Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 32, No. 11

inside

de los Muertos

Walking Meditation

The Writing Life

CAMPshots

Visiting View

Be a Sport!

Orgullo Delaware

Dining Out

Celebrity Interview

Historical Headliners

CAMP

Solid

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.

EDITOR Marj Shannon

EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE Matty Brown

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Mary Beth Ramsey

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Tricia Massella DISTRIBUTION Mark Wolf

CONTRIBUTORS: Ann Aptaker, Rich Barnett, Stephanie Belinske, Matty Brown, Ed Castelli, Pattie Cinelli, Wes Combs, Michael Cook, Robert Dominic, Clarence Fluker, Michael Thomas Ford, David Garrett, Michael Gilles, Jon Adler Kaplan, Tom Kelch, Tricia Massella, Brent Mundt, Rachel Orga, Eric Peterson, Mary Beth Ramsey, Richard Rosendall, Romeo San Vicente, Terri Schlichenmeyer, Marj Shannon, Beth Shockley, Mary Jo Tarallo, Barbara Valletto, Eric Wahl, Doug Yetter

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.

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.

PRESIDENT Wesley Combs

PRESIDENT Leslie Ledogar SECRETARY Mike DeFlavia TREASURER Bea Vuocolo

AT-LARGE DIRECTORS

Chris Beagle, Jane Blue, Pat Catanzariti, Lisa Evans (non-voting), David Garrett, Natalie Moss, Tara Sheldon, Leslie Sinclair, and Jason D. White

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.

From the Editor

BY MARJ SHANNON, EDITOR

And, just like that—it’s fall! I enjoy many aspects of the season—the cool er temps, the changing leaves, the reduced traffic. The shorter days— well, not so much. Happily, this month—and those upcoming—have lots of celebrations and events to carry all of us (me especially) through till the days begin to lengthen once again.

Some of those celebrations and events come straight from CAMP Rehoboth: Block Party, anyone? It’s about to kick-off just as this issue hits the streets, after a few years of COVID- or weather-related cancellations. (I’d have my fingers crossed for this year’s success as I write this, two weeks in advance of the event, if I could do that and still type….)

Soon thereafter, on October 21, CAMP Rehoboth and Orgullo Delaware (learn more about Orgullo in Matty Brown’s feature) will partner to present the Delaware Shakespeare Community Tour’s free performance of the new Spanglish musical, Twelfth Night, O Lo Que Quieras, in the Elkins-Archibald Atrium. More info and registration at camprehoboth.com.

And, on November 1, CAMP Rehoboth and PFLAG-Rehoboth will co-sponsor an ACLU Delaware special event at Lewes Library. (See David Garrett’s Straight Talk for details.) The event promises an evening of informative presentations likely to appeal (as David notes) to “…everyone who values free speech, equal protection, LGBTQ rights, or the democratic potential of our school system.”

CAMP Rehoboth’s Golf League recently wrapped up play for the season; Mary Jo Tarallo brings us highlights (and lots of photos) in Be a Sport! Looking for a way to keep active in the off-season? Jon Adler Kaplan suggests Pilates, and Pattie Cinelli describes the rewards of a walking meditation.

Late-October brings Halloween, and our writers offer up some seasonal fare: Eric Wahl’s gardening column features poisonous plants, Brent Mundt recounts the horrors (and delights) of a Halloween costume fail, and Richard Rosendall gives us a tale from the crypt—well, okay, a cemetery.

Come November 1-2, many celebrate Día de los Muertos. Learn more about this festive occasion in a feature by new contributor Rachel Orga.

Meanwhile, Michael Gilles savors the gustatory delights of Red, White and Basil; Ed Castelli offers a recipe for an easy, hearty soup; and Rich Barnett suggests a libation to warm these fall evenings. On the entertainment front, Eric Peterson responds to the hoopla surrounding the latest Little Mermaid, Robert Dominic joyously anticipates seeing Bros, Michael Cook interviews Shangela (Dancing with the Stars), and Barbara Valletto introduces us to her new book, A Belief in Her.

I think I see a good season ahead, short days notwithstanding: things to do, places to go, people to meet, and tasty comestibles. Happy fall! ▼

CAMP Block Party this Weekend!

JOIN US THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 11 a.m.-4:00 p.m., for one of CAMP Rehoboth’s biggest events of the year: the annual Block Party. The event makes its grand return after a few years lost to the pandemic and weather. Filling the second block of Baltimore Avenue will be dozens of vendors, from artisans and craftspeople to delicious food makers and local businesses. Plus, entertainment, including the CAMP Rehoboth Chorus ensemble, will take to the stage in front of the CAMP Rehoboth Courtyard. See camprehoboth.com for more details, and don’t miss the return of this incredible event! ▼

“Easy As Pie” Fundraiser Is Back

Second hMPVX Vaccine Clinic Held

OnSeptember 20, CAMP Rehoboth hosted a second-dose clinic for 200 hMPVX (monkeypox) vaccine appointments. Teaming up with the Division of Public Health (DPH), this vaccine clinic came four weeks after the first-dose clinic on August 23. The vaccine becomes fully effective two weeks after the second dose.

More vaccines are available through Beebe Healthcare (check beebehealthcare.org/online-scheduling), or call the DPH Public Hotline at 866-408-1899, operational Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Questions may also be emailed to DPHCall@delaware.gov. ▼

Partnering to Present All Man Film

CAMP Rehoboth is partnering with the Rehoboth Beach Film Society to present a movie on Wednesday, November 9, at 11:00 a.m., at the Cinema Art Theater. The film, All Man: The International Male Story, is a nostalgic and colorful peek behind the pages and personalities of International Male, one of the most ubiquitous and sought-after mailorder catalogs of the '80s and '90s.

The post-party reception, sponsored by CAMP Rehoboth, will begin at 12:30 p.m. See camprehoboth.com for more details and information, and for a link to purchase tickets. ▼

Delaware

HIV Consortium’s annual “Easy as Pie” fundraiser is back, and CAMP Rehoboth is proud to be a site for pie pickups leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. The fundraiser directly benefits programs statewide for the Delaware HIV Consortium and the Ministry of Caring.

On Tuesday, November 22, pies will be available for pick up at CAMP Rehoboth’s office. Donations both yield a delicious Thanksgiving pie or cake for the donor and help to provide vital services to Delawareans infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, including food, housing, medication co-pays, and financial assistance. The fundraiser is organized and available online at delawarehiv.org. Or, see camprehoboth.com for more information. ▼

The Lodge at Truitt Homestead Presents $10,500 to CAMP Rehoboth

In mid-September, The Lodge at Truitt Homestead representatives presented $10,531 to CAMP Rehoboth. In June, the Lodge at Truitt Homestead celebrated its second annual Summer Solstice, a social gathering for community members and a fundraiser to support CAMP Rehoboth’s key programming. Check presentation attendees include (l-r) Kristin Kraus, Suzette Chambers, Tori Lyter, Bill Blakely, Lisa Evans, Laurie Johnson, Pat Catanzaniti, Kaitlin Labadie, and Yvonne Frankis.

CAMP Rehoboth thanks The Lodge at Truitt Homestead for their continued support! ▼

Firefly Music Festival Celebrates Pride

From September 23-25, CAMP Rehoboth’s Young Professionals Group celebrated Pride at Firefly Music Festival. Last year, Firefly introduced The Good Hub, a section of the festival devoted to bringing local non-profits’ missions to festival-goers. CAMP Rehoboth was ecstatic to be present both years, bringing visibility and representation for the LGBTQ+ community.

In its second year, the Good Hub expanded with even more nonprofits, including Headcount, Planned Parenthood, and the Brandywine SPCA. Those stopping at CAMP Rehoboth’s booth were happy to receive giveaways like stickers, bracelets, condom keychains, LGBTQ pride flags, and rainbow/trans flag-colored body paint. On Sunday, September 25, CAMP Rehoboth walked Firefly’s Pride Parade—the only Pride in any major music festival—along with stilt-walkers, a brass band, and drag queens led by RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14’s Jasmine Kennedie. Kennedie also performed at multiple brunches and bingo events during the festival. Volunteers from CAMP Rehoboth’s Young Professionals Group held up giant letters to spell P-R-I-D-E.  ▼ Pictured (clockwise, from upper left): CAMP Rehoboth in the Pride parade; parade stiltwalkers; CAMP’s Amber Lee; Charlie, who stopped by the CAMP Rehoboth booth to craft a bracelet spelling out “unashamed”; CAMP’s Matty Brown.

Delaware Historical Society Teams with CAMP Rehoboth

CAMP

Rehoboth is teaming up with the Delaware Historical Society (DHS) on an educator resource to teach LGBTQ+ history in schools. This results from the Delaware General Assembly House Concurrent Resolution 90, which passed in the summer. The resolution, according to its synopsis, “encourages the Department of Education, in consultation with key stakeholders, to identify age-appropriate lessons for students in grades 7-12 related to LGBTQ+ history by the start of 2024-25 school year. It also encourages the Department of Education to survey school districts and charter schools regarding the utilization of related materials and short lessons by the end of the 2024-25 school year.”

Work on the educator resource is underway. Plans include offering basic terminology and key vocabulary relevant to the LGBTQ+ community, and using exercises from past and present issues of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth in primary source analysis activities. As the oldest LGBTQ+ publication in Delaware, Letters is proud to work with the DHS on this vital project. ▼

AIDS Walk Delaware Recap

With the theme of “Step Up, Step Out,” AIDS Walk Del aware boasted two simultaneous walks (one in Wilmington and one in Rehoboth Beach) on September 17, bringing out dozens of walkers to show solidarity and awareness for those living with HIV/ AIDS in the state. In the Rehoboth Beach walk, partici pants started in Grove Park and walked along the main avenue, cutting across First Street to reach the drag queen water station (hosted by Rehoboth’s own Roxy Overbrooke) and laid roses along Lake Gerar to pay tribute to those lost to the virus. They then walked back through Henlopen Avenue.

The event surpassed its fundraising goal, reaching over $100,000. CAMP Rehoboth’s team raised over $1,600, with half of that returning to the CAMPsafe program, which will continue to provide essential HIV testing resources and safe sex education and promotion. ▼

President’s View

BY WESLEY COMBS

CAMP Rehoboth Is the Heart of the Community

Despite having been a part of the Rehoboth community since the launch of CAMP Rehoboth, there are still so many people I have not met who share a deep passion for the organization fondly known as the heart of the community.

As I have shared in the past, when my husband Greg and I began dat ing in the summer of 1989, he was in Murray Archibald’s and Steve Elkin’s beach house. Before long, I came to know many of their family members and friends from across the sexual orienta tion, geographic, gender, and political spectrums. They included Sondra Arkin, Mary Beth Ramsey, Steve Hayes, Tony Burns, Joyce Felton, Natalie Moss, Fay Jacobs, and so many more.

Everyone had a few things in common: a love for Rehoboth Beach, admiration for Murray and Steve, and a shared belief in their vision for CAMP Rehoboth. The next summer Greg and I joined a different beach house which made it difficult to stay as closely connected to the growing number of people who became part of the CAMP Rehoboth extended family.

unteers served as brand ambassadors for CAMP Rehoboth. CAMP Chorus and the collective effort of its 100+ member community are a perfect example: their concerts bring a wide swath of the local community together through the power of song and introduce CAMP Rehoboth to some in the audience for the first time.

Volunteering at Women’s FEST this year also gave me a crash course in the role women played in creating a more positive Rehoboth. This amazing event was created because women in our community knew attracting more women required offering programs tailored to their needs. In other words, if you build it, they will come. And were they right!

If you need more proof, just ask women who have participated in CAMP Rehoboth’s Golf League for more than a dozen years. Reaction to the untimely passing of beloved CAMP Rehoboth volunteer Evelyn (Evie) Simmons helped fill in the blanks for me.

Evie and her life partner Barbara (Barb) Thompson bought a home in Rehoboth back in 1993 and retired full time in 2003. Evie’s passion for golf was a driving force behind CAMP Rehoboth’s Golf League and for more than a dozen years she and Barb not only ran the League but coordinated the Women’s FEST golf outing.

TRANSITION

The Board of Directors committed to keeping its stakeholders updated on progress related to the ongoing leadership transition process. I am pleased to report that the Board voted to approve the Governance Commit tee’s recommendation to engage MMP Associates to lead CAMP Rehoboth’s strategic planning process at its Sep tember 27 meeting. A comprehensive search for a vendor with experience developing a strategic plan for an organization that was simultaneously searching for a new Executive Director generated four proposals. Two finalists were interviewed, and MMP Associates was selected because of their proven experience working with organizations in transition like CAMP Rehoboth. MMP Associates has 28 years of experience specializing in non-profit board devel opment, strategic planning, organiza tional development, and leadership effectiveness.

Over the years and as CAMP Reho both’s footprint expanded, I became ac quainted with community members who volunteered for programs or activities less familiar to me. However, it was not until I joined the board in August 2019 that I truly understood how committed these volunteers were to helping CAMP Rehoboth achieve its mission.

When I assumed the role of Board Vice-President in January 2021, thenBoard President Chris Beagle made it his priority to ensure I understood this rich history and how these dedicated vol

CAMP Rehoboth Board Vice-Presi dent Leslie Ledogar volunteered as an usher at Evie’s memorial service where loved ones shared stories about Evie’s impact on them, and her commitment to CAMP Rehoboth and the broader com munity. While she did not know Evie well, it was abundantly clear to Leslie that Evie personified what being the heart of the community was all about. It warmed her heart knowing Murray and Steve’s vision was alive and well.

Based on feedback received from both finalists, the committee also rec ommended modifying the steps in the transition process previously outlined in my May 13 and July 8 columns. At that time, the Board believed complet ing the strategic plan prior to beginning the executive director search was necessary given demographic shifts in the area since 2019 and how COVID impacted how and what services CAMP delivered. But in the finalists’ experi ence, new executive directors are hired not only to execute an operational plan but also to help shape the future direc tion of the organization.

For this reason, and recognizing the importance of a new leader being in place prior to the start of our busy season in April 2023, the Board will commence the search for CAMP Rehoboth’s next executive director in the coming weeks.

Wesley Combs is CAMP Rehoboth Board President.

other words, if you build it, they will come.

TOSS THAT PUMPKIN

Jack-O’-Lanterns: Not Just for Kids

Ican’t remember the last time I carved a pumpkin for Halloween. What I do remember is that it was a family event.

It was a ritual that we performed right before Halloween.

The chosen pumpkin sat on our kitch en table where, under adult supervision, I carefully drew a creepy face onto its surface. My mom, aunt, and I would then huddle around my father, outside, while he methodically chopped off the top and carved the spooky face, creating a jacko’-lantern.

The decapitated pumpkin returned inside to be cleaned out. The seeds were sorted and washed and sometimes even roasted. The innards were trashed. A candle placed inside was lit on Hallow een night and carefully watched so no trick-or-treaters’ costumes caught fire. Once the jack-o’-lantern began to rot my parents tossed it into the trash.

As an adult living on Capitol Hill, carv ing a pumpkin never seemed worth the effort. My neighbors who did perform the ritual usually had kids. They often found that when they left their jack-o’-lanterns on their front porches, they were either smashed by neighborhood teens, or disfigured by squirrels—or worse, by rats, who took unsightly chunks out of the carved faces.

This year a story on my newsfeed caught my eye—the various uses for leftover pumpkins. One especially appealed to me: it can be a tasty treat for wildlife.

My backyard is adjacent to woods where I’ve seen deer, squirrels, rab bits, and foxes. It’s a perfect location for leftover pumpkin. You can also add into the jack-o’-lantern an assortment of fruits and vegetables such as carrots and apples.

Don’t want to attract critters around your house? You can donate your pump kins to local farms where animals can enjoy the vegetable as a snack.

And don’t be quick to toss the pumpkin innards. You can roast and eat pumpkin seeds or, if you are like me and think that’s way too much trouble for too little return, then you can share them with birds. Larger wild birds like blue jays love pumpkin seeds. Roast them (without seasoning or salt) then either put them in a bird feeder or just sprinkle on the ground.

Another great idea is to turn your pumpkin into a bird feeder. Cut off the top half of the pumpkin and fill the bot tom half with birdseed. Place outside for the birds to enjoy.

If you like to cook or bake, recipes that require pumpkin, from soup to breads, abound.

Carving pumpkins has been a part of Halloween for as long as I can remember. I wondered, “Where did this odd tradition originate?”

According to History.com, the Irish are credited with being the first to chisel creepy faces onto turnips and large pota toes. The practice is said to date back

The name jack-o’-lan tern comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack. According to the sto ry, Stingy Jack invit ed the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could

BY PATTIE CINELLI

use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross which prevented the Devil from changing

Larger wild birds like blue jays love pumpkin seeds.

back into his original form.

Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil couldn’t come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for 10 more years.

According to legend, when Jack died God would not allow him into heaven nor would the Devil allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put his coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish referred to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern.” It became, “Jack-o’Lantern.”

Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, home of the pumpkin, and it became an integral part of Halloween festivities. ▼

Pattie Cinelli is a writer who will be purchasing a pumpkin for the first time in decades, attempt ing to carve a scary face, roasting seeds for her birds, and after Halloween putting the remnants (what the squirrels don’t eat on her porch) into the woods behind her house so she can watch the deer and other wildlife enjoy it.

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CROP Cleans Up!

On

Saturday, September 17, 14

CROP volunteers joined nine other groups to participate in DN REC’s 35th annual Coastal Cleanup of downtown Rehoboth’s beach. And CROP had the largest team! Every one scoured the beach from one end of the boardwalk to the other, picking up trash—even just small bits of de bris. Their diligence was admirable— and most appreciated. Everyone’s work resulted in many bags—holding 41 pounds—of trash collected.

