Middletown Life Fall/Winter 2023 Edition

Middletown Life Fall/Winter 2023

WELCOME to the 30th OLDE TYME PEACH FESTIVAL

A generation ago the recently formed Middletown Historical Society and a band of Main Street merchants got together to try to come up with a way to showcase Middletown by attracting people to the historic downtown. What they came up with was the Olde Tyme .Peach Festival, which premiered in 1994.

Much of this year’s festival follows the traditions of our early years, like naming a Little Miss Peach. It’s delightful to learn that this year’s Little Miss Peach is the daughter of the very first Little Miss Peach of 1994! We are also returning to the tradition of a new t-shirt each year. Be sure to pick up one at the Historical Society booth on Cochran Square.

Often new festival attendees are surprised to learn that the Peach Festival is sponsored by the Middletown Historical Society, founded in 1985. We have come a long way since then. We were homeless for over 20 years, collecting artifacts and storing them in various spread-out locations that made displaying them totally impossible. At one time we hoped to make our home in the old Berkman’s Variety Store on East Main Street next to the ‘Four Corners’. An engineering study found the cost of stabilizing and renovating the century-old building would be prohibitive. But in 2006, the fates smiled on us: Mayor and Council offered to rent us the newly vacated 180 year-old Academy Building on North Broad Street when they moved into the new Town Hall on Green Street. The Academy was especially appropriate because it had been built as an educational institution and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, with so many visitors crowding the museum for the Peach Festival, it will be impossible to absorb all the stories interpreted and displayed in the seven rooms of the museum. There are two new exhibits and five continuing exhibits, but we urge you to pay a visit to all of them. Make the Society a frequent destination for yourselves, your children, your guests and friends. Please stop at the Society booth on Cochran Square and join our Society by buying a family ($20), or individual ($10) annual membership. It’s important to the community for you to support this and all our Middletown cultural activities! Enjoy your day!

The Peach Festival Committee of the Middletown Historical Society

Danielle Bukowski of Free to Be Yoga & Movement is opening up new worlds for those with a desire for selfknowledge and possibility through the connection of mind and body. It’s an energy that is about to flourish at a new studio

‘To be able to gaze into our own eyes’

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

“The only response to adversity or misunderstanding is to be more completely who we are — to share ourselves more.” Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have

The standard size of a yoga mat is 24 inches in width by 68 inches in length, and when a practitioner unfurls theirs at the beginning of a session, he or she does so with the knowledge that they are wise to completely surrender to it for the entire duration of their time on it.

Far greater than the mundane purpose of protection against the hard surfaces of a yoga studio, this thin sheet of polyvinyl chloride serves as a receptacle for their vulnerability and defeat, their fear and anger, and their expectations both unrealized and delayed. Then a miracle happens, in rhythm to the sweet and sweaty pulse of their breath; the mat becomes like a book of prayer opened to a treasured psalm, repeated in whispers.

Over the course of the last few years, and more than 40 times a week, Danielle Bukowski of Free To Be Yoga & Movement in Middletown invites her practitioners to unfurl their yoga mats and dump the entire contents of their mental mush on its rubbery surface, and move to her encouraging voice.

All photos courtesy of Free To Be Yoga & Movement Danielle Bukowski of Free To Be Yoga & Movement.

There it all is on one mat and then another and another; Bukowski recognizes all of it, piece by piece – the veritable gunk in our life’s collection. It reflects back to her as she teaches, the commonality of experiences that she has with her brothers and sisters on the mats. It is this shared doubt, wrapped rigorously around an aching desire to know one’s own self, that first led Danielle Bukowski on her journey, and it is the reason why she is here.

Part of the solution, part of the challenges

“I was a hyper child, and at first I didn’t know where to put the energy,” said Bukowski, who was raised in Rising Sun, Md. “I was always moving and climbing and my mother would often find me on the top of the refrigerator. I began ballet classes when I was in the second grade, eventually found that ballet became my outlet and I went full force into it. Even though I was a free spirit, I loved the structure of ballet, and I was then introduced to modern dance, and I found that this spoke to another part of me. It became my introduction to the idea of breath and intention that I found years later through yoga.”

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State Line Liquors

Free to Be Yoga & Movement

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When she was 17, Bukowski turned down a scholarship offer from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia to attend the prestigious Joffrey Ballet in New York City, where she attended a summer program and accepted an offer to remain as an intern. She was clearly on the path to becoming immersed in the life of a performer.

