If you are looking for a gift idea this year and a coffee table book will fit the bill, then check out a new release titled Wild Delaware. The book contains photographs taken by Kevin Fleming that capture “the beauty of Delaware’s wildlife and wild places.” According to the Wild Delaware site, over half of the 1,000 signed and number books are already reserved. Check out a preview of some of the pages on the Wild Delaware web site.

I have had some luck this year on both the buying and selling side of Craigslist classified ads. Craigslist covers the Delmarva peninsula with two regions. One region covers the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia. The rest of the peninsula is covered by the Delaware site. I have sold a couple of bikes and some other outdoor equipment that our kids have outgrown. I bought an old rear engine riding mower from a guy in Delaware. The ads are free, and all correspondence can be handled by email if you don’t want to give out a phone number. I am a big eBay fan, but Craigslist is the best for stuff that doesn’t fit easily in a box.

The Rehoboth Beach Film Society presents the 11th year of its film festival from November 5-9, 2008. The event takes place at the multi-screen Midway cinema. Tickets for many of the approximately 100 films will be sold out before the festival begins, so make your plans now. RBFS members can purchase tickets in advance. Local ticket sales will begin on October 27th. Visit the festival web site for details. An online version of the festival program is available with a schedule and description of all of the films.

TOWNSEND, Del. – Autumn’s vibrant foliage, the pristine waters and lush landscape of Blackbird Creek Reserve will be showcased 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Blackbird Creek Fall Festival. The festival is being held at the Blackbird Creek Reserve – located at 801 Blackbird Landing Road near Townsend – one of the most beautiful and ecologically valuable areas in Delaware.

On June 1, 2008, the 4th Annual Taste of Lewes will be hosted by the Friends of the Lewes Canalfront Park. Local food, beer and entertainment get together for this amazing event held to support the new Canalfront Park in downtown Lewes. 12pm, University of Delaware Virden Retreat & Conference Center, Pilottown Road, Lewes,DE.

See a short film created by J.B. Greenbaugh of Milton, DE. It was shown at the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival last fall.

Lavinia in Tango

See more creations by this multitalented citizen of Delmarva who contributes to a blog HERE.

On Friday, the Milton Theatre will open their new production One Act Plays II which showcases a series of five one act plays written by local Delaware authors. Audience members will cast their votes on the best play, director and actor. These ballots along with the opinions of three official judges will determine which one act play will be submitted to the Delaware Theatre Association’s competition. Performances are scheduled on August 17, 18, 24, & 25 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 19 at 2:00 p.m.

The Milton Theatre is the result of a community effort to save an historic piece of Milton’s past.

The old Milton Theatre has a rich and meaningful history in Sussex County, Delaware. Erected in circa 1910, the two-story building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Milton’s historic district, and it has served, at one time or another, as the Town’s basketball hall, fire station, social center & community stage.

For the past six years, the non-profit 501(c)(3), Milton Development Corporation has been dedicated to rehabilitating this historic building, and the effort to restore and renovate the old Theatre into a multi-use Performing Arts & Cultural Center, Classic & Second Release Movie Cinema House and Venue for Community Programming & Special Events has been the MDC’s primary mission. As a result of an extensive capital campaign, the once crumbling building is now re-emerging as a touchstone and anchor in Milton’s historic Town Centre; it is operating as a viable facility for the promotion and presentation of the cultural and entertainment arts; it is serving as a showcase for the community’s educational programs and special festivals; and it is providing a destination attraction for a fast-growing arts community.

Visit the Milton Theatre web site to learn more about the performing arts center.

The 34th Annual Outdoor Fine Art and Fine Craft Exhibit organized by the Rehoboth Art League will continue on August 18th and 19th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. The Art League event offers:

More than 100 artists and craft persons exhibiting work for sale on the Rehoboth Art League grounds. Free and open to the public. Refreshments available for purchase. Musical and children’s entertainment.

Parking in the Rehoboth area can be a challenge, so the organizers have an alternative available.

Free Shuttle Parking
Rt 1 Northbound between Tomato Sunshine and the Outlet Malls
Holland Glade Road east to the Little League Field on Left.