Thanks to CROP Team Leaders Debbie Woods and Leslie Sinclair for volunteering as DNREC Site Co-Cap tains for a second year. ▼

5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche

From September 29 - Oc tober 1, CAMP Rehoboth Theatre Company hosted three sold-out performanc es of 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche. Directed by Russell Stiles, the absurdist comedy had audiences roaring with laughter. The play invited engagement with audience members, each of whom wore pre-designated name tags that allowed partici pation in various of the show’s bits. Perhaps the biggest bit of all saw Scott Beadle, known locally as Regina Cox, taking to the front row as a planted audience member, riffing dialogue with the rambunctious cast. ▼

Pictured: Cast members Gwen Osborne, Karen Laitman, Kelly Sheridan, Darcy Vollero, and Shelley Kingsbury take a bow after one of the performances.

Orgullo Delaware Co-presents Shakespeare Spanglish Musical

On October 21, the Delaware Shakespeare Community Tour will bring a free production of the new Spanglish musical, Twelfth Night, O Lo Que Quieras, to CAMP Rehoboth’s ElkinsArchibald Atrium at 7:00 p.m. CAMP Rehoboth is proud to partner with Orgullo Delaware to present this performance. As the only LGBTQ+ Latinx organization in the state, Orgullo Delaware brings educational, clinical, and social services to its clients and families. (Read more about this budding organization on page 68.) ▼

WANTED Construction/Project Manager

CAMP Rehoboth is looking for a general con tractor to assist with major renovations of CAMP Rehoboth’s facilities at 37-39 Baltimore Avenue. The construction/project manager will assist in drafting work specifications, obtaining bids, and overseeing work. Planned work includes roof, solar panels, outside lighting, window replace ment, new carpeting, and interior painting.

contact Lisa Evans at lisa@campreho both.com if interested. ▼

CROP Packs Backpacks

CAMP Rehoboth Outreach Program (CROP) vol unteers returned to the Food Bank of Delaware in Milford on Tuesday, September 6. This time the team of 10 put together backpacks—a total of 1,920 backpack buddies to go home on weekends with children.

Wow! Many thanks to Todd Hacker for leading the group for a second time.

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The Jury’s In: Your Voice Matters

Iremember the first time I went. My mom was excited because I had come home from college for a few days so that we could go together. She’d done it for years, and finally she was ushering her youngest child into this right of passage. I was using my voice in a way that I couldn’t before. I had turned 18 just a couple months prior and was a newly-minted registered voter.

That was some years ago and while I cannot remember all the candidates and initiatives on the ballot, I do remember feeling like I was doing something important. I was showing up, and by way of my vote, adding my voice to the decision-making process of my local community.

As we approach Election Day 2022, we are all aware of the importance of the outcomes of races in our community and across the nation. The stakes are high. By way of the ballot, we share our opinions on how we treat our most vulnerable, how we approach public safety and justice, how we view privacy, how we educate our children, how we prepare for an uncertain future, and even how we protect and preserve our democracy.

As Americans, we all should have an informed opinion, via education or our valued lived experiences. As Americans we should all make sure that our opinions are respectfully expressed, and our voices are heard on election days—both primary and general. We may not always agree, and sometimes our preferred candidates will lose, or initiatives we support may fail, but we must stay engaged. Our voices matter and an engaged citizenry is key to building and maintaining the society we want to live in.

Beyond our elections process, there is another time when our opinion, perspective, and voice is very important. One that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much, and when it does get brought up, it’s not in the most favorable of

tones. Jury duty. I’ve served on a jury twice for criminal trials. Each time I did it, I had the same feeling that I had when

she was in court. I then thought it might be because she wouldn’t be easily able to get to the courthouse, but that wasn’t the case either because she told me that she could drive there, and several parking garages were nearby. Finally, she admitted that she didn’t want to go because she just found the whole idea of jury duty to be an inconvenience.

I cannot argue that leaving home extra early on election day so that you can make it to the polls before work or having to drop your kids off at school is always convenient. I cannot argue that sitting through voir dire for hours in chairs that may not be the most comfortable in a room with no television or spotty wi-fi is always convenient. However, I will contend that both voting and jury duty are worth it.

Our cities, states, and nation are better when we have participation and hear from a diversity of voices engaged in shaping policy and choosing our policymakers. Juries and their verdicts are made better when they have more diverse representation of age, race, religion, color, sex, ethnicity, and disability. Every vote counts in an election.

my mom and I went to the polls together for the first time. A feeling that I was doing something important that would impact others. Jury duty is not a chore, it is a privilege.

Recently, during a phone conversa tion with a friend, I learned that she’d been called for jury duty. She’d pushed back her date several times and now, she’d not been given another choice to push the date of her service back again. I probed her a bit about her reluctance to go. Initially, I thought she didn’t want to go because she’d miss days from work, but she told me that her employer would still be paying her for the days

Similarly, every vote counts in a deliberation room where the influence of a nuanced voice with different life experiences can impact a verdict that could change the trajectory of someone’s life. From the ballot box to the jury box, embrace the power of your voice. ▼

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.

Dan Dennis

Our voices matter and an engaged citizenry is key to building and maintaining the society we want to live in.

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Firefighters Fundraising

The end of summer saw some successful fundraisers on behalf of the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Department. First, in late August, Aqua Bar and Grill hosted a fundraiser for the RB Volunteer Fire Department. Pictured: Members of the RB Volunteer Fire Department with Aqua Bar & Grill waitstaff, manager Angelo Tabbita, and co-owner Kevin McDuffie.

Then, on September 16, Joe Filipek and Larry Richardson hosted a benefit for the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company that raised $55,000. The funds will go toward a new ladder truck for the department. For $500, each attendee enjoyed a wine tasting and live stringed music. Pictured: Hosts Joe Filipek and Larry Richard son, along with Delaware Representative Steve Smyk, Rehoboth Beach Fire Com pany Chief Chuck Snyder, Delaware Speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf, and Delaware State Senator Ernie Lopez. ▼

MYSTERIES OF HISTORY⊲ Walking tours on October 22 and 29 explore the darker and more unusual history of Lewes. Led by the Delaware Division of His torical and Cultural Affairs’ Zwaanendael Museum, tours leave from the museum at 2:00 p.m. Admission is free, but registration is required. For questions or to register, call 302-645-1148 or email: zmuseum@delaware.gov no later than October 21 (for October 22 tour), or October 28 (for October 29 tour).

17th Annual Beach Ball

The 17th annual Beach Ball benefitted the Rehoboth Beach Museum on Septem ber 10 at Kings Creek Country Club. The night featured a silent auction, raffle ticket sales, music by Junior Wilson, and a live auction with Butch Emmert. Approximate ly $50,000 was raised. ▼

Delaware Coastal Prime Timers Meeting

Alocal

chapter of Prime Timers—a social group for single and coupled gay men—will hold its monthly happy hour on October 25, 4:00-7:00 p.m., at Shrimpy’s Bar and Grill in the Midway Shopping Center on Coastal Highway in Rehoboth Beach.

For those who want to have dinner, it’s Pasta Night, featuring a choice of chicken, beef, or seafood pasta dishes for only $18.

Prime Timers is a fun and welcoming member-driven international social orga nization for single and coupled gay and bisexual men, age 21 and older, with 75 chapters and over 10,000 members.

To find out about upcoming events, send your name and email address to coastalprimetimers@gmail.com. ▼

Community News continued on page 84

OUTlook

The Big Lie

I’ve been addicted to nicotine since I was 13 years old, when I started smoking cigarettes. Well, actually, since I was a fetus, because my mother smoked (and drank) when I was in her womb. It was 1959/60 and if the medical establishment knew about smoking’s bad effects, they weren’t saying yet. I was born underweight and looked like a plucked chicken. No wonder; I needed a nicotine fix. And a drink.…

Growing up, meals were eaten in a smoky haze. The house was always smoky. My mother was a heavy smoker and it eventually killed her—lung cancer at the age of 58. Just a few years younger than I am now. I wasn’t smoking at the time.

I have quit more times than I can count. Sometimes for a couple of months or years—I think I’ve gone as long as seven years once. But inevitably, something happens, and I turn back to nicotine. I say nicotine because it is the addictive substance and that’s what I’m after. The vehicle doesn’t matter. I don’t smoke cigarettes. When the pandemic hit, I started vaping rather than going back to the coffin nails. A little progress, considering the alternative.

Vaping, for me, is better—it doesn’t stink (I use a custard-flavored vape juice), I don’t smell like an ashtray, I don’t get sick with colds, bronchitis, and the like, and I can do it inside. When vaping is not an option, like when I’m away from home, I use a nicotine aerosol. It’s a product made by Nicorette, and is available everywhere except in the US. It’s like breath spray and it’s horrendously expensive.

I didn’t intend to continue vaping, but here I am, with the next Great American Smokeout looming on November 17. It would be a good time to stop, but I can’t say now whether I will. However, I can say I’m moving in that direction.

When I retired this past summer, I started walking again and I recently began taking yoga classes which focus—among other things—on breathing. I am aware of how shallowly I breathe most of the time. Now that I’m aware, I can feel how inhaling smoke promotes this shallow breathing. I’m learning how to breathe the way people are supposed to.

Yes, quitting is incredibly difficult. But after the

BY BETH SHOCKLEY

first three days, nicotine is out of the system. If I can make it to three weeks, I start feeling better. After six months, my lung function has so far returned to normal. I’ve done this a dozen times. I know I can do it again.

So why don’t I? Well, addiction is complicated. It doesn’t listen to reality, the pleas from loved ones, or the knowledge that it will eventually kill you. Addiction is all about right now—this moment. If I can’t think of a word, I’ll hit my vape—and there it is. Addiction lies to me; it says I wouldn’t have thought of that word without it. It tells me it keeps me sharp; it tells me that I need it to function. It is a lie that becomes a deadly habit.

So I’ve learned to stop listening to the lie. For me that means just stopping. Picking a day, committing to it, and following through. Then come, pardon the pun, the “buts.” But my therapist said that maybe I shouldn’t try to make too many lifestyle changes all at once. But I’ll gain weight. But I just bought $200 worth of vape supplies. The buts are just more lies packaged differently.

So I can’t say now whether I’ll actually stop on November 17. It appeals to my rebel nature to do things when other people don’t. If everyone likes a certain movie, book, or new restaurant, I don’t watch the show, or read the book, or go to that restaurant just because they said it was the thing to do. I do things my own way, in my own time. This can be construed as another “but,” however, it is a truth about myself that I know. So I can use it to my advantage and quit November 16. Or November 20. Or tomorrow. Or right now.

The larger truth is to know that I need to just stop, whenever and however I can. Once I let that truth in, the rest is just inconvenience. Yes it is hard, but not that hard. After all, I’ve done it a bunch of times already. One day, one moment, at a time. ▼

Beth Shockley is a retired senior writer/editor living in Dover with her wife and five furbabies.

My mother was a heavy smoker and it eventually killed her— lung cancer at the age of 58. Just a few years younger than I am now.

TRAPPED BY TOBACCO?

+wellness

American Diabetes Month

Candygalore! Soon, the kids will have an abundance of sweets brought home from a night of trick-or-treating. And then there will be all the extra candy leftover from our stash to hand out. It will take all my willpower not to sneak a treat (or two or three) here or there.

I find this time of year so difficult, as so many of us do. We go from one holiday to the next. Thanksgiving is only weeks away, then the holiday season. For us, it’s Christmas then New Year’s Eve then Valentine’s Day. Everywhere I turn for the next four months I’ll be confronted with another temptation— chocolate or cookies or candies or pies! All with enough sugar to send me into a sugar high and only leave me craving more.

Perhaps it’s not an accident that November is American Diabetes Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects how your body turns food into energy.” People living with diabetes do not make enough insulin to allow the sugar from foods into the cells causing sugar to stay in the blood. Having too much blood sugar can cause damage to almost all parts of the body, from the eyes to the feet. According to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFS; an annual survey of a representative sample of Delawareans), 12 percent of Delaware adults reported having diag nosed diabetes in 2021. This prevalence (the percentage of people with diabetes) has been relatively stable over the past decade.

There are groups that have a higher prevalence of diabetes. Adults over the age of 45 are at increased risk. Some racial minority groups are at increased risk, including Black, Hispanic, American Indian, and Alaska Native people.

There is also evidence that diabe tes may be more prevalent among the LGBTQ+ community. One study using the 2014 BRFS showed that gay and bisexual men had an increased odds of diabetes compared to straight men.

However, there were no differences observed among lesbian, bisexual, or straight women. Another study using the Youth Risk Behavior Survey indi cated that LGBTQ+ youth were also at increased risk for developing Type 2 diabetes compared to straight youth.

BY STEPHANIE BELINSKE

For Delawareans living with diabetes, there are a variety of programs available to help manage the condition. One free option offered by the State of Delaware is the Delaware Diabetes Self-Manage ment Program (DSMP). This is a sixweek program available to those who are living with diabetes or serving as a caretaker for someone with diabetes.

Nationally-recognized Diabetes Self-management Education and Sup port (DSMES) programs are provided by a healthcare system. Some insurance providers have DSMES as a covered benefit, but this may vary by plan. The Delaware Emergency Medical Diabetes Fund can provide payment for items directly related to diabetes. The total benefit is up to $500 per eligible client per year.

Maintaining a healthy weight is

important in the prevention of many chronic diseases. This is especially true for diabetes. Research has shown that just a five percent weight loss can help to reduce the risk of diabetes. That equates to a 10-pound weight loss for a 200-pound person or 7.5-pound weight loss for a 150-pound person.

Healthy eating and exercising are an important part of preventing the onset of diabetes or preventing complications if you already have diabetes. Healthy eating habits include choosing more non-starchy vegetables, incorporating whole fruits, choosing lean proteins, and embracing whole grains. Avoiding pro cessed foods, sugary drinks, and excess alcohol also is key. Drinking enough water during the day is also a healthy component many of us forget.

Adequate physical activity is also important to maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Finding an activity that you enjoy is the best way to ensure success. For me, it’s dance!

I admit I’m guilty of not always fol lowing all the guidelines to stay healthy and active. It can be overwhelming and challenging to make good choices all the time. However, as I anticipate that plastic pumpkin full of candy, I remind myself that one treat is okay; two (or three)—not so much. Moderating one’s indulgences is key.

I plan to place that pumpkin out of reach of the kids, but also out of my sight. So when I’m tempted to raid the pumpkin and pull out a Twix bar, maybe I’ll grab my water and an apple instead. My blood sugar levels will be healthier for that little bit of self-restraint. ▼

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 the weekly email newsletter. Meetings are in-person and take place at CAMP Rehoboth unless noted otherwise.

Weekly Events

WALK-IN HIV TESTING

Mondays-Fridays

Free, rapid, walk-in HIV testing at CAMP Rehoboth. Get your results in 15 minutes. No appointment needed during the below times. Appointments available for other dates and times.

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

Tuesdays ............. 12:00-4:00 p.m. Wednesdays 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Thursdays............ 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Fridays 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

MORNING MINDFULNESS

Tuesdays 8:00 a.m. (Zoom)

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

CHAIR YOGA

Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. (Zoom)

Erin guides participants to synchronize conscious breath with mindful movement. The sequence of poses is designed to energize and strengthen, as well as relax and lengthen muscles.

MEN’S YOGA

Saturdays 8:45 a.m.

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

Bi-weekly & Monthly Events

WOMEN IN CIRCLE

10/15, 11/5, 11/19, 10:00 a.m. Women in Circle is a gathering of LGBTQ women that meets the first and third Saturday of each month. The circle is a welcoming, inclusive, and positive place to meet, connect, and share with other women.

MEN’S DISCUSSION GROUP

10/26, 11/9, 7:00 p.m.

The Men’s Discussion Group typically meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. The group is a safe and nurturing space for GBTQ men to start conversations important to our community. Interested in leading this group? Contact amber@ camprehoboth.com.

YOUTHUP MONTHLY SOCIAL

10/21, 6:30 p.m.

The YouthUp Monthly Social takes place on the third Friday of each month from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This event is designed specifically for 11to 19-year-old LGBTQ+ youth. Email youthup@camprehoboth.com for location or other information.

YOUTHUP MONTHLY OUTING

Join us for the Parade at Sea Witch on 10/29

The YouthUp Outing occurs each month. This event is designed specif ically for 11- to 19-year-old LGBTQ+ youth. Please email youthup@campre hoboth.com for more information.

YOUTHUP BOOK CLUB

10/25, 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 link, email julian@camprehoboth.com

YOUTHUP DISCUSSION GROUP

10/22, 11/10, 6:30 p.m. (Zoom)

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 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

10/24, 11/14, 6:30 p.m.

Flaming Knitters provides a thoughtful and engaging space for working, conversing, connecting, showing off, sharing resources, and supporting fiber-related crafts/projects in a queerand trans-affirming space. Meets the second and fourth Monday of each month.

COFFEE TALK

10/22, 10:00 a.m.

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

CAMP REHOBOTH BOOK CLUB

10/24, 5:30 p.m. (Zoom)

The 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 matter. ▼

Guest House Chronicles

Burnt Eggs with a Side of Baby

That day will probably remain in my memory for as long as my brain contin ues to function. In last issue’s column I explained that my job requires many dif ferent hats. This time, instead of wearing my marriage counselor hat, I had to wear my medic and crisis prevention hat. Un fortunately, aside from being CPR- and Heimlich-trained, my medical knowledge is woefully scant.