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Free to Be Yoga & Movement

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The tests that Bukowksi began to undergo while at Joffrey – originally diagnosed as asthma attacks – were later determined to be panic attacks. She left Joffrey four days before what would be her last performance of the program, and returned to Maryland, where she graduated high school at less than 95 pounds and carrying the full weight of her personal demons.

“The movement of dance was my outlet at Joffrey, but then I found that I couldn’t get enough if it,” she said. “I was very much a perfectionist and I have never done anything half-way, and that’s part of the wonderful solution in my life and part of the challenges that I have had.

“I wanted to be perfect in everything, and failing was not an option for me. I could not merely be good. I had to be the best, but in the process, I was not acknowledging the other part of me.”

Bukowski began drinking, changed her diet to include unhealthy options and added nearly 125 pounds to her small frame. She was 18 years old, and the barriers that she placed around her had become insurmountably high.

‘My true life began then’

For the next few years, Bukowski bounced from living arrangement to living arrangement in a series of stops and starts. She became a server and later a bartender at a Pike Creek restaurant, and it was there she found the first of what would become the many angels who helped give her guidance and love.

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Offering a wide variety of classes, Free To Be Yoga & Movement serves as a studio of inspiration for its many practitioners.

Free to Be Yoga & Movement

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“A woman at the restaurant overheard me asking for a ride home, and she came up to me and told me, ‘I don’t know you, but I have a room in my home, and if you need a ride right now, I will give you one,’” Bukowski said. “That woman is Mary Huntington, and she changed my life. It started a trickle effect that began when she encouraged me to get back to dancing, or some form of movement. It began when I asked myself, ‘What can I do every day that will amount to one small shift?’ It was acknowledging layers of things that had to go.

“In many ways, my true life began then, when one person supported me and gave me a safe place.”

A former boyfriend encouraged Bukowski to work with a personal therapist, who led her client on a path to meditation. At the same time, she began practicing yoga at Kirkwood Fitness in downtown Wilmington, and later at Empowered Yoga, where she developed her early practice under the tutelage of founder Johnny Gillespie, and began training to become a certified yoga instructor. Gillespie was in great company; as Bukowski’s practice and her teaching

blossomed, so did the number of teachers who served to inspire her.

“Through the influence of my teachers, I learned very early on that yoga was far more than just movement,” Bukowski said. “This is where dance meets met emotions which met my sweat which met my impurities. The community, I found, was like-minded and to varying degrees, broken and searching and curious, and yoga was speaking to each one of us differently.”

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Classes at Free To Be Yoga & Movement are not just limited to the studio.

Free to Be Yoga & Movement

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Eventually, she entered teacher training at Empowered Yoga, while at the same time balancing her duties as a bartender and being a single mother to her then six-year-old son, Emerson Luke, now 10. After she took a position as the front desk coordinator at the studio’s new location in Greenville, Bukowski went through teacher training again with Gillespie and in 2019, she earned her certification as a yoga teacher and began giving her first classes.

‘To be able to gaze into our own eyes’

On May 12, 2017, Bukowski lost her mother to heart failure.

“I think when my mother died, I felt like I died with her, and I know that I could have very easily gone back to drinking,” she said. “But I sat with the tears and relied on the love I had for my son, and the tenderness of my friends, who kept reminding me that it was time for me to use my dreams.

“While I had been teaching dance for a long time, learning how to lead yoga practices became everything for me,

and it was just the right time for me. It became such healing power, but it could not have happened until I was ready for it. It became the movement of the body, the emotion and the layers of support.

“Before yoga, I did not like the sound of my inner voice. I was always thinking catastrophically, but now my inner voice feels balanced. It is organic, it is human and it is healthy.”

In her own words, Bukowski felt that it was time for her to encourage others “to be playful, be joyful and to find their own super power.” After she and Emerson moved to Middletown to be with her partner Gary Thomas and his daughter, Bukowski was inspired to look to create her own teaching experience in Middletown.

Through the encouragement of her friends Kevin and Heather Thomas, Bukowski officially opened Free To Be Yoga & Movement on Dec. 12, 2021 in a temporary studio at Central Movement Martial Arts, where she has since expanded to a full schedule of classes and workshops for adults and children.

“You can see the light in Danielle’s eyes when she teaches the practice of yoga, and how driven and passionate she is about it,” said Heather, who serves as Bukowski’s business partner. “A lot of people are afraid to make a jump of this size, but when you see so much potential in someone like Danielle, it becomes very easy to sort through documents in order to help her further her passion.”

“At Free to Be, we believe variety is the spice of life,” it reads on the company’s website. “Each of our classes carries our funky, free-spirited vibe while focusing on different elements of yoga and movement.”

