Newark Life Spring/Summer 2016

Spring/Summer 2016

Newark Life

Magazine

Artist Catherine Czerwinski beautifies Newark Page 8

Inside • The Newark Senior Center celebrates 50 years • Photo essay: Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Complimentary Copy

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Newark Life Spring/Summer 2016

Table of Contents 8 8

Newark Arts:

Catherine Czerwinski

The rebellious beauty of her paintbrush to a wall

22 Newark Food & Entertainment: Churrascaria Saudades opens in the Newark Shopping Center

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30 Newark in the Spotlight:

The Newark Senior Center celebrates 50 years

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46 Around Newark:

A new hope for traumatic brain injury survivors

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66 Newark Photo Essay:

Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder

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78 Newark History:

Newark High School is the focus of a new exhibit

78 Cover design by Tricia Hoadley Cover photograph by Jie Deng 6

Newark Life | Spring/Summer 2016 | www.newarklifemagazine.com

Celebrating what makes Newark beautiful Letter from the Editor: As many of you know, artist Catherine Czerwinski, a native of Newark, started the Newark Beautification Mural Project last year. This is a public initiative aimed at not only creating more public art in the city, but also providing artistic opportunities for local high school students. In this issue of Newark Life, we profile Czerwinski and get an update from her about the progress on the project.

We also take a look at the programs and services provided to the community by the Newark Senior Center as this Newark treasure celebrates its 50th anniversary throughout 2016.

Writer Richard Gaw takes us inside Churrascaria Saudades, a Brazilian steakhouse that is now open in the Newark Shopping Center.

Newark High School is the focus of a new exhibit at the Newark History Museum, and writer John Chambless explores the exhibit.

We talk to Devina Kumar, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware, about how research at the Go Baby Go Café on the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus is offering new hope for traumatic brain injury survivors. This program offers traumatic brain injury survivors speech, physical and occupational and cognitive therapy, all at once, by utilizing an innovative harness system that can now be installed in homes.

Writer Lisa Fieldman talks to members of Delaware Synchronized Skating about a program that attracts participants from all over the region. Fieldman also explores the wide-reaching impact of research about honeybees that is being led by Dr. Deborah Delaney, an assistant professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware.

We spotlight the Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company’s Fire and EMS departments, which serve the second busiest district in the state of Delaware.

The staff of Newark Life always enjoys the opportunity to meet and talk with the people who help make the community such a wonderful place to live and work. By the time this issue reaches readers, we’ll be hard at work planning for the next edition, which will arrive in the fall of 2016. If you have any comments or suggestions for future stories, please let us know.

Sincerely, Randy Lieberman, Publisher randyl@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553 Steve Hoffman, Editor editor@chestercounty.com, 610-869-5553, ext. 13

www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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———————|Newark Arts|——————— Born and raised in Newark, artist Catherine Czerwinski has created murals throughout Delaware and other parts of the world. Her largest project, however, may be the one she’s currently developing in her hometown

The rebellious beauty of her paintbrush to a wall

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

F

or the time it takes to pass by a mural created by Catherine Czerwinski, she owns you.

In that moment -- no matter if it happens on foot, or in a flicker of an eye from the seat of a passing car -- the floating kaleidoscope of what comes from her head space and ends up on a wall does the job of what art is intended to do -- when it becomes more than just pretty paintings.

Give someone a pen, and there is always the chance that you will read the work of the next great novelist. Give someone a camera, and with luck and vision and light, you will see the artist emerge from behind the machine. Give someone a paintbrush and paint and a canvas, and there is the hope that a new Matisse will be crowned, but toss in the forlorn side of a building made of clapboard or cement along with those paints and brushes, and the stakes all of a sudden get larger. The opportunity for expression grows wider, and so does the responsibility of the artist not to waste it.

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“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

Newark Life | Spring/Summer 2016 | www.newarklifemagazine.com

Albert Camus

Catherine Czerwinski has not wasted the gift of being able to stand in front of ugly walls and make them beautiful. In Bocas del Toro, Panama; at restaurants and marketplaces and hotels throughout Costa Rica; at locations in Rehoboth and Wilmington and now in Newark, the gift of the big spaces have been given to and filled up by Czerwinski, and done so with brilliant bursts of color that reflect messages of hope, spirituality and connection to the places she paints.

Continued on Page 10

Photo by Jie Deng

Completed this spring at the Panara Bread on Main Street, the mural has attracted several Main Street passers-by.

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Artist

Photo by Jie Deng

Czerwinski poses near one of her Newark murals.

Continued from Page 9

“One of my biggest philosophies in life is if you want to make change don’t focus on changing the old but simply form the new,” said Czerwinski, 25, whose Newark Beautification Project began last year. “It’s always my intention to create something positive.”

When she was two years old, Czerwinski’s father woke from a nap and found his daughter in the family kitchen with a tub of margarine and a spatula, painting every available flat surface she could find. When she was a pre-schooler at the Ogletown Baptist Preschool, teachers would give the students cups of water and paintbrushes at recess, and ask them to paint the outside walls of the school with water. When the water dried, the children went back to the walls with paintbrushes and more cups of water. It remains one of Czerwinski’s happiest memories of childhood. Every year for her birthday, her parents would give their daughter a set of paints and paintbrushes.

As she grew older, Czerwinski, had the happy problem of being able to toss her attention anywhere and land on a creative pursuit, and art was only one of them. At St. Marks High School, she played keyboards, tambourine and sang for a band named Firecrackers Don’t Make Friends.

“I was always thought of as the artist in the family, so whenever there Continued on Page 12

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Artist Continued from Page 10

was a need to have something drawn, everyone thought, ‘Oh, Catherine’s artistic. Give it to her,’” Czerwinski said.

“Most artists have that moment where they say that they’re going to be an artist. I never had that moment, because it was always who I was. From the time I was old enough, I was always painting and writing and singing and creating.”

Perhaps the most unfair predicament to place a teenager in is to point to the tabula rasa of his or her future and ask them to fill it in -- to construct the building blocks that will eventually enable it to be complete. When that teenager is born with a dizzying and untamed sense of creativity, being asked to make choices is often paralyzing; it is as if his or her gifts have already burst through the cracks like wildflowers beneath cement, seeking light and air. Far too often, they remain there on the sidewalk, like a crime scene of neglect.

By the time Czerwinski entered Clemson University in the fall of 2008, she carried the wildflowers but only as a faint, far-off notion that she would ever have the chance to spend her life among them. Four years later, a period that also included a semester studying in Florence, Italy, Czerwinski graduated with a degree in marketing. When she returned to Newark at 22, her plans were to work part-time for the summer while applying to graduate school in London.

There, she would pursue a Master’s degree in marketing.

One day, her father asked Catherine how her application was coming along.

“I thought, ‘Where is this really going to take me?’” she said. “Is this something I really want to do?’”

Czerwinski had heard that some of her friends were getting

Courtesy photo

This past January, Czerwinski visited Panama, where she created the Bastimentos Mural Project in the town of Bocas del Toro 12

Newark Life | Spring/Summer 2016 | www.newarklifemagazine.com

jobs teaching English as a foreign language in other parts of the world. It sounded like a fantastic idea, and eventually, she found a program in Costa Rica where she could do the same. Soon after she left Newark for Costa Rica, Czerwinski completed the program to teach English, but never did.

Instead, she took a part-time job as a receptionist at a hotel, where she began to learn Spanish. While there, she met two guys who were about to open a beach bar. She told them that she was an artist, and she was hired immediately, paid her ten dollars and food to create signage. Eventually, she was hired to create signage throughout the hotel, which led to similar projects at other hotels, as well as restaurants and markets, who asked her to paint logos and fancy signage.

“It was such a sensation, to be out of school and be on my own, in a new country,” she said. “It was complete freedom -- freedom from being a part of the system, of going to school with people who all seem to be on the same path, where everyone is eating at the same time, and going to the same places. Costa Rica was challenging, eye-opening, and it gave me the chance to learn about myself and the time in which to do it.”

In August 2013, her sister came to visit her in Costa Rica.

“I told her, ‘Liz, I’m not going to be able to do anything else for the rest of my life,’” Czerwinski said. “Being self Continued on Page 14

Courtesy photos

While in Costa Rica, Czerwinski painted signage for markets and restuarants. www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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Artist Continued from Page 13

employed in Costa Rica...I don’t think it gets much better than this.

“My time in Costa Rica made me realize there was no reason to be afraid,” she said. “I used to feel like I had to put on an act in order to fit in with the world around me. I grew up having all of these ideas, and I didn’t really know what to make of them until I lived in Costa Rica and had the freedom to explore them in an entirely new culture.

Consequently, I was able to re-examine the culture I grew up in.”

While she was in Costa Rica, Czerwinski began writing for an arts media company called Art Above Reality (AAR).

When she returned to the United States in December 2014, she went to Miami as a member of the media to cover Art Basel Miami Beach, as well as represent several artists who AAR represented. At the time, the Philadelphia-based artist James Dupree was AAR’s top client, with whom Czerwinski worked closely, and soon after, Dupree asked Czerwinski if she would become his assistant at his gallery and studio museum in Philadelphia.

Dupree and Czerwinski then applied for the coveted

ArtPlace America grant through the National Endowment for the Arts, in order to get the money to renovate the museum and be able to offer art classes. As finalists for the grant, they received a site visit from members of the NEA and ArtPlace America. During the visit, Czerwinski heard the words that she had waited to hear.

“The ArtPlace America presenter spoke about how artists are meant to be in the communities, so as I was listening, I decided that I was going to come back to my own community,” Czerwinski said. “I knew I couldn’t spend any more time or energy working towards someone else’s vision. I had to follow my own.”

