Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 32, No. 8

Cheers!

Savor Summer Time to Play

C R E A T I N G

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M O R E

P O S I T I V E

R E H O B O T H

July 29, 2022 Volume 32, Number 8 camprehoboth.com

inside 4 In Brief 6 President’s View WES COMBS

78 Celebrity Interview

TOM KELCH

84 The Real Dirt

Mike Taveira and Cut Velvet

NANCY SAKADUSKI

ERIC PETERSON

14 CAMP News

26 AIDS Walk 2022

16 Community News

GLEN PRUITT

20 Aging Gracelessly Clickbait

Equity in the Garden ERIC W. WAHL

Wilkommen to the Future

88 View Point The Extreme Court

RICHARD J. ROSENDALL

Stepping Up, Stepping Out

30 CAMP Stories Bitter Love

RICH BARNETT

32 Health & Wellness Electrolytes in Your Water

FAY JACOBS

MICHAEL COOK

Devastation in Paradise

24 Out & About

Welcome Laurie Thompson

PATTIE CINELLI

34 It’s My Life

Photo: Tony Burns

The Pie Ladies as Disney Princesses, L-R:Mistress of Ceremonies Roxy Overbrooke, Belle, Snow White, Ariel, Jessica Rabbit, Mary Poppins, Elsa, and Cinderella. See page 16.

44 Training CAMP

58 Straight Talk

JON ADLER KAPLAN

DAVID GARRETT

Train It to the CORE

46 CAMP Cheers

Generation Gap

MICHAEL THOMAS FORD

36 Words Matter Conversations Worth Having

CLARENCE FLUKER

38 Outlook

International Cat Day: Lucy BETH SHOCKLEY

40 CAMP Critters

48 Be a Sport!

Disc Golf

JUNEROSE FUTCHER

50 Dining Out The Pines

MICHAEL GILLES

52 The Sea Salt Table Quick-N-Easy Tuscan Beans ED CASTELLI

42 LGBTQ+ YA

The Joys of Mocktails

Letters from CAMP Rehoboth welcomes submissions. Email editor@camprehoboth.com.

Photographs must be high resolution (300 dpi).

Documents should be sent as attachments in Microsoft Word®. Deadline for submissions is two weeks prior to the issue release date.

JULY 29, 2022

When to Change Your Lane

60 CAMPshots

Mid-Summer Madness!

64 Deep Inside Hollywood ROMEO SAN VICENTE

68 CAMP Arts

97 Pop The Question 100 Bowen on Fire (Island) CHRIS AZZOPARDI

104 Byways

You Are What You Eat MICKEY ROX

106 We Remember

ON THE COVER

Celebrate Good Times!

Photo by Murray Archibald

DOUG YETTER

70 Booked Solid TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER

74 Historical Headliners

Two Spirit Triumph: We’wha

JULIAN HARBAUGH

Letters 2

VOLUME 32, NUMBER 8 • JULY 29, 2022

22 Guest House Chronicles

8 The Sounds of Sundance 2022

18 Getting to Know You

THIS ISSUE

ANN APTAKER

EDITOR Marj Shannon EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE Matty Brown DESIGN AND LAYOUT Mary Beth Ramsey ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Tricia Massella DISTRIBUTION Mark Wolf

Letters from CAMP Rehoboth is published 13 times per year, between February and December, as a program of CAMP Rehoboth Inc., a non-profit community service organization.

CAMP Rehoboth seeks to create a more positive environment of cooperation and understanding among all people. Revenue generated by advertisements supports CAMP Rehoboth’s purpose as outlined in our mission statement.

CONTRIBUTORS: Ann Aptaker, Chris Azzopardi, Rich Barnett, Matty Brown, Ed Castelli, Pattie Cinelli, Wes Combs, Michael Cook, Robert Dominic, Clarence Fluker, Michael Thomas Ford, JuneRose Futcher, David Garrett, Michael Gilles, Julian Harbaugh, Fay Jacobs, Jon Adler Kaplan, Tom Kelch, Tricia Massella, Eric Peterson, Glen Pruitt, Mary Beth Ramsey, Richard Rosendall, Mikey Rox, Nancy Sakaduskie, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Marj Shannon, Beth Shockley, Eric Wahl, Doug Yetter

The inclusion or mention of any person, group, or business in Letters from CAMP Rehoboth does not, nor is it intended in any way, to imply sexual orientation or gender identity. The content of the columns are the views and opinions of the writers and may not indicate the position of CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. © 2022 by CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. All rights reserved by CAMP Rehoboth. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the editor.

CAMP REHOBOTH

MISSION STATEMENT AND PURPOSE MISSION CAMP Rehoboth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community service organization dedicated to creating a positive environment inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities in Rehoboth Beach and its related communities. We seek to promote cooperation and understanding among all people, as we work to build a safer community with room for all.

VISION We create proud and safe communities where gender identity and sexual orientation are respected.

PURPOSE Promoting the health and wellness of our community through a variety of programs including HIV testing and counseling, mental health support, fitness classes, mindfulness classes, support for LGBTQ youth, and building community and support.

Promoting artistic expressions and creative thinking, and giving aid to artists and craftspeople with an emphasis on the works of LGBTQ people.

Advocating for our community to build a safe and inclusive community through voter information, education, and registration; and analysis of issues and candidates.

Education and outreach to the larger community, including sensitivity training seminars, and printed materials to promote positive images of LGBTQ people and our allies.

Networking resources and information by publishing a newsletter, and functioning as an alternative tourist bureau and information center.

From the Editor

BY MARJ SHANNON, EDITOR

DRINK UP! IT’S OUR “ADULT BEVERAGES” ISSUE AND WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED, WHATEVER

you choose to imbibe.

Maybe you avoid alcohol? No worries! Julian Harbaugh has a great mocktail recipe in their LGBTQ+ YA column. Find refreshment sipping an Elderflower Lemon Basil concoction. Or how about just water—maybe with some added electrolytes? Pattie Cinelli offers hints on when that addition might be wise, as well as providing a recipe for her favorite fortified drink—one that has no added sugar, chemicals, artificial colors, or flavors.

And if you enjoy the occasional tipple? Rich Barnett offers an “intro to bitter cocktails” in CAMP Stories. Read it and you’ll be all set to fully enjoy your apéritif bitters and cocktail bitters—the latter with ice, no matter what the bartender may suggest. Looking to try something brand new? See CAMP Cheers for The Wilson, a new cocktail (and mocktail) developed by the Back Porch’s bartender, Bee Nield, in honor of artist Tom Wilson’s exhibit at the Biggs Museum in Dover. (Wilson and the Back Porch go ‘way back; read all about it in our August issue.)

It might be good to eat a little something along with those drinks, alcohol or no. Ed Castelli offers a terrific (and terrifically easy!) bean dish in Sea Salt Table. Can’t face even that amount of cooking? See Michael Gilles’s Dining Out for a recommended destination: The Pines sounds wonderful, in more ways than one.

Maybe, however reluctantly, you realize you’d best push away from that bar or table and get out and do something? Try disc golf! JuneRose Futcher writes all about it in Be a Sport!. Our own Cape Henlopen State Park boasts one of the earliest-established disc golf courses in the US; it was built in 1978.

Just up for a walk? There’s one for a great cause coming our way: AIDS Walk Delaware Steps Up and Steps Out on Saturday, September 17, in Rehoboth and Wilmington. Glen Pruitt tells us how we can participate.

PRESIDENT Wesley Combs VICE PRESIDENT Leslie Ledogar SECRETARY Mike DeFlavia TREASURER Bea Vuocolo AT-LARGE DIRECTORS Chris Beagle, Jane Blue, Pat Catanzariti, Lisa Evans (non-voting), David Garrett, Jason Darion Mathis-White, Natalie Moss, Tara Sheldon, and Leslie Sinclair

Also coming in September: SUNFESTIVAL! Offering two days packed with entertainment, dances, auctions, and a 5k run, this Labor Day weekend fun-fest is the perfect way to wrap up summer. See pages 8, 12 and 13 for details and make plans to join the festivities.

Last—but far from least—Letters pays homage this issue to Oliver, of CAMP Critters, and (posthumously) to Lucy, of Beth Shockley’s new column, Outlook, in honor of International Cat Day (August 8). Meet these fabulous felines and offer the cats in your own lives a few extra pets in celebration. ▼

CAMP REHOBOTH 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 tel 302-227-5620 | email editor@camprehoboth.com www.camprehoboth.com

CAMP Rehoboth, Inc. is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to CAMP Rehoboth are considered charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes and may be deducted to the fullest extent of the law.

A copy of our exemption document is available for public inspection.

JULY 29, 2022

3 Letters

CAMP Rehoboth Awarded Grant

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The Truitt at Homestead Lodge

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or a second consecutive year, the Truitt at Homestead Lodge hosted the Summer Solstice on the Terrace, a fundraiser benefiting CAMP Rehoboth.

The event raised a total of $13,072.15 for CAMP Rehoboth.

The lovely evening featured hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and live entertain-

ment. The Truitt at Homestead Lodge also hosted a silent auction and 50/50 raffle, with all proceeds supporting CAMP Rehoboth.

The requested all-white attire made for a very festive evening, and the guests celebrated the gorgeous night socializing and enjoying the camaraderie. ▼

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Battle of the Bachelors Returns August 14

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he 13th annual Battle of the Bachelors will return to Aqua Bar & Grill on August 14, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Join us for a bevy of beauties, great prizes, and special surprises. The renowned Lorne Crawford will once again auction off the models, and Kristina Kelly will hostess. In the Battle of the Bachelors, bachelors (and one bachelorette), wearing swimsuits supplied by Beach Essentials, compete to see who can raise the most money for CAMP Rehoboth. The funds raised directly benefit CAMP Rehoboth’s community-support programming.

Be sure to arrive early for a good spot at the venue. Or check out the fun event from the Top of the Pines.

Thank you to our host Aqua and our swimsuit sponsor Beach Essentials. ▼

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JULY 29, 2022

n July CAMP Rehoboth learned that it was awarded a $160,000 grant from the state of Delaware. The award is part of the General Assembly’s allocation of $90 million within the bond bill’s Community Reinvestment Fund, a capital grant program for local and community-based nonprofit organizations.

“CAMP Rehoboth is appreciative of the decision to invest in us,” said Leslie Sinclair, who is a member of CAMP Rehoboth’s board of directors and was instrumental in putting the grant together.

“We express our thanks to the Joint Committee on Capital Improvements Chair, Representative Debra Heffernan, and Co-Chair Senator Nicole Poore, and all the members of the committee. In addition, we acknowledge others who supported us, including Senator Sarah McBride, Representative Eric Morrison, Senator Marie Pinkney, Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, and many others.”

Plans are being developed, and work will begin soon on high-priority capital repair projects at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center. The improvements will increase energy efficiencies with resulting cost savings, enhance space used for the delivery of vital CAMP Rehoboth services, and include several other renovations aimed at preserving the integrity of the property.▼

Upcoming ME Festival

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he first ME Festival, led by I AM ME and sponsored by CAMP Rehoboth, is scheduled for Saturday, August 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at The Green, Dover. The LGBTQ+ community and its allies are invited to enjoy this fun, festive, outdoor family event. The I AM ME Corporation was created in January 2020 to uplift and unify the Delaware LGBTQ+ community and its allies by providing safe spaces, educational resources, health services, and support. Learn more at iammecorp.org. ▼

Two SUNFESTIVAL Auctions!

Laganja Presents the Check

he SUNFESTIVAL Virtual Auction starts on Saturday, August 27 and ends on Saturday September 3. Sign up to bid at https://sunfestival2022.ggo.bid.

The Live auction, featuring auctioneer Lorne Crawford, will commence before the Judy Gold headline show on September 3 at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center.

ach Wednesday this summer, northbeach, a Dewey Beach music and dance venue, is raising funds for CAMP Rehoboth via a $5.00 cover charge to the Wenzday Night Drag Shows. On June 27, a special check presentation, featuring RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Laganja Estranja, celebrated the first full month of shows. (Laganja will return to the Dewey hotspot two more times this summer.) In June, the shows raised $2,975 for CAMP Rehoboth. ▼

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TWO EXCITING LIVE AUCTION ITEMS:

▶ Two tickets to Lizzo on September 27 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, PLUS a hotel stay. ▶ An Adventure Bears Cruise for Two: 8 nights to Aruba, Bonaire, & Curacao, October 14-22, 2023. ▼

Salisbury Pride

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AMP Rehoboth was proud to have a presence at many local Pride events throughout June, including Delaware Pride in Dover and Milton Theater’s Pride events in mid-June.

On Saturday, June 25, the month-long celebrations finished strong at the Salisbury Pride Festival.

Magnolia Applebottom was the headliner and grand marshal, and other entertainers included Jerome Kelly, Vicky Fischer, and Sista Big. In addition to showcasing a table there, CAMP Rehoboth joined the Pride Parade that started at 2:00 p.m., with the festival and its performances commencing at 2:30 p.m.

While Pride celebrations in June are a fantastic way to bring the community together, promote the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community, and celebrate spaces inclusive for all sexual orientations and gender identities, CAMP Rehoboth encourages all to celebrate Pride all year long. ▼

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TRAVELS WITH LETTERS ⊲ CELEBRATING 25TH ANNIVERSARIES IN PRAGUE & BUDAPEST L-R: Marilyn Blake, Jeanette

Emslie, Candy Zientek, Susan Tobin, Cathy Martinson, and Marilyn Miller.

Delaware Reports First Case of Monkeypox On July 12, 2022, the Delaware Division of Public Health announced the state’s first case of the monkeypox virus (MPX). This positive case is considered probable pending confirmatory testing by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 41-year-old Delaware man diagnosed with MPX is believed to have been exposed to the virus after intimate contact with an individual in early July.

MPX is a rare disease caused through infection with the monkeypox virus. It can make you sick, causing a rash, which may look like pimples or blisters, often with an earlier flu-like illness.

FOR MORE INFORMATION on MPX, including prevention, causes, incubation period, symptoms, and treatment see: https://dhss.delaware. gov/dph/epi/emerginginfectiousdiseases.html.▼

JULY 29, 2022

5 Letters

President’s View

BY WESLEY COMBS

The Lazy Yet Busy Days of Summer

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or those of us who live in Rehoboth, we know summer has arrived when traffic on Route 1 is gridlock almost seven days a week. The roads are clogged because of the annual migration of visitors who are here taking advantage of life’s slower pace to relax and enjoy all that the nation’s summer capital has to offer.

At CAMP Rehoboth, just the opposite is true. In fact, I jokingly refer to summertime as CAMP Rehoboth’s high season because the needs of our community do not take a vacation. Achieving our mission of building a positive and safe community inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities is made possible thanks to our small but amazing staff, countless volunteers, and a committed Board ensuring CAMP Rehoboth has adequate resources to get the job done.

When people find out I am the Board president, the most common response is, “Wow, I bet that is a time-consuming responsibility.” While that is certainly the case, the reward for me is having the privilege to work alongside an amazing group of people passionately focused on Creating A More Positive Rehoboth. I hope the following examples will help you better understand how CAMP Rehoboth is making an impact in our community today.

As Delaware’s largest community service organization serving the needs of LGBTQ people, CAMP Rehoboth has a responsibility to be a go-to resource on LGBTQ issues for a wide variety of stakeholders. Which is why Senator Tom Carper asked to meet with representatives of CAMP Rehoboth during his annual visit to Sussex County on June 17.

The senator spent more than an hour with an intimate group of LGBTQ staff and Board members, not only asking what our roles were but also what was on our minds. I shared CAMP Rehoboth was un-

TRANSITION ⊲

At a time when basic civil rights are under attack across the country, I was comforted knowing Senator Carper continues to champion LGBTQ equality in Washington… dergoing a leadership transition and that we are gearing up for SUNFESTIVAL, our biggest fundraiser of the year. HIV CTR (Counseling, Testing, and Referral) Counselor Amber Lee spoke about the mental health challenges of teenagers who are transitioning or identify as nonbinary.

Board Vice President Leslie Ledogar expressed concern about how the overturning of Roe v. Wade could lead to reversing marriage equality for LGBTQ people.

At a time when basic civil rights are under attack across the country, I was comforted knowing Senator Carper continues to champion LGBTQ equality in Washington and that CAMP Rehoboth’s education and advocacy outreach ensures he understands the challenges our community faces every day. More importantly, I live in a state that protects marriage equality as well as the right to choose.

Speaking of community, planning has already begun for Women’s FEST 2023.

Considering diversity, equity, and inclusion is a subject matter expertise of mine, I am embarrassed to say that 2022 was

my first time attending Women’s FEST. It soon became abundantly clear why it is known as one of the jewels in CAMP Rehoboth’s tiara.

What started as a grassroots halfday event in 2001 has grown to become a spring tradition in Rehoboth Beach attracting more than 1,000 women from around the country. This four-day event is one part educational, one part cultural immersion, one part competitive sports, and three parts celebration. As we begin the strategic planning process for CAMP Rehoboth, it is my hope we will use Women’s FEST as a foundation for programming year-round, addressing the interests and needs of women throughout our community.

Finally, you may have seen our recent post on our Facebook page about the Delaware Division of Public Health’s (DPH) announcement of the state’s first case of the monkeypox virus (MPX). A 41-yearold New Castle County man tested positive for MPX. Continued on page 40

I am beyond thrilled that our new Development Manager, Laurie Thompson, joined the team at CAMP Rehoboth as of July 5. Lisa Evans is onboarding Laurie to ensure she is well acquainted with all-things-CAMP-Rehoboth, including our big Labor Day fundraiser, SUNFESTIVAL. Make sure to check out my interview with Laurie on page 18. ▼ Letters 6

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7 Letters

SUNDANCE

BY NANCY SAKADUSKI

Sounds of Sundance 2022 YOUR SUNDANCE ITINERARY Sunday, September 4 7:00 – 10:00 PM

Sundance Disco Twilight Tea with DJ Robbie Leslie

Robbie Leslie

10:00 PM – 1:00 AM

Sundance with DJ James Anthony

James Anthony

TICKETS

CAMPREHOBOTH.COM/ SUNFESTIVAL2022

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he two men who will be at the helm of Sundance, DJ Robbie Leslie and DJ James Anthony, intend to provide an unforgettable voyage. Aware that CAMP Rehoboth’s SUNFESTIVAL is where memories are made, they plan to provide a soundtrack for an extraordinary journey.

For starters, if you’re expecting to hear preprogrammed, algorithm-driven, neatly ordered sets of music at the Sundance Disco Twilight Tea, you’re in for a surprise. DJ Robbie Leslie—yes, the Robbie Leslie—considers the dance floor a living organism. “I don’t think you can preplan or preprogram a party,” Robbie says. “It’s a chemical reaction, a very dynamic fusion of the music, the crowd, everything the crowd has experienced that day, that week, this is the culmination of. That’s the beauty of it…it responds instantaneously.”

Robbie should know. His career sparked at Fire Island in 1975. Folks like Michael Jackson, Halston, Andy Warhol, and Liza Minelli would come out for the weekend and pop into the clubs where he was working. “It was very exciting…a wonderful place to begin a career, an epicenter for dance music, which at that time was disco music,” he says.

From there it was the Saint (and subsequently the Saint-At-Large), Studio 54, Underground, Private Eyes, the Palladium, the Red Parrot, 12 West, and the Ice Palace, and on to Trocadero Transfer and Dreamland in San Francisco; Axis, Probe, Circus, and Studio 1 in Los Angeles; Heaven in London, and clubs in Dubai, Berlin, Budapest, Moscow, Sydney, Copenhagen…you name it.

Yet despite Robbie’s electrified career, his private life is strictly acoustic.

“I live my life very simply and stay very centered and grounded,” he says, spending long periods alone in rural Maine, recharging.

But for Labor Day weekend, it’s Rehoboth Beach. “It has a wonderful

“I don’t think you can preplan or preprogram a party. It’s a chemical reaction, a very dynamic fusion of the music, the crowd... That’s the beauty of it, it responds instantaneously.”

ROBBIE LESLIE

hometown feel to it,” Robbie says. But it also has a fun party vibe. “It’s always been a highlight of my summers, going back to the ’90s or late ’80s when I started working there [at Cloud 9].”

But how can CAMP Rehoboth’s Disco Twilight Tea compare to the Embarcadero in San Francisco, where Robbie once played to a crowd of 20,000? He says that the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center is actually the perfect size. “It’s big enough to have a shared energy and at the same time it’s very focused. It’s not so big that it gets fragmented. So that to me is the ideal venue.”

Other than the unexpected, what can the crowd expect? “The way we conceived the twilight tea was an homage to the classics and any new music that might integrate well to that,” Robbie says. “It’s a nice dovetail to the later portion of the evening. I have a great fondness for dance music of all periods but because of my years at Continued on page 10

Save the Date

labor day weekend

Order Tickets Now

September 3–4, 2022 www.camprehoboth.com

JULY 29, 2022

9 Letters

SUNDANCE

Continued from page 8

Studio 54 and the Palladium, I’m more known for that era of music.” But there will be twists. “I’m a strong supporter of surprising the audience with a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” he says, “remixes or versions of songs they may have not heard before or just little dramatic effects that I like to interject during the course of the evening.”

Like most of us, Robbie is enjoying a return to familiar activities. “After COVID, I’m just thrilled to death to be coming back,” he says. “Rehoboth Beach has very much been an integral part of my professional career going way back… this is like a homecoming for me. I’m really psyched and really excited about coming back.”

Which brings us to the second part of our journey (you don’t want to go home yet!).

Transporting us from legend Robbie Leslie’s disco classics to current sounds is a smooth segue, according to James Anthony, DJ, remixer, producer,

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JULY 29, 2022

songwriter, reporter for Billboard magazine’s dance club chart, and our guide for the rest of the trip. “Luckily for both Robbie and me, that disco sound is very much back in vogue now, so it does make putting our two sounds together very easy,” he says.

James’s career began early as well, starting with a childhood dream come true—a job at the legendary NY dance station WKTU at age 21, right out of college. It was the radio station he had listened to and loved as a teenager. “It’s amazing…how lucky am I?” he says.

From there he’s gone on to develop a signature “big room” sound and a reputation as a dance music jack-of-alltrades and innovator who isn’t afraid to think outside the box. And he’s produced tracks for some of dance music’s most legendary vocalists and producers. Names like Deborah Cox, Betty Who, Tony Moran, Kathy Brown, Kimberly Davis, Franklin Fuentes, Terri B, Peppermint, La India, and more.

James’s knowledge of all genres of dance music spans multiple decades, giving him a lot to draw from. “I approach every party, no matter where I go, with the same philosophy,” James says, “and that is I am there to create a mood and an environment through music…. I tailor different parties and different crowds to different genres. It’s my job to create that atmosphere.”

James even considers the time of year, which for Sundance is Labor Day weekend. He promises to give it just that much more energy “because people know that it’s the end of summer and for many people this may be their last time in Rehoboth until next summer.

You want to send them off on a good note and make that one last Summer of ’22 memory.”

James’s intuition guides his choices.

“The DJ has a bird’s eye view of the whole crowd…you have to read your crowd and you have to know where to go.” He uses specific songs at certain times because they hit emotional points.

“I think of what I do as creating a kind of roller coaster—you bring them up and then you bring them down.”

It’s that emotional sensitivity that may have made it harder for James to

weather the pandemic. “I didn’t play anywhere for 18 months,” he says. “And then you come back, and you see it so differently.” He realized that he’d been doing his work for so long that he had begun taking it for granted. “Coming

“I approach every party, no matter where I go, with the same philosophy, and that is I am there to create a mood and an environment through music...”

JAMES ANTHONY

out of COVID has given me, at 41, after doing this almost my entire life, an enormously different perspective on what it is that I’m actually doing. I like to think that I’m more than just the guy who plays music.”

Like Robbie, whom he considers a friend, James treasures solitude. “I much prefer a quiet night in than a loud night out at a club.…That’s not to say I don’t love a good party, and I like to go out with my friends and go dancing.” And he wants the parties to continue. “‘Don’t Stop the Music’ by Rihanna is the story of my life.”

James is particularly happy to be a DJ for Sundance. “I am really excited to be playing in Rehoboth Beach for the first time, with Robbie Leslie for the first time. And it’s nice that 20-something years into doing this professionally, there are still plenty of firsts.”

So, what will we hear during the second part of the Sundance journey?

“People can expect high-energy house music with some good vocals thrown in, some songs you don’t know, but just lots of high energy music from when I start to when I end. And a few classics thrown in for good measure. Because no night is complete without a little Whitney Houston.” ▼

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11 Letters

End the summer with CAMP Rehoboth at SUNFESTIVAL 2022!

Labor Day weekend’s annual benefit for CAMP Rehoboth — Delaware’s largest LGBTQ community center!

General Admission: $50 per person General Admission each night $90 SUNFESTIVAL PASS: $90, includes one ticket to each night Saturday night : Cash Bar Sunday night : Open BaR HOSt: Individual $100 • • • •

HOSt: couple $200

Name listed as Host on: Recognition Board in lobby of Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, Thank you ad in Letters.

1 ticket to Saturdayʼs Judy Gold concert/live auction Saturday night (Seating in Front Section B, cash bar).

1 ticket to Sundayʼs Sundance (open bar).

1 SUNFESTIVAL t-shirt.

• • • •

Name listed as Host on: Recognition Board in lobby of Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, Thank you ad in Letters.

2 tickets to Saturdayʼs Judy Gold show/live auction (Seating in Front Section B, cash bar).

2 tickets to Sunday nightʼs Sundance (open bar).

2 SUNFESTIVAL t-shirts.

Last chance to be a SUNFESTIVAL Sponsor and be recognized in the next two issues of Letters!

To learn more, or to sign-up to be a Host or Sponsor, visit www.camprehoboth.com/SUNFESTIVAL2022 or Contact CAMP Rehoboth at SUNFESTIVAL2022@camprehoboth.com

comedian

JUDY GOLD Saturday, September 3 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm Rehoboth Beach Convention Center Letters 12

JULY 29, 2022

Order Tickets Now

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M WA LK

13th S UN

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I VA L 5 K T & ES

SunFestival5k C AMP R eho b o th

Sunday, August 28, 2022 - 8:00am RACE: Start & Finish at the bandstand POST-RACE PARTY: CAMP Rehoboth 37 Baltimore Ave Rehoboth Beach, DE. 19971 To register visit seashorestriders.com and select 13th Sun Festival 5k & 1mi Walk CONTACT: Tim Bamforth, Seashore Strider Race Director at tim@seashorestrider.com

JULY 29, 2022

13 Letters

CAMPNews HIV Testing Expands at CAMP Rehoboth

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AMPsafe is excited to announce that it has increased availability for HIV testing at CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach. Testing will now be available daily at the CAMP Rehoboth office. The expansion is made possible by the availability of newly-certified Sharon Morgan testers—E.J. Kenyon, Joe Vescio, and Sharon Morgan—who have recently completed training offered by the Delaware Division of Public Health.