The culmination of Bukowski’s dream is in the final stages of construction. Free To Be Yoga & Movement’s new studio in Summerton Place is scheduled to open in early fall nearby at 103 Patriot Drive.

“When people walk through the door at Free to Be, I want them to feel energy, to see smiles and know the feeling that they are home,” Bukowski said. “The only obligation a practitioner has is to get to his or her mat and breathe. I want this to be a place where people can follow their own avenues and options. Maybe you are a single parent with four jobs and all you want to do at this moment is to lay on your mat in child’s pose and breathe because you made it, or maybe your inner

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Currently working out of Central Movement Martial Arts, Free To Be Yoga & Movement will be moving to a new studio at Summerton Place in the fall.

Free to Be Yoga & Movement

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warrior is craving a funky flow. Whatever you bring to your mat that day, we can give you that space your mind and your body need.

“Believing that we are more than the shell that we carry around allows us to step away from the physical component of yoga. There are mirrors in our studio not to judge ourselves or others, but to be able to gaze into our own eyes.”

To Bukowski, the mirrors are there for another purpose, a personal one.

“Throughout most of my life, I did not see what was right in front of me,” she said. “I didn’t see that I was able to balance myself and feel and cry and be sad and not be scared of it, to move my body in a way that is healthy, and to be able to encourage others to start to develop and understand themselves better.

“Every part of my life’s journey – even the parts that have been horrible – has allowed me to see and love myself so much more. I get so much from those people who walk through those doors when I share my life’s moments, more than they will ever know… and that is community. We may make this climb alone, but we get to do it together.”

Free To Be Yoga & Movement’s new location –scheduled to open in early fall -- will be at Summerton Place, Suite 104, 103 Patriot Drive in Middletown, behind Royal Farms and across the street from First State Brewery.

To learn more about Free To Be Yoga & Movement and its many classes, visit www.freetobeyogade.com, or call 302-927-1143.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, email rgaw@chestercounty.com.

‘When people walk through the door at Free to Be, I want them to feel energy, to see smiles and know the feeling that they are home’

Danielle Bukowski, owner, Free To Be Yoga & Movement

Middletown, Delaware A festival and a long history of freedom

By Gene Pisasale Contributing Writer

Thousands of people have enjoyed the Middletown Old Tyme Peach Festival, which dates back to 1994 and celebrates the agricultural heritage of the region, notably its peach production.

This year’s event will center on Main Street and feature historical exhibits, crafts, food, live music, a peach pie contest and other activities for the entire family. Yet most people are not aware of a series of events in Middletown’s history which started more than two centuries ago and played a critical role in the plight of freedom seekers going through the state. The area was an important stop on the Underground Railroad and a monument to brave abolitionists involved in that effort now stands on the grounds of Middletown High School.

When she was a student at Middletown High School, Megan Marchio wanted to do something meaningful for her Senior Project. She decided to honor the efforts of John Hunn and John Alston, two Quaker farmers who helped numerous escaped slaves back in the mid-1800s coming through the area seeking shelter from their ‘owners.’ She said, “I really wanted to do something interesting— something that happened in Middletown and has a lot of meaning. I had heard about the Underground Railroad, but I didn’t know it was real.”

Over the subsequent months, she pursued plans to construct a monument to Hunn and Alston, honoring their selfless devotion to the slaves desperately hoping for freedom.

John Hunn came to the Middletown area from southern Kent County in 1836 to take over 200 acres of land which his family owned. Although Delaware was a slave state, Hunn decided that he would assist slaves coming through the region. Hunn and Alston were not the only people who helped escaped slaves. Well known abolitionist Thomas Garrett helped many slaves across the Delaware state line and is estimated to have assisted more than 2,000 people in finding freedom.

When Hunn assisted Samuel Burris in bringing slaves to his property, his neighbors noticed what was going on and reported him to the authorities. However, a local sheriff noticed a defect in his arrest paperwork and early in 1846 Hunn was released. Garrett became aware of his plight and called a coach to help Hunn escape over the border into Pennsylvania, a free state.

The irate slaveholders sued both Hunn and Garrett for violating the Fugitive Slave Act and their trial was held at the New Castle Court House. The presiding judge, since it was a federal case, was Roger Taney, a slaveholder himself. Taney, as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was later the author of the poorly decided Dred

Middletown High School

Scott Case, one of the worst decisions in Court history, which held that slaves had no rights as citizens. Both Hunn and Garrett were found guilty and fined severely for their actions. Hunn was forced to sell his farm and move back to his previous home in Camden, Delaware. Despite the guilty verdict, one of the jurors in the case

Photo courtesy of the Middletown Historical Society

Photo courtesy of the Middletown Historical Society

John Hunn

Samuel Burris

Middletown History

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went up to Garrett after the trial and actually apologized for his vote.