One thing you can count on always at the Rehoboth Guest House is a really nice and delicious breakfast. I love to cook, have been in the food industry most of my life, and I take deep pride in people’s experience with us. In the summer of 2015, around 6:00 a.m., I was cooking and preparing for our extensive breakfast buffet, just as I did (and still do) almost every day. I was cooking for 30 people and had about three dozen scrambled eggs in a large pot on the stove when I thought I heard someone scream.

I ignored it, but then I heard it again. This time it was followed by what sound ed like an argument. I couldn’t have peo ple fighting with dozens of other people in the house still sleeping. So, I went to see what was going on.

When I got up to the second floor, it became obvious that something had happened in room 22. The door was open, towels were strewn about every where, and a trail of clothing lead to the large full bath at the end of the hallway. I could see the door shut and could hear all kinds of commotion going on behind it. Things like this simply don’t happen here with us. So, I had to intervene.

I knocked on the door and asked if everything was okay. The door opened and the young man staying in room 22 with his wife came out looking very dis turbed. He explained to me that his wife believed she was going into labor, and that he didn’t know what to do.

Apparently, the day before she also thought she was going into labor. In stead of the beach, they spent the entire day at the hospital. The hospital sent

them back with the news that she was mistaken. They explained to her that new feelings in her body could some times be misleading to first-time moms. After all, the baby wasn’t due for another nine weeks. “Hubs” didn’t want to go through this all over again and was try ing to convince his wife they didn’t need to miss another day at the beach.

BY TOM KELCH

At just about the same moment he finished explaining the situation to me, the wife announced that her water had just broken. He opened the door, and she clearly was standing in a puddle. Thankfully, she decided to get in the bathtub. I had no more questions, and immediately called 911.

The fire/police/ambulance stations are just about one block away from our property and they arrived very quickly. The paramedics first attempted to calm her. They explained to her that if her water just broke there was still plenty of time to get her safely to the hospital.

To everyone’s shock, she refused to get out of the bathtub. She became very upset that no one—most especially her husband—was handling the situation the way she felt they should. The para medics and police did a lot negotiating and they brought the stretcher into the bathroom so they could get her to the hospital.

Well, when she saw they were plan ning to put her on that stretcher, she’d finally had enough. In a very loud voice she yelled, “I said, it’s coming out!”

The paramedic took another look, and I could see the color drain from his face. She was right, and they were going to be delivering this baby themselves, right now, in the bathtub.

The husband asked me to confirm he

had heard correctly. I told him, “It seems you are about to become a father.” He promptly fainted and now was lying in the hallway unconscious. So I tended to him, the paramedics and the police being fully occupied with her.

As if it weren’t risky enough being nine weeks early, they soon found that the cord was tangled around the baby’s neck. The paramedics did an incredible job and successfully assisted her with the delivery, but the dangers for mom and baby were not over.

With a helicopter organized to meet them, the paramedics got mom and baby in an ambulance for transport to the pick-up location. The husband was coming around, but not before his wife— and baby—had left. The entire adven ture, from start to finish, took less than an hour.

I looked around at the gigantic mess in the bathroom and felt thankful it all happened in there. Then I took in the scattered room, and hall, and a young man who needed to figure out what the hell just happened.

Then, a very strong smell hit me— smoke! I somehow had forgotten about my eggs on the stove. Nothing was left but a huge block of charcoal in the pan. That day, breakfast was very late, but everybody in the house was very cool about it. Later, we got a call from the husband. The couple had decided to name their daughter Mary, since she was (unexpectedly!) born on Maryland Avenue.

I was very glad everything ended up okay. I reminded them of our house rule: You are welcome to make the kids here, but you can’t bring them back till they are 18! ▼

Tom Kelch is the innkeeper and property manager of the Rehoboth Guest House. He is thrilled to share these stories with Letters’ readers.

In a very loud voice she yelled, “I said, it’s coming out!”

Straight Talk

Know Your Rights, Live Your Rights!

Tuesday evening, November 1, you may want to be at the Lewes Library. Three courageous leaders in advocacy for LGBTQ rights in Delaware and the coun try at large will be making a special pre sentation. These three committed leaders are Mike Brickner, Executive Director of ACLU of Delaware, and Karen Graves and Margaret Nash, co-authors of their new book, Mad Riv er, Marjorie Rowland, and the Quest for LGBTQ Teachers’ Rights.

Margaret is professor emerita at the School of Education at the University of California Riverside, now living in Cleve land, Ohio. Karen is a retired professor in the Department of Education at Den ison University in Granville, Ohio. Both will be present in Lewes to introduce their book.

Few people know about Marjorie Rowland. She was an Ohio guidance counselor who was fired in 1974 for be ing bisexual. A legal case, Marjorie Row land v. Mad River School District, went through the courts up to the Supreme Court. The Justices there declined to hear the case, however. In his dissent, Justice Bren nan laid out riveting arguments for why the First and Fourteenth Amendments apply to bisexuals, gays, and lesbians. His published dissent has been the foundation for LGBTQ civil rights advances since.

Mike Brickner uses the pronouns he/him and is originally from Ohio, where he was involved with the ACLU for 14 years. He has been in Delaware with the ACLU for two and a half years as its Execu tive Director.

Mike shared a story of a traumatic experience that he helped resolve through Ohio’s ACLU. A gay student was beaten up at school and subsequently suspended from school for getting beaten up. This took place in Chillicothe, Ohio, a rural town south of Columbus. ACLU attorneys defended this student in court and were able to secure a fair settlement from the school district.

Here in Delaware, there is no shortage of instances where LGBTQ students face opposition and discrimination in schools. The need for resources and support has never been greater. That is what Mike and ACLU of Delaware are prepared to provide.

The event in Lewes on November 1 is open to the public and will involve a panel discussion on the

BY DAVID GARRETT

Know Your Rights Guide from the ACLU. This guide highlights First Amendment rights that students have but may not understand. Using your preferred pronouns, expressing your true self, having the school district use the name that you choose, and being treated with basic human dignity and respect all derive from First Amendment protection.

Following this panel discussion, Margaret and Karen will share from their book the lessons learned during the early 1970s through the following de cades. These lessons are intended for primary and secondary educators, students, and their families. They are also for everyone who values free speech, equal protection, LGBTQ rights, or the democratic potential of our school system. As presented in their book, Marjorie Rowland’s legal case also invokes First and Fourteenth Amendment issues.

Margaret and Karen focus on key issues in ed ucation. “At the core of citizenship education in the United States is the teacher’s responsibility not only to ensure that students’ rights are protected but also to protect their own constitutional rights…. Edu cational institutions claim a particular responsibility to the notions of free inquiry and debate. When school officials stifle speech and close off debate on LGBTQ issues...they betray the basic principles of academic freedom.”

It is important to emphasize that this event at the Lewes Library will qualify for Continuing Edu cation credit for attorneys (CLE), and for educators and social workers (CEU). It will begin at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 1. CAMP Rehoboth and PFLAG-Rehoboth Beach are proud to co-sponsor this event. Both professionals and students them selves will share common challenges and common goals in education. ▼

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.

Here in Delaware, there is no shortage of instances where LGBTQ students face opposition and discrimination in schools.

5 - 8 P.M.

In-person at Lewes Public Library and virtual via Zoom

Admission is free and open to all.

Professional credit is available for attorneys, social workers, and educators.

REGISTER AT BIT.LY/DELAWARELGBTQ

Join us in celebration of Transgender Awareness Month for a discussion of a landmark LGBTQ+ case, the state of LGBTQ+ rights, and the launch of a Know Your Rights resource.

Hear from a panel of local LGBTQ+ leaders about how this new guide will work to support and educate our community, and take a copy with you to spread the word.

FEATURING

Margaret A. Nash and Karen L. Graves

Authors of Mad River, Marjorie Rowland, and the Quest for LGBTQ Teachers’ Rights.

This book examines a vital U.S. Supreme Court case in which the court's dissent laid out the First and Fourteenth Amendment rights entitled to LGBTQ+ people.

Ain’t I a Mermaid?

Apparently, the woke mafia isn’t slowing down. Not content with canceling actors and comedians who molest women and minors, forcing Hollywood sets to hire intimacy coordinators, or turning our kids into trans activists by listing their pronouns in their corporate e-mail signatures, now they’ve gone too far. Last month, Walt Disney Studios released a trailer for a live-action version of The Little Mermaid, and to the dismay and shock of conservatives everywhere (despite hearing about the casting a year ago), we learned that the titular, fictional, imaginary, mythical, very-much-madeup, not-at-all-real mermaid princess is now Black.

If reading the above paragraph caused your eyes to roll back into your head so far that you could see your brain, you’re not alone. Truth be told, part of me didn’t even want to write this column. It’s obvious to me, and most thinking people, that casting an undeniably talented ac tress and singer named Halle Bailey (who is also Black) to play Ariel in a live-action remake of one of Disney’s most popu lar animated features harms absolutely no one. And yet, as predictable and annoying as this hubbub is, I feel I must respond.

Most of the criticism leveled at Bailey’s casting seems to be based on the idea that Disney is somehow being unfaith ful to the “source material.” When it is pointed out to them that Disney retains ownership and copyright over the 1989 cartoon and can certainly do whatever they like with their own stories, the critics backtrack, and point out that the cartoon was itself based on a story by a Danish writer named Hans Christian Andersen that was published in 1837, and both An dersen and all his characters were most certainly White.

But that argument falls apart fairly quickly when the original story (“Den lille havfrue”) is revisited, and the reader discovers the mermaid’s heartbreak when

the prince marries a human woman, a plot by her mermaid sisters to kill him, and her noble suicide when she refuses to carry it out. Also, there’s no miniature crab with a Jamaican accent, which I feel is a real oversight on Hans’s part. So it’s clear that Disney itself wasn’t overly concerned with “faithfulness to the source material” 33 years ago, and no one was complaining back then. No, this isn’t about an over reach of creative license. It’s about racism.

I could start, I suppose, by noting that the very first mermaid in popular culture was a Babylonian goddess named Atar gatis. Like Ariel, she also wasn’t real—but she probably wasn’t White, either. So there’s that.

ERIC C. PETERSON

I could also respond to the many critics who use formal scientific language when they assert that mermaids wouldn’t get enough sunlight to provoke any significant production of melanin in their skin, and therefore the Little Mermaid must be White. To them, I’d simply note that anyone with human skin who lived in the North Sea off the Danish coast would die of hypothermia before she was ever old enough to trade her voice for a pair of legs. It’s much more likely that mermaids, if they existed, would live much closer to the Equator, and the Jamaican accent of her little crab friend certainly corroborates this theory. Therefore, Rob Marshall really had no choice but to cast a Black actress in the role, because science.

These rejoinders are admittedly fun, but they’re not the reason I defend the right to racial diversity among imagined

creatures of the sea. If you want to know why it’s not only permissible, but praise worthy—even important—to see a Black Little Mermaid in 2022, I’d simply remind you of the famous doll experiment from the 1940s, when researchers Kenneth and Mamie Clark offered young Black children a chance to choose between Black dolls and White dolls. When asked, “which is the pretty doll,” or “which is the nice doll,” they would invariably reach for the White dolls. When asked who the “bad” doll was, they’d point to the Black doll. When asked to choose the doll that was “most like them,” they would often reach for the White doll, or else begin to cry. The kids who participated in the experiment were as young as five and had clearly internal ized harmful attitudes about race from the outside world. As Stephen Sondheim might remind us, children will listen. When the Clarks’ experiment has been re-cre ated, as recently as 2021, the results are distressingly similar.

Then, I’d invite you to fire up your nearest web browser, go to YouTube, and search for “Little Mermaid Reac tions.” There, you’ll see countless home videos of little Black girls watching the teaser trailer for the first time and can witness firsthand their joy when they see someone who looks like them singing a beautiful song about a desire to live and be accepted in a world of her choosing.

If, after all that, it’s still impossible for you to celebrate a talented young woman getting a dream job in a film that little girls all over the country, little White girls included, will surely love, then I’d simply request your silence on the matter. Per haps you could trade your voice for a pair of fins and go jump in a lake.▼

Eric Peterson is a diversity and inclusion practitioner. His first novel (Loyalty, Love & Vermouth) is available online and at Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach. His podcast, The Rewind Project, is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

It’s much more likely that mermaids, if they existed, would live much closer to the Equator…

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journey

It’s My Life

Birthday Boy

Ialmostnever think about my birthday. Even though

I have to rattle it off a hundred times a year when asked by pharmacists, bank tellers, and assorted oth er interrogators, it’s just a string of numbers. I don’t generally think about it as an event.

As it happens, it’s tomorrow, which means by the time you read this, it will be over. And I probably wouldn’t have thought about it this year either except that for the past month Cubby has repeatedly asked me what I want to do to celebrate.

I told him that I would think about it, but I haven’t.

I don’t remember what we did last year. Or the year before that. Or the year before that, which is the first year we were together. I know what we did for his birthday the first year we were together, because I met him only a few days before it occurred. I made him gingerbread bear cookies and we went somewhere for dinner, although I can’t re member where. China Panda, maybe, or pos sibly Gran Ranchero. Apparently, I have birthday amnesia.

Going back 54 years

I can remember only one birthday with any amount of detail. That was the one in 1980, the year I turned 12. I remember I got as gifts from my parents the soundtrack to Xanadu and Linda Ronstadt’s Mad Love album. I also got, from one grandmother, a book about polar bears. From the other grandmother I got a box of beef jerky. My mother made a chocolate mayonnaise cake that was frosted—at my request—with purple and blue stripes.

Maybe I’ve blocked all the other ones out because nothing else could ever compare to the glory of lying on my bed, full of cake, listening to Olivia Newton-John sing about a place where nobody dared to go while gnawing on stick after stick of salty, leathery beef. Or maybe they’ve just all been such dreary affairs that I’ve blocked them out. Surely I did something every year, at least for the first 16 years until I moved out of the house to go to college.

If so, I don’t recall. And I don’t remember a single one since then. My guess is that I simply never did anything. Only a handful of friends even know when my birthday is. My ex-partner never once remembered it in the 10 years we were together, usually getting it

BY MICHAEL THOMAS FORD

confused with the birthdate of his previous partner, which was in the same month but several weeks after mine. After a couple of years of trying to surprise me by remembering, only to discover it had passed, he gave up trying.

Cubby always remembers. So does my sister. Which is great. Or would be if I had any interest in celebrating it. As it is, I feel like I’m disappointing them by not being excited about it.

The obvious explanation of my disinterest is that birthdays are a reminder that I’m getting older. But that’s not it. I’m reminded of that by things like getting progressive lenses at my last eye appointment, and having my doctor cheerfully announce that it’s time for my first colonoscopy next month. My driver’s license needed to be renewed this year, and when I went to do it, the clerk helpfully informed me that the next time I need to renew it, I’ll be eligible for Social Security benefits.

I guess my aversion to celebrating my birthday is that it feels like a dubious achievement. You’ve survived another spin around the sun! Congratulations! Here are some presents to commemorate your suc cessful escape from the amniotic sac! Oh, and also you have been assigned a zodiac sign which, for the rest of your life, will be used to explain all of your character traits and generally be the worst possible option in the “What Jellybean Flavor is Your Sign?” genre of quizzes. Yours, by the way, is Libra, the only sign which is an inanimate object and therefore utterly uninteresting.

Maybe I would feel differently if I were an Aries. Cubby is an Aries and he loves his birthday. The fact that the pandemic made celebrating the last couple of them with friends impossible was hard on him. I did my best to make up for it with homemade cakes and party hats, but I know it wasn’t the same.

I don’t know what we’re going to do tomorrow. I suggested listening to the Xanadu soundtrack and eating beef jerky, but that was vetoed. If I stall long enough on making a decision, possibly we won’t do anything. But probably I’ll suggest going to dinner somewhere. We have to eat anyway, and it means I don’t have to cook anything. But I feel like I should at least attempt something more elaborate. But what? A party? A weekend away? A parade?

Maybe next year. ▼

Michael Thomas Ford is a much-published Lambda Literary award-winning author. Visit Michael at michaelthomasford.com

...nothing else could ever compare to the glory of lying on my bed, full of cake, listening to Olivia NewtonJohn sing about a place where nobody dared to go while gnawing on stick after stick of salty, leathery beef.

JOIN US

an afternoon of Travel Inspiration

travel expert,

We invite you to join us for insights on the world of travel’s evolution for the LGBTQ+ traveler. Learn about the new LQBTQ+ Destination Certification offerings and Global LGBTQ+ popular events worth visiting. Destinations for your must-go list in 2023 and beyond. What should you be able to expect from travel service providers these days versus the past? Best practices with gender affirming documentation and tips for requests for travel services. How to set up your own private group or charter. How to connect with a destination’s private tours focused on cultural LGBTQ+ communities and history.

Ed Salvato (pronouns he/him) is considered the world’s foremost LGBTQ travel expert. Ed has served as editor in chief of three groundbreaking gay travel publications: OUT&ABOUT , The OUT Traveler and ManAboutWorld. Ed organizes and oversees the LGBTQ Travel Pavilion at the Travel & Adventure Show in New York City. As a consultant, he offers inclusive hospitality training to major travel, tourism & hospitality brands around the globe. He’s co-author of the Handbook of LGBT Tourism & Hospitality Marketing: A Guide for Business Practice by Columbia University Press. Ed is also an instructor in tourism & hospitality marketing at NYU’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and a lecturer in marketing at the University of Texas at Austin’s NYC Center.

November 18, 2022 | 4pm

Camp Rehoboth - Elkins-Archibald Atrium

37 Baltimore Ave | Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

Attendance is complimentary but RSVP’s are required to amanda@accentontravel.com or by calling 302-703-1026.

Rehoboth Ave

Beach, DE 19971

OF FREE PARKING!