Within a short few weeks, Czerwinski left her job in Philadelphia and conceived what would become the Newark Beautification Project, a public initiative to create more public art in the town while at the same time providing artistic opportunities for local high school students who have an interest in art.

In the spring of last year, Czerwinski met with Newark Mayor Polly Sierer, to review her plans to launch the

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Courtesy photo

Czerwinski’s first surface in the Newark Beautification Project was a mural created on the exterior wall of Wonderland Records.

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Artist Continued from Page 14

project. Sierer embraced the idea, and after a final presentation to the Newark City Council in June, Czerwinski, armed with paints, brushes, ladders and the enthusiasm of students, approached a blank white wall at Wonderland Records in Newark, last July.

The mural, completed last August at the corner of New London Road and West Main Street, forms a 30-foot-long, ten-foot high love letter to the rich history of the Delaware music scene. The local references are everywhere, connected by familiar imagery of the famed venue the Stone Balloon: Wilmington native and trumpeter Clifford Brown; the Sin City Band; Love Seed Mama Jump; George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers; the Spinto Band; Mad Sweet Pangs; and recognition of Cab Calloway and Bob Marley, whose brief periods in Delaware are accounted for in the mural.

“The local music scene has played a very special place in my life, so I wanted to celebrate that,” Czerwinski said.

“You go to a lot of other towns, and they don’t have that same music scene. It’s really booming here. Even when I

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Newark Life | Spring/Summer 2016 | www.newarklifemagazine.com

went to college, I brought all of this great music down with me.”

Early this spring, Czerwinski completed work on the project’s second mural -- a stunningly colorful collage of Continued on Page 18

1-Color (Reverse on dark background)

1-Color (Black Plate)

4-Color Process

WhitehallDE.com

Artist Continued from Page 16

green, orange and pink on the side of Panera Bread off of Main Street. In deference to Delaware, the mural features cave swallows and blue herons, reminiscent of the state’s marshes and waterways. It’s the second phase in a project that is expected to include murals at several other locations throughout Newark, including the railroad bridge at Casho Mill Road and a community garden in Fairfield Park. At each stop, the individual projects will be paid for with private funding and through fundraising efforts.

Throughout the project, Czerwinski has invited students from Newark High School and Newark Charter High School to work with her on the project. One of them, Brianna Johnson of Newark Charter, has since pitched a mural project to her school and will be completing a mural with her classmates by the end of the academic year.

In addition, as a result of her mural work, Czerwinski has joined the Downtown Newark Partnership’s Design Committee.

“The committee has been very supportive of the NBP, and we have even collectively updated its guidelines so that it suggests consideration for public art to builders and business owners in the downtown Newark area,” Czerwinski said.

While the Newark Beautification Project has begun to take root, it’s certainly not the only Delaware-based mural painting Czerwinski has been involved in. Last October, she worked in collaboration with CAMP Rehoboth, the Delaware State Housing Authority, the Burton Village 4-H Club and community to create a mural at the Burton Village Apartments in Rehoboth Beach. Last November, she worked in partnership with art therapist Lindsay Ledarman at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, to create a canvas inspired by the many reasons to smile. Originally unveiled in the hospital’s atrium, the mural is now in a permanent location in another area of the hospital.

This past January, Czerwinski visited Panama, where she created the Bastimentos Mural Project in the town of Bocas del Toro in collaboration with the organization Give and Surf. There, she created a mural on a three-tier wall at a seaside dock in Bastimentos, filling the 500-square-foot space with the local flavor of what she was seeing and feeling all around her -- the vibrancy of the blue sky, the flowers and trees, and the constant presence of water.

“Any blank thing is a canvas to me,” Czerwinski said.

“The uglier it is, the more apt I am to want to paint it. I want to keep doing socially charged mural projects. I want Continued on Page 20 18

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Artist Continued from Page 18

to paint more peace, a sense of positivism. If it only takes people five seconds to walk by one of my murals, I want to give them five seconds of peace. “Quite simply, I want to to make the world a more beautiful place.�

Photos of the Newark Beautification Project, as well as a blog, can be found at: www.NewarkisBeautiful.tumblr. com, and on Instagram @NewarkisBeautiful.

If you would like to explore the idea of expanding the Newark Beautification Project to your business or organization, e-mail Czerwinski at catherine.c.czerwinski@gmail. com.

To learn more about Catherine Czerwinski, visit www. ccczerwinski.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail rgaw@ chestercounty.com.

Photo by Jie Deng

Photo by Lawson Shultz

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Newark Life | Spring/Summer 2016 | www.newarklifemagazine.com

Photo by Jie Deng

The mural at the Panera Bread Company off of Main Street served as the second installment of the Newark Beautification Project.

www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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————|Newark Food & Entertainment|————

After months of anticipation and expectation, Churrascaria Saudades – a unique take on a Brazilian steakhouse – is now open in the Newark Shopping Center.

The tastes and the experience makes it well worth the wait

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Newark Life | Spring/Summer 2016 | www.newarklifemagazine.com

My dinner with the gauchos

Courtesy photo

Picanha, a lean cut of sirlion, is the restaurant’s specialty.

Photo by Richard L. Gaw

The softly-lit interior is accented by a three-dimensional mural made of six large sheets of Birch Plywood that features a 15-foot by 15-foot map of South America.

By Richard L. Gaw Staff Writer

A

lthough I am never one to turn down a good London Broil – grilled medium rare with a superb California Cabernet to accompany it, thank you – the consumption of large quantities of meat during my lifetime was confined to my childhood, when it seemed all I ate were hamburgers.

Gradually, as I got older, my gustatory palate matured, due in part to the fact that I was more willing to experiment with new tastes,

ones that eschewed the traditional fast food hobgoblin of a young mind, and locked me into the belief that what I was tasting was a reflection of becoming an adult.

Over time, I put away the foods that came with a toy and ketchup, and began what has become a tableside-kitchen countertop journey into the world of the quinoa, the tapas, the mesquite, the olive oil drizzle, the two dozen kinds of pasta, the rainbow of vegetables lightly sauteed with garlic cloves, and the three dozen methods of preparing seafood.

When I was a kid, I read nothing but baseball magazines. Now, I flip through foodie monthlies that my wife subscribes to, and find myself a half hour later in the international food aisles at our local supermarket, searching furiously for sauces that I can barely pronounce, that will soon find themselves as an accompaniment to salmon or tilapia or mako shark or flounder.

And so it was with great irony, that I found myself recently at the newly-opened Churrascaria Saudades in the Newark Shopping Center, on assignment from this magazine, to profile the tastes, ambiance and hospitality that a traditional Brazilian steakhouse provides.

Continued on Page 24

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Churrascaria Continued from Page 23

“Churrascaria Saudades owner and Newark resident Phillip Piraino grew up in Brazil, where he developed a love for the culture and the way that people dine there,” said general manager Damon Eleuterius, who has worked in the churrascaria-style restaurants since 1999.

“Over time, steakhouses like this began to pop up, and that’s when Phillip decided that it would be nice to begin a steakhouse of this kind here in Newark.

“We’re catering to everyone. I’ve noticed from my experiences that there isn’t a group out there who doesn’t try us at least once. In Atlanta, where I started, we would have business persons come in during lunch, and at the next table, we’d have college kids who were about to head to an Atlanta Braves’ game.”

Within one minute of being seated at

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Photo by Richard L. Gaw

Just a few of the many happy faces at the new Churrascaria Saudades in Newark.

Newark Life | Spring/Summer 2016 | www.newarklifemagazine.com

my table, I learned that the word ‘Saudade’ is the Brazilian expression used to describe a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for an absent something or someone. The word is used for good reason; Brazilian cowboys, known as gauchos, would roam Brazil years ago in close proximity to a wide open terrain – called ‘pampas’ – filled with cattle, which would be used to supply food used for ‘Churrasco’ barbecues, that featured large pieces of meat slowly grilled over open-flamed pits.

I also learned that wait staff at Churrascaria Saudades are not merely there to clean tables and bring silverware. They are educators, and part of their job is to introduce guests to a new concept of restaurant eating. Kate, my personal waitperson, gave me a full lesson of how the brazilian steakhouse concept works, from being instructed to use tongs to help the gaucho guide the sliced meat from a skewer onto my plate; how to use both sides of a paper disk, one side of which is green, which indicates to the gauchos that you are ready for more table side carvings. Once flipped, the red Continued on Page 26

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Churrascaria Continued from Page 25

side indicates “Nao, Obrigado,” or “No, Thanks.”

I also learned that within one minute of being seated at a table, a guest can have enjoy one of 13 varieties of beef, pork, chicken and lamb the restaurant provides, all hand-carved by a gaucho.

The meat would have to wait. I visited the salad bar in the rear of the restaurant, to sample a variety of traditional side dishes such as kale salad, cous cous, bulgar salad, fresh salmon, sauteed yellow and red peppers, and a delicious riced cauliflower salad made with chic peas and dashed with a sprig of South American heat.

Tapping into some of the best vineyards in California, France, Italy, Argentina and Chile, the wine list at Churrascaria Saudades offers a wide variety of Rieslings and chardonnays to accompany poultry, and a generous variety of Merlot, blends and Cabernet to please any meat eater. Bottles begin at $18, and in addition, there are 12 wines on tap, and wines per the glass come in at a very fair $5 to $11 range.

The restaurant also enjoys a good flow, which allows

guests to have a lot of room to walk back and forth from their salad bar, and its softly-lit ambiance highlights the installation of a three-dimensional mural by the artist Lance Amici, which is made of six large sheets of Birch Plywood that features a 15-foot by 15-foot map of South America.

