The push continues to sign up Sponsors, Supporters, and Hosts for this year’s Sundance event on Labor Day Weekend. Anyone who has signed up, we encourage you to snap a photo of yourself holding a sign that says: “I signed up to be a Sundance 2016 Host. Have you?” Post the photo on Facebook, and send us a copy. If you prefer, come to CAMP Rehoboth and Murray will take the picture for you. We’ve only got a couple of more weeks to sign everyone up, so please sign up today. With our new location in the Rehoboth Mall, this is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. By the way, to answer a question I’ve received from many, yes, we will have transportation available from downtown Rehoboth Beach to the Mall throughout the night of the dance. Remember, Sponsors, Supporters, and Hosts make the event possible!
On September 22-25, the Rehoboth Beach Film Society in partnership with CAMP Rehoboth will present Delaware LGBT Cine-brations, an LGBT film festival featuring at least six films and possibly more. As is the case with the RB Film Festival, there are available opportunities for hosting films or purchasing ads for the program. Watch for details about Cine-brations in upcoming issues of Letters, or visit the Film Society website at rehobothfilm.com.