Additionally, Alan Spiegelman, who for the past several years has tested Mondays from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m., has expanded to Tuesdays during the same hours. Rounding out the week, Vescio and Kenyon will test on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., respectively, and Morgan will test on Friday mornings, 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Testing is also widely available throughout western Sussex County at a variety of locations, including ACE Peer Resource Center in Georgetown, Laurel State Service Center, ACE Peer Resource Center in Seaford, and AMF (Addictions Medical Facility) in Seaford. Check the site at camprehoboth.com/health/ hiv-testing for all hours and availability.

HIV testing is free of charge, and results are given in 15 minutes. The tests are administered via a finger stick. To get accurate results, it’s recommended that test-takers wait at least one to three months between potential exposure and the day of the test.

Testers cannot diagnose or treat any symptoms. If you are experiencing symptoms as a result of a sexual encounter, please see your primary care physician or visit a local sexual health clinic. If you are concerned that you have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, please contact your primary care physician immediately or visit your local Emergency Department. ▼

CROP at the Food Bank

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he CAMP Rehoboth Outreach Program (CROP) returned to the Food Bank of Delaware in Milford on July 5. The visit was part of CROP’s regular bi-monthly trips to help the Food Bank address hunger in Delaware. For more information about volunteer opportunities and to sign up for the volunteer newsletter, visit camprehoboth. com/volunteers. ▼

Heeeeere’s Sunny!

T

he SUNFESTIVAL committee is always dreaming up new ways to get the word out about CAMP Rehoboth’s Labor Day celebration and largest fundraiser of the year. Meet Sunny the Mannequin, the mascot for SUNFESTIVAL 2022!

Sunny made his debut out on the town during Fourth of July weekend, with stops at Poodle Beach, pool parties, and standing tall inside a Jeep on Route 1!

Keep an eye out for Sunny in the coming weeks, and feel free to check in at the CAMP Rehoboth office to get a picture with the new celebrity.

Just don’t forget to include the hashtag “#SunFestivalRB.” While you’re at it, scan the QR code on Sunny’s shoulders to purchase tickets to the festivities. (Or visit camprehoboth. com/sunfestival2022 today!) ▼

CAMP REHOBOTH THANKS OUR PREMIER SPONSORS

For information on how to become a CAMP Rehoboth Annual Sponsor, email development@camprehoboth.com or call 302-227-5620.

Letters 14

JULY 29, 2022

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15 Letters

CommunityNews History Book Festival Returns

Delmarva Nature Photo Contest 2022

fter two years of virtual programs, the Lewes History Book Festival plans this year to resume live presentations with some 20 distinguished authors of historical nonfiction and fiction works. The festival will be held September 23-25 in Lewes, Delaware.

The 2022 festival roster includes Pulitzer Prize winners and New York Times best-selling authors, as well as promising new writers. Books include biographies and topics ranging from politics and world history to exercise, medicine, and music.

The festival begins September 23 with a keynote presentation and concludes on September 25 with a closing address.

Throughout the day on September 24, authors will discuss their books at venues in historic Lewes.

All events except for the keynote and closing speakers are free; seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additional information about the 2022 festival is available online at historybookfestival.org. ▼

ntries for the 2022 Friends of Prime Hook Delmarva Nature Photography Contest are now being accepted. The contest is open to photographers of all ages and is considered one of the best nature photography contests in this area.

Photo: Ed Crawford; Roseate Spoonbill; Photographs must be mailed Best in Show in 2021 or hand-delivered to the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge office at 11978 Turkle Pond Road, Milton, Delaware on or before October 8, 2022. Detailed information is available at: friendsofprimehook.com/2022_photography_contest.

Entries will be judged by professional photographers during the week of October 9, with winners announced at a reception on Sunday, October 16, at the Refuge auditorium. ▼

A

E

The “Disney” Pie Ladies

T

he Pie Ladies returned as Disney characters for Rehoboth’s Independence Day Weekend festivities. In one of the city’s favorite traditions, the Pie Ladies take to the streets to deliver flavorful pastries to the community every Fourth of July weekend.

Each year, the ladies embody an extravagant theme, and this year’s did not disappoint. Responding in part to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida, the ladies dreamt up the Disneyland fantasy. One of their helpers even dressed as Governor DeSantis. Their 2022 slogan? “It’s okay to say gay. Your favorite Disney characters.”▼ Photos: Tony Burns.

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Letters 16

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17 Letters

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

BY WES COMBS

Welcome Laurie Thompson!

W

e’re excited to announce that Laurie Thompson joined the CAMP Rehoboth staff (on July 5) as Development Manager. We talked with her about what attracted her to this area—and to CAMP Rehoboth—and her near-term priorities.

CAMP REHOBOTH: What attracted you to apply for the role of Development Manager?

LAURIE THOMPSON: Initially, I was attracted to the role of Development Manager at CAMP Rehoboth because of its mission to Create A More Positive Rehoboth that is inclusive of all. I love that the mission promotes cooperation and understanding among all people in Rehoboth Beach and the wider community.

In light of recent SCOTUS rulings, now more than ever it is important to feel connected to an organization that advocates, encourages, and celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion for all regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

CR: What brought you to the area?

LT: The beach is what beckoned me to move to this area. My love of the ocean began during my childhood, having lived in Maine close to the coast. I continued to spend time at the beach after moving to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and spent many family vacations in Ocean City, Maryland.

Fast forward to 2020 and during COVID my husband realized that he could work remotely. So rather than wait until retirement to move here, we were able to move up our timeline. Last year we began building a home and just moved to Ocean View, Delaware at the end of June.

I am thrilled to be working in Rehoboth Beach and spending part of every lunch walking on the boardwalk and/or exploring the surrounding neighborhoods.

CR: Over the past 20 years you have been involved with developing and implementing fundraising programs for a small college and a nonprofit organization. How will you leverage your expertise to raise Letters 18

JULY 29, 2022

the funds necessary to enable CAMP Rehoboth to achieve its mission?

LT: I am excited to use my knowledge and experience in donor relations as a foundation to build a comprehensive donor relations program that will include recognizing and engaging with our donors.

I am pleased that CAMP has already purchased Donor Perfect software that will be integral to providing the essential data needed to build upon our existing donor relations program. The data will provide metrics that will help us to strategize what the fundraising needs are for CAMP Rehoboth.

CR: What are your priorities over the next six months?

LT: My priorities over the next few months will be to meet with the Board of Directors, committee members, volunteers, and staff to listen and learn about the successes as well as the challenges facing CAMP Rehoboth. I believe that COVID forced many nonprofit organizations to evaluate their processes and programs and how they serve their communities.

I also look forward to meeting and connecting with donors, members, organizations, and businesses in Rehoboth and the wider community. In my short time here, it has been heartwarming to witness the generosity from the Rehoboth community and their commitment to support CAMP Rehoboth.

CR: What skills do you think are important for a Development Manager?

LT: I think it is important to be passionate about CAMP’s mission and to spend time listening to donors and gather feedback about what is important to them.

In addition, it is imperative to be honest and transparent with our donors.

I will create a donor bill of rights that will provide an overview of what they can expect from CAMP Rehoboth. The donor bill of rights will include a promise from CAMP Rehoboth to be good stewards of the donations we receive from our generous doors.

CR: How will you define success as the Development Manager?

In my short time here, it has been heartwarming to witness the generosity from the Rehoboth community and their commitment to support CAMP Rehoboth.

LT: I define success as an ongoing process, and I will work with the Development Committee to build a successful donor relations program where donors will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful ways with CAMP Rehoboth.

CR: Can you tell us a little about your family?

LT: My husband, Matthew, and I just celebrated 37 years of marriage and we have two sons, Joshua and Zachary, and a COVID kitty named Fritzi. ▼ Laurie can be reached by calling the office (302-227-5620) or by emailing her at laurie@ camprehoboth.com.

JULY 29, 2022

19 Letters

Aging Gracelessly

BY FAY JACOBS

I Don’t Fish but I Can Recognize Bait Here’s What Happened When LA Writer Wore MAGA Hat into Ultra-Liberal Vegan Restaurant!”

So screams an online link.

Curious, I read through 11 paragraphs of set-up along with ads selling snake oil, cryptocurrency, and hair restorers before I found out the answer was “Nothing happened.”

I am so tired of clickbait.

One of my heroes, Pete Buttigieg, once answered a reporter’s question by saying “I’m no fisherman, but I know bait when I see it.”

I usually do too. But human curiosity often bests me and I wind up as the village idiot.

Clickbait invites me to troll and scroll from an enticing ad or question only to wind up down the ugly rabbit hole for gullible morons.

I was online yesterday when I saw a photo of a golden retriever on her back, four paws in the air, with the question: “Does your dog do this dangerous thing?”

OMG yes! Dangerous? Windsor does that all the time!

I clicked the link only to find an ad for a greasy liquid, recommended by doctors to improve traffic in my alimentary canal. My gut is not Route One. Traffic is fine in there. And while I never found the golden retriever, I missed lunch, and sheepishly admitted I’d been had.

Clickbait. Made ya look.

Likewise, there’s the post showing tin foil on an interior doorknob. “Do this if you are home alone!” the link warns.

Okay, it raised my curiosity. This time I got paragraph upon paragraph about cures for crepey skin and a miracle moisturizer. No tin-foiled doorknob anywhere.

Made ya look.

Then come links appealing to my innate curiosity. We see a beautiful photo of a once-famous movie star. “See what she looks like now!” reads the Letters 20

JULY 29, 2022

caption. Okay, I admit it, I wanna see.

Next comes a gaggle of photos of very minor movie star has-beens, many faces completely unfamiliar to me, and I NEVER see the actress whose current head shot was promised. I’d have a better chance of seeing her at the Actor’s Fund old age home in New Jersey. All the while, by the way, adjacent ads are still pushing that miracle cure for floppy skin.

Another favorite of mine is “He Thought it was Big Foot’s Skull but Experts Told Him THIS!” Then there’s the “Kelly Ripa explains her departure from Live!” I don’t even watch Kelly Ripa, but I fell for that one months ago. I read 12 paragraphs about her show history with adjacent ads for miracle cures and, it turned out that Ripa’s only departure was by Uber.

Today it was “Add this to your toothpaste to help regrow gums.” Now this scared me. I’m long in the tooth age-wise, but my gums are still pretty good. I don’t want to grow gums like the old grey mare. I did not click. Good girl.

And meanwhile you and I aren’t the only ones fed up with clickbait. There’s a whole social media organization on Facebook called Stop Clickbait, trying to end this heinous practice. They publicize answers to the dumbest clickbait, saving scrollers hours of time by giving one- or two-word answers to the most absurd headlines.

“What happens when cars run over banana peels like in Mario Kart?

Stop Clickbait: Nothing.

“Disney Princesses are supposed to be perfect but here’s what one fan found!”

Stop Clickbait: They have no fingernails.

I rather like that one. I might have fallen for it. And according to Stop Clickbait they saved me 21 different clicks.

Another favorite of mine is “He Thought it was Big Foot’s Skull but Experts Told Him THIS!” Stop Clickbait: It’s a gnarly rock.

This morning, it was fun noting that the most outrageous clickbait-sounding headlines were actually true.

“Dramatic moments from deprogrammed right wingers indict whole GOP” and “Unhinged: The White House Meeting that Preceded ‘will be wild’ Tweet.”

Truth is indeed stranger than clickbait. Way to go, January 6 Committee.

Well, I’m all done with clickbait. I now know it when I see it and I can waste my time doing something else dumb over my morning coffee.

Stay tuned for the next issue of Letters for adventures in aging gracefully on “How to Achieve Results Using This One Weird Trick!”

Kidding.

But if anyone slogs through the come-ons and actually finds a cure for crepey skin on upper arms, please let me know.

Fay Jacobs is the author of five published books and is touring with her one-woman sitdown comedy show, Aging Gracelessly.

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JULY 29, 2022

21 Letters

Guest House Chronicles

BY TOM KELCH

Devastation in Paradise

T

he Paradise Guest House (PGH) opened in 1979 as Rehoboth Beach’s very first openly gayowned and operated business intended expressly for gay people. Soon after and throughout the 1980s many other gay businesses opened in the area.

For the very first time in its history, word was spreading very fast about Rehoboth Beach, especially among the LGBTQ+ population residing in many nearby cities.

This gay bloom in downtown Rehoboth was resisted by many, including local city residents, visitors, the police department, and even the city itself.

While we have previously touched on the subject of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, you may be surprised to learn about its severe impact right here in our local community. The main reason Paradise is becoming more and more historically significant is that this one small, forgotten property was a perfect example of that pandemic’s devastation. It was nothing short of awful.

In 1979, gay men were not aware of HIV/AIDs. The free-thinking lifestyles many sought in the 70s led to the PGH opening its doors. Often, the house held more than 100 men inside or around the property. These men explored their gayness in a variety of ways. Some would just converse and make friends. Others would dress in women’s clothes and experiment with different desires. However, most would take the opportunity to explore themselves sexually.

PGH was open for only eight years, but in that short time, thousands of men visited. Guests from Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, and Washington DC were the most common. Secretly, many men visiting had yearned their entire lives to have a gay experience. But they feared public humiliation, termination from their jobs, abandonment by their family and friends, religious persecution, physical/ mental abuse, and even actual criminal charges. However, PGH offered a sanctuary in which they might experience for themselves what they always had craved.

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Many felt it was worth the risk.

After just a few years running the PGH, Herbert was starting to feel sick. Soon after, his friends began to come down with the same strange symptoms. Then his customers began reporting illnesses. By the mid-80s, gay men had become very aware something terrible was happening to them, but they still didn’t know what to believe.

In 1986, Herbert began to notice the classic signs that the virus had taken complete control over his body. He knew he was going to die and that he was going to have to abandon his dream of creating a gay paradise. Herbert moved to Key West, Florida, deciding it was the place he would prefer to die.

But in a very last bit of heroic effort, Herbert listed the property for sale in only one place. He put an ad in the Washington Blade, hoping—if nothing else—he could at least ensure this incredibly special property would be in the hands of another gay person who might continue

This photo, of a painting, is the only image ever found of Herbert and of the original PGH sign. The painting was done by a well-known local artist.

Herbert is standing on the left (in red), with his then-boyfriend, known as Momi (pronounced “Mummy”). They had a dog, a tradition that continues to this day. Also depicted, Herbert’s hydrangeas that he loved so much and often was found tending. Two of his hydrangeas are still present on the property today.

his legacy. As you will soon find out, it worked.

The hardest part of this project, for me, has been making the effort to reach out to the people who visited the PGH during its prime. Instead of my hoped-for conversations with older men who would share with me their memories, I almost always found myself reading yet another obituary.

These men, for the most part, should still be alive (given their ages).

So far, I’ve been able to find only nine men from that era to talk with. Interestingly, they each had thought long and hard about why they are still here. Most credited the fact that they liked to watch more than participate. Or, they had been God-fearing and only came to make friends. All are still dealing with classic survivors’ guilt.

Many of the men who died suffered lonely and painful deaths. Families and friends feared them, and doctors and hospitals were sometimes too terrified to provide treatment that would allow for a comfortable, peaceful death. Many would die slowly, alone, and quarantined. Public opinion often held that their illness and suffering were “deserved.” Many in the LGBTQ+ community would go to so many funerals it became too much to bear.

Hero lesbians often were the only humans willing to sit with or treat infected gay men. These women often provided the men with their only chance to die with dignity.

In 1987, the Paradise Guest House closed. That same year, our dear friends Murray, Steve, and their friends would attempt to open The Strand. The Berthas were strongly opposed.

Today I am sitting here—over 30 years later—with Murray Archibald, about to find out what happened next…. ▼ Tom Kelch is the innkeeper and property manager of the Rehoboth Guest House. He is excited to write this new series for Letters and thrilled to share these stories with Letters’ readers.

JULY 29, 2022

23 Letters

Out & About

BY ERIC C. PETERSON

Wilkommen to the Future

A

s some of the regular readers of this column might know, I co-host a podcast all about my first love: old movies. It’s called The Rewind Project, and each episode revisits a famous (or infamous) film on a significant milestone anniversary. We talk about the film itself, naturally—but where things really get interesting is when we discuss what it’s like to watch a film today, 25, 50, or 75 years after it was made. These movies, frozen in celluloid, technically don’t change—but we sure do, and sometimes what we see in them now is very different from what people saw in their original theatrical run.

Recently, my friends and I discussed a film I’ve been waiting to tackle for three-and-a-half seasons: Bob Fosse’s 1972 masterpiece, Cabaret. I’ve loved this movie since I was 15 years old, and have seen it over 20 times, easily. Just a few issues ago in this magazine, I included it in a list of films that support a woman’s right to choose (there’s a pregnancy subplot in the last third).

For those who have never seen it (wie kannst du es wagen!), the primary story revolves around a doomed romance between Sally, a dynamic American showgirl (Liza Minnelli in an iconic, Oscar-winning performance), and Brian, a mild-mannered British graduate student (Michael York) in Berlin, 1931. In the episode (release date: July 29), we discussed many of the topics you might expect. Was Liza too good a singer to play Sally? Why were the landlady and the Jewish fruit vendor, so adorable in the stage musical, cut from the film?

Was Brian gay or bisexual, and does it matter?

But there was one aspect of Cabaret that seemed to take all our attention in the year 2022, and while it was something I’d thought about before, it never seemed as urgent as it does today. As I noted above, the story takes place in Germany in the early 1930s. The slow rise of the Nazi party is depicted Letters 24

JULY 29, 2022

in fleeting scenes. At the beginning of the film, a Nazi youth is ejected from the nightclub where Sally sings, for panhandling in the audience. Later, the bouncer who did the ejecting is violently killed in the alley behind the club by a group of Nazis.

What was striking, almost terrifying, about watching Cabaret in 2022 was how little the characters cared.

As the film ends, several audience members with swastikas on their armbands sit in the front row of the club, enjoying the show. This tableau is chilling, precisely because any audience member with a scant knowledge of history knows that the story of the Nazis won’t end here, but only after their Holocaust will eventually claim the lives of six million Jews and five million other prisoners of war, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Romany, and gay people.

But this isn’t the dynamic that captured our attention. We already knew about Naziism before we watched the movie. What was striking, almost terrifying, about watching Cabaret in 2022 was how little the characters cared. Brian was a man who paid attention to the world, and he was certainly concerned. His friends Fritz and Natalia were frightened, as they were both (spoiler!) Jewish, and knew what a rising anti-Semitic movement could cost them. But others in the film were entirely dismissive, or worse. At one point, a member of the German aristocracy describes the Nazi party as a “gang of stupid hooligans” that will be

easily disposed of once they get rid of the equally pesky Communists.

The enigmatic and nameless Master of Ceremonies of the Kit Kat Club (another Oscar-winning performance by Joel Grey) mines the rise of fascism as a source of jokes onstage; toward the end of the film, when a number featuring him alongside a tutu-clad gorilla ends with an anti-Semitic punchline, it’s difficult to tell if he’s poking fun at the Nazis or the Jews. Worst of all is Sally herself, who seems wholly ignorant of politics at all.

In the entirety of the film, she says the word “Nazi” once—and at the time, is far more concerned about the recent departure of a rich lover and his deep pockets.

In Sally’s final moments on screen, she sings the title song of Cabaret, an ode to embracing freedom and living life to the fullest. What the audience knows is that life won’t be a “just a cabaret” for much longer. Soon, a movement that embodies hatred, intolerance, and violence will change everything. And Sally won’t be ready.

The correlation to present-day America is alarming. Recently, the Supreme Court allowed states to determine whether women have the right to bodily autonomy. Soon, they could allow state legislatures to elect the presidential candidates of their choice, disregarding how their own citizens vote. The rights to marriage equality and contraception may be next.

Where this will lead and how quickly is not known to us yet. But how many of us, like the doomed denizens of the Kit Kat Club, will be caught unawares? ▼ Eric Peterson is a Diversity & Inclusion practitioner. His first novel (Loyalty, Love & Vermouth) is available online at Rehoboth’s Browseabout Books. The Rewind Project is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

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JULY 29, 2022

25 Letters

AIDS Walk

BY GLEN PRUITT

Stepping Up, Stepping Out Against the OTHER Pandemic

T

he world has been dealing with COVID-19 and its many variants for the past two and a half years. In their sound bites, the popular press now simply refers to it as “the Pandemic.” What many people forget is that COVID-19 is not the first health pandemic in our lifetime. There is also HIV/AIDS. Fortunately, we have made great strides in treating HIV, as well as in preventing new infections.

However, there are still steps that must be taken.

Some of those steps will be taken at this year’s AIDS Walk Delaware, planned for Saturday morning, September 17, 2022, in both Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach.

Newly diagnosed HIV infections in Delaware are at historic lows. Delaware has achieved great success in lowering the number of new infections caused by injecting drugs. However, Delaware is not seeing a significant decline in the number of new infections among men who have sex with men (MSM). Statewide, MSMs account for 40 percent of the new HIV infections reported so far this year. In Sussex County, that figure is closer to 60 percent. Clearly, we need to improve the HIV prevention messages, and we need to raise money for HIV prevention and treatment services in our community.

That’s where AIDS Walk Delaware comes in. The tagline for this year’s event is “Step Up. Step Out.” We walk to remove stigma, eliminate HIV, and improve lives. Of course, we also walk to raise money. That’s where YOU can step up as a Team Captain. The more teams in the AIDS Walk, the more people we have walking, and the more money that is raised. It’s that simple, and it all starts with five simple steps.

Step 1: Say “yes” to yourself. Not surprisingly, self-affirmation is the foundation of being a good leader. So repeat after me: “I am going to put together a team for this year’s AIDS Walk.” Say it again, with feeling! Now do something about it.

Step 2: Put your goal into writing. Studies show that writing down your goal significantly increases the chances that you will meet your goal. That’s

Ask a co-worker, a family member, a neighbor, a friend from synagogue, and that cute guy from Facebook to join your team.

The more, the merrier!

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JULY 29, 2022

why you need to register right away on the AIDS Walk website (AIDSWalkDelaware.org). It puts your intention out there in the universe, plus the website has a cool thermometer to help you gauge your success.

Step 3: Name your intention. Okay, maybe you don’t need to give a name to your intention, but you do need to give a name to your team. While some team names are straightforward, others are inspirational or whimsical. Maybe the team from your church could register as “The Holy Strollers”?

How about the members of your bicycling club becoming the “2 Tired Walkers”? Be as creative as you want!

Step 4: Invite others to join you. Set a modest goal at the beginning, and then grow it as you go along. Why not start by asking five people to join your team? You might extend your invitation to a group you are already a member of, like your Saturday night poker group or garden club. Or you can mix and match team members from people in different parts of your life. Ask a co-worker, a family member, a neighbor, a friend from synagogue, and that cute guy from Facebook to join your team. The more, the merrier!

Step 5: Give others the opportunity to support you. Many people think this step is the hardest one.

In truth, it is the easiest. You will be surprised at the generosity of others. They are just waiting to be asked. Mention your AIDS Walk Team in your casual conversations, at the water cooler, during cocktails, anywhere. If an electronic ask is easier for you, you’ll be glad to know that the AIDS Walk website can help you send appeals via email (and help your donors give money securely online if they wish). A simple post on Facebook or Instagram can work wonders!

Take those first steps now and finish up with a lot more steps in this year’s AIDS Walk. For more information about the Walk or to register, visit AIDSWalkDelaware.org. Step up and step out! ▼ Glen C. Pruitt serves as a Quality Improvement Specialist for Delaware’s Ryan White Part B Program of HIV Care Services. He is also the Team Captain of the “RB Bears & Friends” team for AIDS Walk Delaware this year.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

COURTESY OF

JULY 29, 2022

27 Letters

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JULY 29, 2022

29 Letters

CAMP Stories

BY RICH BARNETT

Bitter Love

B

itter cocktails are all the rage today. Even the naked pool boy waiters in Key West this past winter were sporting orange baseball caps advertising Aperol, an Italian orange and herbal liqueur that’s experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Many cocktail enthusiasts are touting the low-alcohol, bittersweet Aperol Spritz as the “it” drink for 2022. Naturally, I had to try one. The cocktail, that is.…

My introduction to bitter cocktails, however, began 20 years ago. I trace it to the midmorning Manhattan drinking parties an eccentric neighbor used to host on the shady front porch of his old Rehoboth cottage. Oh, don’t gasp. There was a time when it was perfectly acceptable for gentlemen to enjoy a cocktail in the early hours of the day. A classic Manhattan cocktail should contain a dash of Angostura bitters.

My friend had a heavy hand with the bitters. He also preferred a lemon twist rather than a cherry.

Things often tended to get blurry on that screened porch, but I kind of remember a bottle of red liquor and a bowl of ice showing up on his cocktail table one morning. It was a bottle I’d seen before—usually tucked away high up on a bar and gathering dust—but had never tasted. Campari! The godfather of bitter liquors. Things were about to get more interesting.

Nobody knows the exact ingredients of this classic Italian spirit invented in 1860. Campari keeps its recipe extremely private. But mixologists believe it is made from herbs, spices, bark, fruits, and fruit peels. I was intrigued. Even more so when he handed me a glass of Campari on ice and told me the liquor’s carmine red color came from the shells of crushed up beetles. It looked like a summer punch but tasted like orange peel. The Italians say it takes three tries before you acquire a taste for Campari. For me it was love at first sip.

Should you wish to explore the world of bitter cocktails, it is

Drinking one, it has been said, feels like floating around in a lava lamp filled with sweet cherries and bittersweet orange peels. Yeah, it’s that damn good.

important to understand a couple of basic principles. The first thing you should know is that there are two types of bitters.

Apéritif bitters (such as Campari and Aperol) are typically enjoyed as a beverage served before a meal or at cocktail hour. The bitter flavor is said to stimulate the appetite. Cocktail bitters (Angostura or Peychaud’s) are used only a dash at a time in a drink to add extra flavor.

Remember the difference this way. Apéritif bitters = big bottle. Cocktail bitters = small bottle. Another word of advice: Don’t listen if a bartender suggests serving a bitter cocktail neat. You want the ice because it assists in releasing the bitter botanical aromas without diluting the flavor.

Though there are many bitter cocktails one might sample, let me recommend four in the apéritif category. The first two are on the lighter side and might be thought of as daytime drinks. The others are a bit boozier, and I urge moderation if you start at happy hour, else you find you’ve missed dinner and eight o’clock has somehow become midnight and all that entails.

