Community Briefs 5/31/23

Hampton Inn Rehoboth finishes $3.6M property upgrade

Hampton Inn Rehoboth Beach has completed a $3.6-million renovation to its 85-room property at 18826 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach. Led by Palmer Gosnell, the six-month project includes updates to guest rooms, guest public areas and the indoor pool area.

“The Hampton Inn Rehoboth Beach takes pride in providing our guests with a memorable travel experience backed by the latest innovations and amenities in hospitality,” said Fred Thompson, general manager. “These renovations demonstrate our commitment to guest satisfaction and alignment with the standards of this category-leading brand.”

Owned by Rich Palmer and Barry Gosnell, and managed by Palmer-Gosnell Management, Hampton Inn Rehoboth Beach offers amenities including free hot breakfast, complimentary Wi-Fi and a 24-hour business center. Each guest room includes HDTV, free in-room movie channels and a coffeemaker.

The Hampton Inn Rehoboth Beach is part of Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest loyalty program for Hilton’s 18 world-class brands.

For more information or to make reservations, go to hilton.com or call 302-645-8003.

Angola by the Bay craft vendor signup due June 1

The 48th Angola by the Bay craft show will be held rain or shine from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, July 15, in a shaded grove next to the clubhouse parking lot at 33457 Woodland Circle, Lewes.  Applications for the 100 craft vendor spots are being accepted through Thursday, June 1, until the 10-by-10-foot spaces are filled. The cost of a spot is $40. Past years’ artisan vendors have included potters, artists, jewelers and more. Sale of refreshments is provided by the ABTB men’s group, the Owls. The craft show is sponsored by the Sea Gals, a social and fundraising group established in 1975 and comprising 80 women who contribute monies raised to local nonprofit organizations, charities and projects within the ABTB community. Other events the Sea Gals sponsor include a Mahjong tournament and a yard sale.

For more information or to sign up, contact Deb Cebula at 302-549-4877 or email Abtbcraftshow@yahoo.com.

Wear Orange walk to end gun violence set June 2

National Gun Violence Awareness Day is Friday, June 2, ahead of Wear Orange Weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 3 and 4.

Wear Orange honors people in the United States affected by gun violence and calls for an end to the crisis.

Wear Orange originated on what would have been the 18th birthday of Hadiya Pendleton, an innocent bystander who was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago at the age of 15. Her friends decided to commemorate her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear to be visible and enhance safety.

The BoardWalk to End Gun Violence will start with a group photo at 1 p.m., June 2, at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand. Then participants will walk the boards as a group to call for an end to gun violence. 

To show support for gun safety and disarming hate, businesses and residences can light up in the color orange. 

Bethany Beach June 3 craft show seeks volunteers 

The Bethany Beach Seaside Craft Show will return for its 17th year in Bethany Beach from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday, June 3, along the boardwalk, bandstand area, Garfield Parkway, Hollywood Street and Parkwood Street, rain or shine.

Sponsored by the Town of Bethany Beach Cultural and Historical Affairs Committee, the nationally recognized event will feature more than 100 juried artisans in diverse media including wood, jewelry, pottery, glass and more. The Joe Baione Trio will perform jazz standards from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the bandstand.

Volunteers are needed to assist with parking, booth marking and artisan check-in. For more information, email bbcraftshow@townofbethanybeach.com or go to townofbethanybeach.com.

Community blood drive honoring Handley family set June 3

In honor of the Handley family and to support people in the community affected by cancer, a community blood drive is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, June 3, in the gymnasium at at Cape Henlopen High School, Lewes.

To sign up, go to donate.bbd.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/9041. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are preferred.

Madison Handley is a 13-year-old Beacon Middle School student being treated for pediatric cancer for the second time. While Madison’s prognosis is encouraging, she must undergo several months of chemotherapy. Her parents have been incurring many unexpected expenses and must take leave from work to care for their daughter.

Additional community support would be greatly appreciated in helping the Handley family through this difficult time. To donate, reach out to the Lewes PTO at lewespto@outlook.com.

Nanticoke Indian Association to host breakfast June 3

Sponsored by Indian Mission United Methodist Church, the Nanticoke Indian Association will host a community breakfast from 8 to 11 am., Saturday, June 3, at the Nanticoke Indian Center, 27073 John J. Williams Highway, Millsboro. 

St. George’s Chapel yard sale set June 3

St. George's Chapel will hold a yard sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, June 3, in the parish hall at 20332 Beaver Dam Road, Harbeson. There is no charge to attend and ample off-street parking is available near the chapel. All are welcome. Items for sale include power tools, small furniture, kitchenware, collectables, toys, crafts and bargains galore. There will also be hot dogs, scrapple sandwiches and baked goods for sale. Proceeds go to St. George's Dragons Men's Group and will also benefit local charities. For more information, email info@allsaintsandstgeorge.org or call Joe at 319-389-7183.

Beebe Oncology Services to host Miracle Mile June 4

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Beebe Healthcare’s annual survivorship celebration, the Miracle Mile will return as an in-person event this year. It will be hosted from 9 to 11 a.m., Sunday, June 4, at the Specialty Surgical Hospital, 19161 Healthy Way, Rehoboth Beach. The event will start with a brief ceremony followed by the walk around the Rehoboth Health Campus, which also houses the Tunnell Cancer Center. The event is free and open to everyone.

“It is a milestone moment to host the Miracle Mile for the 20th year,” said Maurice Winkfield, Beebe Oncology Services executive director. “The event celebrates the special connection between cancer survivors and their caregivers, and it also provides an opportunity for the community to support Beebe Oncology and their patients through fundraising and donations. Thank you to all who have supported patients in Sussex County throughout the years.”

