Bud Rickard tying blue ribbons to support police

Bud Rickard feels for police officers who patrol neighborhoods in the middle of the night. He has started an initiative in Sussex County to show those officers that people support their efforts.

“I’d like to see blue ribbons, or strips of blue masking tape, put around mailboxes throughout Sussex.  Those officers working that midnight to 7 a.m. shift, they get lonely out there.  They see this, they will know they’re not alone.”

Bud picked up on the idea from his daughter, who lives  in Horsham, Pa.  “She may have thought it up or she may have picked it up from somewhere else, but we’re all trying to get it started.”

Living in a neighborhood outside Rehoboth Beach, off Munchy Branch Road, Bud has already put his money where his mouth is. His mailbox is wrapped with a single piece of blue masking tape, and he has also put a single piece of the tape on the back of the driver’s side rear window on his pickup truck. He’s all in.

Showing his support for those who protect is nothing new for the 83 year-old Rickard.  He flies an American flag in his front yard, in the shade of the mature trees that line the streets of the middle-class neighborhood.  On the deck behind his house he’s mounted five serious flagpoles where he displays the flags of each branch of the U.S. armed services.

“They all deserve our support,” said Bud. “They should see the recognition.”

Bud knows about public service himself.  He served five years in the Air Force earlier in his life.  When each of his three sons graduated from high school, he advised all of them to join the military.  “‘You don’t know anything about this world,’ I told them.  ‘Go out and see some of it before you decide what you want to do in life.’ All three did and all three have been successful in their lives.”

These days, Bud continues his public service as chairman of Sussex County’s Board of Adjustment.  The panel listens to people’s requests for variances from the zoning code.

Bud carries a healthy sense of humor with him as he conducts his meetings, but also takes his position seriously. He knows the law inside and out, and asks questions until he’s satisfied he understands what is being sought.  “Then I make my decision and cast my vote.”

Keeping up with his property as the years advance takes more and more of Bud’s time.  “I don’t move as fast as I used to, but my mind’s still sharp, and for that I’m thankful.”  He’s thankful too for the officers who work all hours looking out for the rest of us.  “I hope a lot of people in Sussex will join me with the blue ribbons.  Get it out on Facebook too.  I’d really like to see it take hold.”

New Lewes library taking off

The new Lewes Public Library offers six different meeting spaces where groups large and small can meet for a variety of reasons. Use of those spaces has been vigorous since the facility opened in June and affirms the role of public libraries as important community centers for the 21st century. Assistant Director Kristen Gramer said since she first started scheduling use of the rooms in June, more than 100 meetings are already on the books as far out as next July.  “Build it and they will come,” said Rebecca Lowe, volunteer coordinator.