The next 45 minutes of my dining experience became a hazy and delicious blur – a constant parade of perfectly tender cuts of meat brought to my table by an endless roster of gauchos. I first tasted the Linguica, a seasoned pork sausage slow roasted over an open flame, followed it up with a helping of the filet mignon, and topped off my introduction with the Frango, chicken breast wrapped in bacon.

After 20 minutes in carnivore bliss, I flipped my circular card to red. Five minutes later, I turned it back over to green, and the gauchos returned, one after the other, with Alactra, a top sirloin dripping with juicy tenderness; the Picanha, the restaurant’s specialty that featured a lean cut of top sirloin; the Lombo, a Parmesan encrusted pork

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tenderloin; and finally, the Costela de Porco, pork ribs perfectly slow roasted and nicely seasoned.

I flipped my card over to red for the last time. After a little more than one hour, I had been defeated by my gauchos.

It was then, when I was at my most filled and satiated, that I learned the magic of Churrascaria Saudades: that food is meant to be enjoyed slowly, over the course of a long time. As I looked around the already crowded restaurant, at smiling patrons who had patiently waited months in anticipation for the restaurant to finally open its doors, I suspected that very few of them had anywhere else to be that evening than here.

The full dinner experience here is $45.00, but if you want to just graze on the salad bar all evening, it’s a very reasonable $22.50. If you’d like to bring the kids, children aged 6 to 11 are half price, and children 6 and under eat for free. Although the price for the full meal at the restaurant may frighten off those merely looking Continued on Page 28

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Churrascaria Continued from Page 27

for a quick bite, Churrascaria Saudades is the perfect destination restaurant for a couple or group wanting a complete dining experience.

It’s perfect for any special occasion, such as graduation pre- and post-dinners, University of Delaware parent’s weekends, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays and rehearsal dinners.

Leaving the restaurant, I began to think about how far Newark has come in terms of its culinary choices, and the distance of how far its locals have come along for the ride. When I first arrived there in 1989, as an editor at the University of Delaware, Newark was a gastronomic blitz of pub grub. Nachos and cheese seemed to form a mountain range from one end of Main Street to the other -- a grand design concocted by proprietors who wisely knew that their primary target audience was between 18 and 22 years old. In the last decade, however, the Newark restaurant

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scene has emerged from the myopic to the visionary, and that same stretch of Main Street has emerged as a mile-long connection of choice and experiences.

Churrascaria Saudades joins that new chain link of maturity.

“We want our guests to walk away from Churrascaria Saudades feeling like a king or a queen,” Eleuterius said. “We want our guests to walk away feeling like they were given their own personal dining room during their time here, that the service was so spectacular, so over the top, that they would wonder if there were any other people at the restaurant...even though we anticipate that there will be many, many more guests here.”

Churrascaria Saudades is located at 230 East Main Street, Suite 203, in the Newark Shopping Center. For hours and reservations, call 302-355-5551.

To learn more about Churrascaria Saudades, visit www.eatsteaks.com.

To contact Staff Writer Richard L. Gaw, e-mail rgaw@chestercounty.com.

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Photo by Richard L. Gaw

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nowlandassociates.com www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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—————|Newark Spotlight|—————

Newark Senior Center celebrates its anniversary ‘We don’t want anyone to think that the best years are behind them. We think the best is yet to be’

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

C

arla Grygiel, the fourth executive director in the fiftyyear history of the Newark Senior Center, is fond of the Robert Browning poem that begins, “Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be…”

That quote is the title of the Charles Parks sculpture at the north entrance of the senior center’s home on White Chapel Drive. To Grygiel and the staff at the Newark

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Senior Center, the sculpture is also a symbol of an active life. The idea that “the best is yet to be” is something of a mission statement.

“We’re celebrating the past 50 years this year, but we’re also looking forward to the future,” Grygiel explained during an interview in March. “We don’t want anyone to think that the best years are behind them. We think the best is yet to be.”

For the Newark Senior Center, with its ever-expanding Continued on Page 32

Photo courtesy Josh Shannon

Carla Grygiel, the current executive director of the Newark Senior Center, with previous executive directors Margaret Catts, and K. Jean Williams at the gala to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

Photo by Steven Hoffman

The Newark Senior Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016.

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list of programs and services, the best is definitely yet to be. It is the only nationally accredited senior center in Delaware, and it has long been a model for what a senior center can be—a trusted place for information and resources, a gathering spot for friends, and a hub of activity in the community.

Grygiel talked about the impact that the senior center, with its emphasis on healthy aging, has had on the Newark community and beyond.

“We have more than 4,000 members, but we’ve touched the lives of so many more people,” Grygiel explained.

The senior center has approximately 70,000 visits a year, attracting guests from throughout New Castle County as well as nearby Pennsylvania and Maryland.

“It is a busy place,” Grygiel said. “We serve about 800 unique people each month. Seventeen percent of our members are under the age of 65. We offer programs and exercise classes that span the entire spectrum. People love to come here. They are happy to see their friends. For many, it’s a regular part of their lives.”

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Newark Life | Spring/Summer 2016 | www.newarklifemagazine.com

his life is Carlos Castro. He exercises at the senior center’s fitness center three times a week to help with joint pain from arthritis.

“I love this place,” Castro said. “I can stay busy here all day because they have so many activities.”

Health and wellness is a priority for many people as they age. The Newark Senior Center meets the needs for more exercise opportunities with a large fitness center that

includes seven treadmills, recumbent bikes, ellipticals, and machines for stretching, full-body Nautilus, and more.

There are exercise classes for every level of ability, ranging from arm-chair exercises to Pilates to strength training.

Many people also enjoy exercising in the warm waters of the senior center’s pool, which has always been a popular way for members to stay in shape.

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Photos courtesy Josh Shannon

Everyone had a good time at the gala to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Newark Senior Center. www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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Merrily Schiavone not only enjoys activities at the senior center, she also works on the senior center’s advertising and marketing committee. Schiavone takes strength training classes at the senior center to stay in shape. She likes the supportive environment and friendly atmosphere.

“You can always find a friendly face here,” she said.

The senior center hosts many different clubs and classes that offer enrichment, including everything from book groups to Bible study programs to art classes. Many experts in specific fields, including some University of Delaware professors, volunteer their time to lead these enrichment classes.

The Newark Senior Center started offering computer classes as far back as 1998.

Today, there are numerous classes that allow visitors to appreciate and enjoy

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Photo courtesy Josh Shannon

The Newark Senior Center has earned many accolades through the years.

modern technology including classes for those who prefer Macs and those who prefer PCs. The Senior Surfers Computer Club is one of the largest clubs at the center.

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Senior Center Continued from Page 34

Doug Gibney, who belongs to the computer club, said that there are volunteers who help assist with the classes, and they are always willing to help out anyone who has questions or issues.

Grygiel said that she is very proud of the computer offerings, which includes a state-of-the-art computer center.

“Our computer club has a lot of amazing volunteers,” Grygiel said.

The senior center’s staff also arranges to bring in speakers on various topics like retirement planning and social security planning. There are a variety of support groups. The senior center has a full-time social services director who can help meet the needs of older residents in the community who need assistance in a variety of areas. And if someone suggests a new club or activity, or asks for a specific program, it is taken under consideration by the staff.

“We’re very responsive to our members,” Grygiel said, explaining that a Early Memory Loss program was established in response to needs in 2015.

Many of the activities at the senior center are aimed at allowing people to make or maintain social connections, and many of the connections extend beyond the walls of the senior center as longtime friendships are formed.

Continued on Page 38

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Photo by Steven Hoffman

Carol Taylor enjoys the computer club, and says that there are always people willing to help with any questions.

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Food is a part of that camaraderie. Meals are freshly prepared in the kitchen every day, with Chef Raymond Williams leading this effort. Williams joined the senior center more than six years ago, and he and his experienced staff take great pride in preparing healthy meal options for the community.

Williams and his team also lead the way on one of the largest and most important endeavors for the Newark Senior Center, which is the Meals on Wheels program that provides food to residents who need it. They serve about 36,000 meals through the Meals on Wheels program each year.

Grygiel explained that, with people living longer, many older men and women are able to live on their own, but may not be able to handle cooking or grocery shopping, so Meals on Wheels is an invaluable option.

“Our demand for Meals on Wheels has increased by 11 percent,” she explained.

From the very beginning, volunteers have been an important part of the Newark Senior Center. There are only about a dozen full-time employees and 11 part-time employees at the Newark Senior Center so a considerable amount of work falls to volunteers.

“Everybody pitches in and helps out,” Grygiel explained.

“We have a lot of great volunteers to make it all work. We have all kinds of volunteers—about 400 of them. People in this community are willing to share their time and talents.”

Photo courtesy Josh Shannon

A gala to celebrate the 50th anniversary took place in April, with the Newark community celebrating the senior center’s contributions through the years.

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As a member of the senior center’s board of directors, Ed Kurtz is one of those volunteers.

“The thing that I like most is that it gives back to seniors in the community,” he said.

“Community” is a very important word at the Newark Senior Center. There is definitely a strong sense of community among the members, but the senior center is also a vital part of the Newark community. Efforts are always made to involve the greater community in different events and activities.

Each April and October, for example, people in the community donate everything from clothing to electronics to appliances for the senior center’s spring and fall flea markets.

Proceeds help to support the Newark Senior Center’s activities. The flea market raises about $50,000, and it helps people clean out their garages and put the items to good use.

“We’re constantly trying to raise money to support what we do here,” Grygiel said.

She is thankful for, but not surprised by, the support that the senior center receives from the community.

“I think people see what the investment in the senior center is doing for the community,” Grygiel explained.