Aperol Spritz—a simple mix of equal parts Aperol, Prosecco, and club soda. It’s colorful, light, refreshing, and oh so trendy. I consider it a perfect gateway cocktail.

Campari and Soda—bubbly and bitter, this is my go-to, summertime, happy hour cocktail. Order it with a squeeze of lime or an orange slice, but never, ever refer to it as a spritzer.

It’s too stylish for that. And, as it is three parts soda water and one part Campari, it’s very low in calories.

Negroni—probably the most well-known Campari-based cocktail in the world. An equal mix of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, this citrus-forward cocktail exudes coolness and chic simplicity. James Bond orders a Negroni in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. Need I say more?

Boulevardier—this French cousin of the Negroni and a distant relative to the Manhattan is a mix of Campari, sweet vermouth, and bourbon. I’d never heard of it until a drinking companion suggested I try one. Named after a 1920s Paris literary magazine, its taste has been compared to the way illustrations in a 100-year-old book look or how old leather feels. Drinking one, it has been said, feels like floating around in a lava lamp filled with sweet cherries and bittersweet orange peels. Yeah, it’s that damn good.

In closing, I hope my words have piqued your interest in bitter cocktails. Try one this summer and tell me what you think.

Oh, and if you’re worried about ingesting beetles, don’t be— Campari stopped using them in 2006. Salute! ▼ Rich Barnett is the author of The Discreet Charms of a Bourgeois Beach Town, and Fun with Dick and James.

Aqua’s Jon Butto serves up a classic Campari and Soda.

Photo: R. Barnett

Letters 30 JULY 29, 2022

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31 Letters

health+wellness

BY PATTIE CINELLI

Do You Need Electrolytes in Your Water?

L

ast summer I looked forward to my outdoor pickle ball games two mornings a week. During an afternoon on one of those days, I also loved volunteering at a horse therapy farm in Millsboro where I mucked stalls and helped out with riding lessons. Both activities kept me outside in the summer sun.

I always carried my stainless steel 32-ounce water bottle filled to the brim with cold spring water. I know how important it is to stay hydrated. The more water I drank, the more I sweated.

I thought I was doing well.

Then one morning on the courts in the middle of my second game my heart began beating fast. I had a hard time breathing. I couldn’t catch my breath. I was lightheaded and nauseous. I dropped out of the game and sat in the shade drinking water for a while. When I felt I was able, I went home and rested. What I didn’t realize at the time was, I had electrolyte imbalance.

I learned something valuable last summer. Even though I was drinking a lot of water, because I was exercising in the hot sun and sweating, I was depleting my body of the minerals that facilitate important bodily functions. My body was not able to cool off. I thought something could be wrong with my heart. I had heat exhaustion and was dangerously close to heat stroke.

A friend who is a nutritional chef suspected what my problem was and picked up packets of Emergency at the CVS for me. (I use them when I fly, but never thought about using them on a daily basis.) Emergency is a powder I add to my water that replenishes the electrolytes that were leaching through my pores when I sweated. The additives did the trick.

Electrolytes are minerals that conduct electricity when they dissolve in water. They help send electrical signals throughout your brain and body and ensure that many bodily functions run optimally. They do everything from helping with muscle contractions

Letters 32 JULY 29, 2022

to maintaining proper fluid balance to balancing pH levels throughout the body. Whether you drink bottled or tap water, it most likely contains trace amounts of electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, phosphate, and calcium. We lose these minerals regularly through sweat and urine.

You don’t have to be an athlete or strenuously exercising to experience a depletion of electrolytes.

Symptoms of electrolyte imbalance can include fast or irregular heartbeat, fatigue, nausea or vomiting, muscle cramping or weakness, diarrhea or constipation, headaches, brain fog, and poor exercise performance. You don’t have to be an athlete or strenuously exercising to experience a depletion of electrolytes.

Living in a beach town we tend to spend lots of time outdoors. In the summer the heat can cause us to sweat even when we are just walking from our car into a store. A daily dog walk, an outdoor cookout, or a slow neighborhood jog can trigger fluid loss. Enjoying alcoholic drinks can also strip these

important minerals from your body.

To replace electrolytes you need to hydrate—at least 64 ounces of water a day; more if you’re exercising. Eating a balanced diet helps to sustain healthy electrolyte levels; you can also choose a supplement that replenishes those much-needed minerals.

You can buy electrolytes in powdered or tablet form either online or in a health food store or pharmacy and add them to your bottled or tap water.

You also may purchase one of several bottled waters that already contain the minerals, or you can make your own drink at home. One recipe I found to be refreshing is: ¼ tsp of salt; ¼ cup of lemon juice; ¼ cup of lime juice; 1 ½ cups of coconut water (unsweetened); and 2 cups of cold water. (Yields 4 cups.)

Unlike some store-bought drinks, this recipe provides a boost of electrolytes without added sugar, chemicals, or any artificial colors or flavors.

You don’t need to be drinking water enhanced with electrolytes all the time. I always do when I am outside and take it with me when I’m driving, but at home I tend to stick with my spring water.

Since last summer I’ve tried several different electrolyte powders, one brand in tablet form, and several enhanced bottled waters to figure out which tastes best to me. I try to stay clear of added sugars and artificial flavors. After you read the ingredients, the flavor and brand you like is subjective. Great products exist that promote electrolyte balance.

Replenishing electrolytes is another tool you can use to help you stay well while doing those summer activities you love. ▼ Pattie Cinelli is a health and fitness professional and writer who has been teaching, training, and learning about products, techniques, and methods that help people get and stay fit and healthy for more than 25 years.

Contact her at: fitmiss44@aol.com.

Photo: Kobu Agency on Unsplash

Classes & Events For more information about any of these events, please visit camprehoboth.com or call us at 302- 227-5620.

Zoom links (when applicable) can be found on our website or in the weekly email newsletter. Meetings are in-person and take place at CAMP Rehoboth unless otherwise noted.

Weekly Events WALK-IN HIV TESTING

Mondays-Thursdays, 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Free rapid HIV testing at CAMP Rehoboth. Get your results in 15 minutes. No appointment needed during this time.

Appointments available for other dates and times.

BEAT-THE-METER TAI CHI 8/3, 8/10, 8/17, 8:30 a.m.

It’s back! Beat-the-Meter Tai Chi, conducted by Maryann Meyer and Silvia Ritchie, will run (through August 17. A $5.00 donation is requested for each one-hour class.

MORNING MINDFULNESS Tuesdays 8:00 a.m. (Zoom)

Erin will lead a mindful exercise or morning meditation for 30 minutes.

CHAIR YOGA

MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP

8/10, 8/24, 7:00 p.m. Summer location: Epworth UMC, 19285 Holland Glade Rd, Rehoboth Beach

The Men’s Discussion Group is a safe and nurturing space for GBTQ men to start conversations important to our community. This group typically meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays each month. For more information, contact William Dye at william.z.dye@gmail.com.

YOUTHUP MONTHLY SOCIAL 8/19, 6:30 p.m.

The YouthUp Monthly Social takes place on the third Friday of each month.

This event is designed specifically for 11- to 19-year-old LGBTQ+ youth. Email youthup@camprehoboth.com for location or other information.

YOUTHUP MONTHLY OUTING 8/13, 9/10

Erin guides you to synchronize conscious breath with mindful movement designed to energize and strengthen, as well as relax and lengthen muscles.

The YouthUp Outing occurs each month on the second Saturday. This event is designed specifically for 11- to 19-year-old LGBTQ+ youth. Locations and times may vary so please email youthup@ camprehoboth.com for more information.

MEN’S YOGA

YOUTHUP BOOK CLUB

Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. (Zoom)

Saturdays 8:45 a.m.

All levels are welcome, and everyone will be given the opportunity to modify or advance their practice.

Bi-weekly & Monthly Events WOMEN IN CIRCLE

8/6, 8/20, 10:00 a.m. Summer location: Unity Spiritual Center of Coastal DE, 98 Rudder Rd, Millsboro

Women in Circle is a gathering of LGBTQ women. The circle is a welcoming, inclusive, and positive place to meet, connect, and share with other women.

This group meets the first and third Saturday of each month.

meant for informal discussions of school, friends, media, and other youth-driven topics. Requests for presentations and other questions from/by adults should be directed to julian@camprehoboth.com.

FLAMING KNITTERS 8/8, 8/22, 6:30 p.m.

Flaming Knitters provides a thoughtful and engaging space for working, conversing, connecting, showing off, sharing resources, and supporting fiberrelated crafts/projects in a queer- and trans-affirming space. Meets the second and fourth Monday of each month at the CAMP Rehoboth courtyard.

COFFEE TALK 8/27, 10:00 a.m. Summer location: Five Points Village, Lewes, at the pavilion (across from Arena’s)

Coffee Talk is a place where the LGBTQ community can come together in a positive, non-judgmental atmosphere to share our thoughts and perspectives on a topic and dare to think outside the box. Meets the fourth Saturday of every month.

CAMP REHOBOTH BOOK CLUB 8/22, 5:30 p.m. (Zoom)

8/23, 5:30 p.m. (Zoom)

The YouthUp Book Club meets the fourth Tuesday of each month. If you need a copy of the book or want to be added to the mailing list for the Zoom links, email julian@camprehoboth.com.

The CAMP Rehoboth Book Club is a queer-facilitated discussion group dedicated to reading novels about queer topics and/or books by queer authors that tackle a variety of interests and subject matters.

YOUTHUP DISCUSSION GROUP

REHOBOTH TRANSLIANCE

The YouthUp Discussion Group meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month. This discussion group is for 11- to 19-year-old LGBTQ+ youth to get together and chat virtually with other LGBTQ+ youth and a supportive adult moderator. These meetings are

TransLiance meets the last Saturday of each month at CAMP Rehoboth and then goes out on the town. For more information, visit: transliance.com. ▼

8/11, 8/25, 6:30 p.m. (Zoom)

7/30, 8/27, 7:00 p.m.

JULY 29, 2022

33 Letters

It’s My Life

BY MICHAEL THOMAS FORD

Generation Gap

Y

esterday’s mail included two DVDs—the Diana Ross vehicle Mahogany and the campfest Valley of the Dolls. When Cubby came home, I waved them at him excitedly.

“What are those?” he asked.

“What are they?” I repeated. “Only two of the most glorious gay classics of all time.”

“I’ve never heard of them,” he said.

I gasped. I’d barely gotten over the shock of the previous night when, while watching an episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race season three, he’d seen India Ferrah and Mimi Imfurst lip sync to Thelma Houston’s immortal “Don’t Leave Me This Way” and then announced that he’d never heard the song before.

“This is inexcusable,” I said. “How have you never heard of Valley of the Dolls?”

“When was it made?” he asked.

“1967,” I told him.

“That’s 21 years before I was born,” he said. “You weren’t even born yet.”

“Please,” I said huffily. “Only by a year. And when I was 13, I was watching All About Eve, and it was made years before I was born.”

“What’s All About Eve?” he said.

After I recovered from fainting, I explained to him about Bette Davis.

“I know who Bette Davis is,” he said.

“That song about her eyes was really popular, right?”

Listen. I get it. A lot of pop culture things belong to their respective eras.

But when it comes to gay pop culture, the rules are slightly different. We have our movies. Our songs. Our divas. I don’t care how old you are, Cher is your gay fairy godmother.

I really was watching Bette Davis movies when I was a kid. When a video rental store opened in our little town, the options were limited. But they had a large collection of classic films, and one day I brought home The Little Foxes.

I had no clue who Bette Davis was, Letters 34 JULY 29, 2022

but watching her coldhearted Regina deliver lines like, “I hope you die! I hope you die soon! I’ll be waiting for you to die!” to her beleaguered husband, Horace, I somehow knew that she belonged to me in some way, or that I belonged to something to which she and her performance were inextricably entwined. I rented all the other films featuring her and fell in love.

A lot of pop culture things belong to their respective eras. But when it comes to gay pop culture, the rules are slightly different.

Years later, when I graduated from college and finally moved to New York City, a friend took me to see a screening of All About Eve. I sat there in an audience of gay men and listened as we all recited line after line.

I remember feeling first perplexed that other people knew the film as well as I did, then overjoyed as I realized that the connection I’d made with the film as a teenager was shared by other men like myself. It was our film. Bette Davis was our diva. We might share her with other people, but she belonged to us.

As I met more gay men, particularly ones older than myself, they introduced me to more films, more music, more books, more actresses and opera singers and artists. My boss—a showtunes-loving bear—told me which Broadway shows to see. The first man to take me home from a bar, after introducing me to some other things I’d never before experienced, put on Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope and explained the homoerotic subtext. Parties were an opportunity to hear famous lines

bandied back and forth, and little by little I developed a knowledge of gay pop culture as it was shared with me by my queer brothers.

I don’t know if this happens in the same way anymore. Partly this is because there’s just so much more queer content available. When there wasn’t as much, we all had the same reference points. We quoted the same lines from the same movies because they were fabulous, but also because they were what we had at the time.

Also, of course, times change and new things come along. Where gays of my generation might quote “Who is she? Who was she? Who does she hope to be?” from The Boys in the Band when meeting or discussing a new acquaintance, today’s queens snap Mystique Summers’ “Bitch, I am from Chicago!” line from her fight with Morgan McMichaels on Drag Race at one another and laugh hysterically.

Still, there are some things that will never go out of style. Like Diana Ross’s unhinged photo session with Anthony Perkins in a speeding car in Mahogany.

Or the women’s room catfight between Neely O’Hara and Helen Lawson in Valley of the Dolls. And these things we must pass on to the next generation of gay men.

“You’re going to make me watch those whether I want to or not, aren’t you?” Cubby said last night.

I snorted. “Broadway doesn’t go for booze and dope, Cubby,” I said. “Now get out of my way, I’ve got a man waiting for me.” ▼ Michael Thomas Ford is a much-published Lambda Literary award-winning author. Visit Michael at michaelthomasford.com

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JULY 29, 2022

35 Letters

Words Matter

BY CLARENCE FLUKER

Conversations Worth Having

R

ecently I found myself in a social setting seated among a group of friends and associates when the people in the group began to discuss their perceptions of increased crime. I was troubled by some of their statements and so disappointed in the direction the conversation was going that I excused myself. I needed time to process what I’d just heard and do some reflection.

Years ago, I had a boss who was notorious for taking the floor and sharing stories of his childhood. Typically, the same stories over and over again. I didn’t mind it much when he hogged the spotlight because I enjoyed many of the stories. At times they were entertaining, insightful, and often had some life lesson rolled into the center of them.

My favorite was the story of his days living with his grandmother.

He’d go out and play with neighborhood kids and return home to see her sweeping the sidewalk in front of their house and cleaning up around the yards of their immediate neighbors as well. According to him this was a near-daily routine for them. One of those days he came home and asked her why she insisted on cleaning up in front of their house and those of their neighbors. Her reply crystalized his view moving forward on how he’d approach the world.

His grandmother said that she cleaned in front of the other homes because while that singular home where they lived belonged to the two of them, the block belonged to everyone. Thus, there was an inherent responsibility for everyone to take pride and put effort toward a clean and safe community to benefit everyone.

Community isn’t built on the idea of just what you do and what you have for yourself, it is wrapped up in what we do and share with each other. Looking back, I should have recounted that story with the group I walked away from when they were talking about the problem of crime.

It is easy to sit and point out the problems that face us. It is more difficult to sit and talk about solutions—yet that is the challenge in this moment that we must all rise to, tackling the difficult conversations. I have grown leery and

We are a community, and we are better and stronger when we care for each other as such.

Letters 36 JULY 29, 2022

quite disheartened as of late, particularly when I hear people who claim to have progressive values talk about their desire for leaders to be tough on crime—but don’t express the same adamant desires for their leaders and institutions to double down on the programs, services, and resources needed in communities to act as interventions that would prevent crime and improve the lives of individuals, families, and the health of the whole community.

The next time I find myself as audience to a discussion where the participants want to solely point fingers at people—but not systemic policies—I am committing to elevate the conversation and try my best to take others on the journey with me to focus on both cause and effect, and not just problems, but solutions. We have to ground with truth, context, and nuance, and then elevate the discourse.

If someone in our community is disconnected from opportunity, we can’t just view it as their problem. We are a community, and we are better and stronger when we care for each other as such.

We can’t expect to have a safe and healthy block, neighborhood, or nation when we only concentrate on sweeping in front of our own yard. Sometimes our neighbors to the right or to the left may need support and we should be there to offer it. And talking negatively about them—their yards, or current life circumstances—certainly doesn’t do any good.

Thoughtful dialogue with friends and family may not immediately change the world. But it can be an important step in shifting points of view which could influence how they see things, build empathy, and push them to do something big or small to be more of a light in darkness. ▼ Clarence J. Fluker is a public affairs and social impact strategist. Since 2008, he’s also been a contributing writer for Swerv, a lifestyle periodical celebrating African American LGBTQ+ culture and community. Follow him on Twitter: @CJFluker or Instagram: @Mr_CJFluker.

JULY 29, 2022

37 Letters

OUTlook

BY BETH SHOCKLEY

International Cat Day: Lucy

“H

ow about this little grey one?” my partner asked, as we perused the rows of kitties at the Montgomery County, Maryland, animal shelter that spring day in 1991. She was all by herself in a cage on the bottom row, a tiny baby curled up in her litter box. I hadn’t seen her on the first pass. I hunched down and she came forward, her little green eyes sparkling with mischief. All grey, with three little white furs on her chest. The shelter lady tried to warn me off. “Oh no,” she said. “She’s feral—we found her in a field all by herself. She may not make a good pet.” But in my heart I knew we would be bringing this kitten home. And after we passed the shelter’s required home visit, I went back to retrieve my little Lucy.

Lucy was, indeed, a little hellion. It took some time to get her used to being inside the house. Her sharp little claws and teeth lacerated my flesh as we got used to each other. She would play for hours with string, plastic springs, and crushed-up cigarette packs that she would fetch and chase after again and again. It took time, but Lucy eventually became a cuddle bug, sleeping on my pillow by my head.

In 1993, my partner’s work took us to New York City. I got a job at a radio station in the Hamptons and my partner bought a Brooklyn brownstone. Lucy and I were together in my apartment in Montauk while my partner would join us on the weekends. A year later, I snagged a job in Manhattan and Lucy and I moved into the brownstone. She much preferred all the opulent space (four floors of it) and she was able to play in the backyard.

My bond with Lucy intensified when my partner and I realized, after seven years, that we could no longer be together. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done was leave that relationship. By that time, I was working as political speechwriter. On just my salary, I could afford only a tiny, shabby, junior-onebedroom in Brooklyn Heights. I was so sad and

The “eeps” would grow louder and then came the joyful headbutts, moto-purring, and lap jumping when I came through the front door.

Letters 38 JULY 29, 2022

depressed I stayed on the living room floor for three days. I couldn’t move or unpack. Lucy’s fur soaked up gallons of tears.

Months later, I found a much larger apartment in Park Slope. It was a railroad fourth-floor walk-up, and every night as I grabbed my mail from the slot on the ground floor, I could hear Lucy “eeping” in excitement as I climbed the stairs. The “eeps” would grow louder and then came the joyful headbutts, moto-purring, and lap jumping when I came through the front door.

Lucy and I were happy together there for many years. My apartment had a window with just enough room for her to catch the afternoon sun as it set.

We lived through 9/11, the discovery of a terrorist cell making bombs in the building next door, and numerous relationships.

She even helped choose the woman who became my wife. When Lucy met her the first time, she sat on Sandy’s lap—something she had never done with anyone else, as if to say, “see, Mom, pick this one.” And I did. So we moved yet again, this time to Delaware, so Sandy and I could be together.

Lucy had been having kidney trouble while we were still in New York, a condition that was manageable with diet and meds. But it was chronic, and it worsened as the years passed. Then, soon after she turned 18, she got much worse very quickly. You know how this ends. She let me know it was time, so we took our last trip together to the vet. I was with her for the shots and saw her out of this world and across the bridge. I had read about keening but had never experienced it until then. My grief was immense, and her death still brings me to tears, 13 years later.

I love animals and am blessed to share my life with two German shepherds and three kitty brothers that we rescued after Lucy died. I dearly love them all. But there is a special place in my heart for Lucy.

She holds part of my spirit. And we will meet again. I have a feeling I’ll hear her “eeping” to welcome me when my time comes. ▼ Beth Shockley is a public affairs specialist and a former editor of Letters.

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Continued from page 6

As part of our health and wellness mission, CAMP Rehoboth has been partnering with DPH for many years, providing free, anonymous HIV testing across Sussex County. Because of growing concern about MPX across our community, CAMP Rehoboth is working closely with DPH to provide the latest information to our members.

DPH advises people to take appropriate precautions and avoid skin contact with any individuals presenting with symptoms. Seek medical care—and avoid contact with other people—if you develop symptoms. If you have any questions or want to learn more about MPX, contact CAMP Rehoboth for the latest information.

I hope this snapshot provides you with a better understanding of what CAMP Rehoboth is doing on behalf of our community. A famous quote from Margaret Mead sums it up perfectly to me: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Stay safe and enjoy your summer. ▼

Advertising in Letters from CAMP Rehoboth pays off.

CALL TRICIA MASSELLA AT 302-227-5620 or email tricia@camprehoboth.com for more information!

Wesley Combs is CAMP Rehoboth Board President.

OLIVER DODD HUMAN COMPANION: Sandra BREED: Mutt. “I call him the Irishman because he’s a big ol’ ginger!”

AGE: 12 years old FUN FACT: He fetches toys! (Not many other cats do.)

Oliver encourages people not to overlook older cats when they adopt. Adopt, don’t shop. Save a life, and don’t overlook the older guys!

Interested in having your critter(s) featured in Letters from CAMP Rehoboth? Send a high resolution picture (300 dpi) along with their name(s) and one fun fact to editor@camprehoboth.com. Our roaming photographer will also take photos in the courtyard all year long.

Letters 40 JULY 29, 2022

CAMP REHOBOTH

2022

SAVE THE DATE!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 16 11 AM-4 PM On the 2nd block of Baltimore Avenue

Vendor/Sponsor information available at CAMP Rehoboth.

Call 302-227-5620, or email blockparty@camprehoboth.com

JULY 29, 2022

41 Letters

LGBTQ+ YA Column

BY JULIAN HARBAUGH

The Joys of Mocktails

W

ho doesn’t love a nice refreshing drink in the summer? If you’re 21 or older, the first thing that pops into your mind might very well be a frozen margarita or Mai Tai. But not everyone who can legally drink does drink, and over the past couple years more and more bars have started serving mocktails.

For those unfamiliar with the portmanteau, mocktails are mixed drinks made without any alcohol.

They’re also called virgin drinks. They’re refreshing and come without any of the less desirable side effects of alcohol. There are a lot of reasons why someone might choose not to drink; it’s great that these options are available, so they can comfortably join in on social events being held at alcohol-centric places like bars.

I do drink alcohol, but I am also someone who’s on medication that is contraindicated with alcohol consumption (thanks, Wellbutrin!). What this means in practical terms for me is that if I do drink, it can’t be a lot, and it can’t be often. (If you take medications, please check with your doctor before consuming alcohol. I have my physician’s approval to drink sparingly.) For people on similar medications or on higher doses than me, it often means that they can’t drink alcohol at all. Enter the mocktail: all the joys of delicious mixed Elderflower Lemon Basil drinks, none of the dangerous Mocktail drug interactions (or hangovers)!

Medication is just one reaA couple fresh basil leaves, muddled son someone might choose a or bruised (use Thai basil for a punchier, mocktail over a cocktail. Some anise-like flavor) other reasons someone who could drink might not: they are 1-2 Tbl elderflower syrup/cordial a recovering alcoholic; they are Juice of half a lemon or 2 oz lemonade sober by choice; they have bad reactions to alcohol or are allerTop off with 4 oz sparkling water or gic to it; they hate having hanglemon lime soda overs; they have a really low Garnish with lemon wedges or slices alcohol tolerance; or they simply don’t like the taste. All of these— and others—are valid reasons to avoid drinking alcohol.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of social pressures that push people who might not want to drink—as well as underage folks—towards drinking. Mocktails Letters 42 JULY 29, 2022

help relieve some of that social pressure: visually it looks like you’re having a drink similar to those your companions are enjoying. Oftentimes, mocktails even are named similarly. People might not even know you’re not drinking alcohol.

Enter the mocktail: all the joys of delicious mixed drinks, none of the dangerous drug interactions (or hangovers)!

The art of making a mocktail is very similar to that of making a cocktail, simply with non-alcoholic ingredients. Some of these you probably already have stocked if you have a bar at home: various juices, non-alcoholic bitters, flavored syrups, and carbonated drinks like ginger beer or club soda. You might even have fresh herbs and fruit to muddle or extracts thereof to add.

You can approach mocktails by taking your favorite cocktails and removing the alcoholic elements and substituting non-alcoholic elements. In my experience, the best mocktails are ones made the way the best cocktails are—from scratch, through combining ingredients well-suited or complementary to each other.

Which brings me to the recipe for the Elderflower Lemon Basil mocktail, my favorite mocktail to make at home. It’s loosely inspired by the Hugo cocktail.

If you’re unfamiliar with elderflower cordial, it’s a herbal syrup made from the elderflower plant, and it has a floral, herbaceous, and slightly citrus-y taste profile. You can find it online, at some liquor stores, and at some specialty food and drink stores. It goes really well with, unsurprisingly, herbal and citrus pairings.

I use lemon in this recipe but if you’re more of a lime or blood orange person, both of those would work with this mocktail. You could also swap the basil for mint or add lavender syrup to the mocktail to mix up the herbal elements. Experiment with the flavors you like, and, who knows, it might just become your new favorite drink! ▼ Julian Harbaugh (they/them) is the Youth Peer Leader at CAMP Rehoboth. When they’re not writing, they can be found teaching their four rats new tricks, walking their dog, and roaming garage sales looking for antique philosophy books.

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43 Letters

Training CAMP

BY JON ADLER KAPLAN

Train It to the CORE!

“C

ore” is one of those buzz words of the new millennia. The core refers to your midsection located between the pelvic floor and the diaphragm.

The core’s main job is to hold and protect your spine.

Core exercises train the muscles in your abs, lower back, hips, and pelvis to work together in harmony. This leads to better balance and stability throughout the body. Most physical activities and sports rely on strong core muscles.

In a previous edition of Letters, I wrote about posture and how the core works to help us stand tall as well as increase stability and balance. This synergistic connection of the core and our functional movement is crucial to help us move through everyday activities. I like to think of our core as our center. If we have a strong core, we are preparing the body for most of our movements throughout the day.