CAMP Stories BY RICH BARNETT

The Intoxicating Story of Gin

Idon’t

know about you, but often when I step into to a liquor store, I sort of feel as if I’m visiting a museum. Especially when I gaze upon all the dazzling gin bottles with their artistic and elegant labels showcasing fruits and flowers and touting sensual botanical flavors like vibrant butterfly pea blossom, emerald grass, and white pepper.

It is amazing how a simple spirit de rived from grain and flavored with juniper berries has become so trendy these last few years. I can recall when Bombay Sapphire gin appeared on the scene. With its blue bottle and label featuring the bulldog-like image of Queen Victoria, it was the height of sophistication. Now it sits on one of the lower shelves. Like wine, vodka, and bourbon before it, I sup pose it was just a matter of time before gin experienced its craft-y, small batch-y, renaissance.

Gin is an old concoction, born in the Netherlands in the early 17th century as a medicine to treat lumbago until wealthy businessmen in Amsterdam developed a taste for “genever”—as it was known back then. The Dutch East India Compa ny helped spread the spirit around the world while simultaneously bringing back new botanical flavors from afar to Dutch distillers.

Dutch gin eventually made its way across the North Sea to England where it found receptivity in and around English port cities. It became more popular and cheaper when unsavory entrepreneurs began replacing juniper berries with oil of turpentine, salt, sugar, and water and mar keting it with great success in the slums and fleshpots of London.

By the 1750s, writers and politicians warned of a national gin craze and blamed the spirit for murders, suicides, debt, and prostitution. Artists brought the depravity to life on canvas and paper in scenes like Gin Lane (housed today in London’s Tate Museum), depicting the evils caused by gin, including a baby impaled on a fireiron. The government re sponded to polite society’s moral outrage by levying a tariff on gin and cracking

down on gin houses in poor neighbor hoods. Gin production declined by a third.

It took the British mixing gin with tonic to help battle malaria, and Americans in venting the cocktail (in particular the mar

chase races and garden parties, the men in blue blazers and Ray-Ban sunglasses and the women in flowery sundresses and colorful hats. Happy hours in DC when the fellas would step off the hot sidewalk into the air conditioning at JR’s for a refreshing G&T after a long day of work. In both cases there may have been plastic cups involved, but nobody was gloomy.

Yes, the story of gin is a spirited one. If you like the spirit, then I highly recom mend the Book of Gin by Richard Bar nett. No, he’s not a relation, but we both share a fondness for gin and his colorful account of the history of this intoxicating spirit makes for a fascinating read. And he’s right on when he suggests now would be one of the best times in gin’s 500-year history to give it a try.

I tend to agree with Barnett. But the choice of which gin to try is almost overwhelming when you’re looking at a hundred different beautiful bottles.

tini made with gin) in the late 19th century to allow the spirit to regain its respectabil ity. The Roaring 20s and Prohibition with its iconic flappers and speakeasies made gin fashionable in America. Hollywood and Madison Avenue glamorized the martini (still made primarily with gin) as the essence of post-War American prosperity, power, and style.

Until it wasn’t. By the 1980s, American tastes were turning to wine and vodka. Gin seemingly had lost its way, viewed by the younger generation as something favored by melancholy senior citizens sipping from plastic cups on a bed in a cheap motel.

At least that’s the story most cocktail historians tell. Personally, I remember the 80s and gin a tad differently. Gin-and-ton ics on sunny spring afternoons at steeple

Personally, I tend to favor a London dry gin with a clean, distinctive juniper berry taste. I’ve taken a recent fancy to Hayman’s, which is a London dry distilled by the oldest gin-making family in Lon don, dating to 1863. Plymouth Gin is a tad sweeter, but I like it too, and if you want to try the classic gin used in the original martini recipe then this is your brand.

Gins touting off-the-wall botanicals certainly have the most appealing labels. While they sound intriguing, I feel they can sometimes taste a bit weird. A recent trend I’ve noticed is the aging of gin in whiskey and wine barrels to impart a different flavor profile, but frankly, that just confuses me. You can call me a tradition alist; I just think gin should taste like gin. And make your lower back feel better. Cheers! ▼

Rich Barnett is the author of The Discreet Charms of a Bourgeois Beach Town, and Fun with Dick and James.

Photo: Rich Barnett

Gin-and-tonics on sunny spring afternoons at steeplechase races and garden parties…

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DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS

BY RACHEL ORGA

Honoring the Dead and Celebrating Life

- ANDRÉ MALRAUX

Dayof the Dead, Día de los Muertos in Spanish, is a spiritual custom of celebrating and hon oring the lives of the deceased. Observed in many areas of Latin Ameri ca, mainly in Mexico, festivities occur on November 1 and 2. The souls of the dead come to reunite with their loved ones in the mortal world.

The living, spiritual presence of loved ones who have passed on materializes on an altar, or ofrenda, the centerpiece of the celebration, which serves as a way to welcome spirits back to the realm of the living. Showcasing key offerings to please the dead, this practice of building an altar derives from Indigenous tradi tions of providing supplies for the souls to embark on their journey to the after life. Ofrendas are elaborated at home or at the gravesite of the deceased and facilitate a point at which family and friends gather to spend time directly with the spirit of their loved ones.

A variety of traditional cuisine is an integral part of the preparations. Dishes such as pan de muerto (bread of the dead), yeast-based sweet egg bread, calabaza en tacha (candied pumpkin), and tamales help nourish and please the dead upon their return to the land of the living.

Lighted candles guide the spirits to the altar, beverages quench their thirst, and their favorite items adorn the altar to bring comfort and familiarity. Prominent symbols such as the calavera (skull) adorn the ofrendas, as well as papel pic ado (paper banners) and cempasúchiles (marigolds).

Tissue paper elaborated with intri cate designs hangs around altars and in the streets, serving as a reminder of the fragility of life and acting as a type of portal or guide for spirits to pass through. Cempasúchiles, the flowers of

the dead, lure souls from their places of rest to accompany their families and join the celebration.

Día de los Muertos originates in the traditions of pre-Hispanic Meso-Amer ican civilizations. Its evolution to align with All Saints’ Day stems from Roman Catholic influence. This combination is a consequence of the brutal Spanish invasion of the Americas in the 16th cen tury, where Catholicism exerted a violent force to destroy Indigenous culture and justify exploitation. Day of the Dead, in part, is an act of reclaiming Indigenous culture in the context of the aftermath of Spanish colonization.

Meso-American civilizations held a distinctly different notion of death and time from that of the modern Western world. Juxtaposed with linear time, which focuses on irreversibility by the existence of a beginning and end, the cyclical concept of time holds the notion that the present reflects the past and vice versa. This culture honored death and con sidered it a step in the cycle of nature, observing it as a kind of living presence, a transcendence of eternity.

Family persists as a fundamental theme in the context of Latin American culture. Despite death, one’s lineage and ancestors continue to exist through the act of remembering and thereby main taining a personal relationship with the dead.

The reality of life is that the only certainty is death. The main focus of Día

de los Muertos is to honor and embrace life instead of mourning the seeming permanence of death. It is not a somber occasion to be feared and cowered to but rather an intimate, joyful reunion between the spirits of the dead and their loved ones in the mortal world. Instead of ceding to physical loss and appre hending an opportunity for renewal and solace, the joy of reconnection serves as a call to embrace life in an explosion of color and tradition.

The concept of the afterlife under pins the Day of the Dead celebration, and the act of remembering connects generations. Death is not to be feared; it is simply an integral, ever-present part of life that, sooner or later, we must face and learn to accept. In this way, death is an essential lens through which life is perceived and lived. A coexistence with death allows for the appreciation and celebration of life. ▼

Rachel Orga is a graduate student at the University of Buenos Aires, School of Law, pursuing a Master’s in International Relations. Her favorite Día de los Muertos tradition is the generational sentiment behind the celebration and altar, especially when accompanied by music, such as “La Llorona” by the renowned Chavela Vargas.

“Culture is what, in death, continues to be life.”

Meso-American civilizations held a distinctly different notion of death and time from that of the modern Western world.

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WALKING MEDITATION BY PATTIE CINELLI

It’s Not the Destination. It’s the Journey

Sittingcrossed legged on the floor, still and straight-backed, has never been easy for me. It’s hard for me to focus, clear my mind, breathe with awareness, and stay calm. My mind wanders, my body often aches, and I can’t help fidgeting. But I love the feeling of alignment, clarity, and lightness I feel after finishing a meditation.

That is why when I began walking my dog 17 years ago, I started practicing a walking meditation. One day I might listen to the sounds of birds, leaves rustling, wind blowing, or pebbles crunching under my feet. Another walk I might think about my breathing, maybe counting the sec onds breathing in, holding, and breathing out. Another may be walking and feeling the elements of the outdoors on my body—how the ground under my feet feels; how the sun feels on my skin.

When I moved to the beach over two years ago, I gained an environment that is perfect for walking meditations. We have beaches of all kinds, alluring state parks, great walking trails and—one of my favorite ways to meditate while I walk—a labyrinth at Lavender Fields in Milton. In fact, we have several labyrinths throughout the area: one in the cemetery at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lewes, another at Epworth UMC in Rehoboth, and one along Union Street in Milton, close to the ice cream parlor. These are all excellent surroundings in which to walk and meditate.

What is Walking Meditation?

Walking meditation is more than just a simple stroll on the beach. It is usually done slower than normal and involves a specific focusing practice. Because the body is moving, not seated, it can be eas ier to be aware of body sensations and remain focused in the present moment.

Meditating when you are walking is about concentrating on where you are, not on where you are going. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best, “It’s not the destina tion. It’s the journey.” The Best Guide to Meditation, by Victor N. Davich, echoed, “You are not trying to get to a particular place but rather to be totally aware of the

place where you are.”

Traditional meditation is the ability to allow thoughts and inner chatter to fall away and to create a deep feeling of stillness and peace. Philosophies such as Buddhism use meditation as an integral part of their faith.

gest benefit for me. I can discern better what truly resonates with me, apart from what may resonate with another. It has made me better able to hear and listen to my inner voice to guide me to what’s best for me.

Different Kinds of Walking Meditation

Where and how you practice is your choice. There is no wrong or right way to do a walking meditation.

You can walk in a circle, back and forth, in a straight line or in a labyrinth. (Labyrinths are one of the oldest contem plative and transformation tools known; they have been used for over 4,000 years for prayer, ritual, and spiritual growth.)

For me, the best ways to do a medi tative walk is outside so I can be in touch with nature—smell the flowers, trees, and grass; hear the birds, the wind, and the waves; and see the sky and the clouds. It’s called mindful observation. It keeps me focused and present.

Another walking meditation I prac tice is one that involves focusing on my breathing as I walk. I can use my steps to measure breath. For example, I breathe in for eight steps, hold for eight steps, and breathe out for eight steps. Or I can exhale for twice as long as I inhale—in hale for a count of four; exhale for a count of eight.

Benefits of a Walking Meditation

Walking meditation does double duty. Not only does walking help your body overall stay healthy but it also contributes to a calm state of mind (similar to traditional meditation) which helps your immune sys tem function optimally. The walking part helps the health of your heart, improves circulation, and contributes to overall health and wellness physically. Medita tion combined with walking may allow a person to reduce anxiety and develop a deeper connection to nature. It also may help with depression and improve concentration. It can improve digestion, improve sleep quality, inspire creativity, and enhance balance.

Inner awareness has been the big

Techniques can be as detailed as breaking down each step into parts or simply strolling mindfully in a space. You may incorporate breath or a mantra (an incantation).

An Insight Meditation teacher de scribes walking meditation as a metaphor for how we want to live our daily life— making each step count. Learning to walk without a purpose or compulsion in a controlled and relaxed way enhances the happiness we can experience. ▼

Pattie Cinelli is a journalist who focuses on leading-edge-of-thought ways to stay healthy and get well. Contact her at: fitmiss44@aol.com.

Photo: Fabiola Nadjar Fiore walking the labyrinth at Laven der Fields. Photo by Pattie Cinelli.

Meditating when you are walking is about concentrating on where you are, not on where you are going.

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Lewes Beach

Visiting View

Life Is a —Rom-Com?

Greetings Letters readers, Robby from Brooklyn here, hoping all are well. In my last column, I had just re turned from a press tour of Merida, Mexico. I loved touring the local haciendas and luxury resorts eager to become sought-after locations for queer American couples looking to book a destination wedding, even though I don’t envision marriage for myself.

I do, however, picture my life as a romantic comedy film, complete with a happy ending.

I have always loved rom-coms. My entertainment viewing tends to be on the light, cheerful, funny side as op posed to dark and deadly. No Hand maid’s Tale, Walking Dead, or American Horror Story for me. Give me Emily in Paris, Younger, or The Other Two over a Dahmer any day.

I am writing this just hours before I see Bros, the first gay-led rom-com from a major Hollywood studio. Every role in the film—even the straight ones—are played by queer actors. Thank you, Billy Eichner, for giving this gift to our com munity. It’s been a long time coming.

As rom-com obsessed as I am, having a film like this growing up would have been a life changer. I am beyond thrilled for queer kids today with the amount of LGBTQ representation in film, television, and books. It’s truly astound ing. As a 40-something gay man, this representation when I was coming of age was almost non-existent and very hard to find.

We had Matt on Melrose Place, where we did not even get to see him kiss his boyfriend. Instead, the camera cut to Daphne Zuniga’s Jo watching it unfold. We had Jack McPhee on Dawson’s Creek, who did get to kiss his boyfriend—making history as the first same-sex kiss on network television.

These weren’t the first queer char acters on network television, but they were the first for me. Older genera tions (this is not shade or ageist) got to watch Billy Crystal on Soap, and two

men sitting in bed shirtless after sex on Thirtysomething. As time marched on, we finally began to see ourselves on television screens as leading characters in shows like Queer as Folk and Will and Grace.

BY ROBERT DOMINIC

Watching rom-com movies, I was always looking for a gay man with a starring role to find his Prince Charming and happy ending. We saw ourselves on screen as the gay best friend like Rupert Everett in My Best Friend’s Wedding Earlier films like Longtime Companion, Love! Valour! Compassion!, and An Early Frost were devastating dramas where one or more queer characters died. Brokeback Mountain can be added to that list. And look what happened to Greg Kinnear’s character in As Good as It Gets. Don’t even get me started on Cruising with Al Pacino—that movie scarred me for years.

As a younger gay, I was lucky to have friends who taught and showed me gay history. We watched the groundbreaking PBS Tales of the City. Laura Linney will forever be Mary Ann to me. Then slowly but surely, every so often, there would be a gay rom-com like Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss with Will Hayes.

While not necessarily a “gay” movie, seeing Paul Rudd in The Object of My Affection with Jennifer Aniston was the life-changing movie for me that Bros will be for so many today. Rudd was just like me—a teacher with friends, family, hopes, and dreams who just happened to be gay. Bonus points for having hunk Tim Daly as his douche-y ex. (Definitely had a massive crush on him after the movie.)

We claimed Trick as our own, watch ing it over and over on rainy days in the Pines. Who could forget Tori Spelling singing “Enter You.” There had been rumors of a sequel, but no details so far as to where that stands.

Eventually, we were getting enough queer films that it felt OK to dislike some of them without feeling like we were betraying the community. Weekend was one of those for me. Everyone else was raving about it, but I think I fell asleep in the theater. Same goes for HBO’s Looking, which many loved while I found it better than Ambien for putting me to sleep.

But my absolute favorite gay film was and still is (drumroll please): The Broken Hearts Club. Zach Braff, Timothy Olyphant, Dean Cain, and Billy Porter. Revolving around the lives of members of a gay softball team in West Hollywood, they were us. They were my friends and me. Their problems were our problems. The slutty one, the romantic one, the negative one, and the newbie. I even joined a gay softball league after seeing the film! It was super fun, but we were not TBHC.

Change comes slowly, as I’m remind ed by older gay friends. Each film, book, and movie with fully realized queer characters takes us one step closer to equality. So, get with your bros, see Bros, and celebrate how far our commu nity has come. I would bet money there is a happy ending. ▼

Robert Dominic splits his time between Brooklyn and Rehoboth Beach. He writes for publications including Instinct Magazine and his own blog, The Gays of Our Lives.

Bros…having a film like this growing up would have been a life changer.

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The Writing Life

BY BARBARA VALLETTO

Romance! Adventure!

At first, I believed writing A Belief in Her—a historical romance with an adventure theme— would be pretty straightfor ward. I was wrong. Trying to capture elements from an era that was rife with political dissent and war-time tragedies was new to me.

I was barely into my teens in the 1970s, so my recall of the era was all wine and roses. Due to my innocence, I viewed the world through rose-colored glasses. Ever the stereotypical tomboy, my days were spent pounding the pavement from sunrise to sunset, creating my own adven tures. I wore the frayed bellbottoms and the puka shell necklace. I listened to the radio’s top-10 song list and went to a mov

ie matinee every Saturday afternoon.

But then, as I grew older, I realized the world was not so carefree as I had once imagined it. And the era of Vietnam became, for me, almost an obsession

A Belief in Her is a story that begins when Claire McCollum… and Maggie Calder…discover love in war-torn Vietnam…

of learning the truth. So after endless research, A Belief in Her transformed from an idea into a novel. And although I tried to avoid making the novel too graphic in its depiction, I also wanted it to be a solid reminder of the brutality that goes handin-hand with war.

I grinned and frowned at the same time when I was invited to write about “the writing life” and this new novel. It’s surely a life filled with many hurdles. Char acter development, plot lines, engaging dialogue. Ugh. No easy task. One day I can type out five to 10 pages with ease. Others.… Well, let’s just say that in the old days when a manual typewriter was all I had, I wasted a ton of paper and many bottles of liquid Wite-Out.