Marchio’s Senior Project finally came to life. Today the results of her efforts are on the grounds of Middletown High School, from which she graduated several years ago. Along Delaware Route 299 now stand two memorial benches and an historical marker recognizing Hunn and Alston for their selfless devotion to helping escaped slaves find shelter and freedom. The Toni Morrison Society funded the benches in their “Bench by the Road” program, which honors those people who assisted slaves many decades ago. The historical marker was erected in 2015 by the Delaware Public Archives. A portion of it states: “Near this location were the farms of John Alston (1794-1872) and John Hunn (1818-1894), cousins who shared the Quaker faith and were well documented operatives on Delaware’s Underground Railroad.”

Hunn once said, “I ask no other reward for any efforts made by me in the cause than to feel I have been of service to my fellow-men.”

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Underground Railroad Memorial bench and marker at Middletown High School, courtesy John Ben Urban.

Middletown History

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His impact on Delaware involved more than freeing escaping slaves. One of his sons, also named John, was later elected the state’s 51st Governor in 1901. Historians and others interested in the story of slavery can visit the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, which runs for roughly 95 miles from Maryland up through Odessa and Middletown to the state line with Pennsylvania. The Byway includes numerous locations throughout Delaware which are linked to the Underground Railroad.

As for Marchio, being part of this remembrance program is quite fulfilling. She said, “To know that we as a community did something that will be remembered feels great. We created a place where people can come and reflect and be inspired to have the courage to act with bravery…” The Middletown Historical Society is creating two exhibits illustrating different perspectives on this topic. According to project manager Abby Harting, the Society is hosting an art show titled “Fear to Freedom” featuring works by Appoquinimink High School students and an exhibit titled “Courage and Compassion” highlighting Hunn’s efforts. The exhibit opened on July 22 at 6 p.m. at the Academy, 216 North Broad Street, Middletown. For more information, contact the Society at mhistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

Gene Pisasale is an historian, author and lecturer based in Kennett Square. His 11 books focus mostly on the Chester County/mid-Atlantic region. His latest book is Heritage of the Brandywine Valley, that showcases the more than 300-year history of the region. Gene’s books are available on his website at www.GenePisasale.com and also on www.Amazon.com. Gene can be reached via e-mail at Gene@GenePisasale.com.

Historical marker for Delaware Underground Railroad at Middletown High School.

WHAT’S HAPPENING ON SATURDAY, WHAT’S HAPPENING ON SAT at the 30th Middletown O

As always, all activities are free, courtesy of our sponsors and partners

First Aid Station, (302)-378-7799. The Volunteer Hose Company, 27 W. Green St., will again provide a first aid station and also have mobile medical “gators” deployed throughout the festival area. If anyone attending the Peach Festival needs medical attention, please go to the fire hall or call (302)-378-7799.

The Parade kicks off the annual Middletown Peach Festival on Broad and Main Streets beginning at 8:45 a.m. It always includes an exciting variety of bands, antique cars, fire equipment, costumed participants, performing groups, noise, horses and color. Among those featured will be our own talented trifecta: the Appoquinimink, Middletown, and Odessa High School Marching Bands; the power ball in the mix is the 287th Delaware Army National Guard Band.

The Middletown Historical Society Booth at Cochran Square. This year we are partnering with volunteers from the Appoquinimink Jaguars High School Marching Band and Band Boosters, who will assist in selling peaches, Peach Festival T-shirts. They will also help with information, directions, and recruiting members. Peaches are available by the piece, bag, or carton. Buy Delaware peaches! The Band Boosters are this year’s recipient of the $1,000 Peach Festival Partnership Award given by the Middletown Historical Society.

Historical Society Museum and Grounds at the Academy Building (216 N. Broad St.)

The Middletown Historical Society Museum offers a great place to cool off, sit down, use the restrooms, purchase baked goods made by the MOT Senior Center, and learn about local history. Both floors are now handicapped

accessible, with a ramp leading to the back door.

We have two new exhibits in the museum:

From Fear to Freedom is a collaborative art exhibition, with students from the Appoquinimink High School, located in the downstairs gallery. It tells the story of the Hawkins family as they flee slavery and travel through Middletown on their way to freedom.

Courage and Compassion, on the second floor, tells the story of abolition and the underground railroad in Middletown using period maps and artifacts. Two local Quaker families, the Hunns and the Alstons, are portrayed in the exhibit.

