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Delaware Botanic Gardens’ annual dinner raises $134,000

Back to the Garden event celebrates 10-year relationship with SoDel Concepts
Delaware Botanic Gardens hosted its annual dinner Sept. 29. President Ray Sander, left, and Executive Director Sheryl Swed address the 300 attendees. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Chris Flood
October 6, 2022

Story Location:
Delaware Botanic Gardens
30220 Piney Neck Road
Dagsboro, DE 19939
United States

Delaware Botanic Gardens hosted its annual dinner Sept. 29, raising more than $134,000 for the multi-garden facility outside Dagsboro.

This year’s dinner, called Back to the Garden, was a celebration of DBG’s 10-year relationship with SoDel Concepts. Dinner co-chairs were SoDel Concepts President and CEO Scott Kammerer and wife Lisa. Other partners included  Bin 66, Vince Varrassi and Fifth Avenue, Coastal Tented Events and An Affair to Remember.

Included in the funds raised was meeting the $25,000 challenge match from Ron Bass and George Robbins.

For more information on Delaware Botanic Gardens, 30220 Piney Neck Road, Dagsboro, call 302-321-9061, go to delawaregardens.org or email Executive Director Sheryl Swed at sherylswed@delawaregardens.org.

 

The DBG annual dinner celebrated a 10-year relationship with SoDel Concepts. Executive Director Sheryl Swed and President Ray Sander listen as SoDel Concepts President and CEO Scott Kammerer says the restaurant group is happy to help – as long as they don’t have to attend any meetings. Shown are (l-r) Swed, Sander and Kammerer.
The night of the event, Ron Bass and George Robbins put up a $25,000 matching challenge for funds raised, which was met. With Executive Director Sheryl Swed, middle, and President Ray Sander, right, Bass talks about all the good from the garden.
There’s always something blooming at Delaware Botanic Gardens, including these bright-orange Cosmos sulphureus.
Who knows how this tree ended up with such a kink, but it’s one of the many interesting things to be seen along the forest trail.
Guests were treated to a glass of champagne as they entered. Doing the dirty work are Derrick Kelley and Cheryl Quirk.
Most of the plants in the gardens are real, which is why this decorative sunflower stands out.
The multiple colors of these zinnia elegans look to be reaching to the sky for more color.
Vincent Varrassi and Fifth Avenue provide jazzy music for the event.
Stu Weisman, executive chef for Matt’s Fish Camp in Bethany, is so good at shucking oysters he doesn’t even need to look.
DBG Executive Director Sheryl Swed and President Ray Sander recognize employees. Shown are (l-r) Swed, Sander, Director of Horticulture and Educational Programs Stephen Pryce Lea, Director of Grounds and Facilities Sam Cashdollar, Donor and Membership Manager Angie Phinney, horticulturalist Jeremy Cole, assistant horticulturalist Bridget Curran, Chief Photographer Ray Bojarski and Financial Manager Jane Hines.
As the sun sets, the multi-peaked tent turns into a place for dancing.
Bunches of these aster pink chiffons line the garden trail.
As tree debris is cleaned up, staff and volunteers pile it into big circles to return to nature. This is a circle that looks a few years old and in the process of doing just that.
Dinner attendee Ilona Holland captures a sunset too nice to ignore.
Getting a tour of the grounds on a golf cart and taking pictures are Carol Whitman, left, and Cynthia Padgett.

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Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.

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