Beach street signs make wayfinding easier in Dewey Beach
Finding your way while walking along the shoreline in Dewey Beach is now easier thanks to a collaborative wayfinding project culminating with painted street signs installed just over the dunes at each crossing.
Town Manager Bill Zolper said the new poles highlighting each street name are visible from the ocean and have been placed at all 21 streets, from Chesapeake to Collins.
Developing Artist Collaboration created the model for each pole, and Dewey Beach Civic League funded the project, including artist salaries and 21 salt-treated 10-foot, 4-by-4 posts. Poles are installed 4 feet into the sand, with the top 6 feet visible, Zolper said.
Original plans to install the signs in the spring of 2022 were postponed due to significant beach erosion from the Mother’s Day storm, Zolper said, and further delayed until after beach replenishment was complete.
DAC founder Leah Beach said the design for the poles is based on the popular acrylic paint-pour projects DAC offers as kits or workshops. DAC artist member Emily Widdoes and DAC staff member Laura Gaeng painted the poles, applied resin and cut out street letters for all posts in about three weeks.
“It was so much fun to do,” Gaeng said. “We’re grateful for the opportunity.”
Dewey Beach Civic League President Diane Hanson said the organization has grown to 160 members, whose next projects include beautifying the lifesaving station and mulching the Route 1 center median. For more information, contact Hanson at 610-322-8527.
For more information about DAC, go to developingarts.org.
