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Georgetown continues its Return Day tradition

On a side street in Georgetown, the colorful mums on the porch of this small, small home caught my attention. Proud, neat - this is part of America in the 21st century.
dennis_forney
November 10, 2016
Longtime Chairwoman of the Return Day Committee, Rosalie Walls, passes before the reviewing stand in her traditional Colonial garb. Return Day celebrations date back to more than 200 years ago when people returned to the county seat two days after the elections to hear the results.
Two of Delaware’s most venerable politicians of this modern era have now earned statesman status. Mike Castle, left, served two terms as governor and several terms as US Congressman from Delaware. Sen. Tom Carper also served two terms as governor and is now in his third term as US Senator from Delaware. They are shown here with Natosha Norwood Carmine, chief of the Nanticoke Indian Tribe.
Return Day had a great turnout of accomplished and awarded women. Among them were Delaware’s Distinguished Young Woman of 2017 Grace Otley of Hockessin, left, and Miss Sussex County Outstanding Teen Jenna Anger of Bridgeville.
Drummers in Delaware State University’s Approaching Storm Marching Band parade in front of the Sussex County Courthouse.
It was a quiet time at the Sussex County Democrat headquarters in Georgetown. Democrat Pete Schwartzkopf for 14th district representative was the only Democrat candidate who received a majority vote for his or her office from Sussex County voters.
Jim Parkinson of Millsboro rode with the American Legion Riders of Post 19 in Laurel. He is involved in the steadily growing annual Veterans Day Parade in Laurel scheduled for this Saturday starting at 11 a.m. in downtown Laurel.
This float helps capture part of the Return Day spirit.
Sussex County Sheriff Bob Lee and his wife, Lori, donned period garb for their stagecoach ride in the Return Day parade.
One of the initiatives of the Laurel Redevelopment Corporation is a celebration of the area’s watermelon industry. Buses like this one, painted by Artist John Donato, have a for decades been converted to carry watermelons from the fields to the auction block in Laurel during the summer harvest. Plans are in the works to have several painted watermelon buses on hand for a Watermelon Festival next summer. Preparing to ride the bus in the Return Day Parade are (l-r) Dawn and Mark Collins, owners of the bus; and other redevelopment participants John Donato, Ed Lewandowski, Bill McGowan, Brian Shannon, Chris Calio and Laurel’s Citizen of the Year and Councilman Jonathon Kellam.
A group of Sussex County conservatives enjoyed watching the parade from the upper deck of the Brick Hotel.
On my way back to the Cape Gazette offices at Nassau, I pulled over to photograph one of this election year’s unique campaign efforts: A utility post animated with clothing to promote Lacey Lafferty’s candidacy for governor.

I parked my truck at Grace United Methodist Church a few blocks east of The Circle in Georgetown Thursday morning.  Then I unloaded my bicycle and headed into town to capture some Return Day flavor. The weather for this year’s event was the best it has been in years, people were in good spirits, marching bands played with spirit, and the politicians - in the best spirit of the event - were all smiles, winners and losers.  Here are photographs from the day, starting from when I pedaled up a side street and stopped to photograph a small Georgetown house on a side street.  The last photo of the lot is one of the most bizarre representations of this year’s election season - on Rt. 9, between Lewes and Harbeson.

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