For more information, call Rita Williams at 302-291-6707. To donate, go to beebehealthcare.org/donate.

D-Day remembrance set at Fort Miles June 4

The Fort Miles Historical Association will hold an outdoor D-Day memorial program at 11 a.m., Sunday, June 4,  at the Fort Miles Overlook event venue facing the Atlantic Ocean. Activities include an overview of the events leading up to D-Day by Master of Ceremonies Will Short.

U.S. Navy Capt. David Diefenderfer will read Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s letter sent to the Allied forces just before they embarked for Normandy. Docent Ed Paterline will speak about the U.S. Army’s 29th Infantry Division during the Allied assault on June 6, 1944. Finally, the Fort Miles Historical Association will honor Delawareans killed during the Battle of Normandy with a bell-tolling ceremony.

Air Force veteran Lani Spahr and Cape High student Amelia Bickel will be featured on the bagpipes and bugle. After the ceremony, the Fort Miles Museum inside Battery 519 will be open to the public until 2:30 p.m.; it includes a chaplain’s kit carried ashore during the Allied invasion in June 1944. FMHA docents will be present in every room to provide interpretation and demonstrations. For more information, email info@fortmilesha.org.

Human rights film screening and talk set June 4

A free social justice film screening and discussion is set for 3 p.m., Sunday, June 4, at Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware, 30486 Lewes-Georgetown Highway, Lewes. “From Selma to Stonewall” is a film featuring the Rev. Gil Caldwell, a black, straight preacher and civil rights movement foot soldier, and Marilyn Bennett, a white, lesbian author and activist. The two form an unusual bond as they seek to find the intersection between the civil rights and LGBTQ+ equality movements. They start out exploring the similarities, differences and conflicts between the two movements and find themselves in the midst of today’s struggles — hate crimes, anti-blackness, police brutality, anti-LGBTQ religious hostility, queer youth homelessness and white supremacy.

The Delaware Human Rights Commission and ACLU of Delaware have secured this film and arranged for facilitated discussions.

Refreshments will be provided. To register in advance, go to aclu-de.org. In addition to UUSD, Sussex County sponsors include CAMP Rehoboth, PFLAG Rehoboth, Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice, Stonewall PAC, Sussex Pride and Women’s March Sussex.

UUSD to meet June 4

The Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware will hold an in-person and livestreamed service at 10 a.m., Sunday, June 4, with the topic Beauty Calls Us Together. Julie Keefer, director of music ministries, said, “We draw upon a song cycle created by Kathryn Canan, the Rev. Suzelle Lynch and Ruben Piirainen, composed in 2023 to honor the 100-year anniversary of the flower ceremony, originated in 1923 by the Rev. Dr. Norbert Čapek of the Congregation of Liberal Religious Fellowship in Prague, Czechoslovakia. This tradition continues to this day to give us a communal way to celebrate beauty, human uniqueness, diversity and community. Please bring a flower or a small bouquet to add to our collective table.” For more information, go to uussd.org.

AARP Georgetown to meet June 5

The American Association of Retired Persons Chapter 5340 will meet 11 a.m., Monday, June 5, at Pizza King in Millsboro. Reservations are not required, but RSVPs are requested by Thursday, June 1, to Suzi Laungayan at cardqueen79@gmail.com. 

The guest speaker will be Jim Martin, director of the Shepherd's Office in Georgetown. Martin will explain how his organization helps anyone homeless, unemployed, food-insecure or lonely. The chapter will take a summer break with no July and August meetings. For more information, go to local.aarp.org/georgetown-de.

Mountaire scholarship applications due June 5

Mountaire Farms, the country’s fourth-largest chicken processor, has dozens of $2,500 scholarships available for the children and grandchildren of its employees, poultry growers and grain producers. The deadline to apply is Monday, June 5.

“This is another great benefit of working for or with Mountaire Farms,” said Phillip Plylar, president. “It’s an honor to meet these families and see the commitment these students have to their education. We are blessed to be able to help them succeed.”

To be eligible, a student’s parent or grandparent must be employed by Mountaire Farms, or grow broilers, breeders or grain (10,000-bushel minimum) for Mountaire. Applicants must enroll as full-time college students carrying a minimum of 12 credits per semester in the current school year.

Successful applicants must be involved in extracurricular activities at school and in their community. Preference will be given to an industry-related course of study. A copy of the student’s transcript must be attached to the application.

Students can apply online at mountaire.com. Winners will be announced Monday, July 3. Regional scholarship winners will be invited to a Delmarva Shorebirds game where they will be brought onto the field and announced to the audience.

Beebe free community health clinic at Lewes library June 7

Beebe Healthcare’s Community Mobile Health Clinic will set up from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Wednesday, June 7, in the Lewes Public Library parking lot, 111 Adams Ave., Lewes.

On a drop-in basis, the clinic will provide a variety of health screenings, education and referrals. All services are free and no appointment is necessary.

Beebe’s specialized team will speak with individuals and direct them to one of the two exam areas inside the mobile clinic for preventative physical health screenings including blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, as well as full lipid panels and A1c point of care testing, if deemed necessary. Assessments on health education and social needs, and referrals to programs and resources will also be available.

Beebe to host community health fair in Millsboro June 7

Beebe Healthcare invites the community to its Millsboro Health Fair from 4 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, June 7, at the Millsboro Fire Department, 109 East State St., Millsboro. Beebe’s team will be on hand to provide valuable information on stroke, heart failure, diabetes, home care and physical therapy, and health tips like learning how to reverse an opioid overdose with Narcan.

The community outreach team will also offer health screenings for blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index and bone density.

The event is free; registration is not required.

For more information, contact Beebe Population Health at 302-645-3337.