A large percentage of Americans live with lower back pain. There is a correlation with weak core muscles and back pain. The goal of this article is to help you to be proactive in training your body to create a stronger core, which in return will help you perform functional movements throughout the day.

Most people train their abs by doing crunches and sit-ups, neglecting the back portion of the core. The back and front need to be trained together to create a strong mid-section.

Here I’ll share with you a couple of my favorite core strengthening exercises.

But before you try any of these exercises, I would like for you to first practice using the mind/body connection. Think about what you are about to do before each exercise and what the body is going through to execute each particular movement. Doing this will help you focus on the movement and perform it more effectively. Always take your time and do not rush through any exercises.

Before I describe to you my favorite core exercises, I would like to share with you a prep movement that my friend Jodie, who owns a Pilates studio in Baltimore, taught me. She calls it “Zip it Up.” What she refers to is engaging your transverse abdominals (the deep ab muscles).

Women should contract the pelvic floor muscles by drawing them in and up. Men may accomplish this by contracting the muscles used to help control the flow of urine. Another good descriptor is to suck your core in tightly by pretending that someone is about to punch you in the stomach. Zipping it up takes practice—but you will get it!

My all-time two favorite core exercises are the Bridge followed by the Basic Ab Crunch with a butt squeeze (Posterior Pelvic Tilt). Begin these exercises by laying on the floor on your back.

To perform the Bridge, start with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor, hip width apart. Raise your hips in the air and squeeze your buttocks. This movement trains the posterior chain of the core including the back, buttocks, glutes, and hamstrings. This is a great movement to improve back health. Hold

the contraction for a couple of seconds and then lower the butt back to the floor.

Repeat five times.

Immediately go into the Basic Ab Crunch. Lie on your back, placing both legs out in front of you while keeping your heels together. Your knees and toes should be turned out. First, squeeze your buttocks. When you do the squeeze you will feel your pelvis shift and back lower to the floor. Once you master this movement, place your fingertips behind your ears and support the head. Keeping the spine lengthened, lift the head and shoulder blades off the floor so you can really feel the abdominals contract. Hold this contraction for a second or two before you lower the upper body back to the floor and release the butt squeeze.

You may do a variation of the Basic Ab Crunch with alternating knee lifts to work more of the side abdominals (obliques).

I am also a fan of Forearm Planks, Side Planks, and Hanging Knee Lifts.

Whatever core exercise you pick for your routine, please make sure to take your time and feel the contractions. With the mind/body connection, you will get more out of your workouts and be happier with the results. Remember, shoulders back and down, head up and back, and engage your core. Stand tall, strong, and proud! ▼ Jon Adler Kaplan is a Health Coach and Fitness Trainer both virtually and at Rise Fitness and Adventure. Email Jon with any fitness questions to jonadlerkaplan@gmail.com.

Think about what you are about to do before each exercise and what the body is going through to execute each particular movement.

The Bridge

Letters 44 JULY 29, 2022

Basic Ab Crunch

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45 Letters

CAMP Cheers!

Back Porch’s Bee Launches “The Wilson” Cocktail

I

n celebration of the late Tom Wilson’s stunning artwork on exhibit at the Biggs Museum through October 16, veteran Back Porch mixologist Bee Nield celebrates his late dear friend, Tom. Many knew Tom’s life partner, Leo Medisch the chef, and this bar was quite the scene among artists and arts patrons.

The Wilson is a variation of Tom’s perfect Manhattan, best served up and very cold, and enjoyed while listening to the dulcet tones of his idol, Etta James.

Best of all, patrons of the Porch can pick up their guest passes from Bee for the full exhibition at the Biggs Museum. Sip The Wilson, then plan to go see the 50 Wilsons on display at the Biggs.

Members of CAMP Rehoboth are also invited to join as guests of the Biggs Museum; complimentary passes can be picked up at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center.

The Wilson Cocktail

2 ounces bourbon, can also use rye 1 ounce sweet vermouth 2 or 3 dashes cherry bitters Garnish: maraschino cherry, preferably Luxardo brand

The Wilson Mocktail

2 ounces cranberry juice 2 ounces orange juice 1 tsp lemon juice 2 or 3 dashes cherry bitters Garnish: maraschino cherry, preferably Luxardo brand

Wes Combs, CAMP Rehoboth Board President, Keith Fitzgerald, who launched Wilson’s career at the Back Porch Café, and Fay Jacobs, award-winning author and humorist, hoist a glass to Tom Wilson and the CAMP partnership!

Letters 46 JULY 29, 2022

Add all ingredients, except the cherry, to a cocktail shaker, cover, and shake until well chilled.

Strain the drink into your preferred glass—coupe or martini.

Garnish with the cherry. Put on your Etta James playlist, toast to Tom, and enjoy! ▼

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47 Letters

BE A SPORT!

BY JUNEROSE “JR” FUTCHER

Disc Golf

D

elaware State Parks’ amenities enjoy a very positive national reputation. So too does a game (available at many of those parks) whose roots go all the way back to 1978 in Delaware.

One of the very first disc golf courses in the history of the sport was established at Cape Henlopen State Park (CHSP) in 1978. It followed by only three years the first permanent course in the US, which was built in Los Angeles County, California, in 1975. The unique terrain of coastal dunes is a highlight of the CHSP course, and it enjoys yearround popularity.

The success of the CHSP course soon spurred development of additional disc golf courses in Delaware, including ones at Brandywine Creek State Park (1980), Lums Pond State Park (1987), Killens Pond State Park (1998), White Clay Creek State Park (1999), and Trap Pond State Park (2004).

There now are dozens of disc golf courses—both public and private—in Delaware and Maryland (as well as throughout the US). They are located in varying outdoor spaces, some looping through pine forests or bordering pristine waterways, many affording players appealing views of nature and wildlife.

Disc golf’s popularity is widespread; as of 2020, there were 6,652 US disc golf courses listed on the official Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) registry. Delaware has the distinction of being one of five states with the most courses per square mile of dry land. (The other four sharing this distinction are Connecticut, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Wisconsin.)

Disc golf is a pleasant physical game of accuracy and patience that moves at a stroller’s pace. It first developed as a sport in the 1970s and draws on the game of golf in terms of scoring and teeing-off towards a destination. Also as in golf, the player progresses toward the “hole”—though in disc golf, the designated target is often an elevated metal basket—with a goal of reaching Letters 48 JULY 29, 2022

the hole with as few throws as possible.

Full-size disc golf courses have at least 18 holes.

Disc golf players use discs or Frisbees®, rather than balls and clubs.

They first throw the disc from a deck or “tee,” advancing toward the hole. Each

Disc golf is a pleasant physical game of accuracy and patience that moves at a stroller’s pace. subsequent throw is made from the point at which the prior throw landed.

The success of each throw is influenced by the weight and shape of the disc, as well as the general principles of aerodynamics. The aim is to make the basket (hole) at or under par.

Another appealing aspect of disc golf: it’s very affordable. A set of three discs can be bought for under $20; the casual player may simply opt to start with a Frisbee®. Many courses are located in state or county parks and may be played free of charge or with payment of only a park entrance fee. (There also are many private courses, which may or may not permit public play.) Reservations may be required at public or private courses.

Tournaments are widely popular across the US. Here in Delaware, the Delaware Amateur Championship will be held August 13 and 14 in New Castle County, at Brandywine State Park and Iron Hill County Park, with three rounds of play across the two days. And on August 21, the Beach Bash, a PDGA-sanctioned singles tournament, will tee off at CHSP. Competition may be fierce and intense for amateurs and professionals. But disc golf also offers casual players a scenic stroll through park terrain, meanwhile tossing their discs toward the baskets.

One such player is college student Evan Short, of Newark, Delaware.

Short, who has been playing for many years, considers the Iron Hill course his favorite. Located in Newark, Delaware, the course was laid out in 2008 and was designed to offer a substantial technical and terrain challenge. The 10,000-foot course runs through dense trees and boulders across many elevations, giving the Iron Hill a professional rating and a reputation as one of the premiere courses on the East Coast.

Short, who loves the game for the simple pleasure of enjoying the outdoors with a challenge in hand, finds Iron Hill a welcome stroll with his friends. “I love the hiking aspect and camaraderie with my friends,” he says.

Ready to give disc golf a try? You could start with the Frisbee® you already own. Or you could purchase a disc set— which includes a minimum of three discs: a driver, a mid-range and a putter. Two of each disc are recommended for playing a course, as it’s not uncommon to lose one along the way. Disc sets are available to purchase online, in sporting goods stores, and at some park shops. ▼ JuneRose (JR) Futcher is a native of Delaware, a lifelong sailor and certified sailing instructor, an award-winning photographer, and a community and arts activist.

Photo: JR Futcher

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49 Letters

Dining Out

BY MICHAEL GILLES

The Pines

J

enna is nice. Because she was our server and was so nice, I told her that would be the first sentence of this review. But while Jenna is nice, she isn’t the only nice thing about The Pines, a great find on Baltimore Avenue.

Let’s talk about the people first. We were seated by the manager, Richard, who knew who we were right off the bat.

It would be cynical to believe that the lavish attention he continually heaped on us was because we were reviewing his restaurant. So, I watched him throughout the meal, and shame on me. He gave every table at the restaurant the same attention he gave us. That’s a great start to any restaurant review!

Then, David Gonce, a co-owner of The Pines, came over to chat. Quite personable, David welcomed us to his business like we were family. Then he did the same thing that Richard did.

Floating away after our conversation, he started visiting other tables, giving each table the same consideration that he gave us. Sometimes, being treated the same way as everyone else is the height of compliments.

In a continuing theme at the restaurant, the chef, Harkaitz, also made his way out to the floor. I so appreciated his enthusiasm and artistry. It made every good thing about this restaurant come into focus.

This was the first time Sally and I visited The Pines. I had heard that the crowd noise when the restaurant was full made it very difficult to hear. Not any longer! There are sound absorbing panels on the ceiling, and even in the large crowd of a Monday night in season, we could hear each word we were saying.

On to the food. According to its website, The Pines modern tavern offers a winning combination of sensational interior design, a lively atmosphere, creative American cuisine, crafty cocktails, and first-class customer service. The restaurant features a full farm-to-table menu in the dining room Letters 50 JULY 29, 2022

and a thoughtfully crafted lite fare menu upstairs in the lounge.

A nice description, to be sure. And accurate. We started with bread baked onsite, deliciously accented with rosemary and caraway seed. With it, Sally had a grapefruit-based cocktail that she loved, a Sparkling Grapefruit Spritz. Now I take a medicine that can kill you if you eat grapefruit with it. Either she was trying to kill me or really, really loved this

The restaurant features a full farm-to-table menu in the dining room and a thoughtfully crafted lite fare menu upstairs in the lounge. drink, because she kept trying to get me to have a sip. So finally, I took a sip and suddenly aaaccckkkkkk. Just kidding. It was really good.

Appetizers were mouthwateringly tasty. Sally had the Warm Crab and Artichoke Dip, stuffed with lump crabmeat, spinach, a blend of cheeses, and Old Bay, served with seasoned warm pita. It was brought to us in a sizzling hot skillet. In it were lots of crab, lots of cheese, a little kick, and fresh chives sprinkled on top. I had Shrimp Dumplings, complete with chili oil, ginger

orange soy sauce, and cilantro. Perfectly crisp and tasty. A nice harbinger of things to come. Even with curiosities like Spanish Octopus and Golden Potato and Goat Cheese Croquettes on the menu, we knew we made the right choices.

As for entrees, we must warn you that you best come hungry. Portions are big. Really big. Monday is Filet and Wine night, but we chose other dishes on the menu. Sally had the Beef Stroganoff, nicely sauced, and noodles done just right. She complemented that with Caesar salad. Even the croutons are house-made. Delicious!

I had Pistachio-crusted Ahi Tuna, with peach and heirloom tomato panzanella salad. Nicely prepared, with perfect sesame coating. Add to that wonderful macaroni and cheese. I was in heaven.

Desserts were decadent. Sally had the Peanut Butter Pie. Yow, need I say more? I had the Chocolate Shell. Just what it sounds like. Save room if you can!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention other great features at The Pines. For one, they have great specials, including the aforementioned Filet and Wine on Monday evenings. There’s also the Eastern Shore Seafood Night every Sunday.

But perhaps the best feature, though, is The Top of The Pines, a dining, live entertainment, and event/catering venue space above. A place where people can gather to eat, drink, and enjoy some of the best entertainment in the area. On Mondays, you are treated to the Flaming Pianos, and on Thursdays and Fridays, there is a Sing-Along with guest artists.

What fun!

The Pines has plenty of regular customers; it is easy to see why.

Oh, and did I mention? Jenna is nice! ▼ Michael Gilles is a playwright, actor, and director from Milton, and a regular contributor to Letters from CAMP Rehoboth.

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51 Letters

The Sea Salt Table

BY ED CASTELLI

Quick-N-Easy Tuscan Beans

A

This recipe [has only] a few ingredients, with little to no prep. Sort of a dump it, heat it, eat it.

Letters 52 JULY 29, 2022

s a young couple, my husband and I vacationed at his aunt’s trailer a few miles in from Bethany. It was just this side of camping. The water was sulfuric. The AC sporadic. And the sagging mattress forced us to spoon in the hottest heat. It was, in short, the best of times.

Like all couples starting their lives together, we were frugal. Doris never wanted a dime, but we opted to pay her anyway in chores. Every summer we cleaned a bale’s worth of pine needles from the gutters. We painted slats for the screened porch. Removed moss from the roof and mowed the sandy grass. We enjoyed the work because, simply put, we were tickled pink to be at the beach.

I have the warmest memories of our times there, although making meals was challenging. Kitchen creature comforts were lacking. Yes, there were drawers stuffed with parts of gadgets.

And bendy knives duller than reading the phonebook. Even a rickety grill you could pull from a spidery garage.

But make no mistake, it was culinary roughing it.

Yet, standing at that kitchen’s little crank-up window, watching my husband putter, all I could do was smile.

We made do. Like the time we brewed our Maxwell House using a paper towel for a filter. Actually, that’s a lie. I’m sure the coffee was off-brand.

We’re blessed now to have a place of our own near Bethany. It’s modest but I still marvel at simple things like our beautiful, bright transom windows. How did us boys get to a point in life where we own two food processors? Let alone two houses? We’ve come a long way.

This recipe is reminiscent of something I would have made at the trailer because of its simplicity. Only a few ingredients, with little to no prep.

Sort of a dump it, heat it, eat it.

Let’s get started, shall we?

 Mix these ingredients over medium heat, gently stirring to break up the tomatoes: • 2 15-16 oz cans great northern or cannellini beans • 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes • 1 Tbl balsamic vinegar • ½ to 1 Tbl chopped fresh rosemary • Fresh cracked pepper to taste • ½ tsp crushed red pepper, optional

 Bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Serve.

TIPS ⊲ These beans are great as is. But if you want to do a little more cooking or just want to bump up the flavor, first sauté: • 2 oz diced pancetta or bacon When nearly crisp, drain most of the fat, and add: • ½ to 1 Tbl chopped fresh sage • ½ cup chopped leeks, or any onion you have on hand Cook until leeks/onions are tender and golden, then add: • 1 clove garlic, crushed • 2 Tbl wine (I prefer white, but use what you have open) Deglaze all the browned bits and cook until the wine has evaporated. Add the beans and all other ingredients, proceeding with the rest of the recipe. ▼ Ed and his husband Jerry split their time between homes near Harrisburg Pennsylvania and Bethany Beach. Ed builds websites to pay the bills but loves to cook, garden, hike, and dote on their dog Atticus. Recipe requests and feedback welcome: ed@seasalttable.com.

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53 Letters

Letters 54 JULY 29, 2022

JULY 29, 2022

55 Letters

CAMP REHOBOTH BEACH GUIDE BEACH AREA LODGING Atlantic Sands Hotel, Boardwalk & Baltimore Ave.........................302-227-2511 Atlantis Inn, 154 Rehoboth Ave.....................................................302-227-9446 Breakers Hotel, 105 2nd St & Baltimore Ave.................................302-227-6688 Canalside Inn, 34 6th St.................................................................866-412-2625 Rehoboth Guest House, 40 Maryland Ave.....................................302-227-4117 Sea ‘n Stars Guest Suites, 44 Delaware Ave.................................302-226-2742 Summer Place Hotel, 1st St & Olive Ave........................................302-226-0766 The Shore Inn, 37239 Rehoboth Ave Ext.......................................302-227-8487

LEWES FOOD & DRINK Go Brit, 18388 Coastal Hwy...........................................................302-644-2250 Harbour Waterfront Dining, 134 West Market St...........................302-200-9522 Matt’s Fish Camp, 34401 Tenley Ct...............................................302-644-2267

Visit the Beach Guide Directory on the CAMP Rehoboth website to find links to these area businesses in BOLD. The Guide includes: Food and Wine, Shopping, Lodging, and Services—all at camprehoboth.com.

OTHER AREA FOOD & DRINK Bluecoast Seafood, 1111 Hwy One, Bethany................................302-539-7111 Catch 54, 54 Madison Ave, Fenwick..............................................302-436-8600 Matt’s Fish Camp, 28635 Coastal Hwy, Bethany...........................302-539-2267

SERVICES AT THE BEACH REHOBOTH RETAIL SHOPS New Wave Spas, 20660 Coastal Hwy............................................302-227-8484 Unfinished Business, Rt. 1 behind Panera Bread..........................302-645-8700

REHOBOTH ART | GALLERIES | MUSEUMS Caroline Huff, Fine Artist ...................................................www.carolinehuff.com Gallery 50, 50 Wilmington Ave......................................................302-227-2050 Philip Morton Gallery, 47 Baltimore Ave........................................302-727-0905 Rehoboth Art League, 12 Dodds Ln...............................................302-227-8408 Rehoboth Beach Museum, 511 Rehoboth Ave..............................302-227-7310

REHOBOTH FOOD & DRINK 1776 Steakhouse, Midway Shopping Center................................302-645-9355 Aqua, 57 Baltimore Ave................................................................ 302-226-9001 Back Porch Café, 59 Rehoboth Ave...............................................302-227-3674 Blue Moon, 35 Baltimore Ave........................................................302-227-6515 Café Azafrán, 18 Baltimore Ave.....................................................302-227-8100 Café Papillon, Penny Lane Mall......................................................302-227-7568 Coho’s Market & Grill, 305 Rehoboth Ave......................................302-227-2646 Diego’s Bar Nightclub, 37298 Rehoboth Ave................................302-227-1023 Dos Locos, 208 Rehoboth Ave.......................................................302-227-3353 Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant, 3 South First St.......................302-527-1400 Go Fish, 24 Rehoboth Ave..............................................................302-226-1044 Goolee’s Grille, 11 South 1st St.....................................................302-227-7653 Indigo, 44 Rehoboth Ave.............................................................. 302-212-5220 Just In Thyme, 38163 Robinsons Dr..............................................302-227-3100 Lori’s Café, 39 Baltimore Ave.........................................................302-226-3066 Loves Liquors, LLC, 305c Rehoboth Ave........................................302-227-6966 Lupo Italian Kitchen, 247 Rehoboth Ave.......................................302-226-2240 Purple Parrot Grill, 134 Rehoboth Ave...........................................302-226-1139 Rigby’s, 404 Rehoboth Ave............................................................302-227-6080 Shorebreak Lodge, 10 Wilmington Ave.........................................302-227-1007 The Pines, 56 Baltimore Avenue....................................................302-567-2726

Letters 56 JULY 29, 2022

BUILDING/CLEANING/REMODELING/LANDSCAPING

A.G. Renovations ...........................................................................302-947-4096 bsd, 18412 The Narrow Rd, Lewes...................................... 302-684-8588 Randall-Douglas.............................................................................302-245-1439

CHURCHES/SYNAGOGUES

All Saints’ Episcopal, 18 Olive Ave.................................................302-227-7202 Epworth UMC, 19285 Holland Glade Rd.......................................302-227-7743 Grace of God Lutheran, ELCA, 20689 Shoppes at Long Neck.......302-947-1044 M.C.C. of Rehoboth, 19369 Plantation Rd.....................................302-645-4945 Seaside Jewish Community, 18970 Holland Glade Rd..................302-226-8977 St. Peter’s Episcopal, 2nd & Market Sts, Lewes.............................302-645-8479 Unitarian Universalist, 30486 Lewes-G’Town Hwy........................302-313-5838 Unity of Rehoboth, 98 Rudder Rd, Millsboro.................................717-579-2612 Westminster Presbyterian, 301 King Charles Ave.........................302-227-2109

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

AARP of Delaware (age 50+)..........................................................866-227-7441 ACLU of DE—Lesbian & Gay Civil Rights Project............................302-654-3966 CAMP Rehoboth Chorus—Program of CAMP Rehoboth................302-227-5620 CAMP Rehoboth—LGBTQ Community Service Org........................302-227-5620 CAMP Rehoboth Families—LGBTQ parents connect......................302-227-5620 CAMP Rehoboth Parents of Transgender & Gender Non-conforming Children............................................302-227-5620 Cape Henlopen Senior Center—Rehoboth (age 50+)....................302-227-2055 CHEER Centers of Sussex County (age 50+)..................................302-515-3040 Delaware Aging & Disability Resource Center...............................800-223-9074 Delaware Human Relations Commission Housing & public accommodation............................................877-544-8626 Delaware Information Line............................................................................2-1-1 Delaware Pride—Community events, annual Pride Festival..........302-265-3020 Delaware Transgender Resources—transdelaware.net, delawarelgbtq@gmail.com Delaware Transgender Support.....................................................302-402-3033

Gay/Lesbian Alcoholics Anonymous—add’l schedules..................302-856-6452 Saturdays 6 pm: Epworth UMC, 19285 Holland Glade Rd (step meeting) Saturdays 7:30 pm: All Saints’ Church, 18 Olive Ave (step meeting) Tuesdays noon: St. Peter’s Church, 211 Mulberry St, Lewes (step meeting) Thursdays noon: CAMP Rehoboth, 37 Baltimore Ave (open discussion) Sundays 9 am: CAMP Rehoboth, 37 Baltimore Ave (open discussion) Tuesdays 8 pm: CAMP Rehoboth, 37 Baltimore Ave (Young Persons) Gay Men’s Discussion Group—Program of CAMP Rehoboth.........302-227-5620 Lesbian Support Group—Program of CAMP Rehoboth..................302-227-5620 Lewes Senior Activity Center (age 50+).........................................302-645-9293 LGBTQ Student Union—University of DE, Newark.........................302-831-8066 Meals on Wheels Lewes-Rehoboth................................................302-645-7449 PFLAG-Rehoboth—3rd Tuesdays, Public Library, 111 Adams Ave, Lewes SLAA and SAA—Thursdays, 7:30 pm, All Saints’ Church 18 Olive Ave ............................................................................302-745-7929 Social Security Administration—Lewes office................................800-772-1213 TransLiance of DE—Rehoboth—4th Tuesdays at 7 pm, MCC of Rehoboth; contact: TransLiance@gmail.com

INSURANCE

COUNSELING/THERAPY/LIFE COACH

Critter Beach, 156 Rehoboth Ave..................................................302-226-2690 Pet Portraits by Monique................................................................717-650-4626

Jewish Family Services........................................................ 302-478-9411 Karen Abato, ATR-BC, LPAT, Licensed Art Psychotherapist... 302-232-5330 Kevin J. Bliss, Personal/Professional Coaching.............................302-754-1954 Time to Heal Counseling & Consulting, Lewes ............................302-574-6954

ELECTRICIANS

Silver Electric..................................................................................302-227-1107

EVENT PLANNING/CATERING

Flair................................................................................................302-930-0709 Plate Catering.................................................................................302-644-1200

FINANCIAL SERVICES

County Bank, 19927 Shuttle Rd.......................................... 302-226-9800 Jenn Harpel, Morgan Stanley.........................................................302-644-6620

FLORISTS

Bayberry Florist..............................................................................302-227-5725 Windsor’s Florist, 20326 Coastal Hwy...........................................302-227-9481

FUNERAL SERVICES

Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium................................ 302-645-9520

HAIR SALONS/TATTOO & PIERCING

Beach Cuts, 214 Rehoboth Ave...........................................302-226-ROBB Gregory Meyers Hair Studio, 20245 Bay Vista Rd & Rt 1..............302-727-5331 Stephan & Co Salon & Spa, 19266 Coastal Hwy................... 302-260-9478

HEALTH-RELATED

AIDS Delaware – Kent & Sussex Counties.....................................302-226-3519 AIDS Delaware – New Castle County............................................302-652-6776 AIDS Hotline – Delaware statewide...............................................800-422-0429 Brandywine Urology Consultants...................................................302-824-7039 Beebe Healthcare, 26744 J.J. Williams Hwy.................................302-645-3300 CAMPsafe AIDS education & prevention program of CAMP Rehoboth ..................................................................................................302-227-5620 Christiana Care HIV Wellness Clinic ..............................................302-933-3420 Christiana Care LGBTQ Health Initiatives.......................................302-733-1227 Delaware HIV Consortium - Statewide..........................................302-654-5471 Delaware Hospice..........................................................................800-838-9800 Delaware Total Foot & Ankle Center.................................... 302-297-8431 National Alliance on Mental Illness of DE (NAMI)...........................302-427-0787 Rehoboth Beach Dental, 19643 Blue Bird Ln....................... 302-226-0300 Steven B. Wright, D.M.D., 18912 J.J. Williams Hwy............. 302-645-6671 The Aesthetic Center......................................................................302-827-2125

Eric Blondin, State Farm...................................................... 302-644-3276 George Bunting, State Farm................................................ 302-227-3891 Jeanine O’Donnell, State Farm............................................ 302-645-7283

LEGAL/ACCOUNTING/TRUST SERVICES

Lawson Firm, 402 Rehoboth Ave...................................................302-226-3700 PWW Law LLC, 1519 Savannah Rd, Lewes................................... 302-703-6993 Steven Falcone CPA, Taxes & Planning..........................................302-644-8634

LOCKSMITHS

Rock Lock/Robin Rohr/Your Community Locksmith.......................302-386-9166

MASSAGE THERAPY/FITNESS

Midway Fitness & Racquetball, Midway Center.............................302-645-0407 One Spirit Massage, 169 Rehoboth Ave........................................302-226-3552 Rehoboth Massage/Alignment.......................................................302-727-8428 Reiki CENTRAL, thecentralfirm.com...............................................302-408-0878

PET RETAIL

PET SERVICES

Brandywine Valley SPCA, 22918 Dupont Blvd, G’twn.......... 302-856-6361 Delaware Humane Association, 18675 Coastal Hwy........... 302-200-7159 Parsell Pet Crematorium, 16961 Kings Hwy, Lewes............ 302-645-7445

REAL ESTATE

Allen Jarmon, NextHome Tomorrow Realty...................................302-745-5122 Bill Peiffer, Patterson Schwartz, 18958 Coastal Hwy....................302-703-6987 Chris Beagle, Berkshire Hathaway, 37230 Rehoboth Ave............302-227-6101 Debbie Reed Team, 319 Rehoboth Ave.........................................800-263-5648 Donna Whiteside, Berkshire Hathaway, 16712 Kings Hwy...........302-381-4871 Hugh Fuller, Realtor........................................................................302-745-1866 John Black, Patterson Schwartz, 18958 Coastal Hwy...................302-703-6987 Lana Warfield, Berkshire Hathaway, 37230 Rehoboth Ave...........302-227-6101 Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, 16698 Kings Hwy....................... 302-645-6664 Lingo Realty, 246 Rehoboth Ave....................................................302-227-3883 McGuiness Group, 246 Rehoboth Ave...........................................302-227-3883 McWilliams Ballard, Kevin McDuffie.................................. kmcduffie@mcwb.com McWilliams Ballard, Justin Orr.....................................................jorr@mcwb.com Randy Mason/Shirley Kalvinsky, Lingo Realty................................302-227-3883 Sea Bova Associates, 20250 Coastal Hwy........................... 302-227-1222 Troy Roberts, Mann & Sons, 414 Rehoboth Ave............................302-228-7422

RETIREMENT LIVING/SENIOR CARE FACILITIES

Springpoint Choice, 17028 Cadbury Cir, Lewes............................302-313-6658 The Lodge at Truitt Homestead, 36233 Farm Ln.................. 302-232-6372

TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION

Accent On Travel, 37156 Rehoboth Ave.............................. 302-278-6100 CHEER Transportation (age 50+)....................................................302-856-4909 ITN Southern Delaware (age 60+ or disabled)...............................302-448-8486 Jolly Trolley Shuttle from Rehoboth Ave & Boardwalk...................302-644-0400 Olivia Travel...........................................................800-631-6277 ext. 696

POPULAR LGBTQ BEACHES

Poodle Beach, south end of the Rehoboth Boardwalk Cape Henlopen State Park, Ocean Dr north to Cape Henlopen State Park. Daily parking rate in effect March-November.