The 10th edition of the Eastern Shore Afram Festival will be held on August 10th and 11th at Nutter Park in Seaford, DE. According to the festival web site:

This year’s theme, “Cherish the Family…Honor the Village” reflects our commitment to our community and highlights the contributions of those who strengthen “the village”. This festival provides time for our community to come together on August 10th and 11th and experience AFRAM’s rich cultural and historic legacy - while embracing Unity, Success, Diversity and Pride.

Festival hours are 5:00-10:00 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. Saturday’s activities will be kicked off by a parade beginning on King Street and ending at Nutter Park. Live entertainment acts including Motown, Reggae, Gospel, Hip-Hop, R&B and Steel Pans, will perform all day Saturday. Bring some chairs and stay all day.

The 1st Annual Delmarva Blue Crab Festival is scheduled to take place August 10th-12th in Milton, DE. The sponsors of the event include local print, radio and television media companies along with beverage suppliers and several recognizable business names. The festival will designate a portion of its proceeds for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The event organizers have provided a summary of the mission for the festival.

One goal of the Delmarva Blue Crab Festival is to ensure that there are plenty of blue crabs available, now and in the future, so that those of us who enjoy them can continue to do so.
The Delmarva Blue Crab Festival has chosen the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as a beneficiary of the event’s success. A portion of event proceeds will be donated to the foundation.
As one of the region’s foremost nonprofit environmental stewardship organizations, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, www.cbf.org, is uniquely positioned to show and tell us all what we can do to help improve bay and ocean water quality as we improve the environment overall.
A healthier environment means more and better natural resources such as blue crabs. We’re pleased to be affiliated with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and we’re happy to provide our added financial support to their efforts.

A new tradition for Delmarva could be created with the success of the 1st Annual Delmarva Blue Crab Festival. A full menu of entertainment has been scheduled to appear on three festival stages. Ticket options include an All You Can Eat menu of traditional Eastern Shore foods for $30(Adults) and $10(Kids 10&U). Basic event tickets are available for $7.50(Adults) and $3.50(Kids).

It’s too late to cheer for her now, but Madison Brengle of Dover, DE, just finished a dream trip to the finals of the Wimbledon Junior Girls division. After spending seven weeks playing tennis in Europe, Brengle has returned home for some R&R. A nice article covering her accomplishment was published last week in the Wilmington News Journal. Brengle also reached the finals in the junior division at the Australian Open. The 17-year-old from Dover will be one to watch for in the future of U.S. tennis.

According to their web site, the primary purpose of the Delaware Friends of Folk is…

to support folk music and folk musicians on the Delmarva peninsula and the Mid-Atlantic area of the United States.

The Friends are a nonprofit organization that has monthly meetings in Dover, DE, in their effort to promote regional and national musicians and events occurring in the Mid-Atlantic area. The group’s next local event will be on July 21 at the Coffeehouse at Wesley Chapel where thay will sponsor the Delmarva Folk Hero Open Mic Contest at 7:30pm. The DFF web site has created a nice listing of regional events for local music lovers. The group’s signature event will be the Delmarva Folk Festival on October 5th and 6th.

Chesapeake Life has an online version of the regional magazine. A recent article aimed at travelers crossing the state of Delaware on their way to the beach provides a nice look at five towns along the route. I think local residents will probably learn at least one thing from this article that they did not know about Georgetown, Bridgeville, Milton, Milford, or Millsboro. For instance, I had no idea that…

There are three good reasons to tarry at Delaware Technical & Community College, along Route 18/404 on the northwest approach to Georgetown. The southern campus is an arboretum for Trees of the States—fifty-one trees, one per state (e.g., Wye oak for Maryland, flowering dogwood for Virginia), plus an American holly from the perhaps-future state of the District of Columbia. An entire wall in the Betze Library displays the Elsie Williams Doll Collection, more than 600 dolls, bequeathed by the wife of the late U.S. Senator John Williams, imaginatively grouped in categories like brides, Shirley Temples, First Ladies, and mean-looking teacher dolls. The library building also houses the Treasures of the Sea Exhibit featuring the booty recovered from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, a Spanish galleon shipwrecked off Key West in 1622, salvaged by treasure hunter Mel Fisher. Open Mon.-Tues. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Fri. noon-4 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. 302-856-5700,

Chesapeake Life is a worthwhile addition to the library of information about the bay region for both visitors and locals. The site also has a nice event calendar. Much better than Doh?? Beachcomber.