This is the July 4th issue of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, and with it we celebrate the good old red, white, and blue. Lately though, with the red and the blue being in such opposite camps, I’m starting to think we should wish for a little more purple in our flag! Murray just reminded me of the July 4th weekend Lavender Party we produced at The Strand years ago. The invitation read: Art 101: Red+White+Blue= Lavender. Hmmm. With compromise such a dirty word in politics these days, maybe it’s time for a “horse of a different color.” Might as well be lavender!
Though the holiday weekend promises to be a fun filled one, all of us here at CAMP Rehoboth are still saddened by the death of Bruce Pfeufer—a longtime angel of our organization. In his CAMPmatters column, Murray (with a little help from some CAMP friends) remembers Bruce, and the way he touched our lives over the years. His financial contributions to us were huge, but it is his unique perspective on life that we will all remember. He loved to have his photo made for Letters—and Murray has many—and he would love that they appeared in a holiday issue in the middle of summer. Rest in Peace, Bruce, you will be missed.
June 20, I had the pleasure of participating in the LGBT “love not hate” Symposium at the Dover Air Force Base. Chaired by Airman Courtney Schesinger, and with full participation from JAG, I invited Rev. Dusty Pruitt, a retired Army Major (and now pastor at MCC-Rehoboth), to accompany me. Discussion included: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; suicide prevention; and assault reporting. This was a new area for me, and I was glad to be a part of it—and I look forward to continuing to build bridges between CAMP Rehoboth and our friends in Dover.
Congratulations to all the members of the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus and the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus on their fantastic joint concert at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center on June 21. The concert, titled Let’s Do It featured the music of Cole Porter, and the voices of more than 170 gay men. The evening was beautifully narrated by our own local talent, Scott (Cashetta) Westen, and chronicled Cole’s life through his remarkable and enduring music. The best part was seeing all those men on the greatly expanded stage at the Convention Center! A portion of the ticket sales, and the sales from the bar benefitted CAMP Rehoboth. One of the purposes of Gay Men’s Choruses and of CAMP Rehoboth, is to unite communities—and the crowd gathered for Let’s Do It, was certainly united in its enthusiasm for this “one night only” performance.
At CAMP Rehoboth, we are deep into our drive for Hosts and Sponsors for Sundance 2014. This year will mark the 27th Sundance benefit in Rehoboth Beach, and as they have from the very beginning, Hosts/Sponsors make the event possible. All levels of sponsorship are available on the CAMP Rehoboth website, or call or stop by the CAMP Rehoboth office. For more details about what it means to be a Host, Supporter, or Sponsor of Sundance 2014, Rainbow XXVII: The Love Dream—Return to Xanadu. For more about Sundance, see "Sundance 2014 Sponsor Levels" in this issue.
On Friday, September 26, and back by popular demand with an all new show, CAMP Rehoboth is pleased to announce that Well-Strung will return to Rehoboth for one night only at the RB Convention Center. Last year Well-Strung sold out three shows at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, and even with a bigger venue, we expect tickets to go fast—so get them early, especially for the front table and first section seating. Tickets went on sale last week to CAMP Rehoboth members, but starting on June 28, they are available to everyone. Ticket levels include: front, cocktail table seating for $100, and three levels of general admission, $75, $50, and $35.