And then, once the novel is finished, there still is the task of finding a publisher, which is also a challenging—and often discouraging—journey. I can honestly say that on more than one occasion in the process, I lose heart but resolve to keep going. And then…success!

But the roller coaster doesn’t stop there because, once accepted, edits are required to make the novel truly come to life and capture a reader’s attention from start to finish. Although often frustrated by the process, I realize A Belief in Her would never have been written to the best it could be without the guidance and patience of editors.

A Belief in Her is a story that begins when Claire McCollum, an American Red Cross Vietnamese Interpreter, and Maggie Calder, a Captain in the USAF,

discover love in war-torn Vietnam in the months leading up to the fall of Saigon.

Stationed on an air force base in Southeastern Vietnam, the two band to gether to pursue a mission of mercy that defies all odds.

But the truth may not be what Claire expected and knowing it may place be liefs she holds dear in jeopardy.

A Belief in Her explores many themes, such as a woman’s search for the truth; a race against time and a fight for survival; a belief in love’s endurance; and, most of all, a woman’s will to endure life’s chal lenges no matter what the cost to her happiness or personal freedom.

I dedicated the book to our brave civilian and military forces who have fought, and continue to fight, in the name of peace and justice. It is my way of letting them know that although many years have passed, their heroism and devotion are not forgotten. I also hope that reading A Belief in Her will inspire readers to share this sentiment.▼

A Belief in Her is not my only book; I’ve written four other gay-themed novels: Pulse Points, Everlong, Limbo, and Diver Blues. Synopses of all of these books can be found at flashpointpublications.com

Barbara has been writing fiction in the suspense/mystery, psychic/supernatural, and horror/thriller genres since the mid-1970s. A native Philadelphian, Barbara retired to Lewes, Delaware. Her free time is spent enjoying her family and friends, and any activities that involve being on, under, or near the ocean.

BY BRENT MUNDT

“Michelle Obama” and “Cindy McCain” Walk into a Bar…

You can sacrifice your sac-ro Working in the back row Grind your behind ‘til you’re bent Kid, you got a get gimmick if you want to get ahead…

probably should have gotten a second opinion before deciding on this gimmick. Or, perhaps just looked in the mirror again.

St.

Stephen Sondheim wrote those lyrics to encourage Gypsy Rose Lee to get a gimmick. Mayhem ensued and of course, Ms. Mazeppa stole the show, bumping it with her trumpet. Fame and fortune flowed.

Each Halloween, gimmicks are a time-honored tra dition for drag queens across the land. Gotta get one. Well, Walter and I are both from New Orleans and we tend to party hard. We had already done “Ebony and Ivory” to death. When 2007 rolled around and our guy, Barack, was solidly ahead in the polls, I suggested to Wally that we go as Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain, vying for votes for our spouses.

This is politically incorrect drag. Stereotypes be damned. As a Republican, I was behat ted and bejeweled and had a purse full of monopoly money, repeating “Mine! Mine! Mine!” Walter—who seems on paper to profile well as Michelle O—was to say, “Hope and health care for all. Hope and health care for all.”

Very classy and dignified, you see. Fame and fortune awaited us. And in the near term we hoped to get invited home to some nice young man’s beach house for a nightcap. We wouldn’t need to grind our behinds ‘til we were bent—we had a freak ing mimic gimmick that would catapult us to stardom. Heck, we’d probably be invited on the Hoda and Kathy Lee Show. They had been known to frequent our establishments.

The first stop: Blue Moon.

We parked and got out all lady-like. Me rehearsing Mine! Mine! Mine! And Wally rehearsing Hope and healthcare…. Hope and healthcare. High heels are torture and our foundation garments were way too tight. But it was worth it. We were gonna be famous. We took two uneasy steps toward the Moon, and a man screamed out:

“Look! It’s Gwen Ifill!”

It stopped traffic. And both first ladies. He went low, so we both got high. And doubled over laughing. We

We could ask ourselves “Do we look anything like the first ladies?” But no! Walter is not the elegant and smart Michelle, but indeed the just plain smart Gwen. (Sewed her own clothes and cut her own hair.)

So, the spell was broken. We were no longer first ladies in waiting. Wally was not Michelle, so I was no longer Cindy. I was just a gimmick-less mature gay man in a big ass hat and a party frock, bellied up to the bar to buy my own cocktail. Something Norma would enjoy. Humming my favorite tune from Hairspray:

You’re like a rare vintage ripple

A vintage they’ll never forget

So pour me a teeny weeny triple

And we can toast the fact we ain’t dead yet!

“Gwen” was off chatting with the guy who named her. I turned from the bar, sipping my triple, and a rath er handsome younger gentleman asked me to dance. Things were looking up! Maybe I was no first lady, but I was a woman of a certain age being escorted to the dancefloor. Avoiding the bales of hay scattered all over the jack-o-lantern floor, he leaned in and said (wait for it), “Are you supposed to be Norma Desmond?”

Well at least he didn’t yell it from the patio out into the street.

Remember those quaint election seasons like 2008 when the worst thing we could think of was Sarah Palin being a heartbeat away from the presiden cy? Well, we had no idea then that we’d go through something far worse—an “Orange Jesus” heartbreak that lasted four years and then only got worse when he infected all 50 states with hate.

Wally and I have hung up our pumps and gone our separate ways—me back to New Orleans, him to Denver. We only catch up on occasion, but he never misses a beat when I say, “What you wearin’, Gwen?”

And here’s the real rub: both of us are sacrificing our sacro, working on the back row. Grinding our be hinds ‘til we’re bent.

Bent over laughing, that is. That’s important. ▼

Brent Adams Mundt is a freelance writer who lives in Rehoboth and New Orleans. Once a terrified and bullied kid, he’s now focused on scholarships for LGBTQ students through PFLAG New Orleans, his hometown. He’s a/k/a Roux Paul on FB and reachable at mundtbrent@gmail.com.

We were no longer first ladies in waiting. Wally was not Michelle, so I was no longer Cindy.

BY MARY JO TARALLO

And It’s a Wrap!

EveryThursday evening from early May to late September, a group of enthusiastic golfers of various ages gather at the American Classic Golf Course for a round on the fairways and social hob-knobbing. The CAMP Rehoboth Ladies Golf League has been going strong for about 12 years thanks to the enthusiasm of its members.

And thanks also to the dedication of its volunteer captains over the years, including long-time organizers Barb Thompson and Evie Simmons (who also ran the annual Women’s FEST golf outing), Donna Dolce, Jo Picone, and now, Rina Pellegrini. (For more on Evie, see We Remember, page 106.)

Thirty-six ladies play each Thursday on the nine-hole course in a shotgun format intended to accommodate as many as possible. Eighty-five women belong to the league. Members use an online sign-up sheet each Tuesday morning to register, and it fills quickly.

Pellegrini pairs players each week. She has been playing golf off and on for about 30 years and has been in the league for about 10 years. This summer was her first as captain.

“The best part of the league is the camaraderie,” she says. It is a sentiment that is echoed by many in the group.

“I try to mix up the players so they can meet people,” she says. “There is a wide range of handicaps, but the scores are usually very close. It’s a scramble so everyone has a chance to win.” Pellegrini gives prizes for the player who has the fewest number of putts and the player who is “closest to the pin” on the designated hole.

Prizes are awarded after play when most golfers are gathered on the clubhouse patio. The clubhouse grill is open so golfers can order food and beverages before and after play.

Pellegrini gives the course staff high marks. “I love American Classic,” she says. “They are so great to work with and very flexible.” The staff is headed up by pro and Golf Operations Manager

Austin Ebersole who also happens to be ranked #4 in the world for a new activity known as Fling Golf.

The course is not a par three. There are two water holes and one par five. The rest are par three or four.

The league ladies come from all walks of life. Some are retired. Others still work. Two are in the band Off 24.

Jennifer Leonard and Claire McCracken joined in 2015 and have watched the league grow. “Then, it was never full, with maybe 12 golfers most weeks,” says Leonard.

McCracken grew up in Ireland.

Leonard hails from Philly. She started hitting balls with her brother on a driving range. McCracken is an avid sportsperson who started playing golf 17 years ago. Both accomplished golfers, they agree that the league is a great asset for both experienced golfers and beginners.

“Members are really nice, super supportive, and just plain fun,” says Leonard.

One night, she was on a team that scored a rare clean sweep with the four some placing first, Renee Guillory taking closest to the pin, and Leonard having the

“The best part of the league is the camaraderie…”

fewest putts. Mary Jo Tarallo and Linda Rikard benefitted from their expertise.

Linda Porto says she is a beginner. She retired in 2015 after 35 years as a project support manager for an engi neering firm in New Jersey. “I am a social person, and the league is a form of social ization for me,” she says.

Porto has taken some lessons from a friend and from Ebersole. One Thursday night not only did her team come in first, but she won a prize for having the fewest putts.

Still actively working, Kelly Sobel has been playing in the league for about three years; Sobel gives thumbs up on the camaraderie.

Robin Esham and Lisa Mosely are among several members who also play in the women’s softball league (not a CAMP-sponsored event) that Pellegrini organizes. They are competitive golfers but don’t take themselves too seriously. They just want to have fun.

Jo Picone and Kathy Bostedo joined in 2017. They own KPG Global (logistics) although Picone is semi-retired. She

was league captain for two years during COVID. She credits Kathy for introducing her to golf.

“Kathy is much better than me, but the challenge is still exciting,” she says. “There is always that one great shot that brings us back plus the hope of having to buy everyone a drink after that bucket

list hole-in-one. So far, the closest I have come is an eagle on hole 2. I still savor that moment.”

CAMP Board member Pat Catanzariti knows the hole-in-one feeling: she scored one recently while also snagging the closest to the pin prize.

The season culminated with a party sponsored by KPG Global and the feeling that many strong friendships were formed over the summer. Play continues on a less formal basis now that the season has ended. ▼

Mary Jo Tarallo is a former journalist and public relations professional for various non-profits including a ski industry trade association. She won a Gold Award for a United Way TV program starring Oprah Winfrey.

Pictured page 52, (clockwise): Pat Catanzariti hole in one; Rina Pellegrini, with gift made by Terry Koff; Lisa Moseley.

This page, top (l-r): Shelly Stevens; Tama Viola, Rina Pellegrini, Lisa Faber. Photo at left: Linda Porto, Rina Pellegrini, Angela Murray.

Photos: Mary Jo Tarallo

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.

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

Port 251 Aperitivo Bar & Restaurant, 251 Rehoboth Ave 302-278-7069

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

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

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

COUNSELING/THERAPY/LIFE COACH

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

HAIR SALONS/TATTOO & PIERCING

302-645-9520

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

INSURANCE

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

Critter Beach, 156 Rehoboth Ave 302-226-2690

Pet Portraits by Monique 717-650-4626

PET SERVICES

Brandywine Valley SPCA, 22918 Dupont Blvd, G’twn ......... 302-856-6361

Humane Animal Partners (formerly Delaware Humane Association & Delaware SPCA) 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.

View Point BY RICHARD J. ROSENDALL

Don’t Look Under the Bed

I’m trying to think of something appropriately spooky for Halloween, but I think it best to avoid wisecracks about witches. First, it’s only been 330 years since the last victims of the Salem witch trials were executed, and it still feels too soon. Second, there are so many scary Republican candidates running in the midterm election that I think Democrats might want to hire our Wiccan friends to warn voters about them.

Halloween derives from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, in which people dressed in costumes to ward off ghosts and ensure a successful harvest. From a modern perspective, that seems like a dubious approach to agriculture. On the other hand, there are always factors beyond our control. Unless you’re actually planning on burning people at the stake, a little whistling past the graveyard is probably harmless.

If strange noises are coming from inside your walls, it is likelier to be a raccoon than the ghost of an axe murderer that your real estate agent neglected to warn you about. Americans in 1957 during the Cold War were encouraged to fear the Soviet Sputnik satellite; now we have space probes deliberately crashing into asteroids.

You might reasonably be scared if you were alone in your room and saw someone next to you in the mirror. But there is a greater chance of aliens from space hiding among us than ghosts, and I think we should welcome undocumented immigrants.

Imagine being alone in a rowboat a couple miles offshore on a moonlit night. It’s a pleasant evening and you think of taking a swim. Then you remember megalodons (giant ancient sharks) and the legendary Kraken, and you decide to stay in the boat.

Oh, be sensible. There would be just as much risk from an otherwise friendly modern-day shark taking a test bite, or an orca inadvertently knocking you unconscious with a swat of a fin. In any case, how much protection do you think your little boat will afford you if a sea creature 20 times your size decides you’d make a tasty midnight snack?

It’s always safer to have someone else along with you, because if worse comes to worst you only have to outswim your friend, not the monster. Then

again, who says monsters don’t travel in groups?

A friend of mine from El Salvador, who began here as an undocumented worker but is not the least bit scary, once accompanied me on a visit to Rock Creek Church Cemetery at night. The main gates were closed and padlocked, but the pedestrian gate was still open. My friend was from a culture where they are afraid of going to cemeteries at night. I told him not to worry, that it had been years since the last report of someone being grabbed from below ground by the undead. (I am very helpful in this way.) To be honest, he was a lovely fellow and I was hoping he would cling to me for comfort.

It quickly became evident, however, that my friend was no more inclined to make love with me on the graves of Henry and Clover Adams or Alice Roosevelt Longworth than in any other place. He was murmuring little prayers, which I found quite charming. We soon walked out the gate and made our way to the Petworth Metro station several blocks away. The sound of his laughter was enchantment enough.

We tend to be scared by the unfamiliar, or by people and things we’ve been taught to fear. The cult of know-nothingism exploits this impulse, causing occasional surges as at present with the increase in book banning. Personally, I am more scared of a weak and unprincipled politician like Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker of the House.

Here are a few questions to ask people who appear susceptible to such manipulations: Are you aware that the banned books are a few clicks away on the mobile phones to which you and your teenagers are addicted? Do you think your kids will be less likely to go behind your back to read books that you’ve treated like dangerous pornography? And will they be likelier to take your advice after you’ve shown that you don’t trust them with All Boys Aren’t Blue

In the long run, we can only prepare our children for the world, not protect them from it. We do that best by helping them develop informed minds and habits of cooperation. A spirit of wonder is more empowering than a culture of fear. ▼

Richard J. Rosendall is a writer and activist at rrosendall@ me.com.

are plenty of scary things everywhere else. A spirit of wonder is more empowering than a culture of fear.

Historical Headliners

Daring Dress-up: Claude Cahun

It’s

almost Halloween, that wild and wacky night when our LGBTQ+ commu nity dons our sequins and feathers, our sharp suits and fabulous ties, and our hair color spans the full spectrum of the rainbow. It’s our night to strut and prance, expressing the breadth of our communi ty’s considerable creativity.

All of this costumed strutting and prancing carries with it a political edge: our statement of freedom. Freedom to be who we are; freedom to re-define who we are whenever and however we want; freedom to explore varieties of gender expression.

French artist and writer Claude Cahun didn’t wait around for the yearly arrival of Halloween to express gender fluidity through costume. The confluence of artifice, high art, and politics was the core of her life and work throughout the 1920s and ‘30s.

Born Lucy Renee Mathilde Schwob in Nantes, France on October 15, 1894, into a prominent intellectual Jewish family, she took the name Claude Cahun while a student at the University of Paris, Sor bonne, where she studied literature and philosophy.

After the Sorbonne, Cahun remained in Paris with Suzanne Malherbe, who also abandoned her feminine birth name and took the name Marcel Moore. Cahun and Moore remained intimate and artistic part ners until Cahun’s death in 1954.

Their Paris was the Paris of the Jazz Age, when the arts flourished and sexual exploration was the talk of the cafés in Montmartre and Montparnasse. Cahun and Moore hosted a number of the city’s avant-garde at their apartment: literary entrepreneur Sylvia Beach (founder of Paris’s English language bookshop Shakespeare and Company), poets Henri Michaux, Pierre Morhange, and André Breton, and other leading lights of the Paris literary, art, and theater community.

Surrealism was in its heyday in the vi sual, literary, and performing arts, and the genre’s expanded and alternate realities suited Cahun’s sensibilities perfectly. Nev er one to be straitjacketed into a single

gender, Cahun staged an ongoing series of self portraits―often with Moore behind the camera―which featured Cahun in male attire, female attire, even attire and makeup rendering Cahun as no specific gender at all, or blending the genders of various historical figures. She would color

BY ANN APTAKER

her hair, even shave her head completely for her photographs. Explaining her work and assorted personae, Cahun wrote “Masculine? Feminine? Neutral is the only gender which suits me,” in the publication Disavowals in 1930.

Cahun’s role-playing wasn’t limited to her self portraits. According to her biog raphy posted by the French Ministry of Culture, Cahun was a member of the ex perimental theater troupe Plateau, where her expanded identities found expression in a variety of plays.

The age of creative experimentation came to an end with the threat of Hitler’s Fascism expanding out of Germany. As Hitler’s designs on Europe became clear, Cahun and Moore became active anti-Hit ler propagandists. In 1937, when Cahun’s and Moore’s lives were no longer secure because of their resistance activities, they escaped to the Channel Island of Jersey,

where they continued their anti-German propaganda, creating anti-Nazi films.

The Nazis, however, also eventually occupied Jersey, further threatening Cahun’s and Moore’s security. On July 25, 1944, Cahun and Moore were arrested by the Gestapo, imprisoned in a German military prison, and sentenced to death by the German Court Martial. There is anecdotal evidence that at her trial Cahun told the judge that the Nazis would have to shoot her twice: once as a member of the Resistance, and once as a Jew.

