Arts & Entertainment

Bread is bread, right? Not exactly.

For 23 years, the “Friends of Summer” have mourned the passing of the summer tourist season at Bethany Beach, Del. The town known as the “Quiet Resort” is the idyllic location where each year a group of faithful mourners respectfully lay to rest their beloved summer season on Labor Day.

The Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce’s (BFACC) 30th annual award-winning Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival features jewelry, art glass, pottery, sculpture, watercolor and oil painting, basketry, woodworking and much more. And the event is bigger and better than ever this year, according to the Chamber.

The Millville Volunteer Fire Company will be holding a Texas Holdem Poker Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 23, at its firehouse on Route 26. Entry fee is $100, with two $25 re-buys available.

Doors open at 6 p.m.

Dealing begins at 7 p.m. You must be 21 or older to attend. Up to $80,00 in prize money paid out depending on player participation.

Though not truly an island, Fenwick Island is considered by most to fit the stereotype, with its history of swashbuckling pirates anchored offshore, fierce storms pounding the coastline and treasures rumored to be buried beneath its sands.

El Centro Cultural is inviting the public once again to attend Festival Hispano. This year, the community event will be held on Sunday, Aug. 24, in Millsboro. Festival Hispano will start at noon and last until 6 p.m. The event is free for the whole family and located at the Little League Complex on State Street in Millsboro.

Let’s put it out there. I’m not a farmer.

So I have been told during the course of my reporting, as I have made my way around the county interviewing various farmers that participate in the beach area’s farmers’ markets. I ask crazy questions, I meet crazier people and I learn something new every day.

With a name like Chowderfoot, you might expect an amusing story behind the origin of the young Seaford band. The truth is, however, the laid-back foursome just wanted something catchy, something likeable, something that people would remember. Through nearly a decade and a sprinkle of band mates, the close friends have found their forté.

St. Ann’s Catholic Church is once again prepping for one of its most anticipated events of the year: the annual summer bazaar.

Every Saturday, volunteers from VFW Post 7234 cook up a Bethany Beach tradition that has become as time-honored as the town’s popular bandstand performances. The smell of roast chicken and ribs wisps through the air as weekend traffic is seemingly guided down Coastal Highway via smoke signal.

For Steven and Jenn Geib of Connecticut, coming to Bethany Beach to celebrate the Fourth of July with their three children and extended family is something they look forward to all year long. They get to see the parade, fireworks and, most importantly, family. And this year is no different.

Anyone looking for a little history with their homegrown vegetables should look no farther than Hudson Produce, off of Route 20 in Roxana.

After four long years of fundraising, planning and gathering permits, the Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary of Sussex County broke ground on Friday, June 13. A novel approach to a groundbreaking was held at the future site for the facility east of Georgetown. Dogs participated in a “dig” for treats on the future foundation of the 19,500-square-foot no-kill sanctuary.

Contractors for a Cause and the Justin W. Jennings Foundation will welcome summer with a sold-out crowd at their 4th annual Gala and Auction on Friday, June 20, at 7 p.m. at Cripple Creek Golf and Country Club in Dagsboro. The fundraiser is aimed at helping to build Justin’s Beach House, which will be made available to families affected by cancer.

On Sunday, June 8, the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce will bring back one of their most successful events of the year. Taste of Coastal Delaware will merge the area’s most renowned restaurants into one place, creating a culinary extravaganza in the event’s ninth year.

Although new to the Delaware/Maryland coastal art scene, Dee Granger is no stranger to beach life, and no stranger to art.

The Fenwick Island Environmental Committee met on Wednesday, May 14 to discuss water, water and more water.

Friday, July 4, will find Bethany Beach residents and visitors very excited about this big day in the small town. The town’s population of 2,600 full-time residents explodes to more than 30,000 each Fourth of July as they celebrate the nation’s independence.

Kathy Brown, a math teacher retired from the Indian River School District, has found a way to make art and math meld into more than a hobby. She does house portraits, in watercolor and in a pen-and-ink technique. Brown estimates that she has done about 15 to 20 portraits each year for almost 30 years, and she has the good fortune of all her art being commissioned.

Area beach patrols are right on track for lifeguard staffing at coastal Delaware beaches this summer. Despite beach patrols in other areas citing struggles to find adequate recruits, local lifeguard captains say their seasonal employment efforts are going just fine.

As Indian River’s golf team rounds out the season, first-year head coach Paris Mitchell is pleased with the way the team has come along. Three consecutive wins last week, against Cape Henlopen, Milford and Seaford, helped bring the Indians to an 8-6 record on the links.

With so many accomplishments in her life, it’s difficult for a talented individual like Kristin Jones to settle on one particular hobby. The classically trained soprano keeps her vocal chords in check when singing with her church choir. Time spent at school in Vermont and Colorado allowed her plenty of time on the ski slopes. Her knowledge of the real estate biz has helped her lead a successful career in New Jersey and Delaware. But it is her lifelong pastime of sewing that’s about to bring her more recognition.

When driving west out of Dagsboro on Nine Foot Road, it’s hard to miss the big wind turbine on the right at the home of Greg and Terri Menoche.

The South Coastal Library celebrated its expansion with a ground-breaking ceremony on Friday, April 11.

Most people familiar with the country’s coastline understand the significance and some of the history behind the lighthouses and towers that have helped keep seafarers safe for centuries. They line the water’s edge from the windy New England shores, down through the frequented Mid-Altantic beaches and around the tropics of Florida and the Gulf Coast.

For the first time, the annual Springtime Jamboree will benefit the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company.

As she scores a straight line on a piece of purple “fusing glass,” on which a piece of dichroic glass will be glued, small shards of glass fall on the foam board below. Faye Kempton snaps the glass, finalizing the cut into a near-perfect rectangle.

May 1 is the last day for artists to apply for a position in the 30th Annual Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival. And those who apply for the coveted spots on the town’s boardwalk come time for the art festival, and for the judges who pick from among them, life just got a little simpler and a lot more high-tech.

As the eliminations continue prime time on Fox, “American Idol” fans are tuning in and casting their votes. Each week, viewers listen attentively, eyes and ears glued to their televisions in what has been dubbed one of the largest reality TV obsessions in decades, and it would appear that the frenzy has caught on in Sussex County, too.

It’s good to be a Delawarean this weekend, especially if you’re into the music scene. Dewey Beach will once again be hosting its single most celebrated concert, honoring singers, musicians and songwriters across the entire state.