JULY 29, 2022

57 Letters

Straight Talk

BY DAVID GARRETT

When to Change Your Lane

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ne does not need to spend much time on Route 1 to realize that we are in the height (or would that be depths?) of the tourist season. A simple trip to the grocery store can easily turn into a harrowing drive. Not everyone on the road respects red lights, uses turn signals, or is patient. If only they would, all could be well.

However, there are always those who test our faith in humanity. The lane changers are one of the more annoying travelers. Whether they are late for an appointment or just anxious to get to the next light before everyone else, lane changers seem to be on a mission.

Non-profit groups occasionally undergo strategic planning. One of the mantras that arise in these sessions is the admonition to “stay in your lane.” In other words, everyone on the governing board of a given non-profit has their area of expertise, and they should focus on that for the cohesion of the board. Yet there are exceptions to this philosophy, and the time may have come for us to understand the need for changing lanes.

Worthy of our attention may be an article a good friend recently posted.

Titled “CXO Rick Evans: The voice of healthcare is needed more than ever,” this article shares the challenges of the healthcare industry in responding to events taking place all around us.

“The last few weeks,” Evans writes, “have brought stunning developments and potentially ominous signs for our country. Recent Supreme Court rulings have stripped away protections related to women’s reproductive rights and gun violence. Threats to rights for the LGBTQ+ community and other vulnerable populations also appear to be on the horizon.... Some may say that this “isn’t our lane.” I respectfully disagree.”

Evans continues to make the case for getting involved in these social issues.

“We must be here for all. Our focus is on the person and their individual needs….

Given our mission, if we don’t speak out,

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who will?...Being inclusive should mean... adding our voices to the debate around these critical issues.”

He concludes his article with this, “I am worried about where things are going. The story of America has been a story of ever-widening inclusion for all. We appear to be in a period where that is being rolled back.... Continued progress requires people speaking out.

Healthcare leaders belong in that mix.”

It is time to get out of our comfort zones and speak out about the injustices occurring in our country.

The case may be made that all leaders, regardless of the industry represented, belong in that mix. Regardless of your position or role in any business, you are a leader. And it is time for everyone to change lanes. Speak out! Speak up!

People across the state of Delaware recently spoke up and united to convince the State General Assembly to pass gun safety bills, which Governor Carney subsequently signed into law.

They include HB 450, banning the sale of assault weapons; HB 451, raising the age to purchase most firearms from 18 to 21; HB 423, strengthening background checks; SB 1, limiting highcapacity magazines; SB 302, holding gun manufacturers and dealers liable for reckless or negligent actions that lead to gun violence; and SB 8, banning the use of devices that convert handguns into fully automatic weapons.

Governor Carney stated, “We have an obligation to do everything we can to prevent tragedies...from happening here in Delaware. We are not waiting to do what’s right—to take steps that will make our state safer. The historic gun safety

legislation would not have been possible without the dedication of advocates who demanded action across our state....”

This is true inspiration for lane changers.

LGBTQ safety and livelihoods are in jeopardy. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court has put us on notice that nothing is sacred, and nothing is safe. If a previous Supreme Court decision standing for 49 years can be overturned in the wink of an eye, so can other decisions with much less time on the books.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in his concurring opinion from the Roe case, stated, “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell...we have the duty to ‘correct the error’ established in those precedents.”

Griswold is a decision affecting use and availability of contraception.

Lawrence is relative to gay sex activity.

Obergefell is the 2015 decision affirming same-sex marriage. It was quite telling that Thomas did not include Loving v.

Virginia, which made it lawful for people of different races to marry.

It is time to change lanes. It is time to get out of our comfort zones and speak out about the injustices occurring in our country. If we do not speak out, who will?

Whatever industry or demographic you represent, speak, act, write, or protest.

We will join together in “good trouble.” ▼ David Garrett, a CAMP Rehoboth Board member, is a straight advocate for equality and inclusion. He is also the proud father of an adult trans daughter. Email David Garrett at davidg@camprehoboth.com.

JULY 29, 2022

59 Letters

CAMPshots

SCENES FROM REHOBOTH BEACH

Mid-Summer Madness! Poodle Beach, Sydney's, Diego's, Aqua, The Pines, Blue Moon, and More Scenes from the Delaware Beaches THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at Poodle Beach: Greg Busch,

David Orange, Brook Rose, Payam Hariri, David Dunn, Ron Drang, Austin Bergman, Brian Grabenstein, Andrew Jardie, Ron Bowman, Ned Kieloch, Brent Quinn, Will Tuttle, Mike Wilkinson, Dave Kolesar, Seth Statler, Scott Ward, Jim French, Anthony Barone, Jason Lewis.

OPPOSITE PAGE 2) at Poodle Beach: Alex Mignogna,

Tim Olson, Jami Magnogna, Giorgia Mignogna, Andy Jaskulsky, Steven Jaskulsky, Michael Mignogna, Vanessa Schettini, Martin Thaler, Steven Schmidt; 3) at Sydney’s Restaurant, Milton: Mimi LeVasseur, Sydney Artz, Pamala Stanley, Holly Lane, Miss Richfield 1981; 4) at Above the Dunes: Robert Simpson, Joe Walker, Tony Burns; 5) at The Coffee Mill: Lauren Romig, Bob Cartwright, Lisa Meyers; 6) at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub: Dusty Abshire, Joe Smith, Colin Stark, Edmund Bagnell, Eddie Adams, Tom Jamison, Toni Romano, Don Wainwright.

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61 Letters

SCENES FROM REHOBOTH BEACH

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3 (Continued from page 61) THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at Blue Moon: Larry Pennington, David Lasher, Charles Isham, Fred Slagel, Reiss Livadais, Brooks Woodard; 2) at CAMP Rehoboth Courtyard: Bobby Croker, Barb Ralph; 3) at Clear Space Theatre, Grease Opening: RB Commissioner Edward Chrzanowski, Rick Perry, Wes Paulson, Connie Paulson; 4) at Gene and Scott's 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration: Gene Lawson, Scott Sterl.

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OPPOSITE PAGE: 5) at Browseabout Books: Margaret Kirley, Michael Kirley; 6) at Theo’s Restaurant: Jeff Smith, Tony DiMichele; 7) at The Pines: Marcella Peters, Raymond Peters, Brendan McCabe, Rich McDaniel, Noah Cohen, Lynden Armstrong, Vasco Bramao, Patrick Sommers, Tom Protack, Mark Sweeney, Rob Nagengasi; 8) at Gallery 50: Darin Slade, Bruce Clayton, Thom Martin, Derek Johnson, Cary Chavis.

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More Mid-Summer Madness!

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63 Letters

Deep Inside Hollywood

BY ROMEO SAN VICENTE

Kal Penn Joins The Santa Clauses

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early 30 years after the 1994 Disney hit film The Santa Clause, its particular extended cinematic universe keeps on paying Christmas bonuses. There have been three feature films based on the story of a regular guy, played by Tim Allen, who learns that he’s contractually obligated to become Santa Claus (hence the “clause”), and all of them are beloved by the adults who watched them as ’90s kids. Now that those kids have kids of

their own, a Disney+ series that keeps the story going is in the works. Starring Allen and Elizabeth Mitchell from the original films, the series will also feature Kal Penn as a single father whose own visit to the North Pole changes his life’s direction. That’s all we know right now, but we’re making a Christmas wish that the star of A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas ascends to the reins of that sleigh.

Watch for it this fall on Disney+. ▼

Thumbs Up to Ian McKellen in The Critic

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n the movies, critics are the people we love to hate. Critic characters get even less overall sympathy than Marvel Cinematic Universe villain Thanos after The Snap.

And who better to play an imperious and widely feared critic than the king of queer elders, Ian McKellen? In the upcoming period thriller The Critic, based on Anthony Quinn’s novel Curtain Call, the two-time Oscar nominee will play a mean drama critic in 1930s London, and the wonderful Gemma Arterton (Their Finest) will play an actress on a mission to win him over. Enter—stage left—some journalistic intrigue, blackmail, backstabbing, and an actual murder, and now there’s a story. Anand Tucker (Hilary and Jackie) directs this one from a script by Patrick Marber (Notes on a Scandal), and production is already underway. And for the record, if McKellen’s critic is the murderer, we want him to get away with everything. ▼

Pedro Almodóvar’s Queer Western Is Galloping Your Way

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he legendary gay Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar made a stunning short film during 2020’s lockdown, The Human Voice, with Tilda Swinton, and it was as deliriously gorgeous and satisfying as any of his full-length features. So why not another one? In August he begins production on Strange Way of Life, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as middle-aged, samesex-enjoying gunmen who meet again for the first time in decades. Plans are to shoot in the desert region of Spain where the classic western The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly was filmed. And in what will most likely amount to a third starring role, all the costumes will be from Saint Laurent. The fashion house’s designer Anthony Vaccarello, who’ll also act as an associate producer on the film, will handle the cowboy duds in the way only Saint Laurent can. Quickly now, someone tell Sam Elliott so we can all laugh at his reaction. ▼

Ben Whishaw and Jennifer Connelly Act Out in Bad Behaviour

Photo: Dreamstime

Romeo San Vicente understands the cowboy fascination with chaps.

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When the always underrated Jennifer Connelly and the very cool Ben Whishaw—the slyest queer actor of his generation, taking on villainous characters and Paddington with equal skill—sign on to Bad Behaviour, a dark comedy about a former child actress and her spiritual guru, we say take our money now. Add to this mix a relatively unknown Australian performer named Alice Englert as Connelly’s daughter.

Englert appeared in the amazing queer-themed drama The Power of the Dog, and it’s OK if you don’t yet know her name, because you will soon enough. She wrote the screenplay and she’s directing, skills we’re assuming she learned from a true great: her mother, the legendary Oscar-winning New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion. Currently in production, be on the lookout for some good Bad sometime in 2023. ▼

JULY 29, 2022

65 Letters

diegosbarnightclub.com

Showtimes August 10TH@9pm / 11TH@ 7pm / 12TH@ 7pm Letters 66 JULY 29, 2022

JULY 29, 2022

67 Letters

arts+entertainment

BY DOUG YETTER

SPOTLIGHT ON THE

arts

CAMP Rehoboth Puts Art at the Heart of Our Community DDOA XXII Award Winners

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orks in multiple media by Delaware artists recognized for their outstanding quality of work by the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) are being exhibited at CAMP Rehoboth! Paintings, polymer, photography, charcoal, sculptures, and media arts represent the visual arts, while samples of literary winners’ works can be perused in a reading nook, and performance pieces are available for your listening pleasure.

The DDOA received 132 submissions and awarded fellowships to 25 of those artists. You’re invited to meet the winners, socialize in the courtyard, tour the gallery, and enjoy performances and readings by the artists at the Award Winners Reception—Friday, August 5 (6:00-8:00 p.m.). The exhibit is on display through September 5.

Upcoming CAMP Rehoboth Gallery Exhibit

In what’s become an annual tradition celebrating Rehoboth Beach Bears Weekend (September 15-18), the gallery will feature art by Bears and their allies.

On View Now in Dover

Don’t miss Tom Wilson: Super-Realist/Surrealist exhibit at the Biggs Museum of American Art in Dover on display through October 15.

Members of CAMP Rehoboth can receive a complimentary pass to the exhibit. Just stop by the office!

Images by Delaware Division of the Arts XXII Award Winners Top: Avatar, polymer clay, by Joseph Barbaccia.

Left: Path of Light, Acrylic, by Kiara Florez.

CAMP REHOBOTH GALLERY exhibits may be viewed Monday-Friday (10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.) and Saturday (10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.).

AUDITION NOTICE ⊲

CAMP Rehoboth Theatre Company announces that auditions for Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche will be held August 9, 10, and 11, at 7:00 p.m., at CAMP Rehoboth. Auditions will consist of reading from the script. Show dates are September 29 through October 1, at 7:00 p.m., at CAMP Rehoboth’s ElkinsArchibald Atrium, 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach.

Doug is the Artistic Director of CAMP Rehoboth Chorus and Minister of Music at Epworth UMC. You can contact him at dougyetter@gmail.com.

This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.

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arts+entertainment

artist SPOTLIGHT

CAMP Rehoboth and the Biggs Museum in Dover have a long history of collaborating on exhibitions, so when it was announced they had hired Michael Dudich as their new director, I decided our community needed to get to know him.

Doug Yetter: Fill us in on life before Delaware.

Michael Dudich: I was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, and attended Akron public schools and the University of Akron where I earned by BS degree. I pursued a career in human resource management and worked in the corporate world prior to transitioning to the arts sector.

My leadership “DNA” was strongly influenced and shaped by my years with General Electric. Over the past 30 years I’ve relocated for work many times—cities and towns large and small, US and abroad.

DY: Any favorites?

MD: All were memorable, but Savannah and Budapest will always be special to me. Then again, my husband and I are just getting to know Dover.

DY: What led you to the arts?

MD: My journey to the arts started when I wanted to introduce my children to something that wasn’t a part of my upbringing. That path of joint discovery allowed us to experience museums around the world. While it’s hard not to be wowed by the Louvre, Prado, or the Hermitage, I’ve been impressed by some small, yet remarkable museums such as the Florence Griswold in Old

Michael Dudich & the Biggs Museum of American Art

Lyme, Connecticut, and The Clark in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

DY: What attracted you to museum work—specifically, the Biggs?

MD: Having personally experienced the power of the arts in my life, working to provide and create similar opportunities for others is immensely rewarding.

In the for-profit sector, we focused on creating value for shareowners. Now I spend my time working to deliver meaningful experiences for people. I often hear the Biggs described as a “hidden gem.” While I couldn’t agree more, I’ll be working hard to make it far less hidden.

DY: What do you find important about preservation?

MD: We preserve things from our past to help inform and influence our future, all the while recognizing that the relationship to our past shifts and changes with time.

DY: What constitutes a “good” exhibit?

MD: A focused perspective almost always delivers a better experience for me personally. I’ve also developed an appreciation for when physical elements harmonize in support of the art— the color of the walls, lighting, placement of the works, the size of label text, the space in which you have to move

around or step back to take it all in.

DY: Is there a specific time period which interests you most?

MD: The art of today is on my radar right now as I feel it serves as a bridge to diversifying, engaging, and growing audiences. As a museum with “American Art” in our name, we spend a lot of time talking about what that means and how we broaden the timeline and content of our collection.

DY: What is the primary challenge facing museums today?

MD: The biggest challenge for museums post-pandemic is to avoid the temptation of simply reverting to “normal.” The pace of change is such we need to regularly reassess our role as steward of arts.

DY: How would you like your tenure at the Biggs to be remembered?

MD: I hope to be remembered for making a lasting difference as a voice for the arts in Delaware.

We wish Michael success in his new position! The Biggs Museum of American Art is nationally recognized for its exceptional collections of American decorative arts and its collections of American art from 1700 to today. To learn more, go to biggsmuseum.org. ▼

As a museum with “American Art” in our name, we spend a lot of time talking about what that means and how we broaden the timeline and content of our collection.

JULY 29, 2022

69 Letters

arts+entertainment

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

BOOKED SOLID LGBTQ Memoirs; various authors c.2022; various publishers, $14.99 - $27.99; various page counts Another Pride Month is in the can.

All that planning, preparation, and execution of events is done, and now you find yourself with lots of time on your hands. So why not reach for one of these great memoirs to read?

A little bit of memoir, a little bit of sympathy, advice, and several biographies are at the heart of Here and Queer: A Queer Girl’s Guide to Life by Rowan Ellis, illustrated by Jacky Sheridan (Quarto, $14.99). This book leans mostly on the serious-but-lighter side, with plenty of colorful artwork and suggestions for teen girls on figuring out who they are and what it means.

There are fun activities, quizzes, essays, and tips inside; readers will find plenty of one-liners to take away, a comprehensive timeline of LGBTQ history, and biographies that reflect women of many ages and races. That all makes this a book that even adult women and, perhaps, some questioning boys will appreciate.

Speaking of lighthearted, try Start Without Me (I’ll Be There in a Minute) by Gary Janetti (Holt, $27.99). TV producer, writer, social media star, and sometimes curmudgeon Janetti is annoyed. Mighty annoyed in several essays here, but his aggravation is not meant to bring readers down. It’s meant to make you laugh and—with very funny, wry takes on finding the perfect tan and the perfect man, friendship with a nun, hotel

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rooms, mothers-in-law, The Wizard of Oz, vacations, weddings, and more—you will.

For something a little more somber, reach for Side Affects: On Being Trans and Feeling Bad by Hil Malatino (University of Minnesota Press, $21.95). Honesty is at the root of this semi-biographical look at being trans: if you are trans, says Malatino, you may struggle with several righteously negative feelings you have—disconnect, anger, fear, numbness, burnout, exhaustion—feelings that exist, in part, because of the times in which we live now and the transphobia that seems to be everywhere.

Counteracting these feelings—or at least being able to survive and thrive despite them—may be as simple as some type of activism, and Malatino explains the details as he shares his own story as well as many case studies.

And finally, if you love watching or participating in drag, then you’ll absolutely love How You Get Famous by Nicole Pasulka (Simon & Schuster, $27.99). This book tells the story of a coat-check boy who loved performing in drag and who talked her bar-owning boss into letting her host a drag show in Brooklyn. But this was no one-night stand and soon, the event had a lot of fans—among them, dozens of “kids” who sneaked into the club to practice their acts next to experienced performers. But when you’re on the edge of what’s about to be a popular kind of entertainment, amateur status doesn’t last long enough—and neither does this upbeat, wonderful book.

And if these don’t fit the bill, be sure to ask your favorite booksellers or librarians for help. They’ve got your next best read in the can. ▼ Terri Schlichenmeyer’s first book, The Big Book of Facts, is available now in bookstores. Her next two are scheduled to appear in bookstores soon.

Tom Wilson Super-Realist / Surrealist

Now Through October 16

From international male supermodel to renowned artist: once-famous for his looks, Tom’s career morphed brilliantly into a body of work that indelibly graces the collections of many of Delaware’s prominent arts patrons in the Rehoboth/Lewes area. Today, 50 pieces on loan from these collectors were curated into a comprehensive exhibition capturing Southern Delaware and highlighting beach neighborhoods, while showcasing Wilson’s artistic range and preserving his lasting legacy on the people of Delaware and the Delaware arts scene.

From the Beach to the Biggs Learn more about Tom Wilson’s community and enjoy a complimentary pass from one of our exhibition partners.

Patrons are invited to sip “The Wilson” cocktail and learn how Tom met his partner, Chef Leo Medisch, at “The Porch”. Tom’s art was in the breezeway, Leo’s art was on every plate.

At Rehoboth's Bad Hair Day? Salon, patrons can watch the inspiring Tom Wilson documentary, “The Luminous Life of Tom Wilson,” while they BHD?!

Celebrate the Biggs Museum's unprecedented partnership with CAMP Rehoboth! Members can pick up their complimentary passes at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, 37 Baltimore Avenue.

BiggsMuseum.org | 406 Federal St, Dover, DE JULY 29, 2022

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THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Grill: David Herchik, Pamala

Stanley; 2) at CAMP Rehoboth: Morgan McDonald, David Barrett, Bob Dardano, Peter Scott; 3) at Aqua: Naty Alzatc, Ronal Garcia, Sam Stomer, Hugh Fuller, Damien Gray, Brian Gray, David Suchoski, Robert Deats, Andy Wiloth, Joe Hudson, Doug Church, Brenda Dickerson, Joe Coates, Sarah Wollard, Sam Hunter.

OPPOSITE PAGE 4) at Aqua: Tuan Huynh, Brynn Bennett, Ski Rowland, Michael Craig,

Gary Mosher, Jake Wegbreit, Talmadge Sykes, Alex Kelly, Chuck Doerrer, Brian Galm, Kristina Kelly, Chris Beagle, Debbie Woods, Leslie Sinclair, John Kircher, Paul Hurdle, Tom Balling, Bill Shields, Steven Jaskulsky, Will Delaney, Victor Camacho, Georges Sarre, Jerry Johnson, Norman Hunt, Ken Davies, Robert Lane. ▼

Letters 72 JULY 29, 2022

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73 Letters

Historical Headliners

BY ANN APTAKER

Two Spirit Triumph: We’wha

T

hese days, our LGBTQ+ community offers a multitude of gender identities and an array of personal pronouns. Though the freedom to identify as one likes is accepted and celebrated amongst ourselves and our straight allies, out in the straight world our spectrum of identities and pronouns is sometimes met with a raised eyebrow of confusion, or worse, a sneer of contempt.

The modern world clearly isn’t modern enough to broaden its collective mind.

But a far older world right here in America has understood for centuries that gender is not always an immutable binary of either/or female or male. So it seems fitting, in anticipation of International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (August 9), that we celebrate our own Native American communities and their heritage of gender insight.

By now many of us are familiar with the Native American recognition of certain members of their communities as “Two Spirit”; as individuals who embody maleness and femaleness equally. While researching for this column, I came across an especially distinguished Two Spirit member of the Zuni tribe. Let me introduce you to We’wha.

Born in 1849 in New Mexico, We’wha was orphaned as an infant, their parents likely victims of a smallpox epidemic.

(Note: in keeping with current practices among various scholars writing about We’wha and other Two Spirit Native Americans, I will be using the pronouns “they” and “their.”) According to Mariana Brandman writing for the National Women’s History Museum, the child was adopted by a maternal aunt, and by the time We’wha was three or four years old, the community recognized that the male-bodied toddler exhibited both male and female traits and was thus a true Lhamana (the Zuni word for Two Spirit).

Consequently, We’wha wore both male and female attire and was schooled in skills usually assigned to either men or women. They became a member of the Kachina Society, a brotherhood entrusted to perform sacred masked ceremonial Letters 74 JULY 29, 2022

dances. A true Lhamana indeed.

But We’wha’s story is bigger than just an example of an admirable gender-fluid cultural practice among the Zuni. We’wha entered into mainstream American cultural and political history as well.

…We’wha’s story is bigger than just an example of an admirable gender-fluid cultural practice among the Zuni.

Culturally, We’wha assisted noted anthropologist Matilda Coxe Stevenson in collecting, understanding, and cataloguing Zuni cultural practices. This partnership extended to ethnographic research on behalf of the Smithsonian National Museum.

We’wha and Stevenson’s intellectual bond formed the basis of a deep and lasting friendship. This trust between them resulted in Stevenson convincing We’wha to travel to Washington, DC in 1886 as a member of a Native American delegation. The trip was meant to alter the national perception of Native Americans as a savage, conquered race, and instead introduce the country’s political and cultural elite to the rich traditions of America’s Indigenous peoples.

The trip was a success for We’wha, by all accounts, if an amusing one. In addition to meeting President Grover Cleveland, We’wha attended various Washington functions and mingled with the city’s political and cultural elite. The press covered We’wha’s every social activity.

But what the Washington elite and the reading public saw was not a reality they could fully grasp. To them, We’wha was perceived as female, which in itself was considered unusual since women were not generally members of official delegations, Native American or otherwise. The newspapers even referred to We’wha as an “Indian princess.”

After all the hoopla of Washington, We’wha returned to their Zuni pueblo and the life of a Lhamana. Despite We’wha’s social and cultural success in the American capital, the US government nonetheless engaged in oppressive and land-grabbing practices against Native communities, the Zuni included. We’wha, previously the toast of Washington, was arrested along with other Zuni leaders and sentenced to 30 days imprisonment on a false charge of witchcraft. Upon their release, We’wha once again worked with Matilda Stevenson and other scholars in the hope of educating the American public in the beauty of Zuni heritage and the place of Two Spirit individuals in the human family. It was an enterprise We’wha maintained right up to the time of their untimely death at age 47 in 1896 from heart failure.

In today’s wild and frightening times, when our rights are threatened and our safety is at risk, we might do well to keep We’wha in mind as a reminder that traditions older than America itself embraced a fuller spectrum of humanity. Those traditions live on. ▼ Ann Aptaker is the author of short stories and the Lambda & Goldie award-winning Cantor Gold crime series. The latest in the series— Hunting Gold—was released July 12, 2022.

Facebook: Ann Aptaker, Author Twitter: @ AnnAptaker, Instagram: ann_aptaker.