To mark the 50th anniversary this year, a number of special events are planned. A gala celebration to commemorate the Continued on Page 40

Photo by Steven Hoffman

The Newark Senior Center serves people who are 50 years old and older.

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50th anniversary was held in early April, while a special 50th anniversary ice cream social took place in early May. Another highlight during the year, will be a summer concert series, which takes place between June and August.

“People are always excited to play for the community,” Grygiel explained.

Grygiel is one of just four executive directors in the 50-year history of the senior center, and she said that she is honored to follow the three previous executive directors, Gertrude Johnson, Margaret Catts, and K. Jean Williams. Each person left their own mark on the senior center. Johnson served from 1967 to 1981, coming to the senior center from the University of Delaware’s Home Economics Department. She helped guide the senior center during its earliest days, establishing numerous programs and expanding staff and the number of members. Johnson also served as a mentor to Catts, who was the executive director from 1981 to 1997. Catts also had a background with the University of Delaware Home Economics Department. She and the board saw the need Continued on Page 42

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Photo by Steven Hoffman

The library includes a comfortable reading area.

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Senior Center Continued from Page 40

to increase the help available to seniors in the community and launched a campaign to raise money for a new building—the model facility on Chapel Drive that opened in 1996.

Williams, who was the executive director from 1997 to 2006, developed a strategic plan for the future. She also oversaw an expansion of what was then the newly built facility. A generous bequest by Warner Perry enabled the center to add an education wing, a fitness center, and additional capacity in the food services area.

The Newark Senior Center has benefited from the continuity and stability of the staff through the years, but it has also been vitally important, Grygiel said, to have a board of directors with the vision necessary to continue to allow the senior center to evolve.

“Having the support of the board over the years has been very important,” she explained. “We are positioned to serve the community. We have programs that appeal to everyone. I wish every community has a senior center like this. It’s a great gathering place—a place where people can stay connected. We have a great staff, dedicated volunteers, and wonderful members.”

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

Continued on Page 44

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Photo by Steven Hoffman

The Newark Senior Center’s fitness facility has seven treadmills, recumbent bikes, ellipticals, and machines for stretching, full-body Nautilus, and more.

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The Newark Senior Center: A timeline

1956 The Newark Soroptimists identified the need for a senior center 1957 Forty-four senior men and women began to gather in the meeting room of the Newark Department Store in the Newark Shopping Center.

1965 The seniors moved closer to having a home of their own when Newark Mayor Norma Handloff and the City Council granted permission to use a city-owned building on East Main Street.

1966 The Newark Senior Center is incorporated and the doors officially open to the public on Sept. 6, 1966.

1972 A major addition of a large activity room, three staff offices, and an enlarged kitchen nearly doubles the size of the facility.

1973 Membership reaches 500 1981 A commercial kitchen was added to meet the growing demand for meals to the homebound.

1988 Membership reaches 1,600

1989 Two support groups started for those with arthritis and for those who are caregivers of family members with Alzheimer’s disease.

1991 Margaret Cronin Alden, the first president of the Newark Senior Center’s board, donates $430,000 for a future expansion.

1996 The new building opens. Membership exceeds 1,700.

2000 The membership age is changed to 50 years old.

2006 The average daily attendance reaches 300.

2016 There are approximately 3,700 members and a daily attendance of about 300 as the senior center marks its 50th anniversary.

For more information about the Newark Senior Center, visit www.newarkseniorcenter.com.

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Rosemarie Peoples, Mary Spittel, and Judy Genier volunteer in the gift shop, which sells many items hand-crafted by local artists.

www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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——————|Around Newark|——————

A new hope for traumatic brain injury survivors The Go Baby Go Café on the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus offers traumatic brain injury survivors speech, physical and occupational and cognitive therapy, all at once, by utilizing an innovative harness system that can now be installed in homes.

By Steven Hoffman Staff Writer

I

t may be a high-tech world, but researchers in Newark, Del., are monitoring the effectiveness of a decidedly lowtech harness system that could offer new hope for survivors of traumatic brain injuries.

At the Go Baby Go Café on the University of Delaware’s STAR Campus, traumatic brain injury survivors such as Corey Beattie can stand tall and work in a café, serving bagels, coffee, or ice cream to customers while simultaneously incorporating several types of therapy into their activities.

According to Devina Kumar, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware, the Go Baby Go Café is producing good results for traumatic brain injury survivors who suffer from poor balance and low mobility.

“This harness allows a person to walk in different directions while preventing falls,” Kumar said.

The café evolved out of University of Delaware professor Cole Galloway’s Go Baby Go project, which has been focusing on helping children with walking or crawling issues. Galloway and his team collaborated with Enliten, LLC, a Newark, Del., company that developed the concept, designed and manufactured the harness system.

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Photo courtesy FarmCatMedia.com

Researchers are learning more about how to help traumatic brain injury survivors as a result of the study.

Kumar is leading two research projects under the Go Baby Go banner — the café and the harness house, both of which utilize the innovative harness system.

“It’s easy to set up and it’s inexpensive,” Kumar explained. “This low-tech device is perfect for people with traumatic brain injuries to set up in their home in order to give them some functional mobility and the chance to move around again. It gives them the chance Continued on Page 50

“We hope our research is able to change more lives.” ~ Devina Kumar

Courtesy photo

Corey Beattie has been working in the Go Baby Go Café on the University of Delaware STAR Campus in Newark, Del. www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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Go Baby Go Café Continued from Page 46

to cook, clean, do the dishes and everything they probably miss doing since their injury.”

Corey, 23, started working in the Go Baby Go Café last fall, which was about five years after her traumatic brain injury. She was seriously injured in a car accident on Oct. 2, 2010, a few weeks before her 18th birthday. Corey was a passenger in a car that was attempting to make a turn onto Route 896 when it was struck by a truck heading north, about a mile from her home in New London Township. Emergency responders worked for two hours to free her from the wreckage before she was airlifted to the Christiana Hospital.

She suffered multiple injuries, including a broken neck, a fractured clavicle, multiple pelvic fractures, and a fracture of the right femur, but it was the global brain trauma that would alter the course of her life. In the days immediately following the accident, Corey couldn’t squeeze her mother’s hand or tell her if she was scared.

Corey spent three weeks in the intensive care unit, hooked up to machines to keep her alive. It was during this time that Corey’s mother, Marie Beattie, started to learn about the true impact that traumatic brain injuries can have.

“We had no idea what a traumatic brain injury was,” Marie explained.

“In Hollywood, on TV, when a person comes out of a coma, they wake up, stand up, and remember almost everything.”

Real life is not like Hollywood. At the time of her accident, Corey was

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Photo by Steven Hoffman

Corey has made so much progress that she is now able to prepare foods in the kitchen. She is also working on a cookbook.

Photo courtesy FarmCatMedia.com

The harness system offers traumatic brain injury survivors speech, physical and occupational and cognitive therapy, all at once.

looking forward to studying culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island after her graduation.

But those plans had to be put on hold.

Corey underwent rigorous therapy, but progress was slow and, five years after the accident, she still did not enjoy a lot of independence. One of the challenges for doctors and researchers working to help traumatic brain injury survivors as they rehabilitate is the fact that no two injuries are exactly alike, thus what works for one person might not work for another.

Corey spent two months working in the Go Baby Go Café for the study.

Marie said that she saw her daughter make tremendous progress during her time there.

“I have often said that watching Corey as her brain heals is like watching an old wooden footbridge being built,” she explained. “Each new connection is a plank.

Unfortunately, not all the planks line up or are easily strung together. After all this time, there are still some planks that are missing. The café has helped her find her missing pieces.

“When Corey works in the café, her movements in the kiosk, coupled with the interaction with customers and her co-workers, ties each connection. The café has tied years of separate physical, occupational, speech, cognitive, emotional and behavioral therapies, immersing her in a real-world workplace. The strides that Corey made during the last five years have taken a giant leap forward with her work at the café.”

Kumar agreed that Corey benefited from working at Continued on Page 52

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Go Baby Go Café Continued from Page 51

the café – so much so that they installed the harness system in Corey’s house so that she can move around her kitchen and bedroom.

“Corey has shown a lot of improvements since she participated in the research study,” Kumar explained.

“She always wanted to go to culinary school, and the café gave her the chance to make different things and be around people. Not only that, she also started walking more, using her left hand a lot more, and just feeling a whole lot better – and happier. That’s huge for someone who thought she wouldn’t get to be independent again.”

The research team is very optimistic about the progress that traumatic brain injury survivors like Corey are making as a result of the harness system, and they hope that more people will benefit from it. Kumar explained that the simple act of making a piece of toast might be a struggle for some traumatic brain injury survivors, but the harness system opens up a world of possibilities.

“We hope our research is able to change more lives,” Kumar explained. “The Go Baby Go Café is a great opportunity for someone to explore a new rehabilitation

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Photo courtesy FarmCatMedia.com

“The Go Baby Go Café is a great opportunity for someone to explore a new rehabilitation model that we think can bring changes across physical, social and cognitive domains,” said Devina Kumar, the Ph.D. Student who oversees the Go Baby Go Café.

model that we think can bring changes across physical, social and cognitive domains. The harness house can make someone more functionally independent in their own house. Now, with the harness, [traumatic brain injury survivors] have the opportunity to move about the house like they did before the injury.”

Kumar emphasized that this is an active study, and they

are looking for other moderate to severe traumatic brain injury subjects who would be willing to participate in the two-month study at the University of Delaware.

“We hope this café can help change as many lives as possible,” Kumar said.

Marie is optimistic that the harness system will help her daughter realize the dream of becoming a chef. Since the harness system was installed in her home in early March, Marie has seen some significant benefits for her daughter.