Other continuing local exhibits include the Introduction to the Museum, and Teens on the Town on the first floor; and the Schoolroom; an exhibit on Marie Lockwood, a local suffragist; and the story of Samuel Jones, a Mt. Pleasant peach era African-American, on the second floor. Remember, we now have a chair lift for easy access to all exhibits.

Outside on the Museum Grounds

A favorite group for the last several Peach Festivals, the Victorians of Virtue and Valor, have returned this year to offer an enactment, in period dress, of A 1925 Bethesda Methodist Church Peach festival There will be children’s games and crafts that would have been played and enjoyed in the ‘20s

A big hit at last year’s festival was The Little Farm petting zoo, which will be here again this year. Come make friends with the barnyard and other animals. For a small fee, kids may feed the animals, have their faces painter, or take a pony ride.

There will be a tent pitched by the Sons of the Union Veterans, where you can talk with the Boys in Blue about their participation in the struggle.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2023 19, A

Olde Tyme Peach Festival

Behind the museum is the action-packed Kids Zone provided by our new partner, All Blown Up Inflatables. The popular Moon Bounce and other attractions will provide plenty of opportunity for kids to burn off excess energy. All activities, of course, are free.

Grace Church, 13 Pennington St., one of the best kept secrets at the Peach Festival will welcome visitors to the church. You may sit and relax in our air-conditioned dining hall, enjoy cold bottled water, and use the comfort station. Watch for the misting station in front of the church. Youngsters, oldsters, and dogs (when accompanied by their families) are welcome. The Carrols, who have been a crowd favorite at previous Peach Festivals, will be performing several times throughout the day, with music, and entertainment.

Jean Birch MOT Senior Center, S. Scott St.

~ 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.: pre-ordered pies may be picked up (must have receipt). Sugar-free pies that have been ordered by Monday August 14 will be available.

~ 9 a.m.: Doors open

~ 11 a.m.: Peach Pie Contest

~ 3 p.m.: Car show trophy winners

~ All day: • DJ Jammin’ Jeff will provide music at the bandstand • Car show at the bandstand - Trophy categories are: Best in Show, People’s Choice, Vintage Antique, Antique, Classic (to be awarded by votes of attendees). • Lunches • Homemade 9-inch double crust and crumb peach pies (get there early). Also sugar-free pies may be ordered in advance. Also, cobblers, jams, jellies and baked goods. • Gifts and gently used jewelry. Pies and some baked goods are also available at the Historical Society Museum (Middletown Academy Building).

Church on Main: 44 W. Main Street, under the town clock, across from the Everett Theatre. The church wel-

comes visitors to its 1850 building, and offers a place to rest and relax in comfortable air conditioning. Peach Ice Cream will be on sale. Rest rooms will be open to the public.

Volunteer Hose Company; First aid station. 27 W. Green St., one block south of Main St. Middletown firemen will host an open house that will showcase fire safety and best practices. Multiple fire trucks will be on display including our original hose carts and horse drawn ladder truck from 1887.

We have fire prevention handouts for the kids as well as magnets with home safety tips. If you need a smoke detector for your home, we have them on site. The members of Volunteer Hose Company are ready to answer your questions and show you our fire and rescue equipment. We respond to emergency calls every day. We are looking forward to seeing you during the annual Middletown Peach Festival!

A First Aid Station will be staffed. Rest rooms will be open.

The Everett Theatre will have a booth outside the theatre with promotional materials, promo items, a youth t-shirt give-a-way (while supplies last), and a brochure of upcoming classes and workshops. The cast from the September production of Heathers - The Musical, and our upcoming October production of Spamalot - The Musical, will be in front of the theatre throughout the day greeting patrons and performing musical numbers from their productions. The building will not be open due to tonight’s performance.

The Gibby Center for the Arts will have a small number of artisanal works for sale along with brochures for upcoming art classes and workshops. The building will not be open.

Help keep the arts alive in Middletown!

Braelynn Moore and Liam Nguyen

Little Miss Peach and Sir Peach, 2023 Middletown Peach Festival

Of the many time-honored traditions at the Middletown Peach Festival, perhaps one of the most important is the presence of Little Miss Peach and Sir Peach. In advance of this year’s festival, Middletown Life recently got to ask Braelynn Moore and Liam Nguyen a few questions.

Braelynn Moore

Middletown Life: How old are you?

Braelynn Moore: I am four years old and I will be five years old in July.

What town do you live in? I live in Smyrna.

What are your parents’ names? Stephanie and Philip. (Stephanie served as the very first Little Miss Peach.)

