Return Day marks end of the 2024 campaign
Barbara Holston and Sharon Pitcher have been coming to Return Day for 50 years. They set up their chairs in a prime position on the Georgetown Circle to watch the parade.
“We enjoy it very much. It’s gotten larger over the years. You get to see people you have not seen in the last four or five years,” Holston said.
They were part of the huge crowd that celebrated the bi-annual Sussex County celebration. The day was capped off by the traditional burying of the hatchet in sand from Lewes Beach.
Doing the honors this year were Sussex County Republican Party Chair Drew Sunderlin, Sussex County Democratic Party Chair Jane Hovington and Timothy Strong, representing the state Libertarian Party. The ritual officially marked the end of campaign 2024.
Gov. John Carney was attending his last Return Day as the governor. But the soon-to-be mayor of Wilmington said he will be back.
“It’s a great tradition. It’s a reminder that party affiliation is not the most important thing. For me, it’s represents the way politics are here in Delaware,” Carney said.
Matt Meyer, who defeated Republican Mike Ramone to become Delaware’s next governor, said he wants to move forward.
“It means a lot that Mr. Ramone came down. We had a conversation and we’re going to work together for the future of Delaware,” Meyer said.
The Return Day parade featured bands from local high schools and trucks from several local fire departments.
What would Return Day be without the free ox roast sandwiches, served on the Circle to wrap up the day?
North Bedford Street was filled with food trucks for folks who could not wait for the ox.
Vendors were lined up around the circle.
Sussex County Republicans even had a stand-up President Donald Trump set up for pictures.
Debby Jones, Sussex County Return Day chair, invited everyone back for the next Return Day in November 2026.