“The harness system was installed in our kitchen and Corey’s bedroom,” Marie explained. “The research study will include both rooms. We will establish physical therapy goals to collect the required data. Corey is setting the activities to achieve that data. First and foremost, she is working on a cookbook and is looking forward to creating culinary dishes in her home ‘test’ kitchen. To that end, the immediate benefit we see with the kitchen unit is the most critical ingredient — Corey has a newfound sense of independence. She is excited knowing she can get up in the morning and make her own breakfast. With the support of the harness, along with confidence knowing she can’t fall, she’s not just sitting at the kitchen table. She’s no longer a passive observer. She can stand beside me as we create her recipes, and she can move from one side of the kitchen to the other retrieving ingredients for the meal. Corey has renewed hope and motivation that her dream of becoming a chef is now a goal that can be realized.”

Continued on Page 54

SEAFOOD RESTAURANT Raw Bar, Crabcakes, Homemade Seafood Soups, Burgers and more

Photo by Steven Hoffman

Corey Beattie is the first person to use the innovative, free-standing harness system in her home. A harness has been installed in the kitchen and in her bedroom.

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Go Baby Go Café Continued from Page 53

Corey still goes to the Go Baby Go Café two days a week to cut up salads, make sandwiches, and run the cash register. At home, she is able to get her own breakfast and stand at the counter while she cuts up a salad. She is also collecting information for a cookbook that she is putting together.

During a recent fundraiser for the harness house at Not Your Average Joe’s in Glen Mills, Corey was standing in a professional kitchen.

There were certainly days during the last five years when Corey’s dream of becoming a professional chef seemed far away.

Marie explained, “The objective with everything that Corey does now is to get her to do it for herself and to get her to be independent. Ultimately, all of this will be to get her back in a kitchen to be a chef.

For more information about the Go Baby Go Cafe or the harness house, contact Devina Kumar at devinak@udel.edu.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email editor@chestercounty.com.

Courtesy photo

The harness allows Corey to move around the kitchen in her New London Township home, giving her more independence.

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—————|Newark Business|—————

M

ain Street Movies 5 will open a five-screen, state-ofthe-art movie theater with reserved, reclining seats and refreshments from local vendors at the Newark (DE) Shopping Center in August of 2016. The new theater will replace the shuttered Newark Cinema Center, which operated from the early 1960’s through October of 2015.

Main Street Movies 5 has signed an 18,000 square foot lease with Atlantic Realty Companies of Tysons, VA, which acquired the Newark Shopping Center four years ago in partnership with New York City-based Angelo, Gordon & Co. Main Street will invest $3 million in a fullscale renovation of the old theater including expansion into adjacent space. The work is scheduled to begin in February 2016, without affecting operation of the rest of the shopping center.

In addition to offering roomy recliner seats and reserved seating, the new theater will offer a full bar, a 50-foot screen, self-serve ticketing, and a wide variety of grab-andgo concession offerings.

“We believe in being part of the community,” said Rick Roman, Principal of Main Street Movies 5. “In addition to the typical movie theater fare, we plan to sell locally made refreshments including pizza, cookies, and ice cream.”

While the former outdated theater had three screens, the new theater will have five screens. “With cozy recliner seating, the new theater will have fewer seats than the old one so there will be plenty of parking,” Roman noted.

“Main Street Movies 5 will be a 21st century theater with the latest in technology to create a great experience for movie-goers.”

“We are excited to bring a new, modern movie theater to Newark Shopping Center, the second oldest shopping center in Delaware,” said Atlantic Realty President David Ross. “Along with our partners at Angelo, Gordon, we are happy to be able to maintain this amenity for the City of Newark. Having a theater operated by professionals who are community-oriented will go a long way toward ensuring a successful operation.”

In late 2015, Atlantic Realty completed a $10 million renovation of the 61-year-old Newark Shopping Center

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to serve the needs of customers flocking to Newark’s vibrant Main Street corridor and the nearby University of Delaware campus. A grand opening celebration was held on September 12, 2015.

The center is now home to Newark Natural Foods, PNC Bank, Rita’s Italian Ice, Dollar Tree, Mediterranean Grill, Zahra International Foods, Mayflower Japanese Restaurant, Churrascaria Saudades Brazilian Steakhouse, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, Sports Clips, Big Z Pizza, and other retailers. Welcoming these new shops and restaurants are two tenants of long standing: Hair Design

by Anthony and the only remaining original tenant from 1955, Minster’s Jewelers.

Newark Shopping Center was developed originally by Pomeroy Realty, Inc. at a cost of $1 million – an eye-popping figure at the time. Fourteen of the center’s 16 acres were devoted to parking, accommodating Americans’ postwar love affair with the automobile. The original tenant roster included Acme Super Market, Newark Department Store, F.W. Woolworth, Sun-Ray Drug Store, Miles Shoes, Liedemann’s Bakery, and J. J. Minster and Son. Founded in 1992, Atlantic Realty Companies is a fullservice real estate firm that owns, manages, and/or has developed an award-winning portfolio comprising four million square feet of office and retail space located in Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Atlantic Realty succeeds in a wide spectrum of real estate projects, applying in-house capabilities that integrate acquisition, development, land use, leasing, construction, and property management. For more information, visit www.arcrealty. com or call 703-760-9500.

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www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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——————|Downtown Newark|—————— The spring and summer promises to be an exciting time in Newark, with numerous events and activities planned to showcase the best that the city has to offer, including lots of music, food, and fun. Here’s a look at some of the events coming up:

Enjoy music, food, and fun in downtown Newark 58

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A New Night Downtown Gather on Main Street for Newark’s premier street festival as we celebrate the beginning of summer on Saturday, June 11 from 3 to 9 p.m. The street is closed to vehicular traffic, and businesses and community organizations line the streets to show off all they have to offer.

Musicians will serenade attendees throughout the event, and there will be fun activities for kids and adults, alike.

Continued on Page 60

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——————|Downtown Newark|—————— Continued from Page 59

Food and Brew Out & About Magazine and Downtown Newark Partnership are proud to host the Food and Brew Festival on Saturday, July 23. The annual summer tradition showcases dozens of craft and imported beers paired with creative food offerings from Newark’s restaurants.

Travel from restaurant to restaurant to see what each has to offer.

Taste of Newark Calling all foodies: Taste of Newark is back.

The mouthwatering event will be held on Sunday, September 25 from noon to 3 p.m.

Guests fill Old College Lawn to enjoy the culinary delights of dozens of Newark restaurants and area wine distributors.

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Spring Concert Series Enjoy the sweet sounds of local musicians during the Spring Concert Series. Concerts are held Thursday nights in May and June from 7 to 8 p.m. on the Academy Building lawn, located at the corner of Academy Street and Main Streets. Some of the performances include: May 12- Almost Acoustic May 19- The Jimmies May 26- Yosi June 2- Joe Baione June 9- The Acoustic Jam June 16- USAF Langley Winds June 23- Ace of Hearts

Newark’s Youth Got Talent Newark is full of talented kids. Some of our youngest residents will be showing off their talents on Thursday nights in May and June from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the Academy Building lawn, located at the corner of Academy Street and Main Street.

May 12- Elbert-Palmer Drum Line May 19- Caitlin Marsilii May 26- Wicked Wayz June 2- TBA June 9- Garret Norman June 16- USAF Langley Winds June 23- Grace Walton of The Safety Scissor Savages Continued on Page 62

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——————|Downtown Newark|—————— Continued from Page 61

Fourth of July Fireworks Celebrate Independence Day with friends and family at the University of Delaware Athletic Complex. Kick-off the evening at 6 p.m. with music, food and games before laying down your blanket for the fireworks display.

Community Day Celebrate the transition from summer to fall at Newark Community Day on Sept. 18. The premier fall festival features fun for the entire family, including scarecrow making, craft vendors and musical performances. The event is hosted by the City of Newark’s Parks and Recreation Department, in cooperation with the University of Delaware, Christina School District and the Downtown Newark Partnership.

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Parking Want to save your extra change for shopping? You can do that in Downtown Newark. Just park in one of the pay-topark lots, and look for the “Newark’s great, we validate” logos in merchants’ windows. Then ask one of our merchants for a parking validation. Whether you’re just popping-in or spending the day, Downtown Newark offers plenty of parking to suit your needs. Check out the interactive map at cityofnewarkde.us/parking to locate our off-street parking before heading downtown.

Gift Cards A Downtown Newark Gift Card makes the perfect gift for anyone who likes to shop, eat or stroll down Main Street.

Shoppers can use the gift card at more than 70 participating merchants. Get yours today, in denominations from $10 to $500, at the parking office at 45 East Main Street, or at enjoydowntownnewark.com.

#HealthyNewark Preston’s Playground It is important to have a place where all children can play together, no matter what their ability. Preston’s Playground will be an 8,400-square-foot adaptive playground located at the Newark Reservoir. Fundraising efforts have been on-going to help organizers reach their goal of $350,000.

To learn more about the project, or to donate, visit http:// prestonsplayground.com/.

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——————|Downtown Newark|—————— Continued from Page 63

Top of Delaware Triathlon Come to the “Top of Delaware” for a unique triathlon on Sunday, Aug. 21. The race starts with a quarter-mile swim in the pristine Newark Reservoir. After that, participants bike 11.4 miles through the surrounding hills of Newark, before running 2.6 miles on a mixture of asphalt, trails and foot bridge.or this to happen! This all inclusive park, which will be located in beautiful Newark, Delaware, will be designed so all children will play together.

There will be safe, adaptive equipment for all abilities. A bright sun shade will cover the park to protect our children from the sun and make for a cooler play environment in the summer heat.