Where do you attend school? I go to Spring Meadow Early Childhood Center.

What grade will you be entering in the fall? Kindergarten.

What are your favorite subjects in school? Reading.

What are your favorite activities when you are not in school? Scouts and dance.

Are you a member of any teams or organizations? If so, name them.

I am a Lion in our Cub Scout Pack 135 and I am part of Bella Dance Center in Middletown.

What is your favorite movie or TV show? “Bluey.”

What is your favorite type of food to eat?

Yogurt and applesauce.

What is your favorite restaurant in the Middletown/Odessa/Townsend area?

Texas Roadhouse.

What is your favorite place to visit in the Middletown/Odessa/Townsend area?

My cousin’s house in Odessa.

What are you looking forward to most at this year’s Middletown Peach Festival, besides being Little Miss Peach?

I am looking forward to being in the parade and taking pictures.

Have you decided what would you like to do for a living when you get older?

I would like to be a doctor.

What is your favorite joke or riddle?

I don’t have one.

If you could meet one person you

admire but do not know, who would that person be?

Moana (from the 2016 film, Moana), because she is pretty and strong.

All photos courtesy of Stephanie Moore

Little Miss Peach and Sir Peach Q&A

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Liam Nguyen

Middletown Life: How old are you?

Liam: I am six years old.

What town do you live in? I live in Middletown.

What are your parents’ names? Michelle and Minh.

Where do you attend school? I went to Brick Mill Early Childhood Center, but I’m going to a new school soon (Old State Elementary School.)

What grade will you be entering in the fall?

I will be in the first grade.

What are your favorite subjects in school? The playground and gym.

What are your favorite activities when you are not in school?

I like to go to the beach and in the boat, and I like to swim in the water.

Are you a member of any teams or organizations? If so, name them. I play soccer and tumble and cheer for Soccer Shots and Supreme Loyalty Cheer.

What is your favorite movie or TV show? “Spider Man.”

What is your favorite type of food to eat? Pizza.

What is your favorite restaurant in the Middletown/Odessa/Townsend area?

Kiku and Crooked Hammock.

What is your favorite place to visit in the Middletown/Odessa/Townsend area?

That big park (Charles E. Memorial Park).

What are you looking forward to most at this year’s Middletown Peach

Festival, besides being Sir Peach? Riding in the parade.

Have you decided what would you like to do for a living when you get older?

I would like to become a police officer or a firefighter, or maybe both.

What is your favorite joke or riddle? What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear.

If you could meet one person you admire but do not know, who would that person be? The captain of the Titanic.

All photos courtesy of Michelle Nguyen

Notice of Parking and Shuttle locations

for the 2023 Peach Festival, August 19, 2023

The public driving into town for the Peach Festival, are urged to use the 2 principal parking areas. Shuttle buses for handicap & seniors will circulate to the locations frequently and will be available from 8 a.m. through the close of the festival at 4:30 p.m. Please look for the shuttle sign for pick up & drop off locations.

N Broad St. (Rt 71) Appoquinimink Old Public Library (651 N Broad St),

N Broad St. (Rt 71) Dutch Country Farmers Market, Middletown Shopping Center lot (600 N Broad St).

We’re right around the corner. And always in yours.

For nearly 200 years, WSFS Bank has stood for one thing: Service. We’re committed to doing what’s right and helping the communities where we live, work and play. That’s why we’re honored to support the Middletown Peach Festival.

Member FDIC | wsfsbank.com

We are a “Fear-Free” trained clinic

OUR

A Storied Past: New book showcases collections from Historic Odessa Foundation

Using rich archival and genealogical sources, author Philip D. Zimmerman, Ph.D., a noted independent scholar, brings to light for the first time an extraordinary array of 100 decorative and fine arts from the Historic Odessa Foundation’s collections.

A Storied Past: Collections of the Historic Odessa, published by Rowman & Littlefield, captures the historical character and significance of two important late-18thcentury houses, each of which retains a high percentage of original furnishings and locally made objects. Four chapters introduce the place, the families, important craftsmen, and why so many objects were preserved.

The richly illustrated book includes more than 200 photographs, including many details and historic images, along with careful physical descriptions and historical documentation. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, A Storied Past illuminates a wealth of furnishings, works of art, and artifacts with common provenances and interlocking histories and places them into the artistic, social, and historical contexts of their time.

For the first time, an extraordinary array of images and photographs is shared

Courtesy photo

Over the past several years, the collections at Historic Odessa have undergone careful examination and interpretation. Relatively few historic sites have received this level of investigative treatment. Additionally, several of the hitherto-unpublished objects relate to others already in the decorative and fine arts lexicon.