Cahun and Moore escaped death by the timely liberation of Jersey and the end of the war in 1945. Her health, however, was much deteriorated as a result of the harsh conditions of the military prison.

Though Cahun continued her explo rations of gender and self after the war, her declining health eventually led to her untimely death only nine years later, at age 60, in 1954.

Much revered in France, Cahun was unfortunately forgotten in the post-War United States. Her work, and her creative and intimate association with Marcel Moore, were reintroduced to American audiences by no less than David Bowie, who mounted a multi-media exhibition of Cahun’s work in 2007.

These days, Cahun’s photographs are in collections of major museums, includ ing New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

So at this year’s Halloween festivities, when we dance and prance in our finest feathers and tangiest ties, when we slip in and out of genders as smoothly as we slip on a jacket or dress, let’s give a hol iday cheer to master dress-up artist and courageous voice for freedom, Claude Cahun.

Ann Aptaker is the author of short stories and the Lambda & Goldie award winning Cantor Gold series Murder and Gold. The latest in the series, Hunting Gold, was released in July 2022. Find Ann on Facebook at Ann Aptaker, Author, Twitter: @AnnAptaker, or Instagram: ann_aptaker.

“Masculine? Feminine? Neutral is the only gender which suits me…”

CAMPshots

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice (Plus One Last Look at Labor Day Weekend):

SUNFESTIVAL, Sundance, Bras for Support, RBHS Beach Ball, Fire Company Benefit, and More!

THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at Judy Gold at SUNFESTIVAL: Lorne Crawford, Mark Previta, Jeff Czarnecai, John Hackett, Brian Smaul, Bill Paveletz, Fay Jacobs, Peter Bish, Keith Anderson, Natalie Moss, Evelyn Maurmeyer, Laurie Thompson, Matty Brown, Larry Richardson, Joe Filipek, Mike Lucas, Bill Amery, Eric Engelhart, Chris Beagle, Judy Gold, Elysa Halpern.

OPPOSITE PAGE 2) at Judy Gold at SUNFESTIVAL: Greg Albright, Josh Budge, Andrew Herren, Wes Combs, Sherre Mixell, Marie Moore, Denna Deely, Amy Lyons, JoAnn Glussich, Suzanne Krupa, RB Commissioner Edward Chrzanowski, Lisa Schlosser, Rick Perry, Sherrie Brown, Carey Chavis, Derek Johnson; 3) at Sundance: Wayne Hodge, Clay Anderson, Nancy Wester, Andi Sax, DJ Robbie Leslie, Cody Golon, Derrick Johnson, Jordan Crump, Don Borem, Michael Boyd.

SCENES

(Continued from page 65)

THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at Sundance: DJ James Anthony, Victor Madrigal, Beth Yocum, Grant Oines, J.D. Beam, Ah Bashir, Jon Adler Kaplan, Geoff Jackson, Lucas Richards, Angelo Ciro, Lon Miller, Adam Entenberg, Gary Seiden, Michael Fishman, Lisa Evans, Keith Petrack, Charles Bounds, Jeremy Clark.

OPPOSITE PAGE: 2) at Sundance: Denise Karas, JoAnn Glussich, Kathy Bishop, Eddie Gutierrez, Andrew Joseph, Andrew Loehbihler, Patrick Papia, Tony Zacchei, Gio Piatti, Justin White, Yassi Hariri, Tony Burns, Edward Armstrong, Mark Burke, Alex Liddle, RB Commissioner Edward Chrzanowski, Garrett Gacusana, Christian Morrales, Paul Carey, Brian Fisher, Jeff Enck, Chris Beagle, Austin Taylor, Eric Engelhart, Eric Gannon, Karen Laitman, Michelle Manfredi, Paul Cooker, Michael Urich, Jay Methias, Robert Simpson, Joseph Mangari, Joe Walker.

ORGULLO DELAWARE

BY MATTY BROWN

Bringing Pride to the LGBTQ+ Latinx Community

Celebrating the Latinx community will not end when Latin American Heritage Month concludes on October 15. In fact, for Orgullo Delaware, celebrating the LGBTQ+ Latinx community is at the core of their mission, and their work is just getting started.

Co-founded by mother-son duo Julissa Coriano (ella) and Noah Duckett (he/him/ his), Orgullo Delaware kickstarted right before the COVID-19 pandemic. Coriano’s master’s and doctorate work is in clinical sexuality. “I knew for the longest time we just didn’t have a platform for LGBTQIA+ Latinx individuals and their families in Delaware,” said Coriano, a clinical social worker and sexuality therapist. The mission then became clear. “It became so obvious and the universe said, ‘get on it, let’s go!’” said Coriano.

Indeed, Orgullo Delaware is the first and only clinical platform for the LGBTQ+ Latinx community in the state. Their work focuses on educational and clinical ser vices, with a good touch of social support for the community as well. In practice, that translates into bilingual gender and sexuality-based therapy, and foundational intersectionality training.

In Spanish, the word “orgullo” means “pride.” The pride that Orgullo Delaware instills in the community comes from the pride Coriano holds for her son, and vice versa. Duckett is a licensed clinical social worker and works closely with Planned Parenthood. Speaking with the duo, the love and pride for each other is palpable and brings a great dynamic to the table. “It’s helpful as we’re working with families of similar backgrounds and experiences. It feels different than someone with no background, no lived experience, and no skin in the game to help deal with this process,” said Duckett.

Even though the platform is based in New Castle County, Orgullo Delaware offers their services statewide. Events are offered with a Zoom component, and clinically, they’ve joined in the world of telehealth. “We’re ready to help every body in the state that needs it. We’re very flexible,” said Duckett.

For Orgullo, their clinical and educa tional work can manifest in many ways. Coriano notes that one of the biggest challenges facing Latinx LGBTQ+ families is their roots in Catholicism, and pointing to the Bible to reject the LGBTQ+ com munity. “We’ve been doing so much work in breaking it out, and saying everyone is loved, and this is your child, and this is

That advocacy and education also meant providing a highly successful speaker series led by Duckett one year ago, in partnership with groups like PFLAG and PTK (Parents of Trans Kids). The series covered a variety of topics, starting with basic terms to use, the lan guage, and what are different parts of the transition and coming out process. Then, the series delved a little more in depth in terms of Latinx sexuality and different groups. Further focus and presentations shifted to gender dysphoria, the medical surgery, and topics customized to reflect participants’ feedback.

All of Orgullo Delaware’s work ad dresses the unique challenges facing the LGBTQ+ Latinx community. But, above all, the challenge is access and a seat at the table. Whether it’s the at-times-insur mountable English language barrier, or events planned without consideration for the intended audience, the Latinx com munity is often excluded from LGBTQ+ events. “Asking questions like: where are these events? Who’s hosting them? When are they taking place? Are we consider ing people not working a traditional 9-5 weekday schedule? A lot of it is these de cisions or events being planned not with our community in mind,” said Duckett.

your sister, your brother, and going from there,” said Coriano.

Duckett expands, “Clinical doesn’t always have to mean emotional process ing.” He says this work could also mean helping someone navigate through a legal transition—changing their name, gender markers, and IDs—or doing assessments and writing surgical letters if someone is looking to have gender-af firming surgery.

Orgullo Delaware’s advocacy has giv en them access to some medical offices to provide training, so clinicians can better explain hormones to Spanish speaking families. “It’s not just language, but the whole concept of hormones. Latinos tend to be very holistic people, so medication is not something that we embrace,” said Coriano.

Latin American Heritage Month will be celebrated all October long for Orgullo Delaware, which has plans to show El baile de los 41 (The Dance of the 41) and have a discussion on Latinx sexuality after (check their Facebook for details).

Plus, Orgullo Delaware will be a pre senting partner with CAMP Rehoboth for Delaware Shakespeare Community Tour’s free performance of the new Spanglish musical, Twelfth Night, O Lo Que Qui eras, on October 21, at 7:00 p.m., in the Elkins-Archibald Atrium. Register online at camprehoboth.com.

Find and like Orgullo Delaware on Facebook or by email at orgullodela ware@gmail.com.

Matty Brown is the Editorial Associate for Let ters from CAMP Rehoboth and Communications Manager at CAMP Rehoboth.

All of Orgullo Delaware’s work addresses the unique challenges facing the LGBTQ+ Latinx community…

BY MICHAEL GILLES

It’s Basil, Not Basil

Well, I learned something this week. Nothing earth shaking, like discovering a new comet. No, this one had it beat. This week I learned how to say basil.

For years, I’ve been saying basil instead of basil. Hmmm, let me try that again. I say basil, as in the actor Basil Rathbone, which more than certainly betrays my age. Then this week, my wife Sally blows my mind with something that has been bothering her for years. It’s basil, she says. BAY-sil. Well, I say, what do I know? Other than it’s green (I think), I wouldn’t know basil if you poked me in the eye with it.

All this just in time, as we are in the very new foyer of the Coastal Highway restaurant Red, White and Basil. And although you can’t tell, I just pronounced it right.

Red, White and Basil is a primarily pasta-eating place brought to Rehoboth by restauranteurs Mark Hunker and Jeff McCracken from its previous DC location at Dupont Circle. These owners are quite busy, as they own many establishments, including Eden, JAM Bistro, and Coho’s Market & Grill. Their experience shows— they run a top-flight eatery, with attentive service and loyal, long-time staff.

The ambience at Red, White and Basil is aided by its eclectic style, comfortable layout, and lack of pretentiousness. The rooms have hanging pendants with vin tage lighting, complemented well by the aubergine color of the walls. Adding to its appeal is its family-friendly atmosphere.

Let’s start our experience with the appetizers. Actually, we could end with the appetizers too. They were huge! Sally began with the Arancini Di Riso Sicilian, risotto fritters with risotto, mozzarella, and fungi Alfredo. So delicious. The sauce was Alfredo blended with mush rooms, adding a rich flavor to the starter.

I had the Beef, Pork & Veal Polpettes, which I think means bowling balls in Italian. Actually, polpettes are Italian meatballs. Red, White and Basil’s version was a more-than-ample serving of sever

al meatballs two inches in diameter. They came with a marinara that was tangy and complex, garnished with fresh herbs. A great way to start the meal.

Although already quite full, we pro ceeded to order salad and soup. Sally had the Italian Beet Salad, a hearty mix of roasted beets, arugula, walnuts, and goat

I blew my diet with the linguine topped with a generous number of clams, my favorite, along with a gener ous helping of Cod Puttanesca, a huge piece of fresh, succulent cod alongside fettucine, tomatoes, olives, and capers, in a spicy marinara. The freshness of the cod made this dish special, as did the accompaniments. All presented with tasty, soft-to-the-palate breadsticks.

A nice offering from the the Red, White and Basil menu is the threecourse prix-fixe meal. For a very reason able price, you can choose a pasta and sauce to your liking, with traditional addons such as chicken, meatballs, Italian sausage, shrimp, or primavera vegeta bles. This provides the discerning diner with thousands of combinations of food. Obviously, I’m bad at math, but there are several combinations nevertheless.

Believe it or not, Sally and I opted to try the desserts. The pastry chef is the same across Mark and Jeff’s eater ies. Having eaten at several of those restaurants, we were confident that the desserts would be terrific. We were right. The tiramisu had a subtle taste of alcohol, the cannoli was a crispy delight, the cheesecake was creamy and light, and the limoncello was light and fluffy. Any one of these would be a great way to top off your meal.

cheese. It was topped with a lemon Par mesan vinaigrette “to die for!”—Sally’s quaint way of expressing delight. I went with the soup, a creamy tomato bisque with a bit of heat provided by a touch of cayenne. These were dishes that did not disappoint.

On to the entrees. Sally had the Lasagna; I had the Linguini & Clams. Once again, the chef, Stephen Meyers, did not skimp on the helpings. Sally’s lasagna was the size of a brick, albeit a very tasty one! It was loaded with pasta accompanied by Bolognese, mozzarel la, and ricotta. She also stretched the limits of her appetite by ordering cheese tortellini and shrimp, both cooked to perfection.

Red, White and Basil has many fea tures that set it apart from many restau rants in the area. Our attentive manager and server, Grant, pointed out that all pasta served at the restaurant is home made. They go through 20 pounds of pasta an hour, almost all of it making its way to our plates. If you’re a pasta lover, try this restaurant. You won’t regret it!

And most of all, don’t make the same mistake I make all the time. It’s BAY-sil! You do not want Sally knocking at your door.

Michael Gilles is a playwright, actor, and director from Milton, and a regular contributor to Letters from CAMP Rehoboth.

The tiramisu had a subtle taste of alcohol, the cannoli was a crispy delight…

BY MICHAEL COOK

Shangela— Dancing with the Stars Diva

Whether she is stomping the runway on RuPaul’s Drag Race or hitting the dance floor as a groundbreaking contestant on Dancing with the Stars this year, Shangela continues to bring a megawatt smile and talent to spare to every project she dives into. In the midst of rehearsals, Shangela took some time to chat with me.

Michael Cook: You kicked off this season of Dancing with the Stars as the first drag queen contestant cast, and you and your partner Gleb Savchenko have scorched the dance floor during your first two weeks!

Shangela: Well, you know I’m from Texas, so I’m more used to chips & salsa, but this one I was living for!

MC: What is it like being on Dancing with the Stars? It must be absolutely surre al to put it mildly.

S: It really is—it is a surreal dream come true! I always dreamed about being able to do something that I love on a major platform, and I have gotten that with drag. I never thought that I would get it with this particular opportunity. I am just living each moment, working really hard, and hoping to inspire others to know that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from baby, there is place and space

for you to show up authentically.

MC: Competitors from past seasons have spoken about the grind of Danc ing with the Stars and how it truly is the hardest thing that many of them have ever done. Is that how you feel?

S: It is, definitely.… I can’t take away from the fact that it is one of the hardest things that I have ever done because it is one of the newest things that I have ever done. Shangela is a performer, but I am not a technically-trained dancer, I am just a diva that loves to dance. Being in a com petition space where I am being judged on a technique or a style of dance, I am putting in a lot of work over here because I really want to rise to the occasion.

MC: You were judged on your first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race when your drag was still newer, and now you are being judged on Dancing with the Stars on completely new skills. Does it ever get easier to be judged?

S: No one wants to be judged, but I knew what I signed up for over here, the same as Drag Race. I feel that at least on this, we get a little bit of time to learn and work with a partner. With Drag Race, I was a solo fish all by myself. Here I have a wonderful partner like Gleb who is training me on these new dances, to teach and rehearse with me, and it makes me feel great that I am not just up there by myself.

MC: What is it like to work with the other celebrities on your cast? Meeting some of them truly must be like a pinchme moment!

S: I mean honestly, I feel like somehow I got a ticket to the backstage meet-andgreet. There are so many. Selma Blair, who is so kind, phenomenal, wonderful, and sweet. Jordin Sparks, someone who I voted for when she was on American Idol, I ran up all of the standard text messag ing rates, I am so thrilled to be in a space with her. Wayne Brady who I know, it is so phenomenal to even think we are in the same competition together knowing what a fan I am of his.

MC: Since your last turn on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 3, you have catapult ed and gotten to experience so many monumental opportunities and truly show cased your talents in so many spaces. Is there anyone that along the way gave you some true words of wisdom that gave you your own “a-ha moment”?

S: Yes—my mentor and good friend, Jenifer Lewis. I talk to Jen daily; we literally got off the phone about an hour ago. She is one of the most encouraging, affirming people in my life besides my mother. She has truly guided me with her wisdom, not just for this experience but for every experience. She says to me, “This is what all of the work that you have put into your journey and your career, it has all built up to this moment.” She reminds me all the time to focus, save, and deliver. What she means by that is to focus my mind and save my energy. Because you know we love to entertain, we have a full day and start makeup at 7:00 a.m. and the show doesn’t start until 5:00 p.m. here. She always tells me, save my energy and then deliver, baby. This is your world, you know how to do this, you got this; so, deliver it.

MC: Groundbreaking has become a bit of an overused word, but for you it truly seems like it is applicable. From We’re Here to A Star Is Born, you have shattered stereotypes and glass ceilings on almost every project you have worked on.

S: I have to thank God and the uni verse because honestly, I feel like a lot

of those projects found me. For RuPaul’s Drag Race, the producers found me at Here Lounge at Mickey’s in West Hol lywood and thought it was a great idea for me to audition. For We’re Here, the creators of the show, Steve Warren and Johnnie Ingram, called me and said, “Shangela, we’ve seen your energy and your work throughout your career, we love you and we want you to do this show.” There was no audition. Even for A Star Is Born, Lady Gaga’s manager, Bobby Camp bell, called me. He mentioned that he had heard that I didn’t come in for the audi tion because it was for a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, but “LG (Lady Gaga) would really like to see you.” I’ve also done my part, though, by staying prepared and having a great love for my craft and my art. Also, being authentically me; showing up with the energy and the positivity that I had innately within me. I would give to the person at the Walmart check-out the same as I would give on a major television or film project.

And I am just so grateful. When people are attached to these projects that I have been able to be a part of, whether it’s Drag Race, We’re Here, A Star Is Born, and now Dancing with the Stars, when

they see me, they get the same person. I don’t have to code switch or turn into a character—it’s just me. Of course, Shange la has five hours’ worth of makeup, and wigs, and all those extra things, but at the root of it, it is still who I am as DJ Pierce. It’s who I was born into in Paris, Texas. I am the same person from Paris High School that I am over here at CBS!

MC: Is watching your own career evo lution sometimes like watching a movie that details someone else’s life?

