Programs set at Delaware Seashore State Park Nov. 4-5
Delaware Seashore State Park has set programs for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5. A lantern tour of the Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum is offered at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 4. Attendees will step back in time and experience the life-saving station by lantern light, just as the surfmen would have at the turn of the century.
Interpreters in period dress will recount the daily lives, hardships and triumphs of those working for the service. At the end of the night, participants will venture out onto the beach and hear tales of tragedy and mystery that occurred on these very beaches over 100 years ago. Cost is $10 per person, and the program is recommended for ages 8 and up. Participants should dress for the weather.
An art class to create a nautical flag is set for 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5. Using the International Code of Signals is a system of signals, participants will create their own messages by painting a series of signal flags on a rustic piece of wood to display in their home or yard. In an effort to recycle and reuse park materials, each piece of wood has been hand cut from old picnic tables from the Delaware Seashore State Park campground.
Mariners use the code to communicate messages between vessels, typically regarding safety and navigation. The surfmen of the United States Life-Saving Service likely used the code on a regular basis. The first International Code of Signals was drafted in 1855 and consisted of 18 different flags that could communicate up to 70,000 different messages. The code was particularly helpful when language barriers existed between vessels.
The code has gone through a number of revisions over the years, but it is still used today. A series of flags can be displayed to spell out a word or message, or many of the individual flags have specific messages behind them. For example, simply displaying the letter "O" flag signifies that there is a man overboard. This program is $18 per person and is suitable for ages 12 and up.
The Indian River Life-Saving Station is on Route 1, 3.5 miles south of Dewey Beach and 1.5 miles north of the Indian River Inlet. For more information or to register for either program, call 302-227-6991 or go to www.destateparks.com.