Corbit and Wilson Family Collections Shed Light on History of Odessa

This well-documented group of family objects provides an intimate glimpse into the daily lives of members of the Corbit and Wilson families in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and sheds light on the history of Odessa, Delaware, and the larger region.

Particularly strong holdings of furniture made by noted Odessa cabinetmaker John Janvier and his talented sons and nephew allow informative contrasts with products made in Delaware, Philadelphia, and elsewhere.

Needlework and other textiles made by Corbit and Wilson women characterize their handiwork. Other objects tell

other stories. Some, labeled by their 19th century owners for posterity, document evolving trends in early collecting and historic preservation.

Corbit-Sharp and Wilson-Warner Homes Maintained by Historic Odessa Foundation

The collections documented furnish the Corbit-Sharp (1774) and Wilson-Warner (1769) houses, built on adjoining lots by a tanner and a merchant and now maintained by the Historic Odessa Foundation. Subsequent generations valued and preserved the two houses and many furnishings.

The Wilson house opened in 1923 as the first historic house museum in Delaware. The Corbit house remained in family hands until H. Rodney Sharp bought it in 1938 to preserve it. Furniture owned in the family of John Janvier was added in the 1970s, and the Foundation has continued to acquire Corbit and Wilson family furnishings as well as locally made furniture in the years since.

Spotlight on History

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A Storied Past: Collections of the Historic Odessa is available for $75 online at Rowman & Littlefield, or on Amazon. com. Orders can also be placed through the Historic Odessa Foundation by calling 302-378-4119, or by emailing jennifer.cabell@historicodessa.org. Books can be picked up at the Foundation or shipped for a nominal fee. Members of Historic Odessa Foundation will receive a 20 percent discount on purchases.

About Historic Odessa Foundation

Established in 2005, Historic Odessa, owned and operated by the Historic Odessa Foundation, is a 72-acre enclave of 18th and 19th century structures located in the town of Odessa, two miles from DE 1 and just off U.S. Route 13 in southern New Castle County, Del. The historic museum properties and gardens along with a well-documented collection of more than 7,000 objects and furnishings offer a unique picture of Delaware’s colonial period in a rural village that played a vital part in America’s commercial history. The town of Odessa, originally known as

Cantwell’s Bridge, has retained much of its 18th century charm and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and home to a National Historic Landmark, and two National Park Service Network to Freedom sites. www.historicodessa.org.

About Author Phillip D. Zimmerman Ph.D.

Philip D. Zimmerman Ph.D. is a museum and decorative arts consultant based in Lancaster, Pa. A prolific author, teacher, and lecturer, Zimmerman is a nationally-recognized authority on early American furniture. Publications include Harmony in Wood: Furniture of the Harmony Society, Delaware Clocks, American Federal Furniture and Decorative Arts from the Watson Collection , and numerous essays and articles in books and periodicals such as American Furniture, Antiques , and Winterthur Portfolio . He holds a doctorate in American and New England Studies from Boston University and a master’s degree from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture / University of Delaware.

Wallis Repair Collision Center

Dawn Marie Dutcher Graney.

artwork

By Drewe Phinny Contributing Writer

Middletown has a long tradition of artistic achievement and community support of iconic landmarks such as the Everett Theatre and the Gilbert W. Perry, Jr. Center for the Arts, which is nicknamed the Gibby.

The most recent example of the town’s creativity is an imaginative project that has turned an alleyway next to the general parking at 24 West Main Street into Inspirational Alley, a beautification effort that will include a 40-foot mural and impressive exhibits. It’s a joint effort involving three art students, Quinn Stoops, Emily Graney and Jailyn Martin, from Appoquinimink High and Joe and Dawn Graney from A Creative Edge (ACE) Design Studio and Offices on Main Street. A Creative Edge provides creative solutions (inspiring by design). At the helm of ACE is Dawn Graney, who opened a business in 2011. Dawn has also worked with Happy Harry’s Retail Corporate Headquarters, the Eagle Group Manufacturing Corp and MBNA. And now, she and her family have taken on what may become her most ambitious challenge – to transform an unsightly alley filled with trash into an outdoor art design display that citizens can enjoy with a new sense of civic pride.

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Courtesy photo

Irina Turner is the owner of Arts by Angelova.

|Middletown Life| From alley to artwork

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Dawn and her family wanted to purchase the old Middletown Transcript (newspaper) building, but the price was out of their range. So with some creative financing and unconventional maneuvering, a deal was struck.