JULY 29, 2022

75 Letters

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77 Letters

Celebrity Interview

BY MICHAEL COOK

Mike Taveira and Cut Velvet

I

t’s not often that rising pop stars are able to garner the attention of music powerhouses like Mark Ronson. But that is exactly what Mike Taveira was able to do, courtesy of a killer verse he wrote on his own for Ronson’s track “New Love.”

Now, Taveira has released his own EP, Cut Velvet, and is carving out his own niche in the stratosphere of queer pop music. Anthems like “Switch” and “Sex for Breakfast” craft relatable stories over instantly addictive melodies, which have led to Taveira gaining nationwide attention and even opening for Christina Aguilera and Anitta at LA Pride.

I sat down with Taveira recently and chatted about bringing his distinct brand of queerness to his music, his dream collaborations, and the stories he’s telling through his music.

MICHAEL COOK: Tell me about your

new EP, Cut Velvet.

MIKE TAVEIRA: First of all, I’d say it’s

really good. I feel confident saying that. It’s 20 minutes of unrelenting confessional pop. I started writing it on a vintage keyboard in my studio apartment two years ago, and it follows a loose concept of sexual experimentation, polyamory, exploitation, and shame. The vibe is dance-forward with some aggressive, fuzzy left turns to keep things interesting.

MC: Your music is very forthright and

speaks about open relationships, sexuality, and infidelity. Was it ever difficult for you to decide to be so open in your artistry?

MT: Years ago, before I even started,

I knew that singing about things that weren’t largely “relatable” would make it harder to reach certain audiences. I mean, even in the more uptight pockets of the gay community, I think my fluidity and sexual openness can be a turn-off. But the truth is, if my most Letters 78 JULY 29, 2022

I spent so many years trying to be a cool heartthrob but I’m really just a sensitive, sad, hopeless romantic. honest expression doesn’t resonate with someone, they aren’t meant to be a fan of mine anyways. The music presents to the world who I am and my priority as an artist isn’t to be marketable.

MC: Let’s do some manifestations; any

dream collaborators or projects that you would like to work on?

MT: Open for someone on tour. I want to

stories you tell through your music. Is it important for you to bring that visibility forward through your art?

tour so badly because I think once people see me perform, they will become fans....

I’d love to collaborate with Magdalena Bay, King Princess, and Sky Ferreira when she starts releasing music again.

MT: I wouldn’t say that my artistic intent

MC: Mark Ronson is obviously a huge in-

MC: Your pansexuality is woven into the

is to raise awareness but bringing awareness to more fluid sexualities is a really cool perk of self-expression.

Pansexuality and bisexuality are pretty commonly erased by both straight and queer people. I get messages from queer fans saying that I’ve helped them feel a sense of pride or community or a “cool factor” in their queerness and it makes me feel so humbled and grateful.

spiration, and your TikTok went absolutely viral showing you singing your own verse to a song of his. What was that moment of recognition like?

MT: It was a breakthrough moment for

me. It was the first time somebody with that much talent and experience recognized my talent and I honor that moment Continued on page 80

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79 Letters

Celebrity Interview

Continued from page 78

so much. It got a lot of people in the industry to notice me. I also hung out with him a few times after that TikTok and he is one of the kindest and coolest people I’ve ever met.

MC: What are some of the biggest highlights of your career—

performance-wise—so far?

MT: Hitting a million streams, selling out my first show, making

music in Mark Ronson’s studio, and opening for XTina and Anitta at LA Pride in the Park 2022!!!

MC: What do you think your music reveals about you the most?

MT: I spent so many years trying to be a cool heartthrob but I’m

really just a sensitive, sad, hopeless romantic. I guess that’s not as cool. I’m a really honest and direct writer and I don’t really use a lot of metaphor. What you see is what you get, which makes people connecting with my music that much more special.

Follow Mike Taveira on Instagram: instagram.com/miketaveira/?hl=en

Michael Cook has been a part-time resident of Rehoboth Beach for over a decade. He is currently a contributor to Instinct Magazine, World of Wonder’s WOW Report, and South Florida Gay News.

Letters 80 JULY 29, 2022

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81 Letters

Q Puzzle Gay Antagonists of the Screen ACROSS 1 Word with Mary 5 Like a Muscle Mary who works out 9 Malone of Life as a House 13 First name among lesbian poets 14 “If I Only ___ Brain” 15 She beat Navratilova in the ‘91 US Open finals 16 He played the title role in The Talented Mr. Ripley 18 Like Emma Donoghue 19 Parting words, old style 20 Nellie-lover in South Pacific 21 Rent 22 Ted Casablanca, for one 24 “Beg pardon ...”

26 ___ Kong 27 Poorly endowed Dickens character?

31 Go straight 34 Third in rank 35 Friendly opening 36 Peter of The Maltese Falcon 38 Jungle warning 39 Mamma Roma director 41 “Blame It on the ___ Nova” 42 Peter Nero, for one 43 Figure out in your head 45 Green of Buffy fame

Solution on Page 108 46 50 53 55 56 57 59 60 61 62 63 64

Tchaikovsky or Nureyev Sugar sources Crème de la crème Gomer’s Sgt. Carter, for one Mete out She played a lesbian high school teacher in Notes on a Scandal Sometime label of Dusty Springfield Unrefined metals Educator Charles Distance from crotch to waist Vidal’s The ___ Man Pull out your shooter

DOWN 1 Cut off from escape 2 “Rainbows Reign!” e.g.

3 Coming up behind 4 Caesar’s lang.

5 Medicine man 6 Causing a limp 7 Madonna, to many gays 8 Hall & Oates song about a fellator?

9 He did the voice of Scar in The Lion King 10 Kazan, whose desire was a streetcar 11 Untouchable head 12 Tennis stadium in Queens 15 Etheridge’s “___ Legacy”

17 Discharge gay soldiers, e.g.

23 She played a bisexual serial killer in Basic Instinct 25 Put on the staff 28 New Mexico art colony 29 Gershwin with a nest egg?

30 Vidal’s Breckinridge 31 Kentucky arena namesake 32 Morales of La Bamba 33 ___ Lady (crossdressers’ show of old) 34 Cycle beginning 36 Santa’s got a long one 37 At work 40 Misleads with the tongue 41 Headquartered 43 Groups in The Lion King 44 Musician of old 47 Boyd’s Gay Priest: an ___ Journey 48 Capital of Ghana 49 Gomer’s not at all 50 Roseanne, before and after Tom Arnold 51 K-12 52 David Hyde Pierce and peers 54 Seduce 58 Top or bottom

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83 Letters

The REAL DIRT

BY ERIC W. WAHL

Equity in the Garden

S

ome of you may have seen a meme going around social media that shows the difference between equality and equity, where three people of varying heights are viewing a baseball game from outside an opaque fence. Equality assumes everyone benefits from the same support, i.e., equal treatment. All three are given a box of the same size on which to stand. This only works for two of the three. However, if everyone gets the support they need, then equity is produced. In this case, boxes of varying sizes are given to those that need a particular size in order to see over the fence. Equity is essentially fairness, where access to the same opportunities is available to all.

This can be applied to gardening as well. If one considers a community garden open to the public, it should go without saying that there should be opportunities for everyone to garden. All age groups, all backgrounds, all physical capabilities…all means all.

How do we go about providing equity in the garden?

One way is to install raised planting beds. This can be either in the form of a formal vegetable garden laid out on a

grid pattern, or in a more organic fashion by using low stone walls that serpentine around the yard. Other materials for walls include brick and lumber such as reclaimed railroad ties. However, one must consider how the lumber is treated and if that is compatible with how it will be used.

Building low walls allows the gardener to sit or lean on the wall as they work in the raised bed behind it. In addition, if a sturdy, walkable pathway is adjacent to the wall, it allows a person in a wheelchair to easily reach within the planting bed.

This also reduces the need to bend over all the way to the ground putting less stress on back muscles. It also means no more kneeling on the ground (or in my case on an old pillow like my mom used to do).

Walkways should be firm, durable, and slip resistant. They should be at least three feet wide to accommodate a wheelchair. Wider is better and feels more comfortable. If you do not want to use concrete or brick pavers, consider crushed shells or a crushed stone base with stone dust as a topcoat. You can also go natural with mulch or lawn; however, this type of material is not appropriate for wheelchair users.

Another way to provide equity in the garden is to create spaces that allow all visitors to rest and enjoy the garden in any way they feel is best for them. This means providing plantings and other items in the garden that can translate through all five senses. In addition, the spaces should be comfortable and provide a sense of safety for anyone that uses them.

Another way to provide equity in the garden is to create spaces that allow all visitors to rest and enjoy the garden in any way they feel is best for them.

Utilizing the five senses in the garden is great way to bring joy to all. Texture in the hardscape as well as in the planting material is important for the visually impaired. Fragrance is also a perfect way to enhance the garden experience. Using familiar aromas such as lavender, rosemary, or even gardenia is strongly suggested.

Sound can also be used in the garden, either by using plants whose leaves rustle in the wind, or by placing wind chimes in special areas. In some therapy gardens, musical devices are placed for anyone to play and enjoy. The wind can also be harvested to make kinetic sculptures move in a slight breeze, tantalizing the sense of sight.

Consider all these options when planning your garden. Anticipating the diverse cross section of people who will experience your garden is one of the key aspects of garden design. Providing equity in the garden is providing safe and special places for all to enjoy. ▼ Eric W. Wahl is Landscape Architect at Pennoni Associates, and President of the Delaware Native Plant Society.

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JULY 29, 2022

85 Letters

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87 Letters

View Point

BY RICHARD J. ROSENDALL

The Extreme Court

H

earing the booms from the Independence Day fireworks on the National Mall, I imagined our capital city being under bombardment. I was born in the now-vanished Doctors Hospital halfway between where the fuses are being lit and where I am writing.

“The ditch is nearer,” wrote poet Robert Lowell six decades ago during the civil rights era, looking back to Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and his 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the black Civil War unit portrayed in the movie Glory. The closest the war came to where I am, other than the presidential box at Ford’s Theatre, was the Battle of Fort Stevens in the north of the city in 1864.

More violence has been directed from the District of Columbia than towards it; exceptions include the burning of Washington by the British in 1814, the riots following Dr. King’s death in 1968, and the storming of the Capitol in 2021. Our long-nurtured sense of immunity from sacking now seems quaint as the threat unleashed by Trump lingers, less from his mob than from the three justices he nominated to our high court.

Elie Mystal of The Nation describes how Republican justices on what he dubs the Extreme Court ignore reality: “In Shinn v. Ramirez, the conservatives ignored a man’s proof of his innocence and sentenced him to die just the same.

In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, they simply made up a set of facts in order to defend a high school football coach who was functionally pressuring public school students into Christian prayer. And in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, they argued that actual statistics about gun violence are irrelevant to whether a state is allowed to issue gun permits.”

Affirmative action will likely be the next to go; LGBTQ rights not long thereafter. Yet instead of fighting back, some among us obsess over pronouns and attack Bette Midler—of Letters 88

JULY 29, 2022

all people—for wanting to be able to say “women” without adding obligatory boilerplate including every variant to avoid accusations of murderous indifference. Instead of advancing the cause of inclusion, this surrender to the professionally outraged—like the embrace of the wildly unhelpful slogan “defund the police” in 2020—makes us look obtusely overzealous.

We cannot fight the far right effectively when we are too busy fighting among ourselves over seating arrangements in Utopia…

We cannot fight the far right effectively when we are too busy fighting among ourselves over seating arrangements in Utopia, nor when anyone who strays from the latest doctrinal formulation is accused of throwing people under the bus.

When dissent is demonized, the resulting silence is not agreement.

Treating any variation from the rigid gender roles we challenged for a half-century as necessarily non-binary is not science but fashion. Liberation for all requires mutual tolerance and understanding, not imposing.

Gender diversity is not gender abolition. Those of us whose gender and birth sex are the same are increasingly treated as threats to a new genderless reality that radicals are willing into existence.

But that is not reality. The reality is that we are on the verge of losing rights for which generations fought.

Meanwhile, trans friends of mine complain that their movement has been hijacked by people who are not transgender at all.

I wrote recently about the importance of channeling anger productively. Sadly, some view rage as a governing philosophy. It’s like Mao’s Permanent Revolution if it targeted Pride parades. The self-styled revolutionaries in this case, while they alarm the town criers at Fox News, are mainly assailing us with language policing, protesting Brett Kavanaugh’s dinner at Morton’s, and mulling over which affinity group requires a new stripe on the rainbow flag.

The entire point of the rainbow was that it is a metaphor for the whole spectrum of us. It is inherently all-inclusive. But it is metaphorical, not representational. As with the controversy over the Vietnam Veterans Memorial decades ago, some people prefer pounding differences to working together. Meanwhile, Christian nationalists work to suppress and nullify our votes. Our pulling apart helps them.

Progressive maximalists act vindicated when Democrats they deem imperfect lose elections. But all-or-nothing stances leave us with nothing. And the stakes have been raised. If Republicans retake Congress this November and the White House in 2024, we will likely lose all of our gains since Stonewall. We need the grace to temper our passions and address our abiding differences with respect, hope, and constructive commitment.

The July 4 fireworks have stopped, but a virtual bombardment is escalating.

The black-robed enemy is already upon us. ▼ Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist at rrosendall@me.com.

JULY 29, 2022

89 Letters

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91 Letters

OUR SUPPORTERS MAKE IT HAPPEN PURPLE LEVEL Greg Albright & Wes Combs X Sondra N. Arkin X Aaron, Heather, Gia & Joe Book* Catherine & Katie Brennan Carol Bresler & Carolyn Billinghurst X Pat Catanzariti & Carole Ramos* Edward Joseph Chrzanowski * Skip Dye & Steven King* Judy & Carole Jesiolowski James W. Johnson & Matthew H. Shepard* Wesley Lin & Brian Chapman Fred Munzert & J.P. Lacap Beth Pile & S.A. White X Mark Purpura & Matthew Adams* Chris Rinaldi & Brian Powers X Mary Rossettini & Kathleen Taylor Jennifer Rubenstein & Diane Scobey X Danny Sebright Gary Seiden & Ah Bashir X Evie Simmons & Barb Thompson X Leslie Sinclair & Debbie Woods X Diane Sweeney* Hope Vella William E. Cross Foundation, Arthur Brisker, Director Steven Wright DMD PA*

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Porter-Gordon Family* Deborah Qualey & Karen Gustafson X John Roane & Doug Lingenfelter In Memory of Jeff Hosley Lori & Renee Rocheleau Mark Roush & Dave Banick* Mark Schweizer & Robert Voelker Susan Tobin & Cathy Martinson* Terry Vick* Mel W. & Linda Lee M. Weller Ronald Wetzel & Nathan Hench* Brian Yanofchick

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GREEN LEVEL Sharon Bembry & Lois Powell* Alex Benjamin & Pete Grover* David Bower* David W. Briggs & John F. Benton X Charlie Browne & Rod Cook X Barry Bugg* Cheryl Buxton* Jay Chalmers & John Potthast X Stephen Corona Lewis & Greg Dawley-Becker* Mike DeFlavia & Tony Sowers* Ann DeLazaro & Annette Potemski Marianne DeLorenzo & Linda Van de Wiele* Max Dick* Diane Dragositz Kathy & Corky Fitzpatrick X Keven Fitzsimmons & Jeff Stroud X Jim & Tom Flower* Cynthia Flynn & Deirdre Boyle X Lisa Gilley Richard Green & Asi Ohana X Joe Greenhall & Tom Klingler Bob Gurwin & John Rourke David Hagelin & Andy Brangenberg* Jo Hamilton & Donna Voigt* Steve Hoult & Rick Bane X Karen Hugues & Cathy McCallister X Anthony Incalcatera & James Buswold

Alex IX & Gare Galbraith Nola Joyce & Brenda Eich* Jocelyn Kaplan & Idalie Adams In Memory of Adeline Kaplan X Linda Kemp* Deborah Kennedy & Beth Yocum* Eric Korpon & Steven Haber* Lee Lambert Leslie Ledogar & Marilyn Hewitt* John J. MacDonald & Douglas James Susan Morrison* Dennis Neason & Steve Bendyna* Kim Nelson & Lori Simmons X Fran O’Brien & David Gifford* Keith Petrack & Michael Fetchko* Anne Pikolas & Jean Charles X Gail Purcell & Sandy Kraft* Tony Purcell & In Memory of Daniel Espejel Bill Rayman & Frank King* Marty Rendon & John Cianciosi* Douglas Sellers & Mark Eubanks* Scott Shaughnessy & John Hassell* William Snow X Mary Spencer & Kathy Lingo* Joseph Steele & Chris Leady David Streit & Scott Button* Anne Tracy & Mary Gilligan* Cal Weible & Daniel Halvorsen X Kathy Wiz & Muriel Hogan X Jon Worthington & Bryan Houlette X Karl Zoric & Mark Pipkin X

YELLOW LEVEL Brenda Abell X Ria Allman Keith Anderson & Peter Bish X Gwen Atwell & Marla Hoon Dale Aultman & Paul Gibbs X Shannon & Sarah Avery* Pamela Baker & Diane Dixson* Linda Balatti & Shirley Gilmer X Susie Ball & Susan Delaney X Mike Ballinger & in Memory of Martin Thomas* Miriam Barton* Chris Beagle & Eric Engelhart* Tom Beall Barbara Beavers & Kathy Carrell John Bell Sherry Berman & Deb Hamilton X Abby Bernstein & Karen Frank X Michael Boyle & Greg Murphy X Daniel Bruner & Tim Beymer David Carder Kathy Casey & Jean Burgess X Kate Cauley & Pat Newcomb Bob Chambers* Jean Chlastawa & Susan Griesemer* Paul Christensen & Dennis Morgan* Jim Chupella & Jim Wigand* Steve Clayton & Brad Lentz* Gary Colangelo & Gerald Duvall X Nancy Commisso* Thomas Conway & Thoth Weeda* Billy Cox & John Carr* Drexel Davison - Bad Hair Day?* Anthony Delacruz & Ronald Mangano Fred DiBartolo & Steve Wood X Maureen Dolan & Karen McGavin* Albert Drulis & Scott Silber* Sandy Duncan & Maddy Ewald Karen Faber & Lisa Balestrini Faber*

CAMP REHOBOTH MEMBERSHIP 2022 Alice Fagans & Ruth Ann Mattingly* John Farley & Dennis Wilson X Dent Farr & Erick Lowe* Dee Farris* Cecily Fisher & Loretta Higgins Monica Fleischmann & Lona Crist X John Flournoy & Jim Chrobot Roland Forster & David McDonald John Furbush & Tom Feng* Ricki Geiger Marty Goff & Andrew Moran Gail Gormley* Susan Goudy* Ken Green & Joe Kearney* Renee Guillory & Melissa Vila-Guillory Wesley Hacker & David Block* Pete & Joanne Harrigan* Robert Henthorne & Roger Bolduc Carol Holland - Holland Jewelers X Terry Hollinger & Mike May Caroline Huff & Brenda Robertson* Nan Hunter & Chai Feldblum Dorsey Johnson & Kay Jernigan* Philip Johnson* Dee Dee Jones & Julie Blake Frank Jump & Vincenzo Aiosa* Bob Kabel* Marilyn Kates & Laura Glenn* Andy Kite & Karl Martin Rose Korten & Brenda Pinkney* Jay Kottoff & Mark Matey* Greg Kubiak* Carol Lazzara & Sheila Maden* Edmund LeFevre & Keith Wiggs X Greg Lehne Monica Lewis & Ann Zimmerman* David Lindeman & Andrew Phipps Frank Liptak & Joe Schnetzka* Jim Lonsdale & Bryan Hoffman John Mackerey & Donald Filicetti Teresa Madonna & Stacey Mazzacco Patricia Magee & Anita Pettitt X John Marson Jill Masterman & Tammy Jackson* Tony Mazzarella - In Memory of Vickie Stapleton Mickie McManamon* Howard Menaker & Patrick Gossett X Phil Merola & Rocco Scutaro Ray Michener & Tom Carlson* Sandy Neverett & Pam Cranston X Pat Nickols* Robert Nowak & David Bergman X Donna Ohle & Susan Gaggiotti X Maggie Ottato X Dotti Outland & Diane Mead X Peninsula Gallery - Tony & Carol Boyd-Heron* Joanne Picone & Kathy Bostedo* Frank Pirhalla Stephen Pleskach X Jim Pressler X Lisa Rabigi & Bea Vuocolo* Gene Roe X Thomas Rose & Thomas Sechowicz X Lucien Rossignol & Tom Harris* Mark Saunders & Bob Thoman* Richard Scalenghe & Thomas Panetta* Sheryl Schulte & Jeanne LaVigne* Troy Senter & Stacey Chan* Mary Ann Slinkman & Sharyn Santel*

Polly Smale & In Memory of Charlotte Reid* David Smith & Kenn Williams Susan Soderberg & Terri King X John Michael Sophos & Miss Dot Sophos* Diane Sozio & Patricia Hutchinson* Dee Speck & Linda Kauffman X Matthew Stensrud & Michael Cohen* Lenny Stumpf & John B. Pitchford* Brett Svensson & Bill Quinn - Dust Doctors LLC* Thrasher’s French Fries* Lana Warfield & Pamela Notarangelo X Elizabeth Way & Dorothy Dougherty* Michael Weinert X Justin Weitz William Wheatley* Joseph & Diane Wood Steven Wunder & Rod Hastie Jean Sutliff Young* Joanne Yurik* Larry Zeigler X John Zingo & Rick Johnson*

ORANGE LEVEL Ruth Ball & Mary Ellen Jankowski* Romulus Barba & Dean Yanchulis* Paul Barbera & Joseph Nolan Kathleen Biggs & Maria Campos* Janet Blaustein Kathy Board & Jackie Maddalena Boland Family - In Memory of Michael J. Kelly* Richard Bost & Thomas Moore* Linda Bova & Bridget Bauer The Sea Bova Associates* Victor Branham & Mark Clark William Briganti & Gary Moore* Anita Broccolino - In Memory of Cathy Fisher Wendy Bromfeld* Randy Butt & Emerson Bramble* Ronald Butt & Steve Cannon* Ingrid Callmann & Karen Askins* Charlie Codacovi* Beth Cohen & Fran Sneider X Community Bank Delaware* Mark Conheady* Lois Cortese & Jill Stokes X Kay Creech & Sharon Still* Kenneth Currier & Mike Tyler X John D’Amico* Julie A. Danan Linda DeFeo X J. Lynne Dement & Lisa J. Snyder* Jim DiLalla & In Memory of Frederick Episcopo* Donna Dolce* Arlyce Dubbin & Kathleen Heintz* Susan Dube & Diana Patterson* Brenda Dunn & Karen Anderson Susan Eig & Ellen Schiff X Jeanne Embich* Eddie Engles Robin Esham Maureen Ewadinger* Ellen Feinberg & Lesley Rogan X Paul Finn & Joseph Porporino* Barbara Fitzpatrick & Denise Centinaro Deb Fox & Deb Bonneau

Continued on page 94

ENTERTAINMENT MINUTES FROM THE BEACHES! August 4 - JUDY SINGS THE BLUES: Quayside@Nite / 7PM August 5 - SEUSSICAL JR: Kid's Summer Camp Show / 12PM & 2PM August 5 - ANDY BENINGO: Stand-Up Comedy Special / 8PM August 6 - BEGINNINGS: The Music Of Chicago / 8PM August 7 - BEGINNINGS: The Music Of Chicago / 3PM & 8PM August 11 - OFF 24: Quayside@Nite / 7PM August 12 - HOT COMEDY, COOL FUN: Stand-Up Comedy / 8PM DEAN FORD & THE BEAUTIFUL ONES August 13 - BEATLEMANIA NOW: Beatles Tribute Band / 3PM & 8PM Tribute To Prince August 17 - POP-UP OPERA: Opera Delaware / 7PM August 14 - 7:30PM August 18 - PAUL CULLEN & FRIENDS: Quayside@Nite / 7PM August 19 - MAGNOLIA APPLEBOTTOM: Drag Show / 8PM August 20 - JANGLEBACHS: Music Of The 60's / 8PM August 21 - NEIL DIAMOND TRIBUTE: Sol Knopf Band / 8PM August 25 - MAMA'S BLACK SHEEP: Quayside@Nite / 7PM August 26 - COMPLETELY UNCHAINED: Van Halen Tribute / 8PM August 27 - DUELING PIANOS: Flying Ivories / 8PM

RED NOT CHILI PEPPERS Red Hot Chili Peppers Tribute August 28 - 8PM

7 BRIDGES The Ultimate Eagles Experience September 3 - 3PM & 8PM September 4 - 3PM & 8PM

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW EXPERIENCE October 13 -22 (6 shows)

NIGHT OF THE THE WIZARD OF OZ LIVING DEAD: December 1-11 THE MUSICAL JR. (10 shows) October 27-29 (3 shows)

For more information on tickets, show details, and full events calendar go to:

www.MILTONTHEATRE.com BROADWAY BACKWARDS

Turning Broadway Upside Down!