S: You know, I love movies (laughs)! It is sometimes surreal and watching my life is

like watching a movie, because these are the things that I dreamed of. I dreamed of them, but I never knew that they would come true in this way. I was willing to go out and work for these moments. I believe them and am grateful for them, but they do seem unreal sometimes. I laugh as if I was watching a movie. Or I feel joy, like when you’re watching a movie and you see the character get the win at the end of the film and you cheer for them, I cheer for myself. I’ve watched this movie from the beginning and where we are now. There have been so many great moments—an emotional rollercoaster of moments. There have been low lows, like when I broke my leg on stage and I didn’t know if I would ever perform or dance again. But—ta-da! Here we are on a competition show for dancers, how about that? ▼

Follow Shangela on Instagram: instagram. com/ itsshangela/?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.

…it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from baby, there is place and space for you to show up authentically.

BY DOUG YETTER

SPOTLIGHT ON THEarts

CAMP Rehoboth Puts Art at the Heart of Our Community

From the CAMP Collection

CAMP Rehoboth is fortunate to have received many donations of art by artists and members of the community, and for that we are truly grateful! From October 14 through November 30, this special art will be featured in an exhibition, From the CAMP Collection

This exhibit was curated by CAMP Rehoboth Art Team member Logan Far ro. Logan is studying graphic design at Delaware Technical Community College and has exhibited art from that program at CAMP Rehoboth and the Reho both Art League. Logan searched the CAMP archives and selected the 20 works compris ing this exhibition.

Many community artists are featured, including Murray Archibald, Rodney Cook, Sharon Denny, Sue Fortier, Brook Hedge, Jane Knaus, Lee Wayne Mills, and more! Thanks to the generosity of these artists and donors, 100 percent of the proceeds will support CAMP Rehoboth programs, including health and wellness, and the arts.

“From acrylics to watercolors, and graphic art to mixed media, many art forms and a multitude of subjects are represented in this exhibit,” says Art Team Lead Leslie Sinclair. “Our thanks to Logan for selecting this exciting collection.”

Plan to attend the opening reception—October 14 (5:007:00 p.m.) for libations and a specialty mocktail to sip as you enjoy the art.

CAMP REHOBOTH highlights our community’s unique history and culture, and serves to further diversity, equity, and inclusion by building unity and understanding. Exhibits may be viewed Monday-Friday (10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.) and Saturday (10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.). You may view and purchase the art on the CAMP website under the “SHOP” heading.

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 DelawareScene.com.

IMAGES LEFT (top to bottom): Autumn Leaves by Rodney Cook; Encircles (of love) by Murray Archibald.

IMAGES ABOVE RIGHT (top to bottom):: Yellow Hibiscus by Jane Knaus; Proud Ibis by Sharon Denny.

Doug Yetter: After spending hundreds of Sunday mornings listening to the mellifluous voice of Liane Hansen on NPR, I could not have been more thrilled than the moment she walked into Clear Space to audition. The invis ible host of Weekend Edition Sunday actually had a face!

Liane Hansen: A face made for radio! I was once introduced to the editor of People magazine who looked at me and said, “No, you’re not!”

DY: You looked exactly how I imag ined. How long were you with NPR?

LH: I was hired as a production assis tant on All Things Considered in 1979 and became the co-host of Weekend All Things Considered with Noah Ad ams the same year. In 1989, I became the host of Performance Today and, later that year, host of Weekend Edi tion Sunday. I retired in 2011.

DY: How long have you been in show biz?

LH: I’ve been singing, dancing, and emoting since I was five and liked staging variety shows in our garage. High school drama club, theatre major at the University of Hartford (didn’t finish the degree, but they tapped me as commencement speaker in 2007 and bestowed an honorary doctorate), and several local theatre companies. I had just finished a production of Gypsy (ensemble) when I was hired for the morning shift at WSKG in Bing hamton, New York, then moved to Philadelphia to work with Terry Gross and the Fresh Air team. I was substi tute host for her, but my schedule with NPR meant theatre was no longer an option.

DY: You interviewed a pantheon of talent. Any favorites? Someone you wish you had interviewed?

LH: I’m drawn to past generations of entertainers. Sammy Cahn was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and I went to his office in Times Square for the interview. Phone rang, he yelled into it, hung up and said, “Damned Eddie Fisher!” Or Kitty Carlisle Hart in her Upper East Side apartment, where she kept a formal room with a grand piano and was dressed to the nines (for a radio interview?!?). Her personal living quar ters were quite modest. My all-time favorite was Ann Miller. What a dame! Swanned into the studio wearing an

emerald-green Chanel suit and that gigantic jet-black signature hairdo. Trust me—that ‘flip’ could put your eye out. She was charming. I wish I’d been able to interview Stephen Sondheim.

DY: You’ve been active in local theatre since retiring. Highlights?

LH: Just getting back onstage was cathartic in too many ways to mention here. I was home. I treasure the shows you and I did together—especially those with the CAMP Chorus. Getting to play Frau Schneider in Cabaret and Ouiser Boudreau in Steel Magnolias was like conquering Everest after climbing for 10 years.

DY: You helped launch Delaware’s only public radio station….

LH: I did. WDDE is now 10 years old!

DY: How do you define success?

LH: Oh my! Over the years I’ve asked so many people that same difficult question. Remembering all my lines? Hearing a gasp or laugh from the audience? But today, on my 71st birth day, with a cup of coffee at the beach and my tribe sending love, I think I’ve found it.

DY: Any last thoughts?

LH: I hope St. Peter says, “There’s been a cancellation, so go on in.” ▼

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

artist SPOTLIGHT Liane Hansen Just getting back onstage was cathartic in too many ways to mention here. I was home.

arts+entertainment

BOOKED SOLID

Before We Were Trans by Kit Heyam c.2022, Seal Press, $30.00, 352 pages

Yes or no: before there were rockets, there were no astronauts.

No, there wasn’t a need for them without a vehicle to go where people only dreamed of going. But yes—the word “astronaut” is more than a century old. Words and labels matter, as you’ll see in Before We Were Trans by Kit Heyam, and time is no excuse.

On the evening of June 8, 1847, John Sullivan was apprehended by gendarmes while weaving down a sidewalk in London. Sullivan was wearing a few women’s garments, and was carrying more, all of it stolen. Because it wasn’t the first time he was arrested, he spent 10 years in an Australian penal colony for his crime.

“Is this story a part of trans history?” asks Heyam.

There aren’t enough clues to determine Sullivan’s truth, not enough “evidence that their motivation for gender nonconformity was not external, but internal....” The answer’s complicated by the fact that “transgender” wasn’t even a word during Sullivan’s time. Presumably, Sullivan was white but even so, we must also consider “that the way we experience and understand gender is inextricable from race.”

Surely, then, Njinga Mbande, the king of Ndongo, can be considered trans; they were assigned female at birth but presented themselves as king, as did Hatshepsut of Egypt. In precolonial Nigeria, the Ekwe people were gender-fluid, to ensure that there was a male in the household. Do political and social reasons fit the definition of trans?

In England, it was once believed that to dress like the

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

opposite sex was to become that gender. In prison camps during World War I, men participated in plays to ease the boredom, and some ultimately lived permanently as women. Early history shows many examples of people living as “both.” Were they trans or not?

Says Heyam, “historians need to tread carefully and re sponsibly when we talk about the histories of people who blur the boundaries between intersex and trans.”

Moreover, can we allow that there’s probably some “overlap”?

The answer to that could depend on your current situa tion and mindset. Absolutely, author Kit Heyam dangles their own opinion throughout this book but Before We Were Trans doesn’t seem to solve the riddle.

Judging by the narrative here, though, it’s possible that it may be forever unsolvable. There’s a lot to untangle, often in the form of partially-recorded tales that hark back to antiqui ty and that are shaky with a lack of knowable details. Even Heyam seems to admit sometimes that their thoughts are best guesses.

And yet, that tangle can leave readers with so much to think about, when it comes to gender. Ancient attitudes toward trans people—whether they were, indeed, trans or acted as such for reasons other than gender—absolutely serve as brain fodder.

This is not a quick-breezy read; in fact, there are times when you may feel as though you need a cheat-sheet to follow similar-sounding names. Even so, if you take your time with it, Before We Were Trans may put you over the moon. ▼

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.

Quick Tortellini & Spinach Soup

If you’re a meat-and-potatoes kind of cook like me, autumn is a favorite season in the kitchen. Making comfort food feeds my soul. Soups, breads, roasts, and anything with the word “loaf” in its name. I’m so into this homey kind of cooking that if I were a drag queen, I’d name myself Cass Er’Role.

Every fall, before the holidays, I ensure our pantry is well stocked with staples like broth, dried beans, canned tomatoes, and various grains. I also make sure my tools are all in good working order, fixing or buying as needed.

But I have to keep myself in check because I can be a gadget whore. That, or when my husband’s not looking, I sneak the next best, can’t-live-without-it, thing-a-ma-jig into the utensil drawer. I’ll deal with the fallout when he washes it.

But seriously, I so enjoy puttering with the implements of cooking. To the point of seeking reasons and recipes to use them.

Like my dough scraper, avocado slicer, corn kernel stripper, and my industrial pop-up towel dispenser. Or my serrated peeler for tender skinned items like tomatoes and peaches. And I love my raised cutting board because it’s easier on my neck. Speaking of which, I recently switched to a cross-back apron...it is so much more comfortable!

Have you checked out the Kitchen & Company store on Rt. 1 in Lewes? It’s my North Pole with aisles and aisles of tools, tableware, small appliances, and specialty items. If your kitchen needs it, they’ve got it.

They also carry a large selection of Lodge cast iron. If you haven’t tried Lodge’s enameled cookware, it is every bit as good as the high-end lines you’ll find at Williams Sonoma, but at a fraction of the cost. I especially love their low-sided Dutch ovens.

So, this month I’m highlighting a one-pot meal I often make in the fall, my Quick Tortellini & Spinach Soup. It’s fast

but tastes like it simmered all day. Fast enough to whip up after work or before Trick-or-Treat.

Let’s get started, shall we?

STEPS

 Grab a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Sauté over medium heat: 2 Tbl extra virgin olive oil, 1 medium carrot diced into ¼-inch pieces, and ½ cup diced onion.

 When the vegetables are tender, add 2 crushed garlic cloves for 30 seconds. Then add: 6 cups lower sodium chicken broth, 2 cans (approximately 14 oz each) crushed stewed tomatoes, and 8 to 12 oz dried tortellini.

 Bring almost to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer 10 minutes.



ED CASTELLI

Add 6 oz of fresh baby spinach and

simmer for another 5 minutes.

 Stir in some fresh flat leaf parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

TIPS

• Feel free to stretch and supplement this soup with additional ingredients from your refrigerator. I often add things I need to use up like some low sodium vegetable juice, ½ pound of cooked Ital ian sausage, or some fresh tomatoes.

• For deeper flavor, swap in some bone broth or add a pinch of bouillon. Just watch the amount of salt and adjust your seasoning at the end. Remember: Par mesan cheese can be quite salty.

• Play around with fresh spices too. Like adding some thyme when you sauté the vegetables. Or adding some basil when you add the spinach. For that matter, swap in kale or some micro greens. Bottom line, this soup is a workhorse you can make exactly how you want in quick order. ▼

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.

I’m so into this homey kind of cooking that if I were a drag queen, I’d name myself Cass Er’Role.

THE COOKERS

Pilates: It’s a Good Thing!

This summer I got the Pilates bug. In the past, I occasionally par ticipated in mat Pilates classes and even used the specialized machines called reformers. But this summer I consistently took semi-pri vate classes with Charissa Hines at the Forever Fit Foundation (newly relocated to Midway Fitness Center) and I am now addicted for life.

As a fitness professional I am always encouraging my clients to cross train. As we age, it’s especially important to choose activities that are kind to the body while focusing on functional strength.

Pilates is a unique system of stretch ing and strengthening exercises. It tones and strengthens muscles, improves bal ance and posture, and creates a tighter, taller body. “The Art of Contrology”—or muscle control—was created by Joseph Pilates over 100 years ago. Plagued by rickets and asthma as a child in Germany, he developed this system to strengthen his frail body. He began with a series of mat exercises so beautifully demonstrated in the book The Pilates Body, by Brooke Siler.

Siler points out that in order to maxi mize your Pilates experience, participants must understand the elements that are in play. All Pilates exercises initiate from the muscles of the abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks. The band of muscles that circle the body just under your belt line is termed the “powerhouse.”

BY JON ADLER KAPLAN

When Joseph Pilates was an orderly in a hospital he began working with non-am bulatory patients. He attached springs to hospital beds to support the patients’ ail ing limbs while he worked with them. The doctors noticed that the patients were improving faster. These spring-based ex ercises became the basis for the reformer apparatus that is used in Pilates studios.

I’ve been working in gyms since the early 80s and have used every exercise machine you can imagine. What I love

about the Pilates reformer and mat work is that they teach you to focus on your form, balance, and inner strength.

Joseph Pilates believed that in order to achieve happiness it is imperative to gain mastery of your body. If at age 30 you are stiff and out of shape, then you are “old.” If at 60 you are supple and strong, then you are “young.” This is my goal as a trainer: to keep my clients “young” in body, mind, and spirit.

Listen to your body and use your best judgement when performing any exer cise. No exercise in the Pilates method or in any other area of fitness should ever cause pain. There is a difference between pain and the feeling of working a muscle intensely. If you ever find an exercise put ting an uncomfortable strain on an area of your body, stop, adjust your form, and continue. You might need to lower your weight or resistance and/or modify your position. ▼

Jon Adler Kaplan is a health coach and fitness trainer both virtually and at Rise Fitness and Adventure. Email Jon with any fitness questions: jonadlerkaplan@gmail.com.

Bras for Support

The 11th annual Bras for Sup port fundraiser took place on September 21. Presented by the Women’s Council of Realtors Sus sex County, Bras for Support was themed “Super Heroes Save the Ta tas” this year. Proceeds benefit the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition (DBCC) and the Beebe Healthcare Medical Foundation for the Beebe Center for Breast Health, and fund educational opportunities for the Women’s Council of Realtors, Sussex County. Bra sponsors included DBCC, Sea Bova Associates, Compass RE, Lingo Realty, and North Beach (which hosted the event), among others. Keeping with the year’s theme, models sported bras spoofing Captain Marvel, She Hulk, Silver Surfer, Wonder Woman, Thor, and many more. ▼

A Pink Affair

Cancer Support Community Delaware announces that ticket and table sales are OPEN for the Pink Affair to be held on Friday, October 21 at the Lewes Yacht Club. The annual luncheon and boutique shopping event will begin at 11:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. Tickets for the Luncheon and Boutique Shopping are $60.00; $360.00 for a table of six. Raffles, Silent Auction and 50/50 chances are also available at the Pink Affair. Details available at cancersupportdelaware.org.

Proceeds from the Pink Affair help directly fund critical programming, all at no cost, for those impacted by cancer in Sussex County. ▼

Joseph Pilates believed that in order to achieve happiness it is imperative to gain mastery of your body.

The REAL DIRT

Shoot that Poison Arrow

October is here and you know what that means…it’s the perfect month to learn your potions and poisons! The garden can be a wondrous place and enchanting as Oz, but it also plays host to a myriad of dangerous ingredients and bedeviling plants.

Some you may have heard about, like poison hemlock, also known as Conium maculatum. Poison hemlock looks very similar to Queen Anne’s Lace, and both have a white, carrot-like root. However, poison hemlock has hairless leafstalks, and smells musty when bruised. Take not because a small amount can cause paralysis and even death. Socrates is widely known to have died from hemlock poisoning.

A group of plants that are known to be poisonous to dogs (however, it’s danger ous for all mammals) is the dogbanes or Apocynum which translates to “away, dog.” Dogbanes have reddish stems and pairs of oval-shaped leaves. Their seed pods are slender and also come in pairs. The plant emits a milky juice that is also toxic. Dogbane can sometimes be con fused with common milkweed, however young dogbane shoots are hairless.

With a name like nightshade, some thing is bound to go wrong for the person that takes it. Common nightshade, or Solanum nigrum, is a weed that has a five-petal flower with yellow, beaklike an thers. The leaves are triangular shape and have an irregular toothy edge. They pro duce black berries in clusters. The young, underripe green berries are the most toxic so beware. The group of nightshades also contain many types of our more common, edible plants like eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, and potato. The name is most likely derived from how the plants prefer to grow and flower at night.

The common buttercup, or Ranun culus acris, is yet another plant that can cause a nasty reaction, even though it’s a beautiful plant found in fields and mead ows. The leaves are palm-shaped and the erect stem is hairy with glossy, overlap ping petals. Buttercups contain varying

amounts of a poison and will cause intes tinal problems if eaten and sometimes will cause the skin to blister if handled.

A native plant to Delaware, the blue flag iris, or Iris versicolor, is one plant that you may be surprised to find out is poisonous. In fact, all parts of the plant are toxic. This iris resembles the typical garden varieties and has a bluish-purple flower. They are mostly found in wet and marshy areas. Sometimes the roots are confused with cattails or sweetflag, so make sure you know what you are look ing at before handling.

Monkshood, called such for the hel met-like shape of the flower, is extremely poisonous. They are found in low-lying woods and damp sloped areas. The leaves are palm-shaped and resemble those of the buttercup. The flowers bloom from August through October, just in time for All Hollow’s Eve. Be extremely obser vant when handling monkshood; even a

BY ERIC W. WAHL

little morsel will cause extreme harm.

I think I’ll end with a common sight around disturbed areas within our region, pokeweed. Also known as Phytolacca americana, it is the common weed you see with glossy, purplish-black berries and reddish, thick stems. The young shoots or just the leafy tips can be boiled and pickled. However, the roots, seeds, mature stems, and leaves are all very poisonous. It would be wise to avoid this plant, especially if the shoots are already tinged with red. I guess pokeweed is both a trick and a treat.

