Messing with the bull in Dewey Beach
A pedestrian walking past the Starboard in Dewey Beach last weekend could have seen any number of unusual sights, from Abraham Lincoln to Gumby to some of Delaware’s local legislators. But those familiar with the town’s bizarre July tradition likely thought nothing of it.
The Starboard hosted its 16th annual Running of the Bull July 14. The event draws hundreds of people to Dewey Beach for the small town version of Pamplona, Spain’s famous San Fermin Festival. Lucky for the runners, many of whom fill the Starboard to capacity before noon, Dewey Beach’s bull is not likely to gore anyone.
Garrett Walsh and Chris Williams hid under pounds of furry, brown fabric on the hot, summer day to chase hundreds of people along the surf down some of Dewey Beach’s most crowded blocks. After the boys in their bull suit herded the crowd back to the Starboard, they faced off with an Elvis impersonator, impersonating a matador, in a final bullfight.
Starboard owner Steve Montgomery said after the event, “My favorite part of what I do is watching people have fun while they’re here, and nothing tops the Running of the Bull on the silly meter.”
Teddy Roosevelt and Abe Lincoln of the Washington Nationals’ Racing Presidents loomed far above any human patron in the procession to Houston Street, where the race began.
The first runners rushed down the beach and took a right turn, continuing south along the water. Dewey Beach Patrol monitored the path of elaborately dressed runners. The only people who veered from the path were Walsh and Williams, whose vision was slightly impaired by the costume.
Michael McDonnell, a Washington, D.C., resident and Dewey Beach property owner, started the event 16 years ago. He said he and a friend, Mike Howard, attended Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain in the mid-1990s. In 1997, McDonnell said, he and a group of 30 friends renting a house in Dewey Beach surged into the Starboard to reenact the Spanish experience.
McDonnell said when Montgomery took over the Starboard in 1999, he called McDonnell and asked him to make the reenactment an annual event. “By the sixth or seventh year, it was huge,” McDonnell said. “I met my wife at a Running of the Bull.”
McDonnell still takes the microphone and acts as emcee for the event, giving safety instructions and heckling the audience.
The event raised $6,000 for Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Department – $4,000 from the sale of T-shirts donated by the Starboard and another $2,000 from Montgomery. “They do so much for our small town here in Dewey. It’s a great feeling to get them involved with something fun like this within Dewey Beach, and if they ever ask us for donations here, I am always going to rush to write them a check,” Montgomery said.
A number of elected officials let down their hair and enjoyed the spectacle. Mayor Diane Hanson, Commissioner Jim Laird and House Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, joined in countdown to the race.
“I think it’s time town council and the businesses started working together in the interest of public safety and quality of life,” Hanson said.
Laird and his wife, Betty Laird, attended the event with friends from Avalon, Pa. “It’s a great draw,” Laird said. “People talk about this for weeks.”
Laird also said the staff of the Starboard was particularly organized this year. “Once again, they’ve pulled off a fantastic fundraiser,” Laird said. “It’s a great day for Dewey.”