In order to make this dream a reality, an effort is underway to raise $350,000. Please consider helping with this dream. To donate go to prestonsplayground.com. To find out more information please contact Nic DeCaire nic@fusionfitnesscenter.com.

Stay Connected Facebook.com/DowntownNewarkPartnership Twitter.com/DwntwnNewarkDE Instagram - DwntwnNewarkDE

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—————|Newark Photo Essay|—————

Aetna Hose Hook and Ladder follows their motto: Service for Others

All courtesy Aetna HHL

Aetna Hose Hook and Ladder in Action

By Carla Lucas Correspondent

W

ith nearly 11,000 calls a year, Aetna Hose Hook and Ladder Company’s Fire and EMS departments serve around 100,000 people in a 41.8 square mile area. Their goal is to be on their way with the first piece of apparatus in 60 seconds or less from the moment they receive a call. This happens an average of 22 times per day.

“Aetna is very proud of its long history, having been established in 1888,” said Amy Fitzgerald, Aetna’s Deputy EMS Chief. “Daily, members follow the motto of, ‘Service for

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others.’” Currently Aetna HHL has 400 members, of which 80 are active firefighters and EMTs. “We are the second busiest district in the state,” said Deputy Chief John Guzzo.

“We deliver an outstanding product for the community.”

Fitzgerald added that Aetna HHL handles a very high volume of calls since the district covers an incredibly wide demographic of people, and includes both passenger and freight railroads, the interstate, state parks, and the University of Delaware.

Aetna HHL is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with career staff and part-time

In 1892, the company purchased seven sets of rubber coats for $3.50. This was the first firefighting gear purchased for the company.

Two years later, six pairs of rubber boots were donated.

Firefighters in front of AHHL’s first fire company, dressed in gear.

The Aetna Fire Company received delivery of its first motorized apparatus, built on a Thomas chassis in Wimington, Del., on Sept. 6, 1913, at a cost of $7,500. This was the first motorized apparatus in the state of Delaware outside of Wilmington’s city limits.

Aetna HHL, 1942.

Formal photo of Aetna’s new fire house with its apparatus and members.

Aetna Fire House, with equipment, in 1952.

Aetna HHL Stations in Newark Station 7 -- 7 Thorn Lane, Newark Station 8 -- 410 Ogletown Rd. Station 9 -- 31 Academy St. Station 10 -- 2501 Old County Rd. paid staff at two of their four stations, 21 hours a day at the third station, and 14 hours at the fourth station. The career staff are trained for both fire and EMS service.

“Many of our career staff have been chief officers at their home departments,” Guzzo said.

“Our career staff is a huge asset. They bring their experience [to Newark] to help.”

All stations are staffed with highly trained volunteers. Many volunteers spend the night as a “duty crew” while even more respond from home for dispatched alarms.

“These people have families, jobs, are in school, and still make time to help our community,” Guzzo said. “They epitomize

‘Service for Others.’”

Over the years, the number of fire calls has decreased as the number of EMS calls has sharply risen, said John Farrell IV, Aetna’s Public Information Officer. He credits the decrease in fires to strong building codes and fire suppression legislation within the City of Newark’s borders. In the 1990s, Aetna HHL worked with Newark City Council to adopt legislation requiring all new construction – commercial and residential – to include a sprinkler system. Larger interior renovation projects (50 percent of a dwelling) must have a sprinkler system installed as well.

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Photo Essay Continued from Page 67 All photos courtesy Aetna HHL

Aetna Hose Hook and Ladder in Action

“We see a huge fire as a failure,” Farrell said. “When we go to a building with a sprinkler system and the fire was contained, that doesn’t make the news.” The good news is this is now the norm rather than the exception for Newark. Most of the company’s larger fires are single-family dwellings outside of the city’s borders.

Of Aetna’s annual calls, only about 2,900 are fire calls, with more than half of them non-events, especially from automatic alarm systems going off. About half of the remaining calls are for auto accidents. The smallest percentage of runs is for actual fires. About six percent of Aetna’s call are mutual aid assistance in other New Castle County districts as well as in Cecil County, Md., and Chester County, Pa. But when a large fire does occur, Aetna HHL is ready.

Firefighters train weekly at local places as well as with the Delaware State fire School. “Our firefighters are trained to the most stringent requirements and certifications,” Farrell said.

The company recently received two FEMA grants for state-of-the-art equipment for its firefighters. In 2014, a $110,000 grant was used to purchase 42 sets of personal protection gear (boots, helmets and clothing). Last year, they received $320,000 for new 60-minute SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus), which now on order, to replace some outdated, unusable equipment.

Guzzo said one of the strengths of Aetna HHL is its community partnerships with the City of Newark, the University of Delaware, and local businesses and industrial sites. There is communication between all entities and the opportunity to train for various scenarios through these partnerships.

Guzzo shared an example of a forcible entry class that Aetna hosted. “This was a top-caliber class with nationally recognized instructors, and we trained side by side with Newark Police and New Castle County Police SWAT team members,” he said. “Our relationship with law enforcement helps us as we respond on many of the same calls, and in case of a large-scale incident, we’ll be even better equipped to collectively handle whatever challenge we face.”

Aetna’s Emergency Medical (EMS) division handles about 8,000 incidents per year; an average of Continued on Page 70

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Aetna HHL Service Area The City of Newark, plus: South to Denny Road; west to the Maryland border; north to Thompson Station Road and/or Pennsylvania/Maryland border; east to Route 273.

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Photo Essay Continued from Page 69 All photos courtesy Aetna HHL

Aetna Hose Hook and Ladder in Action

22 incidents per day. About 55 percent of the calls are for Basic Life Support. The remaining 45 percent are Advanced Life Support calls, and Aetna is assisted by New Castle County’s paramedics unit. Aetna’s EMS department responds to about 500 car accidents each year. Although the University of Delaware has its own emergency care unit, Aetna EMS supports them at large crowd events such as football games, and graduation.

“We have an EMS bike team which we deploy for large events such as parades on Main Street and events at the UD Stadium,” Fitzgerald said about events where navigating an ambulance through a large crowd can be challenging. “The EMTs staffing the bikes are often able to first locate patients and provide immediate care.”

Fitzgerald is proud of Aetna’s EMS staff. “We offer monthly EMS training to our staff and try to stay ahead of the curve and participate in pilot programs being led but Delaware’s Office of Emergency Medical Services,” she said. “We have trained to work as a team in treating patients in cardiac arrest. On such a scene, all responders have a specific role. We have worked hard to ensure all responders -- EMTs and firefighters alike -- are knowledgeable in the ‘pit-crew CPR’ concept, and the resulting number of cardiac arrest survivors from our district is incredible.” In February, 36 personnel from the Aetna, Hose, Hook & Ladder Company were recognized by New Castle County EMS at the Fourth Annual Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivor’s Reunion.

The biggest challenge for both Aetna Fire and EMS divisions is staffing and volunteers. Guzzo invites anyone interested in learning more about volunteering as an EMT or firefighter to come to one of the company’s Wednesday evening training sessions. “We have a huge need for all kinds of volunteers, not just firefighters and EMTs” Guzzo said. “We are a business and we need to run efficiently.”

Another major challenge is financing. Aetna relies heavily on community donations.

Residents are also encouraged to like Aetna’s Facebook page, Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Company, to be updated on the latest information as well as share feedback about Aenta’s service in the community. Check out Aetna HHL’s website for details about the company and information on local incidents, at www.aetnahhl.org.

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Early history The Aetna HHL’s website hosts a detailed history of the company’s service to Newark. Excerpts (shared with permission) are below. Read the entire history at aetnahhl.org/about/history.

December 17, 1888: A citizens meeting led to the creation of Aetna Hose, Hook and Ladder Fire Company, winning after a challenge vote to change the name to Newark Hose Hook and Ladder Company.

January 7, 1889: The Constitution and bylaws for AHHL were adopted. William H. Simpers was elected President and Joseph Willis was appointed as Foreman (now Chief). Dues were set at $1 for active members and $2 for contributing members.

December 31, 1910: The inventory list included: • 900 feet 2 1/2-inch hose • 18 pair rubber boots • 25 fire hats • 1 hose wagon • 1 parade carriage • 1 expander • 1 fire bell • 6 nozzles • graphophone & records • banner & case • shirts, caps & belts • flag • rope, spreaders, dishes • blocking case, 3/4-inch hose • 24 chairs • 1 desk • 2 lounges • 1 pool table • 4 horns & cases • 1 coal shovel • 3 waste baskets • 1 ton of coal • dumbbell ave. clubs • brooms • carpet & rugs • clock • weather vane • tables, shades, curtains • cuspidors, screens & mirror September 1921: Aetna HHL accepted ground from the Trustees of Newark Academy for a new fire house.

The total cost was approximately $26,000.

1926: The first ambulance was purchased. It was a Studebaker.

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———————|Newark Sports|———————

Photo by Action Photo

Delaware Synchronized Skating teams at the Nationals in Kalamazoo.

Lisa Fieldman Correspondent

M

ost Sunday mornings at the Fred Rust Ice Arena, a group of dedicated young athletes are on the ice, mastering complex footwork. The young ladies are not practicing solo routines, but are in formation, keeping their lines tight and their movements precise. They are members of Delaware Synchronized Skating, a small but vibrant community of skaters who are participating in the fastest-growing discipline within the sport of figure skating.

Imagine perfecting the moves of a figure skater, but performing them with split-second precision alongside 15 other skaters. Program director and head coach Megan O’Donnell puts it concisely, “Synchro involves intricate footwork performed at high speed while in formation.”

Synchronized skating is figure skating taken to a whole new level. Sixteen skaters perform as one. It’s never about the individual, always about the team. For one skater to

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shine brighter than the rest would defeat the purpose of synchro.