On that note, have a wonderful au tumn and a spooky Halloween! ▼

Eric W. Wahl is Landscape Architect at Pen noni Associates, and President of the Delaware Native Plant Society.

...pokeweed is both a trick and a treat.

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Robert Kovalcik & Bob Howard X

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Jim Lawrence & Bob Palandrani

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Charles & Matthew Lentz Jill Leonard Marsha Levine & Susan Hamadock X

Arlene & Ginny Levy-Balmforth Barbara Lewis Barbara Lilien* Alexander Lincoln Cindy Lins & Diane Milam

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Sandy Souder - Unity of Rehoboth Beach*

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1

(Continued from page 83)

THIS PAGE (left to right) 1) at Port 251: Cynthia Changuris, Lori Garrett-Baron, Kathy McNair, Vera McNair, Angela Kontoulas, Lisa Balestrini Faber, Karen Faber, Denise Miles, Kim Schuler, Cindy, Valerie Ploumpis, Teri Agosta, Susan Garson; 2) at RB Fire Company Benefit: Joe Filipek, Larry Richardson, Derrick Kelley, Meghan Gardner, Joe Meng, Mark Fernstrom, Karl Hornberger, Chuck Snyder, Kent Swarts, Pam Cranston, Sandy Neverett, John Potthast, Sandra Skidmore, Jay Chalmers.

OPPOSITE PAGE 3) at Purple Parrot during Bear Weekend: Adam Cantley, Jonathan Bardzik, Jason Radlanger, Ryan Gillespie, Blair Thornton, Joe Pander, Brad Cox, Joe Dietz, Charlie Rouse, Ben Zook, Charles Kurland; 4) at Boozy Recovery Brunch: Holly Layne, John Flynn, Rich Barnett, Bob Winteringham, Charlie Browne, Rod Cook, Dan Kyle, Marvin Miller, Jeffrey Kusch; 5) at Freddie’s Beach Bar: Josh Levi, Dan Waits, Armando Rascon, Johnny Cervantes; 6) at The Pines: Debbie Woods, Leslie Sinclair, Arnold LaSpina, Steve Fallon; 7) at Aqua: Brian Yonofchick, Scott Bunch, Jim Burke, David Herring, Patch Foster, Kevin Rowland, 8) at CAMP Golf League: Tama Viola, Lisa Faber, Bea Hickey, Diane Cook, Sue Wilson, Rina Pellegrini, Renee Guillory, Linda Rikard, Mary Jo Tarallo, Jen Leonard.▼

Deep Inside Hollywood

BY ROMEO SAN VICENTE

Queer Faces among the Dozens Cast in Poker Face

The “Dark” legacy of Midnight Cowboy

roll call time! Filmmaker Rian Johnson (Knives Out, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) has assembled an enormous cast for his next project, the 10-episode Peacock series Poker Face. It’s a mystery-drama and being referred to as something of an anthology series (which may mean interconnected characters or plots among its discrete episodes, who knows) and otherwise it’s a locked down vault situation where plot details are concerned. Now, to list the dozens of people booked for this thing would turn into a TLDR situation, so we’ll begin with the queer cast: Tony and Emmy winner Cherry Jones, Clea DuVall, Jameela Jamil, and honorary member of the LGBTQ+ community, Judith Light. They will be joined by—deep breath— Natasha Lyonne, Luis Guzman, Hong Chau, Reed Birney, Adrien Brody, Benjamin Bratt, Chloe Sevigny, Ellen Barkin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lil Rel Howery, Nick Nolte, Ron Perlman, S. Epatha Merkerson, Simon Helberg, Stephanie Hsu, Tim Blake Nelson, Tim Meadows, and more, more, more. Sometimes you get quantity and sometimes you get quality and it’s clear that Johnson is giving us both. ▼

Casting

Turn it to Tig in the Morning

Cross prestige television’s serious-minded exploration of real-life issues with messy, back-stabbing, workplace soap antics and you have the not-so-secretly trashy, exceptionally entertaining Apple TV+ series, The Morning Show. And going into its third season, the world-building that involves famous media faces deeply mired in personal hypocrisies can only benefit from adding more incendiary characters to the mix. That means upping the ante and casting allure with Julianna Margulies, who’ll be reprising her season two character, and adding Jon Hamm and Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. star Nicole Beharie to the roster. Meanwhile, out of comedy left field comes Tig Notaro, who’ll play corporate boss Hamm’s chief of staff. We already can’t get enough of Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon’s battling characters, and Notaro’s deadpan energy ought to be another thorn in, well, everyone’s sides. Rubbing our nostalgic Dynasty and Melrose Place hands together over this. ▼

Romeo San Vicente was pretty in pink at prom.

This year’s Venice Film Festival was dominated by Don’t Worry Darling drama, and that sort of thing is always fun to gawk at, but there also were films that need the rest of our attention. One of them is a documentary about cinema itself, Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy, from filmmaker Nancy Buirski (By Sidney Lumet, The Rape of Recy Taylor ). One thing it isn’t is a typical “making-of” doc. Instead, Desperate Souls is about the lives of the creative people behind the only X-rated film in American history to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Those people include not just the actors Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, but gay author James Leo Herlihy who wrote the original novel, formerly blacklisted screenwriter Waldo Salt, and queer visionary filmmaker John Schlesinger at the reins. Be on the lookout for this one in the near future and get a glimpse of American culture and the place of gay men in it at a pivotal point in the 20th century. ▼

Danielle Fishel and Lance Bass Went to Prom

Now, it’s going to be a movie. Dear children of the ’90s: Danielle Fishel and Lance Bass really do care about your needs. And they’re taking their real lives and turning it into art. See, back in the late ’90s, the Boy Meets World star and the not-yet-out NSYNC heartthrob were dating, and they went to her high school prom together. Classic gay boy and his high school girlfriend scenario. And it was a moment for Bass that caused him to realize he could be hurting his friend, and that he needed to address his sexuality and be honest about who he was. Still close friends today, the two have Lauren Lapkus and Marie Holland working on a script that lots of queer people who came of age not so long ago will be able to relate to, a story about what it means when young people love each other, just not in *that* way. Very early stages here, but more on this one as it develops. ▼

Evelyn (Evie) Simmons

Evelyn (Evie) Simmons, 74, of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware passed away Wednesday, September. 21, 2022, at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes. She was born on Jan uary 28, 1948, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, daughter of the late Merle Fran Simmons and Jesse (Simon) Simmons.

Evie graduated from William stown High School in William stown, New Jersey and got her degree in 1970 at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University). Evie spent 30 years teach ing, first at Delsea Regional High School as a physical education teacher and later as a substance awareness coordinator for the entire school district. She also coached 7th and 8th grade field hockey and junior varsity softball.

In 1982, Evie met her life partner Barbara Thompson. They bought a vacation home in Rehoboth Beach in 1993 and split their time between Marlton, New Jersey, and Rehoboth Beach.

During an April 1999 rainstorm, Evie stopped to assist a young driver who had run off the road. As she stood outside the car, Evie was hit by a second skidding car, resulting in serious injuries and the amputation of her left leg. Not only did Evie return to her school job following the accident, but she took up golf more seriously than before. She continued to captain her beloved boat and was a 10-year member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Evie was the first Delaware amputee to be permitted to keep a captain’s license.

By 2003 Evie and Barb were retired and living in Rehoboth Beach full-time. They traveled to Canada that year to be mar ried legally.

Over almost 20 years of retirement, Evie remained passionate

Michael Moshos

Michael Moshos departed this life Thursday, September 22, 2022, in Rehoboth Beach, after a brief illness. Michael is survived by his longtime companion of 36 years, Dennis Liphart; three sisters, Mary Catherine Moshos, Frances (Michael) Campbell, and Stephanie (George) Puddy; and a large extended family.

Michael was a dedicated employee with a strong work ethic who brought his heart and personality with him each day to the workplace. His career with Giant Food

about the Philadelphia Eagles, captaining her Grady White power boat, managing softball teams, and coordinating golf leagues and tournaments. For a dozen years Evie and Barb ran the CAMP Rehoboth Golf League and continued to coordinate the Women’s FEST golf outing annually. In addition, Evie enjoyed Wednesday night poker games and her role as manager of the Shore Sharks Senior Women’s Softball team.

She enjoyed capturing nature in photography, wanted to be first to own every electronic gadget ever invented, and loved her riding lawn mower. Evie especially enjoyed dropping crab pots in Rehoboth Bay, catching and cooking hard-shelled crabs, and then inviting friends to crab feasts

A spiritual and generous person, Evie was a long-time member of Metropolitan Community Church of Rehoboth. She donated the funds for the purchase of the land along Plantation Road where the congregation constructed its home.

Above all, Evie was a devoted spouse, a woman who adored her family and friends, and an animal lover who was partial to Yorkshire terriers. Her last rescue was a three- legged york ie-cairn mix named Toddy.

Evie is survived by her wife of 40 years, Barb Thompson, of Rehoboth Beach; her sister and brother-in-law, Beverly and Dan Cunliffe, of Blackwood, New Jersey; her nieces, Alyson Cunliffe and Devin Graham; and Devin’s son, Jaxon, who Evie positively adored. She also leaves behind a community of grieving friends too numerous to mention.

A memorial service was held Saturday, October 1, at Epworth United Methodist Church, Rehoboth Beach.

Soon, a softball scholarship will be created in Evie’s name, along with the Shore Sharks Softball Team, to make an annual award to a female softball player at Cape Henlopen High School.

The family suggests donations in Evie’s memory to Metropoli tan Community Church, 19369 Plantation Road, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 19971 and CAMP Rehoboth, 37 Baltimore Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 19971. ▼

began in Maryland. Spurred on by his and Dennis’s love of the beach, they moved to Rehoboth, where Michael helped open the first Giant store in the area in 1999. Mike worked in various capacities with Gi ant, retiring with over 20 years of service.

A great joy in Mike’s latter years was the opportunity given to him by longtime friend Joe Maggio, to work well past retirement as a lifetime employee of Joe Maggio Realty and Keller Williams Real ty. His official title was Director of First Impressions.

When anyone met Michael, the first thing they learned about him was how proud he was of his Greek heritage. Michael was full of bluster and opinion yet devoted to family and to his faith. Over the last few years, Mike’s greatest pride was his special relationship with his great-nieces and -nephews and their daily FaceTime sessions.

A funeral service was held Thursday, September 29. Interment at Epworth Methodist Cemetery, Rehoboth Beach followed the service. ▼

David Stanley Hendrickson

David Stanley Hendrickson, 64, of Lewes, Delaware, formerly of Londonderry, New Hampshire, passed away Saturday, September 3, 2022, at his home.

Dave was a floral designer who loved gardening, grow ing beautiful flowers, and the art of making gorgeous floral arrangements.

After meeting the love of his life, Thomas Zamonsky, he real ized that he had a passion for travel. Dave worked as a business travel consultant with Milne Travel in Manchester, New Hamp shire. He enjoyed taking cruises, traveled the world extensively, skied the Alps, and loved seeing all the natural beauty of Europe.

He was preceded in death by his parents. Dave is survived by his loving husband and companion of 41 years, Thomas J. Zamonsky; three siblings, Theresa Jean Hendrickson Scalleta of Rancho Cucamonga, California, Stephen Hendrickson of Estero, Florida, and Mary Hendrickson Laughlin (Anthony) of Vancou ver, Washington; a stepmother, Linda Hendrickson; and several extended family.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held September 22 at St. Ed mond Catholic Church, Rehoboth Beach. ▼

Jerry Stansberry

Jerry Stansberry, age 87, of Rehoboth Beach, passed away on Friday, September 9, 2022, at Delaware Hospice, in Milford, Delaware. She was born on August 15, 1935, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Jerry built a lifelong career as a master plumber, owning and operating a HVAC plumbing company in Northern Virginia. She had many and varied interests and hobbies. Jerry loved water skiing, football, pickleball, and all sports. Above all, she was a devoted wife and vibrant friend.

Jerry is survived by her spouse, Leslie Hegamaster, of Re hoboth Beach; her daughter, Kimberly Raven Barber (Patrick J.

Lynn Ivy Hennessey

Lynn Ivy Hennessey, 69, of Lewes, Delaware, passed away on Sunday, September 25, 2022. She was born on Novem ber 19, 1952, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lynn grew up in Delaware County. She attended Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in veterinary science. Lynn had many and varied inter ests and hobbies. She loved yard sales and flea markets and enjoyed shuffle bowl—she was in the league for over 20 years. Lynn was also a diehard Eagles fan and always looked forward to cheering her favorite team during games.

A kindhearted spirit with a charitable nature, she loved all an imals and often sought shelter for them. Lynn was a proud mem ber of the Elks Club #2540, and the American Legion Post 17. Above all, she enjoyed spending time with those she held most dear. Lynn was a loving and devoted spouse, aunt, and friend.

Lynn is survived by the love of her life and companion for the past 35 years, Kathryn Teresa Myer, who she married on July 13, 2014; her sister-in-law, Carol Fleming (Charles); her mother-inlaw, Terry Myer; many extended family; and her beloved rescue dog,

Walsh) of Long Neck, Delaware; her twin sister, Janet Smith, and family, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina; her granddaughters, Alexandra Skouses and Anna C. Skouses; and her great-grand sons, Nicolas A. Skouses and Noah James Carter.

A memorial Service will be held on Monday, October 24, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, 19285 Holland Glade Road, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where friends and family may visit beginning at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Epworth Methodist Cemetery, 187 Henlopen Avenue, Rehoboth Beach. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Jerry’s memory to the Parkinson’s Foundation, parkinson.org. ▼

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to all the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center volunteers for the period:

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GRANTS COMMITTEE

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LETTERS

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Caroline Huff, Artist

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Co.,

Chesapeake & Maine, Dogfish Head

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go fish go brit

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Humane Animal Partners

Shelter

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61, 63,

PWW Law

Randy Mason/Shirley Kalvinsky, Realtors..............25

Rehoboth Art League

Rehoboth Beach Bears.......................................

Rehoboth Beach Dental 97

Rehoboth Guest House

Reiki CENTRAL 69

Rigby’s Bar & Grill

Saved Souls Animal Rescue 104

Sea Bova Associates, Realtors 112

Seaglass at Rehoboth Beach 60

Harpel, Morgan Stanley 13

Black/Bill Peiffer, Realtors

Trolley

Just In Thyme Restaurant

Warfield, Realtor

Ann Wilkinson Group, Realtors

LifeMed Institute

Loves Liquors

Maplewood Dental Associates

McWilliams Ballard Real Estate

Institute

Milton Theatre

Nassau Valley Vineyards

New Wave Spas

Olivia Travel

Port 251 Aperitivo Bar & Restaurant

Purple Parrot

Springpoint Choice 32

State Farm - George Bunting 44

State Farm - Jeanine O’Donnell/Eric Blondin 69

Sussex Family YMCA

The Lodge at Truitt Homestead 25

The ManKind Project, USA

The Pines 43

Time to Heal Counseling & Consulting

Troy Roberts, Realtor 21

True Blue Jazz 81

Unfinished Business 87

Village Volunteers 76

Volunteer Opportunities 109

Volunteer Thank You 109

Westminster Presbyterian Church 44 Windsor’s Flowers 107

HOLLY OAK - Lewes. New Construction – Late Winter Delivery. Double 1-acre lot. 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 thebig 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. $490,000 (2029152)

LOCHWOOD -Lewes.

New Construction. 3BR/2BA 1,634 sq. ft. home. Gas FP. Still time for custom pickouts. $484,900 (2027444) Call Theresa Cappuccino at 609-515-5820 cell

SANDY BRAE - Lewes. Classic 1983 3BR/2BA rancher is 1,568 sf. Updated baths. Newer flooring. Enclosed porch. 1/3 acre. Fenced yard. 5 miles to the beach. $359,900 (2029448)

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,

granite countertops & a stainless steel appliance package. Main bedroom is en Suite with the bath having a soaking tub & separate shower. VinylTech enclosed porch. Patio & garage both have epoxy finishes. 10 miles to the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. $415,000 (2029960)

COFFEE RUN - Hockessin.

CAMELOT MEADOWS

SILVER VIEW FARM

MARINERS COVE Millsboro.

Updated 1989 3BR/2.5BA doublewide on the canal w/your own private dock. Community pool. 15 miles to the boardwalk. $145,000 (2027032) Lot Rent $1,005/mt.

OAK CREST FARMS - Lewes. 2009-built 3BR/2BA home. Corner lot – 0.25 acres. This 1,424 sq. ft. house features tile floors throughout the main living area. Cathedral ceilings make the home feel even more spacious. The kitchen has cider maple cabinets, 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. $1,100,000 (2024456)

balcony & all

3BR/2BA 3rd-floor condo in an elevator building. Pool views from

Pamela Schaeffer

Rehoboth. 1973 2BR/2BA is 1,488sf. Sunroom & enclosed porch. Fencing & shed. 3.5 miles to beach. Community pool. $169,000 (2027780) Lot Rent $810/mt

Rehoboth. 1992 14’x80’ Redman. 3BR/1.5BA. Living room + den. Split BR plan. Furnished. Pool & 3 miles to beach. $75,000 (2029874) Lot Rent $604/mt.

ANGOLA ESTATES -Lewes. 2006 3BR/2BA home is 2,384 sq. ft. 12’x40’ sunroom. LV & family room w/gas FP. Marina & 2 pools. 10 miles to beach. $229,000 (2030318) Lot Rent $725/mt. includes sewer.