THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2007
VOL. 12 NO. 25 NEWS HEADLINES DISCOVERY - The search for the USS Grunion, a World War II submarine, has ended. Find out why this is important to a local woman. Page 4 BRIDGEVILLE - A new Bridgeville Library will cost between $2.5 and $3 million. Where’s this money coming from? Page 5 VOLUNTEERS - The president of the Blades Volunteer Fire Company’s Ladies’ Auxiliary knew that she was destined to become involved. Page 8 TOP EVENT - The American Bus Association designated Punkin Chunkin as one of the association’s top-100 events in North America. Page 9 NEMOURS - If you haven't noticed yet, there's an effort afoot to "Make Delaware's Kids the Healthiest in the Nation." Page 11 HABITAT - On Saturday a family received the keys to a home built by women volunteers with a little advice from some men. Page 13 SCA SOCCER - For the first time in its 34-year history, the Seaford Christian Academy is fielding a girl’s soccer team. Page 15 PEANUTS - What does Plains, Georgia, have besides peanuts that makes it so special? Frank Calio explains. Page 59 TRIP PLANS - The Seaford Historical Society with the leadership of Helen Ann Smith is planning a bus trip to Washington, D.C. Page 61 POP WARNER - The Woodbridge Pop Warner Mitey Mite and Pee Wee football teams were home last Saturday. Page 45 STARS OF THE WEEK - A Seaford football player and a Woodbridge soccer player are this week’s Seaford Stars of the Week. Page 48
INSIDE THE STAR BUSINESS BULLETIN BOARD CHURCH CLASSIFIEDS EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT FRANK CALIO GENE BLEILE GOURMET HEALTH LETTERS LYNN PARKS
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MOVIES OBITUARIES ON THE RECORD PAT MURPHY PEOPLE POLICE JOURNAL SNAPSHOTS SPORTS TIDES/WEATHER TODD CROFFORD TONY WINDSOR
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50 cents
Apple-Scrapple Festival this weekend By Lynn R. Parks Nearly two decades ago, when Bridgeville residents were looking for some kind of annual event to bring visitors to town, someone suggested an apple festival. Bridgeville native John Shockley, one of several people attending the organizational meeting, scoffed at the idea that the apple, which the festival would celebrate, was the town’s biggest product. “I said that apples aren’t our biggest product,” said Shockley, who still lives in Bridgeville. “Scrapple is. And then I said, ‘Maybe we can have an applescrapple festival.’” Everybody laughed. “I said it as a joke,” Shockley said. “But then as the meeting went on, everybody sort of liked it.” By the end of the meeting, plans for the town’s first Apple-Scrapple Festival were under way. This weekend, Bridgeville will host its 16th Apple-Scrapple Festival. If last year’s festival is any indication, about 35,000 people will attend. “After that first meeting, I wouldn’t have given 50 cents for the idea of a festival in Bridgeville,” Shockley said. “I thought, ‘Who’s going to come to little old Bridgeville, Del.?’ Now, I’m so glad that I was proved wrong. I enjoy the festival so much, and enjoy seeing everyone come to Bridgeville.” The annual festival is like a big town reunion, said Shockley; he and his wife are expecting their son, Scott Slacum, Millsboro, and two granddaughters, age 6 and 9, for the weekend. In addition two friends from Lewes will visit during the weekend, and might bring with them an additional two people. In anticipation of the festival and their guests, the Shockleys are decorating their Laws Street house with apples, pigs and bales of straw. Food is a highlight of the festival What is it that makes the AppleScrapple Festival so successful? “I think it’s the food,” said Shockley. Every year, the town’s streets are lined with vendors, selling a variety of food including (of course) scrapple sandwiches and apple dumplings. Last year, several food booths were sold out by 6 Saturday evening, including the Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department’s oyster fritter stand, a hot dog stand and a funnel cake stand. The apple dumpling stand closed at 3 in the afternoon after selling 3,500 dumplings. Chairwoman Bonnie Workman believes that the fact that many of
The stars of the annual festival in Bridgeville are RAPA Scrapple and fresh apples.
the vendors are non-profit organizations is a big attraction. Apple dumpling sales benefit Mennonite mission trips and the Bridgeville Kiwanis and Lions clubs have food booths, as do many school, church and community groups. In addition, the three-day carnival benefits the Bridgeville Public Library. “It really pulls out a lot of people when they know they are helping non-profits,” Workman said. Workman also believes that the rhyming festival name is a draw. “Every year we all sit around and wonder, how in the world did this happen?” she said. “I really think a big part of the attraction is the name. People really like it. And I think we pay attention to what the people want. They like buses so they can get around, and we provide that. And they like to have a lot of information so they know where to go, and we give them that.” Festival organizers put together a booklet, widely available throughout the weekend, with schedules and information about events. Scrapple chunkin’ and slingin’ Or maybe the festival’s attraction is in the fact that organizers have found ways to enjoy one of its two stars, scrapple, other than eating it. Those with competitive spirits are welcome to join in the scrapple carving contest in the morning and in the afternoon, the scrapple chunking contest. The festival also features an invitational scrapple throw, hosted by Town Commission president Joe Conaway for area politicians.
“We have our Old Salem Days,” said Dic Burbage, Salem, Va., who was watching the scrapple chunkin’ a couple of years ago with his sister, Ruth Ann Marvel, Dagsboro. “But they are nothing like this. We’ll have to find something to throw.” “This is great fun,” added Marvel, whose son Kyle, 10, competed in the scrapple chunk. “We’ve seen the crafts and eaten food, but this contest is definitely the highlight.” The scrapple chunkin’ will start at 1 p.m. in the field behind Woodbridge High School. Contestants will heave blocks of scrapple as far as they can — last year, high school track coach Charlie Gibbs threw his block of scrapple 110 feet to claim the men’s division prize and Evonda Rooks, Bridgeville, threw the scrapple 73 feet to win the women’s division. The Mayor’s Scrapple Sling will get under way at 2 p.m. at the entertainment stage. Bridgeville Mayor Joe Conaway will be among those competing for the title, King of Sling. The festival will start Friday afternoon at 4, when Pink Grass, a local, all-female bluegrass band, will take to the stage set up in the large parking lot behind the Bridgeville Fire Hall. At the same time that the women of Pink Grass are striking their first notes, a carnival, set up along Railroad Avenue, will swing into action. And in the food booths that will line the streets, oyster fritters, scrapple sandwiches and apple dumplings will go on sale. See Festival—page 19