Some of the skaters on Team Delaware live locally, while others reside out of state. Quite a few travel several hours from all directions for practice. While synchro is a very popular sport in the North and the Midwest, it is practically unknown in this region, which is why skaters often have to travel to be part of a team.

Michelle Merrick has a four-hour round trip commute to bring daughter Sara to practice. “Synchronized skating is Sara’s life, her passion,” Merrick said. “The girls on the team are like her sisters. They spend so much time together -- travel time, practice, competitions. It creates a special friendship.”

All the girls share the sentiment. “Skating synchro is skating with all your best friends by your side, and knowing you all are doing the best that you can,” said skater Michelle LaFranca of Newark.

Previously known as Precision Skating, the discipline

was renamed Synchronized Skating in 1998 to better reflect the nature of the sport. Along the way, synchro evolved from skaters performing military-like drills into today’s tightly choreographed routines. The sport has not lost any of its precision along the way, but has expanded into a crowd-pleasing performance that includes jumps, lunges, spins, spirals, lifts and very complicated footwork.

Holly Jones of Newark said, “I enjoy that there are elements from figure skating in synchro, but you are skating as a group, not as an individual.” She giggled and added, “I also really like the skating dresses and makeup.”

GG Quintero from Aldie, Va., agreed, saying, “I like skating as a group better than skating by myself. When I’m on the ice as part of a group, I’m not nervous.”

According to the girls, “Team Delaware’s coaches are absolutely the best!” These coaches are O’Donnell, Wendy Deppe and Suzy Semanick-Shurman.

Building such a successful program requires a lot of dedication and hard work. Wendy and Megan coach seven of the ten teams. During competition season, it’s normal for the coaches to spend 30 or more hours at the rink, in addition to their full-time jobs.

“We are so lucky to have Suzy working with the team,” Deppe said. “Suzy Semanick-Shurman works with only two synchro teams in the U.S. -- Team Delaware and The Haydenettes in Massachusetts. She coaches the girls on turns and power skating.” Semanick-Shurman, an Olympic gold medal ice dancer, is the director of figure skating at the Pond Ice Arena.

Deppe, the head coach, began skating synchro in college at the University of Delaware. While pursuing her degree and skating on the collegiate team, she found time to coach younger skaters who were part of the synchronized skating program. After graduating with an education degree, Deppe continued to coach, as she does today with Team Delaware. In addition to her busy coaching schedule, she teaches second grade at Wilson Elementary School in Pike Creek.

O’Donnell has been involved with synchronized skating her entire life. As a 2-year-old, she was enrolled in a learnto-skate class, then moved right into synchro.

“Synchronized skating is a really big sport in Michigan,” O’Donnell said of her home state. “Ann Arbor is the birthplace of synchronized skating.”

When O’Donnell moved to Lancaster, Pa., for a job in the education field, she met women who skated at the Fred Rust arena. Her friends invited her to join the adult synchro team and she happily accepted. “Once the other skaters realized I knew what I was doing, they asked me to coach,” she said, laughing. By the time O’Donnell joined the team, participation had fallen and the program was struggling.

In 2002, O’Donnell and Deppe launched a new synchro program with only four students. Today the size and success of Team Delaware proves their dedication to the sport. Their commitment to the team has created an organization that, as one parent said, “Is well worth the time, hard work, and sacrifice.”

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Photo by Action Photo

Team Delaware reacting to their all-time high scores.

Photo by L. Fieldman

Team Delaware Junior skaters Michelle LaFranca and Holly Jones of Newark.

Photo by M. O’Donnell Photo by Action Photo

Junior team skaters celebrate their success.

Coaches O’Donnell and Deppe bring a balance of hard work and fun to Team Delaware.

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Synchronized skating Continued from Page 73

Team manager and parent Angie Jones added, “The team is like a big village made up of the girls and their families, and it is a village I trust.”

Team Delaware consists of 160 skaters making up 10 teams, including a collegiate-level squad. The teams range from Beginners (ages 4 to 11) to Masters (ages 25 and older). In between those two levels are eight additional teams that the skaters move through as skill and age allows. To advance to the competitive teams, you must prove your skill set through a field move test and an audition.

“The field move test is just a minimum. What we see out on the ice is more important. Attention to detail and the ability to take correction are really important to us,” O’Donnell said.

Jones added, “Being on the competitive team is a great opportunity. It teaches the girls about hard work, commitment and earning their place.”

Last year was very exciting for the Junior level team.

The Juniors are considered an elite team because the skaters must possess highly technical skating skills.

Competition rules decree Junior skaters be between the ages of 12 and 19. Team Delaware has been fielding a Junior team for only four years.

Last year, 15 Junior level teams competed nationally.

The competitive season started in November with a trip to the Thanksgiving Classic in California. At the Classic, Team Delaware performed their long and short programs for the first time in front of an audience and judges. The competition gave them an opportunity to test run their programs and receive a high-quality critique.

In December, the team traveled to Ann Arbor for The Porter Classic competition. The skaters may travel to different competitions each season, but they always attend The Porter.

“A lot of U.S. teams come to the Porter,” Deppe said.

“The girls really look forward to this competition.”

Again, the team continued to fine-tune their skating programs and received a critique of their performance.

“Some of the best judges in the country are watching and commenting on our performance. That type of feedback is invaluable,” O’Donnell said.

At the end of January, the team won the Eastern Sectional Championships in Virginia. Next, they were off to Dearborn, Mich., over Valentine’s Day weekend for the Junior World Qualifiers. A dark cloud seemed to hover over the girls, and despite their efforts, they finished in last place.

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Photo by L. Fieldman

Photo by L. Fieldman

Photo by L. Fieldman

Skater Sara Merrick and her mom, Michelle.

Sara treasures the friendships with her ‘sisters’ on the team.

Skater Caraline Herman with her mom, Jen.

Team manager Angie Jones with her daughter, Holly, who really enjoys skating in costume for competitions.

only one practice under their belts, the skaters once again hit the road. Their destination was Kalamazoo, Mich., for the Nationals. The girls kept their formations tight but fluid. In a field of 14 highly competitive teams, the Delaware Juniors finished in seventh place, outscoring a college varsity team.

The girls and the coaches were elated with their placement, earning all-time high scores for both their short and long programs. Their combined score was also the highest

Create

they had ever received.

“Something you have to keep in mind,” O’Donnell said, “is our team practices once a week, compared to our competitors who practice three to four times per week.” The combination of having team members who live a distance away and the availability of ice time effects the amount of practice time for Team Delaware. So every time the team places well, the victory is all the more sweet.

Continued on Page 76

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Synchronized skating Continued from Page 75

Competitions are a big financial and time commitment for the families and the skaters. “As a family, we’ve had to balance vacations in order to travel to competitions. But we love the family road trips, all the togetherness,” Jones said.

The team does not receive any funding. Each member pays monthly dues to cover ice time and incidentals, and is responsible for their own travel and lodging. Like most of the team members, Mikayla Sagle of Gainesville, Va., looks forward to the trips. “I really like traveling across the country for competitions,” she said.

Deppe and O’Donnell have some new additions to the coaching staff for 2016. Members of the University of Delaware Resident Ensemble Players will work with the competitive teams this year, helping them hone their performance and acting skills. Additionally, a Blue Hen Marching Band instructor will be working with the girls on formation.

Team auditions are over and everyone is taking a welldeserved break until August, when the new programs will be introduced and practice begins again. Six new skaters

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have qualified to join the Junior team. There will be a lot of hard work on and off the ice.

School, sports and family life will need to be balanced come fall, when the competition season starts.

Jen Herman has two daughters, Liz and Caraline, in the synchro program. She summed it up best when she said, “They [Team Delaware] are like sisters because they have this shared passion for skating. This sport is giving the girls great memories.”

More information about Delaware Synchronized Skating can be found at www. delawaresynchronizedskating. com.

Photo by L. Fieldman

Mikayla Sagle loves that Team Delaware is like a big family.

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——————|Newark History|——————

Looking back at high school days

Newark High School is the focus of a new exhibit at History Museum

Photos by John Chambless

The Newark History Museum is in the old train station on South College Avenue, and welcomes visitors on Sunday afternoons.

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The school band, circa 1938.

By John Chambless Staff Writer

P

retty much everyone looks back at high school as the good old days, so it’s interesting to see how many good old days have been part of Newark High School since its founding in 1893. The Newark History Museum has opened a new exhibit of photos and objects from the school’s past that will spark a few flashbacks for visitors.

Much of the material goes way back to the roots of the institution, which started at 83 E. Main St. in Newark, attended by students until 1898, when older students moved to the Academy Building on Main Street. From 1925 to 1955, the high school was housed in the building that would later become the middle school, on Academy Street.

As Newark grew, however, a new

This mace was carried by the drum major of the marching band from 1941 to 1946.

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Museum Continued from Page 79

location was needed, so property was purchased in 1953 for a new building, which is where the school now stands.

The current location – with expansions through the years – held its first full day of classes in 1955.

There’s a timeline in the exhibit that shows how construction progressed, and the final cost of $3,532,312.24.

Anyone who attended Newark High in the 1970s will immediately recognize the vintage desk with its attached chair, and you can sit down and recall just how uncomfortable the chairs really were.

You can also flip through the history textbook on the desk and see if you remember things like the Louisiana Purchase.

Going way back, there’s a framed diploma from 1910, when the school was in the Academy Building. There’s a hard leather football helmet that looks like it’s been through a war, and some of Continued on Page 82

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A hard leather helmet, from the days before concussions were a topic of concern.

The Women’s Gymnastics Team strikes a pose in the 1940s.