September 24 - 8PM

302.684.3038 110 Union St. Milton, DE

JULY 29, 2022

93 Letters

Continued from page 92

Charles Gable Christopher Galanty & James Apistolas Ron Glick & Tien Pham* William Gluth & Channing Daniel* Ed Gmoch* Mike Gordy & Ed Brubaker* Joe Gottschall & Scott Woody Amy Grace & Karen Blood* Charles Graham* Deborah Grant & Carol Loewen* Robert Grant & Chris Cossette Todd Hacker Siobhan Halmos & Beth McLean* Sharon Hansen X Pat Harte & Nancy Sigman Jacqueline Havriliak Tracey & Erica Hellman Bill Hillegeist X Mary Anne Hoopes & Dianna Johnston* Vance Hudgins & Denny Marcotte* John Hulse X Mary Huntt & Angela Creager* Janet Idema & Patricia Higgins* Anne Kazak & Chris Coburn X Maryl Kerley X Bonnie Kirkland & Wanda Bair X Myra Kramer & John Hammett* Rob & Jean Krapf X Barbara Lang & Diane Grillo* Kim Leisey & Kathy Solano Jim Lesko Dale & Sue Lomas* Duncan MacLellan & Glenn Reighart* Marsha Mark & Judy Raynor* James Mastoris & Edward Chamberlain X Jonathan Mattner & Chad Rinker Michael & Stephan Maybroda* Kathy & Steve McGuiness* Kate McQueen* James Mease & Philip Vehslage* Sherril Moon & Louise Montgomery* Margaret Moore & Sheree Mixell X R Moore Carol Morris & Ann Abel Lisa Mosley Judy Olsen & Joanne Kempton X Lisa Orem & Debby Armstrong* Sandra Oropel & Linda Frese* Carolyn Ortwein & Ann Barry* Rutland Paal & Robert Mittleman* Sandra Pace & Barbara Passikoff X Steve Parker* Ellen Passman X Marilyn Pate & Dorothy Smith* Patricia Pawling & Jennifer Butz* Rina Pellegrini Colleen Perry & Jane Kuhfuss* Deena Pers X Grace Pesikey & Janet Urdahl* Peter Pizzolongo & Carlos Prugue* Susan Reinagel & Dawn Henderson* Pat Renninger & Tammy Plumley X Bill Rogers & Jeff Wilkinson Judy Rosenstein & Elva Weininger X Deborah & Charles Ross X Michael Safina & Tim Bean Katherine Sams* Richard Sargent* Gary Schell & Jim DiRago Laurie Schneider & Margie Ripalda* Carol Scileppi & Valerie McNickol* Teri Seaton & Rena Frampton-Seaton Michael Seifert & Harvey Holthaus* Craig Sencindiver & Gary Alexander* Tara Sheldon Frank Shockley & Arthur Henry*

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Cathy Sieber & Brenda Kriegel* Carol Sieger & Maggie Guardino Anita Smulyan Tina Snapp & Susan Leathery Christine Stanley & Joyce Rocko* Greig Stewart & Jake Hudson* Brian Straka* Sandra Sullivan & Lorie Seaman* Terrence Sullivan Trudie Thompson Susan & Rich Thornberg James Vernicek & Jeff Dailey* Joseph Vescio Tama Viola Don Wainwright & Tom Jamison* Patricia Walker Don Wessel Ralph Wiest & Anthony Peraine* Daryle Williams & Steven Fretwell Terri Windlan Melanie Wolfe & Monica Niccolai Robert T. Wright & Jack Lim* Sherri Wright & Dick Byrne* Janet & Ron Yabroff Niki Zaldivar & Cecil McNeil X Kathryn Zimmerman Helaine Zinaman & Roselyn Abitbol X

RED LEVEL Guy Abernathey X Dale Adams Adrienne & Kim* Jim Affonco X Mark Aguirre & Wayne Gleason X Bill Alldredge X Chris Allison Stephani Allison & Judith Gorra X Alan Anderson X Daniel Anderson & Greg Melanson Andrea Andrus & Maggie Shaw X Peter Antolini X Patricia Antonisse X Cynthia Arno Terry & Gayle August Josh Bach & Edward Ginley Kathleen Bailey X Christine A. Baker John Baker & Richard Latham X Sarah Barnett Curtiss Barrows X Brian Bartels* Barbara Bastow & Margaret McHale John Batchelor X Karen Beck* Beebe Medical Foundation* Mike Behringer & Nelson Correa* Michael Beigay Alex Belano Sheryl Bender & Doreen DiLorenzo* George Benes & Michael Mallee X Suzanne Bennethum & Deborah Smith* Joe Benshetler & Kurt Angell Jeri Berc X John Berdini X Joel Berelson & Charles Maples* James C. P. Berry & Matthew Stanislao Lisa Beske - In Loving Memory of Steve Elkins* Christine Bielenda & Karen Feuchtenberger* Thomas Biesiadny X Deb Bievenour & Susan Shollenberger* Beatrice Birman & Mary Malgoire Lorraine Biros* Cathin Bishop & Laura Simon X Ann Black & Kaye Wachsmuth X Carol Blair*

Eric Blondin - State Farm Insurance Rehoboth Beach X Jacquelyn Blue X Rev. Dr. Tom Bohache & Tom Laughingwolf Simmons X Annabelle Boire* Carl Bomberger & Mike Rhoads Robin Bond & Leanna Johannes* Bob Bonitati X Joy Boone & Marina Simmers X Randall Borgerson X Pete Borsari X Laura Borsdorf X Nancy Bouse & Norma Morrison X David & Donna Bowman X Deni Boyer & Loretta Imbrogono Brian Boyle & Larry Gee X Beth Bozman* Jim Brady & Mike Hays X John Brady X Kelly Brennan & Susan McVey* Susan Brinsfield & Barbara Devenport Laurie Bronstein Debora Brooke * Kevin Brown X Lyn Brown & Winsome Boyd Matthew Brown Diane Bruce & Annie Sorvillo* Jack Bucchioni Carol Buck Al Bulliner X Belinda Buras & Linda Simeone Geoffrey Burkhart & Bruce Williams* Lyn Burleson & Sharon Werner* Carol L. Burnett X Mary Jean Burns & Novalyn Winfield Stephen Burt & Michael Jones Timothy B. Bush X Sherry Butler James Byrnes X Robertine Cale* Debbie Cali & Maddie Cunningham Leslie Calman & Jane Gruenebaum* Pat Campagna & Debra Sansoucie Terri Campbell & Victoria Smith Michele Campisi & Julie A. Slick X Joe Canter Matt Carey X Jim Carlo X Justine Carpenter X Shirley Carpenter & Mary Coldren X Deborah Carroll & Jill Steiner Alice Casey & Anthony Codella Jo Cason & Peggy Neidlinger Teresa Cason & Lynda Schepler X Sara Cavendish & Wendy Bunce X Denis Chandler & Sebastion DiMauro Linda Chaney & Irene Lawlor* Helen Chang & Pat Avery Dr. Harvey J. Chasser X Mike Chateauneuf X Dan Childers & Ted Hernandez* Tom Childers & John Hall X Sandra Chinchilla & Michelle Holmes X Curt Christensen & Ellen Heald* Billy J. Christian X Dennis Chupella & Rob White X Dottie Cirelli & Myrna Kelley X James Clark Norma K. Clark X Rob Cline Barbara Clipper Amy Clouse & Betty Long X Julie Cockley Anne Cole & Sandy Freeman Carolyn Cole & Sandy McDevitt X Stuart Comstock-Gay X Inez Conover X Blanche Cook & Clare Coss

Bill Cooley & Ken Watkins DVM X Josh Cooper & Steve Rathburn Jeffery A. Coover X Michael Cornell X Lois Corson X Mary Costa & Kris Nygaard* Becky & Tom Craft X Wendy Cramer & Carolyn Baranowski* Theresa-Ann Crivelli & Angela Murray* Robert Crocetti X Bill Cross & David McCall X Donald Crowl* Mark Cunningham & Ken Tattersall X Rich Custer Jamie Cuthbert & KT Tinney Howard Cyr & Lynn Ashley* Ellen Dahl* Charles Daniels William T. Darley X Denise Davis & Jeanne Bilanin Jeremiah Davis Marsha Davis & Bev Lesher X Patricia Davis Kathy Davison & Ruth Dickerson X Celeste De Bease Frederick Dean & Steven Swierzy X Linda Dean & Donna Whiteside* Penny Lee Dean Scott Dechen & James Maino* Michael Decker & Arley Jaimes X Michael DeGraffenreid Susan Deise & Jerri Budzinski Bernie Delia X Frank Dell’Aquila X Claire Dente & Leslie Campo* Tracy Denton & Brenda Welsh Karen DeSantis & Carol Brice* Nancy DeToma & Meg Smith* David DeVargas & Steven Champion X Carolyn DeVito Henry & Marcia DeWitt X Romy Diaz & Dennis Bann Geri Dibiase Photography* Julie Dickson X Richard Dietz Phyllis Dillinger Tony DiMichele & Jeff Smith* Mary Dipietro & Wendy Schadt* Deb Dobransky & Ketty Bennett* Arthur Dochterman X David & Lizann Dockety X Peg Dolan & Mary McDevitt X Mary & Polly Donaldson Millie Donnell Debbie & Karen Dorris* Kathryn Downs Frances Doyle X Paul Dradransky X Zita Dresner Michael Driscoll & Ben McOmber X Deanna Duby & Carol Bruce* Barry Dunkin Gene Dvornick X Sue Early X Frank Echols & Robert Robinson Eden Restaurant X Claire Edmondson & Louise Bylicki Brad Edwards Richard Egler Gail Elliott & Bea Hickey* Pamela Elliott W. Kay Ellis* Ann Evans* Lisa Evans & Joann Gusdanovic Susan Farr & Joanne Pozzo Jane Farrell Larry & Ro Fedorka* Karen Ferguson*

Virginia Fessler * Jayne & Ro Fetterman* Irene & Edward Fick* Ben Ficks & Bob Angell Allen Fred Fielding X Jerry Filbin* Joe Filipek & Larry Richardson X Mark Finkelstein & Michael Zeik X Rick Fischer X Barbara Fischetti & Janet Thoden Gary Fisher & Josh Bushey* James Fitzsimmons & Brian Burdelle* Chuck Flanagan X Paul Florentino & Chris Pedersen X Sandra Fluck & Beverly Morgan* Mary Ford & Judy Hedrick X Beebe Frazer X Phil Fretz X Billiemichelle & Evelyn Friel* Neil Frock & Bob Harrison* Bill Fuchs* Marilyn Fuller & Teresa Marigliano Susan Furman Lorraine Gaasche & Jill Mayer* Frank Gainer & Ramon Santos* Lynn Gaites & Faye Koslow X Nina Galerstein* Charles Gallagher & James Day Marcia Gallo & Ann Cammett Jerry Gallucci & Conrad Welch* Kathryn Gantz & Kathryn Gehret Don Gardiner X Cheri Garnet Mindy Gasthalter* Wilson Gates X Charles George & Dennis Rivard X Tracey Gersh & Amy Johnson Gary Gillard X Michael Gilles Jordan Gipple & Paul Weppner* Angela & Cheryl Gladowska Joan Glass X Karen Glooch X Ronald Gluck* Jane Godfrey* Randall Godwin X Jackie Goff & Mary Vogt X Katherine Goff Dave Gold & In Memory of James Yiaski X Robert Gold X Suzanne Goldstein & Dana Greenwald X Cindy Gonzalez Milton Gordon & Bill Hromnak X Teresa Gordy & Barb Ford X Dan Goren & Peter Robinson X Anita Gossett & Ronnie Smith* Robert Gotwalt & Norman Jones Bill Graff & Jeff Schuck* Lisa & Raymond Graff* Angela Grant & Zoe Fitzpatrick* Paul R. Grant & Marc Watrel* Cheryl Graves Harvey Grider Kenneth Grier* Richard Grifasi X John Grillone & Paul Schlear Jr. X Joseph Gritz X Wendy Grooms & Barbara Fishel X Carol Gross X James Gross X Richard & Frances Grote* Paula Grubbs X Christopher Guidone Helene Guilfoy X Lori Guitson Bill Gunning & Joe Greoski X Mary Gunning* Marie & Ken Haag* Continued on page 96

clear space theatre company JUNE 24 thru AUGUST 27

20 Baltimore Ave. (Beach Block) RB, DE 19971

Catch every show twice each week!

WEEKENDS ONLY!

Saturdays ONLY, 11 am

Masks are required for everyone while inside the building.

No food or beverages allowed inside the theatre.

For complete show schedules & tickets, please visit:

www.ClearSpaceTheatre.org Or call

302.227.2270

ThisThis program supported, in by a program is is supported, in part, part,grant by from a grant from the the Delaware Division of the Delaware Division the Arts, with Arts, a state agency,of in partnership a state agency, in partnership the National Endowment for the Arts. withThe Division promotes Delaware arts theevents National Endowment for on www.DelawareScene.com. theClear Arts.Space Theatre Company, Inc. is a The501(c)(3) Divisionnon-profit promotes organization.

JULY 29, 2022

95 Letters

Continued from page 94

Carolyn Haas & Debbie Williams Jay Haddock & Hector Torres* Gerard M. Haley & George D. Zahner X Cynthia Hall X Mark Hare & Mike Newman X Kelley Harp X David Harrer & Floyd Kanagy* Thomas F Harris II Mary Hartman & Laurie Nelson Jeff Haslow X Janece Hausch* John & Mary Havrilla* Nancy Hawpe Daniel F.C. Hayes* Helen Healy & Lisa Whitehouse Gail Hecky* Barb & Len Hedges-Goetti Leslie Hegamaster & Jerry Stansberry* Linda Heisner X Matthew Hennesey* David Herchik & Richard Looman X Fred Hertrich X Howard Hicks & Stephen Carey X Helen Hilderbrandt Barbara Hines & Nancy Froome X Howard C. Hines, MD X Karen & Mickey Hinman Janel Hino & Patricia Ann Scully X Cynthia Hogue David Hogue & Michael Utasi Harris Holden X Connie Holdridge* Robert Holloran & Ed Davis* Brad Holsinger & Ed Moore Mod Cottage* Chris Holt & Emory Bevill X Larry Hooker X Penni Hope* James T. Hopkins X Elaine Horan & Debbie Sciallo X Frank Hornstein & Mark Henckel X James Hospital & Jack Fraker* Robert Hotes X Peggy Ann Hughes Kaz Huston & Sylvia Daniels Ellan Hylton Batya Hyman & Belinda Cross* Thomas Ingold X Claire Ippoliti X Chris Israel & John Stassi X Debbie Isser & Fran Leibowitz* Geoffrey Jackson & Will Delany X Fay Jacobs & Bonnie Quesenberry X Sharon Janis X Steve Janosik X Kathy Jantzen & Debi Cunn Allen Jarmon & Ward Ellinger X Robert Jasinski* Mary Jenkins & Laura Reitman Susan Jimenez & Cathy Benson X Chip Johnson - In Memory of Joseph Lachac* Donna A. Johnson* Ken Johnson X Randi Johnson Jim Johnston Richard Jolly & Charles Ingersoll X D. J. Jones* Gay Jones & Barb Bartels Glenn Jones X Sparky Jones Tom Jones X Wayne Juneau X Mick Kaczorowski X Darleen Kahl & Susan Poteet* Bob Kaplan & Jeff Davis X Daphne Kaplan & Steve Scheffer* Sharon Kaplan & Pamela Everett*

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JULY 29, 2022

Kevin P. Kaporch X Amylynn Karnbach - One Day At A Time Gifts, LLC Peter Keeble & Tom Best Margaret Keefe & Dianne Conine* Alan Keffer* Mark Kehoe X Donald Kelly* John Kelly & Randy Sutphin X Michael J. Kelly X Ann Kemper John Kennedy Hunter Kesmodel X Ned Kesmodel & Matt Gaffney X Tom Ketterman Marge Keyes & Julie Arenstein X C. David Kimmel* Charlotte King Rachel King Spencer Kingswell X Daniel Kinsella* Ilene Klein Jane Knaus & Cindy Myers Stephen Kopp John Kort & Hung Lai* Robert Kovalcik & Bob Howard X Marcia Kratz* Karen Kreiser & Beth Nevill* Kathleen Kress Kevin W. LaBarge X Adam Lamb & Eli Martinez Cheryl Landry & Lisa Corrado Peter Lanzaro & Frank Bodsford X Dr. Mathilda Laschenski & Dr. Kathleen Heacock X Ruth Lauver & Judy Wetzel* Kate Lavelle X Jim Lawrence & Bob Palandrani Charlie Lee X Nicholas Lee Jon Leeking & Dieulifete Jean* Sherry Leichman & Keith Snyder Lisa Lekawa Charles & Matthew Lentz Jill Leonard Marsha Levine & Susan Hamadock X Arlene & Ginny Levy-Balmforth Barbara Lewis Barbara Lilien* Alexander Lincoln Cindy Lins & Diane Milam Duwayne Litz X Eleanor Lloyd & Celeste Beaupre Robert E. Long X Cynthia Lowe & Rae von Doehren Debbie Lupton & Romana Dobbs Diane Lusk X P. Michael Lutz* Minda Lynch Becky Lyons & Ebie Hamrick X Christopher Magaha* Joe Maggio X Loretta Mahan* Bernadette Maher & Cheryl Tarlecky* Jack Maher X Nancy Maihoff X Eddie Major X Bruce Majors X Harvey Manchester X Domenic Mannello X Stephanie Manos & Reber Whitner X Robb Mapou & Mike Zufall* Anyda Marchant X Charles Marino & Alan Berman* Diane Markey & Randi Snader* Harold Marmon & Robert Hill* Sharon Marquart Michelle Marsh & Barb Sann Colleen Martin Norma Martin X

Linda Martinak & Susan Baker Nan Martino* Marie Martinucci* Joe Matassino & Tim Murray* Jason Darion Mathis John Matthews & Nick Polcini* Eric Matuszak X Linda Mazie & Terry Koff Donna McCabe & Mac Ignacio X Marcia McCollum Edward McCord Kathleen McCormick & Elizabeth Fish X Mary McElhone & Nancy Kaiser X Sherri McGee & Kris Aulenbach Thomas McGlone X Kathleen McGrath Ellen McKeon* Joe McMahon X Joseph McNally & Terry Jones X Charlotte McNaughton Chuck McSweeney & Michael Clay X Jim & Bruce McVey-Back* Mary Medlock & Susan Russell Buck Melton X John Messick X Joseph & Thomas Michael-Ryan Alicia Mickenberg & Kathleen Fitzgerald* Jamie Middelton* Dr. Phyllis J. Mihalas X Melissa Milar* Alicia Miller & Shawn Noel* Bruce R. Miller & Dean D. LaVigne X Frank Miller X Gene Miller & Jane Godfrey Marilyn K. Miller & Candice Zientek* Robin Miller Shelly Miller Todd A. Miller & Michele Frame X Trixie Miller Chris & Joann Miller-Marcin Doreen Millon Lee Wayne Mills X Stan Mills & Marcia Maldeis X Linda Miniscalco & Jeanne Drake* Martha Monell Andrea Monetti & Karen Petermann* Sue Monismith X Jamie Moore Teri Moore & Barb Kulbaba* Mary Morgan & Beth Fitton X Meg Morgan & Susan Lynham X Richard Morgante & Edward McHale* Bob Morris & James Weygandt Pearl Morris* Jack Morrison & Bob Dobbs* Rebecca Moscoso* Barry Moshinski & Robert Ponzini Andrew K. Moss & Richard Blevins X Donna Mulder & Denise Delesio* Brent Mundt X Mary Murdoch X Joanie Murphy Marie Murray & Deb Ward X Robbin Murray & De Raynes* Cynthia Myers Marta Nammack & Francis Murphy Marc Nasberg & Howard R. Nelson X Keith Neale X Cindy Necaise & Debbie Cole X Lee Ann Nelson X Darrell Netherton & Robert Wheeler X James Newkirk & Leon Wilkowsky* Janet Newkirk X Arletta Nicholl & Mary Anderson Scott Nickle Konrad Noebel, MCAT, LMT & Brian Cox*

Teri Noel* James Nolan Janet Nosal Paul Nye & Jerry Hofer Chuck Oakes & Robert Dellanoce* Susan O’Brien* Terry O’Bryan & Jack Musser James O’Dell X James O’Malley X Richard O’Malley X Missy Orlando & Patty Violini X Jeffrey & Lisa Osias X Kathy Osterholm Randy Overbaugh X Sharon Owens & Doreen Halbruner Sally Packard & Dinah Reath X Denise Page Richie Pagnotta X Bud Palmer X Fran Panzo Stephen Pape & Jerry Clark Fred Parham Diane Pasatieri Emilie Paternoster & Monica Parr X Carol Patterson & Carol Hughes* Tim Patterson & Harvey Sharpe X Peggy Paul X Lucille & Dan Payne Caroline Pellicano & Jodi Foster Beverly Peltz* Roy Perdue X Al Perez & Gary Kraft* Susan Petersen & Luz Cruz Don Peterson & Jeff Richman X Eric Peterson X Elizabeth Petitte & Erin Reid Bruce Pfeufer X PFLAG - Rehoboth Beach* Peggy Phillips & Norma McGrady* Frank Pileggi & Jon Blackman X Arleen Pinkos* Janice Pinto & Lori Swift* Terry Plowman X Jo Pokorny* Claire Pompei & Dolores Yurkovic* Mary Lu Pool Roni Posner X Sue Potts & Karen Kohn X Pat Powell* Renata Price & Yona Zucker* Timothy Price & Gerard Sealy X Sam Profeta X Sarajane Quinn* Jean Rabian & Ralph Hackett X Joie Rake & Nan Flesher X Elaine Raksis & Maxine Klane* Barb Ralph X Rob Ramoy X Bob & Mary Beth Ramsey X Linda Rancourt & M. Sue Sandmeyer* Lewis Rathbone* Nancy Ratner Carole Redman Janet Redman X Carolyn Redmon & Nancy Allen* Randy Reed X Rehoboth Art League* Peter S. Reichertz X Ken Reilly & Tony Ghigi X Virginia Reime & Gene Tadlock* Jeff Reinhart & Jack Miller* Don Reppy Thomas Resh & Jeffrey Meyers X Judith Retchin & Elyse Wander X Deborah Reuter & Deborah Bea* Sarah Reznek & Babette Pennay Sandie Riddell & Eileen Siner* Marion Ridley & Mark Lundy X Linda Rikard & Mary Jo Tarallo Keith & John Riley-Spillane X Heather & Cathy Rion Starr

Joel Robbins & Michael Linder X Sandra Robbins X William Robbins & Gary Ralph* Sandy Roberts X Rob Robertson & Carlos Taylor X Teri & Amy Robinson-Guy Craig Rocklin X Tim Rodden & Randy Clayton X John & Susan Roehmer* Jeanne Rogers* Roy Rollins X Lauren Romig X Debbie Ronemus & Peggy Sander* Ed Rose & Sandra Robbins X Michael Rose & David Le Sage Allison Rosenberg Peter Rosenstein X Larry L. Ross X Ellen & Terry Roth Perreault X Barb Rowe X Ski Rowland & Gary Mosher X Joan Rubenstein X Steve Sage & Thom Swiger X Chris Sailer & Min Mancini Joe & Nancy Sakaduski* Margaret Salamon* Cindy Sanders & Donna Smith* Sanford & Doris Slavin Foundation X Kim Schilpp* Nancy Schindler & Eric Youngdale Michael Schlechter & Kevin Sharp X Lisa Schlosser & Sherri Brown Rosemarie Schmidt & Carolyn Horn X Sharon Schmitt* Holly Schneider & Linda Haake Jaime Schneider & Glenn Randall X Peter Schott & Jeffrey Davis* Carol Schwartz X Craig Schwartz & William Pullen X Diane Schwarz Diane Scobey X John Scotti & Greg Landers* David Scuccimarra & Dorothy Fedorka* Shirley Semple* Janet & Elaine Shaner & Elizabeth Taylor Marj Shannon & Carla Burton* Dale Sheldon & Pat Coluzzi X Banner Sheppard & Marlin Hubler Kelly Sheridan & Debra Quinton* Lynn Sheridan & Melissa Imbergamo David Sherman X George Shevlin & Jack Suwanlert* William Shively & TD Stanger Davis Short & Beverly Castner Frank Silverio X Marc Silverman & John Campbell* Kelly Simon Ann Singleton & Twila McDonough Joanne Sinsheimer & Margaret Beatty* Ken Skrzesz X Jeffrey Slavin X Anne Smith & Lisa Taylor Carol Smith* Harlan Joe Smith & Dustin Abshire* Leonard Smith X Marty Smith & F. Price Connors Robert Smith Rosanne Smith & Brenda Butterfield* Rich Snell X Claire & Mikki Snyder-Hall Sandra Sommerfield & Cindy Scott X Sandy Souder - Unity of Rehoboth Beach* Stephanie Specht Jim Spellman Continued on page 99

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28442 Dupont Boulevard Millsboro, DE 19966 office: 302-934-3970

Continued from page 96

Lorraine Stanish & Beverly Miller* Ginger Stanwick Christy Steer X Frank Sterner X Shelley Stevens & Joanne Locke Lisa Stewart X Libby Stiff & Bea Wagner X Milindi Stifler Russell & Patricia Stiles* Allison Stine & Pete Jamieson* Terry Stinson* Caroline Stites & Elizabeth Coit X Tracy Stith & Laura McCarthy Dr. Frederick C. Stoner * Rev. Barry Stopfel Michael Stover* Christine Strauss X Lois Strauss X Jackie Sullivan & Sharon Padbury Jill Sungenis & Nicole Bano John Swift & Ron Bowman X Melanie Szvitich Stephen Szymanski Gail Tannenbaum & Wendy Walker* Ronald Tate & Jacob Schiavo X Micaela Tedford X Martin Thaler David Thomas & David Tiburzio X The Hon. Henry E. Thomas IV & John-Kevin Litschgi X Laurie Thompson Thomas Tibbetts X Otto F. Tidwell X Linda Toggart & Jane MacDonald Cassandra Toroian X Manny Tortosa X Steve Touzell & Marshall Scott Beadle Cheryll & Bill Trefzger* Carol Trenga & Cheryl Harding Steve Triglia X Roz Troupin & Mary Harris X Patricia Truitt* Abby Tschoepe & Pat Dunn* Matt Turlinski & Jerry Sipes X Ed Turner & Steve Baker X Judy Twell & Cheri Himmelheber Charles Tyrell Bruce Uliss X Thomas Urban & Marc Samuels* Donna Valla Debra Van Dyke* Jennifer Varone V. James Villareale - In Memory of Dale Ebert* Beverly Vogt & Waneeta Mack X Patrick Wadsworth & Mike Converse X Scott Wagner & John Sohonage* Eric Wahl & Eric Coverdale Marianne Walch X Jennifer Walker & Mary Ann Veitch X Paula Walker & Gayle Dumonceaux David Wall & Robert Houck* Kenneth E. Walz & Robert G. Ward, Jr. X Garold Wampler X Michael E. Ward X Robert Warmkessel X Jack Warren* Sharyn Warwick X Ellen Watkins X Troy Watson & Dennis Wolfgang* Barbara Weatherly Debbie Webber & Terry McQuaid* West Side New Beginnings Donna West Patricia West Carl R. Wetzel X Liz Wheeler & Ruth Morse X

Steve White X Thomas White & Robert Freeman X Phil & Stephanie Wikes* Steven Wildasin Keith Wilkinson X Diane & Ken Williams Edward Williams* Jim Williams* Rich Williams X Kelly Williamson & J Ellis Lynne Wilmer & Jeannie Marsh Donna L. Wilson & Laurie R. Levin X Lynn Wilson* David Wolanski* Max Wolf X Carol Woodcock & Carol Lewis* Cody Woodfin & Rich Morgan Robert B. Wright X Marjorie Wuestner & Catherine Balsley* Alexander G. Yearley X James E. Yiaski X Linda Yingst* Jay York Vickie York X Sheila & Tim Young James Zeigler & In Memory of Sam Deetz* Lorraine Zellers Lisa Zimmerman X Phyllis Zwarych & Sheila Chlanda*

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JULY 29, 2022

99 Letters

Bowen on Fire (Island)

BY CHRIS AZZOPARDI

He’s Here, He’s Queer

M

aybe Bowen Yang will just forever live the Fire Island fantasy wherever he is. Is that what happens when you make a movie in what many consider gay paradise? Who knows, but based on Yang’s attire on Zoom—a beaded, rainbow-colored flower necklace and a casual white-and-blue checkered shirt, his white undershirt exposed—the Australian-born Chinese American actor looks ready to challenge the rich, white gays known for essentially claiming the queer party town just off the southern shore of Long Island, New York, as their own.