“I was always worried they would take this building that had so much history and just tear it down,” Dawn said. “I wrote them a heartfelt letter about the history of the town and how, when I was a little girl, my family would come to town for errands. Dad and Mom would stop with us every few weeks to put an ad in the Transcript for their business, Ben Dutcher Mason Contracting, stop for a little window shopping at the Treasure Chest, Hattons, the hardware store and the bakery and then enjoy one dollar spaghetti night at Pappy’s.

“Buildings and businesses like this are important to the town’s history and they need to be supported before they are no longer around. Just explaining to this big company, not local, tasked with selling the Transcript Building, how important to the town history, how the small businesses like the Transcript really are—you have to love the town you’re in and support small businesses before they are no longer here.”

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|Middletown Life| From alley to artwork

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She continued, “We told the sellers, if they considered selling to us, we would rent it back for the first year for free and we would do a dedication on the side of the building. Months later, they contacted us and eventually, the offer was accepted. It was just meant to be. We did a lot of the cleanup and repairs ourselves. First State Finest Security Services are now in the front of the building and Arts By Angelova has rented the space in the back and has a beautiful gallery there now.

“Irina [Turner] is a perfect fit for Inspirational Alley with her amazing art style and spirit. We are keeping the building name—The Transcript. There are also professional business spaces being added in dedication to The Transcript.”

Once they had cleaned up the alley, Dawn and her team worked on removing the garbage cans, which just didn’t have a welcoming feel.

“We started on designing displays to hang,” she said. “Then we began the four-season mural with our three talented volunteers.”

Now, the 40-foot mural is almost done. When you walk through, you can see the different artist styles and the amount of hours they have spent to create this four-season mural for the community to

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Joe Graney is pictured hanging signs for Project Hope as part of Inspirational Alley.

|Middletown Life| From alley to artwork

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enjoy. That includes fun signs and information that supports events on Main Street. They are still putting finishing touches on the alley.

The whole point was to make it a beautiful thruway to Main Street from the public lot that would inspire people that walk through and make them smile.

“We called it Project Hope and named the alley Inspirational Alley,” she explained. “As you walk through, there are little sayings meant to lift people’s spirits and one display is a nod to the farming community’s hard work. The displays included history about the Transcript and town. We donated, designed, fabricated and installed the panels. We also created a butterfly wing display, symbolizing the butterfly effect, where people can have their pictures taken, promoting the premise that dreams can come true. Everything you see in that alley is all good and pure.

“The mission is to inspire others and hope that it is contagious, and they pass on the good. The butterfly effect.”

The Middletown Transcript paper bin was repurposed to create a little free art library, a similar concept to the free book library, but with art. People can stroll down the alley and place little art inspirations for others or take one. A little art swap.

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A Little Art Library.

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Dawn requested and received a $1,500 grant available for a mural and decided to reward the kids who had worked so hard on the project.

“We divided it among the three kids and each got a $500 scholarship for college that came from Main Street Organization,” she said. “They also gave us a couple of benches and planters. We really cleaned up the alley.”

Dawn’s group went through proper request procedures with the town and proposed their ideas to town officials, who were supportive and granted permission.

“We’re also donating 300 t-shirts related to Inspiration Alley and downtown that read ‘Believe You Are the Good in the World,’” she said.

There’s also a Facebook page which promotes the good in the community and often features animals that need homes.

As Dawn and her family continue to “spread the good,” poignant moments are bound to happen. A young man named JP Henry from Earleville, Md. stopped by one day with his mother. He also happened to be an excellent photographer. Dawn asked him if he would want to contribute

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Students Quinn Stoops, Emily Graney, and Jailyn Martin.

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one of his digital photos which would hang in the alley. He had a huge smile when he walked through.

The combined efforts, the Graneys, the art students, the town support, the Main Street Organization, and volunteers is what community is about. It’s a team effort that cleaned up the alley and made it into a nice path for all to stroll down and enjoy.

Small downtown businesses are built on long hours, hard work and sacrifice. But don’t forget, it’s about community too. There are lots of businesses in the community doing good things. Embrace that good and pass it along by coming downtown to support those small merchants.

Dawn and Joe Graney, and the rest of their family, show a refreshingly positive approach to life. There are so many talented people in the Middletown community and sharing that creativity to inspire others is what it’s all about. It’s what you give in your lifetime, and money isn’t always the answer. It’s the difference you make in someone else’s life. We all have the ability to bring smiles and joy to others. The Graney family hopes to see more folks downtown visiting the cute shops, pubs, eateries, services, entertainment venues and, of course, Inspirational Alley.

Sign from Main Street pointing to entrance of Inspirational Alley.