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Salisbury Star PO Box 1000 Seaford, DE 19973-1000
Vol. 3, No. 10
Complimentary
January 2017
CHAMPS- Delmar field hockey head coach Jodi Hollamon celebrates her team’s state title. Story and photos start on page 14.
Retirement Living and Finance
Local company in business to help seniors. Page 5 BUSINESS CHANGES- A look at how business changed in 2016. Page 4 RESOLUTIONS- Local dignitaries share their resolutions for the new years. Page 6
INDEX Bulletin Board............................ 10 Business Digest.......................... 9 Business Directory...............28-29 Church........................................ 13 Delegate’s Report........................ 3 Education .................................. 20 Final Word.................................. 31 Gee Dunsten.............................. 12 Health......................................... 25 Personnel................................... 11 Real Estate................................. 12 Salisbury University.................. 23 Sports......................................... 14 Student Profile........................... 20 The Great Outdoors.................. 18 Veronica Correa......................... 30
PACKING DAY - In 2007, a small group of local citizens from throughout the state led by Jeff and Diana Merritt of Salisbury and Laurel, Del. resident, Bruce Bennett, came together to pack 100 USPS flat rate boxes for shipment to troops deployed overseas. The cases were filled with snacks, toiletries and messages from home to lighten the hearts of young servicemen and women far from home. In the 10 years since, Operation We Care has grown to a major charitable cause with hundreds of volunteers that not only sends packages to our troops serving around the world but also makes donations to our local fire and police departments. On Sunday, Nov. 13, over 300 volunteers gathered at the Sharptown Fireman’s Memorial Hall for this year’s second “Packing Day.” They turned hundreds of cases of donated microwave popcorn, body wash, Girl Scout Cookies, instant oatmeal and hot chocolate, baby wipes (a commodity for those on desert deployment) and various other sundries that act as fond reminders from home, into 600 hand packed USPS parcels ready for shipment. These cases brought the total shipped by OWC since it started to 11,217. For more information about Operation We Care and how you can become involved, visit www.operationwecare.org.
Area deli back to business after summer storm By Al Higgins
When owner of Countryside Market & Deli, Gary Foxwell, heard the weather forecast of rain, possibly heavy, for June 30, he didn’t give it much thought. Little did he know that in just a few short hours his business would be cut in half. The Greater Salisbury area experienced up to eight inches of rain the final day of June, and when it finally came to an end a deep, wide trench had formed across Nanticoke Road, very close to Foxwell’s business. The heavy flow of water resulting from the storm was too much for the under the road culvert pipe to handle, resulting in tons of soil being washed away. The end result was that the road was impassable. An early survey by the Maryland
Department of Transportation was that repairs would take up to two months. “It couldn’t have come at a worse time,” said Foxwell. “The breech in the road occurred just before the Fourth of July weekend, which is historically one of the busiest for my store, and the months of July and August are by the far our busiest time. Immediately upon the road closure my business dropped off by at least 50 percent.” Initially the state would not allow Foxwell and other business owners to erect temporary signage instructing people as to how they could detour to their businesses. Through the efforts of State Senator Jim Mathias and County Commissioner Bob Culver, signs were eventually erected and business at the Countryside Market & Deli and The Red Roost Crab House improved some-
what. “My fear,” said Foxwell, “was that during the extended detour period my customers would discover other places to shop. We’re all creatures of habit and habits are difficult to break. However, my fears did not materialize. Within a couple of weeks of the road reopening, at the end of August, my business volumes rapidly returned to the level prior to the road damage. “Our deli has always been a big customer draw and folks often stated that they made the lengthy detour to frequent the market because they didn’t want to see it go by the wayside,” said Foxwell. “It is now business as usual at the store. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of my loyal customers for sticking with me through a very difficult period.”