But not in Hulu’s Fire Island, a movie that can make us believe it isn’t exclusive to any group as a boatload of intersectional queers—the main friend group is refreshingly Asian American and Black—sail away to the island for more than just wild nights and romantic seashore walks. They know what they’re getting into—drugs, drinking, and all those white gays—and they’re the kind of besties who know exactly what’s on everyone’s Fire Island agenda.

For some, obviously, that’s a little more than a snuggle. For Howie, though, that is a snuggle. Yang plays Howie, and his very good friend Noah (Joel Kim Booster, who wrote the script as a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice) knows that Howie won’t ever be the slut he wants him to be. “You’re cute, you’re funny, you’re consistently the least repellent of men out of all of us,” he tells Howie, earnestly. The same could be said of Yang.

In a recent conversation, Yang chatted about being a leading man for the first time.

CHRIS AZZOPARDI: Every time I watch

a queer movie, I just wish it existed sooner.

BOWEN YANG: Is that like our lot in audience life? I think we’re just gonna think that for everything.

CA: So the whole time I was watching Fire Island, I wanted to know how you Letters 100

JULY 29, 2022

got cast as Howie, the non-slutty character?

BY: I think Joel was doing this great thing, which is to map it onto our friendship a bit while also mapping it onto the source material of Pride and Prejudice and having it be like Jane and Liz. But then also just outlining the ways that a lot of queer people, and maybe specifically gay men, might not share an organizing principle in that way. Like, there are some people who really go for it and just catch as many Pokémon as they can, so to speak, and there are some who choose not to.

CA: I mean, in my 20s I was definitely a Howie.

BY: Oh, and then that shifted?

CA: It did shift. And it feels good.

BY: Great. I think maybe that’s in store for me.

CA: In 105 minutes, this film takes on body positivity, prejudiced gays, horny gays, non-horny gays, infighting…. Was there a lot of conversation about what this movie would cover?

BY: I mean, if you create a liberated space for people, then their thoughts might kind of reach just a bit beyond the pale in a setting outside of that. And so I think Joel’s whole thesis for the movie is “what happens when gay people go to an all-gay space, and then gay people start to bring all their societal baggage onto each other and turn it inward.”

I think he did a great job of balancing all those things. I think he just recognized that Fire Island is this wonderful stew pot full of different kinds of people, and that you get all these different elements to that when everyone co-mingles in that way.

CA: I love that there’s a group of queer people of color who are just like, “Gonna sail over, and you know? This is also our place.”

BY: Yeah. And in my experience going there—and I go at least once a year, every summer—it is weirdly still a given that you’re gonna see that it’s a bit dominated by one kind of person.

I’m always really delighted by the

Like, there are some people who really go for it and just catch as many Pokémon as they can, so to speak, and there are some who choose not to.

people I see there who are there driven by the same sort of mission of just spending time with their queer friends.

Going to the beach, just getting away from all the things that sort of bog them down on the mainland.

CA: I’ve never been to Fire Island, but I think I may be more of a P-town gay.

BY: Listen, I am about to go there for the first time this summer. And part of me is a little scared that I’m gonna be a turncoat and just fully, like, be a P-town gay for the rest of my life. ▼ Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

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OPEN AT 4PM | 316 REHOBOTH AVE. REHOBOTH BEACH, DE

JULY 29, 2022

101 Letters

Letters 102

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REHOBOTH

BEACH BEARS CELEBRATING 8 GREAT YEARS

Top of T 56 Balt he Pines imore Av Startin g at 6p e m

JULY 29, 2022

103 Letters

BYWAYS

BY MIKEY ROX

You Are What You Eat Gay Foods and Where to Get ’Em

L

ooking for more ways to support your queer community post-Pride?

Pack your pantries with these swishy snacks and swills created by and for LGBTQ+ friends, family, and foodies.

Peppery Love Hot Sauces

If sampling locally made foodstuffs is your weekend (bacon) jam, pay a visit to Brentwood, Maryland’s miXt Food Hall, home to lesbian-owned Relish Market, to stock up on proprietor Stephanie Freeman’s signature Peppery Love hot sauces, like Stinger, a tart-and-spicy blend of citrus and ginger to tingle your tastebuds. Turn your mouth-burner down with one of Relish’s handcrafted bottled teas in flavors that include hibiscus, lavender-Thai basil, and honey mint. RelishMarket.com.

SunDaze Fermented Cocktails

Keep the basic-bitch hard seltzers on ice this hot-boy summer and crack open SunDaze canned fermented cocktails, a trio of ready-to-drink, six percent ABV Valencia orange juice blends that contain a healthy dose of vitamin C plus antioxidants and probiotics in classic, botanical, and spicy varieties. DrinkSunDaze.com.

Dicky Waffles

Kinky’s Dessert Bar, New York City’s first (extremely) adult bakery, has a no-prudes policy when it comes to its XXX-rated confections, like blush-worthy Dicky

Waffles, crisp phallic-shaped cakes filled with an array of homemade creams and finished off with finger-licking glazes. Anatomically correct Va-JayJay versions of the waffles also are available, along with “F*** Me” graphic cookies and cupcakes with pierced nipple toppings. Might need a Marlboro after scarfing these down.

KinkysDessertBar.com.

Reinberger Nut Butters

Some products naturally lean into a gay-ish aesthetic, like Reinberger’s Nut Butters, created by namesake co-founders Luke Rein, who identifies as bisexual, and Joseph Berger—a team of Olympic-trained rowers who sought to fill a hole (in the spreadable nut market) for a plant-based source of vital nutrients and energy-providing protein. Our favorite?

Traveler’s Treat, a trail mix/peanut butter hybrid packed with bits of raisin, banana, and coconut. ReinbergerNB.com.

Everything Rainbow Spice

Being LGBTQ+ is just like being straight— except fun to be around. That’s the idea behind Curio Spice Co’s Everything Rainbow Spice; it’s the everything seasoning you know and love but zhuzhed up with sass and pizazz. There’s sumac for tartness, maras chile flakes for umami heat, turmeric for earthiness, and blue cornflower for a floral, honeyed touch. In gayman’s terms, it’s like you cut open a rainbow bagel and a purse fell out. CurioSpice.com.

Future Gin

Longtime friends (and proud queer women) Amy Atwood, Mary Bartlett, Freya Estreller, and Natasha Case turned the distilling game on its head with Future Gin, their version of the classic spirit with a California twist. Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, and grape leaf—from the ladies’ Golden State gardens, to be sure—are distilled alongside traditional botanicals to produce a gin that’s altogether characteristic and beachy-bright. We’ll drink to that.

FutureGin.com Letters 104

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KEHO Snack Bites

Tearing the grocery aisle apart for meatless keto options? Tekla Back answers your prayers with her savory KEHO snacks made with dehydrated plants and spices in globe-spanning flavors like Thai Me Over, Curry in a Hurry, Pizza to Go, and Tex Mex Moment. Coincidentally, Back is having a moment of her own: Rolling Stone magazine recently featured her in the article, “13 Lesbian and Queer Women-Owned Brands to Support During Pride (and All Year Long).” KEHOLife.com.

Cool Cat Wine Spritzers

We’re not saying your queer counterparts are trying to get you drunk and take you home (with consent, of course), but it’s not not what we’re saying, what with the abundance of LGBTQ-created alcohol options on this list, like Cool Cat Wine Spritzers from founder Rocco Venneri.

Named Best Spritzer of 2021 by Liquor. com, this frosty concoction is available in original (elderflower-mint-lime), citrus, berry, and grapefruit. DrinkCoolCat.com.

Maxine’s Heavenly Cookies

Packed with oats and “sweetened by nature,” Maxine’s Heavenly homemade-style cookies—the half-baked brainchild of a predominately LGBTQ-led team—replace refined sugar with a coconut substitute and dates for a naturally low-glycemic treat at only three to eight grams of sugar per serving. Ten out of 10, highly recommend the brand’s chocolate chip and Cinnamon Speculoos Crunch crispy bundles. All the gluttony without much guilt. MaxinesHeavenly.com. ▼ Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. Connect with Mikey on Instagram @ mikeyroxtravels.

Greater Dover Boys & Girls Club, Simpson Elementary, Camden-Wyoming

Powerful Philanthropy

A donor advised fund at the DCF helps you make a difference in Delaware.

From Boys & Girls Clubs to the Choir School of Delaware, hundreds of Delaware nonprofits are helping prepare our children to be the innovative, passionate leaders who will build our community’s future.

Whatever you love about this community — whether it’s a children’s organization, a favorite museum or something else — you can make it stronger through a donor advised fund (DAF) at the Delaware Community Foundation.

A DAF is a charitable fund that brings you tax advantages while growing tax-free and helping you support the charities you care about — forever. It’s a smart way to be generous.

Talk with us about how your DAF can make what you love about Delaware even better.

To learn more, visit delcf.org/daf or contact Mike DiPaolo, Vice President for Southern Delaware, at 302.856.4393 or mdipaolo@delcf.org.

JULY 29, 2022

105 Letters

WE REMEMBER Thomas Ingold

T

homas Ingold, of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 12, at Brandywine Senior Living, in Rehoboth. He was born on July 9, 1946, in Omaha, Nebraska, son of the late Oce Eugene and Mary Jean Ingold.

Thomas received a master’s degree from American University and had an illustrious career in production management. He enjoyed his work with Discovery Communications, retiring after many dedicated years.

Thomas’s interests and hobbies were many and varied and included everything from discovering hidden treasures at yard

sales to taking fantastic ocean cruises. He was very interested in genealogy and family trees. He also had a comedic side—to which many of his friends can attest, as they were the targets of his many practical jokes.

Above all, Thomas cherished time spent with those he held most dear. He was a loving and devoted partner, brother, uncle, and friend; he will be genuinely missed by all who knew him.

In addition to his parents, Thomas was preceded in death by his partner, Kirby Matson, and his brother, James Ingold. He is survived by his partner and long-time companion, Bill Wasser; his sisters, Elizabeth Berube, Mary Bisset, and Margaret Ingold; his brother, John Ingold; and many nieces and nephews.

Services will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Food Bank of Delaware, 222 Lake Drive, Newark, Delaware 19702. ▼

Colleen M. Fremont

Melvin Wallace Weller

olleen M. Fremont (née Albert Winters Lynch), who lived near Dover, Delaware, passed away Tuesday, July 6, 2022, at the age of 80. She began to transition from living as Albert W. Lynch in 1989. Albert, born November 5, 1941, was the descendant of an old Baltimore family.

Albert graduated from Bel Air High School (Bel Air, Maryland) in 1960. Following graduation, he enlisted in the US Air Force and subsequently had careers in law enforcement and with the US Postal Service. In the mid-1970s he was awarded Police Officer of the Year by the Town of Bel Air Police Department; he later worked for the Chessie System in railroad security. He received a bachelor’s degree from Towson University in 1976.

In the late 1980s, he left law enforcement to work for the US Postal Service in Bel Air. While he was employed there, he transitioned to living as Colleen, more than 25 years before Caitlyn Jenner graced the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. This change quite possibly made Colleen a transgender trailblazer.

Colleen left Maryland for Norfolk, Virginia, in the early 1990s; there, she met her second spouse, Raymond Fremont. Following retirement from the US Postal Service, Colleen briefly worked as a docent in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

Colleen and Ray enjoyed traveling cross-country by recreational vehicle, especially to Key West, Florida. Eventually they relocated to Lewes, where they were members of Midway Baptist Church. Following the death of her husband, Colleen moved to Hampton, Virginia, where she was a member of First Christian Church in Hampton, before returning to Delaware.

Colleen was predeceased by her parents, Frederick C. Lynch and Helen Lynch Rabasa; her brother, Frederick W. McD. Lynch; and her sister, Helen Lynch Lehrmann.

She is survived by her former wife from her first marriage; her son, Sean E. W. Lynch; another son; one grandchild; her brother, Urban H.D. Lynch; her niece, Mary Keithley; and five nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health. ▼

elvin (Mel) Wallace Weller passed away on June 25, 2022, at his home in Dover, Delaware, with his loving wife, Linda Lee, at his side. Mel was a native Delawarean; he resided in Hartley, Delaware until 1970, when he moved with his parents to Dover. In 1973, he met Linda Lee; they were married on November 14, 1981.

Mel was passionate about his work at the Delaware Department of Transportation, where he was the fiscal manager of the real estate unit for 31.5 years. He was given proclamations from Delaware’s Governor, Senate, and House of Representatives for his service to the State of Delaware.

After his retirement from state employment, Mel worked at Cedar Chase Apartments for several years. He also served as caregiver to his parents, Elwood W. and Frances M. Weller, for many years, taking both into his home.

When not in Dover, Mel lived at the family’s beach residence in Rehoboth Beach. He enjoyed watching the ocean and walking the Rehoboth Boardwalk every day.

Mel was deeply involved with the Delaware Hospice’s Festival of Trees program, the American Cancer Society’s Heart Ball, the Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization, and CAMP Rehoboth.

Mel is survived by his wife of 41 years, Linda Lee Moran Weller; his sister, Joyce Marie (Delmar) Dudasik; brother-in-law, Lee C. (Julie Ann) Moran; Sharon Moran and Michael Behm; and several extended family.

A Celebration of Life will be planned at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, Linda suggests memorial donations to the Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization, in care of: Mrs. Mary Debus, 111 Lakeside Drive, Middletown, Delaware 19709; or CAMP Rehoboth, 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 19971. Designate: Melvin (Mel) W. Weller memorial donation. ▼

C

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M

rehoboth museum ad 28-02_Layout 1 3/30/2018 2:11 PM Page 1

Delaware Hospice provides more than in-home hospice services.

MORE THAN HOSPICE

Whether it’s palliative care, children’s care or bereavement services you are looking for, we have you covered.

delawarehospice.org 302.683.8948 JULY 29, 2022

107 Letters

Fourth-Page-V

CROSSWORD PUZZLE SOLUTION (puzzle on page 82)

windsor's 28-02_windsor's 14-15.qxd 3/30/2018 2:26 PM Page 1

“WHERE FLOWERS SPEAK A BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE” FLORIST SHOP • GREENHOUSES 20326 Coastal Highway • Rehoboth Beach, DE (Next to Arena’s Café)

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July 26, 2019 Volume 29, Number 10 campreho both.com

SUNFESTIVAL VOLUNTEERS As SUNFESTIVAL approaches, join us to plan for the extravaganza! Teams include sponsorships, auction, registration, SUNFESTIVAL 5K, decor, and more.

CAMPSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHERS Shoot CAMPshots for Letters! Use your camera or iPhone, or the CAMP Rehoboth office camera. More guidelines will be shared with volunteers.

LETTERS DISTRIBUTION TEAM Help distribute Letters to our various drop-boxs around Rehoboth and/or Lewes, independently, on your own schedule. Must be able to carry heavy magazine stacks, re-load drop-boxes, and report discarded materials.

YOUR NAME

SOCIAL MEDIA VOLUNTEERS

PARTNER’S NAME ( IF APPLICABLE)

Tech savvy? We are looking for volunteers who love to work independently, at their own schedule, and help bolster CAMP Rehoboth’s social media profile. Take charge of posting and scheduling CAMPShots to our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. Must have some social media experience.

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Send your check for $40 to CAMP Rehoboth, 37 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971. If you prefer to use your Visa, MasterCard or American Express call 302-227-5620.

Your volunteer efforts benefit you and others.

Please visit camprehoboth.com/volunteers to register as a volunteer and to sign up for available opportunities.

thank you ARTS TEAM

Logan Farro Jane Knaus Lois Powell Leslie Sinclair Patricia Stiles Debbie Woods CAMP COMMUNITY CENTER

Glenn Lash Natalie Moss Jim Schmidt Sandra Skidmore Alan Spiegelman

CAMP MAINTENANCE

Eric Korpon

CAMPCIERGES

Joe Benshelter Barbara Breault Kenneth Currier Lynn Eisner Ron Gluck Emily Lemaster Jim Mease Kim Nelson Patricia Stiles

Russell Stiles Kathy Solano Joe Vescio

CAMPSHOTS PHOTO VOLUNTEERS

Tony Burns Laura Reitman

CHORUS LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE

Matt Brown Bill Fuchs Dianna Johnston Dave Minges Judy Olsen Dave Scuccimarra Sandra Skidmore CONDOM STUFFING PARTY

Barbara Breault Mark Eubanks Jim Mease Doug Sellers

CROP AT THE FOOD BANK

Deb Carroll Richard Dietz Kristine Evenson

Robert Grant Todd Hacker Natalie Hardcastle Daphne Kaplan Beverly Miller Lorraine Stanish

to all the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center volunteers for the period: June 24-July 15, 2022

LETTERS DISTRIBUTION TEAM

Joe Benshetler Todd Hacker Kathy Solano

LETTERS MAILING TEAM

Leslie Calman Kate Cauley David Garrett John Roane Leslie Sinclair

Nancy Hewish Grant Kingswell Vicki Martina Stephen Palmer Russell Stiles Linda Yingst

HANDMADE MARKET

MEMBERSHIP TEAM

GRANTS COMMITTEE

Bob Croker Jordan Crump Mark Eubanks Tom Ketterman Michelle Manfredi Jim Mease Glenn Nash Doug Sellers

LETTERS ARCHIVIST

Ronald Dempsey

Jane Blue David Carder Ann Evans

SUNFESTIVAL COMMITTEE

Karen Anderson Chris Beagle Pat Catanzariti Roxy Castillo Mark Charon Bruce Clayton Wes Combs Lorne Crawford Lewis Dawley

Mike DeFlavia Traci Denton Andrew Dottermusch Brenda Dunn Eric Engelhart Michael Fetchko Michael Fishman Monica Fleischmann Fran Grote Rich Grote John Hackett Kelley Harp Mark Hunker Jon Kaplan Denise Karas Jeff Kesler Kip Kunsman Craig Klasic Joey Kwit Michelle Mobley Natalie Moss

Rodger Peeples Keith Petrack Teri Seaton Gary Seiden Hannah Simone Leslie Sinclair Sandra Skidmore Kim Smitas Bea Vuocolo Debbie Woods VOLUNTEER DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Chris Beagle Karen Laitman Jim Mease Rina Pellegrini Leslie Sinclair John Michael Sophos Debbie Woods

JULY 29, 2022

109 Letters

AD INDEX AG Renovations........................................................ 102 AIDS Walk Delaware................................................... 27 All Saints Church........................................................ 53 Apothecanna LLC....................................................... 28 Aqua Bar & Grill.......................................................... 45 Atlantic Jewelry.......................................................... 31 Beebe Healthcare...................................................... 17 Beebe Healthcare Career Opportunities................... 86 Biggs Museum............................................................ 71 Brandywine Urology Consultants............................... 19 Brandywine Valley SPCA............................................ 29 Bras For A Cause........................................................ 23 bsd.............................................................................. 85 Café Azafrán............................................................... 81 CAMP Rehoboth Block Party Save The Date.............. 41 CAMP Rehoboth Letters Subscription...................... 109 CAMP Rehoboth Premier Sponsors........................... 14 CAMP Rehoboth SUNFESTIVAL........................ 9, 11, 12 CAMP Rehoboth SUNFESTIVAL 5k............................. 13 Caroline Huff, Artist.................................................... 21 Chesapeake & Maine, Dogfish Head....................... 101 Children’s Beach House ............................................ 37 Chris Beagle Group, Realtors..................................... 21 Clear Space Theatre................................................... 95 Coho’s Market & Grill.................................................. 35 Country Lawn Care................................................... 110 County Bank............................................................... 81 Delaware Community Foundation........................... 105 Delaware Hospice.................................................... 107 Delaware Humane Association.................................. 90

Letters 110 JULY 29, 2022

Delaware Stonewall PAC...............................................7 Diego’s Bar Nightclub....................................65, 66, 67 Donna Whiteside, Realtor.......................................... 16 Fifth Avenue Jewelers................................................ 53 Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant..................... 59, 111 Gay Women’s Meet Up .............................................. 28 go fish go brit............................................................. 39 God’s Greyts Senior Greyhounds............................... 28 Hugh Fuller, Realtor.................................................... 54 Immanuel Shelter....................................................... 90 Jack Lingo, Real Estate.............................................. 98 Jenn Harpel, Morgan Stanley..................................... 25 Jolly Trolley.............................................................. 102 Just In Thyme Restaurant........................................... 43 Lana Warfield, Realtor................................................ 81 Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, Realtors............................ 77 LifeMed Institute........................................................ 47 Lori’s Café.................................................................. 87 Loves Liquors............................................................. 35 Maplewood Dental Associates................................. 108 McWilliams Ballard Real Estate.................................. 49 MERR Institute............................................................ 76 Milton Theatre............................................................ 93 Nassau Valley Vineyards............................................ 82 New Wave Spas........................................................ 102 Olivia Travel................................................................ 15 Personalized Graphics............................................... 80 Port 251 Aperitivo Bar & Restaurant.......................... 89 Purple Parrot.............................................................. 55 PWW Law.................................................................... 97

Randy Mason/Shirley Kalvinsky, Realtors.................. 25 Rehoboth Art League................................................. 76 Rehoboth Beach Bears............................................. 103 Rehoboth Beach Dental............................................. 39 Rehoboth Beach Museum........................................ 107 Rehoboth Guest House.............................................. 81 Reiki CENTRAL............................................................ 25 Rigby’s Bar & Grill....................................................... 79 Saved Souls Animal Rescue....................................... 90 Sea Bova Associates, Realtors................................. 112 Seaglass at Rehoboth Beach..................................... 87 Springpoint Choice..................................................... 91 State Farm - George Bunting..................................... 28 State Farm - Jeanine O’Donnell/Eric Blondin............. 43 Sussex Family YMCA.................................................. 76 The Lodge at Truitt Homestead.................................. 53 The Pines.................................................................... 51 Time to Heal Counseling & Consulting...................... 70 Towers Comedy Festival............................................ 75 Troy Roberts, Realtor.................................................. 43 True Blue Jazz............................................................ 83 Unfinished Business................................................. 102 Village Volunteers...................................................... 46 Volunteer Opportunities........................................... 109 Volunteer Thank You................................................ 109 Westminster Presbyterian Church............................ 107 Windsor’s Flowers.................................................... 108 Zane Jones, Realtor................................................... 39

FOOD // DRINKS // FUN

JULY 29, 2022

111 Letters

LINDA BOVA

BRIDGET BAUER

BROKER-ABR®

ASSOC. BROKER-REALTOR®

CELL

CELL

302-542-4197

302-245-0577

HOLLY OAK - Lewes. New Construction – Expected Delivery in August. 3BR/2BA home is a 1,506 sq. ft. one-level rancher w/oversized 2-car garage. Open concept floor plan. Great room opens to the kitchen and dining area. There is also a sliding glass door out to the big 12’x16’ deck.

Main bedroom suite has a walk-in closet & elegant bath with a 5’x4’ tiled “curbless” shower. Split bedroom plan with a tub/shower in 2nd bath.

Bamboo floors. Stainless steel kitchen appliances.

W&D included. Low HOA. $449,900 (2021958)

*A/C

ONE VIRGINIA AVENUE – Rehoboth Beach. Third-floor 3BR/2BA condo features ocean views from two balconies. It also fronts the new stainless-steel community pool & sundeck. This condo has approx. 1,400 sq. ft. of interior living space. It includes a living room, dining room, kitchen, office, laundry room, en suite main bedroom, 2 more bedrooms & another full bath. Dues are $1,525/mt. & include water, sewer, heat/AC, 2 parking spaces, storage & more. Approx. rental for similar units is $4,500/week in season. $1,300,000 (2024456)

REHOBOTH BAY - Rehoboth.

Waterview of White Oak Creek out to the Bay. 1986 3BR/2BA w/VinylTech porch.

Part Furn. Pool. Marina. 6.5 miles to beach. $150,000 (2016730) Lot Rent $750/mt.

*A/C

2022 Seasonal Lot Rent $5,290

Lot Rent $810/mt.

WEBBS LANDING - Lewes. 6BR/5BA home is +3,300 sq. ft. with an In-Law Suite at the rear, a 2-bed/1-bath unit upstairs, an en suite bedroom off of the family room, plus a 1st-floor main suite with a large bath with soaking tub & shower, plus another 1st-floor bedroom next to the full bath in the hall. Living room opens to the kitchen. Family room has a wood-burning fireplace & dining area. All of this on a 1-acre parcel with its own basketball court.

Community pier on Love Creek. HOA just $200/yr. $649,000 (2019326)

CEDAR BAY – Ocean View.

2006 2BR/2BA 2nd-floor condo in elevator building.

Gas FP. Laminate floors, New KitchenAid appliances.

Pool & 3 miles to beach. $289,900 (2024352)

WEST BAY PARK - Lewes.

2014 2BR/1BA Keystone Outback is 8’x32’ w/2 tip-outs.

Marina community w/pool & more. 10 miles to Rehoboth boardwalk. $34,500 (NEW)

CAMELOT MEADOWS Rehoboth. Adorable 1972 2BR/1BA w/3-season porch.

Update kitchen & bath. 3.5 miles to beach. Community pool. $ Call for Price $ (NEW)

SILVER VIEW FARM Rehoboth. 1997 3BR/2BA home is a 14’x70’ on a corner lot. Vaulted ceilings. Big deck & shed. Part furnished. Pool & 3 miles to beach. $120,000 (2021962) Lot Rent $604/mt.

*A/C

CAPTAINS GRANT - Millsboro.

1987 3BR/2BA home is on a 1/3-acre lot w/fenced yard.

Bring your boat or RV. 15 miles to the RB boardwalk & nearby Indian River boat clubs. $269,000 (2024242)

HUNTERS MILL - Milton.

1994 3BR/2BA + bonus room.

Cape Cod-style home. 0.52 ac. Fenced backyard. 2 decks & shed. 9 miles to Lewes beach & 12 miles to the boardwalk. $420,000 (2024852)

20250 Coastal Highway - Suite 3, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971  302-227-1222 office www.SEABOVA.com 

EMAIL

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Office Independently Owned & Operated by SBA, Inc. Prices, promotions & availability subject to change without notice. * “A/C” Active/Under Contract -- Accepting Back-Up Offers