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Rehoboth's Blue Moon celebrates its 30th year
Blue Moon owners (l-r) Randy Haney, Tim Ragan, Meghan Gardner and Lion Gardner were ecstatic that the Columbus Day holiday weekend brought such good weather and great crowds to town. "The most amazing thing about this is that we get to celebrate with all the customers who have been coming here for so long," said Lion. "They're the ones who have been making it happen. It's really cool. They've been part of the Blue Moon for longer than we have." BY DENNIS FORNEY
October 14, 2011
Rehoboth Beach Mayor Sam Cooper, left, and his wife, Diane, attended the Blue Moon celebration with Commissioner Lorraine Zellers and her husband Tom. "The Blue Moon has become one of Rehoboth's mainstays," said Cooper, but he said he missed seeing former owner and founder Joyce Felton. "It's not the same without Joyce here," said the mayor.
Sheet music for the famous Rogers and Hart song graces the wall of the Blue Moon's main dining room. The Baltimore Avenue restaurant and bar are proving as venerable as the song.
Ken and Dale Dunning, left, and Jill Burton enjoyed the glitz and glamour of the Blue Moon anniversary celebration. The Blue Moon was one of many community restaurants that assisted the Extrreme Makeover's Jusst Souup effort in August. Burton helped orchestrate the makeover through her position with Schell Brothers which orchestrated that project.
Female impersonator Miss Richfield served as Master of Ceremonies for the Blue Moon's anniversary celebration.
Barb and Bob Russell have been supplying the Blue Moon with locally grown lettuces and other fresh vegetable for 28 of its 30 years. "These walls could tell lots of stories," said Bob.
Murray Archibald, right, and Steve Elkins - two of the founders of Camp Rehoboth on Baltimore Avenue near the Blue Moon, were among the hundreds who tuned out to help the restaurant and bar celebrate its 30th anniversary. "The Blue Moon was the first restaurant in Rehoboth to really establish a place for the gay and lesbian community to come together and feel comfortable," said Elkins. "We had a stake in it to with Camp Rehoboth - we all wanted a safe place we could call home. We were all in the right place at the right time and we've all become part of a community that cares about each other. Rehoboth Beach is a family town but what people have learned is that families come in all shapes and sizes and that there is room for everyone. The Blue Moon really helped to get it all going and has remained an anchor for keeping the gay and lesbian community involved."
Singer-songwriter and Grammy Award-winner Thelma Houston, joined the Blue Moon celebration with a high-powered vocal performance on the restaurant's stage. "Let's shake it all up like you've been doing for so many years," said the singer. Houston’s surprise appearance added lots of electricity to the glitz of the celebration.
With klieg lights bringing a Hollywood opening-night feel to Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach, the Blue Moon restaurant and bar celebrated its 30th anniversary Sunday, Oct. 9.
Once a modest rooming house, the Blue Moon has developed over the decades into the iconic Baltimore Avenue flagship at the epicenter of Rehoboth's gay and lesbian community.
The venue celebrated its milestone with a big party including Hollywood performers, champagne toasts and lots of reminiscing by people who have been coming to the restaurant and bar for many years.