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Museum Continued from Page 80

the earliest copies of the Yellowjacket Buzz, the student newspaper that started publication in 1935. There are Krawen yearbooks (Newark cleverly spelled backwards) from 1941 and 2005, and textbooks that will bring back memories, good or bad.

In many ways, it’s the faces of former students that are the most interesting. You can see a photo of the 1926-27 Women’s Basketball Team, looking rather dour in their old-fashioned uniforms, and a photo of the Women’s Gymnastics Team from the 1940s as they hold their positions for the photographer.

In a class photo from 1930, the students are dressed in suits or dresses with fashionable cloche hats, and every student in the photo is identified.

Band students will enjoy seeing the mace carried by the drum major from 1941 to 1946, along with photos of the band, circa 1938, whose lack of uniforms is rather intriguing. More recent items include a program from the Elizabethan Rout, an ambitious evening of Renaissance music and feasting that survived at the school from 1970 to 1988.

The high school display is a great addition to the

Visitors can have a seat at a 1970s desk from the high school.

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museum’s other exhibits, which cover the Curtis Paper Company, the development of Gore-Tex, the Chrysler plant, local banking and the fire company, along with items from family-owned businesses that are shown in an antique glass cabinet that used to hold baked treats in Bing’s Bakery.

Continued on Page 84

1930s issues of the Yellowjacket Buzz, the student newspaper.

Photos, objects and documents related to Newark High School are featured at the Newark History Museum. www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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Museum Continued from Page 83

The Women’s Basketball Team of 1926-27.

in the old train station at 429 S. College Ave., Newark. It is open on Sunday afternoons. Call 302-224-2408 or visit www.newarkdehistoricalsociety.org.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email jchambless@chestercounty. com.

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A recent addition is the sash worn by the first Miss Delaware, Victoria George Lusardi, in 1933. She went on to open the landmark Angie’s Sub Shop in the 1940s.

The volunteer guides at the museum are happy to chat about Newark history, and given the tightly-knit nature of the town, they will probably know someone in your family. The guide who met me just happened to be the daughter of my first-grade teacher at Newark Elementary School, a person I hadn’t thought of in many, many decades. But I was glad to catch up, and glad to see Newark High School spotlighted as a part of history.

The Newark History Museum is

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—————|Newark Outdoors|—————

Like a bee to honey

At the University of Delaware, research into honeybees has wide-reaching impact 86

Newark Life | Spring/Summer 2016 | www.newarklifemagazine.com

By Lisa Fieldman Correspondent

B

ees! Most people dread them, but Dr. Deborah Delaney is their number-one fan.

We have an instinctual response to a bee buzzing around us. We flap our arms, dodge and dance about. In this respect, we have a lot in common with the honeybee. Our movements send an alert to our fellow humans that a bee is close by.

Honeybees perform their own bee dance, informing their hive mates where to find nectar, pollen and water. It’s a complex dance that acts as a GPS for fellow honeybees. The fuzzy little bee plays a very big part in our ecosystem.

Delaney is an assistant professor of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. Apis mellifera are her passion, and she could be considered Delaware’s own bee whisperer.

Though Delaney is enchanted by honeybees, she is equally enthusiastic about all pollinators.

Delaney discovered her love of insects

while in art school. “That’s right, I’m an art school dropout,” she said, laughing. “I found I preferred drawing insects to humans.”

She left art school and earned a B.S. in Natural Resources and her M.S. in Environmental Science at Oregon State University. It was during an entomology class that she was introduced to beekeeping.

“I immediately got a Nuc (a small honey bee colony) and a year later I had 100 hives,” she explained. Her magic touch with bees led her to start a small honey business.

While pursuing her Ph.D. in Entomology at Washington State, Delaney studied the genetic ancestry of honeybees. She also looked at the impact of their mid-17th-century importation to North America. “What’s so cool is that when you look at the mitochondrial DNA of honey bee queens, you are seeing the same material of their ancestor bees,” she explained. The topic of genetic diversity comes up often in conversation with Delaney, as diversity is critical for keeping the honeybee population healthy.

“Commercial bees are completely managed by humans,” she said. “As a result, they are losing their genetic diversity as queens are bred for certain characteristics.”

The queen’s fertility can be affected, along with a decrease in resistance to pests and disease for the whole bee community.

The feral bee population may hold the answer to honeybee survival. Feral bees are colonies that live in the wild with no human interference.

At Cornell University’s Arnot Forest, research is being done on the feral bee population. “This bee population has not changed since 1978,” Delaney said.

Arnot feral bees that were sampled showed the presence of Varroa mites, but they have somehow managed to live in harmony with the deadly parasite. The mite is devastating the world’s commercial bee population.

Hoping to find a clue as to how the feral bees are co-existing with Varroa, Delaney, along with her research students, are looking at the genetics of the Arnot bees. “When you compare feral and commercial bee populations, you find very little gene flow between the two groups,” she said.

Closer to home, Delaney and crew have worked with commercial watermelon, strawberry, and cucumber growers. Due to the decline of honeybee populations, there is an interest in using

Photo by R. Hazlett

Ron Hazlett works his bees at the Planting Hope with Honey Bees apiary.

Photo by L. Fieldman

The honeybees’ handiwork – a frame of capped honey from last season.

alternative native crop pollinators. The bumblebee is one such pollinator that has been used with some success. But bumblebees have their own issues, and Delaney was called in to help determine the viability of using them. One problem to overcome was their life spans. The bumblebees were not lasting the length of the crop bloom.

“Bumblebees are ground nesters and we are keeping them in boxes like honeybees,” Delaney said. She wondered if hive temperature might be stressing them. “Do they spend a lot of time thermo-regulating instead of working?” she wondered.

Hives were moved from the middle of the fields to the shaded edges to keep the hives cooler and increase their productivity and Continued on Page 88 www.newarklifemagazine.com | Spring/Summer 2016 | Newark Life

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Bees Continued from Page 87

life span. Bumblebee size and fuzziness makes them good pollen foragers, as does their ability to work in inclement weather. They use a technique called buzz pollination that is unique to bumblebees. The industrious bumblebee will pump its wings at a certain vibration to dislodge the pollen.

The result of the two-year study determined that bumblebees are a productive pollinator for watermelon and strawberry crops, but honeybees do a better job with cucumbers.

In 2014, the Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin partnered with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to study which native plant cultivars best attract pollinators. Beehives were set up in Mt. Cuba’s trial gardens and the University of Delaware’s bee gardens. Delaney and her researchers have been collecting pollen from the hives and examining it to determine which plants are favored and which are snubbed.

When complete, this study will help us understand the ecological value of a particular plant. Home gardeners will be able to determine not only which plant, but also the exact cultivar, to use to lure a specific pollinator to their garden. Also during this study, nectar and pollen are being analyzed to determine the level of nutritional value.

“I hope to create a website that will be a pollen library of flowering plants,” Delaney said. This database will help identify flowers based on the pollen

Photo by L. Fieldman

Beehives in the University of Delaware apiary.

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characteristics. On the website, bloom time and nutritional values of plant cultivars will be available, along with photos of pollen grains. In Delaney’s office are photos of what appear to be meteorites, but are actually magnified pollen grains.

Delaney is also involved with Planting Hope with Honey Bees. This program is part of the Planting Hope in Delaware urban farm project. Located on the Herman Holloway campus in New Castle, the farm has community and therapeutic gardens as well as a farm market.

The urban farm was the inspiration of Faith Kuehn of the Delaware Department of Agriculture. The new apiary joins a sensory garden, a vegetable and herb garden, and a butterfly garden. Kuehn read about veterans finding therapeutic benefit from beekeeping and decided to add an apiary program to the urban farm.

Ron Hazlett of Edgemoor, Del., had

Photo by L. Fieldman

As the weather warms up, honeybees venture out of the hive.

always been intrigued by beekeeping, but had no hands-on experience. He learned of the program and applied to be the inaugural beekeeper. Chosen out of a field of ten applicants, Hazlett has embraced his new hobby.

“I think of beekeeping as a living feng shui garden,” Hazlett said. “I find it very calming to work with the bees.”

Continued on Page 90

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Bees Continued from Page 89

Hazlett served in the Marine Corps from 1998 to 2002. He has friends who are fellow vets with PostTraumatic Stress Disorder, and feels they would benefit from beekeeping.

“I’d like to eventually pass on my knowledge as a way to give back to other veterans,” he explained.

Hazlett started his beekeeping venture with four hives and expects to start the spring with at least 11 hives.

Delaney has worked with him on dividing his hives and rearing queen bees. Hazlett’s first harvest produced 35 pounds of honey, and the outlook is good for a bountiful honey harvest this season. The honey is then sold at the farm market and all proceeds go back to Planting Hope in Delaware programs. Based on Hazlett’s success, Kuehn hopes to expand the veteran beekeeping program throughout the state.

Throughout the season, bees gather pollen and nectar from blooming plants on the University of Delaware campus and produce a superb honey. Delaney and her students extract the honey from the hives, then jar and label it as “Dare to Bee” honey. Drawing on her artistic

talents, Delaney designed a logo and label for the honey jars.

The honey is sold at the UD Creamery on the Ag Hall campus, but it is so popular that it flies off the shelves.

Dare to Bee honey fans can purchase the honey from mid-summer through fall.

Each spring on Ag Day, Delaney shares her boundless enthusiasm for bees.

She and her students host open-hive demonstrations, talk about pollinators and will even teach you how to do the waggle dance. If you have a question about honeybees, Delaney will no doubt have an answer.

She’s always happy to share the buzz about her favorite pollinators.

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Photo by L. Fieldman

Honeybees collect pollen in the early spring.

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