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LaFATE GALLERY HOSTS CAREGIVING ART WORKSHOP
On Friday, May 6, LaFate Gallery and DelCare Health Solutions will partner on an event called “Caregiving… A Work of Heart.”
Opening remarks will be made by DelCare Health Solutions founder and CEO, Dr. Nadine Lindsay. Awardwinning folk artists will then lead attendees in creating art revolving around the theme of caregiving.
Proceeds from an art sale that night will be donated to DelCare Health Solutions. For more information, call LaFate Gallery at (302) 656-6786.
After an extensive $10.8 million, 17-month renovation project, the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science opens to the public on Monday, May 23. The museum, formerly the Delaware Museum of Natural History, closed at the end of 2020 for the project. All the exhibits — many in place since 1972 — were removed and the walls were taken down to the studs. Installation of the new exhibits has been ongoing since the end of 2021.
“We’ve completely shed that dusty, old museum perception,” said Executive Director Halsey Spruance. “The Delaware Museum of Nature and Science is dynamic, engaging, interactive, relevant, and modern. Our focus is on what we know about nature and science, why it matters to us, and what we can do to protect the environment.”
Three new galleries will feature a giant floor map of the state that gives visitors the chance to explore everything from the Bald Cypress Swamp to the Delaware Bay; a giant floor map of the world showcasing three different ecosystems; an exhibit that gives visitors an up-close look at the creatures that lived in the Mid-Atlantic during the Cretaceous Period — from dinosaurs to flying bat lizards.
Other features include a Tree of Life, hands-on exhibits and a relax-andrecharge café. Visit Delmns.org.
WILMINGTON GRAND PRIX MAY 13-15
One of Downtown Wilmington’s biggest spring traditions returns after a two-year break due to COVID restrictions as the three-day Wilmington Grand Prix cycling event and festival is set for May 13-15. For the 13th year, the event is part of USA Cycling’s National Race Calendar and is considered one of the premier criterium-format races in the U.S. In 2019, the last year the event was held, cyclists from 21 states and seven countries participated.
Grand Prix Weekend opens with the Monkey Hill Time Trial and Kick-off Party in Brandywine Park on May 13. The event features the nationally known cobblestone climb up Monkey Hill while the crowd enjoys live music by What The Funk, food trucks and a tailgate atmosphere. The competition kicks off with a lighthearted Commuter Challenge benefit for Urban Bike Project, in which contestants riding weighted-down commuter bikes traverse the course — including climbing Monkey Hill.
The Major Taylor Community Ride will kick off activities on Sat., May 14. The public is invited to join regional Major Taylor cycling clubs and pro racers for a recreational ride of the Grand Prix race course. The amateur and pro races will follow with free activities and course-side cafes lining Market Street.
Sunday sees the return of the nationally acclaimed Governor’s Ride and Delaware Gran Fondo, where local riders join out-of-towners and pro racers for a scenic ride of the Brandywine Valley that starts at the Delaware Art Museum and takes cyclists past a dozen cultural attractions — including oncea-year opportunities to ride through the grounds of Hagley and Winterthur museums.
Visit WilmGrandPrix.com.
NEW FITNESS TRAIL IN BRANDYWINE PARK
DRONE SOCCER COMING TO DELAWARE BELLEFONTE ARTS FESTIVAL RETURNS
The Friends of Wilmington Parks, supported by funding from Highmark Delaware and
Incyte, has expanded the exercise options in
Wilmington’s Brandywine Park. The Friends have created a fitness trail by adding four stationary exercise stations along the park’s riverfront jogging trail. The stations allow users to add a strength and flexibility workout to their daily walk or run.
“I thank Friends of Wilmington Parks and their community partners for this latest initiative that adds important health-related amenities to an already fantastic open space in the heart of Wilmington,” said Wilmington
Mayor Mike Purzycki.
The Friends of Wilmington Parks is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, dedicated to the preservation and beautification of Wilmington's green spaces. They work with Delaware State Parks to support Brandywine Park,
Alapocas Run State Park, Rockford Park, Kentmere Parkway, and the H.
Fletcher Brown Park.
A map of the trail is available at FriendsofWilmingtonParks.org.
In collaboration with U.S. Drone Soccer, Droneversity and DWS Drone School are bringing drone soccer to Delaware with Wilmington as the state headquarters. It’s an effort by the two drone training schools to use eSports to stimulate the interest of teens and youth in math and science, provide careers in STEM fields as well as increase Delaware’s economic competitiveness as a global technology education and employment hub for aspiring drone operators.
U.S. Drone Soccer is played with flying quadcopters in protective plastic exoskeletons designed for full-contact gameplay and collisions. It is the only internationally sanctioned eSport recognized by the World Air Sports Federation (FAI), and provides classroom lessons, and after-school leagues for ages 12 and up to immerse students in drone technology and aviation. Before competing, students must first learn to build, program, and repair their drones as a team. Currently, one million students are competing in robotics worldwide.
“The joy of flight is real. When a student flies, but then crashes and makes their first repairs — they’ve become an engineer for life,” says David Roberts, President of U.S. Drone Soccer, who previously took the U.S. Drone Racing Team to two FAI World Championships. “This is a transformational opportunity to expand DWS Drone School’s National Teen Drone and Virtual Reality Technology Initiative to educate and employ teens,” said attorney Theophilus Nix, Jr., CEO of DWS Drone School. Academic enrollment is now open for schools and summer camp providers. Equipment and training are available. More information about this emerging eSport can be found at USDroneSoccer.de.
One of the Park's new fitness stations. Acornerstone event for the artist collective Bellefonte Arts, the Bellefonte Arts Festival is back on Saturday, May 21, with a sense of enthusiasm as well as some fond reminiscence.
This will be first event in the series without Damon Betz, who Bellefonte Arts owner Valerie White says was “a huge part of the festival since its inception in 2009.”
“I’m thrilled that the festival will continue in his memory,” White says. “We want to make sure that May 21 is filled with his spirit, spunk and passion.”
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can stroll along Brandywine Boulevard for a day of fun, food and festivities in celebration of area arts and artists. More than 50 local art vendors, food court, performances and a Kids Korner will all be featured. Tickets are $2 per person or $5 for a family of three or more. Learn more at BellefonteArts.com.
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